But dearest friends, alas! must part,
How shall we all lament!-Adieu,
For, see, the hounds are just in view.”

What is that, mother?

Gay.

The lark, my child!—

The morn has but just look'd out and smil'd,
When he starts from his humble grassy nest,
And is up and away with the dew on his breast,
And a hymn in his heart, to yon pure bright sphere,
To warble it out in his Maker's ear.

Ever, my child, be thy morn's first lays,
Tun'd, like the lark's, to thy Maker's praise.

What is that, mother?

The dove, my son!

And that low sweet voice, like a widow's moan,
Is flowing out from her gentle breast,
Constant and pure by that lonely nest,
As the wave pour'd from some crystal urn,
For her distant dear one's quick return.

Ever my son, be thou like the dove-
In friendship, as faithful, as constant in love.

What is that, mother?

The eagle, boy!

Proudly careering his course of joy,
Firm on his mountain vigour relying,

Breasting the dark storm, the red bolt defying,
His wing on the wind, and his eye on the sun,
He swerves not a hair, but bears onward, right on.
Boy! may the eagle's flight be thine,
Onward and upward, true to the line.

Doane.

LESSON LXXX.

DENMARK.-RUSSIA.-PRUSSIA.-POLAND.

DENMARK, a small kingdom in the north of Europe, chiefly consists of Zealand, Fu'nen, and some. other islands at the entrance of the Baltic Sea, the penin'sula of Jutland, and the territories of Holstein' and Sleswick adjoining Germany; its population exceeds two millions.

Copenhagen,* the capital, is a handsome well-fortified. city on the east shore of the island of Zealand, contain-, ing about one hundred and thirty thousand inhabitants.

Denmark is in general a flat country, abounding in unproductive marshes, and subject to fogs; in some, parts, however, the soil is fertile, yielding abundance of pasturage and corn; it has also excellent fisheries.

The Danes, a few centuries ago, were a most warlike people, possessing a degree of courage approaching to ferocity; they are still accounted brave, but happily more inclined to peace and commerce.

Iceland, a considerable island in the North Atlantic Ocean, belongs to Denmark; it is a cold and barren, country, abounding in volcanoes, the chief of which is the celebrated mountain Hecla.

Iceland also contains some of the most wonderful objects in nature, namely, hot springs, which throw up, jets of boiling water to a considerable height. The population of Iceland is about fifty thousand, and its chief town, Skalholt.

RUSSIA is the most extensive empire in the world, occupying nearly half of Europe, the whole of the The g is sounded hard, as in get.

northern part of Asia, and a part of North America; its population is about sixty millions.

St. Petersburg, the capital of the whole empire, was founded by Peter the Great; it is situated on the marshy banks of the river Neva, near the Gulf of Finland, and well situated for commerce, but the climate is excessively cold; it contains nearly half a million of inhabitants.

Moscow, the ancient capital, with a population of about three hundred thousand, is pleasantly situated in the heart of the Europe'an empire, and is noted for the extent of its inland trade; a considerable part of Moscow was burnt down when France invaded Russia in 1812, but it has since been rebuilt.

The other principal towns of Russia are Ri'ga, a large and wealthy port on the Baltic Sea; Archangel,* a place of great trade on the White Sea, and Odes'sa, a considerable port on the Black Sea.

The winters, in the northern parts of Russia, are excessively cold; the climate in the middle is temperate, and towards the south it becomes hot, producing the finer fruits in perfection.

Russia is, in general, a level country, consisting of extensive plains; its export trade is carried on to a very great extent, especially in furs, hemp, flax, tallow, hides, tar, and wheat.

The wild animals common to the country are bears, wolves, hy-e'-nas, beavers, elks, antelopes, foxes, ermines, and other quadrupeds, yielding valuable furs.

The government of Russia is absolute, that is, the will of the emperor is not under the control of any other power; the nobility, and the upper classes, are, in

* Ark-ain-gel.-The pupil must bear in mind that arch, before a vowel, is sounded as if written ark,-before a consonant, as if written

arteh, as in archbishop.

general, wealthy, and live in great splendour, but the peasantry are in a state of slavery.

The rivers of Russia are on a grand scale; the principal are the Volga, the largest in Europe, the Don, the Dnieper, then Diester,† and the Dwina.

*

PRUSSIA, properly so called, borders upon the Baltic Sea, and is not of great extent, but, including its possessions in Germany, Poland, and other parts, it forms a kingdom of considerable magnitude, and has a population of about sixteen millions.

Berlin', the capital, is a large and handsome city, with a population of nearly three hundred thousand; the other chief towns of Prussia, are Kon'-igs-burg, the capital of ancient Prussia; Dant'zic, famous for its trade in corn, and Mem'el, well known in the timber trade.

The climate of Prussia is, in general, healthy, and the soil fruitful, especially in corn, of which it exports large quantities. Prussia has also made considerable progress in manufacturing goods, for which she finds a ready market in Germany.

The principal rivers of Prussia are the Elbe, and the Weser, which flow into the German Ocean, and the Vistula, the Oder, and the Memel, which empty themBelves into the Baltic.

Although the name of POLAND is blotted out from the list of independent states, yet it is still considered as a distinct kingdom; before it was unjustly seized by the neighbouring states, Russia, Prussia, and Austria, it had a population of fourteen millions.

The Poles have, at different times, made a gallant struggle to regain their independence, but being sur † Nees'ter.

* Nee'per.

rounded by their enemies, and not assisted by any other power, they did not succeed.

The two principal towns in Poland, are Cra'cow, the ancient, and Warsaw, the present capital; they are both large cities, seated on the river Vistula. Warsaw has a population of one hundred and forty thousand.

LESSON LXXXI.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION.

We frequently speak of millions, and even of billions, without reflecting on the amazing import of the words; a billion is a million times a million; this is soon written, and spoken in still less time, but not easily counted.

Had our great ancestor, Adam, at the beginning of his existence, begun to count, had continued to do so, and was counting still, he would be very far indeed from accomplishing the task of counting a billion!

To count a billion, at the rate of one hundred a minute, working twelve hours a day, would require nearly forty thousand years, while, if Adam were still living, his age would be short of six thousand.

Fogs are clouds which float on the surface of the earth, and clouds are fogs in the higher regions of the atmosphere. From some elevated places they may be seen moving in the valleys, and from the valleys they may frequently be seen creeping along the sides of the mountains.

The following curious fact of the wonders of the Electric Telegraph, was related by one of the cashiers of the Bank of England: on a certain Saturday evening,