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Not a word did she say ;

"The wind, I believe, ma'am, is south; A fine harvest for peas:"

He then looked at the cheese,

But the crow did not open her mouth.

Sly Ren'ard, not tired,

Her pluʼmage admired,

"How charming! how brilliant its hue! The voice must be fine,

Of a bird so di-vine',

Ah, let me just hear it-pray do.

"Believe me, I long

To hear a sweet song."
The silly crow, foolishly tries-
And she scarce gave one squall,
When the cheese she let fall,
And the fox ran away with the prize.

THE COTTON TREE.

Though you every day see gowns, waistcoats, stockings, &c. made of cotton, yet I believe you

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will all be astonished to learn, that this cotton, which sup-plies' us with so many articles of dress and furniture, was o-rig'i-nal-ly taken from the fruit or seed-pod of a particular tree or plant. The cotton tree, which grows in different warm countries, is of three sorts: one creeps on the earth; the second is a short and bushy tree; and the third is as tall as an oak. These all bear a fruit as large as a walnut, with an outside coat entirely black. This fruit, when it becomes quite ripe, opens and discovers a white down, to which we give the name of cotton. The cotton of the creeping plant is con sidered the best. This downy matter, after going through a va-ri'e-ty of op-e-ra'tions, for the purpose of sep'a-ra-ting it from the seeds, cleaning it, and making it into thread, is given into the hands of the weaver, who makes it into cloth of va'ri-ous thickness, according to the purpose for which it is intended: as, for example, the thinnest muslin, or the thickest velvet. It is supposed, that more of the inhabitants of the world are clothed with cotton, than with any other substance. It is cheap; it is at once warm and light; and it keeps the skin dry. and comfortable; on which account it is better for warm countries than linen. There is a down about the seeds of some of the plants even of our own country, which has sometimes been attempted to be used in place of cotton; but it has not been found to answer the purpose nearly so well. It has been found useful, however, for stuffing beds and pillows.

QUESTIONS.

From what was cotton, of which so many things are made, taken? Where do cotton trees grow? How many sorts of them are there? What sort of fruit do they bear? What does this discover when it opens? What cotton is reckoned the best? What is done to cotton before the weaver gets it? What does the weaver do with it when it comes into his hands? Do many people use cotton clothing? What is the character of cotton clothing? Does any thing resembling cotton grow in this country? For what is it chiefly used?

THE OLD MAN AND HIS ASS.

An old man and his little boy, were driving an ass to market to sell. "What a fool is this fellow," says a man upon the road," to be trudging it on foot with his son, that his ass may go light!" The old man, hearing this, set his boy upon the ass, and went whistling by his side, "Why, sirrah," cries a second man to the boy, "is it fit for you to be riding, while your poor aged father is walking on foot?" The father upon this re-buke', took down his boy from the ass, and mount'ed himself. "Do you see," says a third, "how the lazy old knave rides along upon his beast, while his poor little boy is almost crippled with walking ?" The old man no sooner heard this, than he took up his son behind him. "Pray, honest friend," says a fourth, "is that ass your own?" "Yes," says the man. "One would not have thought so," replied the other, "by your loading him as you do without

mercy. You and your son are better able to carry the poor beast than he is to carry you!" "Any thing to please," says the owner; and so he and his son coming off, they tied the legs of the ass together, and by the help of a pole tried to carry him apon their shoulders along the bridge that led to he town.

The sight of this was so odd, that the people ran in crowds to laugh at it, till the ass, feeling a dislike at the too great kindness of his master, began to struggle for his freedom, burst the cords that tied him, slipped from the pole, tumbled into the river, and was drowned. The poor old man made the best of his way home, filled with shame and sorrow that, by his attempts to please every body, he had pleased no bod-y, given himself much trouble, and lost his ass into the bargain.

The advice of a wise and true friend is of great value: but when we try to follow the advice of every person that thinks proper to give us one, we are likely to lose our time, our labour, and our comfort, and to do good neither to ourselves nor to others.

QUESTIONS.

Do you consider this a true story? What is a story not founded upon truth, but made in order to teach some useful lesson, called? What did the first person that met the old man say? How did the old man then act? What did th second man say? How did he then act? What was the re mark of a third? What did he then do? What did the

fourth say ? And how did the old man now act? What effect had the odd sight of attempting to carry the ass? And

what was the consequence? Whose advice is of great value? What is the consequence of trying to follow the advice of every one?

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A GOLDFINCH STARVED TO DEATH IN HIS CAGI

Time was when I was free as air,
The thistle's downy seed my fare,
My drink the morning dew;
I perched at will on every spray,
My form genteel, my plu'mage gay,
My strains for ever new.

But gaudy plu'mage, sprightly strain,
And form genteel, were all in vain,
And of a tran'si-ent date:

For caught and caged, and starved to death,
In dying sighs my little breath

Soon passed the wiry grate.

Thanks, gentle swain, for all my woes,
And thanks for this ef-fec'tu-al close,
And cure of every ill :

More cru'el-ty could none express;
And I, if you had shown me less,

Had been your prisoner still.

GLASS AND ITS USES.

Would you believe that so clear and beautiful

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