of the sun, moon, and earth, are susceptible of explanations equally clear and simple. In the quarters, the line joining the centres of the earth and moon coincides with the line of the earth's orbit, or with the direction of the earth's orbicular force; and the tide is then produced solely by the revolution of the earth round the fulcrum of the earth and moon. But, as soon as the moon departs in its orbit, towards the solar conjunction or opposition, from the line of the earth's orbit, the centre of the earth is carried simultaneously on the opposite side of the line of its orbit, and the line of the rotatory and orbicular forces no longer coincide. This disturbance, the waters are able to restore; and herein is a new cause of tide, which, at the oppositions and conjunctions, not only coincides with the direction of the lunar fulcrum, but becomes itself a maximum, because the earth's centre is then removed the farthest from the line of the orbicular force. Hence the spring tides at the new and full moon; and hence all the degrees of tide, as the centre of the earth and the line of the fulcrum approach the direction of the orbit.

In fine, I ascribe the tides primarily to the revolution of the earth round the fulcrum, or centre of the momentum, of the earth and moon, which fulcrum is always in the line which joins the centres of the earth and moon; and, as the moveable waters accumulate, or are accumulated opposite that fulcrum, so they have the appearance of being attracted, as it is called, by the moon.

I ascribe the double tide in every twenty-four hours to the

departure of the force from the sea over the land, owing to the intervention of the great continents which separate the two great oceans from each other.

And, I ascribe the variable height of the tides, as apparently connected with the age of the moon, to the variable distance of the body of the earth from the line of its orbicular force, during its revolution round the lunar and mundane centre of motion.

It is, at the same time, most evident, that no attraction of the moon is either required or concerned; that there is no mutual attraction of the earth and moon, and no gravitation of the waters towards the moon. It is nevertheless true, that the tides are dependant on, and connected with, the position of the moon, the waters under it being constantly raised towards it; but this is not a consequence of any attraction, but a consequence of the two bodies being, so to speak, at the two ends of a gazeous lever, around whose fulcrum they turn, and towards which fulcrum they rise by their mobility, with an effort to maintain the equilibrium, presenting an appearance of being attracted.

It follows, as corollories, that, as the action of the earth on the moon is 64 times that of the moon on the earth, or the orbit of the moon round the fulcrum is 64 times greater than that of the earth; that, if there were waters on the moon, they would be raised 64 times higher than the tides on the earth; consequently, it is not, on many accounts, to be believed that any water exists on the moon.

And further, that, as the centres of several forces nearly coin

The late king of Prussia used to dress in so plain a manner, that, when he travelled about his states, such of his subjects as did not know him, treated him with no other respect than they would an ordinary man. Once,

as he was riding about Berlin, without attendants, and very plainly clad, he perceived a young woman digging in the fields, of a gigantic stature, being near seven feet high.` It is well known that the king had a particular predilection for tall men, and, as his greatest passion lay that way, he spared no expence to procure them from all parts of Europe, for forming, as he did, his regiment of giants and grenadiers out of them. At sight of this tall woman, he imagined

that a couple of the kind must produce very large children. He dismounted, and, coming up to the peasant, entered into conversation with her, and was overjoyed to hear that she was but nineteen years old, still a virgin, and that her father was a shoemaker. Hereupon he sat down and wrote the following note to the colonel of his guards.

"You are to marry the bearer of this note with the tallest of my grenadiers. Take care that the ceremony be performed immediately, and in your presence. You must be responsible to me for the execution of this order. 'Tis absolute; and the least delay will make you criminal in my sight."

The king gave this letter to the young woman, without informing her of its contents, and ordered her to deliver it punctually according to the directions, and not to fail, as it was on an affair of great consequence; he afterwards made her a handsome present, and continued his route.

The young woman, who had not the least imagination that it was the king that spoke to her, believing it was indifferent whether the letter was delivered by another, so it came safe to hand, made a bargain with an old woman, whom she charged with the commission, laying an express injunction on her to say that she had it from a man of such a garb and mien. The old woman faithfully executed her message. The colonel, surprised at the contents of the letter, could not reconcile them with the age and figure of the bearer, yet, the order being peremptory, he thought he could not without danger recede from obeying, and

fancied that his master wanted to punish the soldier for some misdemeanour by matching him in so disagreeable a manner. In short, the marriage was celebrated before him to the great regret of the grenadier, whilst the old woman, exulting with joy, assumed an air of the highest satisfaction.

Some time after, the king, on his return to Berlin, was eager to see the couple he had ordered

to be married. When presented to him, he fell into a very desperate passion. The colonel in vain endeavoured to justify himself, and the king was implacable till the old woman confessed the truth, finishing her tale by raising her eyes to heaven, and thanking providence for conferring on her a benefit the more signal and acceptable to her as unexpected.

JUNIUS.

WILLIAM PITT.

The fashionable hours of the present times were neatly censured by him. "Mr. Pitt," said the duchess of Gordon, "I wish you to dine with me at ten this evening.", "I must decline the honour," said the premier, "for I am engaged to sup with the bishop of Lincoln at nine."

"Pray, Mr. Pitt," said the same facetious lady, as you know every thing that is moving in the political world, tell me some news." I am sorry, madam," said the discreet premier, "I cannot oblige you, as I have not yet read the papers of the day.'

This great statesman was known, when retired from public business, in the circle of his friends, to indulge in light and playful conversation. He even condescended to punning. When enjoying himself with a convivial party at Walmer castle, the expected invasion of the French from the opposite shores were talked of, and one of his friends

asked him, "What dependence can you place upon your cinqueport volunteers? Do you know some of them are millers, and others are custom-house officers.' "O," said Pitt, "these are the very men in whose military talents I can confide-every miller is a marshall Saxe, and every custom-house officer is a Caesar."

The duchess of Gordon expressed great pleasure at meeting him after a long absence, and asked him many questions. Among the rest," Pitt," said she, have you talked as much nonsense as you used to do, since we last met ?" "Madam," he replied, "I have not heard so much."

A noble admiral, about the year 1793, most honourably employed in the service of his country, was some years prior to that time, riding in his carriage in the streets of London, and saw a sailor who had served in his ship, and whose courage and good conduct he well remembered.

He got out of his carriage, and gave him five guineas, and then left him hastily, to escape the effusions of his gratitude. The sailor burst into tears. A gentleman seeing him crying, asked him what was the matter. "Look here," said he, showing him the five guineas, "don't you know captain which was all the poor fellow for a long time could utter.

Not many years ago, a gentleman, somewhat too distinguished for scolding his huntsmen in the field, was so incensed at a reply the fellow made, that he turned him off instantly on the spot. The huntsman, after delivering up his horse, got into a rabbit cart, and away he went. The next morning, when the gentleman was going out, and had got to the end of the town with his hounds, the voice of the huntsman saluted his ear, who began hallooing the dogs, till not one of them would leave the tree, where the man had perched himself. What could be done? the gentleman wished to hunt, but there was no hunting without dogs, and there was no stopping the man's mouth h; so he was obliged at last to make the best of a bad bargain, and take the fellow down from the tree in his service again.

NATIONAL TRAITS.-Every nation has its traits. The Spaniards sleep upon every affair of importance; the Italians fiddle; the Germans smoke; the French promise every thing; the British

opinion of a dashing sign, lately mounted over the shop door of a tradesman in Bond-street, which he thus readily complied withwith the painter of that might do signs, but he will never do wonders!"

SINGULAR VERDICT.-A coroner's jury, which sat on the body of a young lady, in Baltimore, who had hung herself in a fit of love, brought in their verdictdied by the visitation of cupid.

TRIBUTE TO BEAUTY. As the late beautiful duchess of Devonshire was one day stepping out of her carriage, a dustman, who was accidentally standing by, and was about to regale himself with his accustomed whiff of tobacco, caught a glance of her countenace, and instantly exclaimed, "Love and bless you, let me light my pipe in your eyes!" It is said the duches was so delighted with this compliment, that she frequently afterwards checked the strain of adulation which was so constantly offered to her charms, by saying, "Oh! after the dustman's compliment, all others are insipid."

M. C, who had a wooden leg, was in the habit of intriguing with a young lady, who was no more faithful than chaste. The lady becoming pregnant, M. Chad a dispute with another person, who was a favourite, respecting the honour which was likely to fall to one of them. M. C-said, "Let it be thus― if the child comes into the world with a wooden leg, it shall be mine; if otherwise, it shall be yours.

M. le Comte de Soissons had a red beard. Being at his country seat, whither Henry IV. had

come to enjoy the chase, he, in the presence of the king, asked his gardener, whom he knew to be an eunuch, why he had no beard. The gardener replied, that the Almighty having the distribution of beards, he had come into the world when there were none but red ones left, and that he preferred having none, to one of that colour!

A peasant, whose father was dying, went early in the morning to the curate, and stayed three hours at the door, calling in a very low voice. When the curate found him there, and learned his business, he said-" Why did not you call louder?" "I was afraid of waking you," he replied. "Your father, you say, was dying when you came away, added the curate: "he is dead by this time, and there's no need of my going." "O no, sir," cried the peasant, "Pierrot, my neighbour, promised to amuse him till I came back !"

66

A SCOTS GREY AND COLLIER.During the encounter between the Scots Greys and the colliers at Crwmlin, one of the Greys was in the act of striking a collier, with his sabre. Hold, Alexander," said the collier, shewing his medal, "Don't you remember when I carried you, wounded, off the field of Waterloo?" The soldier immediately dropped his sabre, proud that he had for the first time an opportunity of shewing his gratitude to the man to whom he owed his existence.

FOND OF DANCING.-An officer, who was quartered in a country town, being once asked to a ball, was observed to sit in sullen sort in a corner for some hours. One of the ladies present being de

sirous of rousing him from his reverie, accosted him withPray, sir, are you not fond of dancing?" "I am very fond of dancing, madam," was the reply. "Then, why not ask some of the ladies that are disengaged to be your partner, and strike up?"

Why, madam, to be frank with you, I do not see one handsome woman in the room." The lady making a slight curtsey, left him, and joined her companions, who asking her what had been her conversation with the captain-" It was too good to be repeated in prose," said she, "lend me a pencil, and I will try to give you the outline in rhyme.

66 So, sir, you rashly vow and swear, You'll dance with none that are not fair; Suppose we women should dispense Our hands to none but men of sense?" "Suppose! well, madam, pray what then?"

Why, sir, you'd never dance again."

ROB ROY.-Graham, of Killearn, factor to the duke of Montrose, had been collecting his rents in a small public house or inn, on the borders of Monteith. This gentleman had imbibed all his master's hostility to the Highland free-booter; and, after the business of the day was over, and money collected to a great amount, he loudly declared that the ponderous money-bag should be the property of him who would · bring Rob Roy into his presence. M'Gregor, who, on occasions of moment and interest to himself, might almost be said to be omnipresent, was near enough to overhear this friendly declaration, and with his wonted caution and celerity, he ordered his gillies to take their station, two by two, round the house, as a precaution against any unexpect