LESSON IX. 



ON SATURN,. 



Still further off, scarce warm'd by Phoebus' ray. 

 Through his wide orbit, Saturn wheels away. 

 How great the change, could we be wafted there, 

 How slow the seasons ! and how long the year ! 



% BAKER.. 



1 HE sixth planet has obtained the same name 

 as Saturn, the supposed father of the heathen godsr 

 amongst astronomers he is represented by the cha- 

 racter T?, to imitate an old man supporting him- 

 self upon a staff; the same character among the 

 chemists denotes lead \ and indeed there is some 

 affinity belvveen the colour of that metal, and the 

 light, dusky colour of the planet. 



Saturn's mean distance from the Sun is about 

 9} times farther than the mean distance of the 

 Earth from that luminary ; being nearly 900 mil- 

 lions of miles : and of course the light and heat he 

 derives from the Sun are about ninety times less 

 than at the Earth. 



This planet performs his annual revolution in 

 about 1O,75U of our days 5 being not far short 

 of thirty years. His diameter or axis is more 

 than 7 [) ,000 miles, and his magnitude is almost 

 1000 times that of the earth As it is agreeable to 



the 



