£0 23. 
     
    

    
     without money. My character suffers. Mr. B. 
     
     is vexed; and it would not be strange if! 
     
     should receive a harsh letter, or writ! The 
     
     lax manner by which sundry persons transact 
     
     business has a very bad tendency, and is of- 
     
     ten followed by serious consequences, 
     
    

    
     The little regard they have for their word 
     
     causes grievous disappointments, destroys 
     
     confidence and corrupts society. As asmall 
     
     leak in the ship may sink the whole cargo, so 
     
     one man who is not punctual, may serious- 
     
     1, injure the reputation, or even cause the 
     
     entire failure of others. The most dis- 
     
     tinguisbed farmers, mechanics, merchants, ci. 
     
     vilians,divines, and statesmen, have generally 
     
     been systematic, punctual men. My bre. 
     
     thorn, if we would be successful in busi- 
     
     ness, and respectable in our calling, let punc- 
     
     tuality, or be punctual, be written in capitals 
     
     upon our doors, and upon our hearts. 
     
    
   
   
    
     MARK SUFFBRER. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Level of the Sear-There is, perhaps, nothing 
     
     which illustrates in a more striking manner the 
     
     exact accordance of nature’s phenomena with 
     
     the few general expressions or laws which des- 
     
     cribe them all, than the perfect level of the 
     
     ocean as a liquid surface. The sea never rises 
     
     or falls in any place, even one inch, but in 
     
     obedience to fixed laws, and therefore, chan- 
     
     ges may be generally foreseen and allowed 
     
     for. For instance, the eastern trade winds, 
     
     and other causes force the water of the ocean 
     
     towards the African coast, so as to keep the 
     
     Red Sea about twenty feet above the general 
     
     ocean level;and the Mediterranean Sea is a 
     
     little below the level; because the evaporation 
     
     from it it is greater than the supply of its rivers; 
     
     causing it to receive an additional supply by 
     
     the Strait ofGibraTter ; but in all such cases the 
     
     effect is as constant as the disturbing cause, 
     
     and, therefore, can be calculated upon with 
     
     confidence. Were it'not for this perfect ex. 
     
     actness, in what a precarious state would the 
     
     inhabitants exist on the sea shore, and on the 
     
     banks of low rivers ! 
     
    
   
   
    
     Few of the inhabitants of London, perhaps, 
     
     reflect, when standing close by the side of 
     
     their noble river, and gazing on the rapid flood 
     
     tide pouring inland through the bridges, that. 
     
     although sixty miles from the sea, they are 
     
     placed as low as persons sailing upon its face, 
     
     where, perhaps, there may be tossing waves 
     
     covered with wrecks and the drowning. In 
     
     Holland, which isa low flat, formed chiefly by 
     
     the mud and sand brought down by the Rhine 
     
     and neighbouring rivers, much of the country 
     
     is really below the level of the common spring 
     
     tides, and is only protected from daily inun- 
     
     dation by artificial dykes or ramparts, of great 
     
     strength. 
     
    

    
     What awful uncertainty would hang over 
     
     the Dutch, if the level of the sea were subject 
     
     tochsnges; for while we know the water of 
     
     the ocean to be 17 miles higher at the equa. 
     
     tor than at the poles, owing to the centrifugal 
     
    
   
   
    
     THE BRITISH AMERICAN. 
     
    
   
   
    
     force of the earth‘s rotation, ware the level 
     
     already established, from any cause to be sud- 
     
     denly changed but ten feet, millions of human 
     
     beings would be the victims.—Scolsman. 
     
    
   
   
    
     .Mighly Eject: of Steam—It was mentioned 
     
     by Professor Renwick, in one of his lectures, 
     
     that, during the great European struggle, Eng- 
     
     land employed about 400,000 persons in and 
     
     about steam engines, and that these engines 
     
     turned out finished work, equal in quantity to 
     
     what the labor of two hundred million: of human 
     
     beings could have effected; that is, equal to 
     
     the sum of the industry of all the active po- 
     
     pulation of the whole globe. 
     
    

    
     It was through the mighty agency and mi- 
     
     raculous effects of the steam engine that Eng- 
     
     gland was enabled to sustain herself triumph- 
     
     antly in that long and terrible struggle against 
     
     the the power of Napolean—and that she found 
     
     the means of stirring up and subsidizing other 
     
     nations. until, in the language of the lecturer, 
     
     “ the greatest captain the world ever saw, 
     
     discomfitted and overthrown, was obliged to 
     
     bow before the genius of Watt.” 
     
    
   
   
    
     Captain Roan—flrctic Land Expedition.— 
     
     It will be gratifying to the public to learn that 
     
    
   
   
    
     an expedition to the shores of the Polar Seas,- 
     
    
   
   
    
     for the purpose, if possible, of ascertaining the 
     
     fate of Capt. John Ross, and CommanderJames 
     
     Clark Ross, R. N., who, with a crew ofnineteen 
     
     men, sailed about three yearr ago, on a voyage 
     
     of discovery to the Arctic Region, is at last 1']- 
     
     nally determined upon, to proceed, without de- 
     
     lay, under the command of Captain Back, by 
     
     way of Canada, so as early in the spring to 
     
     move towards the territories of the Hudson‘s 
     
     Bay Company, who take a warm interest in 
     
     the success of the enterprise. It is intended 
     
     that Capt. Back, without deviating from the 
     
     main object of his mission, shall avail himself 
     
     ofevery opportunity that may occur, so enrich 
     
     the scientific world, and that before his return 
     
     he will have explored these unknown regions 
     
     between Point annagain, where Captain 
     
     Franklin finished hisjourney, and the further- 
     
     most point to the west reached by Captain 
     
     Parry,and thus wind up the main objects of 
     
     these two expeditions. 
     
    

    
     Government have agreed to contribute 12000 
     
     towards the expense, upon three conditions two 
     
     of which, (that Captain Back should command 
     
     the expedition, and that the Hudson’s Bay Com- 
     
     pany should furnish the supplies and canoes 
     
     free of charge.) are already complied with; and 
     
     the third (that of raising (3000 amongst the 
     
     friends of Capt. Ross.) there is little doubt will 
     
     be speedily accomplished. 
     
    

    
     Instructions were forwarded by the Hudson 
     
     Bay company's ships, which sailed from Eng- 
     
     land in June last, to the respective factors in 
     
     their territory, to prepare and forward the ne. 
     
     ccssary stores and provisions to the different 
     
     stations thr ugh which the intended eXpedi- 
     
     tion might be expected to pass, and also to 
     
     provide canoes and other conveniences for 
     
     its use. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     181 
     
    
   
   
    
     It is stated to be the opinion cfthe projectors 
     
     of the undertaking (from a detailed report of 
     
     whose proceedings we have abridged this no- 
     
     ceunt,) that a confident hope may still reasona- 
     
     blybe entertained ofthe Captains Ross and their 
     
     adventurous Companions; and that, although 
     
     very probably exposed to great hardships and 
     
     dangers, still, that the beneficial effect of this 
     
     expedition may in all likelihood afford the means 
     
     ofgranting them timely relief. This expecta- 
     
     tion appears to be strongly encouraged from the 
     
     circumstance that they did not calculate an be- 
     
     ing able to return to England sooner than three 
     
     years from the time they sailed which is now 
     
     but little more than expired. They were amply 
     
     supplied with provisions and stores for three 
     
     years, and if they reached the wreck of the 
     
     Fury, which was the first object they had in 
     
     view, there they would find supplies which 
     
     would last for a considerably longer period, in- 
     
     dependent of what they might expect to derive 
     
     from reindeer, musk oxen, and various other 
     
     sorts of fresh provisionsusupposed to be found in 
     
     those regions; it beinga well known fact that 
     
     the crews oftwo vessels (the Albiny and Dis- 
     
     covery) existed for nearly three years on Mar. 
     
     ble Island, solely on whale blubber, seal fish, 
     
     and train oil, occasionally supplied by the Ita- 
     
     tive Esquimaux.—Boston paper. ‘ 
     
    

    
     Marshal Soult, the present Premier of France 
     
     was born in 1769, and is now sixty-four years 
     
     old. 0n Bonaparte's return from Elba, SonIt 
     
     was made a peer, and fought forhim at Fleurus 
     
     and Waterloo. 0n the second restoration, he 
     
     was among the proscribed, and retired to the 
     
     Duchy of Berg, where he is said to have em- 
     
     ployed hiinselfin writing his memoirs. He re- 
     
     ceived permission to return to France in 1919. 
     
     and was made a marshal again. In 1830, he 
     
     joined with Louis Phillippe, and his subsequent 
     
     course to his appointment to the post of Prime 
     
     minister, are familiarly known. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Paris at this moment abounds with profession- 
     
     al men. There are 1,523 painters, draftsmen, 
     
     and lithographers; 151 sculptors; 810 engravers, 
     
     (copper-plate, aqua-tinta, wood, &c.; 80 archi- 
     
     tects;3l5 distinguished composers and profes- 
     
     sors of music, 1525 instrumental musicians; 
     
     [500 ditto, ofinferior rank. Total, 5,084. 
     
    
   
   
    
     It is‘said that the libraries in Germany exceed 
     
     in number and value these in every other coun- 
     
     try, for instance, that ofVienna contains 300,000 
     
     volumes , Dresden, 200,000; Munich, 100,000; 
     
     (chiefly supplied from the libraries of the sup- 
     
     pressed monasteries;) Brealaw, 100,000; and. 
     
     Gottingen, 300,000. According to one calcula- 
     
     tion it is stated, that 150 public libraries contain 
     
     3,182,000 printed books, independently of ma. 
     
     nuscripts, phamphelts, prints, &c. 
     
    

    
     The Ear-King of France—HolerOd is no 
     
     longer the scene cfanimation which it has been 
     
     for the last two years. The royal family and 
     
     the irsuite took their departure in the course of 
     
     the week. Their absence will be deeply felt 
     
     by the tradesmen, and especially by the poor of 
     
    
   
   
    
     Edinburgh. We know it to be a positive fact,