Botanists have, however, divided them into a variety of classes, so that they may be better enabled to describe a plant. The following are a few of them, with examples: The sessile; in which the foot-stalk of the leaf is wanting, and the leaf adheres closely to the stem ;-examples: wood-mint and sow-thistle. Alternate: they are said to be alternate when the leaves grow above one another, but from opposite sides, so that they form a spiral line round the stem; as in the apple and lime-tree, as well as most plants. Opposite: when the leaves grow opposite to one another on the stem; as the mint, maple and gentian. Whorl or verticillate when, instead of. opposite leaves, three or more are produced from a ring on the stem; as goose-grass, mare's-tail and wood-ruff. Entire leaves when the edge of the leaf is neither notched nor cut; as in the lilac, oleander and laurel. Sinuated when the margin of the leaf is cut into roundish teeth; as in the leaf of the oak. Serrated when the margin is cut like the teeth of a saw; as the rose, elm and nettle. : Crenate when the teeth, instead of being sharp as in the last examples, are rounded; as in the wood-betony and horehound. Pinnalifid when the edge of the leaf appears to be deeply cut into irregular forms called lobes, which project at right angles; as in groundsel. Runcinate: when the sequients of the leaf are turned back to the base of the leaf; as in the dandelion or leontodon. In respect to their form, leaves are said to be Round, as the leaves of the sheep-rot; roundish, as the leaves of the money-wort; oblong, as the leaves of the brook-lime; obovate, having one end larger than the other, as in the primrose; lanceolate, when the leaf is pointed and equal at both ends, but longer than wide, as in the wall-flower and willow; ovate-lanceolate, when the leaves are rounded instead of pointed; hastate, as in the sorrel, buckwheat and spotted arum; cordate, or heart-shaped, as in the lilac and white water-lily; connate, as in the honeysuckle and wild teasel; perfoliate, as in the common hare's-ear; decurrent, as in the thistle and mullein,-those leaves run down the stem so as to seem to be part of it. Such are a few of the various kinds of leaves, to which I have added examples from the commonest plants, in hopes that those who desire to study Botany will examine those leaves, as such an examination will be worth ten pages of a written essay. CHAP. IV. THE FLOWER. : A flower is that part of a plant which generates and matures the seed, by which the plant propagates its species. The most perfect flowers consist of seven parts: 1st. The calyx. 2nd. The corolla. 3rd. The stamen. 4th. The pistils. 5th. The pericarpinum, or seed vessel. 6th. The receptacle. 7th. The seed. Besides the pecduncle, which supports the flower. Some flowers have glands, or organs, in the hollow of the carolla, that secretes honey, and which are called the nectan. Flowers are formed from buds, which, like leaf-buds, are formed in the axilla of the leaves, called bractea. They generally differ both in size, shape and colour from common leaves. The manner in which the flowers are arranged on a plant, is called the form of inflorescence, or mode of flowering. The following are the principal forms of inflorescence: The flower is said to be solitary, or terminal, when the principal stem of the plant produces only one flower-bud, as the pheasant's eye. The inflorescence is called a raceme, when the newly-formed axis unfolds into flowers, each having a separate stalk. Examples: the shepherd's purse, water-betony, hyacinth and brook-weed. But if under the same circumstances the flower is a sessil, they form a spike; examples,-mullein, agrimony, lavender and corn. When the principal flower-bud produces others without lengthening its stalk, it forms a head, or capitule; example,-clover. When the head consists of many flowers, but resembles one only in appearance, it is called a compound flower examples, daisy, leontodon, aster, sunflower and thistle. When the principal stem is lengthened, but a little after the bud has opened, and each flower has a separate stalk, it forms what is called an umbel, from its resemblance to the top of an umbrella, or parasol; examples,-parsley and carrot. But this is neither a simple or compound flower. In a simple umbel, the stalk of each flower springs from a point in the principal stem, and each stalk bears only one flower; examples,-the geranium, wild garlick, and flowering-rush. In the compound umbel, the secondary buds bear smaller umbels; the compound umbel is the characteristic of a very numerous family of plants, of which the parsnip, carrot, celery, coriander, &c., are good examples. A corymb is a raceme, the flowers of which seem to be nearly level with one another, the lowest flowers having longer stalks than the highest flowers. Examples,-common hawthorn or May-yarrow and lady's smock. A panicle is also a raceme, the flower-buds having produced others, consequently the stalks are branched. Examples,-meadow-sweet, wood-rush, oats, &c. A cyme resembles an umbel, the flowers being level at the top, but the stalk grows from different parts of the principal stem. Example, the elder. Yarbrough Lodge, Grimsby, Lincolnshire, April 24, 1841. ULO. THE BRIDAL BELLS. BY MISS ELIZA BATTYE. (Author of "Giuliano de Medici," and other Poems.) BID me not listen to those bells, They wake no happy thoughts in me; The fitful gales of autumn's blast, Which bring, then leave, the bridal peal, Say in wild voice,-"The die is cast Young hearts are launch'd for woe or weal." The chimes of joy, the funeral toll, One bell will sound when wings the soul, So in ourselves a touch of joy Will make our heart's rich music swell; A touch of woe will all destroy, Or call forth but our bosom's knell. Had rang for them no Bridal Bells. Bid me not listen as they ring.- As ask no voice, as claim no ear:- Such sadness in my heart's deep cells, EDUCATION. MUCH has been said and written upon the subject of Education, and many great and good men have devoted their talents and energies to the work of enforcing its claims upon the notice of the public; it may, therefore, appear presumptuous in me to touch a subject which has been so ably handled by others better qualified to do justice to its merits, and more likely, by their station and rank in society, to exercise an influence on the minds of the community at large. Believing it, however, to be the duty of every man, as far as in him lies, to assist in promoting the diffusion of education, and thus to do something towards leaving the world better than he found it, I have been induced to write these few remarks, in the hope that they may be the means of leading some one who has never seriously thought about the matter to reflect upon it, and determine to use his individual efforts to further this good object. It is the great and glorious privilege of man, that he is not only made in the " express image and likeness of God," but that he possesses those reasoning faculties which, if properly cultivated, place him at the head of all created beings, and eventually fit him, after a life of piety, for the enjoyment of a happy eternity. Such is the beneficence of the Creator, that he has given to man a superior organization for the acquirement of knowledge; he has amply furnished him with opportunities and objects for the exercise of his intellectual faculties, and has so ordered it, that the hours which are spent in the attainment of wisdom must ever be reckoned amongst the happiest of his life, since they bring with them a pleasing and permanent reward in the elevation of his ideas, and the rendering him independent of the gratification of the animal appetites for his amusement or comfort. It is plainly implied, in pleasure being thus linked with the toil of acquiring knowledge, that it is no less our duty than our privilege to use the means God has provided for the improvement of our minds, in order that we may obtain clearer views of his wisdom, glory and goodness, and be constrained so to live as shall best glorify him while we remain on earth, and render us more fit for the happiness of that heaven where knowledge shall receive its full consummation. With the inferior grades of animated creation, however, the case is widely different ;-destitute of comparative or reasoning faculties, their natural habits undergo no change through any number of successive generations: some of them, it is true, when taken under the tuition of man, may differ greatly in many respects from the other members of the same species, thus illustrating the power of education; but, if left to themselves, the force of instinct will never carry them one jot forward in the march of improvement. The sparrow of to-day builds its nest, rears its young, and possesses the same characteristics as the sparrow of the New Testament era; but man has progressed in intelligence, is progressing, and must progress, until that day when knowledge "shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the face of the great deep." Again, the brute creation come into the world almost in full possession of the amount of knowledge necessary for obtaining their food, the preservation of their lives, and the continuance of their species. Some are able to walk from the moment they leave the womb,-the chicken has been known to run away with part of the shell upon its back, and to find at once the food most adapted to its nature; but man is at his birth the most helpless of all beings, unable to move from the place where he may be laid, or even to supply himself with food when it is provided to his hand. Still, amidst all this imbecility lies hid the germ of all that is great in the triumph of intellect, awaiting but VOL. 6-No. 7-3 D. the aid of education to draw forth the latent blossoms, and make them bloom through a never-ending eternity. Let it not, however, be supposed that man possesses any inherent power, were he placed beyond the pale of artificial society, which can enable him to reach those heights of intellectual superiority which the human mind is capable, when cultivated, of attaining to; on the contrary, if left in a state of nature, he will rise but little above the brute creation; his superior organization will avail him nothing unless backed by mental acquisitions consequent upon a regular system of education; and this is no theoretical opinion, for we possess indubitable proofs, from historical records, bearing all the marks of authenticity, that such is really the case. Various authors speak of instances where children have at an early age been lost and estranged from civilized society, and after a lapse of some years been again discovered; and their accounts invariably shew, that although they had reached the adult age, yet they had neither reason nor language, nor, in fact, did their voice resemble that of a human being,-they used both hands and feet in walking, and it was with much trouble that they were made to stand erect, or eat the food of ordinary men.* We have here a humiliating picture of the boasted superiority of man, but it is faithfully drawn, and such being the case, it is evident that the work of education is an imperative one, and must be begun soon after birth. This declaration will perhaps excite a smile, and some persons may be inclined to ask what education can be given to an infant? Education is training, and all training is progressive, and although we cannot, and indeed ought not to attempt to educate an infant in the common acceptation of the term, as applied to letters, yet but a very short time elapses after birth before the child becomes capable of learning something. Every person who has had any experience in the management of children is well aware that habits of cleanliness and (by a sufficient but mild firmness) obedience may be successfully taught, even in the earlier stages of infancy, and having accomplished this much, we may safely leave the intellectual powers to develope themselves without using any means to forward that object until the fifth or even the sixth year. Many well-meaning persons have, in my humble opinion, been led by over-zeal into grievous errors, both with respect to the kind of knowledge necessary to be imparted to the infant mind, and the age at which the system of intellectual training ought to commence. The intimate connection existing between the brain, as the organ by which the mind acts, and the body is too often overlooked," and the parents anxiously resort to every method which will enable their offspring to become prodigies in mental endowments, while in every other respect they remain weak and delicate infants." This is highly reprehensible, and is calculated to do a positive and irremediable injury to the unfortunate subject of any such attempt at early mental culture. To send the infant of two or three years old to school is considered to be a duty incumbent upon those parents who desire to promote the welfare of their children, but in many instances this is done only with the view of ridding themselves of the trouble necessarily attendant upon the early years of childhood, and not with the expectation of their receiving any benefit from the instruction * Linnæus and Schreber speak of a young man called John of Liege, whom his parents lost at the age of five years, and whom they found sixteen years after. He had principally a very fine smell; by means of this sense, he discovered in the earth those roots upon which he lived. Hist. Nat, des Quadrupedes genre ter de l'Homme, p. 41. In 1694, they caught in the middle of a herd of bears, in Lithuania, upon the borders of Russia, a child about ten years old, who was covered with hair, and went on all fours." He gave," says Condillac, "no signs of reason, had no language, and uttered sounds which had no resemblance to the human voice. They had great trouble to tame him, and it was only by constant attention that he was made to hold himself upright, eat our ordinary food, and articulate a few words. As soon as he could speak, he was questioned on his primitive condition, but remembered no more of it than we do of that which happened to us in the cradle."-Connor. Evang. Med. p. 133. In the 17th century a boy was found in the wilds of Ireland, who ate grass and hay, which he chose by the smell. He was very agile and active; slender, tawny in color, fierce in character; he was tamed with difficulty, and very late. Tulpius says, "he walked on ail fours; instead of an articulate language, he made only a species of bleating."-Tulpius Obs. Med. p. 131. † Brigham. Many physicians of great experience are of the opinion, that efforts to develope the minds of young children are very frequently injurious; and from instances of disease in children which I have witnessed, I am forced to believe that the danger is indeed great; and that very often, in attempting to call forth and cultivate the intellectual faculties of children before they are five, or six, or seven years of age, serious and lasting injury has been done both to the body and mind. The danger arises from parents and teachers forgetting or disregarding this important fact, that, although the mind is immaterial and indestructible, it is yet allied to a material body, upon the healthy state of which the intellect is dependent for vigour and power.-Brigham. offered them. The child who has a sufficiency of wholesome food and a moderate share of clothing, with abundance of out-door exercise, even although he does not know a letter in the alphabet at six years of age, will be likely to be a wiser as well as a more healthy man than the one who is shut up in an infant school for six hours a-day, and only allowed about thirty minutes for exercise in the open air during that time. The mental powers cannot be unduly exercised, but at the expense of the body, and it behoves every parent to consider whether he would rather his child should be caressed and adinired as a prodigy of precocious talent, and after a while drop into an untimely grave; or that he should grow up to a hale manhood, with a constitution fortified against the casualties of ordinary life, and a taste fresh and vigorous for the beauties of knowledge? Many of our most eminent literary characters, men who, as Cousin says, have been the "true representatives of the spirit and ideas of their time," have received little or no education in early life; nay, some have actually been thought and declared to be deficient of the ordinary share of intellectual capacity; others, again, who have excited wonder by the extent and variety of their intelligence in early youth, have either lingered through a miserable (because diseased). life, with an imbecile mind, or fallen in the height of their glory, the victims of mental excitement engendered by the injudicious praise of those persons who did not reflect that the price of fame is often death. I shall, in my next, endeavour to shew what Education ought to be, and also point out a few of its advantages. N. To be continued. THE POET'S CONSOLEMENT OF HIS WIFE IN ADVERSITY. BY SAMUEL BAMFORD. (Author of "Hours in the Bowers," &c.) JEMIMA, let us leave this world, Beloved, come with me; Since yon base lord hath ta'en our home, And I have found a little nest To shelter thee and me; What, though our bed be not of down, Were winds blow sweet and free; What, though our pillow be not down, Thy dreams by night shall be as bright Love, take thy rest upon my breast, I'll bring thee sweet milk from the cow, And fuel from the dingle side, And water from the burn; Thou never wilt return: Love, thou shalt be so happy there, We've seen the world, we've known the Its vanity of vanities, Its pleasure and its care; Then come, my wife, my only love, Bright hours are yet unflown; Afar from tower and town. * The writer has no wish to impute this disregard of the interests of their children to those parents whose circumstances compel them to send infants to school in order that the mother may assist in procuring food for the family; and he cannot but lament, in common with every thinking man, that it should ever be necessary for a mother to employ those hours in labour which ought to be spent in the company and training of her offspring. |