THE WIFE'S PRAYER. A woman's hand traced the following lines, which only woman's true and "be in earnest" can be of any use. He may then If our only object were to turn out good readers In devising this system of instruction, I have had reference, chiefly to our higher seminaries of learning. But it might be adopted, with a few slight modifications, in all our schools. The experience of several years has convinced me, that children cannot be taught to read by any method of tuition, that does not conform to the principles which have been laid down. There is little difficulty in communicating to a boy of the tenderest years all that is necessary to be learned by rule; and every teacher knows, it is infinitely easier to develop and improve the voice and gesticulation of a young person, than of one who has reached maturity of years or intellect. One of the best writers on this branch, who was also a most successful teacher, remarks-that "An infant, just beginning to articulate, uses the inflections most correctly-and has an exact proportion in its cadences, and a speaking expression in its tones. Where are these in maturer years? They have never been put into the hands of the artist, that he might turn them to their proper use. They have been laid aside, spoiled, abused-and, ten to one, they will never be good for any thing."* I question whether we shall ever succeed in greatly improving the elocution of our country, unless this branch is taught, as it ought to be, in all our primary schools. The attention of parents and guardians ought to be directed to the subject, and they should take the greatest pains to see that their children read all their lessons, and utter every word they have to say, with distinct enunciation, and in a graceful and forcible manner. * Mr. Sheridan Knowles, author of "Virginius," &c. The young wife kneeling to her God, 'Mid Fashion's throng, a worshipp'd queen; New charms hath lent to cheek and brow- "Hear me, thou who markst each feeling, For a being loved I pray! "He is dearer than the mother "Oft, ere summer's bloom had perish'd Guard him with thy holy might: "Bless him, Father! he is starting Add fresh laurels to his name! "Grant him Genius' inspiration- Let him in her councils shine. "Be his guide-and for earth's sorrow, "Father! if the love I bear him Lend his path a brighter ray; "Should his manhood's prime be shaded, "Strengthen, guard, and guide him ever! N. Y. American. It is curious that some learned dunces, because they can write nonsense in languages that are dead, should despise those that can talk sense, in languages that are living. To acquire a few tongues, says a French writer, is the task of a few years, but to be eloquent in one, is the labour of a life. Ladies of fashion starve their happiness to feed their vanity, and their love to feed their pride. Egypt, a celebrated country of Africa, is about 500 | phis, stood the famous pyramids, which have always miles in length, and 250 in its greatest breadth. It ranked among the wonders of the world. These is bounded on the north by the Mediterranean; on the buildings are still wonderful; three of them now east by the Red sea, and the isthmus of Suez; on remain, and are supposed to be the burial-place of the south by Nubia; and on the west by Barbary. the ancient Egyptian kings. The largest of the pyrEgypt is divided into three parts, called the Upper, amids, at the base, covers ten acres of ground, and Middle, and Lower, which last comprehends that is above 500 feet in perpendicular heighth and 700 part called the Delta. This country is particularly if measured obliquely. The stones with which this noted for having been the seat of the arts and sciences, from which Greece and other nations received them. The principal cities of ancient Egypt were Memphis and Thebes; the former stood about 100 miles from the mouth of the river Nile, near the place where Grand Cairo, the present capital, now stands. Thebes, long celebrated for its hundred gates, was seated about two hundred miles above Memphis, below which stood Coptos. Near Mem enormous edifice is built are thirty feet in length. One hundred thousand workmen were constantly employed for thirty years, in carrying on this amazing structure, during which time, more than two hundred thousand pounds of our money in value was expended for their maintenance. Near the pyramids stood an enormous sphinx, now almost sunk in the sand, so that the top of its back only is visible: its head rises twenty-seven feet ernment above the sand. The whole of Upper Egypt is almost infallible history of the globe, from the earli described as having been very populous. The gov- est period after its creation through all its multifariwas of ancient Egypt monarchical. ous changes and revolutions up to the present time. Among the natural curiosities of Egypt, the most remarkable is the river Nile, which is described And it furnishes not only a history of the formation in a separate article. The present population of and changes of the earth itself, but it even details to Egypt is about two millions and a half; and when a us the character, habits, relative size, and location of Roman province, it is supposed that it contained up- its various inhabitants, many of which have been for wards of seven millions. The French invaded this Not only animals, but even plants country in 1798, under Bonaparte, who defeated the Egyptians in several engagements; but after his de- are pointed out to us, as belonging peculiarly to the parture a strong British force arrived to aid the coun- earlier times of our globe. try, and the French were expelled, 1801. The climate of Egypt is very hot, and in general, unhealthy: rain in this country in summer is considered a phenomenon. The plague frequently visits its inhabitants. But during the autumn and winter, Egypt is considered one of the most delightful and pleasant countries in the world. The Grand Cairo, the capital, is a large and populous city, containing about 300,000 inhabitants. castle of this place is said to have been built by the celebrated SALADIN, in which are the remains of the most noble monuments; but the greatest part of this once majestick building is now in ruins. ages extinct. By some recent investigations, we have been for the first time instructed, that our own country had an antediluvian existence. It is almost clearly shown to us, that in times antecedent to the flood, this very spot of earth maintained a high rank amongst the continents of the globe! That here were hills and woods, sands and floods, beasts, birds, and reptiles. That although it is doubtful whether man had any agency here in those early times, yet, it is sufficiently clear that the race of beasts, birds and reptiles, were of an order as much superiour to the present Alexandria, once the seat of learning and royal magnificence, lies now, for the greater part, in ruins. race, as this present race is superiour to the fabled This city was built by Alexander the Great, B. C. 332, diminutives of Lilliput! In those palmy days, monand was long the seat and capital of the Ptolemys. strous lizards inhabited the shores of the waters; the According to Josephus, Alexandria was esteemed giant mastodon frolicked through the valleys and meadthe finest city in the world, Rome only excepted. At Alexandria was the celebrated library, consisting ows, feeding upon the tall luxuriant herbage; and enorof 700,000 volumes, which was begun to be collected mous birds inhabited the woods, and fed along the by Ptolemy Philadelphus, and completed by his successors. This library is said to have been destroyed by the Saracens, at the command of the calif Omar. Alexandria now contains about 6000 inhabitants. The most remarkable antiquities near Alexandria are two obelisks, commonly called Cleopatra's Needles, covered with hieroglyphicks, Pompey's Pillar, and the ancient Tower of Pharos. Cleopatra's Needles are about 60 feet high, and consist each of a single stone, seven feet square at the base. One of them is now overturned, broken and lying under the sand, the other is represented by the annexed engraving. margin of the estuaries and rivers. The enormous bones found far below the surface of the ground in New York, Ohio and Kentucky, and the bird-tracks disclosed in the stone-quarries of the valley of the Connecticut, are convincing evidence of these facts. With the facts in relation to the organick remains of the melagonyx, the lizards, and the mastodon, the reader is already acquainted. We wish now to direct his attention to ornithicnites of the Connecticut river valley. Ornithicnites, signifies stony bird-tracts; hence ornithienology, if it may be used to represent a distinct branch of knowledge, signifies the science of stony bird-tracks. The tracks have been observed for twenty years or more; but it was reserved for Professor Hitchcock, of Amherst college, to give them a scientifick investigation, and to him we are indebted for an exposition of its results, and the coin age of the term. Pharos, a watchtower, so celebrated in antiquity, was reckoned one of the seven wonders of the world. It was 400 feet high, and was destroyed by the Turks. Suez, formerly a place of great trade, is now a small town, and gives name to the isthmus that joins Africa to Asia. Near this city, the children of Israel are supposed to have entered the gulf, when they crossed the Red sea. The Egyptians are of a tawny complexion. They display little of that The foot marks in question, have been discovered love for science and literature for which their ances-at various times, in what is called the new red sandtors were so renowned. Here it was that geometry stone formation on the banks of Connecticut river, was invented, and it is generally supposed, that it in Massachusetts. The professor's attention was was of the Egyptian priests that PYTHAGORAS ac- first called to the subject by Dr. Deane of Greenquired the knowledge of the "True System of the field, who sent him some casts of impressions on a red World." micaceous sandstone, brought from the town of Montague, for flagging-stones. They consisted of two ORNITHICNOLOGY. Independent of written and traditionary testimony, the science of Geology has developed and is continuing to disclose, in its triumphant progress, an VOL. I.-25 We * Ornithicnites, we are told, is derived from opvie and riyvoo, But if the two Greek words signifying stony bird-tracks. Professor's lexicon contains 7x it surpasses ours. do not perceive whence he derives stony tracks. 'Ixvoo is the word for track; and hence ornithicnites, means only bird-tracks. slabs, originally united face to face; but on separation," presenting four most distinct depressions on one of them, with four correspondent projections on the other; precisely resembling the impressions of the feet of a large bird in mud. They were dug from a quarry, less than half a mile from Connecticut river, and elevated above that stream, not more than one hundred feet. The strata there, dip easterly, not more than five degrees; and the league containing the impressions was several feet below the surface." He afterwards observed them on the flagging-stones in Deerfield and Northampton. He also discovered several distinct varieties of them at a place called the Horserace, also on the east side of mount Tom, in South Hadley, and other places in that vicinity. The strata in which they were found at mount Tom, dipped east about ten degrees, and passed directly under the Connecticut river. These impressions have been discovered at stonequarries, in five different places, within the distance of about thirty miles. They "are exhibited on the rock in place, as depressions, more or less perfect and deep, made by an animal with two feet, and usually three toes. In a few instances, a fourth or hind toe, has made an impression, not directly in the rear, but inclining somewhat inward; and, in one instance, the four toes all point forward. Sometimes these ternate depressions run into one another, as the toes approach the point of convergence; But they also sometimes stop short of that point, as if the animal had not sunk deep enough to allow the heel to make an impression. Nay, at that point the stone is in some cases irregularly raised, as if the weight of the animal had caused the sand or mud to crowd upwards in the rear of the step. In a few instances, also, behind this slight elevation, there is a depression, as if a knobbed heel had sunk slightly into the yielding mass." To some of the tracks there seems to be appended, the impression of stiff hairs or bristles, radiating from the heel. In all cases where there are three toes pointing forward, the middle toe 3 is the longest; sometimes very much so. In the narrow-toed impression, distinct claws are not often seen, although sometimes discoverable. But in the thick-toed varieties, they are often very obvious.— where these impressions occur, the successive layers of the rock may be observed bent downward, often several inches. These tracks may be traced in succession; the alternate tracks deviating a little to the right, and the remaining ones to the left, the toes being commonly turned outwards; and no parellel row of impressions has been observed. This clearly shows them to be the tracks of a biped animal. They corre spond so nearly with the tracks of birds, that there can be but little doubt that they are genuine birdtracks. From the apparent confirmation of the feet, the birds may be assigned to the genus Grallae or waders. Figure 1, represents a confused variety of tracks, found on a specimen of sandstone from the Horserace. Length of the foot varies from four to six inches. Figure 2, exhibits another specimen from the same place. Some of the feet are six inches, some four inches long. Length of step twelve to eighteen inches. Shown in relief on one side of the stone, and depressed on the other side. Figure 3, indicates a specimen of the largest impression found:-"Toes three; length of the foot, fifteen inches, exclusive of the claws. In one specimen, the claw is at least two inches long, and even then a part of it appears to be missing; in genéral it is not more than one inch, but seems to be. broken off. The whole length of the foot, consequently is sixteen or seventeen inches! Length of the successive steps, between four and six feet! Average thickness of the toes, one inch and one fourth; breadth of do. two inches." Ten of these tracks have been found in succession, undoubtedly made by the same enormous bird. "The rock on which one of the species of large track appears, is composed of a fine blue mud, such as is now common in ponds and estua- straits. The Samoiedes and Kamtschatdales, in ries; and where the bird trod upon it, in some Northern Asia, are very similar to them in their apcases, it seems that the mud was crowded upwards, pearance and manners, as well as in their boats, forming a ridge around the track in front, several huts, and instruments. inches in height. Indeed," continues the professor, "I hesitate not to say, that the impression made on the mud appears to have been almost as deep, indicating a pressure almost as great, as if an elephant had passed over it." The form of the Esquimaux seems influenced by the climate; their stature is much lower than the European, five feet nine inches being considered gigantick; the usual height is from four to five feet. Though the trunk of the body is thick, the "extremiAll the varieties of tracks are included under two ties are small, especially the hands and feet, and divisions; 1, the Pachydactyli, or thick-toed: 2, the the fingers very short. The face is broad and Leptodactyli, or slender-toed. The first includes flat, and the nose small, and sunk very deep: this three varieties; the second, eight varieties. Some would appear to be caused by the muscles of the of the slender-toed variety have four toes, with an face being drawn in from intense cold. The females appendage at the heel, apparently produced by a have a fresh and good-natured expression of countuft of hair or feathers not unlike that attached to the tenance. Their dress is very simple. That of the foot and leg of the bantam fowl. The footmarks men is of a double coat of deer-skin, with the hair vary in size, from one inch to seventeen inches. inwards; at one end a hood is formed, and raised We may probably infer from that fact, that they over the head; trousers of the same, also double, were made by birds of all sizes, varying from that falling over the boots which extend to the knee, of a snipe, to a species of bird larger than the ostrich. which are of deer-skin or of the hide of the walrus The ostrich is from seven to nine feet high, and or seal. The dress of the females is very similar; weighs generally about one hundred pounds. The they are, however, distinguished by their boots-so foot of an ostrich is but ten inches long. But the capacious, as to make each leg appear as large as largest of the ornithicnites, is from sixteen to seven- the body, and to give them a waddling gait; these teen inches long. If this furnishes a fair ground of boots form a receptacle for all the nick-nacks that comparison, we are led to believe that these antedi- may come into the possession of these fair orders of luvian birds, taking also into view the comparative the north; and, in fact, answer the purpose of a "retilength of the steps, must have been almost twice as cule." Captain Parry states, that they were origihigh as the ostrich, and, perhaps, twice as heavy!nally used for a receptacle for children, but that of These impressions were clearly made upon soft earth or mud, at the time, doubtless, when the Connecticut river valley was an estuary. They were gradually filled up by alluvial deposites, and subsequently formed into stone. That they were made at an early period in the history of the globe, will familiarly appear from the fact, that they are found in strata or layers of rock which may be traced directly under hills and mountains, and even beneath the bed of the Connecticut river. But it also appears from the fact, that they are found in strata, the formation of which, geologists attribute to a period antecedent to the flood; or at least antecedent to some great revolution which the earth has under-women paint their skin by drawing a needle under gone since its creation. Tracks of a similar description have been found in England, in similar geological formations. The organick remains of enormous vegetables have also been found, both in New England and Great Britain, the period of whose existence must be assigned to the same early era in the history of the globe. We sincerely hope that these investigations may be pursued; for the results will certainly form an important link in that chain of geological evidence, which shall at some subsequent period establish a connected and perfect history of the earth from the beginning. late a new-fashioned hood has been introduced. Their clothes are sewn together with the thread consisting of the sinews of animals; they arrange their dress with some taste; and from the rich variety of furs, the most showy of which the ladies turn into borders, they, on gala days, make a splendid appearance. But the taste of some was not so good; in lieu of beads they sometimes form ornamental girdles of the teeth of the fox, wolf, or musk-ox; and one, to be finer than the rest, had fringed her jacket with a long row of foxes' noses; these were, however, suspected to be regarded as amulets or charms. To complete their beauty, the the epidermis, with a thread dipped in lampblack and oil; and after sewing and drawing out the needle, and pressing the part, it leaves a permanent olive teint. Hunting is the only resource of these poor people; they pass their whole lives in adventure, which forms a determined character. When not able to procure wood or iron, their ingenuity turns the bones of animals into their implements; and their cord or line is formed by cutting the toughest and most elastick skins into long strips. The short period of summer is employed in shooting the deer with bow and arrow, the flesh of which for eating, We should be guilty of great injustice, did we not and the hide for clothing, they highly esteem. Tho acknowledge our indebtedness for most of the pre-eider and other wild ducks also furnish them with ceding facts to that most excellent work, Frofessor Silliman's Journal. food, and their skins, with feathers inwards, are used as clothing also. Winter drives all the animals to the south, and then these people are forced to subsist from the products of the river-the seal, CHARACTER OF THE ESQUIMAUX. the walrus, and the whale-which are obliged to The Esquimaux are an extensive race, occupying the ascend to the surface for respiration. In a solitary shores of the Northern ocean. Richardson and Frank-snow-shed, erected on purpose, they watch, and imlin found them along the whole coast of the American mediately the animal is visible, strike a dart or a Polar sea; Kotzebue, in the channel near Beering's harpoon with a line attached. When struck, it |