Church, Berks, in which parish he had resided for many years. He has left one son, who, with his father's name, inherits his distinguished talents.

28. SAINT AUGUSTINE.

Augustine was born at Thagaste, a town in Numidia, in the year 354. He was a judicious divine, and the most voluminous writer of all the Fathers. He died in 430, at the age of seventy-seven.

29.-JOHN BAPTIST BEHEADED.

This day was formerly denominated Festum Collectionis Sancti Johannis Baptista; or the feast of gathering up St. John the Baptist's relics; but afterwards, by corruption, Festum Decollationis, the festival in remembrance of his being beheaded. His nativity is celebrated on the 24th of June, which see.

Bishop Hall, in his Contemplation on John Baptist beheaded, after speaking of his death, breaks out, "O happy birth-day, not of Herod, but of the Baptist! Now doth John enter into his joy; and, in his name, is this day ever celebrated of the church. This blessed forerunner of Christ said of himself, I must decrease. He is decreased indeed, and now grown shorter by the head; but he is not so much decreased in stature, as increased in glory. For one minute's pain, he is possessed of endless joy; and, as he came before his Saviour into the world, so he is gone before him into heaven!'-He afterwards adds, Oh! the wondrous judgments and incomprehensible dispositions of the holy, wise, Almighty God! He, that was sanctified in the womb, born and conceived with so much note and miracle, (what manner of child shall this be?) lived with so much reverence and observation, is now, at midnight, obscurely murdered in a close prison, and his head brought forth to the insultation and irrision of harlots and ruffians. O God! thou knowest what thou hast to do with thine own: thus thou sufferest thine to be misused and slaughtered here below, that thou

mayest crown them above. It should not be thus, if thou didst not mean that their glory should be answerable to their depression.'-(Works, by Pratt, vol. ii, p. 324.)

Astronomical Occurrences

In AUGUST 1823.

SOLAR PHENOMENA.

THE Sun enters Virgo at 24 m. past midnight of the 23d. He will also be eclipsed on the 6th, but the eclipse will be invisible in this country, as the following are the circumstances under which it will happen:

The Sun will also appear and disappear, during the same period, as in the following

TABLE

Of the Sun's Rising and Setting for every fifth Day.

The following Table shows the quantities that must be added to solar time to obtain that which should be indicated by a well-regulated clock at the same instant; and, consequently, if the hour indicated by the clock do not agree with the calculation after this correction is made, it will require to be put to that time, and regulated accordingly. The correction for any intermediate day or hour may

readily be found by proportion, and applied in the same manner. The equation is given for noon of the respective days.

TABLE

Of the Equation of Time for every fifth Day.

Friday, August 1st, to the time by the dial add

Wednesday, 6th,

Monday,

11th,

Saturday,

16th,

21st,

Tuesday,

26th,

m. 8

6 0

5 38

5 1

4 9

3 4

1 46

0 20

Moon's Passage over the Meridian.

Such of our young readers as wish to observe the Moon in her passage over the meridian this month, may have an opportunity on the following days, provided the weather prove favourable, viz.

August 14th, at 32 m. past 6 in the evening

This beautiful planet now presents one of the most pleasing telescopic views which the heavens afford. Her brightness increases rapidly. Her appearance is nearly that of a half moon. Her colour is a fine white light, and her surface is diver

sified with spots, by which the time of her revolution on her axis is ascertained.

Eclipses of Jupiter's Satellites.

As Jupiter now recedes from the Sun, more and more of his satellites become visible; though only the following three of these phenomena fall under our notice this month:

Immersions.

First Satellite, 11th day, at 16 m. 38 s. after 3 in the morning

Venus will obtain her greatest elongation on the 1st of this month. The Moon will be in conjunction with Mars at 48 m. after 6 in the morning of the 4th; with a in Scorpio, at 24 m. past midnight of the 14th; and with Georgium Sidus, at 23 m. past 2 in the afternoon of the 17th. Mercury will be in his superior conjunction at midnight of the 11th; he

will also be in conjunction with a in Leo on the 15th; when the planet will be 74' north of the star. Saturn will likewise be in quadrature at a quarter past 7 in the morning of the 17th.

REFLECTIONS ON THE STARRY HEAVENS.

[Continued from page 201.]

On turning our eyes to the heavens, one of the first sensations we experience arises from the different apparent magnitudes or brightness of these celestial bodies. When the Sun has sunk below the western horizon, and we watch the diminution of twilight, some of the most prominent stars soon begin to protrude their scintillating rays through the waning day; and these are followed by others of an inferior lustre, till the multitude rapidly increases, as the departing day retires. But it is only when the twilight has wholly disappeared, and the Moon is hid beneath the horizon, that the smallest stars that are visible to the naked eye can be seen. Astronomers have arranged the stars in eight classes. largest and brightest are called stars of the 1st magnitude; the next in lustre, stars of the 2d magnitude; the next in brilliancy, stars of the 3d, and so on to the 8th; but the 7th and 8th classes cannot be seen without the assistance of telescopes. The number of stars in each of the six magnitudes that fall within the scope of the naked eye, have been estimated as follows, viz.

Total.

The

1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, 20 76 223 510 695 1604 3128 Though these celestial bodies are called fixed stars, in distinction from the planets and comets, which are constantly and visibly changing their places, they are not absolutely without motion in reference to each other. Several of them have been found, from a comparison of very correct observations made at distant periods, to have varied their