METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENA.

NOTWITHSTANDING the improvement which Meteorology has received within a few years that are past, as a science it is yet in its infancy: it becomes us therefore to be carefully industrious in collecting facts, with the hope that some genius will start up, that shall see their connection, and unite them into a lucid arrangement. I am desirous of contributing my portion to this work, by registering in your Journal the following facts; to which I confine myself, without attempting to speculate on their causes or connections.

man's Magazine, I believe it was spread over a great extent of country. It continued through the greater part of the night: my thermometer, which perhaps is not a very good one, stood at 30, 8. the weather had been mild for a long period preceding, and a little moisture fell at the commencement of the evening.

tion, as from the land towards the zenith. It occupied two or three points of the compass to the east and west of North, and continued rising in one part while it ceased in another, without intermission. It was not visible at an higher elevation than 45. but certainly was not between me and the land, which was about a mile distant.

Another Meteoric appearance to which I was witness, in the same year, seems to bear some relation to the Aurora Borealis, but differs from it in many particulars. Being at sea, September the 10th, about the time when the stars begin to be visible, the weather being fine and clear without In 1817, Feb. 8, the evening closed a cloud, I observed a haze to begin in in cloudy and dark, there being no the North; and presently after, a mild moon, and the stars being hid by low-light began to stream, in that direchung and vapoury clouds. Between eight and nine o'clock, there was so much light as to attract particular attention from the common people. Taking my station on an eminence, I noticed a light appearing in the West, (that being the quarter from which the wind proceeded) which resembled the dawn of day. Luminous clouds then came forward, one or more at a time, and sailed steadily before the wind at a pretty quick rate, appearing to lose their light as they proceeded towards the East. The light was white, somewhat like putrescent fish when seen in the dark; and sometimes the luminous cloud was encompassed with dark ones, that enhanced its brightness. The light of the atmosphere was as great as when the moon is just risen; so that small objects might be perceived on the ground; but when one of these luminous clouds had advanced from the West, that part did not continue to have a greater light than any other division of the horizon, until the phenomenon again appeared in that direction. Sometimes more than one of these clouds appeared at the same time, but always near each other; nor did it appear at all probable that they derived their splendour from each other; for no object received a greater illumination when the cloud was at one part of the sky than at another. I have said that the clouds appeared to lose their light as they proceeded Eastward; but I believe this was only an optical illusion, since observers many miles to the eastward of my station witnessed the phenomenon; and from a short note of it in the Gentle

A Meteoric appearance of a similar nature fell under my observation, Oct. 4th, 1819. The day had been fair and cold, and about eight o'clock in the evening, when the sky was bright with stars, my attention was directed to a small portion of the horizon, reaching from West to North, which was skirted with a black cloud, that seemed not to reach high above the distant land, and which appeared to have a luminous edge. In a short time after I first observed it, it began to shoot up streams of light towards the zenith, the uppermost extremity of the light reaching as high as the lowest bright stars in Ursa Major. The light was white and vivid, tapering generally towards a point; and once or twice the lowest part was so bright as to convey the idea of a comet with a long tail. The streams were many number at one time; continually springing up in one part, as they ceased in another. After some time, I perceived that the cloud was gone, but the light continued the same, and seemed to proceed from a haze which overspread the ground in that situation. At one time a falling star appeared in the same direction, but not near this meteor; and in falling

in

There are but few animals, (if any) in this country, that exceed the dog for fidelity or sagacity. A few years since, I was informed by a pious woman in the parish of Winterborne, that a tanner, in the same parish, had a large dog, of what is generally called a mongrel breed, to which was com

through the air, its course was towards the opposite part of the horizon. In about three quarters of an hour a rather darker haze occupied all this space, and was bordered by an edge of light which reached from N. N. E. to W. in an arched form, touching the earth at the two extremities, and passing through Ursa Ma-mitted daily a number of great jor with the summit of its arch. To this again succeeded streams of light. How long this continued, I know not; but from accounts which I have received from different individuals, I believe the greater part of the night. An appearance very similar was seen at Carlisle, I have reason to think, on the same evening, as appears from an account in the New Times newspaJONATHAN COUCH.

per.

Polperro, Cornwall.

and small pigs, to conduct into the lancs to graze; to which he daily attended in the summer, returning with his herd in proper time in the afternoon. It so happened on a day, as this dog was returning with his charge, that one of the little pigs got entangled amongst some timber, lying by the side of the road, from which it could not extricate itself. Whether the dog seeing it in that situation, attempted its relief, is not quite certain. However, the dog left his charge, and ran to the house of the relater of this circumstance, and with great eagerness began to scratch the door with both feet, till the good woman went and opened it. The dog looked on her with great earnestness; and being well known, she said to it, "What dost thou want?" As soon as she had spoken, the dog took hold of her apron, and began to pull her from the door, towards the place where the disaster had happened. As neither pigs nor timber could be seen from the woman's habitation, she proceeded onward with the faithful animal, without knowing to what spot, or what distance, she was to be led. The dog, however, retaining his hold of her apron, conducted her to the lane in which the pigs had been left, and guided her to the spot where the little one lay entangled among the timber. Seeing its situation, she exerted herself to accomplish its deliverance; and having effected it, and set it among the rest, the dog seemed highly pleased, and went home with the herd as usual.

Another instance of canine sagacity which occurred at Pitton, a village about three miles from the above, is as

Fidelity and Sagacity of two Dogs, in follows.-A pious person belonging to

the County of Wilts.

a family that kept sheep, about three years since, one day observed, that one of his flocks, about a mile distant, had broken through a gap, into a neighbour's field. He took the dog, and pointing it across the vale, set it off to drive them back. This the dog readily attended to, and soon drove them through the same gap into their own

field. The work being accomplished, | tion, and respect, which are due to he speedily returned to his master, and worth-ship, that is, to distinguished exThe Church of England, resumed his former duty. The circum-cellence. stance reminded me of what is said in taking it for granted that a man has Job xii. 7. "Ask now the beasts, and a very high opinion of the woman he they shall teach thee; and the fowls of marries, enjoins him to testify that the air, and they shall tell thee." good opinion; and in such terms, as are equivalent to a solemn promise of treating her tenderly and respectfully; or, as the Apostle Peter expresses it, of giving honour to the wife, as to the less robust vessel of the two. 1 Peter iii. 7. A late very sensible writer (Wheatly) supposes, agreeably to the venerable Hooker's comment on the phrase, that the design of the above stipulation is, "to express that the woman, by virtue of this marriage, has a share in all the titles and honours which are due, or belong, to the person of her husband." He also observes, that Martin Bucer, who lived at the very time when our Liturgy was composed, translated the passage in question, by- cum corpore meo te honoro'-with my body I thee honour:" and that the learned Mr. Selden renders it corpore meo te dignor.' It is true, adds Mr. Wheatly, the modern sense of the word is (or rather seems) somewhat different; for which reason, at the review of our Liturgy, after the restoration of King Charles II. the word worship was promised to be How the

Perhaps we cannot delineate the
sagacity, fidelity, and attachment, of
these animals, in more striking lan-
guage, than in that pathetic piece of
Homer, respecting the dog which
Ulysses left at Ithaca, when he em-
barked for Troy, and found again at
his return, after twenty years absence.
When wise Ulysses from his native coast,
Long kept by wars, and long by tempests tost,
Arriv'd at last, poor, old, disguis'd, alone,
To all his friends, and ev'n his queen, unknown;
Chang'd as he was, with age, and toil, and cares,
Furrow'd his woe-worn face, and white his hairs,
In his own palace forc'd to ask his bread,
Scorn'd by those slaves his former bounty fed,
Forgot of all his own domestic crew,
The faithful dog his rightful master knew!
Unfed, unhous'd, neglected on the clay,
Like an old servant now cashier'd, he lay,
Touch'd with resentment of ungrateful man,
And longing to behold his ancient lord again.
Him when he saw---he rose, and crawl'd to

meet,

("Twas all he could) and fawn'd, and kiss'd his
feet,

Seiz'd with dumb joy,---then falling by his side,
Own'd his returning lord, 'look'd up, and died.'

Answer to Query on " I thee worship." changed for that of honour.

MR. EDITOR,

SIR, AS W. S. of Leeds, (col. 278,) wishes to know in what sense those words in the marriage ceremony are to be understood," With my body I thee worship," I have taken the liberty of sending, for his information, two extracts which appeared in a periodical publication some years ago; but as to the first part of the query, "whether the above words can be omitted without rendering the solemn contract illegal?" I really am not able to satisfy him. That they may be the means of reconciling his mind to that part of the Liturgy of the Church of England, is the sincere wish of your correspondent, April 7, 1820.

FREDERICUS.

Extract 1.-In what sense are we to understand that declaration of the husband to his bride, "with my body I thee worship." The word worship in ancient English, signifies neither more nor less, than that honour, atten

alteration came to be omitted, I cannot discover. But so long as the old word is explained in the sense here given, one would think no objection could be urged against the using of it.

A CONSTANT READER.

Extract 2.-It is one of the subordinate advantages of a public Liturgy, that it tends to fix the fluctuating language of the country. But then it ought to be composed by persons thoroughly skilled in the native tongue. The compilers of the English Liturgy were men of this description, and no one of them more skilled than Bishop Ridley. Accordingly, whilst the Liturgy contains but very few obsolete words, many books written in the same age require a glossary of some length to understand them. It is true that the whole of the prayers are not so old as Elizabeth, some parts being afterwards added to perfect the.compilation. Some of the services, however, do contain terms of forgotten use, and no one of them more than the office for marriage,

"With my