The River's shining streams beneath him pour,
And angry Taurus rages close before;
Behind him Procyon barks, and Sirius growls,
While full in front the monster Cetus, howls.

See bright Capella, and Medusa there,
With horrid serpents hissing through her hair.
See Cancer too, and near, the Hydra dire,
With roaring Leo, filled with furious fire.

The timid Hare, the Dove with olive green,
And Aries, fly in terror from the scene;
The warrior Perseus gazes from above,

And the Twin offspring of the thunderer Jove.

Lo! in the distance, Cassiopé fair,

In state reposes on her golden chair;

Her beauteous daughter, bound, before her stands.

And vainly strives to free her fettered hands;

For aid she calls on royal Cepheus near,

But shrieks from her, reach not his hardened ear.

See last of all, around the glowing pole,
With shining scales, the spiry Dragon roll;

A grizzly Bear on either side appears,
Creeping with lazy motion 'mid the stars.

GEMINI-THE TWINS.

Position, &c.-Two stars of the second magnitude, marked Alpha and Beta, determine the heads of Gemini. Alpha, the most northern star of the two, is in the head of Castor, and may be found by considering Capella the vertex of an isosceles triangle, whose base is toward the south. Aldebaran constitutes the second angle of this triangle, and Castor the third. Beta or Pollux, which is obliquely below Castor, and about four degrees from it, cannot be mistaken. The stars in the feet of Gemini are nearly in a straight line, and

almost parallel to those in the head. Gamma, the principal star in this line, may be found by drawing a line from Eta, through Gamma of the Great Bear. Zi is south of Gamma, and Nu and Mu to the north of it. Eta is a little below Mu. A line drawn from Beta in the head of Pollux, to Gamma in his foot, will give Delta in the body and Zeta in the knee. Delta is on the ecliptic. A line drawn from Alpha in the head of Castor, to Mu in his foot, will give Epsilon in his knee. Gamma, Nu, Epsilon and Zeta, form a very regular foursided figure. Kappa and Iota in the shoulders, and Theta in the northern arm of Castor, are on a line with Capella. Other stars in Gemini may be found by referring from the plate to the heavens. A small star, marked H on the charts, near to Eta and just before the foot of Castor, is called Propus. This star served for many years to determine the position of the planet Herschell. The Milky Way passes through the feet of Gemini. There are two nebulæ in this group. The star Epsilon appears double.

Gemini is bounded by Lynx, Telescopium Herschelii, Auriga, Orion, Monoceros, Canis Minor, and Cancer.

Gemini is the third sign in the zodiac, and is represented by the following character, п; a very apt hieroglyphic of the union of two bodies.

On one of the zodiacs found in Egypt the Twins are represented by two sitting figures, with their arms extended; their heads are covered, which is an emblem denoting both dignity and power. This sign, on both the zodiacs of Dendera, is represented by a man and woman in a walking attitude, with this remarkable difference, however, the female figure on the zodiac in the portico has the head of one of the inferior animals, most probably that of a dog, in reference to Anubis, or the planet Mercury typified by Anubis. On the oriental zodiac of Sir William Jones, we have Gemini represented by a boy and a girl embracing. Many other varieties in the ancient delineations of this sign might be noticed. They all agree in portraying two individuals united by the bonds of natural affection.

History. There is great diversity of opinion among ancient authors re

specting this constellation. Some say that it is Apollo and Hercules, and others Triptolemus and Jasion; but the most probable supposition is, it was intended by the Greeks in honour of Castor and Pollux, two sons of Jupiter. According to the fable, after the death of Castor, his brother, who was immortal, entreated his father, either to restore him to life, or else to deprive him of existence. This request was refused by Jupiter, but he permitted Castor to share equally in the life of his brother, or that they should live and die alternately every day. This decree was gladly accepted by Pollux, and consequently as long as one was on the earth the other was in the regions of the dead. From what we have already said, it will be seen that the Greeks can lay no just claim to the invention of this sign. They must have copied it from the Egyptian, or perhaps the Indian, representation of this group.

In the Hebrew zodiac, the Twins are referred to the tribe of Benjamin.

CANIS MINOR.—THE LITTLE DOG.

Position, &c.-This constellation is south of Gemini, and though it contains but two stars larger than the fifth magnitude, it may readily be found. The whole of the group is sometimes called Procyon, which is the name of a bright star of the first magnitude which it contains. Procyon forms nearly a rightangled triangle with Beta of Gemini, and Betelgeux in the shoulder of Orion. A line drawn from Procyon towards the feet of the Twins, will pass through the second star, Beta, in the neck of the Dog.

Canis Minor is bounded by Cancer, Gemini, Monoceros, and Hydra.

History.-Some of the Poets suppose that Canis Minor was intended for one of the hounds which belonged to the pack of Orion. Others say, that it is the faithful Mæra, which belonged to Icarus, and that discovered to Erigone the place of her father's burial. After performing this service the dog, it is said, precipitated himself into a well, in despair for the death of his master. The Egyptians were, in all probability, the inventors of this constellation, and

they gave it perhaps the figure of a little dog, because it accompanies the constellation of the Great Dog or Dog Star, the rising of which they supposed had some influence on the overflowing of the Nile. The Latins called this group Anticanis. On the Arabian maps a tree is painted in this part of the heavens instead of a dog.

HARPA GEORGIL

HARPA GEORGII, or the Harp of George, is a new constellation introduced on the maps by one of the German astronomers, in honour of the late king of England, George III. It is composed of a few very small stars, taken from Eridanus the neighbouring group. It is bounded by Taurus, Cetus, and Eridanus.

T

Illustrations of the Eleventh Plate.

Cancer.-Leo.-Sextans.

CANCER.-THE CRAB.

Position, &c.-This sign contains no star larger than the fourth magnitude. A line drawn from Capella, through Beta in the head of Gemini, will show us Alpha in the southern claw. Another line drawn from Aldebaran, through Gamma in the feet of Gemini, will also point out this star. A line drawn through Alpha and Beta in Gemini, very nearly cuts the Stall or Manger, a group of small stars of the sixth magnitude on the back of the Crab, sometimes called the nebulus of Cancer. Two stars of the fourth magnitude, marked Theta and Gamma, one to the north and the other to the south of the Manger, may readily be seen: the first is called the Northern Asellus, and the other the Southern Asellus. Delta, on the meridian, forms a pretty good rightangled triangle with Theta and Gamma. Other small stars in the claws of the Crab, may be found with some difficulty. On the whole, Cancer is no very striking group. Near the star Alpha there is an oblong cluster of stars on a nebulous ground.

Cancer is bounded by Lynx, Gemini, Canis Minor, Hydra, and Leo.

In the zodiac of Dendera, and in most of the astrological remains of Egypt, a scarabæus or beetle is used as the symbol of this sign; but in Sir William Jones's oriental zodiac, and in some others found in India, we meet with the figure of a Crab. As the Hindoos in all probability derived their