whole mass of continents, islands, and oceans, on its surface, and the foundations on which they are supported. We have the strongest reasons, however, to conclude, that the carth, in its general structure, is one solid mass, from the surface to the centre, excepting, per haps, a few caverns scattered, here and there, amidst its subterraneous recesses; and that its density gradually increases from its surface to its central regions. What an enormous mass of materials, then, is comprehended within the limits of that globe on which we tread! The mind labours, as it were, to comprehend the mighty idea, and, after all its exertions, feels itself unable to take in such an astonishing magnitude at one comprehensive grasp. How great must be the power of that Being who com manded it to spring from nothing into existence, who measures the ocean in the hollow of his hand,' who weigheth the mountains in scales, and hangeth the earth upon nothing!' (pp. 36-41.) The Motions of the Heavenly Bodies afford another illustration :

"In the next place, the rapid motions of the great bodies of the universe, no less than their magnitudes, display the Infinite Power of the CREATOR.

"We can acquire accurate ideas of the relative velocities of moving bodies, only by comparing the motions with which we are familiar, with one another, and with those which lie beyond the general range of our minute inspection. We can acquire a pretty accurate conception of the velocity of a ship, impelled by the wind,-of a steam-boat, of a race-horse,-of a bird darting through the air,-of an arrow flying from the quiver, and of the clouds when impelled by a stormy wind. The velocity of a ship is from eight to twelve miles an hour,-of a race-horse, from twenty to thirty miles, of a bird, say from fifty to sixty miles, and of the clouds, in a violent Inurricane, from eighty to one hundred miles an hour. The motion of a ball from a loaded cannon is incomparably swifter than any of the motions now stated: but of the velocity of such a body we have a less accurate idea; because, its rapidity being so great, we cannot trace it distinctly by the eye, through its whole range, from the mouth of the cannon to the object against which it is impelled. By experiments it has been found, that its rate of motion is from four hundred and eighty to eight hundred miles in an hour; but it is retarded, every moment, by the resistance of the air and the attraction of the earth. This velocity, however, great as it is, bears no sen

sible proportion to the rate of motion which is found among the celestial orbs. That such enormous masses of matter should move at all, is wonderful; but when we consider the amazing velocity with which they are impelled, we are lost in astonishment. The planet Jupiter, in describing his circuit round the sun, moves at the rate of twenty-nine thousand miles in an hour. The planet Venus, one of the nearest and most brilliant of the celestial bodies, and about the same size as the earth, is found to move through the spaces of the firmament at the rate of seventysix thousand miles an hour; and the planet Mercury, with a velocity of no less than one hundred and five thousand miles an hour, or seventeen hundred and fifty miles in a minute, a motion two hundred times swifter than that of a cannon-ball.-These velocities will appear still more astonishing, if we consider the magnitude of the bodies which are thus impelled, and the immense forces which are requisite to carry them along in their courses. However rapidly a ball flies from the mouth of a caunon, it is the flight of a body only a few inches in diameter; but one of the bodies, whose motion has been just now stated, is eighty-nine thousand miles in diameter, and would comprehend, within its vast circumference, more than a thousand globes as large as the earth.-Could we contemplate such motions, from a fixed point, at the distance of only a few hundreds of miles from the bodies thus impelled, it would raise our admiration to its highest pitch; it would overwhelm all our faculties, and, in our present state, would produce an impression of awe, and even of terror, beyond the power of language to express. The earth contains a mass of matter equal in weight to at least 2,200,000,000,000, 000,000,000 tons, supposing its mean density to be only about two times and a half greater than water. To move this ponderons mass a single inch beyond its position, were it fixed in a quiescent state, would require a mechanical force almost beyond the power of numbers to express. The physical force of all the myriads of intelligences within the bounds of the planetary system, though their powers were far superior to those of man, would be altogether inadequate to the production of such a motion. How much more must be the force requisite to impel it with a velocity one hundred and forty times swifter than a cannon ball, or sixty-eight thousand miles an hour, the actual rate of its motion, in its course round the sun! But whatever degree of mechanical power would be requisite to produce such

a stupendous effect, it would require a force one hundred and fifty times greater to impel the planet Jupiter, in his actual course, through the heavens! Even the planet Saturn, one of the slowest-moving bodies of our system, a globe nine hun. dred times larger than the earth, is impelled through the regions of space, at the rate of twenty-two thousand miles an hour, carrying along with him two stupendous rings, and seven moons larger than ours, through his whole course round the central luminary. Were we placed within a thousand miles of this stupendous globe, (a station which superior beings may occasionally occupy,) where its hemisphere, encompassed with magnificent rings, would fill the whole extent of our vision,-the view of such a ponderous and glorious object, flying with such amazing velocity before us, would infinitely exceed every idea of grandeur we can derive from terrestrial scenes, and overwhelm our powers with astonishment and awe. Under such an emotion we could only exclaim, GREAT AND MARVELLOUS ARE THY WORKS, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY!' The ideas of strength and power implied in the impulsion of such enormous masses of matter, through the illimitable tracts of space, are forced upon the mind with irresistible energy, far surpassing what any abstract propositions or reasonings can convey; and constrain us to exclaim, Who is a strong LORD like unto thee! Thy right hand is become glorious in power! The LORD GOD Omnipotent reigneth!'"

(pp. 48-51.)

The manner in which Vision is performed is familiarly explained, and ingeniously and forcibly illustrated; but the author on Salisbury Craigs ought not, on his own principle of reproving literary accommodations, to have forgotten PALEY on Hampstead Hill, to whom he is indebted for suggesting the illustration :

"Let us now attend a little to the manner in which Vision is performed, by the medium of light acting on the organs of sight. If we take a common convex glass, a reading glass for example, and hold it at some distance from a candle or a window-sash, placing a piece of white paper behind the glass, at the distance of its focus, the image of the candle or sash will be painted on the paper, in an inverted position. This experiment may be performed, with a better effect, by darkening a room, and placing the convex glass in a hole cut out of the window-shutter, when the

rays of light flowing from the objects without, and passing through the glass, will form a picture of the objects opposite the window on the white paper, adorned with the most beautiful colours. In a manner similar to this, are the images of external objects depicted on the back part of the inner coat or membrane of the eye. The rays of light, proceeding in all directions from surrounding objects, and falling on the eye, are transmitted through the pupil; and being refracted by the different humours (particularly by the crystalline humour, which acts the part of a convex lens,) they converge to a focus on the retina, where the images of visible objects are painted in an inverted position; and, by means of the optic nerve, these images are conveyed to the mind.

"In order that we may more distinctly perceive the wonders of Vision, and the numerous circumstances on which it depends, let us suppose ourselves placed on an eminence, which commands a view of a variegated and extensive landscape. Let us suppose ourselves stationed on Arthur's Seat, or on the top of Salisbury Craigs, in the vicinity of Edin burgh. Turning our face to the northwest, the city, with its castle, spires, and stately edifices, presents itself to our view. Beyond it, on the north and west, a beautiful country, adorned with villas, plantations, and fertile fields, stretches as far as the eye can reach, till the view is bounded by the Castle of Stirling, at the distance of more than thirty miles. On the right hand, we behold the port of Leith, the shipping in the roads, the coast of Fife, the isles of Inchkeith and of May, and the Frith of Forth, gradually losing itself in the German Ocean. If we suppose the length of this landscape to be forty miles, and its breadth twenty-five, it will, of course, comprehend an area of a thousand square miles.

The first circumstance which strikes

In

the mind, is the immense multitude of rays of reflected light which flow, in all directions, from the myriads of objects which compose the surrounding scene. order to form a rude idea of this infinity of radiations, I fix my attention on a single object. I direct my eye to NELson's Monument, on the Calton-Hill. From the parapet at the top, a thousand different points send forth a thousand different cones of rays, which, entering my eye, render the different parts of it distinctly visible, besides myriads of rays from the same points, which flow in every other direction through the open spaces of the atmosphere which surround them. How many thousands of millions,

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No. XV. INSURRECTION IN DEMEMITIGATION AND GRADUAL ABOLITION OF NEGROSLAVERY. MEASURES PROPOSED BY GOVERNMENT. RIOT BARBADOES, &c.

IN

INSURRECTION IN DEMERARA: SLAVERY-QUESTION, &c.-No official or satisfactory accounts have yet been published on this subject; which has, on various grounds, excited so intense an interest throughout the country. Till such accounts shall arrive, no proper judgment can be formed of the affair; especially as it now appears that the Colonists themselves are not quite agreed in their representation of the circumstances. For full information we wait with some degree of solicitude. The Cause of Humanity, as it respects the projected amelioration of the condition of the Negro-Slaves,-and the Cause of Missions among that long neglected class of our fellow-men,-have both been, in some sense, so implicated in this transaction, as to render an accurate investigation of it highly

necessary.

With respect to the first, the Cause of Humanity,—w -we trust that when the whole truth shall come before the Public, it will be found that nothing has occurred which ought in fairness to arrest, even for a time, the progress of those important measures which have been recently recommended to the Colonial Authorities by the Government at home, and which justice, benevolence, and enlightened policy, seem alike to require. We deem it probable that the facts of the case, when properly developed, will strongly support the views of those philanthropists, in whose applications to Parliament, backed by numerous Petitions from the people of England, these measures originated; and will, at all events, show, that the notion of

INTERMINABLE Slavery is as incompatible with the security of the West Indians themselves, as with the righteous claims of our Negro Bondsmen on the justice and liberality of this professedly christian empire. By what particular PROCESS their bondage shall be terminated;-by what PREVIOUS PLANS of instruction, and civilization, and moral training, they shall be prepared for its final extinction;-at what PERIOD it will become practicable, with the least mischief and the greatest advantage to all parties, to pronounce the utter cessation of a state of things, entailed on us by that accursed traffic, which MR. PITT (no rash enthusiast, but a Statesman eminently sober, deliberative, and considerate) declared to be "the greatest practical evil which ever afflicted the human race;" and which MR. WESLEY as truly characterized as the "execrable sum of all villainies;"—and, finally, by what INDEMNITIES to West Indian Proprietors (to be paid by the State, which so long and so criminally afforded its sanction to the SlaveTrade) this great act of national righteousness and mercy ought, on its future consummation, to be accompanied ;-these, we think, are the questions to which the attention of Government, of the Colonies, and of the Public, ought to be calmly and temperately applied. But it ought to be no longer a question with Englishmen, whether " Slavery" shall be "perpetual" in any part of the Empire; for that idea, we are of opinion, all disinterested men must "abjure," as MR. CANNING has de clared he does. We trust that in the frank and uncompromising avowal of Negro-Emancipation as the object to be ultimately attained, as well as in the preparatory ameliorations proposed for immediate adoption, the People of this country will zealously strengthen, by their persevering Pe