he exhibited himself to the theatres of London, was capable of supporting a pyramid of ten or twelve men, surmounted by two or three children, whose aggregate weight could not be much less than two thousand pounds; with which weight he walked repeatedly towards the front of the stage.

The prodigious powers thus exerted by human muscles, will lead us to behold with less surprise the proofs of far superior powers exerted by the muscles of other animals.

The elephant is capable of carrying with ease a burden of between three and four thousand pounds. With its stupendous trunk (which has been calculated to consist of upwards of thirty thousand distinct muscles) it snaps off the stoutest branches from the stoutest trees, and tears up the trees themselves with its tusks.-How accumulated the power that is lodged in the muscles of the lion! With a single stroke of his paw he breaks the back-bone of a horse, and runs off with a buffalo in his jaws at full speed: he crushes the bones between his teeth, and swallows them as a part of his food.

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Nor is it necessary that the muscles should always have the benefit of a bony lever. The tail of the whale is merely muscular, and yet this is the instrument of its chief and most powerful attack; and possessed of this instrument, to adopt the language of an old and accurate observer, a long-boat he valueth no more than dust; for he can beat it all in shatters at a blow." The skeleton of the shark is entirely cartilaginous, and totally destitute of proper bone; yet it is the most dreadful tyrant of the ocean: it devours with its cartilaginous jaws whatever falls in its way; and one of its species, the white shark, which is often found thirty feet long, and of not less than four thousand pounds weight, has been known to swallow a man whole at a mouthful.

GOOD-Book of Nature.

THE DESTROYING ANGEL.

"To your homes," said the leader of Israel's host, "And slaughter a sacrifice :

Let the life-blood be sprinkled on each door-post,

Nor stir till the morn arise;

And the Angel of Vengeance shall pass you by,
He shall see the red stain, and shall not come nigh
Where the hope of your household lies."

The people hear, and they bow them low-
Each to his house hath flown;

The lamb is slain, and with blood they go,
And sprinkle the lintel-stone;

And the doors they close when the sun hath set,
But few in oblivious sleep forget

The judgment to be done.

'Tis midnight—yet they hear no sound
Along the lone still street;

No blast of a pestilence sweeps the ground,
No tramp of unearthly feet,

Nor rush as of harpy wing goes by,

But the calm moon floats in the cloudless sky, 'Mid her wan light clear and sweet.

Once only, shot like an arrowy ray,
A pale-blue flash was seen,

It pass'd so swift, the eye scarce could say
That such a thing had been:

Yet the beat of every heart was still,
And the flesh crawl'd fearfully and chill,
And back flow'd every vein.

The courage of Israel's bravest quail'd
At the view of that awful light,

Though knowing the blood of their offering avail'd
To shield them from its might:

They felt 'twas the Spirit of Death had past,

That the brightness they saw his cold glance had cast
On Egypt's land that night.

Wail, King of the Pyramids! Death hath cast
His shafts through thine empire wide,

But o'er Israel in bondage his rage hath past,
No first-born of hers hath died-

Go, Satrap! command that the captive be free,
Lest their God in fierce anger should smite even thee,
On the crown of thy purple pride.

HALF OF THE PROFIT.

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of

A NOBLEMAN, resident at a chateau near Pisa, was about to celebrate his marriage-feast. All the elements were propitious except the ocean, which had been so boisterous as to deny the very necessary appendage of fish. On the very morning of the feast, however, a poor fisherman made his appearance with a large turbot. Joy pervaded the castle, and the fisherman was ushered with his prize into the saloon, where the nobleman, in the presence his visitors, requested him to put what price he thought proper on the fish, and it should be instantly paid him. "One hundred lashes," said the fisherman, on my bare back is the price of my fish, and I will not bate one strand of whipcord on the bargain." The nobleman and his guests were not a little astonished; but our chapman was resolute, and remonstrance was in vain. At length the nobleman exclaimed, "Well, well, the fellow is a humorist, and the fish we must have; but lay on lightly, and let the price be paid in our presence. After fifty lashes had been administered, " Hold, hold," exclaimed the fisherman, "I have a partner in this business, and it is fitting that he should receive his share." "What! are there two such madcaps in the world?" exclaimed the nobleman; "name him, and he shall be sent for instantly." "You need not go very far for him," said the fisherman; "you will find him at your gate, in the shape of your own porter, who would not let me in until I pro

mised that he should have the half of whatever I received for my turbot." "Oh, oh," said the nobleman, "bring him up instantly; he shall receive his stipulated moiety with the strictest justice." This ceremony being finished, he discharged the porter, and amply rewarded the fisherYouth's Monthly Visitor.

man.

PROGRESS OF TOWNS.

Ir is amusing to observe how rapidly, and from what small beginnings, towns arise in a thickly-inhabited and enterprising country like ours. There is a church; that is the ordinary foundation. Where there is a church,

Thus we

there must be a parson, a clerk, and a sexton. account for three houses. An inn is required on the road; this produces a smith, a saddler, a butcher, and a brewer. The parson, the clerk, the sexton, the butcher, the smith, the saddler, and the brewer, require a baker, a tailor, a shoemaker, and a carpenter. They soon learn to eat plum-pudding, and a grocer follows. The grocer's wife and parson's wife contend for superiority in dress, whence flow a milliner and a mantua-maker. A barber is introduced to curl the parson's wig, and to shave the smith on Saturday nights, and a stationer to furnish the ladies with paper for their sentimental correspondence; an exciseman is sent to gauge the casks, and a schoolmaster discovers that the ladies require to be taught to spell. A hatter, a hosier, and a linen-draper, follow by degrees; and as children are born they begin to cry out for rattles and gingerbread. In the meantime a neighbouring apothecary, hearing with indignation that there is a community living without physic, places three blue bottles in the window. The butcher having called the tailor pricklouse over a pot of ale, Snip knocks him down with his goose; upon this plea an action for assault is brought at the next sessions. The attorney sends his clerk over to collect evidence; the clerk, finding a good opening, sets all the people by the ears, becomes a pettifogging attorney, and peace flies the village for ever. But the village becomes a town, and acquires a bank; and should it have existed in happier days, might have gained a corporation, a mayor, a mace, a quarter-sessions of its own, a county assembly, the assizes, and the gallows. DR M'CULLOCH,

SLEEP, A BLESSING.

OFTEN as you have been refreshed by sleep, this is perhaps the first time that you have been led to reflect on this state, or perhaps you may think that there is nothing remarkable about it; but it is one of the wonders of Divine goodness, and it is well worth while to reflect upon it.

It is a proof of the wisdom of God that we fall asleep imperceptibly to ourselves. Endeavour to discover in

what manner sleep steals upon you;-that very attention will prevent its approach, nor can you fall asleep till the power of thought is suspended. Sleep comes unbidden; it is a change in our state in which reflection has no part; for the more we strive to procure it, the less successful we are. Thus God has rendered sleep an agreeable necessity to man, and has made it independent both of his reason and of his will. Pursue these reflections still farther, and consider the wonderful state in which you exist during sleep. You live without knowing, without being sensible of it. The pulsation of the heart, the circulation of the blood, the digestion of the aliments, the secretion of the various juices,—in a word, all the animal functions are continued without interruption or derangement. The soul is reduced to a temporary inactivity, and gradually loses all distinct ideas and sensations. The senses become languid, and cease to perform their respective functions. The muscles by degrees move more slowly, till at length all voluntary motion is suspended.

In a word, the state of a person asleep is in every respect wonderful, and perhaps there is only one other state to which man can be reduced that is equally remarkable. Who can think of sleep without being reminded of this other state-death. As imperceptibly as you now fall asleep shall you one day fall into the slumber of death. O! be prepared for its approach. Redeem the time, and so number your days that you may apply your souls to wisdom. STURM.

LINES SUGGESTED BY A BEAUTIFUL STATUE OF A DEAD CHILD.

I saw thee in thy beauty! thou wert graceful as the fawn, When in very wantonness of glee it sports upon the lawn: I saw thee seek the mirror, and when it met thy sight, The very air was musical with thy burst of wild delight.

I saw thee in thy beauty! with thy sister by thy side;
She a lily of the valley, thou a rose in all its pride:
I looked upon thy mother-there was triumph in her eyes,
And I trembled for her happiness, for grief had made me wise.