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eastern counties, become too light to yield any more rain.

LESSON LX.

THE GENTLEMAN AND BASKETMAKER CONCLUDED.

The nobleman now began to perceive with how little reason he had before valued himself, and despised his fellow creatures, and an occurrence soon after took place, which tended to complete his mortification, for one of the savages had found something like a fillet, with which he adorned his forehead, and seemed to think himself extremely fine.

The basketmaker, perceiving this appearance of vanity, pulled up some reeds, and, sitting down to work, in a short time finished an elegant wreath, which he placed on the head of the first native he chanced to meet.

The man was so pleased with his new acquisition, that he danced with joy, and ran away to seek the rest, who were all struck with astonishment at this new, and elegant piece of finery, and it was not long before another came, making signs that he wanted to be adorned like his companion.

The wreaths were so highly valued by all the inhab→ itants, that the basketmaker was released from his former drudgery, and constantly employed in weaving them; in return for the pleasure he conferred upon them, the grateful savages brought him the choicest food the country afforded, built him a hut, and showed him great kindness.

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But the rich man, who possessed neither talents to please, nor strength to labour, was condemned to be the

basketmaker's servant, and to cut him reeds to supply the increasing demand for wreaths; he now lost all idea of his own superiority, and saw clearly that the basketmaker was a much more useful being than himself.

After having passed some months in this manner, they were brought back to their own country by the orders of the magistrate, and commanded to appear before him; when looking sternly at the rich man, he thus addressed him:

"You have now been taught how helpless, contemptible, and feeble a creature you are, and you cannot but be sensible of your inferiority to the man you insulted, and it now remains for me to see that suitable reparation is made for the injuries you have done him.

Did I treat you as you deserve, I should take from you all the riches you possess, as you wantonly deprived this poor man of his whole subsistence, but, hoping you will become more humane for the future, I sentence you to give half your fortune to this man whom you' endeavoured to ruin."

Upon this the basketmaker, after thanking the magistrate for his goodness, said:-"I, having been brought up in poverty and accustomed to labour, have no desire to acquire riches, which I should not know how to use; all therefore, that I require of the gentleman is, to put me into the same situation I was in before, and to learn more humanity."

The rich man was astonished at this generosity, and having acquired wisdom in the school of adversity, he not only treated the basketmaker as a friend during the rest of his life, but he employed his riches in relieving the poor, and benefiting his fellow-creatures.

It is still the custom in that country, when any one in a high station in life, so far forgets himself as to treat his inferiors either with injustice, or arrogance, to remark "he wants a lesson from the basket-maker."

LESSON LXI.

COMETS.-ECLIPSES.

Comets are singular bodies that move round the sun, the same as the planets, but in orbits exceedingly elliptical, that is, in their circuit round the sun, they sometimes approach very near him, and at other times their path extends far beyond the limits of the Solar System.

The word comet is derived from the Latin word co'ma, a hair, and comets are so called because they are usually accompanied by a shining train, resembling long hair streaming in the wind.

Some of the comets are thought to be solid bodies like the earth, but the greater number of them evidently consist of a kind of transparent vapour, as the fixed stars can be seen through their nu'cleus, or body.

It is not known how many comets belong to the Solar System, but the number is considerable, yet only a few of them can be seen with the naked eye; and there are only three whose times of returning are exactly known; one of these accomplishes its circuit in three years and a half, another in seventy years, and the remaining one in rather less than seven years.

Comets are extremely unlike in their appearance; some have no train, or tail, but are bearded; some have bodies apparently no larger than a star, and long trains, and others have large bright bodies, and small trains.

In former times, the appearance of a comet sometimes created great alarm, but, in the present day, they give rise to no other sensation than that of curiosity, with the educated part of mankind, for it is known they are subject to the same laws as the other planetary bodies.

The sun is said to be eclipsed, when the dark body of the moon comes in a direct line between the sun and the earth, and obstructs that light which the latter should receive, and it is called a total eclipse, when no part of the sun's disc, or face, can be seen.

The following diagram will explain the nature of an eclipse of the sun.

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The sun is said to be partially eclipsed when only a part of his face is hidden from our view; in a partial eclipse, he sometimes appears like a crescent, and sometimes like a half moon; an annular eclipse is when the moon passes in a direct line between us and the sun, but, from her position, she is not large enough to cover his whole face; the sun's appearance, then, is that of a luminous ring.

This may be illustrated by laying a blackened sixpence upon a sovereign, when the yellow rim of the gold will be a just representation of the sun's appearance, when undergoing an annular eclipse.

An eclipse of the moon is caused by the earth's coming in a direct line between the sun and the moon, when the latter, being made dark by the earth's shadow, cannot be seen by us.

The following figure will explain the nature of an eclipse of the moon.

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An eclipse of the moon can only take place when she is at the full, for it is only then that the earth comes in a direct line between the sun and the moon, and the eclipse will be equally visible in every part of the globe where the moon is then shining.

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In an eclipse of the moon, the shadow of the earth on her surface is circular, which is another convincing proof that the earth is a globe, or round body, as she is represented to be.

LESSON LXII.

THE ATHEIST AND ACORN.-SAFE POVERTY.-
THE MELODY OF NATURE.

Methinks the world seems oddly made,
And ev'ry thing amiss,
A dull complaining Atheist said,
As stretch'd he lay, beneath the shade,
And instanc'd it in this:-

"Behold," quoth he, "that mighty thing,
A pumpkin large and round,
Is held but by a little string,
Which upwards cannot make it spring,
Nor bear it from the ground.

While on this oak, an acorn small,
So disproportion'd grows,

That whosoe'er surveys this all,
This universal casual ball,

Its ill contrivance knows.

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