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some bread: a precious blessing with which nature rewards the labours of man. Let us cast our eyes on La field of wheat, and calculate the millions of ears of corn which cover one single field; and let us reflect on the wisdom of those laws which procure such a abundance for us. How many preparatives were necessary to furnish us with this most indispensable of all food! How many progressive changes were to take place in nature, before Jan.07 ear of corn could spring up! It is now almost ready to produce its fruit, and invites us to reflect on its construction. When the grain of wheat has been some time in the ground, it shoots upwards a stalk, which rises perpendicularly, but grows slowly, may that the wheat have time to ripen. It is for very wise reas reasons that it grows four or five feet high, in order to preserve the grain from the moisture of the ground, which would rot it. The height of f the stalk contributes also to the depuration of the nourishing juices, which the root conveys to it, and its round form assists in this operation; for by that means the heat penetrates equally into every part of the stem. But how is it possible that so slender a stalk can support itself, and bear up its fruitful head without sinking under the weight, or without being beat down by a breath of wind? The Creator guarded against this inconvenience in the formation of the stem. He furnished it with four very strong knots, which in some measure serve as screws, strengthening it without taking from it the power of bending. The construction of these knots alone show the greatest wisdom. Like a very fine sieve, they are full of little holes, and through these orifices the juices rise up, and the heat of the sun penetrates into them. The heat attenuates the juices which collect there, and purifies them, by making them pass through a sort of sievc. The stalk is liable to be beat down by storms and heavy showers of rain, but its not being thick secures it. It is flexible enough to bend without breaking.

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From the chief stem there shoot others not so

high, as well as leaves, which collecting drops of dew and rain, furnish the plant with the nutritive juices it requires. In the mean time, the grain, that essential part of the plant, forms itself by degrees. To preserve these tender sprouts from the accidents and dangers that might destroy them at the instant of their birth, the two upper leaves of the stalk unite closely at the top, both to preserve the ear of corn, and to draw to it the nourishing juices. But as soon as the stem is formed enough to supply the grain of itself with proper juices, the leaves gradually dry and drop off, that none may be taken from the fruit, and that the root may have nothing more than is necessary to nourish. The bearded corn waves gracefully, and its points serve for ornament, as well as defence against the birds. Refreshed with gentle rains, it thrives till the appointed time, and grows every day more yellow, till, sinking at last under the weight of its riches, it bends its head to the sickle.

What wonderful wisdom and power appear in the construction of one single stalk of wheat, and yet we seldom pay attention to it, because it is daily before our eyes. But what other proof of goodness can the Creator give us, if we are insensible to this? O man! open thy heart to the sweet sensations of gratitude and joy learn to think as a man, to enjoy the noblest pleasure a mortal is capable of in this world, that of tracing thy Creator in n every creature spot dhe t

cess:

ALL our corn, and a great number of our vegetables, came from foreign countries, and generally from warmer climates than ours; most of them from Italy; Italy got them from Greece, and Greece had them from the east. When America was discovered, a great number of plants and flowers were found there, which were till then unknown, and which have since been transplanted into Europe with much sueThe English still take a great deal of trouble, at this time, to cultivate the North American plants in their country. Most of the different sorts of corn, of which men and animals make their best food, are grass-plants; but though our fields are now covered with them, they are foreign to us. Rye and wheat are indigenous in Little Tartary and Siberia, where they still grow without culture. As for barley and oats, we are ignorant, indeed, from whence they came, but it is certain they are not indigenous in our climate, or it would not be necessary to cultivate them. Rice is the produce of Ethiopia. Since the beginning of this century, it has been cultivated also in America, and they now send us from thence, every year, vessels entirely laden with those useful seeds. The buck-wheat comes originally from Asia; the Crusades introduced it into Italy, from whence it came into Germany. Most of our herbage and vegetables also have a foreign origin. Borage comes from Syria, cresses from Crete, cauliflowers from Cyprus, and asparagus from Asia. We are indebted to Italyz for chervil. Aneth comes from Portugal and Spain, fennel from the Canary Islands, anise and parsley from Egypt, garlic is the produce of the east, shallots come from Siberia, and horse

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radish from China. We owe the kidney-beans to the East Indies, the gourds to Astracan, the lentils to France, the potatoes to Brazil. The Spaniards found tobacco at Tobacco, a province of Jucatan in America. The ornaments of our gardens, the most beautiful flowers, many of them are foreign productions. Jessamine comes from the East Indies, the elder-tree from Persia, the tulip from Cappadocia, the narcissus from Italy, the lily from Syria, the tube-rose from Java and Ceylon, the carnation and pink from Italy, the aster from China, &c.

With what goodness does God thus provide for our happiness and enjoyment, by making even the most remote countries contribute towards it! But let us, at the same time, learn the constitution of the globe which we inhabit. There is a universal transmigration over all the earth: men, animals, and vegetables, transplant themselves, and go from one region to another; and this transmigration will only end with our globe.

LESSON LXXII.

The Silk-worm.

THE race of caterpillars, which divide into two general classes, (those of nocturnal and diurnal butterflies) have also different families among them, each of which has its distinct character and pro→ perties. The name of silk-worm is given to one of these: this caterpillar, like the others, is composed of several moveable rings, and is well furnished with feet and claws, to rest and fix itself} where it pleases. It has two rows of teeth, which s do not move up and down like ours, but from right to left, in order to press, cut, and tear the

leaves every way. We may see through its skin a vessel the whole length of its back, which swells every now and then, and performs the function of the heart. This worm has nine orifices on each side, which correspond with so many lungs, and assist the circulation of the nutritive juice. Under the mouth it has a kind of reel, with two holes, through which it puts out two drops of the gum with which its bag is filled. They are like two distaffs, continually supplying the materials for making its thread. The gum which runs through the two holes, takes that form, and lengthens into a double thread, which loses suddenly its fluidity, and acquires the consistence necessary to support or to contain the worm. When it is time to be enclosed in it, it joins the two threads together, gluing them one over another with its fore-feet. This double thread is not only very fine, but also very strong, and of an astonishing length. Each silk-worm's bag has a silk thread nearly as long as 500 ells; and as this thread is double, and all along joined together, each bag must contain 1000 ells of silk, though the whole together does not weigh above two grains and a half. The life of this insect, while it is still a worm, is very short; and yet it passes through different states, which insensibly bring it to perfection. At the first coming out of the egg, it is extremely small, perfectly black, and its head is still a finer black than the rest of its body. Some days after, it begins to grow whitish, or of a dark grey colour. Its coat then becomes ragged and dirty. It throws it off, and appears in a new dress. It becomes large, and much whiter, but rather tinged with green, as it feeds on green leaves. After a few days, more or less, according to the degree of heat, and quality of its food and constitution, it ceases to eat. It goes to sleep for about two days, then works and frets itself extremely. It becomes almost red with the efforts it makes. Its skin wrinkles and shrivels up. It throws it off a second time, and with it casts away its feet.