sometimes formed inconceivably quick for example, mushrooms, and water-cresses, if the seed of them is put into wet linen, become a salad in twenty-four hours. There are plants which appear to have scarce any life, and yet they continue to exist. We often see willow not only hollow and decayed within, but the outer bark so hurt, that there scarce remains an eighth part of it. These trunks, however, poor as they are, break out again every spring, and shoot into numberless branches and leaves. How wonderful is it, that the nutritive juice of plants is not only supplied by means of the root, but by the leaves also, which draw it from the air, and, in some degree, pump it in; and that there should be plants, the branches of which become roots, and the roots branches, according as they are turned in planting them! The great age also to which trees arrive, how surprising it is! There are apple-trees which must be above a thousand years old; and, if we calculate in the gross the fruit which such a tree produces every year, we cannot but admire the fertility of a pippin, which can singly supply all Europe with trees and fruit of that sort. But we should never have done, if we were to pursue these reflections as far as they might lead. Every thing is full of wonders. Every thing marks to us a Being of perfection, whose power, wisdom, and unbounded goodness, all join in heaping upon us continual blessings and enjoyments. Ungrateful as we are, shall we not vouchsafe to reflect on the many wonders that continually sur round us! Can we refuse to bless our God, who does such great and admirable things! Shall we not sanctify the pleasures which the country and gardens afford us, by contemplating the wonders of the Lord; by reflecting on them; by looking from the creature to the Creator; from the flower to Him who made it. Lord! How great and magnificent are thy works! what wonders present themselves on all sides! I contemplate them with delight: but I am lost in them. They surpass my comprehension, and I cannot fathom them. It is at thy command that the grass shoots its blade; that the groves are clothed with verdure; that the flowers embalm and adorn the fields and gardens with their colours; that the trees grow and raise their heads to the very clouds. The mountain cedar declares thy glory, and proclaims that Thou hast made it. On whatever side I turn, new wonders appear. The country, the vales, and the mountains, the rivers, and the sea, all, from the lowest atom to the highest spliere, is full of the goodness of the Lord! JUNE XII. Means of Happiness which we find in Nature. TO be convinced that, throughout all nature, every thing tends to the benefit of mankind, we need only consider, in the first place, the close connection and relation between all natural things and us. It is true that there are several bodies, the use of which we do not see relatively to man; but we must not conclude from thence, that we draw no advantage from them. Many things, which appeared useless to our ancestors, do not now appear so; and it is to be presumed that our descendents will, in their turn, discover what we are at present ignorant of. Let us acknowledge the Divine Wisdom in this. The real use of many creatures is concealed from us, in order to humble our pride, by making us feel how limited our understandings are, and to exercise our minds, and lead us more and more to the contemplation of God's works. Many things in nature are only indirectly useful to us: several animals serve as food for mankind,and consequently, all that serves as sustenance for them is beneficial to us. The small fish are the food of the larger: many birds feed on worms and insects; and there are several species which live entirely on prey. The Divine Wisdom manifests itself again in this circumstance; for if the fields and productions of the earth were to feed all the animals, there would not be enough left for the use of man: and what would then be the fruit of his labour? I allow that there are several animals which might be said to be created only to hurt mankind; for example, venomous creatures. Poison is so hurtful to the human body, that it generally causes a painful death; and it effects are sometimes so quick, that there is scacre time to have recourse to antidotes. It is true that, in this respect, many animals appear in a bad light; but if we consider them on another side, we shall discover traces of God's goodness, and have reason to admire his wisdom. Physicians make use of poison in many excellent medicines. Would mankind have been happier, if there had been no venomous creatures in the world? The poison they have in them had made before a part of those bad vapours which mankind would have breathed, and which would have been prejudicial. In a word, it may be said with certainty, that there is nothing on earth really hurtful to man, unless he make an improper use of it. But if, in creating our globe, God proposed to himself our happiness, should we not be inexcusable to interrupt his salutary designs, by obstructing our own happiness, instead of labouring for it with all our might? God's views are all merciful towards us, but we often render them useless by a conduct which must necessarily make ns unhappy. Let us be wiser hereafter, and make a better use of the many means of happiness with which God so abundantly furnishes us. And if it is not possible to satisfy all our wishes in this world, let us have recourse to religion, which will amply compensate for any defects in nature, and will explain to us many things which appear obscure. JUNE XIII. The Loadstone. THE loadstone is the most singular of all minerals in its properties. It is a ferruginous stone of a dark grey colour, and has the virtue of attracting iron. This virtue is not equal throughout the whole stone, but resides chiefly in two of its points, called the poles of the loadstone. When this stone is suspended by a string, and unconfined, it constantly points one of its poles to the north, and the other to the south, if first put in motion, and then left to itself. This regu lar direction, which only varies a little in some particular parts of the earth, has given the name of the northern pole to that which points to the north, and southern to that which points to the south. The two properties of attracting iron, and pointing toward the north, are communica ted to iron, by rubbing it against the loadstone. This discovery introduced the magnetic needle, so indispensibly necessary to navigators in long voyages; which proves, that things may be. come very useful to the world, though at firstsight they appear of little importance; and that, in general, the knowledge and study of the magnificent works of the creation is of infinite ad. vantage to the human mind. These virtues in the loadstone prompted the naturalists to examine farther into it, with the hope, not only of finding out the cause of such surprising effects, but of discovering new properties in the stone. They were more fortunate in the latter than in the former. It was observed, that the loadstone does not at all times, and in all places, point to the north; but that it sometimes inclines a little to the east, sometimes to the west, sometimes more, and sometimes less. It was observed that its attractive powers were equally strong, though bodies were placed between the iron and the stone which might be supposed to prevent the effect. Glass, fire, water, men, and animals, with every metal, except iron, give free passage to the magnetic effluvia. It was discovered, that, in two loadstones, the two poles of the same name, the two northern and two southern poles, repulsed each other, and seemed to fly one from the other. It was therefore concluded, that the power of attraction might be in the iron as well as in the loadstone, as they seemed to attract each other equally. In order to be convinced of this, one need only hang a loadstone on one end of the beam of a balance, and put an equal weight at the other end, and when the loadstone is balanced, and not in motion, to place a bit of iron under it: The loadstone will be immediately drawn down by the iron, and the other weight will fly up. If their situation is reversed, the loadstone will attract the iron in the same manner. However singular these things are in the loadstone, there is another circumstance no less worthy of observation; which is, that all the endeavours, and all the sagacity of philosophers, who have taken such pains to discover the cause of these wonderful, effects, have been hitherto fruitless. The loadstone is still a mystery to the human understanding. Ought we then to be surprised that, in religion, which is infinitely raised above all that can affect the senses, we should find mysteries we cannot penetrate, and the perfect knowledge of which is reserved for the future state? Is it surprising that some things in religion should be incomprehensible to us, when in natural things, which we see with our eyes, and feel with our |