for some time in silent admiration.

"What a mind

must the man have who executed this! Who is the

sculptor?"

"One from Bologna; at this moment I remember not his name."

"Nay, my friend, I rather think he is a Florentine. Surely I have heard so."

"You are mistaken, Bernardino; I am convinced Bologna has the honour of being his birthplace; I shall bethink me of his name directly."

66

Well, any one in Rome can tell us that, fortunately. There is a young man here will set us right, perhaps." "Ah! let us not ask him; he might laugh at our ignorance, or he might not know himself. We will find it out. The name of that man ought never to be forgotten."

"the

"It shall not be forgotten here, at all events," said Michael Angelo, as the strangers left the church; Pietà shall not be again mistaken for the work of the Bolognese."

That night, a young man of haughty bearing entered the church with a lantern in his hand. He approached the beautiful piece of sculpture, and smiled proudly, as in deep, indelible characters he inscribed on it, where it might best be seen-the name of Michael Angelo. This Pietà is the only one of his works thus inscribed.

Amongst the ruins of ancient Rome is a splendid equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius. It is of bronze, and was originally gilt with thick leaves of gold. The attitude of the horse, and the fire and spirit displayed in it, are remarkably fine. When first Michael Angelo saw it, he looked at it for some time in silence, and then suddenly exclaimed, "Go on!"-thus stamping this famous statue with his enthusiastic admiration.

A very excellent painter lived at this time in Florence, whose name was Leonardo da Vinci. Italy was justly proud of this illustrious artist, and Francis I. of France loaded him with favours.

Slowly fading away from the wall of the refectory of the Church of Santa Maria, at Milan, is one of the most

celebrated pictures of this great master. The subject is a solemn one-the Last Supper; and solemnly it is. treated. The skilful arrangement of the figures, which are larger than life, and the amazing beauty of the workmanship, arrest the attention and astonish the eye of the beholder. It has thus been spoken of: "On viewing it, one head, one face, one attitude, one expression, comes forcibly upon the sight, and sinks deeply into the mind, till every thought and feeling is absorbed in wonder at the power which could represent so sublime a figure in so sublime a manner.”

He

Leonardo da Vinci, like Michael Angelo, had astonishing powers of mind. He was great as a mathematician, a mechanic, an architect, a chemist, an engineer, a musician, a poet, and a painter! From a child his singular talents attracted notice; but he had not the perseverance of Michael Angelo. His magnificent designs and projects were seldom completed. began many beautiful and wonderful works, and then, dissatisfied with them, left them unfinished. This highly-gifted man and Michael Angelo were rivals. With all their admiration of each other's genius, they were jealous of the distinction each had obtained. haughty spirit of the one could not brook superiority, or even equality; the temper of the other was capricious and sensitive. Leonardo was many years older than Angelo, and did not feel pleased that so young a man should come forward as his competitor. One day, being annoyed at some remark made by his rival, he replied with warmth, "You will remember, Angelo, I was famous before you were born!"-The Home Friend.S. P. C. K.

The

FAMILIAR ILLUSTRATIONS OF NATURAL PHENOMENA.-DEW.

THERE is scarcely a more beautiful sight in nature than that which is presented in a clear autumn morning, soon after sunrise. Every leaf and spray is united

by the light tissue of the spider's web, on which are threaded beads of transparent water, glittering in the beams of the rising sun. Every blade of grass is, in like manner, enveloped in a fine coating of moisture, and spangled with brilliant drops. On an attentive observation, it will be found that the light, which passes through these minute globes of water, is separated into distinct colours. Spots of vivid red, yellow, and blue, will be perceived, scattered, apparently at random, over the glistening surface, and, in some favourable points of view, there may be traced upon the plain, an iris, composed of the same colours as the rainbow, and in the same order, but arranged in two branches receding from the eye.

The copious deposition of moisture, which produces this splendid spectacle, may have been occasioned by various causes. Fine rain may have fallen, or there may have been a sensible mist, or a thick fog. But, in many instances, the atmosphere will have appeared perfectly clear during the whole preceding night, and all the brilliant display will have been caused solely by the dew.

We propose to shew in what manner the dew is deposited. It is a very common error to suppose that the dew falls in the same manner as rain or mist, only in much finer particles. A very slight observation will shew that dew is not thus formed; for it is often deposited on the sides, and on the under parts of blades of grass and other substances, as well as on their upper surfaces. Dew, in fact, does not fall, but is formed by the condensation of the moisture of the atmosphere. Every one is familiar with this phenomenon, though many may not have thought much about the cause of it. If we bring bottle from a cool cellar in the summer, a copious deposition of dew takes place upon its outer surface, If a sudden hail-storm drives against the windows, a dew is often deposited upon the inner surface. In these and the like instances, the surface exposed to the air is colder than the air itselı, and since it is found that heat always passes from a hotter body to one that is colder,

the invisible vapour of water in the atmosphere immediately in contact with the glass, loses part of the heat which is necessary in order to keep it in the state of vapour, and is condensed, or reduced to the form of

water.

The moisture begins to be thus precipitated at a certain temperature, depending upon the quantity of vapour in the atmosphere. This temperature is called the dew-point.

But heat is given out from one body to another, not only when they are close together, but when they are at great distances from each other. Without at all attempting to shew what heat is, or how it is communicated from one body to another, it is sufficient for our present purpose to know, that there is a constant tendency in all bodies towards an equality of temperature; so that if there be two bodies heated to different degrees, the heat of that which is the hotter is given out, and increases the heat of the colder body. If the bodies are in contact, the heat is said to be communicated by conduction; if they are not in contact, the heat is said to be radiated from one body to another.

When, for instance, we are standing before a fire in a cold day, the heat of the fire is so much greater than that of the human body, that we are sensible of a great radiation of heat from the fire. But if a person comes suddenly into the room from the frosty atmosphere, we are sensible that he strikes cold; that is, that the heat given out by radiation from our bodies to his is greater than that which we receive in return.

By means of a delicate thermometer, the radiation of heat is very perceptible: and different bodies are found to radiate heat with greater or less readiness. Among those which radiate heat rapidly are glass, wool, the blades of grass, cotton, &c.

Hence, every object in nature is constantly radiating heat from its surface. If a body be surrounded by objects which are hotter than itself, it becomes heated by radiation if it be exposed to the influence of objects which are colder than itself, it becomes cooled: and its

temperature will not be sensibly altered, if the bodies around it have nearly the same temperature as itself. If, also, a body be formed of a substance which conducts heat badly, but radiates heat easily, the extremities of such a body, when exposed to other cooler bodies, will lose heat by radiation faster than it can be replaced by conduction, and will become colder than the other parts of the bodies.

Suppose, now, an extensive plain, partly covered with grass, and exposed to the atmosphere in a serene night. If the sky be overclouded, the heat radiated from all the objects in the plain, will be so nearly equal to that which is radiated from the clouds, that the surface of the plain will cool very slowly. But if the clouds clear away, the heat which is radiated from the plain, passes off into the open space of the heavens, and so little is radiated back, that the process of cooling goes on with great rapidity. In those parts of the plain which are covered with sand, or stone, or other substances which conduct heat well, the heat which is radiated from the surface, is speedily restored in part, by heat passing along the body from the interior, and the surface cools more slowly. But this is not the case with the blades of grass, or with any flocky substance, such as wool, cobwebs, and the like. These substances radiate heat rapidly, but conduct it badly. Hence, their surfaces become speedily cool, and as soon as they are cooled down to the temperature of the dew-point, the moisture of the air is condensed upon them, or there is a dew. If the radiation of heat still continues, the temperature of those surfaces may be still further lowered, even to the freezing-point; and then the deposition takes the beautiful form of hoar-frost.

In order, then, that dew may be deposited, the following circumstances must conspire :-

1. The sun must be absent, or, at least, must be very near the horizon.

2. The atmosphere must be nearly calm: whence the Spanish name of the dew is serena, indicating the serenity of the sky when it is most copiously deposited.