4. "Neither silver, gold, nor copper
Shall you get this time from me;
Where's the husband, tall and proper,
That you told me I should see' ?"
5. "Coming still, my maiden, coming,
With two eyes as black as sloes;
Marching soldierly, and humming
Gallant love-songs as he goes."
6. "Get along, you stupid gipsy!
I won't have your barrack-beau;
Strutting up to me half tipsy,

Saucy with his chin up-so!"
7. "Come, I'll tell you the first letter
Of your handsome sailor's name-'
"I know every one, that's better,

Thank you, gipsy, all the same."

LESSON V.-SUCCESS ALONE SEEN.

FEW know of life's beginnings-men behold
The goal achieved-the warrior, when his sword
Flashes red triumph in the noonday sun;
The poet, when his lyre hangs on the palm;
The statesman, when the crowd proclaim his voice,
And mould opinion on his gifted tongue:

They count not life's first steps, and never think
Upon the many miserable hours

When hope deferred was sickness to the heart.

They reckon not the battle and the march,
The long privations of a wasted youth;
They never see the banner till unfurl'd.
What are to them the solitary nights
Pass'd pale and anxious by the sickly lamp,
Till the young poet wins the world at last
To listen to the music long his own?
The crowd attend the statesman's fiery mind
That makes their destiny; but they do not trace
Its struggle, or its long expectancy.
Hard are life's early steps; and, but that youth
Is buoyant, confident, and strong in hope,
Men would behold its threshold, and despair.

LETITIA E. MACLEAN (LANDON)..

PART VIII.

FIRST DIVISION OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY.

[This subject is continued in the Sixth Reader.]

1. GEOGRAPHY is a description of the earth. The numerous subjects embraced in a complete description of our planet are usually arranged under the three great divisions, Mathematical, Physical, and Political Geography.

Mathematical Geography has for its object the determination of the form and dimensions of the earth, its relations with the celestial bodies, the relative positions of places on its surface, and the representation of the whole or a part of the surface on maps or globes.

2. Physical Geography is a description of the principal features of the earth's surface, as consisting of land and water, the extent, position, and form of continents and islands, the elevation and direction of mountain ranges, the phenomena of volcanoes and earthquakes, the conformation of plains and valleys, and the soil, climate, and productions of different regions. The currents of the ocean and of the atmosphere, with their attendant phenomena, are also embraced in the department of Physical Geography.

3. Political Geography considers the earth as the abode of man, and describes the various nations in their local relations. This division of the science is what is usually studied in schools as Geography.

As the form of the earth is spherical, it is impossible to represent any considerable portion of its surface on a plane without making some parts appear larger than they are, relatively to others. In maps commonly used in schools, the world is represented in two circles, called the eastern and western hemispheres.

4. The surface of the globe comprises nearly two hundred million square miles, of which only about one fourth part is land, and considerably more than half of this is in the eastern hemisphere. The accompanying chart shows about three times as much land north of the equator as south of it; and it will also be observed that nearly one half of all the land is in the northern temperate zone.

5. If we draw a map with London for the centre of the circle or horizon, which is nearly that of the land hemisphere above represented, we shall include more land than if any other city were taken as a centre, and consequently in the opposite hemisphere there will be more water. In other words, there is more land within 6000 miles of London than within that distance of any other city on the globe. It is often said that certain cities have an extensive "back country" on which they depend for support, and it is an interesting fact that London, the commercial metropolis of the world, has a greater "back country," within the distance of one fourth the earth's circumference, than any other city on the globe.

6. There is a method of representing the earth's surface called Mercator's projection. This method, which is universally adopted for nautical charts, and has many advant

ages for physical maps, has the meridian lines straight, equidistant, and parallel. The parallels of latitude are also straight lines perpendicular to the meridians; but their distances increase from the equator in such proportions as always to show the true bearings of places from one another.* 7. In using Mercator's chart, it must be remembered that it does not truly represent the figure, or relative magnitude of countries, especially those far from the equator. In this kind of chart the surface of the earth is represented as if it were the convex surface of a cylinder, spread out on a level or plain, and the western continent is often shown on the right side of the map.

LESSON II.-CONTINENTS AND ISLANDS.

1. THERE are three great masses of land on the earth's surface, which, as they are surrounded by water, might be termed islands, but two of these are commonly called continents. These three great divisions are the Old continent, embracing Europe, Asia, and Africa; the New continent, including North and South America; and the island of Australia.

2. The two continents differ remarkably in their general features. In the Eastern continent the general direction of the land and of the great chain of mountains is from east to west, nearly parallel with the equator. In the Western continent the direction of the land is from north to south, or perpendicular to the equator. The Western continent is not quite half as large as the Eastern, but it has about five times the area of Australia.

3. Another notable feature of the land is, that all the great peninsulas are nearly triangular in shape, and are pointed toward the south. Such is the case with Africa, South America, Arabia, Hindostan, Corea, Kamtschatka, California, Greenland, and Florida; a circumstance which the celebrated geololgist, Dr. Buckland, has attributed to the wearing away of the land by the waters of the ocean, which he supposes to have been projected northward from the southern hemisphere with great force by some sudden convulsion of the globe. The only exceptions to this generalization are Yucatan and Jutland, which are alluvial formations, and owe their structure to influences which have not operated in shaping the great continental masses.

* The physical chart of North America, on page 378, is drawn on the plan of Mercator's projection.

4. Each continent has an island or group of islands a little east of its southern extremity; thus South America has its Falkland Islands, and Africa its Madagascar. So also Ceylon is similarly situated in respect to Hindostan; Iceland to Greenland; the Bahamas to Florida; and Tasmania and New Zealand to Australia.

5. It has been observed, as another peculiarity of the structure of peninsulas, that they generally terminate abruptly in bluffs, promontories, or mountains. Thus, at the southern extremity of Africa, the Cape of Good Hope stands out as a rocky barrier, where, in some great convulsion of the globe, the waters of the ocean were stayed; the high, black, and precipitous promontory of Cape Horn is the visible termination of the Andes; and the extremity of the Ghauts Mountains, in Hindostan, is Cape Comorin. There is also a striking analogy between the unbroken coast-line of South America and Africa, while North America resembles Europe in its coast indentations of bays and gulfs.

6. It is important that a commercial city should have ample wharf-room, which is usually increased artificially, as far as possible, in the construction of slips, piers, and wharves. A similar advantage is presented in the indentation of a coast by seas, gulfs, and bays. In this respect Europe is most fortunate, having one mile of sea-coast for every 156 square miles of surface, while less favored Africa has the same coast-line for every 623 square miles of territory. Next to Europe, North America has the greatest proportionate extent of coast, being one mile for every 350 square miles of surface. Africa," says Prof. Guyot, "is nearly ellipsoidal, and concentrated upon itself. It thrusts into the ocean no important peninsula, nor any where lets into its bosom the waters of the sea. It seems to close itself against every influence from

66

without."

7. Though the countless islands scattered over the globe appear so various in size, form, and character, they have been grouped into two distinct classes, called continental and pelagic. Continental islands occur along the margin of continents, which they resemble in geological situation, and are usually long in proportion to their breadth. They seem to have been formed at the same time as the continents, and possibly were once joined to the main land, having been separated by the action of the sea. It may be that the positions of continental islands mark the former boundaries of the continents. Vancouver's Island, on the western coast of Amer