rien. Panama, in 9° north latitude, forms the geographical separation between North and South America. SIBERIA. 1. SIBERIA comprises all the north of Asia, and is one of the most forlorn and desolate regions on the globe. A great portion of it is included within the limits of the Frozen zone; and even the southern parts, from their physical structure and great elevation, are exposed to a great degree of cold. 2. Its situation also nearly excludes it from communication with the civilized and improved parts of the world. The rivers, of which the Oby, Enesei, and Lena, are among the largest in Asia, have generally a northern direction, flowing into the Frozen Ocean, the shores of which are barred by almost perpetual ice; and they, therefore, serve but little purposes of commerce. 3. Another characteristic feature consists in the immense elevated plains, which cover a great portion of its surface. These are of a dull uniformity of aspect, marshy, covered with long rank grass, and aquatic shrubs, and filled with almost numberless saline lakes. 4. The most important natural productions consist in its mines; the next in importance are its animals, some of which are valuable for fur, as the sable, black fox, ermine, and marten. In the northern parts the chief animal is the rein-deer. 5. It is a remarkable phenomenon, that about the Frozen Ocean, and in various parts of Siberia, there are found prodigious remains of animals, which do not now exist in any part of that region, and many of them not in any part of the world. 6. The most interesting of these relics are the remains of the Siberian mammoth, which was an animal of different species from the American mammoth. The skeletons are seldom found complete. BETHLEHEM. 1. BETHLEHEM, six miles south of Jerusalem, contains only two or three thousand inhabitants. It is finely situated on a considerable eminence, in a fertile and a pleasant country, abounding in hills and valleys, covered with vines and olives. 2. Though never distinguished for great wealth or population, it became memorable for the birth of David, the royal Psalmist, and still more so for that of our Saviour. 39.5 for which reason it has ever been regarded as a place of high renown, and as such is often visited by travellers and pilgrims. 3. The conspicuous and interesting edifices are a great convent and large church, connected with each other, enclosed with lofty walls, with battlements, resembling those of a vast fortress. They are situated on the outside of the town, and are erected over the cave of the nativity. 4. In this grotto is shown a small marble basin, which is affirmed to be the manger in which our Saviour was laid; and the cave is enriched with numerous gold and silver lamps, and adorned with pictures relating to the nativity and history of our Redeemer. STROMBOLI. 1. THIS is the principal of the cluster of small islands, lying to the north of Sicily, named the Lipari Isles, the whole of which contain volcanoes. At a distance, its form appears to be that of an exact cone, but on a closer examination it is found to be a mountain, having two summits of different heights, the sides of which have been torn and shattered by craters. 2. The most elevated summit, inclining to the southwest, is about a mile in height. In this volcanic mountain, the effects of a constantly active fire are every where visible, heaping up, destroying, changing, and overturning, every instant, what itself has produced, and incessantly varying in its operations. 8. At the distance of one hundred miles, the flames it emits are visible, whence it has aptly been denominated the light-house of that part of the Mediterranean Sea. From the more elevated summit, all the inner part of the burning crater, and the mode of its eruption, may be seen. It is placed about half way up, on the north-west side of the mountain, and has a diameter not exceeding two hundred and fifty feet. 4. Burning stones are thrown up at intervals of seven or eight minutes, ascending in somewhat diverging rays. While a portion of them roll down towards the sea, the greater part fall back into the crater; and these being cast out by a subsequent eruption, are thus tossed about until they are broken and reduced to ashes. 5. The volcano, however, constantly supplies others, and seems inexhaustible in this species of productions. Spallanzani affirms, that, in the more violent eruptions, the ejected matter rises to the height of half a mile, or even higher, many of the ignited stones being thrown above the highest summit of the mountain. 6. The erupted stones, which appear black in the day time, have at night a deep red colour, and sparkle like fire works. Each explosion is accompanied by flames or smoke, the latter resembling clouds, in the lower part black, in the upper white and shining, and separating into globular and irregular forms. In very high winds from the south or south-east, the smoke spreads over every part of the isl and. 7. Spallanzani observed this volcano on a particular night, when the latter of these winds blew with great violence. The clear sky exhibited the appearance of a beautiful aurora borealis over that part of the mountain on which the volcano is situated, and which from time to time became more red and brilliant, in proportion as the ignited stones were thrown to a greater height. The violence of the convulsions depends on that of the wind. 8. The present crater has burned for more than a century, without any apparent change having taken place in its situation. The side from which the ignited matter falls into the sea, is almost perpendicular, about half a mile broad at the bottom, and a mile in length, terminating above in a point. In rolling down, the lava raises the fine sand like a cloud of dust. While this was observed by Spallanzani, the volcano suddenly made an eruption. 9. Numerous pieces of lava, of a dark red colour, and enveloped in smoke, were ejected from the top of the precipice, and thrown high into the air. A part of them fell on the declivity, and rolled down, the smaller preceded by the greater; and, after a few bounds, dashed into the sea, giving out a sharp hissing sound. 10. The more minute fragments, from their lightness and the hindrance of the sand, rolled slowly down, and striking against each other, produced nearly the same sound as hailstones falling on a roof. In a few minutes another explosion followed, without any sensible noise; and two minutes after, a third eruption took place, with a much louder explosion than the first, and a far more copious ejection of lava. 11. The eruptions, which were almost innumerable during the time that Spallanzani remained there, all exhibited the same appearances. On the night following the one above described, the volcano raged with still greater violence, and rapidly hurled to a great height, thousands of red hot stones, forming diverging rays in the air. 12. Those which rolled down the precipice, produced a hail of streaming fire, which illuminated the steep descent. Independently of these ignited stones, there was in the air which hovered over the volcano, a vivid light which was not extinguished when that was at rest. It was not properly flame, but real light reverberated by the atmosphere impregnated with extraneous particles, and more especially by the ascending smoke. 13. Besides varying in intensity, it appeared constantly in motion, ascending, descending, dilating, and contracting, but always remaining perpendicular over the mouth of the volcano, which showed that it was occasioned by the conflagration within the crater. The detonations in the greater eruptions resembled the roaring of distant thunder; but in the more moderate ones, the explosions of a mine. 14. In the smallest they were scarcely audible. Each was some seconds later than the ejection. Near the mouth of the volcano is a small cavern, and a projection above, which secures it from the entrance of the ignited stones. From this cavern Spallanzani was enabled to look down into the very bowels of the volcano. 15. He describes the edges of the crater as of a circular form, and not more than 340 feet in circumference, the internal sides contracting as they descend, and assuming |