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THE VILLAGE CLERGYMAN.

may be a very great temptation to one, which is none at all to another. And if a man does not know what are his greatest temptations, he must have been a great stranger indeed to the business of self-employment. As the subtle enemy of mankind takes care to draw men gradually into sin, so he usually draws them by degrees into temptation. As he disguises the sin, so he conceals the temptation to it; well knowing that were they but once sensible of the danger of their sin, they would be ready to be on their guard against it. Would we know ourselves thoroughly, then, we must get acquainted not only with our most usual tempta tions, that we be not unawares drawn into sin, but also with the previous steps and preparatory circumstances, which make eway for these temptations, that we be not drawn unawares into the occasions of sin; for those things which lead us into temptations, are to be considered as temptations, as well as those which imme diately lead us into sin. And a man that knows himself will be aware of his remote temptations, as well as the more immediate ones. For example, if he find that the company of a passionate man is a temptation, as So. loman tells us it is, he will not only avoid it, but those occasions that may lead him into it. And the petition in the Lord's prayer makes it as much a man's duty to be upon his guard against temptation, as under it. Nor can a man pray from his heart that God would not lead him into temptation, if he take no care himself to avoid it.

THE VILLAGE CLERGYMAN.

NEAR Yonder copse, where once the garden smil'd,
And still where many a garden flower grows wild ;
There, where a few torn shrubs the place disclose,
The village preacher's modest mansion rose.. k
Remote from towns he ran his godly race,

Nor e'er had chang'd, nor wish'd to change, his place.
There, to relieve the wretched was his pride,

And even his failings leant to virtue's side.

ACCOUNT OF THE BEAVER.

But in his duty prompt to every call,

He watch'd and wept, he pray'd and felt for all.
And as a bird each fond endearment tries,
To tempt the new-fledg'd offspring to the skies,
He tried each art, reprov'd each dull delay,
Allur'd to brighter worlds, and led the way.
Beside the bed where parting life was laid,
And sorrow, guilt, and pain, by turns dismay'd,
The reverend champion stood. At his control
Despair and anguish fled the struggling soul;
Comfort came down the trembling wretch to raise, !
And his last faltering accents whisper'd praise.
At church, with meek and unaffected grace,
His looks adorn'd the venerable place;
Truth from his lips prevail'd with double sway,
And fools, who came to scoff, remain'd to pray.
The service past, around the pious man,
With ready zeal, each honest rustic ran;
Ev'n children follow'd with endearing wile,

187

And pluck'd his gown to share the good man's smile§ 3
His ready smile a parent's warmth express'd,
Their welfare pleas'd him, and their cares distress'd;
To them his heart, his love, his griefs were given,
But all his serious thoughts had rest in Heaven. **

ACCOUNT OF THE BEAVER.

THE common beaver is chiefly an inhabitant of North America, but is also found in the northern parts of Europe and Asia; it is about three feet long, and twelve or fifteen inches broad. The beaver has an arched back, thick neck, and middle-sized head; the tail is very remarkable, being about a foot long, of an oval form, flat, and scaly, having the appearance of the tail of a fish united to the body of a quadruped; the body is of a deep chesnut-blacker, however, as approaching the north, and paler in more southern latitudes; the hair is long and glossy, and covers a fine soft down used as fur, and for the manufacture of hats.

188

ACCOUNT OF THE BEAVER.

The beaver shows wonderful sagacity in the formation of its habitations, for which purpose its structure is admirably adapted. It is in America that the works of the beaver are seen to the greatest advantage. Its residence is in woody situations, near water. In order to build their houses, these animals assemble in troops of two or three hundred, on the bank of a river or lake. If the water be apt to overflow, they construct a dam, so as to form a level piece of water: the bank, which crosses the river, is often from eighty to a hundred feet long, and about ten or twelve feet broad at the base, sloping on the side nearest the water, so as to be about two feet in breadth at top. This work, done by such small animals, is yet more remarkable for its solidity than its size; it is formed of wood and clay, procured in the following manner :-The beavers choose a shallow part of the river, or lake, and if there happens to be a large tree so situated as that it would fall across the water, they take this as the basis of their work; and, gnawing across its foot with their strong and sharp front teeth, they lay it prostrate in a very short time, always contriving that it shall fall across the river. Their next operation is to gnaw off the branches; after which, some of them traverse the banks of the river to fell smaller trees, from the size of a man's leg to that of his thigh. Having reduced these to the form of stakes, they drag them over the land, and swim with them through the water to the place where the building is to be erected; here they sink these, their piles, interweaving them with branches of trees. beavers undergo great labour, before they accomplish this much of their task. Many of them unite in raising one end of the prepared tree, whilst others dive, to form at the bottom of the water a hole for its reception. In the mean time, another division of their numbers is employed in fetching earth, and preparing by working it with their fore feet, to fill up the intervals between the piles. These consist of several rows of stakes of equal height, placed opposite each other; those placed against the current of the river slope towards the top, while those on the other side are placed perpendicularly. This disposition of the piles is not the only means by

The

ACCOUNT OF THE BEAVER.

189

which they strengthen themselves against the force of the current; several holes are left in the upper part of the bank, to permit the passage of some of the water, and these they have the caution to enlarge as the waters increase. Having, by their joint labours, procured themselves a safe foundation for their habitations, they proceed, in separate parties, to complete them. Their houses are raised on the piles, near the surface of the water, are generally arched more or less at the top, and larger or smaller, according to the number of those who are to live in them; some are three or four stories high, others only one; their diameter varies from four or five, to eight or ten feet; the walls are two feet thick, rising perpendicularly to the height of a few feet, and then ending in a vault or dome. They are very solid, impenetrable to rain and wind, however violent, and covered within and on all their partitions, with a wonderfully neat stucco. Their feet serve them for hands, and their tails as trowels; their materials are wood, stone, and a sandy earth, insoluble in water: they choose such woods as are lightest, and most easily worked, alder, poplar, willow, which are also best suited to them as growing near water. The number of se

parate cabins in each village seldom exceeds ten or twelve, though, occasionally, it amounts to twenty or twenty-five; the smallest cabins contain two, four, or six beavers, and the largest eighteen, twenty, and it is even said, thirty. They are generally equally paired, the number of males and females being alike, so that the whole number in each village will amount to 150 or 200. They agree perfectly among themselves, and appear destined to the enjoyment of great happiness. Each family has its separate store of food laid up for the winter, consisting of tender bark and wood. Whenever the weather permits, they make excursions into the woods, to partake of fresh provision, which they prefer to that which time has rendered dry. Their time of breeding is at the end of winter; the number of young is two or three-two is the more frequent number; they are generally male and female, and pair off to build a house for themselves, after having remained about three years with their parents. During the summer the beavers regale themselves on the fresh fruits of

190

SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL.A

the season, and lay in their winter stock during the month of September; July and August being employ ed in the construction of their houses. From the be ginning of October they remain mostly at home, enjoy. ing, we may suppose, the comforts of their convenient abodes and peaceful society. They often sit at the window, formed by the holes, for the passage of the water in the upper part of the dam, having half their bodies immersed in water. They are remarkably cleanly, and take great care not to soil their cabins, the floors of which they cover with the warm branches of the fir and box-trees. At the return of spring, the males repair to the woods, while the females remain at home some time longer, to rear their young, who are soon, however, in a condition to follow them. When the water about their dwelling is frozen, they open a communication through the ice from the surface to their windows, and take care to maintain it. It is remarkable, that those parts of the beaver's body which are habitually covered with water, have the appearance of the flesh of fish, while the other parts are of the same texture as that of other land animals.— Some of the beavers live solitary, forming for their residence, holes in the sides of the banks of rivers. Beavers of this way of life do not yield so valuable a fur as the others. When tamed, the beaver is gentle and docile, but shows no signs of superior sagacity. The Chili beaver is a bold and fierce animal, living much in the water, but unlike the common beaver in habits.

SPREAD OF the gospel.

FROM Greenland's icy mountains,
From India's coral strand,
Where Afric's sunny fountains,
Roll down their golden sand;

From many an ancient river,
From many a balmy plain,
They call us to deliver

Their land from error's chain.