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dead-nettle and elder begin to flower.

Some of the roses spread their green fans, and honey-suckles begin to unfold their leaf buds.

2d Week. The woodlark, one of our earliest and sweetest songsters, renews his note, the thrush sings, and the chaffinches commence their songs.

"The modest snow-drop, harbinger of spring,

Now greets the eye with robe of virgin white;
With joyful notes the birds begin to sing,

At peep of dawn to hail the new-born light."

3d Week. Rooks begin to pair and resort to their nest-trees; house-sparrows build, and the hen sits. Poplars and willows begin to show their flowers; the common crowfoot or buttercup and dandelion are in bloom; and the crocus decks the garden walks with its beauteous flowers.

4th Week. The partridge pairs, and the blackbird builds; brown wood owls hoot, frogs croak, and the gossamer floats in the air, in sunny weather. Ivy-leaved speedwell and the hazel tree are in full blow; gooseberries and red currants begin to open their buds. Greenwich, Kent. WILLIAM ROGERSON.

BRIEF ASTRONOMICAL NOTICES,

FOR FEBRUARY, 1833.

"In the beginning the Almighty said,

'Let there be light,'-that instant darkness fled;

All radiant day her rosy beams display'd,

And the young world in splendid dress array'd;

The blazing Sun, uprising from the east,

Like a young bridegroom in his glories drest."

THE SUN rises on the 1st at forty-one minutes past seven, and sets at forty-eight minutes after four: on the 13th he rises at twenty minutes past seven, and sets at ten minutes after five. The Sun enters the sign Pisces on the 18th; on the 24th he rises at fiftyeight minutes after six, and sets at thirty minutes past five o'clock, mean time.

"Soon as the evening shades prevail,

The Moon takes up the wond'rous tale;
And nightly, to the listening earth
Repeats the story of her birth:

While all the stars that round her burn,
And all the planets in their turn,
Confirm the tidings as they roll,

And spread the truth from pole to pole."

The MOON is full on the 4th, at forty-six minutes past six in the evening: she rises on the 6th at half past seven, and on the 9th at half past eleven at night. The Moon enters on her last quarter on the 11th, at twenty-eight minutes past one in the afternoon; and rises on the 13th at three o'clock in the morning. The Moon changes on the 19th, at thirty-three minutes past five in the evening:

she presents her beautiful crescent in the west on the 21st, and sets at a quarter past seven o'clock: she sets on the 23d at half an hour after nine, and on the 25th at twelve minutes before inidnight: she enters on her first quarter on the 27th, at twenty-six minutes past one in the afternoon; and passes the meridian on the 28th at nine minutes after seven in the evening.

MERCURY is invisible.

VENUS appears very beautiful.

"Sweet star of eve, how lovelily thou dartest

Thy brilliant beams betwixt yon purple clouds!"

Venus is in conjunction with Jupiter on the 2d: on the 4th she sets at five minutes past nine, and on the 13th at half past nine: she is in conjunction with the Moon on the 23d; and sets on the 25th at ten at night.

MARS is to be seen every clear night: he appears in the neighbourhood of the Pleiades, or Seven Stars: he is due south on the 1st at two minutes before seven, and on the 19th at eighteen minutes after six.

JUPITER, at the beginning of the month, appears in the neighbourhood of Venus: he sets on the 5th at eight minutes before nine, and on the 13th at half past eight in the evening: at the end of the month he appears near the horizon after sun-set. On the 2d is the emersion of Jupiter's first satellite, at thirty-three minutes past seven; on the 11th, the emersion of the third satellite, at twenty-six minutes after six; and on the 21st, the emersion of the second satellite, at seventeen minutes past six in the evening.

SATURN rises on the 7th at twenty minutes past eight at night: on the 14th he passes the meridian at seventeen minutes past two, and on the 26th at twenty-seven minutes after one, in the morning: on the 7th he is in conjunction with the Moon.

ALDEBARAN is due south on the 5th at twenty-four minutes past seven, and on the 20th about an hour earlier.

CAPELLA Souths on the 10th, and appears nearly overhead, at forty minutes after seven: he souths on the 27th about half past six in the evening.

Greenwich, Kent.

WILLIAM ROGERSON.

JUVENILE OBITUARY.

1. DIED, at Manchester, October 15th, 1831, Hannah, third daughter of John and Clarissa Griffiths. She was born at Chester, March 13th, 1814; and was from her childhood distinguished by an unassuming demeanour, and peculiar affection for her parents. Business obliging their removal to Manchester, the children were sent to David-Street Sabbath-school, where Hannah always delighted to go for before she tasted that the Lord is gracious, she en

joyed the services connected with the worship of God in the school; and evinced her regard by early and regular attendance, cheerful obedience, and earnest attention to the exhortations of the Teachers and Superintendents.

Her modest, gentle behaviour soon gained the esteem of all around her; and she will long be remembered with affectionate regret by both Teachers and scholars, as a girl of much promise: but their loss is her eternal gain.

When Hannah was about fourteen years old, it pleased the Almighty to visit the family with sorrow. The second daughter, an interesting sprightly girl, wasted by rapid consumption, lingered a few months, and in joyful expectation of a blissful immortality, as one that falleth asleep, her soul departed to be with the Lord. In six months after, the father, by the same disease, passed through the dark valley, finishing his course with triumphant joy. These afflicting bereavements had the desired effect upon poor Hannah. The "still small voice" reached her sorrowing soul. Though she had lived a comparatively blameless life, she was conscious that, as a sinner, she was under the curse, and far from God; that she was a stranger to the peace exemplified in the dying hours of her departed friends; and she cried nightly unto the Lord, putting forth all her energies to make her calling sure. She prayed earnestly unto Him who loves such as seek him early, and who never cast out any that trusted in him.

Hannah was allured by the beauty of religion; and relying on the merits of the Saviour, she obtained the forgiveness of her sins. Her debt was paid, her soul was free, and she was justified.

A class meeting in the house, Hannah availed herself of the inestimable privilege of joining it; and though her native timidity kept her back from disclosing all she felt of the power of God to save, she firmly maintained that Christ had her undivided affections; that the ways of religion were dearer to her heart than the pleasures of the world; and her daily deportment evidenced the sincerity of her professions.

From her infancy her health had been delicate; and as she grew up the progress of consumptive symptoms alarmed her mother, and medical aid was procured, and every probable means employed to counteract that insidious malady; but the decree was gone forth; an early sepulchre was appointed; and Hannah was told that no hopes could be given of her life. She replied, that she only wished to live, to assist and comfort her widowed parent; but that the Lord was too wise to err, and she was sure that he would not be unkind. She laid her will at the footstool of Omnipotence, assured that the Judge of all the earth would do right.

During her protracted suffering it was the high privilege of the writer of this memoir frequently to visit this dear child, reading to her from the Scriptures or Magazines, and to witness her sweet composure and prayerful frame of mind, amidst pain and lassitude of body; always resigned, patiently waiting to be dismissed from the

yet looking for the coming of her Lord with exultation. All this was a source of rejoicing and encouragement that a Sabbath-school Teacher well understands, and knows how to benefit by, when almost wearied in the work of tuition.

As her bodily strength diminished, her faith increased, and her vigour of soul became more apparent. Her natural timidity gave place to holy confidence; and she fearlessly spoke to Mr. Hull, her Class-Leader, of her consolation, declaring that all fear was gone; that Christ was very precious to her; and that in the prospect of death, her soul was happy. During the last week of her life, distressing pain almost overwhelmed her; but in the fire God was near; and around her were his arms of compassion and love. When her strength and her heart failed, Jesus was her rock of defence, her hiding-place; her soul was filled unutterably full of glory, and the invisible ministers of Jehovah were beckoning her "sister spirit" to "come away." Whilst the silver cord was loosening, she tried to sing of the heaven she was already enjoying: and with looks of rapture, when asked if she was happy, pointing upwards, her happy spirit held communion with its God, when articulation was lost in the agony of dissolution. M. U. HULL.

2. Died, November 9th, at Redruth, in the county of Cornwall, Miss Elizabeth Dawe. Through life she was remarked for her gentle and amiable temper, dutifulness to her parents, and kindness and affection towards her other relations. Being privileged with early religious instruction, she soon discovered, that however correct her outward deportment might be, her heart was sinful in the sight of God. She was deeply concerned on this account, during a revival of religion in this town, in 1823, and bade fair for becoming a decided Christian. This seriousness, however, soon subsided; as did a renewal of it at a subsequent period, and left her, though in possession of all her natural mildness of disposition, a stranger to the "pearl of great price." How much to be lamented is religious inconstancy and trifling in early life! There are several in this neighbourhood, in whose youthful days fair blossoms of spiritual good were seen; but now in their place are displayed all the sterility and coldness of winter. Some have remained faithful to their Divine Master from the time of their juvenile espousal to him; others have returned, like the prodigal, after their wanderings, and have taken their place in the church of God; while many seem going down to the grave, without any apparent fitness for a better world. Let the serious youth watch,-repress vain imaginations,― uniformly observe the duties of devotional reading and prayer; and divine grace will be sufficient to keep him.

In July, 1831, Miss Dawe took a cold, which greatly affected her general health, and occasioned painful apprehensions in the minds of her friends as to its probable results. A change of air and

other means were resorted to for her recovery, but in vain. At this time she reflected on the past; the conviction of her sinfulness returned with increased force; she saw she had grieved the Spirit,

and wronged her own soul; and with a melting heart was now constrained to say,

"Nay, but I yield, I yield;

I can hold out no more!"

To know that God had, for Christ's sake, blotted out her sin, was now the object of her supreme desire. She sought this blessing carefully with tears; and would not be comforted till she could say, "Thine anger is turned away." While a friend was speaking to her on the nature and method of salvation by faith in Christ, and the freeness of the divine mercy, God was pleased to render the word of instruction the means of salvation: she suddenly felt the Holy Spirit to produce a great change in her mind; the first effects of which were new and delightful views of the love of Jesus, and an immediate return of supreme affection to him. This was soon known to those present, by her exclaiming aloud, "Yes, it is the love of Jesus!" and feeling with greater power the truth of what she said, it was several times repeated by her; adding, "It is boundless love; all the mountains of sin and unbelief are removed. the love, the love of Jesus!" Thus "with the heart she believed unto righteousness, and with the mouth made confession unto salvation." "Old things were now passed away, all things were become new." 'The Scriptures are not now as they used to be," she said: "Jesus is in every line." In this happy state she continued till she exchanged mortality for life.

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During her sickness she suffered great bodily pain, and some assaults from the enemy of souls; but in all, she was more than conqueror for she not only bore these trials without loss, but gained strength in the conflict. Concerning her sufferings she said, "O mind them not: they will soon be over, and will be crowned with glory.

'O what a mighty change shall Jesu's sufferers know!'"

Up to this period she was never known to have sung a tune in her life, and was judged incapable of it; but being now "brought out of the horrible pit," a "new song was put into her mouth;" and, to the astonishment of all present, she sang several tunes with the sweetest melody. Having proved the value of religion herself, she was anxious that all her neighbours might enjoy the same blessing; and at times, in the transports of her zeal and love, would exclaim, "O that I were carried out on my bed into the street, that I might tell all the world of the love of Jesus! It is all glory: shout it! shout it! all of you: it is an ocean of love!" Her manner in this respect was the more observed, because she had been particularly reserved and retiring. It would be easy to fill a large sheet with records of such sayings; but let it suffice to say, her whole conduct after her conversion exemplified much of that patience which had its perfect work; of that love which casteth out fear; and the joy that is unspeakable and full of glory. In the triumph of faith she sweetly fell asleep in Jesus, in the nineteenth year of

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