The brilliancy of the streams, which are commonly red at their base, green in the middle, and light yellow towards the zenith, increases, and at the same time they dart with greater vivacity athwart the skies. The colours are wonderfully transparent; the red approaching to a clear blood-red, the green to a pale emerald tint. On turning from the flaming 'firmament to the earth, this also is seen to glow with a magical light. The dark sea, black as jet, forms a striking contrast to the white snow plain or the distant ice mountain: all the outlines tremble as if they belonged to the unreal world of dreams. The imposing silence of the night heightens the charms of the magnificent spectacle. But gradually the crown fades; the bow of light dissolves; the streams become shorter, less frequent, and less vivid; and finally the gloom of winter once more descends upon the northern desert. In these desolate regions, which are winter-bound during the greater part of the year, man, elsewhere the lord of the Earth, plays but an insignificant part. He is generally a mere wanderer over its surface- -a hunter, a fisherman, a herdsman. A few small settlements, separated by vast deserts, give proof of his having made some weak attempts to establish a footing. In the absence of manufactures and agriculture, man is entirely dependent on the lower animals for the means of 'subsistence. They constitute his wealth, and occupy all his care. They yield him food and clothing, and materials for shelter and for fashioning his rude implements and weapons. The defence with which nature has furnished them against the rigours of the climate, forms the very attraction which exposes them to the attacks of man. The rich furs yielded by the bear, the fox, the sable, the ermine, the lynx, the sea-otter, the seal, and many other Arctic animals, are valuable articles of commerce; and are, indeed, the only means by which the nomads of Siberia and the Esquimaux of North America can procure the foreign articles they require. The pursuit of the whale, the walrus, and the dolphin, the shark-fisheries of Greenland, the cod-fisheries of Greenland and Norway, and the eider-down trade of Iceland, complete the list of the 'mercantile 'resources of these regions. The most useful, however, of all the Arctic animals is the reindeer. Indeed it is as indispensable to the Laplander, the Siberian, and the Esquimaux, as the camel is to the Bedouin, or the mule to the Peruvian,5 or as the cocoa-nut palm-the tree of a hundred uses-is to the islanders of the Indian Ocean. Living and dead, he renders to the busy Lapp all the services which it requires three or four animals-the horse, the cow, and the sheep or the goat-to render to the inhabitants of temperate climes. He is tractable and easily tamed. He even saves his master the trouble of providing him with food. For the most remarkable circumstance about him is the unerring instinct with which he discovers his favourite moss, even when the snow covers it to the depth of several feet. As the camel is the ship" of the ocean of sand, so assuredly is the reindeer the camel of the desert of snow! 66 The Antarctic regions are far more desolate than the Arctic. There no energetic hunters like the Esquimaux chase the seal or the walrus; no patient herdsmen like the Lapps follow their reindeer to the brink of the icy ocean: all is one dreary, cheerless waste, uninhabited and uninhabitable, except by migratory birds, the petrel, the albatross, the penguin. No plant of any description is found on any part of the Antarctic continent; no land quadruped lives there; everywhere the snow-line descends to the water's edge. Certainly the grandest feature which nature presents in these regions is the Parry mountain-chain, about 1700 miles south of New Zealand. The most conspicuous object of the chain is Mount Erebus, an active volcano, of which Sir James Ross-the greatest of Antarctic explorers-had the good fortune to witness a magnificent eruption in 1841. The enormous column of flame and smoke rising 2000 feet above the mouth of the crater, which is elevated 12,400 feet above the level of the sea, together with the snow-white mountain-chain and the deep blue ocean, formed a magnificent scene. It is generally supposed that a vast continent exists at the South Pole; but there have been few explorations made in that desolate region, and very little is yet known of the South Polar World. brilliancy, bright'ness. burnished, polished. energetic, vig'orous. fir'mament, heavens. resources, means. serene'ly, calmly. simultaneously, at one time. spec'tacles, sights. subsist'ence, sus'tenance. transparency, clear'ness. unerring, never-failing. 1 Midnight sun.-Though at his lowest | from her own breast, and lays her eggs in point in the heavens, he is still above the horizon. (See p. 107, Note 3.) 66 2 The Aurora- that is, the Aurora Borealis, popularly called the Northern Lights. Aurora is the Latin word for "dawn," or 'daybreak;" when personified this became the goddess of the morning. It was formerly believed that the aurora had its origin outside of the atmosphere of the Earth. It is now known to be caused by electric discharges in the upper regions of the atmosphere. it. The collectors rob the nest of its contents. She lines it again, and lays more eggs. She is again robbed. When her own down is exhausted she calls her mate to her assistance, and he willingly bares his breast to supply the deficiency. If this be repeated oftener than three or four times, however, the birds are apt to abandon the spot and build elsewhere. 5 The mule to the Peruvian. On the sandy waste of the coast of Peru, the mule is truly the ship of the desert." It is able to bear both hunger and thirst, and 3 The magnetic meridian-a great circle passing through the spectator's stand-all the fatigues of a prolonged journey point and the magnetic pole of the Earth, or a corresponding circle in the heavens. The magnetic pole, to which the magnet points, is not the same as the geographical North Pole, but it is near it. • Eider-down-the valuable down or soft breast-feathers of the eider-duck. Its collection is attended with great cruelty. The bird lines her nest with the down over the sand, much longer than the horse. 6 Mount Erebus.-This mountain was named after the ship commanded by Sir James Ross in his expedition in 1841. An extinct volcano to the east of Mount Erebus was called Mount Terror, after the companion ship commanded by Francis Crozier, who afterwards perished with Franklin in the Arctic Sea. QUESTIONS.-What are the most striking aspects of nature in the Arctic regions? Where are icebergs seen to greatest advantage? Which is the most magnificent of Arctic phenomena? Where is it seen? How does it begin? What does the bow afterwards send forth? When does the phenomenon attain its highest splendour? Of what colours are the streams? What heightens the charms of the spectacle? What part does man play in those regions? On what is he solely dependent for sustenance? What animals yield valuable furs? Mention the other mercantile resources of the Arctic regions. What animal is most useful to man there? What is the most remarkable circumstance about the reindeer? What is the character of the Antarctic regions? What birds are seen there? Of what are these regions entirely destitute? What is their grandest feature? What is the highest summit of the chain called? After what? When was a grand eruption of it seen? By whom? What is supposed to exist at the South Pole? THE BURNING OF MOSCOW A.D. 1812. WHEN Napoleon first came within sight of Moscow,1 with its domes, and towers, and palaces, he gazed long and thoughtfully on that goal of his wishes. Murat was the first to enter the gates, with his splendid cavalry; but as he passed along the streets he was struck by the 'solitude that surrounded him. Nothing was heard but the heavy tramp of his squadrons: a deserted and abandoned city was the meagre prize for which such unparalleled efforts had been made. As night drew its curtain over the splendid capital, Napoleon entered the gates, and immediately appointed Mortier (") governor. In his directions he commanded him to abstain from all pillage. "For this," said he, "you shall be answerable with your life. Defend Moscow against all, whether friend or foe." The bright moon rose over the mighty city, tipping with silver the domes of more than two hundred churches, and pouring a flood of light over a thousand palaces, and the dwellings of three hundred thousand inhabitants. The weary arm sank to rest; but there was no sleep for Mortier's eyes. Not the gorgeous and variegated palaces and their rich ornaments, nor the parks and gardens and Oriental magnificence that everywhere surrounded him, kept him wakeful, but the ominous 'forebodings that some dire calamity was hanging over the silent capital. When he had entered it, scarcely a living soul met his gaze as he looked down the long streets; and when he broke open the buildings, he found salons, and parlours, and bed-rooms, all furnished and in order--but no 'occupants! This sudden abandonment of their homes betokened some secret purpose, yet to be fulfilled. The midnight moon was stealing over the city, when the cry of "Fire !" reached the ears of Mortier: the first light2 over Napoleon's 'faltering empire was kindled, and that most wondrous scene of modern times commenced-THE BURNING OF MOSCOW. Mortier, as governor of the city, immediately issued his orders, and was putting forth every exertion, when at daylight Napoleon hastened to him. Affecting to disbelieve the reports that the inhabitants were firing their own city, he put more rigid commands on Mortier to keep the soldiers from the work of destruction. The marshal simply pointed to some iron-covered Church of St. Vassili. houses that had not yet been opened, from every crevice of which smoke was 'issuing like steam from the sides of a pentup volcano. Sad and thoughtful, Napoleon turned towards the Kremlin,3 the ancient palace of the Czars, whose huge structure rose above the high sur subdue the fire. But the next night, Sept. 15, at midnight, the sentinels on watch upon the lofty Kremlin saw below them the flames bursting through the houses and palaces, and the cry "Fire! fire!" again passed through the city. The dread scene was now fairly opened. Fiery balloons were seen dropping from the air and alighting on the houses; dull ⚫explosions were heard on every |