No. 108.] 53 By a lad 16 years of age. The ox is an useful quadruped a little larger than the horse; but does not look like him. The hair, which covers his body, is short; it is of variable color; although it is commonly reddish. He has four legs to have ability to move; the extremity of the legs have cloven hoofs. He has two long horns, and two large ears on his head, and a broad and square nose. He has two black eyes which are beautiful. He has a long tail whose extremity has a bunch of hair. He is strong for he can plough, or harrow the land, from which the different kinds of vegetables and grains grow for food, and also can draw a carriage and large sled, (to carry stones and other things,) as the horse; though he moves slowly. Under suffering, he is patient. The ox is domestic; he eats grass, hay, corn, and vegetables; but he likes to eat chiefly pumpkins. After he has eaten, he chews the cud in standing or lying on the ground. In Egypt, once, there was an ox which was worshipped. In India, the cow is thought to be sacred. The ox is killed so that the people may eat meat; his skin is made into leather which is made into shoes and boots. His hair is mixed with lime to make mortar; his horns are made into different kinds of combs, powderhorns and other things, and his bones are made into buttons and many other things. His hoofs are boiled te be turned into glue and his fat is extracted into tallow for candles and soaps. By a lad 15 years of age. There was a man in Poland, a servant of a Polish count, named Mazeppa. The Polish count's wife was very intimate with Mazeppa whom she loved very much. The Polish count found them together, and he was very angry at them, because he thought that his wife loved Mazeppa more than him. The count ordered his servants to seize Mazeppa, and cast him into a prison. The count contrived something to punish Mazeppa. He conceived that Mazeppa should be left on such a wild horse, that no man could ride on him. This horse had been brought from the desert where there were many wild horses. The Polish count ordered his servants to bring Mazeppa, and set him on the wild horse's back, by tying a rope round him on it. They carried Mazeppa, and took his clothes from him, and tied him on the wild horse's back with the rope. The count carried his wife to Mazeppa, and said to her "look at him bound naked on the wild horse." She saw him and then she was very sorry for him. The servants let the wild horse go away. Then he ran very swiftly to run among the trees for two days. across it, and ran up a steep hill. [Assem. No. 108.] 7 into the desert, and continued He ran to a river and swam Some wolves saw him, and wished to eat him, but he ran very swiftly from them; and even some eagles saw the man on him, and wished to eat him, but the wild horse escaped from them. After he had run among the trees in the desert for two days, he became very weak, and he went to a farm. Then he fell down on the ground and died. Mazeppa had been much hurt by the branches of the trees which had scratched him, and, now, he was half dead. Soon a woman came from a cottage to the farm, and saw Mazeppa with the wild horse lying on the ground; and she unbound him from the wild horse, and carried him to the cottage. She took care of Mazeppa, and some days thence, he recovered. Then he was much amazed to think that he had been sick, and he did not know how he had been made sick. By the same. THE EARTH. The Earth is a globe on which we live. It revolves round the sun every year. The Earth is round, for the moon shows us that during an eclipse, the former makes upon the latter a round shadow. The Earth turns round its axis once in a day, and the sun attracts it revolving round it. We cannot fall up off the Earth, for it attracts us. When a ship comes from down the curve of the Earth, we can see its upper sails at first; and when the ship descends the curve towards us, we can see over it whole. The Earth draws the moon revolving round it. If the sun did not draw the Earth revolving round it, and if the Earth did not attract the moon revolving round it, they would fly away. The people in India think that four great elephants carry the Earth on their backs. But they are much mistaken, for how can the elephants stand? Some of the ancients used to think that a great giant carried the Earth on his shoulders. But they did not show on what he could stand. The Indians in America think that the Earth is carried by a great turtle on its back. These people in India and in America are ignorant and do not know the true God, and that he created the world. There is a star on the north, which is fixed in the sky. It is called the north star. When we descend the curve of the Earth from the north star, we cannot see it; but when we ascend the curve to it, we can see it. The northern pole is very severely cold, and there is great ice there in the winter, because the sun is not in the part of the sky near it for six months; but in the summer there are there heat and light of the sun in a day of six months. The southern pole resembles the northern. The sun goes from the southern pole towards the northern in the summer, and afterwards returns from the northern pole towards the southern in the winter. By a lad 15 years of age. New-York, December 27th, 1833. To the President of the U. States. Sir, If I should see you, I could not speak to you, because I am a deaf mute. Though I am deaf, I can express my ideas in a letter to you. I have been at school some years, and my education is partly completed. But there are many deaf and dumb children in the United States, who continue to be ignorant, they have not come to the Institution to be educated. I sympathize with them, I wish you might feel an interest in them. Several years ago, Congress agreed that they would grant a tract of land to the American Asylum at Hartford, and its directors sold it for a great deal of money for the purpose of a permanent support. Congress did not agree to grant any tract of land to the N. York Institution. This Institution has many pupils and several teachers and masters of the shops, and intellectual and manual education are now prospering; but the income of the Institution is not sufficient and the present state cannot be permanent. I have heard that a gentleman, a member of the Senate in Congress, who has left New-York for Washington, will soon present a bill to the Senate and House of Representatives in Congress who may agree to grant a tract of land to the New-York Institution for the purpose of providing for the Deaf and Dumb pupils as Congress did to the American Asylum at Hartford. I hope that you will be willing to sign it after it his passed Congress because there are more than six thousand deaf and dumb children in the United States, who live nearly like wild animals. Deaf and Dumb people often break the laws of Good and man because they are ignorant. Therefore a magistrate's duty is to see that all these persons are placed in some proper institutions that their dark minds may be enlightened. Your Excellency's Most obedient servant. J. W. C. By a lad 14 years of age. There lived a man in the city of Edinburgh who is the metropolis of Scotland, named Timothy Ludlow. When he was in youth, he was placed at an extensive college and he obtained some knowledge of chemistry and Natural Philosophy and after these, he commenced the study of astronomy with which he became perfectly acquainted. Before the completion of his education, he concluded to go on a voyage over all the world in order that he might see a great many countries and islands. I shall remark in the first place that he went to Cape of Good Hope. He remained in that colony for a few weeks. In the mean while, he saw a monstrous hyena which watched him for a long time, it made Mr. L. begin to tremble & compelled him to run away from that beast but the hyena pursued him to make him his prey. But the gentleman conceived a means of escaping from that monster by climbing a very high tree. He climbed up the tree, when the quadruped arrived at the tree where he watched him but the traveler dropped his pen-knife into his right eye. The hyena was impressed with anger at him and ran around the tree with great swiftness but he got tired of remaining near the tree & therefore he ran swiftly up a mountain. Mr. L.'s heart beat with joy and thanked God for his protection. He ran to his lodgings in haste but he was fatigued in consequence of which he was taken sick. In a few weeks, he embarked in a ship which was bound to the country of Arabia. He arrived at that country several weeks after his departure from Cape of Good Hope. But the arabians saw that he was covered with a rich dress and became jealous of him and conducted him to one of their tents where he was bound with chains but the crew of the ship were angry on account of the imprisonment of their dear friend among the Arabians. They therefore took their guns with the intention of delivering Mr. L. and came to the tent and told the kidnappers to deliver the gentleman but they would not submit to the authority of the crew who were, therefore exceedingly enraged at their refusals. The crew shot most of the kidnappers, the rest of them ran with speed to Mr. L. whom they unbound. Then they carried him to the crew who conveyed him to the ship. After this Mr. Ludlow embarked in the ship which was bound to China for the purpose of purchasing tea. He arrived at Canton, one of the largest cities in the world, where he saw many chinese carrying chests of tea. He paid them 2,000 dollars, He returned with tea to Scotland where he sold it with profit, By a young man 21 years of age. THE RAIL ROAD. We see the The rail road near the Institution in which we live, is now in operation in one part of it, and it will be completed at the expense of $500,000 subscribed by individuals of this state. cars move from one place to another on the road by the force of steam, for which carriages drawn by horses, are set aside, The cars move at a very prodigious rate, and seem almost to fly over the ground like a swallow flying over the meadow in pursuit of flies. The track of the carriage wheels being placed upon bars, the cars move on the rail road between the red house situated at the foot of Murray's hill, the rocks of which have been blasted by the force of powder, and the city, with so much ease that one or two horses can perform the labor of five or six horses on a common road. They are of much advantage to us, when we have business in the city. The experiment of a locomotive engine was first successful on the Manchester and Liverpool rail road in England. The transportation of cotton and other goods on carriages drawn by horses on the common road between these two places, had been very expensive. Since that "construction, the cars have afforded a cheaper and easier conveyance than these carriages, because they run with as great swiftness as the force of steam can drive them along. This is productive of great advantage to England. That which will ever associate the inventor thereof with the benefactors of the world, was the successful application of steam to propelling cars on the rail-road. The spirit by which these improvements have been made, is increasing, and it is expected that it will be extended in the United States for the necessary purpose of carrying passengers and goods. For the first experiment of the steam carriage made, we are indebted to England; its utility will point the inventor out as a benefactor of the human race. By the same. MEDITATIONS ON AUTUMN. When Autumn reigns after the days of Summer have elapsed by the regular motion of the earth, the sun shines obliquely upon the earth, and the cold begins to chill us, and other beings by degrees. Now we witness this season, when the winds rise, the leaves of the tree fall, & the flowers of the field disappear. The branches of the tree, stripped of all their leaves, in consequence of the power of frost, begin to wave, when the wind blows, and they cast a gloom over the face of nature. This is, indeed, the season of melancholy, and it is the time of our serious thoughts, when nature around us seems almost to sink into decay. The blossoms of our Spring exhibited a wide yet beautiful sight with which we were delighted: the harvest of our Summer was a sight of profusion and comfort to us; and we liked to move amid the beauties of nature. But, when the harvest and provisions have been housed, and are kept for the coming Winter it is wonderful how the influence of spring ceases, and the pride of Summer vanishes. By the same. THE MECHANICAL POWERS. These powers are simple machines being of great use in raising greater weights, in putting in motion heavier bodies or suppressing greater resistances than the power of man could perform. These con |