Star.
London, England, 1825-12-24 00:00:00

BY HENRY KIRKE WHITE.

When marshall'd on the mighty plain,
The glittering host bestud the sky,
One Star alone of all the train,
Can fix the sinner's wand'ring eye!
Hark ! hark ! to GOD the chorus breaks;
From every host, from every gem;
But one alone, the &smug speaks,
It is the Star of Bethlehem!
Once on the raging seas I rode,
The storm was loud—the night was dark ;
The ocean yawn'd—and rudely blow'd
The wind that toss'd my founning bark !
Deep horror then my vitals froze,
Death-struck, I ceased the tide to stem
When suddenly a star arose,
It was the Star of Bethlehem !
It was my guide, my light, my all,
It made my dark forebodings cease;
And through the storm, and danger's thrall,
It led me to the port of peace !
Now safely moor'd !—my perils o'er,
I'll sing first in night's diadem,
For ever and for evermore,
The Star !—The Star of Bethlehem!
At this solemn seas .n, the following description of
the spot where the nativity of . ter Savtoutt took place,
horn the linwels in the Holy Land, by W. Rae Wilson,
Esq. may not he unacceptable to our Readers:
I entered Bethlthern, the v ry cradle, if I :nay be
permitted to use the expression, of the Christian world.
situated on an elevation, and w kb feelings which abso-
lutely overpowered me, when 1 reflected, that here
Was that place where Ha came forth, who was to be the
Ruler of Israel. How is it, I would ask, possible to
describe all those emotions with which I was affected
at setting my foot in this corner of the world, and ap-
proaching that place, where the RUMMER was born
in helplessnes,•, clothed sr ith mortal nature, laden with
infirmities, and undertaking to bear the burden of our
sins? I can only say, that my mind was filled with
profound and awful everence, accompanied with holy
joy. At this time there reigned around a glorious so-
lemnity, amidst the stillness of the day, in unison with
that train of reflection which she view of scenes so in-
teresting raised to a high degree of excitement. The
sun shone brilliantly, and it struck me as remarkable,
that a sort of star, or diamond, in the centre of the
roof of the convent, sparkled with indescribable beauty,
bringing most forcibly to mind, that glorious planet
which had conducted the Magi to this identical place.
"Having inspected the objects of art and adoration
in the Church, I was conducted to a small staircase,
leading to the Chapel of the Nativity, wliich is sub.
terraneous, where the solemn silence, added to the coo.
templation of that most stupendous of all events, which
occurred on this sacred spot of earth, are well calcu-
lated to strike the mind with the deepest awe and holy
leneratian. Before the altar, several massy silver
lamps, the gifts of Catholic Kings, are kept constantly
burning, and the peculiar spot where our LORD en-
dured the penalties of human guilt, is marked wi h a
star, formed of White marble, inlaid with jasper, and
surrounded with a radiant glory, over which, it is
said, the planet stood which led and enlightened the
path of the wise men, to the humble Bethlehem. On
this there is inscribed the following inrcription ;--
Hic de Virgins Jzsus Caimans natus est.'
" To the right of this is shewn, the place where the
manger stood in which he was laid. This appears to
be cut out of the natural rock, and is now lined with
marble. Lamps of silver are always kept in an illumi-
nated state before it. According to a practice observed
by pilgrims, I fell upon my knees, and saluted the place
of the Nativity, although I own no kind of ceremony
was requisite to.enhance that sublime sense which I en-
tertained at this critical moment, of those eternal. obli-
gains, which, in common with the whole race of man-
kind, I was under to that glorious and condescending
Beim who here began hia career of suffering, humi-
liation, and submission, which terminated at that solemn
moment, when, stretched out and nailed to the ac-
cursed tree, he meekly said, 4 It is finished, bOwed his
head, and gave up the ghost.'
"Macy of the habitations, it may be remarked, in
Bethlehem and Jerusalem, ate formed out of grottos,'
and also several of the stables there, and in that city,
are in excavations of the earth and rock. In this view,
41.1 objections which may arise, so far as respects the
exact spot where our Savious was born, being under
ground, can have no foundation; on the contrary, it
receives strong confirmation, from being so much similar
to the stables and places for keeping cattle ordinarily in
use in India to this very day."
• Zephaniah. ii. 6.

The trial of the Cap ain of the Ayr ste tow-boat, that
rim down the Comet, is now going on at Edinbutgh.-
411 hopes of tait.ing the Comet appear to be at an end.
She i, •a,t in the mud.