his newly-cleared walks, of the delight he took in watering his carnations, and of his little walks to see a shrub or a flower upon the point of blossoming. He mentions the delights of his hay-harvest, when the activity of country-people is seen in a pleasing employment, and when pinks, woodbines, and jasmines, are in their prime. Few things, he adds, afford him so much pleasure at that time, as lolling on a bank in the very heat of the sun. His neighbour, Lord Littleton, ornamented Hagley in the happiest manner; and the beautiful scenery will not readily be obliterated from the minds of those who have seen it. It is, however, only amongst gentlemen of independent fortunes in this country, devoted to horticultural pursuits, that we must seek for gardens and conservatories stored with the choicest plants and flowers. A few years ago, the only eminent landscapegardener at that time in France, brought me a letter of introduction. His chief object was to see the gardens of private individuals, of which he said he had heard so much. I took him to several; and his astonishment at seeing the well-kept gardens, the rare plants in them, and the verdant lawns, was unbounded. He was constantly exclaiming, "Votre gazon! nous n'avons pas de gazon en France." He wondered at the expense the English went to in having their lawns so constantly mown, and at the appearance of comfort and luxury which he witnessed at the residence of a country gentleman. Nor were our cottage gardens overlooked by him. He had evidently seen nothing like them; and confessed that the fondness of the English of all classes for flowers must be unbounded: and so it is. It is one of the characteristics of our country, and long may it remain so. In ev'ry scene thy hands have dress'd, In ev'ry note that swells the gale, Or tuneful stream that cheers the vale, A voice is heard of praise and love. MISS WILLIAMS. THERE are many facts in the economy of nature which are truly surprising, and which serve to prove with what tenderness, care, and wisdom everything has been either created or regulated. An instance of this may be shewn with respect to the nests of some of those birds which build on slender branches of trees, or amongst reeds and rushes, where their nests would be liable to be much blown about and shaken. In this case the birds have had a peculiar instinct implanted in them of bending in, or rather of making a sort of rim round the upper part of the nest. But for this foresight and peculiar architecture, it is evident that the eggs would roll out of the nest when the branches were much agitated in high winds. This apparently trifling fact shews how beautifully and delightfully Almighty God has attended to the well-being of His creatures. Nothing has been overlooked. Even in the structure of its nest, the little bird has been taught to make it of the size exactly necessary to contain the future young, and to line it, as the case may require, either with the warmest feathers, or with hair or cobwebs. The small fan-tailed fly-catcher of Australia makes its elegant little nest on the slender stalk of a tree. It resembles a wine glass in shape, without the bottom part, and the stem is fastened to a lower stalk, thus preserving a due balance. It is outwardly matted together with the webs of spiders, which not only serve to envelope the nest, but are also employed to strengthen its attachment to the branch on which it is constructed. The whole is woven together with exquisite skill. This also is the case with some of the nests of the humming-bird, where the use of the rim is very appa rent. If writers on natural history, who make their remarks on animals as they see them in a state of captivity, could watch them in their native haunts, much that has been said of them would have been omitted. In some instances the wisdom of the Great Creator has been called in question, as if everything that He had made was not perfect, and afforded proofs of infinite wisdom. Buffon, and some other naturalists have described the Sloth, for instance, as an unhappy, miserable animal, almost incapable of crawling on the earth, shedding tears instead of defending itself, and so imperfectly formed as to require two days to enable it to ascend a tree. But what a different account do those give of it, who have seen it in the localities to which it has been assigned by Providence. Instead of being the helpless animal that has been described, it is, on the contrary, wonderfully adapted from its formation and habits for the mode of life it was destined to lead. Nor are we to suppose that this animal has not his full share of enjoyment, as compared with that of other quadrupeds. The sloth may be called a tree animal, with quite as much propriety as the horse or cow may be called terrestrial animals. When this fact is known, and the anatomy of the sloth examined with reference to it, we shall find that nothing can be more perfect than its organization. It lives on trees, and dies on trees, nor is it necessary to descend them to procure water, as it does not require any. Its legs are extremely muscular, and are perfectly capable of supporting the weight of the animal. In suspending itself from branches of trees, all the four legs are used, and this is evidently its natural position. In moving from tree to tree, also, the body always hangs downwards. When in search of food, or of its own species, the sloth can shew considerable activity. So careful has Providence been of the preservation of this harmless, and apparently defenceless animal, that its fur is of the same colour |