62 



resemble a thumb, and to perform its offices. 

 The direction and motion of these hands enable 

 the animal effectually to remove the earth when 

 it burrows under ground ; and in wet and swampy 

 situations, whfch it loves, it excavates very curious 

 apartments. 



There is the prettiest variety of wild flowers 

 now in bloom all over our part of the forest ; not 

 gaudy and dazzling, like the natives of the Brazil 

 forests, but small and delicate, and beautifully 

 marked and tinted. I am sorry to say the 

 primroses are fading ; but wild violets, the wood 

 anemone, and millions of cowslips with their 

 pretty golden bells, make up for their loss. 



I had almost forgotten to tell you that the buds 

 and leaves of the branches I had in water, have 

 all withered away ; ashamed, I suppose, to 

 appear now that there are abundance of real 

 leaves. 



21th. My aunt has been extremely interested 

 by an account she read of the progress of 

 Christianity in the Sandwich islands. 



It is almost a singular instance of a nation 

 by general consent destroying their idols, and 

 being sensible of the insufficiency of their own 

 religion. The small opposition made to the 

 change, and the manner in which many of the 

 chiefs publicly professed Christianity, give one 

 every reason to hope that it will take root in the 



