THE BUTTERFLY'S BALL.

trum'pe-ter, sum'moned, a.muse'ment, gnat, re-la'tions, plum'age, com.pan'ion, di-ver'sion, dex-teri-ty, Har'le.quin, tal'ons, min'u.et.

1.

Come, take up your hats, and away let us haste
To the Butterfly's ball and the Grasshopper's feast;
The trumpeter Gadfly has summoned the crew,
And the revels are now only waiting for you.

2.

On the smooth-shaven grass, by the side of the wood,
Beneath a broad oak that for ages has stood,
See the children of earth, and the tenants of air,
For an evening's amusement together repair.

3.

And there came the Beetle, so blind and so black,
Who carried the Emmet, his friend, on his back;
And there was the Gnat, and the Dragon-fly too,
With all their relations, green, orange, and blue.

4.

And there came the Moth in his plumage of down,
And the Hornet in jacket of yellow and brown,
Who with him the Wasp his companion did bring,
But they promised that evening to lay by their sting.

5.

And the sly little Dormouse crept out of his hole,
And led to the feast his blind brother the Mole;

And the Snail, with his horns peeping out from his shell,

Came from a great distance the length of an ell.

6.

A mushroom their table, and on it was laid
A water-dock leaf, which a table-cloth made;
The viands were various, to each of their taste,
And the Bee brought his honey to crown the repast.

7.

There, close on his haunches, so solemn and wise,
The Frog from a corner looked up to the skies;
And the Squirrel, well pleased such diversion to see,
Sat cracking his nuts overhead in a tree.

8.

Then out came the Spider, with fingers so fine,
To shew his dexterity on the tight line;

From one branch to another his cobwebs he slung,
Then as quick as an arrow he darted along.

9.

But just in the middle, oh! shocking to tell!
From his rope in an instant poor Harlequin fell;
Yet he touched not the ground, but with talons
outspread,

Hung suspended in air at the end of a thread.

10.

Then the Grasshopper came with a jerk and a spring, Very long was his leg, though but short was his wing; He took but three leaps, and was soon out of sight, Then chirped his own praises the rest of the night.

11.

With step so majestic, the Snail did advance,

And promised the gazers a minuet to dance;

But they all laughed so loud that he pulled in his head,

And went in his own little chamber to bed.

12.

Then as evening gave way to the shadows of night, The watchman, the Glow-worm, came out with his

light;

Then home let us hasten while yet we can see,

For no watchman is waiting for you and for me.

ON MINERALS AND METALS.

min'er als, car'riages, ce-ment'ed, quan'ti-ty, or'na.ments, vict'uals, sov'ereigns, con ⚫ven'ien.ces, service a.ble, dif'ferent, gen'er-al.ly, in gre'di.ents.

You must understand that there is not only great variety in what grows out of the ground, but even in the earth itself. Those things which are dug out of the earth are called minerals. Look at the walks: some of them are of a yellowish-red colour. That is gravel: does it not make pretty walks? It is exceedingly good for the roads likewise, which would soon be very bad where there are a great many carriages continually going, if they did not spread gravel upon them to keep them in repair. Of another kind of earth bricks are made, which are afterward used in building houses, walls, &c. Chalk comes out of the earth. It is very useful to lay upon some sorts of land in order to make what the farmer purposes to sow there grow the better; it is likewise burnt to make lime of, which, mixed with sand, makes mortar for the bricklayers to fasten their bricks, for they would fall down if they were not cemented together. Stone and marble are dug out of the ground. When they find a vast quantity together they call the place a quarry. Some fine churches and castles are built of stone. Marble is used for chimney-pieces, slabs, and ornaments in houses.

Coals are likewise dug out of the earth, with which we make fires to warm us and dress our victuals.

I have not yet told you half the riches that are in the bowels of the earth. Out of them are dug gold, silver, copper, lead, iron, tin; these are called metals. Look at my watch; this is gold; sovereigns and half-sovereigns

are likewise made of it, and it may be beaten into leaves thinner than paper.

With leaf-gold they gild wood; the picture-frames in the drawing-room appear very fine, but are only wood covered with those thin leaves.

Gold is the most valuable of all metals. This shilling is made of silver, which, though inferior to gold, is yet much esteemed. It is used for coffee-pots, candlesticks, waiters, spoons, and a hundred other things, which people who can purchase them make use of. Lead is very heavy there is great plenty of it to be had, and it is of the utmost service to us, for it is made into cisterns to hold water, pipes to convey it from the springs, gutters to carry the wet from off our houses, weights, and a variety of other conveniences. saucepans and kettles are made of copper, which would be very unwholesome if they were not lined with tin, which is a whitish metal, softer than silver, yet harder than lead. We have many mines of it in England, and send quantities of it to foreign countries. Pennies are

Our

made of copper mixed with tin. This mixture is called bronze. Iron is one of the most serviceable things we have: most kinds of tools that are used in the fields and gardens are partly made of it; likewise most of those which are employed in different trades have generally some iron about them; in short, it would take up a great deal of time to tell you the whole of its value. Steel is iron refined and purified by fire, with other ingredients; it is much prized too. Our knives, scissors, razors, needles, and many articles besides, are made of it.