The Sun.
London, England, 1823-08-29 00:00:00

cial observer discovered nothing but the external appearances of
things. Every plant that grew, every flower that expanded itself
to the sun, proclaimed the wisdom and goodness of the Creator.
The man whom the works of nature charmed held converse
with Clod himself, and found the name of the Creator` inscribed
on every leaf, on every flower. He discerned is plants the
sources of numerous • blessings and conveniences enjoyed by
human nature, of food, of raiment, of medicitte. The more a
Botanist looked into them, the more beauties he would find,
and the more reason he would havo to adrniriethe works of the'
Creator. The variety of the season, adapted to the production
of different plants and flowers, formed a continual drama—a
continually shifting scene for the instruction and delight of man.
No place was a solitude to the Botanist. (lo where he might
he was always surrounded with agreeable companions. His
faculties were improved by his pursuits—his health and spirits
were invigorated. Who but God could have provided such
an infinite series of gratifications for man as are afforded by
the ever varying productions of the various seasons ? The
best actor could not be more exact in his entrances and exits
than the flowers and plants when the proper time of their
appearance arrived. Who thus 'instructed them but that
unerring Providence • which created and ordered things
in number, Weight, and measure ? It should then be the
business of to glorify that, who left nedling undone for
his gratification in this world—to adore !MU fur all his gifts
—but, above the.rest, for that rational soul•by the possession of
which nature was opened to his view—was tendered a source
of delight and a nursery of devotion. If there were any
among them in. affliction, any who had lost a dear friend
or sustained any other serious injury, let them but con-
template the Vegetable creation, and from that source they
would derive consolation. All came into the world by the
word of God, and for his Wise purposes, and they should yield
with humble resignation to whatsoever Ile might in his
wisdom decree. The were here only the children of titne ; but
what was eternity ? It was impossible to reach to a conception
of it. The Idea was too grand fur humanity to contemplate.—
They were the mere creatures of time ; and how short was their
time ? This was an awfbl consideration. The temporary evils
of this life were not worth a thought when put in competition
with what was to succeed it. All their thoughts theretore, all
their efforts should be employed in. preparation for eternity. lie
was glad to hate this opportunity aftbrded him of skewing to a
numerous and respectable audience that Botany, like other
branches of science, affhrtled envie proofs of the wisdom and
goodness of the Creatim Ile approved of the object proposed,
and should be happy upon future occasions to address theta as
a teacher,
The Rev. A.FLE TCHE It said, that after the learned and able
addresses they had just heard, it was hardly necessary for him to
say any thing upon the subject ; but as he had premeditated va-
rious topics connected with the object of the meeting, he would
trespass on their. patience for a little time. He felt emotions
of a peculiar kind in thus addressing an assembly composed
for the most part of long.tried friends. The value of friend-
ship was peculiarly enhanced in a state of existence like the
present, in a world which Was properly designated a valley
of tears. It devolved upon him to explain what were the
primary and secondary objects they had in contemplation.—
The first Was, the moral, biblical, and religious information
of the rising, generation. It was proposed to devote part of
each Sabbath morning to the instruction of the children
Of the poor in that hull ; and in the afternoon the children
of a cies§ better circumstanced in life would etijoY the bene•
fits of eatechetical instruction. Considering all the induce.
meats to vice and infidelity with which youth was beset,
lie would ask What could be more important than to endue.
your to introduce moral anti religious light into the soul, to
root out the noxious weeds that had taken root there, and to correct the degrading passions ? What more important than to
conduct youth to their Creator, from whom they might be
alienated by the mysterious principle of evil incorporated with:
their being ? He adverted to the infidelity of the present time,
not for the purposeof intimidation, but incitement ; for the pure
pose of stimuluting their efforts to prevent the progress of so.
dreadful an evil. The effect of infidelity was tti change she
human soul into a barren wilderness, where nothing sprunt up
but the hemlock of vice anti the 'deadly nightshade of ins-
purity. He would not say that, in this respect, the present
age was worse than the past; btu lie solemnly affirnied, that
in these days infidelity assumed a degree of boltlnetts it had not
dared to put on in other times. Formerly It was confined to
the solitary apartments of the sceptic, who carried his foolish
speculations so far as to doubt of his own existence; but now
it bad taken possession of the mind of the mechanic—it hail
entered the cottages of tlet
.poor, and robbed them of their
only hopee-it hail joined to Its • standard the aged head co-
vered with hoary hairs—it taught youthful lips to blaspheme
the perfections of the Deity--it gave unusual►
force and rapid
maturity to those passions which accelerated their misery. What
did infidelity ever do for the human race ? Did it assist in the
founttion of wise and liberal political institutions ? Did it shed
lustre on the throne of the Monarch, soothe the sorrows of the
afflicted soul, bind up the wounds of the spirit, :wrest youth in
its career of loathsome vice,smooth the rugged path of the valley
of death, or fill the soul With triumphant confidence in the
hour et' dissolution ? It did not—it Could not. What was the
antidote to this malady ? What could extract a sting the ma-
lignity of which was so etivenorned?—Knowledge-e.the know-
ledge of that religion which ClOd communicated to the human
race. He would now placebefore them the secondary object that
were in contemplation. It was their intention, during the winter
months, to have a course oflettures on the works of the creation.
Ile was of the opinion of St. Pierre, that no study was better cal-
culated than that of nature to counteract the progress of infi-
delity, and to fix the mind on Him who was the author of all
good things. The lectures would be under the snperintentiz
me at' a Committee of Gentlemen of morality and character.
Like the Prophets of old; who availed themselves of the as.
sistance of music when the prophetic influence was about to
descend on their hearts, they also would have recourse to it,
but only as a means to till the mild with ideas of the Divinity
and of his great works: It reflected honour on the City !Amion,
and shewed the attention of their ancestors to the Interests of
morality, that within its walls there was not what might be
called a corrupt place of amusement. They would take care
that the institution now proposed should form no exception.
The ltev. Mr. Cox bad fixed on one department ih which he
proposed to lecture, and he (Mr. F.) would take another. He
would endeavour to assist those who might favour, him with
their attention, in contemplating the wonders of animated nature,
nom matures of the largest bulk to such as were not discern.
able without the assistance of a microscope. To shot, what a
field of curious and interesting inquiry thus opened, he would
just mention two instances,. the Leviathan, and the Verticillo
Rotatorio, not larger than the least 'discernible grain Of mud.
Among whales he would mention the I.Silina, which one might
call an animated floating island. It was found commonly 90
feet in length, and sometimes even 129. irtltat must they think
of the size of such a creature, the very tongue of which pro-
duces six gallons of oil ? Its young were suckled like those of
the human race; and so great was the degree of maternal tender.
ness, that when any danger threatened, the young were taken
under its fins, and it descended to the bottent of the deep to
seek a shelter from danger. The other, the verticilla rotittoria,
was capable of enduring the most extraordinary degrees of
heat anti cold. It retained life at a temperature of 111 degrees
below the freezing point. While living, _it war so dry that,
if touched with the point of a needle, it fell into dust. It
Might be kept for years in a state of apparent death without
any sort of nourishment, anti so delicate was its finmation that
a drop of water falling on it was sufficient to dissolve and break
the whole texture. If, however, a drop were allowed In
come on it, not altbgether, but by degrees, it would be seen to
grow into activity, and to 'swum as freely as the whale in the
ocean. It had two feet in the upper part of the body, to which
Were attached two wheels, from which it took the name'Reta-
toria. In another part of the body, to prepare it for attack,
nature provided it with something resembling a trident, or an
anchor.--Thisff while endeavouring to counteract the
influence of
i
die drop
of water, and by the movement which it
made with the wheels caused a vortex, within which its prey
was drawn, and which, like the hawk, it set upon and consurn-
ce, alive. The aehealcults on which It fed-were as Much amal-
ler titan itself, as it ryas entailer than perhaps even the whale
—Th
140 feet long.
us it might be seen from these two instance
that the field of inquiry was great, sufficient to occupy their
time here, and to give cause for wonder througli an infinite im-
mortality. Their, object was to lead the youth of the metro-
polis to admiration of the works of (lad, and to exalt their
feelings to a due genre of religion. After nfiw further obser-
vations the Rev. Gentleman concluded by saying, that the Lec-
tures would commence in November, and that the wear-ideal
scholars should have 'the ball free of expellee on the Sabbath
days.
In the interval between thespeeches the following pieces were
paformed .--e" Left up your heads," Scc. ; " The Lord gave
the Ford;" "How beautiful upon the Mountains; 4* Halle-
lujah Chorus."