him to attempt what was utterly impossible, namely, to put him ashore in a small boat.

As the probability of their being lost increased, this great mirror of nature, human or inhuman, began to load the pockets of his coat, waistcoat, breeches, and everything he could think of, with dollars, to the amount of some hundreds; and this, as he thought, was preparing to swim for his life, should the vessel go to pieces. Mr. Bancroft remonstrated with him on the folly of such acts, saying he would sink like a piece of lead, with so great a weight on him; and at length, as He became so very noisy and unsteady as to impede the management of the vessel, Mr. Bancroft pushed him down the hatchway. Volney soon returned, having lightened himself of the dollars, and, in the agony of his mind, threw himself on deck, exclaiming, with uplifted hands and streaming eyes, "Oh my God! my God!-what shall I do? what shall I do?" This so astonished Bancroft that, notwithstanding the moment did not very well accord with flashes of humour, yet he could not refrain from addressing him thus: Well, Mr. Volneywhat!' you have a God now ?" To which Volney replied, with the most trembling anxiety, "Oh, yes! oh, yes!" The vessel, however, safely reached the place of her destination, and Mr. Bancroft made every company which he went into echo with this anecdote of Volney's acknowledgment of God. Volney was for a considerable time so much hurt at his weakness, as he called it, that he was ashamed of showing himself in company at Philadelphia; and afterwards he said that those words had escaped him in the instant of alarm, but had no meaning.

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"Infidelity, then, will do only ashore, in fine weather; it will not stand a gale of wind for a few hours. Infidels and Atheists! how will you weather an ETERNAL STORM?

Remarkable Things.

POISONOUS PLANTS.

FEW plants are more wonderful than those which are poisonous. To calculate the benefits which man derives from the vegetable creation would indeed be no easy matter; and to closely examine the amount of good which separate classes afford would be still more difficult. Wherever we roam in the country we find plants adorning the earth, and had they no other recommendation than their beauty, we ought to be grateful to the Giver of all things that He has so bountifully strewed them around our path. Many

plants, whilst both useful and ornamental, are poisonous a fact not at all indicated by their appearances. To some of the most singular of the poisonous tribe of plants we wish to direct the notice of our young readers this month. As we know well that nothing is sent to us without a purpose, we may remind our young friends that these deadly poisons, whilst dangerous, are yet of the greatest service in medicine.

A rather common plant in this country is the deadly nightshade, one of the most virulent of poisons which the vegetable world affords. It needs to be clearly described in order to be avoided. In form it is erect, and a rather downy herb, with a perennial root, and branching stem. The flower is of a pale purple brown, bell-shaped, and nearly an inch long. The berries are large, and of a shining black, which often tempts young folks to eat them to their cost. Numberless are the instances where death has followed from partaking of this plant or its berries. The exceedingly powerful nature of its poisonous qualities has caused attention to be directed to it, and it is now valued as a medicinal plant. Madness is one of the most curious and fearful effects produced by this plant, and its properties have been long known. To the same division of plants as this belong the mandrakes, the roots of which are superstitiously connected with many fancies, and which some erroneously suppose to be the mandrakes alluded to in Scripture.

Turning from an upright to a climbing plant, we find that the black bryony is one of the prettiest of woodland flowers; yet this is poisonous. Through the whole of the summer it may be seen festooning our hedges and bushes, and its bright leaves invest the trunks and boughs with a more attractive mass of foliage than even the ivy. Unlike this latter, its green stems are but slight, and have not the firmness of the ivy-band. The flowers of the black bryony are not very ornamental or attractive, but there is no more graceful wreath amongst all the glorious leafage of the summer season. During summer, the large green berries look like clusters of wild grapes; and when autumn gives them the appearance of bright scarlet balls, they are amongst the most beautiful of woodland berries. Yet these little fruits are very poisonous, and we must not be misled by their charming appearance. The early shoots of the plant, however, have frequently been boiled and eaten, and it is said with no bad results. The roots have a black colour, and hence the name of the plant. The interior of it is white and full of starch. This, however, is bitter and unwholesome. The acrid pulp has been employed as a plaster.

One of the most conspicuous plants in the winter is the spurge laurel, green and lively in its clothing of glossy leaves. These surround the stem at the end of the branches, which are quite leafless below. This plant grows to the height of two or three feet, and its drooping yellowish flowers burst forth in the month of

March. They look like waxen bells, and when the season is mild they diffuse a sweet odour. The berries of the spurge laurel are of a bluish black colour, and are poisonous to all animals except birds. The bark and roots also are acrid, but not to such a degree as those of the other wild species of the same family. In gardens and shrubberies the plant looks well, and it thrives well among the

trees. The beautiful mezereon, which is so much a favourite flower of the poet, and nearly allied to our last, is yet a most poisonous plant. Its purplish lilac flowers are very beautiful, and are also sweetly scented; but the scarlet berries, which in autumn cluster around the stem, are very poisonous. The acrid bark is in some countries used as a blister, and the roots are employed to alleviate toothache, but they need to be cautiously applied, as they will produce inflammation if held long in the mouth. Many parts of the mezereon have been used medicinally, but its properties are so

violent that they should be adopted by such only as are well acquainted with them. A good yellow dye is prepared from the branches of it. The poppy tribe, one of which is shown in our engraving, are all possessed of powerful narcotic properties.

Any one, we think, who had been in the habit of closely observing flowers, would suspect the henbane to be poisonous at a first glance. Its dingy blossoms, veined with a lurid purple, would tend to confirm their suspicions, first awakened by the sickly odour thrown out by the whole of the plant. The henbane is a powerful narcotic, especially when the flowers have just fallen and the seeds are ripening. It is said that a few of these seeds have been known to deprive a man of his reason, and the use of his limbs ; but we cannot vouch for the truth of this statement. Few animals will touch the plant, though sheep will sometimes feed sparingly upon it, and the goat will eat it without receiving any injury thereby. The foliage and stems of the henbane are very downy_and sticky, and its flowers grow in clusters among the leaves in June and July. It is common in waste places, and is not unfrequent in churchyards. Though its juices are very poisonous if improperly administered, yet the henbane yields a valuable medicine, and produces sleep without those restless and distressing symptoms caused by many medicines of this nature. It has been smoked like tobacco by country people, as a remedy for toothache. The usual effects, however, of henbane upon a healthy person are excitement and irritability of temper.

The purple foxglove bells, which our young readers often see in their wanderings through the woods, belong to the poisonous plants. Its stately form-the stem often growing to the height of three or four feet-is frequently selected by the artist as an ornament for the foreground of a rural landscape. The blossoms are very numerous, and sometimes occupy nearly two feet of the length of the stem. The foxglove is common on rocky and hilly districts, and is very abundant in Devonshire, though totally unknown in many counties. Its handsome blossoms appear in June and July, and its leaves are large and veiny. The flowers are occasionally white, and beautifully speckled within. This plant has been long valued for its medicinal properties, yet it is poisonous when administered too freely; still, when skilfully used, it gives a most important relief to the sufferer. The leafage is the part employed in medicine, and it requires to be quickly dried shortly after being gathered, otherwise it loses its power.

Many plants there are which nearly resemble the pernicious hemlock in general appearance. From most of these, however, it may be distinguished by its smooth stem, spotted with brown, and by its smell, which is very foetid. The foliage is large and very beautifully formed. The hemlock is exceedingly poisonous, and when bruised the disagreeable odour is greatly increased. In July it bears its white flowers on banks and in waste places. The

poisonous nature of this plant was known to the poets and philosophers of the olden time, every part of it possessing an oily alkali, which is so deadly, that a few drops will kill a small animal in a very short space of time. Unlike the old writer, Pliny, we know more of the goodness of the Creator than to suppose that he has given us anything only to harm us, and not to convey to us some good. This plant, even as others which have been noticed, is adapted to the necessities of man, and by human skill is made to lengthen life, and not to shorten it, for it is a most valuable relief in nervous and other diseases. So, too, with all of our poisonous plants, for even if not of use as regards medicine, they still afford valuable chemical substances. Let us impress our young readers with the fact, that though at first sight it may seem strange that God should have scattered so many poisonbearing flowers amongst the glorious vegetation of his world, yet that these self-same flowers are there for our good in some way; and, if we cannot now discover their uses, still we should trust him, who forms nothing without a wise and definite purpose in view. E. CLIFFORD.

A SOLAR ENGINE.

AN ENGINE TO RUN WITHOUT WATER OR FUEL!

A YEAR or two since, Mr. John Stuart Mill startled the House of Commons by announcing that the coal mines of England would be exhausted in the course of one or two centuries, and Mr. Mill and others are apprehensive that when our coal mines are exhausted England will decline and fall.

But the mistake of Mr. Mill, and all the school of material philosophers, is that they do not take into their account the fecundity of human inventions, and the ability of civilized men to adapt themselves to any set of circumstances. The broad-minded student of history knows that what men want they can supply. The steam-engine was invented when it was needed and could be profitably used. When there was a necessity for cheap and rapid locomotion, railways were established. As soon as the "post" failed to meet the demands of commerce, the telegraph was devised. The history of the world is a narration of the equality between demand and supply. What the Lord promised to the Israelites, that every generation should have occasion to say, "What hath God wrought?" has been fulfilled unto all the generations of the sons of men. The inspiration of the Almighty secures the progress of the race.

We have a new illustration of this truth. Cheap fuel for manufacturing and locomotion is the want of the age. The treeless and coalless prairies, the expense and trouble of coal depôts for ocean steam navigation-the large sections of the earth which are destitute of the means of making a cheap fire, and therefore wanting