10 Roger. Y tions were the book mig really perfor night, and Roger asked John. I di er very well, Samuel. reasons for There are th 1. That if message to which is suc written, exc the Bible is 2. The se Bible had 4 nobody but ! 3. And th which they c The boys return home. John. I believe I only heard the first one. The last thing I remember is his telling a story about some robbers. Roger, I wonder whether the messenger, who carried that curious key, got the money. John. I do not know: I believe he did not tell us. I mean to ask him next time we go. Subject,-Natural Geography. CONVERSATION II. NATURAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE SCENE OF SCRIPTURE HISTORY. er's room. WHEN the appointed evening of the next week arrived, the boys again assembled around the table in the teachThe teacher himself sat at the head of the table, and unrolled a large map, like the one at the beginning of this conversation. While he was opening it, he made the following explanation of the general contents of the Bible, and of the plan he designed to pursue, in giving them information concerning it. Teacher. We have the Bible almost always in one book, but it is composed of what were at first a great many separate books, written by different persons, and at very different times. A large number of them are, however, historical, and contain a connected account of a series of events extending through a period of many thousand years. I mean, this evening, to give you some description of the natural geography of the countries in which these events took place. Samuel. What do you mean, Sir, by natural geography? John. I know, I believe; geography means an account of the rivers, and mountains, and towns, &c. in a country. Samuel. I knew that was the meaning of geography, but I thought that perhaps you meant something a little different by natural geography. Civil Geography. Countries. Seas. Teacher. I do. I mean an account of what by nature belongs in a region-such as the rivers and seas, the mountains, deserts, and plains. There is, besides this, civil geography, which is a description of what is artificial; that is, what has been made or done by man, such as countries, cities, buildings, &c. It is the former only which I mean to bring before you this evening. Roger. Would it not be useful to us to hear something about the cities and the people? Teacher. Yes, and I shall endeavor to give you some information concerning them, as we proceed. But I think it would be of advantage to you first to have a general view of the situation of these regions,-the rivers, seas and mountains, the climate and productions;-in a word, to see the whole, just as it was before man made any changes in it. We shall then be prepared to take up the line of history, and trace the effects produced by human power, the establishment of empires, the building of cities, and the progress of civilization. Can any of you tell in what part of the world those regions are, in which the events recorded in the Bible took place? John. Yes, Sir; they are in Asia. Teacher. Yes, principally; but not wholly in Asia. They were where Europe, Asia and Africa join; and extended into all three of these continents. I have drawn this map of the countries for you. John. (Pointing to the sea marked M, on the map.) Sir, is not this the Mediterranean Sea? I believe I learned it in my geography lesson at school the other day. Teacher. Yes. This is the largest of the five great seas, in and around this portion of the earth. It was on this account called the Great Sea, and sometimes only |