,■& *• l ^* % rt ° " • - .*>... >£■■ ■at *tcC\WA° ^ ^ * *.. * o . » V* * <&'n 4* ♦W^'. ^r .A' *<. .VA LOS • A v "^ t * <$> -% -job** * v ^ •: *> *L>\Lr+ ■> ^ ^o^ C "of i\ %~#* -' ^T* A V": o » * ,4q N O 'T ** «.»-^ ^> * o n o ° <& O, «*"S DUNIGAN & BROTHERS NEW AND IMPROVED EDITION. THE THIRD BOOK OF READING LESSONS. BY THE BROTHERS OF THE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS. REVISED, WITH A SUPPLEMENT. APPROVED OF BY THE BROTHER PROVINCIAL OF THE BROTHERS OF THE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS IN AMERICA. I* NEW YORK: EDWARD DUNIGAN AND BROTHER, 151 FULTON-STREET, NEAR BROADWAY. FOR SALE BY BOOKSELLERS GENERALLY. 1852. ^,_ JZu^**^*^^* <*»*4o 4lu**t *Z&*~*~ * Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1852, by Edward Dunigan & Brother, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Southern District of New York. PREFACE. The Third Book of Reading Lessons, of which a new edition is now presented to the Public by the Christian Brothers, will be found to correspond in matter and ar- rangement with the foregoing parts of the series. In its adaptation to the analytic, or explanatory mode of instruc- tion, as well as in the order, variety, and graduated scale of the lessons, it will be found, not only to harmonise with the educational system of the Institute from which it emanates, but to exhibit its peculiar features. In the short sketches of History, Geography, and Sci- ence, which are scattered throughout the work, the com- pilers have endeavoured to select whatever was most pictu- resque and striking, for the purpose of exciting the interest of the youthful mind, by the charms of truth, and present- ing the wonders of nature in so strong a light, as to render the marvels of fiction tame and feeble in comparison. In order to accommodate the length of the extracts to the ca- pacity of the class of readers for whom the Third Book is designed, and to afford the teachers an opportunity of prac- tical illustration, it has been considered expedient to render the lessons as short as the nature of the subjects would ad- mit. By the miscellaneous character of the arrangement, an opportunity is afforded of training the pupil to habits, not only of observation, but of reflection ; the first, by a ref- f > .4, 4 PREFACE. erence to living objects, or to the scenes and characters of real life ; the second, by the impressive appeals of religious truth, which, apart from their moral effects, possess a para- mount influence in giving a reflecting tone to the mind. As the facts of religion have furnished at all times the best ref- utation of its adversaries, it has been considered judicious, occasionally to vary its didactic lessons with brief extracts from the history of the Christian Church. Among the moral and religious pieces in prose and poe- try, the pupils of the Christian Schools will recognise the effusions of one whose voice once supplied the lessons now furnished by his writings, and whose living example im- pressed the moral which his memory must illustrate for the future. The look of attention and the tone of benevolence, in which these lessons were conveyed, will indeed be missed, but his spirit will still speak to the hearts of those over whom he bent with more than parental solicitude. In re- calling the memory of one who, for their sakes, forsook not only the first circle of literary distinction, but the more en- dearing one of kindred and of home, it will not fail also to convey the salutary truth, that the highest attainments of the scholar may be still further exalted and ennobled by re- ligion ; that the lustre of genius never appears to such ad- vantage as through the veil of humility ; and that the moral beauty of virtue itself acquires an additional charm, when exercised in the cause of charity. CONTENTS. Page Eules for Beading and Eeeitation, 10 Introductory Lesson on Eeading, 11 The English Language, Blair 308 Prefixes, Affixes, and Eoots of Words, 401 MOEAL AND EELIGIOUS LESSONS. Importance of Early Habits, Massillon 13 Christian Fortitude, Veith 27 Adherence to Truth, EEcole des Mceurs 37 The Fallen Leaf, Anon. 42 First Communion, Studenmaier 44 Hollandtide, G. Griffin 59 The Journey to Betlilehem, Dr. Wiseman 62 Eespect for Old Age, Addison 73 The Zealous Child, Lettres Edifiantes 86 Humility, the Foundation of Patience, Butler 100 Providential Deliverance, Eire Geramb 110 Forgiveness of Injuries, .Manzoni 124 Death of a Young Friend, .G. Griffin 129 St. Bridget, Moore 144 The Flower Everlasting, G. Griffin 163 Modesty and Humility, Manzoni 177 The Cross of the South, Humboldt 191 The Duties of Scnool-boys, Eollin 201 The Seven Churches, G. Griffin 223 Influence of Eeligion on the Tyrolese, Allison 244 Prayer, Massillon 269 Excellence and Uses of the Eye, G. Griffin 275 The Everlasting Church, Edinburgh Review 332 Death of the Christian, , Chateaubriand 337 SCIENCE. Of the Fixed Stars, Joyce 92 Influence of Heat on the Creation, Arnott 121 On Light, r .Id. 168 Properties of Matter, Id. 198 Steam Navigation, 241 On the Laws of Motion, « • . . .Joyce 252 The Diving-Bell, Cyclopedia 258 Gravity or Attraction, Arnott 272 Architecture, , Cyclopedia 286 1* 6 CONTENTS. CHUECH HISTORY. Pacre The Life of our Lord, Dbllmger 76 Establishment of the Church, /d. 114 Christianity in Britain, Lingard 116 Destruction of Jerusalem, Bollinger 132 Virtues of the Early Christians, Reeve 160 The Emperor Constantine, Bollinger 182 Final Destruction of the Temple, Bercastel 209 GEOGRAPHY. Great Wall of China, Smith's Wonders 17 •The Banks of the Savannah, Dr. England 25 Ice Islands and Icebergs of Spitzbergen, Goldsmith 30 Remarkable Lakes, Smith's Wonders 54 Natural Divisions of the Earth, C. B. 155 Europe, Id. 173 Asia, Id. 194 The Lakes of Killarney, darkens Wonders 204 Africa, O.B. 219 Glendalough, Wakeman 226 America, C. B. 236 The North Cape, Anon. 262 Oceanica, Matte Brun 278 The Giant's Causeway, Clarke's Wonders 291 Guadaloupe, Dr. England 297 Figure of the Earth, O.B. 302 Norwegian Winter, :..... Inglis 314 Solar System, O. B. 320 African Deserts, Clarke's Wonders 325 Passage of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers through the Blue Ridge, Jefferson 358 NATURAL HISTORY. Animal Sagacity, Smith's Wonders 15 The Cork-Tree, Mayo 18 The Leopard and Panther, Aikman 22 The Locust, „ Id. 32 The Coffee-Tree, Vegetable Productions 35 The Tiger, Aikman 49 Indian-Rubber and Sponge, Mayo 55 The Cassique, Waterton 69 The Vampire, Id. 95 The Wadding-Tree, Zettres Edifiantes 102 The Hippopotamus, Aikman 119 The Habitation of Moles, Smellie 135 Foreign Currants — Tamarinds — Saffron — Camphor, Mayo 137 The Papyrus, Cabinet Library 148 The Rein-Deer, Library of Entertaining Knowledge 157 The Habitation of Bees, Smellie 184 Mammalia, '.'.' Cuvier 227 Various Uses of Trees and Plants, Popular Philosophy 230 Birds, Cuvier 249 Fishes, Cyclopedia 283 Reptiles, Cuvier 295 Insects, Cyclopedia 305 CONTENTS. 7 POETICAL LESSONS. Pft?8 Arguments for the Love of God, G. Griffin 24 Loss in Delays, .Southwell 33 The Morning Lark, Thomson 35 The Captive Lark, Logan 46 The Traveller at the Source of the Nile, Mrs. Btmans 57 Hymn of the City, Bryant 64 The Deserted Village, Goldsmith 71 The Drowning Fly, Anon. 72 Hymn to the Blessed Virgin, Keble 84 Providence, from Filicaja 85 Time and Eternity, G. Griffin 91 Vision of Baltassar, Byron 106 Switzerland, Goldsmith 113 Hymn of a Child at waking, Lamartine 126 Come not, Lord, in Terrors, Moore 128 The Three Crows, Byrom 140 Stages of Life, Rill 141 The Dying Christian to his Soul, Pope 153 Ave Maria, Scott 154 Devotion, a Vision, G. Griffin 165 The Kainbow, Campbell 177 To the Cuckoo, Logan 180 The Annunciation, Mrs. Hemans IS! The Cross of the South, Id. 191 The Sisters of Mercy, W. 193 Innisfallen, Moore 207 Nature's Miracles, Cowper 214 Chance, Croly 216 The Choice of Friends, G. Griffin 240 To my Mother, H. K. White 246 The Crucifixion, Anon. 247 The Fire-Fly, Rogers 248 There is a joy of heavenly birth, M. S. 262 To the Blessed Virgin, G. Griffin 265 Prayer, Anon. 272 Who is thy Neighbour ? Anon. 281 Sonnet, H. K. White 282 Jephte's Daughter, M. S. 300 Occupations of Bees, Shakspeare 301 Green Kiver, Bryant 312 Mercy, Shakspeare 314 A Comparison, Cowper 317 The Housebuilder, Khemnitzer 324 Bemorse, from Filicaja 325 The Flying Fish, Moore 334 Destruction of Jerusalem, Byron 335 Pilgrim's Hymn, Hogg 336 Dangerous Effects of Fancy, Scott 337 Fragments, 108, 121, 136, 190, 208, 236, 278, 332 MISCELLANEOUS LESSONS. Whang the Miller, Goldsmith 19 The Simoom, Cabinet Library 39 Church of our Lady near Bologna, Eustace 48 Origin of the Early Inhabitants of Ireland, ..T 51 Snow Houses, Copt. Franklin 65 8 CONTENTS. Papro Foundation of Knowledge, Arnott 67 Politeness, Mrs. Chapone 74 Natural Philosophy of Children, Rollin 82 Progress of Civilisation, Arnott 89 Shipwreck of the Children of Henry I., IAngard 97 Porcelain Tower, Nankin, Smith's Wonders 104 Poor Richard, Franklin 1 08 Glass,— Putty, Mayo 142 The Catacombs, Eustace 146 Manufacture of Tape, Manchester as it is 150 The Colossus at Rhodes, Rollin 170 Euins of the Colosseum, Sir II. Davy 186 Influence of Music, G. Griffm 188 A Quarrel, H.D.B. 203 Silk, ; Mayo 212 Irish Music, Moore 217 iEolian Harp, Arnott 234 Pope Pius VII. and Napoleon, Allison 266 Euins of Herculaneum, Kotzebue 317 The Vatican Library, Eustace 329 Discovery of America, Robertson 339 Story and Speech of Logan, an Indian Chief, Jefferson 348 Grandeur and Moral Interest of American Antiquities, T. Flint 350 The American Indian, as he was, and as he is, C. Sprague 355 Account of the First Hostile Attack upon the American Colonists, by the British Troops, in the War of the Revolution, Boita 360 Address of the Eoman Catholics to George Washington, 369 Answer to the Eoman Catholics in the United States, . . Washington 371 Archbishop Carroll's Eulogium on General Washington, 373 Conduct of La Fayette in the American Eevolution, . ..J. Q. Adams 383 Address to the Survivors of the Battle of Bunker Hill, Webster 385 Character of Napoleon Bonaparte, Phillips 387 Character of the Irish Peasantry, Sir Jonah Barrington 391 The Founder of Maryland, Bancroft 394 The Settlement of Maryland, Id. 397 RULES FOR READING AND RECITATION. 1. Give the letters their proper sounds.* 2. Pronounce the vowels, a,f e, i, o, u, clearly, giving to each its proper quantity. 3. Pronounce the liquids, I, m, n, r, with considerable force. 4. Distinguish every accented letter or syllable by a pe- culiar stress of voice. 5. Read audibly and distinctly, and with a deliberation suited to the subject. 6. Pause sufficiently at each point, but not so long as to break that connexion which one part of a sentence has with another. *J. The meaning of a sentence is often elucidated by paus- ing where none of the usual marks could be inserted. 8. Give every sentence, and member of a sentence, that inflection of voice, which tends to improve either the sound or the sense. 9. Whilst monotones, judiciously introduced, have a pow- erful effect in diversifying delivery, children should be guard- ed against their too frequent use. * The consonants, d, g, s, t, x, and the vowel e, unless accented, are silent, when terminating French words. f The vowel a, in Latin, is sounded like a in at, and never re- ceives the English sound of that letter, as heard in ale. In the Ex- planatory Headings prefixed to the following lessons, when the ac- cent (') is placed immediately after a vowel, as in pu'pil, it denotes that the vowel has its long sound ; but when the accent is placed • immediately after a consonant, as in pun'ish, it indicates that the sound of the vowel is short. In both cases, the syllable so marked is the emphatic one. In monosyllables, the long vowel sound is in- dicated by (-) over the vowel, — as, fate; and the short sound by (~) over the vowel, — 2^, fat. 10 RULES FOE READING. 10. Every emphatical word must be marked with a force corresponding with the importance of the subject. 11. At the beginning of the subject, the pitch of the voice should be low, but audible. To this rule there are some exceptions in poetry, and even in prose. 12. At the commencement of a new paragraph, division, or subdivision, of a discourse, the voice may be lowered, and allowed gradually to swell. 13. In reading or discoursing on sacred, or religious sub- jects, let gravity and solemnity be observed. INTRODUCTORY LESSON. ON READING. Good reading is an imitation of correct and elegant speak- ing. Reading differs from speaking in this, that in the lat- ter, we express our own ideas, in our own language ; in the former, we express the ideas of others, in theirs. A reader should endeavour to seize the meaning of his author, make his opinions and sentiments his own, and so to read as to in- fuse them into the minds and hearts of his hearers. For this end, he should attend to six things ; namely, — pronuncia- tion, punctuation, accent, emphasis, the proper modulation of his voice, and, lastly, to the time with which he reads. By pronunciation is meant — the giving to every word and syllable the sound which accords with the most polite usage of the language. A slight, mincing pronunciation of the ac- cented vowels, an indistinct pronunciation of the unaccented ones, a slurring of the final consonants, and the omission of / and d in of and and, are faults which should be carefully avoided. The beauty of pronunciation depends on the cor- rect sound and judicious prolongation of the vowels ; its dis- tinctness, on the exact and firm expression of the consonants. By punctuation is meant — a due regard to the pauses which the sense or beauty of a passage may require. To connect words which are naturally separated, or to separate those which are naturally connected, may materially alter the sense of what is read. Every word or phrase conveying a distinct idea requires a pause. The length of the pauses must depend on the nature of the subject; but, generally, the length given to one, determines the length of the others. The reader's judgment must here be exercised, that he may use such pauses as will mark most accurately the sense or beauty of the passage he is reading. Accent is a stress of the voice laid on particular syllables and words ; depending on ordinary custom when laid on syl- 12 INTRODUCTORY LESSON. lables, and on their relative importance when laid on words , Nouns, adjectives, principal verbs, adverbs — when not mere- ly connective, — demonstrative and interrogative pronouns, interjections, and words put in opposition to each other, are accented : all others are unaccented. Qualifying words, and those which, in each passage, limit the sense, should receive the more forcible, or primary accent ; and words of minor importance, the less forcible, or secondary accent. Emphasis is a peculiar expression given to words or mem- bers of sentences, which we desire particularly to distinguish, and usually, if not always, suggests some contrast. It is often placed on unaccented words, and may be expressed by a higher or lower tone of the voice, by a pause, or by some peculiarity in the manner of the reader. A misplaced em- phasis annuls or materially alters the sense of a passage. The well known example, ". Do you ride to town to-day ?" is, by altering the emphasis, susceptible of at least four dif- ferent meanings. Modulation of the Voice. — The middle pitch, or ordinary speaking tone of the voice, is that which should most usually be chosen. As a general rule, the reader should suit his tone or pitch to the size of the room in which he reads, or to the distance at which he is to be heard. As he proceeds, his tones should swell, and animation increase with the in- creasing importance of his subject. Time. — A lifeless, drawling manner of reading is always wearisome and disagreeable ; but the more ordinary fault of young persons is precipitancy. Against the latter, therefore, they should be especially cautioned, as, having once grown habitual, it is more difficult to be corrected. A reader should adapt his manner to the nature of his subject, avoiding every appearance of constraint and affecta- tion on the one hand, and of bashful timidity on the other. Thus, he will please and instruct his hearers, and improve his ordinary manner of speaking, by the habit of correctness he will have thus acquired. THIRD BOOK OP READING LESSONS § 1. LESSON I. IMPORTANCE OF EARLY HABITS. Corruption, n., wickedness. K* corruption, from ruptum, L., and this, probably, from rumpo, I break or destroy. Char'acters, n., the persons with their assemblage of qualities. L. and G. character, from charasso, G., I stamp, I cut, ennines, and extending on the other over a plain of immense extent, and unparalleled population and fertility. One circumstance struck us particularly, while on the hill. It was the end of March ; the sky was clear, and the weather warm, nearly as it may be on a bright day in England in the month of May; so warm, in short, as to render the shade not only pleasing, but desirable ; yet, in various parts of the hill, and near the church, the snow lay deep, and in vast masses, still likely to resist, for some time, the increasing warmth of the season ; so great is the in- fluence of such mountains as the Alps and Apen- nines on the climate of the adjacent countries. Eustace. LESSON XX. THE TIGER. Ti'ger, n., a fierce beast of the leonine kind, so named on account of its swiftness. L. tigris, which in the Medians' language signifies an arrow. Hag'gard, a., wild, strange. F. hagard, untamed, from vagus, L., wandering ; or hagar (Heb.), a stranger. Insa'tiable, a., greedy beyond measure. F. insatiable, from satis, L., enough. El'ephant, n., the largest of all land animals. F. elephant, L. and G. elephas, a word received from the Tyrians. 5 50 THIRD BOOK OF Rhinoc'eros, n., a Deast in the East Indies, armed with a horn on the nose. F. and L. rhinoceros, G. rhinokeros, — rhi?i, the nose, and Jceras, a horn. Progeny (prod'-je-ne), n., brood. L. progenies, from gigno, I beget. Li'oness, n., a she lion. F. lionne. Lion is said to be derived from hlewan, A.S., to roar. Inva'der, n., one who enters with hostility into the possession of an- other. S. invasor. L. invadere, to go in : — vado, I go. Invet'erate, a., obstinate, deep-rooted. L. inveteratus, grown old ; vetus, old. Hid'eous, a., frightful. F. hideux, perhaps from hydan, A.S., to hide ; — being such as one would hide from. 1. The form of the body usually corresponds with the nature and disposition of the animal. The tiger, with a body too long, with limbs too short, with a. head uncovered, and with eyes ghastly and haggard, has no characteristics but those of the basest and most insatiable cruelty. For instinct he has nothing but a uniform rage, a blind fury ; so blind, indeed, so undistinguishing, that he frequently devours his own progeny, and if she offers to defend them, he tears in pieces the dam herself. 2. The tiger is found in Malabar, in Siam, in Ben- gal, and in all the countries which are inhabited by the elephant and rhinoceros. Dellon, in his travels, assures us, that there is no country in India in which tigers so much abound as Malabar, that there the species are numerous, but that the largest of all is that which the Portuguese call the royal tiger, which is very rare, and is as large as a horse. 3. The species of the tiger has always been much rarer and much less generally diffused than that of the lion. Like the lioness, however, the tigress pro- duces four or five young ones at a birth. From her nature she is fierce at all times ; but when surround- ed with her infant progeny, and in the smallest dan- ger of losing them, her rage and fury become extrav- agant. To oppose the daring invaders of her den, READING LESSONS. 51 she pursues the spoiler with an enmity the most in- veterate ; and he, contented to lose a part in order to save a part, is frequently obliged to drop one of the cubs. With this she immediately returns to her den, and again pursues him ; he then drops another ; and by the time she has returned with that, he gen- erally escapes with the remainder. Should her young be torn from her entirely, with hideous cries she ex- presses her agony, her despair, and follows the captor to the very town or ship in which he may have taken refuge, and dares him, as it were, to come forth. Aikman's Animal Kingdom. LESSON XXI. of the original inhabitants, government, laws, etc., of ireland. Scy'thians, n., the original inhabitants of the countries N. of the Cas- pian and Euxine Seas and the adjacent parts of Europe. Scythce, from Scythia, — sometimes called Sarmatia. Tar'a, n., the place in Meath where the convocation of the States- general of Ireland assembled triennially, thence called Temora. Ir. Taragh ; sometimes called teagh-mor, the great house. Hered'itary, a., falling to one as heir. L. hcereditarius, from hceres, an heir. Bre'hon, n., one invested with judicial authority : from hrehiv, Ir., a judge. E'ra, n., a series of years beginning from some known epoch. L. cera : of uncertain etymology. Restricted, pt., confined, limited. L. restriction, from strictus, tied or bound. Fos'tering, n, nursing: from fostrian, A.S., to feed or nourish. Antiquity (an-tik'-kwe-te), n., great age. L. antiquitas : — antiquus or anticus, ancient, is from ante, before. Appen'dages, n., things added to other things not necessary to their essence. L. appendices, from pendeo, I hang. Bel'fries, n., the places where bells are hung : from bell-an, A.S., to bellow. 1. There are many accounts of the origin of the earliest inhabitants of Ireland ; the most probable 52 THIED BOOK OF belief is, that Ireland was peopled by a colony of Phoenicians, a branch of the great nation of the Scy- thians. Ireland was anciently divided into five king- doms : — Ulster, Leinster, Connaught, Munster, and Meath, each of which was governed by its own prince ; but the king of Meath was also paramount sovereign of all Ireland, and held his court at the palace of Tara. These kingdoms descended not from father to son. by hereditary right ; the succes- sion was regulated by the law of Tcmistry / — a law which restricted the right of succession to the family of the prince or chief; but any member of the family might be elected successor as well as the eldest son. Tanist was the title borne by the elected successor, during the life of the reigning prince or chief. The Tanist should be a knight, full twenty-five years old ; his figure should be tall, noble, and free from blem- ish ; he should, moreover, prove his pedigree from the Milesians, so called from Milesius, a celebrated hero of the Scythic race, who, with his sons, and a large colony, coming directly from Spain, settled in Ireland several centuries before our era. 2. The ancient law of Ireland was called the JBrehon Law, the most singular feature of which was, the almost total absence of capital punishment. Murder was punished by a money fine, called an eric. The office of Brehon was hereditary, — being, like all other great offices in those days, restricted to certain families. A custom prevailed in those times which still exists in some degree-; namely, the cus- tom of fostering. The children of the chiefs and nobles were always suckled by the wives of the ten- ants. The link thus formed was considered as strong as the tie of actual relationship : nay, foster-brothers and foster-sisters often loved each other better than READING LESSONS. 53 if they had been the children of the same parents. Another custom was that of gossippred. The chiefs and nobles frequently became god-fathers to the children of their vassals and dependants. One good effect of these ancient customs was, that they helped, in some degree, to connect different classes in the bonds of affection with each other. 3. There are many remains of early Irish build- ings ; of these, the most remarkable are fifty-two round towers, of high antiquity, upon the origin and purpose of which the learned are much divided. Mr. Petrie holds, that the round towers were built by Irish Christians, at different periods between the 6th and 12th centuries, as appendages to their ec- clesiastical establishments, as belfries and church- castles for protection in time of danger. He grounds this opinion upon some very important facts. The first is, that the towers never are found unconnected with ancient churches ; the next is, that the archi- tectural features of the towers are found in the origi- nal churches with which they are connected, where such remain ; and finally, that Christian emblems are on several of them, and others exhibit a style of architecture universally acknowledged to belong to Christian times, while all have some architectural points not seen in any known pagan remains in Ireland. {Altered from O'iV. Daunfs Cat. of I. His. and Dub. Rev.) 5* 54: THIED BOOK OF LESSON XXII. REMARKABLE LAKES. Por'tugal, n., the ancient Lusitania, and most westerly kingdom of the European continent. The name is said to be from Porto Calle, the port Calle, a town formerly on the Douro. Ridge, n., a rough extended line raised above the adjoining surface. A.S. hrycge, from hrcec-an, to reach, to extend. Unfath'omable, a., not to be sounded by a line. A.S. fcethrn, a measure of six feet, from fcethmian, to embrace with each hand ex- tended. Subterr a'neous, a., lying under or below the surface of the earth. L. subterraneus, — sub, and terra, the earth. Confirm'ed,j9£, strengthened by new evidence. L. conjlrmatus, from firmus, strong, and that from heirmos, G., connected. Occasionally, ad., occurring or falling out incidentally. F. par occa- sion, from cadere, L., to fall. Extraordinary, a., out of, or more than, what is common. F. extra- ordinaire, from ordo, L., I arrange. Rum'bling, a., a term applied to a hoarse, confused, continual sound. Ger. rumpeln, to rattle, from hrcemen, A.S., to make a noise. Absorb', v., to swallow up. L. absorbere, from sorbeo, I suck in. Pet'rify, v., to change to stone. F. petrifier, from petra, L., a stone, and^m, to cause to be. On the top of a ridge of mountains in Portugal, called Estrella, there are two lakes of great extent and depth, especially one of them, which is said to be unfathomable. What is chiefly remarkable in them is, that they are calm when the sea is so, and rough when that is stormy. It is therefore probable that they have a subterraneous communication with the ocean ; and this seems to be confirmed by the pieces of ships they occasionally throw up, though almost forty miles distant from the sea. There is another extraordinary lake in this country, which, before a storm, is said to make a frightful rumbling noise, that may be heard at the distance of several miles. And we are also told of a pool or fountain, called Fervencias, about tw T enty-four miles from Coimbra, that absorbs not only w^ood, but even the READING LESSONS. 55 lightest bodies thrown into it, such as corK, straws, feathers, &c, which sink to the bottom, and are seen no more. To these we may add a remarkable spring near Estremos, which petrifies wood, or rather in- crusts it with a case of stone ; but the most surpris- ing circumstance is, that it throws up water enough in summer to turn several mills, whereas in winter it is perfectly dry. Smith's Wonders. LESSON XXIII. INDIAN-RUBBER AND SPONGE. Described, pt, represented. L. descriptus, from scribo, I write Ooze, v., to flow or issue forth gently. Ooze is said to be a corrup- tion of eaux, F., waters. La'yer, n., that which is spread over a surface. I. letto, layer. The Ger. lagen, is equivalent to the L. ponere, to put, or lay. Flam'beaux (-bose), n., lighted torches. F. flambeaux, from ~L. flam- ma, a flame. Flex'ible, a., ductile, bendable. F. flexible, from flecto, L., I bend. Syr'inge, n., a tube through which any liquor is squirted. G. syrigx, a pipe or reed, from syrisso, I hiss. Sur'geon, n., a corruption of chirurgeon, one who performs manual operations in the art of healing. G. ckeirourgos, — cheir, the hand, and ergon, work. Chem'ist, n., a professor of chemistry. F. chymiste, probably from chyma, G., from cheyein, to pour, in reference to one who pours or mixes metals ; or from kamai, Ar., to conceal. Impreg'nated, pt., saturated. F. impregne, from prazgnans, L., (jpraz genans) full of, teeming with. Sheath'ed, pt, covered or protected : from A.S. sceadian, to sepa- rate or seclude ; consequently, to protect,