human character, that hence the latter has no faculty capable of comprehending spiritual and invisible things— In fact, I think these propositions establish the contrary conclusion that is to say, (without knowledge of school argument) that as man by the force and efficacy of reason, instructs the brute creation in many things-so the brute creation by a spark of the same faculty, is capable of comprehending what he teaches-Now if it can be made appear, that a dog or a monkey in the hands of an ingenious man-may be taught to comprehend and practice, what without such instruction, he would never have comprehended or practised—is this instinct?—If it be, why has not instinct imparted to the untaught dog or monkey, the same knowledge and practices?

Again, as angels or glorified spirits, by the force and efficacy of the divine principle, may prove instrumental in the improvement and perfection of the human cha racter-so the latter must be in possession of a spiritual faculty, to comprehend and improve by their secret, but effectual agency-or otherwise how could man be made wiser and better, by the very existence of angels or glorified spirits?

With regard to brutes, I cannot force my understanding my understanding to believe that they have no spark of reason—while I have two very common cases before my eyes-the remarkable sagacity of some animals-and the remarkable stupidity of most men-Remember I do not say some, but most-for if most men have reason, they certainly make the oddest use of it, that can be imagined-The first of these classes, take the natural and obvious methods of obtaining the end they are in pursuit of-but most men in pursuit of happiness, take every mode but the right one of obtaining it, which is that of pleasing God by the practise of his laws-these are to be found in the gospel-but who dreams of keeping these in order to be happy? And yet every one beside, however he may laugh, and sing, and dance; however he may congratulate himself upon his wealth, his power, or his friends-will miss it in the end, and be found a very fool, in spite of all his glee-Reason says, that God being all powerful, must be able,—and that being just, he must be willing, to crown all those with happiness, who labour to serve him in the way he has prescribedin order to be happy, procure to yourself all the instruSense says ments of gratification which you can obtain-and in order

to succeed in this pursuit; banish from your thoughts, all such ideas of futurity, as would render your pursuits doubtful-The counsel of the last we mostly take, as leading directly to happiness-and yet after this, we will talk of the instinct of brutes, and of our own reason!

SINGULAR SAGACITY OF THE BALD COOT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ITS Nest.

This creature with a dexterity which would do honor to a political artist, fixes its nest in the centre of one of those heaps of reeds or rushes, which grow in lakes or stagnant waters-its nest manufactured of those reeds, is so constructed, as to rest upon the surface of the fluid, united to, and suspended from the tops of the reeds around it-thus its posture is preserved steady in all changes of the element upon which it rests—and the nest whether rising or falling with the flood, proves in the centre of storm and tempest, the sure receptacle of the little creatures who inhabit it, and whose wisdom could not have been inspired by any Being less than infinite and yet we are for denying these little oracles the faculty of reason.

Secondly, we shall attempt a description of

THE RABBIT'S NEST.

This creature when carrying its young, appears to calculate the hour of its delivery, sometime before the pang of nature has arrived-this appears from the following circumstances She carries her young about a month only-and yet some days before her delivery, she begins to prepare a nest for them, distinct both in form and situation from those of the general communityDeparting from the commonwealth, she searches for a secret and solitary situation, and when she has found it, she begins her new plan of operation-when I speak of a new plan, I allude to the preparations of the female rabbit for her first brood-The approach to her nest comprizes two lanes or avenues, which meet in a sort of angle, and the entrance to which, she carefully stops every. night with the clay which she had ejected, after having fed her young, which she does but once in twenty-four

hours.

In the remote end of the second avenue, she makes her nest which by hay or grass inside the clay, placed as a door at the mouth of her hole-the clay is prevented from tumbling in; and thus (as well as by the angular form, or winding obliquity of her nest) the little ones are protected from any particles which might approach to annoy them.

When she finds the hour of her delivery approaching, after having previously laid a foundation of straw and litter, she strips her belly of the shaggy down which covered it, and disposes it in order upon the straw, for the reception of her little ones-and in this she appears to have a two-fold object-namely, the comfortable lodging of her brood, and their perfect freedom of access to the fountains of nourishment, which lye disposed in two rows along her belly, and by this operation are rendered not only easy of access, but smooth and gentle to the infant mouth "If in the whole of these operations, there are not proofs of a reasoning faculty, I must doubt the adequacy of my own reason to determine what reason is." Lastly, let us attempt a description of the

ANNUAL ASSEMBLY OF MAGPIES.

Magpies in a neighborhood assemble about March, and seem to hold a general conference, which I am informed, frequently continues for about two daysThey chatter, and get so angry and quarrelsome in their deliberations-that like other senators, their disputes cannot be decided by fair argument--but must be ultimately determined by martial enterprize-the object of these assemblies may be, to settle their matches for the year, and to divide amongst them according to their various pretensions, a suitable portion of their neighbor's territory; for they soon after fly off and build-But are not all these transactions, so similar to our own, irrefra gable proofs of their wisdom and knowledge ?

REFLECTIONS.

I do not think it unreasonable to suppose, that in some future state of things, the brute creation may rise in the scale of intelligence I am confirmed in this sentiment, by observing as my understanding has unfolded, that every production of the earth commences in embryo, and travels on toward perfection-I have observed a like progress in the intelligence of animals of all classes; and I am persuaded, thet it is also the same in the in

"

visible world-A free agent, like man in a state of probation, is indeed entrusted with the awful power of travelling back to chaos, and to worse than chaos, by a vicious use of his powers or of travelling on from one scene of knowledge and improvement to another, by the virtuous and right use of them-and as inferior creatures have suffered, and do daily suffer the pains of mortality, without having incurred its guilt; I conclude, that in the order of Providence, as a recompence of their unmerited sufferings, a yet more exalted state is in reserve for them, when the leopard shall lye down with the kid, when the wolf and the lamb shall dwell together;" and when every ass may possibly possess the faculty of speaking, as well as that of Balaam's-the true distinction, therefore in my opinion, between the human and the brute creation isnot that the one possesses reason, and the other nonebut that one is higher in the scale of intelligence than the other that the former possesses (although imperfectly in this life) a faculty of knowing, loving, and obeying its Creator; and a larger measure of that governing and conducting principle called reason; and that as the brute creation at present, suffers misery without guilt, it shall hereafter enjoy the happiness of innocence, without reaping the rewards of virtue.

ON THE ACQUIREMENT WHICH EXALTS ONE BEING ABOVE ANOTHER.

Page 7.-Mary Woolstoncraft resumes-"What acquirement exalts one being above another? Virtue we spontaneously reply."

REMARKS Nothing more true-In this man's superiority to the brute creation consists, rather than in reason -The former and the latter have the same external senses-both possess reason, although not under the same law. The latter have but one law, if I may so speak the law of their nature; and this they mostly fulfil, if not prevented by some irresistible impedimentthe former appears to me to be under three laws-FirstA law of love and obedience to God, as his Creator, Preserver and Judge-Secondly-A law of justice and charity, to the common nature of which he partakesand Thirdly-A law of tenderness to the brute creationthat is such a degree of tenderness, as is consistent with reason, and his own necessities.

When the love of God is shed abroad in the heart-or in other words-When the human heart is affected with a

sense of the mercy of God-it naturally inclines to the performance of these duties-this lively sense must first be forfeited before man becomes wilfully disobedient to his God-malicious toward his neighbor-or wilfully unkind to the brute creation- It is to establish this habitual feeling, or to make it as habitual as possiblethat christianity enjoins us to watch and pray, and to assemble in a body for the performance of social worshipand so far as these are conscientiously practised, they aid in the production of such a feeling-but when I consider and know from experience, the awful power with which the class of beings to which I belong, are entrusted, of trifling away the period of their probation, and of abusing their mercies; and contemplate the force of those enemies, which wait for their halting, and watch every opportunity to seduce them-In a word, when I consider the eternity of bliss which they forfeit, and the eternity of pain, which the Scriptures assure us they must suffer, if they prove unfaithful or negligent in the arduous welfare of a christian life, the generality of them appear to me to have little cause of triumph, in the superior measure of reason which they possess, and which as a talent committed to them for improvement, must, if perseveringly abused, prove no inconsiderable source of torment in an endless state- -From what has been said, it appears, that man is in the middle, and by much the most awful link of the creation-seeing he possesses a power of destroying himself, of which angels, from their perfection and the decree of God-and brutes from their imperfection and the same decree, are rendered incapable.

ON THE IMPETUOSITY OF THE PASSIONS-INFIDELITY AND AMBITION ENEMIES OF SOCIAL HAPPINESS-EARLY MARRIAGES STRONGLY RECOMMENded.

The Author's next question is connected with the former, and with the observations I have made upon them.

"For what purpose were the passions implanted? That man by struggling with them, might attain a degree of knowledge denied to the brutes."

REMARKS The Deity has certainly condescended to give us written laws for the regulation of our passionshe has confined them within certain enclosures, that they