Orion, or bring forth Mazzaroth in his season, or bind Arcturus with his stars!'

The dark cloud which had so long obscured the vision of astronomers, not only preventing farther investigation, but casting heavy shadows upon objects already surveyed, and doubts and fears upon facts which otherwise would have served as a sure foundation for hope and faith, had, at least, been broken into detached parts, and now only waited the action of the splendid telescope at Cambridge, to be dissolved into thinner vapor than the most highly attenuated nebula which was ever supposed to have an existence. The Cambridge refractor has not the space-penetrating power of Lord Rosse's telescope; but our atmosphere is more favorable, and hence more has been achieved than has been done by that immense instrument. When the Cambridge refractor was directed upon the nebula in Orion, the stars of that immeasurable mass burst into the most distinct and well-defined light. The learned director of that observatory has executed a splendid drawing of the nebula, locating and numbering a catalogue of several hundred stars, varying in his scale from the fourth to the nineteenth degrees of magnitude. The nebulous appearances are not entirely dissipated; nor can we hope they ever will be. From past experience we may expect that as the space-penetrating power of telescopes is increased, the present nebulous appearances will be resolved into stars, and that other nebulous appearances, still more remote, will rise upon our vision to perplex the inquirer; inviting renewed efforts, but telling man, in silent, yet astounding language, that beyond, and still beyond, there are other systems, too mighty and too remote for his limited vision; that there are no bounds to space or to matter; and that to the Infinite MIND, the power to scan the illimitable and comprehend the incomprehensible has been reserved.

What infinite distances, what dread potencies, are here for our contemplation! But HE who spread out these illimitable fields of space, and created and controls the mighty forces pervading them, is more worthy of our serious thoughts and reverential awe. Above these potencies, mighty though they are, we cannot fail to recognize a CREATIVE POWER, to whom the deep-toned thunders and whispering zephyrs are alike obedient. To HIM all times, all distances, and all things are the same. The delicate flower, breathing its fragrance upon the thoughtless wanderer for a day, and the dim, yet mighty systems, sweeping with incalculable speed around the verge of the outward horizon; my infant daughter, yet unconscious of the dread agencies around, teaching us, by her simplicity and innocence, of primal purity; and the throng of angels, the loved and lost, whose bright and long-missed faces seem bursting through the sky,' are all the creatures of His infinite love, and the objects of His parental care :

THE smallest dust which floats upon the wind,
Bears the strong impress of the ETERNAL MIND,
In mystery round it, subtile forces roll,
And gravitation binds and guides the whole.
In every sand before the tempest hurled,
Lie locked the powers which regulate a world;
And from each atom human thought may rise,
With might to pierce the mysteries of the skies;
To try each force which rules the mighty plan,
Of moving planets, or of breathing man;
And from the secret wonders of each sod,
Evoke the truths and learn the power of GOD!

INSCRIBED то CAPTAIN

LINES

COMSTOCK, U. 6. STEAM-SHIP BALTIC.

I WENT to view a brother's grave;

Not where the weeping willows wave
Their pendent branches green;
Not where the spire, with sunward slope,
Points steadfast to the realms of Hope,
Above a quiet scene!

Not where the monumental stone
Or chiselled statue stands, a lone
Cold sentry o'er the dead;
Not where Affection plants with care
Exotics rich and flow'rets rare,

To dress the sleeper's bed.

Not where the sunlight on the sod
Gilds, like the blessed smile of God,
The couch of mortal rest;

Where songs of birds and zephyrs fair
Foreshadow to the mourner there
The regions of the blest.

Oh, no! I went to view again
The 'gray and melancholy' main,
And rode the storm-rolled wave;
I mused upon the waters wild,
Befitting tomb for Ocean's child;

There was my brother's grave!

GOD, in His providence, appears
At times to spurn Affection's tears
And ineffectual prayers;

At times 't would seem as if the just
HE crushed by sorrows to the dust,
And 'bands' in death were theirs.

Such my distracting thoughts, when first,
Years since, the tidings o'er me burst
Like thunder from the cloud;
News of a brother's mortal sleep,
His corse 'COMMITTED TO THE DEEP,'
Lashed in his hammock-shroud !

But now I love the restless sea!
Oh, what a mighty grave has he
Within its bosom vast!
Its voiceful billows, as they roll,
Wake solemn music in my soul,
Responsive to the past.

Buried of Ocean! though my eye
Saw not where thy cold ashes lie,
Not that do I deplore;

In death thou'rt blest; thy grave, the Sea,

Is nobler far than mine will be,

Upon the tamer shore!

Gill, Franklin Co., Mass.

PRASANT BARD.

A TRIP то THE Ꮯ Ꭱ Ꭺ Ꭲ Ꭼ Ꭱ OF

KILAUEA:

ISLAND OF HAWAII: IN 1849.

IN TWO PARTS: PART FIRST.

THE Island of Hawaii, the largest and most beautiful of the Sandwich Island group, is celebrated for the Crater of Kilauea, the greatest living volcano in the known world. Shortly after the arrival of our ship at Hilo, a small village at the north-eastern side of that island, a party was formed for the purpose of making a trip to that stupendous phenomenon. We were obliged to make a journey of thirty-five miles into the interior; and horses, a native guide, and native servants, were procured several days previous to the time fixed for our departure, so that we might meet with no detention.

On the twenty-eighth of June we shoved off from the ship at day-light, intending to make an early start; but upon arriving on shore, we were doomed to meet with a sad disappointment. News had spread abroad among the natives that our men were to have liberty to go on shore that day, and as the Kannaka'* has long since become sufficiently civilized to know that more is to be made out of Jack, who is generally perfectly reckless on these occasions, than out of an officer, we found that, out of the dozen horses we had engaged, only four were forthcoming. One gave as an excuse that his animal was lame; another declared that he had neither saddle nor bridle; and a third that his beast was without shoes. As there was no means of redress, this condition of things threw us into a great dilemma. But as we had come on shore for the purpose of making a trip to the crater, most of us were determined to go on foot, rather than return to the ship without accomplishing this object. Before attempting this, however, we tried our last resource, which was to offer more money. Several Kannakas were immediately dispatched through the village, whom we authorized to offer double the sum originally agreed upon. This acted like a talisman, for in the course of an hour there was not a lame horse in the neighbourhood, nor one without saddle, bridle, or shoes, and we made up our complement without farther difficulty.

But hereupon another trouble arose. The native servants we had hired to carry our provisions and luggage, struck for higher wages. One of the principal men among them got up and made a speech, in which he explained in a very lucid manner the indignity they would suffer if their pay was not increased proportionably with that of the horses, and finally concluded his harangue, by exclaiming, that he, for one, would not stir an inch, unless his wages were doubled! This raised a terrible hubbub in the crowd: we resisted the imposition, but they proved the

'KANNAKA,' in the Hawaiian language, means 'a man,' but among the English and Americans, it signifies a native of the islands.

stronger party, and we were finally obliged to give in and accede to their demands.

Everything being in readiness, our party assembled by ten o'clock. It consisted of nine officers, two servants, and one man from the ship, beside ten native servants, and a guide; in all, twenty-three persons. Having stowed our luggage in large calabashes, which are the grand vehicle for the transportation of light articles in this country, we sent on the servants ahead, and shortly after, mounting our horses, proceeded on our way.

The day was beautiful. The magnificent dome of Mounaloa stood out in bold relief against a cloudless sky, and the snow-capped peak of Mounakea glittered resplendently beneath the brilliant rays of a tropical sun. These mountains, rising to the height of fourteen thousand feet above the level of the sea, and covered with perennial verdure, add a peculiar charm to the scenery of this island. Shortly after leaving the village, we passed the Royal Fish Ponds, and from thence began gradually to ascend. The road consisted merely of a narrow path, only wide enough to admit two horses together; and it was so broken and rugged, that we found it impossible to advance faster than at a slow walk.

Passing over five or six miles, we left behind us the banana, the sugarcane, and the coffee-plant, and came to the edge of a dense forest, the trees of which were overrun with parasitic plants. Here the path, in many places, was completely hidden by a thick undergrowth. My horse happening to have the lead, I thought it best to let him pick his own way; so shutting my eyes, and stooping down as low as possible upon his neck, I rushed blindly through many places apparently impassable, at the imminent risk of being brushed off his back at every step. Two miles brought us to the end of the wood; and perceiving a shady spot a short distance from the road, where cocoa-trees waved their graceful heads, and a verdant turf invited to repose, we alighted from our horses. Reclined upon the grass, our servants produced from the well-supplied calabashes ham, cold chicken, bread, cheese, wine, etc., etc., and we fell to work with appetites well sharpened by our ride. The natives from several surrounding houses soon gathered near us, offering cocoa-nuts, bananas, and other fruits; but all for a 'con-sid-era- tion.'

The young girls were very sociable, and not in the least bashful; this refinement of civilization having not yet extended to these regions. They sat down beside us, ogling us with their dark liquid eyes, and laughing good-humoredly from time to time at some joke they were most probably cracking at our expense. The spot was delightful, the company interesting, and we would most willingly have prolonged our stay; but we had yet many miles to traverse, and the sun had already passed the meridian.

Once more on our way, we found our route led over a bed of lava, which was exceedingly uneven and rough. Although many centuries have doubtless elapsed since this flow took place, the rock still preserved all the curious forms it took as it ran down and cooled. Our horses picked their way with so much caution, that riding became very irksome, and many of us dismounted, to stretch our limbs for a few miles on foot.

Vegetation had now changed its character entirely: the whole face of the country was covered with a vigorous growth of immense tropical ferns, while to the north, the path was skirted by a dense forest. At six o'clock

P. M. we arrived at Ola, a small village about eighteen miles distant from Hilo, which was the termination of the first day's journey. Many of us were pretty well worn out with the heat and fatigue of riding over a most shocking road, at a snail's pace, for seven long hours; and the prospect of a good supper and a comfortable night's rest was quite reviving.

No sooner had I dismounted from my beast, and seated myself upon the grass in front of our quarters, than I was seized upon by a young Hawaiian, who commenced practising the 'Lumi-lumi,' a species of shampooing, upon my lower extremities. Ye gods! it is worth being fatigued, to enjoy the luxuries of this singular operation, well worthy to be transferred from savage to civilized life. The practised fingers pass soothingly over the tired muscles, dive deeply into the tender places, and gradually infuse a new vigor into the whole system. Fatigue appeared to pass away as if by magic; and in the course of fifteen or twenty minutes I arose, and sat down to partake of a substantial repast, quite an altered individual.

The natives for several miles around soon got wind of the arrival of the 'Karhowries,' or strangers, in their neighborhood, and flocked in from all sides to take a look at us. Some came merely to gaze and wonder, but the greater part of them had another object-gain. The articles they brought for sale consisted principally of poultry, milk, vegetables, miniature canoes, walking-sticks, birds, etc., etc. They all appeared to know how to drive a bargain, and generally asked about double what they intended to take, providing they did not find a ready sale. Making purchases and chatting with them, we passed the time until night-fall, when our attention was attracted in another direction. The terminal crater of Mounaloa, more than thirty miles distant, and at an elevation of fourteen thousand feet above the level of the sea, blazed up before us, like a beaconfire, toward the sky. This crater broke forth in May last, after a repose of six years. It is supposed to be the same that Wilkes* describes as the seat of his encampment in 1840.

Being much fatigued with our day's journey, we all retired at an early hour. Our couch was prepared in the native style; it consisted of fine mats, spread over a staging about two and a half feet high, eight feet wide, and extending from one extremity of our grass-house to the other. This kind of bed appeared very agreeable at first, but I found out it was just the reverse. An army of fleas soon commenced their depredations upon me, and annoyed me so much, that after trying in vain to close my eyes for more than three hours, I arose to take a turn in the open air. Upon sallying forth, I perceived at about one hundred yards distant a native house, from which issued much light and a great noise. Having some curiosity to see what was going on at that late hour, I proceeded to the spot, where I found all our servants, together with about fifteen natives, men and women, seated around a pile of stones from which arose volumes of smoke, alternately jabbering, laughing, and singing, at the top of their voices. Perceiving our guide among the party, I made him a sign to approach, wishing to ascertain what heathenish rite they could be celebrating at that time of night. From his mixture of broken English and

* ON a second visit, made to Hawaii in October following, I learned that this crater was not the seat of WILKES' encampment, but another, a short distance from it.