THE Universalist's Miscellany For JULY, 1799. WE NATURAL HISTORY. (Continued from p. 165.) E have juft hinted, in general, at the wonders that prefent themselves to a traveller in his journey either over the Alps or the Andes. But we must not fuppofe that this picture exhibits either a conftant or an invariable likeness of thofe ftupendous heights. Indeed nothing can be more capricious or irregular than the form of many of them. The tops of fome run in ridges for a confiderable length, without interruption; in others, the line feems notched by great vallies to an amazing depth. Sometimes a folitary and fingle one rifes from the bofom of the plain; and fometimes extenfive plains, and even provinces, as thofe of Savoy and Quito, are found embofomed near the tops of mountains. In general, however, those countries that are moft mountainous, are the most barren and uninhabitable. If we compare the heights of mountains. with each other, we fhall find that the greatest and highest are found under the line. It is thought by fome, that the rapidity of the earth's motion in thefe parts, together with the greatnefs of the tides there, may have thrown up thofe ftupendous maffes of earth. But, be the cause as it may, it is a remarkable fact, that the inequalities of the earth's furface are greateft there. Near the poles, the earth, indeed, is craggy and uneven enough; but the height of the mountains there, is very inconfiderable. On the contrary, at the equator, where Nature feems to fport in the amazing fize of all her productions, the plains are extenfive, and the mounVOL. III. tains, C c tains are remarkably lofty. Some of them are known to rife three miles perpendicular above the bed of the ocean. To enumerate the most remarkable of thefe, according to their fize, we shall begin with the Andes, of which we have an excellent defcrption by Ulloa, who went thither by command of the King of Spain in company with the French Academicians, to meafure a degree of the meridian. His journey up thefe mountains is too curious not to give an extract from it. After many incommodious days failing up the river Guayaquil, he arrived at Caracol, a town fituated at the foot of the Andes. Nothing could exceed the inconveniences which he experienced in this voyage, from the flies and mofquitos, an infect refembling our gnat. "We were the whole day (fays he) incontinual motion to keep them off; but at night our torments were exceffive. Our gloves, indeed, were fome defence; but our faces entirely expofed; nor were our cloaths a fufficient defence for the rest of our bodies; for their ftings penetrating through the cloth, caused a very painful and fiery itching. One night, in coming to an anchor near a large and handsome house that was uninhabited, we were no fooner feated than we were attacked on all fides by fwarms of mofquitos, fo that it was impoffible to have one moment's quiet, Thofe who had covered themselves with clothes made on purpofe, found not the smallest defence; wherefore, hoping to find fome relief in the open fields, we ventured out, though in danger of fuffering in a worfe manner from the ferpents. But both were equally obnoxious. In quitting the inhospitable retreat, we the next night took up our quarters in an house that was inhabited, the host of which being informed of the terrible manner in which we had paffed the night before, he gravely told us, that the house we so greatly complained of, had been forfaken on account of its being the purgatory of a foul. But we had more reason to believe that it was quitted on account of its being the purgatory of the body. After travelling for upwards of three days, through boggy roads, in which the mules, at every step, funk up to their bellies, we began at length to perceive an alteration in the climate; and having been long accustomed to heat, we now began to feel it fenfibly colder. It is remarkable that at Tariguagua we often fee inftances of the effects of two oppofite temperatures, in two perfons happening to meet; one of them leaving the plains below, and the other descending from the mountains. The former thinks the cold fo fevere, that he wraps himself up in all the garments he can procure; while the latter finds. the heat fo great, that he is scarce able to bear any clothes at all. The one one thinks the water fo cold that he avoids being sprinkled by it; the other is fo delighted with its warmth, that he ufes it as a bath. Nor is the cafe very different in the fame person, who experiences the fame diverfity of fenfation upon his jour ney up, and upon his return. This difference only proceeds from the change naturally felt at leaving a climate to which one has been accustomed, and coming into another of an oppofite temperature." The ruggedness of the road from Tariguagua, leading up the mountains, is not eafily defcribed. In fome parts, the declivity is fo great, that the mules can scarce keep their footing; and in others the acclivity is equally difficult. The trouble of having people going before to mend the road, the pains arifing from many falls and bruises, and the being conftantly wet to the fkin, might be fupported, were not these inconveniences augmented by the fight of fuch frightful precipices, and deep abyffes, as muft fill the mind with ceafelefs terror. There are fome places where the roads are fo fteep, and yet fo narrow, that the mules are obliged to flide down, without making any use of their feet. On one fide of the rider, in this fituation, rifes an eminence of feveral hundred yards; and on the other, an abyfs of equal depth; fo that if he in the leaft checks his mule, fo as to deftroy the equilibrium, they both muft unavoidably perifh." After having travelled about nine days in this manner, flowly winding about the fide of the mountain, we began to find the whole country covered with a hoar froft; and an hut in which we lay had ice upon it. Having efcaped many perils, we at length, after a journey of fifteen days, arrived upon the plain, on the extremity of which stands the city of Quito, the capital of one of the most charming regions upon earth.-Here, in the center of the torrid zone, the heat is not only very tolerable, but in fome places the cold alfo is painful. Here they enjoy all the temperature and advantage of perpetual fpring; their fields being always covered with verdure, and enameled with flowers of the moft lively colours. However, although this beautiful region be higher than any country in the world, and although it took up fo many days of painful journey in the afcent, it is ftill overlooked by tremendous mour.tains; their fides covered with flow, and yet flaming with volcanoes at the top. These seemed piled one upon another, and rise to a most aftonifhing height, with great coldness. However at a determined point above the furface of the fea, congelation is found at the fame height in all the mountains. Those parts - which are not fubject to a continual froft, have here and there Cc 2 growing growing upon them a rush, resembling the genifta, but much more foft and flexible. Towards the extremity of the part where the rush grows, and the cold begins to increase, is found a vegetable, with a round bulbous head, which, when dried, becomes of amazing elafticity. Higher up the earth is intirely bare of vegetation, and feems covered with eternal fnow. The moft remarkable mountains are thofe of Catapaxi, Chimborazo, and Pichincha. (To be continued.) SUFFICIENCY OF THE SCRIPTURES. SIR, To the Editor of the UNIVERSALIST'S MISCELLANY. Acknowledge my obligation to you for attending to the Suficiency of the allo to your correfpondent J. Cue for antwering the fame; and as I have been fuccefsful in my firft attempt, it has encouraged me to make farther inquiry; and if any queftion that I propofe should be of any real ufe to my fellow Chriftians, I fhall be fatisfied, and Jehovah fhall have the praise. Your correfpondent obferves, (p. 54.)" to obtain perfect fatisfaction on this fubject, I would recommend him to take the apoftle's advice to Timothy (2 Epift. ii. 15.) by rightly dividing the word of truth, efpecially its two general divifions of letter and fpirit." I would afk Mr. Cue, or any your correfpondents, What are we to understand by the letter and fpirit, 2 Cor. iii. 6.? of Mr. Cue alfo observes, that " no internal evidence is neceffary for the reception of divine truth, but the foftening of the human heart." I would further afk is not the foftening of the human heart effected by the reception of divine truth? If you think thefe queftions worth your notice, your attending to them will greatly oblige, BIRMINGHAM, JUNE 8, 1799. Yours refpectfully, In the love of Chrift, W. THOMASON. D JOB. I 2 A JOB. CHAPTER VI. ND Job anfwered and faid, Oh! that weighing he would weigh my vexation, And would lift up my grievous afflictions in the balances together: 3 For now they would, be heavier than the fand of the feas. On this account my words are swallowed up; 4 For the arrows of the Pourer Forth transfix me, Whofe poifon drinks up my fpirit. 1,2 For a balance pois'd with equal hand! Lay all my forrows there, 'gainit occan's fand: 3 Light is the fand whereon the billows roll, my heart; The 'Gainft Job little expected fo harfh a conftruction of his complaint, much less that his innocence would be called in queftion, and his very afflictions turned by his friends into an evidence of his guilt; this was too much to bear. His reply discovers the various turns and emotions of his mind on this trying occafion: he apologizes and laments, ver. 1-4; defpifes, 5--7.; wishes vebemently for death, protefts his innocence, 8--10; defpairs, 11-13; upbraids, 14-27.; and fooths, 28, 29. He apologizes and laments again, 30. and vii. 1--6. Then turning to God, he pleads with him, 7--10.; complains loudly of him, 11--16.; expoftulates with, and makes fupplication to him. 2 O that.] Job withes to juftify his complaints by deliring that all the grievous afflictions he fuffered might be placed in one icale, the grief of his heart, the vexation of his foul from the uncertainty of why he was afflicted in the other; that God would then hold up the beam, and then his friends would obferve that the fuperior weight of his afflictions would abundantly justify the violence of his complaints, 3 Swallowed up.] The excellent and learned paraphrafe of Mr. Thomas Scott renders this, therefore my words are vehement, faying, that he knows of no warrant for our public verfion of this word. But I think the word wb is from the rooty to lick up, abforb, fwallow down. Obad. 16. Prov. xx. 25. The fubftantive is fignifies throat, gullet, fwallow, Prov. xxiii. 2. 4 The arrows, &c.] The excruciating pains caufed by his inflaminatory difcafe may be fpecially intended by thefe ftrong expreflions. Transfix.] ny ftand, stay, remain, abide in me. Whofe poifon. The poifoning of arrows was, amongst the ancients, one great part of the art of war, as David, Homer, and all the old writers teftify: the fame is to this day the practice of the Indians, Africans, South Ainericans, and, indeed, of most uncivilized nations. |