Star.
London, England, 1829-09-12 00:00:00

REFRACTION.

In fine summer weather, when the ocean seems a cir-
cular sheet of glass. whose boundary is the horizon—when this
beautiful liquid speculum receives a slight pulse from the stings-
pbere, a breath of breeze, as it were—that spot which receives it
becomes ruffled and of a darker colour than the surface surround-
ing it ; the place seems furred, and is called by sailors a cat-skirt.
Sometimes this spot seems circular, but often of an irregular form,
and this figure attends over a great space of the deep, chielly by
the undul lion; sometimes again it spreads not beyond the hori-
son, but leaves spaces of the surface smooth and clear as befute ;
sometimes these breezes come in a longitudinal manner, and the
mirror of the deep seems divided into beautiful stripes. When
these move to the horizon or go beyond it ; or if a cl,ar white
stripe seems near it, and the horizon in oat-skin stripe beyond it;
then the horizon is uplifted to the spectator's eye, being reflected
in this stripe of speculum ; and if there be a summer haze at
the time, as there generally is, then this horizon is uplifted
the higher. I have found it subtend an angle of many des
grata; sometimes ten degrees, and again fifteen degrees,
although the h.ight of the ship's quarter-deck above the
water was taken at siateen feet, allowing about five miles and
a half nr siz miles for the true distance. I have seen it seem above
100 feet high, and if viewed from the topmast, it did not seem
much higher; indeed, I have sometimes found the appearance re-
duced by looking at it from the main-top. Ships b. tweets the ob.
server and the clear stripe become double, but singularly so; one
is above the other, the upper one bottom up, and their top-masts
touching. But the length of their mast depends much on their si-
tuation, as also the sire of their hulls ; sometimes their hulls seem
greatly magnified, their masts are shorter than they should be;
again the reverse, if the bull seems in the clear stripe, the masts
are then very long, as long as those of Bruce's Canje on the Nile.
If the ships be beyond the real horizon. and no cat-skin horizon
seen, then they are raised to the ridge of the clear white stripe,
which looks like a belt of snow ; and here they are sometimes in
their natural position, never double or bottom up, as in the former
eve. Thus are Islanas and coasts which are distant 70 and 80, nay
100 miles, with all the ships in that space, brought up to view, the
ocean beyond itself, and frequently magnified in dimensions ; little
crags, or the sides of mountains, always seen duly perpendicular.
When this haze becomes agitated, the scene runs into beautiful
disorder; islands break into rocks and fragment; ships seem din.
masted, and the masts appear standing severed from the bulls ; the
bow-sprit leaves the bow, and stands out a huge arrow ; they then
after a time unite. 'These things are seen to much perfection on
the St. Lawrence great lakes.
The haze when stated will disorder the object, but the grand
speculum itself may be disordered, which is most likely, and thus
cause the difference in the apparent scenery : from this the Flying
Dutchman at the Cape may be accounted far. The at-skis Watson
seems, in the rivers, running from bank to bank, like an elevated
rail-road, or the most beautiful carriage-way ; one of Nature's
optical bridges, as it were. Refraction, by elevating distant ob-
jects, may both delude and befriend mariners; at all events, it
forms one of the most beautiful lake scenes that can be, and breaks
the tedious monotony of azure waters. It is a camera-obscura on
a large scale, with more variations than I can altogether account
for, although this may be dome by more able observers, and dispel
superstition, in a measure, front the very superstitious sailor. Pro-
bably those mirrors former( by clouds of thin white vapour. as
area by travellers amongst the Harts Mountains of Germany,
may proceed from the same cause.—Three Tears fa Canada.

The opposition newspapers in Paris continue their
tirades against the French Ministers. The Constitu-
tionnel is very angry with England, in which country,
we understand, there have been great rejoicings, in con-
sequence of the failure of the French fleet at Algiers—s
circumstance which will, we think, be news to our readers.
We can assure them, on the best authority, that there is
not the least chance of the French Ministry being
changed, in spite of the clamour of the journals, and that
they have pledged themselves to maintain peace in Eu-
rope.—Standard.
On account of the Liverpool mail having been stopped
by the flood at Small Bridge, Cheshire, we did not re-
ceive our Liverpool intelligence until an unusually late
hour. We understand the letter-bags were forwarded by
a post-chaise. It is said that another mail, supposed to
be the Birmingham, has met with an accident from a flood
on the road, and had 'been actually drifted down the
stream, in consequence of which two inside passengers
had been drowned. We trust this intelligence will turn
en.t to be unfounded.

We understand that James Adam Gordon, Esq. who
lately announced himself as a candidate for the county of
Somerset at the next election, has remitted, in conse-
quence of the unfavourable season, a quarter of a year's
rent to his numerous tenantry in the hundred of Port-
bury, without any application from tlit.m. One loaudred
and :;tty Aolicitorg were retuitkut on Saturday last by Mr.
(io.don, to Le.:\: election for that county.—Bristol
Mirror.
We learn, from itel!sputable authority, that at a recent
dinner-party at Windsor Castle, the KiNe•expreased to
his Noble Guests his intention of shortly proceeding to
Brighton. His MAJ EST Y purposes remaining: at thia
favourite watering-place fur the apace of six weeksi
should, not his high odicial duties require his-MA.I EST
presence in town at an earlier period.- Morning Paper.