JUNE. 



ALREADY do we feel the influence of a more genial 

 sky ; a maturer verdure gleams from every part of the 

 landscape, and a prouder assemblage of wild-flowers re- 

 minds us of the arrival of summer. The balmy south- 

 west reigns the undisturbed monarch of the weather ; the 

 chill breezes rest quietly upon the serene bosom of the 

 deep ; and the ocean, as tranquil as the blue canopy of 

 heaven, yields itself to the warm influence of the sum- 

 mer sun, as if it were conscious of the blessing of his 

 beams. The sun rides, like a proud conqueror, over three 

 quarters of the heavens, and, as if delighted with his 

 victory over the darkness, smiles with unwonted com- 

 placency upon the beautiful things which are rejoicing 

 in his presence. Twilight refuses to leave the brows of 

 night, and her morning and evening rays meet and blend 

 together at midnight beneath the polar sphere. She 

 twines her celestial rosy wreaths around the bosoms of 

 the clouds, that rival in beauty the terrestrial garlands of 

 summer. The earth and the sky seem to emulate each 

 other in their attempts to beautify the temples of nature 

 and of the Deity ; and while the one hangs out her dra- 

 pery of silver and vermilion over the sapphirine arches 

 of the firmament, the other spangles the green plains 

 and mountains with living gems of every hue, and crowns 

 the whole landscape with lilies and roses. 



The mornings and evenings have acquired a delightful 

 temperature, that invites us to rise prematurely from our 

 repose, to enjoy the greater luxury of the balmy breezes. 



