THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 



intended the indications they give of 

 being possessed of moral dispositions and rational 

 powers their different periods of longevity, and 

 the ends which they are intended to subserve in 

 the system of nature. Along with these details, 

 certain views might be exhibited of the various 

 forms of sensitive life, and modes of existence, 

 which obtain in those numerous species of an- 

 .rnals which are invisible to the naked eye, and 

 which the microscope discovers in almost every 

 department of nature. 



Having surveyed the objects which compose 

 our sublunary system, we would next, direct our 

 view to the regions of the sky, and contemplate 

 the facts which have been discovered in relation to 

 the celestial orbs. We would first aitend to the 

 apparent motion of the sun, the different points of 

 the horizon at which he seems to rise and set, 

 and the different degrees of elevation to which he 

 arrives, at different seasons of the year, the 

 different aspects he presents as viewed from dif 

 ferent parts of the earth s surface, and the differ 

 ent lengths of days and nights in different parts 

 of the world. We would next attend to the varied 

 phases of the moon the direct and retrograde 

 motions of the planets the apparent diurnal 

 motion of the whole celestial sphere, from east 

 to west and the different clusters of stars which 

 are seen in our nocturnal sky, at different sea 

 sons of the year. We would next consider the 

 deductions which science has made, respecting 

 the order and arrangement of the planets which 

 compose the solar system their distances from 

 the sun, and from the earth their magnitudes 

 the periods of their diurnal and annual revo 

 lutions the secondary planets, or moons, 

 which accompany them their eclipses the 

 various phenomena which their surfaces present 

 when viewed through telescopes the physical 

 influence .which some of them produce on the 

 surface of our globe and the singular appear 

 ance of those bodies called Comets, which 

 occasionally visit this part of our system. We 

 would, in the next place, extend our views to 

 the starry regions, and consider the number 

 of stars which present themselves to the naked 

 eye the immensely greater numbers which 

 are discovered by telescopes the systems into 

 which they appear to be arranged the facts 

 which have been ascertained respecting new 

 stars double and triple stars stars once visi 

 ble, which have now disappeared from the hea 

 vens variable stars, whose lustre is increased 

 and diminished at different periods of time and 

 the stiucture and position of the many hundreds 

 of Nebula, or starry systems, which appear to be 

 dispersed throughout the immensity of creation. 

 All the particulars now stated, and many 

 others which might have been specified consi 

 dered simply as facts which exist in the system 

 of Nature form the appropriate and legitimate 

 objects of Natural History, and demand the se 



rious attention of every rational intelligence 

 that wishes to trace the perfections and agenci 

 of the Almighty Creator. To investigate thp 

 causes of the diversified phenomena which the 

 material world exhibits, and the principles and 

 modes by which many of the facts now alluded 

 to are ascertained, is the peculiar province of 

 Natural Philosophy, Chymistry, and the Mathe 

 matical Sciences. 



Amid so vast a variety of objects as Natural 

 History presents, it is difficult to fix on any par 

 ticular facts, as specimens of the interesting 

 nature of this department of knowledge, without 

 going beyond the limits to which I am necessarily 

 confined in this volume. I shall content myself 

 with a description of two objects, which have a 

 reference chiefly to the vegetable kingdom. 

 The first of these is 



THE BANIAN TREE. &quot;This tree, which is 

 also called the Sun Tree, or the Indian Fig, is 

 one of the most curious and beautiful of Nature s 

 productions, in the genial climate of India, where 

 she sports with the greatest variety and profusion. 

 Each tree is in itself a grove; and some of them 

 are of an amazing size and extent, and, contrary 

 to most other animal and vegetable productions, 

 seem to be exempted from decay. E very branch 

 from the main body throws out its own roots ; 

 at first, in small tender fibres, several yards from 

 the ground ; these continually grow thicker, until, 

 by a gradual descent, they reach the surface, and 

 there, striking in, they increase to large trunks, 

 and become parent trees, shooting out new 

 branches from the tops. These, in time, sus 

 pend their roots, and receiving nourishment 

 from the earth, swell into trunks, and shoot forth 

 other branches ; thus continuing in a state of 

 progression, so long as the earth, the first parent 

 of them all, contributes her sustenance. A 

 banian tree, with many trunks, forms the most 

 beautiful walks, vistas, and cool recesses, that 

 can be imagined. The leaves are large, soft, 

 and of a lively green ; the fruit is a small fig, when 

 ripe of a bright scarlet, affording sustenance to 

 monkeys, squirrels, peacocks, and birds of va 

 rious kinds, which dwell among the branches. 



&quot; The Hindoos are peculiarly fond of the 

 banian tree ; they consider its long duration, its 

 outstretching arms, and its overshadowing bene 

 ficence, as emblems of the Deity, and almost pay 

 it divine honours. The brahmins, who thus 

 find a fane in every sacred grove, spend much of 

 their time in religious solitude, under the shade 

 of the banian tree ; they plant it near &amp;lt;heir tem 

 ples or pagodas ; and in those villages where there 

 is no structure erected for public worship, they 

 place an image under one of these trees, and there 

 perform a morning and evening sacrifice. The 

 natives of all castes and tribes are fond of recreat 

 ing in the cool recesses, beautiful walks, and love 

 ly vistas of this umbrageous canopy, impervioua 

 to the hottest beams of a tropical sun. Thes* 



