Mock me, and dazzle my dark mysteries?
"Art thou not Lucifer? he to whom the droves
Of stars that gild the morn in charge were given?
The nimblest of the lightning-winged loves,
The fairest and the first-born smile of heaven?
****Ah wretch! what boots thee to cast back thy eyes
Where dawning Hope no beam of comfort shews?
While the reflection of thy forepast joys
Renders thee double to thy present woes!—
Rather make up to thy new miseries,
And meet the mischief that upon thee grows.
If Hell must mourn, Heaven sure shall sympathise:
What force cannot effect, fraud shall devise.
"And yet whose force fear I?—Have I so lost
Myself?—my strength too, with ray innocence?
Come, try who dares, Heaven, Earth, whate'er dost boast
A borrowed being, make thy bold defence!
Come thy Creator too!—what though it cost
Me yet another fall?—we'd try our strengths.
Heaven saw us struggle once; as brave a fight
Earth now should see, and tremble at the sight!"
Thus spoke th' impatient prince, and made a pause.
His foul hags rais'd their heads, and clapp'd their hands,
And all the Powers of Hell, in full applause,
Flourish'd their snakes, and toss'd their flaming brands.
****"I thank you all, but one must single out."
****Thrice howl'd the caves of night, and thrice the sound,
Thund'ring upon the banks of those black lakes,
Hung through the hollow vaults of Hell profound:
At last her list'ning ears the noise o'ertakes,
She lifts her sooty lamps, and looking round,
A general hiss from the whole tire of snakes
Rebounding, through Hell's inmost caverns came,
In answer to her formidable name!
****Scarce to this monster could the shady King
The horrid sum of his intentions tell;
But she (swift as the momentary wing
Of lightning, or the words he spoke) left Hell.
She rose, and with her to our world did bring
Pale proof of her fell presence.———
****Heaven saw her rise, and saw Hell in the sight.
****
white's new invented horizon.
mr editor
It is well known, that, at sea, when the natural horizon is obscured by thick or foggy weather, the sun's meridian altitude, for ascertaining the latitude of the ship's place, cannot be observed; consequently, the navigator has nothing to depend on, until noon next day, to regulate his future proceedings, except his dead reckoning. In the English Channel, the North Sea, the Banks of Newfoundland, the Coast of America, and many other places of the world, the fogs are often so thick, and of such long continuance, as to render it impossible to ascertain the true position of the ship, for want of the latitude. Under such circumstances, although the sun is seen very distinctly, and felt very powerfully, there is no other alternative but to keep the ship at sea: for no man in his senses will run for a port, in such weather, without being pretty certain of his latitude.
To obviate these hitherto insurmountable obstacles, Mr Gavin White, grocer in Kinross, has, by a wonderful effort of uncultivated genius, invented a very simple apparatus,—with which, when fixed, by an easy process, to the common quadrant, an artificial horizon can thereby be obtained, and the sun's meridian altitude observed, the same as if ascertained with a quadrant and natural horizon, in the common way made use of on board a ship at sea.
This apparatus is, at present, made so as to screw on to my brass sextant, with which I have made many observations, not only for determining the latitude, but also for ascertaining the true apparent time; which, from the accuracy of the whole, enables me to pronounce the invention one of very great importance to science and navigation.
A large series of observations have been made with it, both on shore and on board the Ramillies, now in Leith Roads, which have been forwarded to some gentlemen, eminently distinguished for scientific knowledge and acquirements, in this city; who, with a very laudable zeal for the promotion of science, have interested themselves in such a manner, as, it is hoped, will ultimately prove highly beneficial both to the invention and inventor.
W. Bain, Master, Royal Navy.
Edinburgh, May 6th, 1817.
