THE Lady's Magazine; For JUN E, 1793. GONZALO DE CORDOVA; O, GRANADA RECOVERED. An Heroic Romance. Continued from p. 232.). TY father, no longer poffeffing authority, was unable to defend me; Almanzor was in the Apulxaes, employed in raifing new evies. Without protection or fuccour but my tears, of no avail with my tyrants, I placed all my hopes in my courage, and defpair made ne rik every thing. I went to feek the youthful Zara, he valiant amazon who had come with the Bereberes to the defence of r country. From the first day of r arrival, I had felt for Zara that roluntary predilection which virCue commands. She knew and lamented my misfortunes; the hated Alamar. I hefitated not to confide my felf to her friendship, and afk her tance. The amiable ftranger made every preparation neceffary for my fight, and gave me thirty of her ore Numidians to accompany me. She made them fwear to defend me, to die rather than forfake me, and opened for me the gate fhe guarded. I efcaped from Granada, furrounded by my efcort, not knowing whither I fled. The city of the Abencerrages was the fafeft retreat, but their chief, Zeir, and two of his brothers, had entertained a paffion for me; and it was not to lovers, though virtuous, that I wished to confide for in the folitary palace near Malaga, my defence. I rather thought that which my father, Mulei Haffem, had formerly given me, I might beft conceal myfelf from the researches of Alamar, and inform my brother of the violence offered to my heart. I immediately took the road thither, journeying only by night for fear of preferve me from the purfuit of my a furprife, and praying Heaven to enemy. fcarcely reached the fea-fhore when My prayers were vain: I had I faw myfelf furrounded by a fquadron of the troops of Alamar. My valiant Bereberes made a braye refiftance, but overpowered by numbers were all either killed or taken prifoners. The leader of thefe horrible negroes feized me and carried waited not far from the fhore; tellme half-dead on board a thip that ing me that his master, determined to make fure of his fpoufe, had or Ooz der dered me to be carried into his terri. tories. My misfortunes were now at their height. Death alone could fave me from the dreadful fate that awaited me, and I endeavoured to feek it in the waves, in the midst of a storm which affailed us, but my guards bound me to the maft of the veffel. You know the reft, my lord; your courage, more than human, refcued me from thofe barbarians, but my hard fate has brought us again into the territories of Boabdil. I tremble at the dangers which ftill threaten me, yet I feel a fecret pleasure when I recollect that you will be my defender. The beauteous Zulema thus ended her narrative. Gonzalo, delighted to hear her, was unable to exprefs his tranfports. Agitated by a thoufaud thoughts, his foul was at once overpowered with hope, melancholy, and fear; and Zulema left him a prey to thefe difcordant fenfations. END OF BOOK IV. (To be continued.) CORRECT ACCOUNT OF THE BALL AT ST. JAMES'S. T nine o'clock their majefties, the four elder princeffes, the prince of Wales, and the duke of Clarence entered the ball-room, when the minuers were danced as follows":" After the minuets, there were two country-dances. Only feven couple food up, who were as follow; Princess Royal Princess Augusta Prince of Wales. Duke of Clarence. Princela The Ball concluded about 20 minutes before 12 o'clock, when their majefties retired. On the SAGACITY of the SPIDER. A MONG all the infects, the fpider appears to poffefs the greatest fagacity, and is at the fame time formed by nature to be in a state to combat not only with other infects, but alfo against thofe of its own fpecies. Its head and breaft are covered with a very strong coat of mail, impenetrable to the attacks of other infects; its belly is enveloped with a foft and flexible fkin, which eludes the fting of the wafp; its limbs are articulated like those of the craw-fish, each of them having at their extremities large nails, which ferves to keep its affailants at a distance. The eyes of the fpider are large, transparent, and covered with a fcaly transparent fubftance. Below its mouth are claws, or nippers, (forceps) which ferve it either to deftroy, or to make fure of the prey, which has fallen into its claws or into its web. This infect feems to place ftill more confidence in its web, than in its arms, either offenfive or defenfive. We know what art it employs in forming the fnare. Nature has fur nished it with a glutinous liquor, which it fpins to what fize it pleases, either by opening or contracting the fpincter mufcles. In order to fpin its thread, as foon as it begins its operations, it preffes out a drop of the liquor, which as it dries, forms the thread it draws out, as it diverges from its first pofition. When it reaches its intended distance, it draws this thread with its claws to ftretch it properly, and fix it to the wall as it did before it fet off, Thus it fecures many threads pas rallel to each other, which ferves it. as a warp for its web. To form its woof it does the fame thing tran verle, by fixing one end to its outer threads, which is always the strongest, and the other to the wall. All thefe threads being nearly prepared, or (pun, are glutinous; for which rea fon they adhere to every thing they touch; and thofe parts which are molt fubject to be torn, the fpider fecures by doubling them sometimes even fix times. The domeftic fpider ufually renews its web in three days, although those which have before been made, have not been destroyed. It has been obferved, that a large spider of that fpecies frequently goes round its web, and examines it in every place; that it frequently comes from its hole, and retires to it again. Let us hear what an attentive ob ferver fays, who has made many particular obfervations on the fpecies of infect of which we are now fpeaking. The chief enemy of the domeftic fpider, which this gentleman had a convenient opportunity of obferving even in its hole, was another spider of a much larger fize. The latter not being able to fpin any more we' came to invade the property of its neighbour: a terrible combat immediately enfued, in which victory feemed to incline to the fide of the ufurper, for the induftrious fpider was obliged to take refuge in its hole. After this the conqueror employed every method to draw the other from its retreat. It appeared to go away, but returned again quickly, quickly, and feeing all its artifices were in vain, it began to deftroy the web of the vanquished. This brought on another combat, in which the laborious fpider had the good fortune to flay its antagonist. Then, in peaceable poffeffion of what fo justly belonged to it, it raffed three days in repairing the breaches done to its web, and with out taking any nourishment that our obferver could perceive. After fome time, a large blue fly fell into the ner, and ftruggled violently to get loofe. The fpider at first let it alone, but feeing that it was too ftrong for its web, it came out of its hole, and in less than a minute fo completely enveloped the fly in a new thread, that it had not the leaft ufe of its limbs, and thus fecured, dragged it into its retreat. Thus the fpider lived in this manner in a precarious ftate, for which nature feemed to have prepared it ; it fubfitted on this fly for a week. One day a wasp was thrown into the web; the spider according to custom, ran towards it; but feeing what kind of enemy it had to combat, foon broke all the ftring which confined it, and did every thing in its power to get clear of fo formidable an antagonist. As foon as the wafp was at liberty, I expected that the spider would have repaired the breaches made in its web, but they were irreparable; for it abandoned them entirely, and began a new one which it ended in the ufual time. To fee how many webs a fpider was capable of furnishing, this new web was defroyed: it made another, which was likewife demolished: it now feamed exhaufted, for it fpua no more. The artifices it used, although deprived of its chief protection, are furpriting. I obferved it to draw up its claws, and then it looked like a ball. It remained for hours immoveable, but always on guard; when a fly approached near enough to it, it darted upon it, and feldom miffed. At last, as if difgufted with this kind of life, it determined to invade the poffeffions of another fpider. It made an attack on a neighbouring fortification with much vigour, bur was repulfed. Far from being dif couraged by this repulfe, it laid fiege to another for three days, at the end of which it killed the proprietor, and took poffeffion of the premises. The fpider does not dart on the little flies immediately, which are taken in its web; for, at first view, terror gives the fly ftrength to endeavour to difengage itfelf; but patiently attends until it has exhausted its strength in unavailing efforts: in this manner it is always fure of its prey. This fpider lived for three years, and each year changed its fkin. The gentleman, who made these remarks, lays, he fometimes fnatched off one of the animals claws, which was replaced by a new one in two or three days. The spider at first was fear, ful when he came near it; but afterwards it became familiar, and if he touched any part of its web, it would put itfelf into a state of of, fence and defence. The male spider was obferved to be much fmaller than the female, and they are oviparous. When they have laid their eggs, they envelope them carefully in a piece of their web; and, if they are obliged to fly, exert themfelves to carry the eggs with them, and often perish victims to an attachment to their brood. As foon as the little ones are hatched, they begin to fpin, and appear to grow even to the eye. It they have the good fortune to catch a fly, which they are able to do twenty-four hours after their birth, they feize on it voraciously; but fometimes the young live three or four days without any nourishinent, and and this does not prevent their in- | to go forth under favour of its dark ereafing in bulk every day. REFLECTIONS on the USES and (By Sir JOHN HILL.) nefs, and filently feek their food in the abandoned fields. It affords thefe voracious creatures means of Ap-coming to clear his abode of whatever might infeft it, and even of taking from him fuch things as are by him too carelefly guarded. It permits, however, the animal IGHT and fleep are fo connect that ftands fentry by him to give ed, and the former fo proper-hin notice of what concerns him, ly made to bring on the latter, that while it impofes filence on every whenever we stand in need of repofe, other creature. It keeps the horse, we begin it by procuring a fort of ar- the ox, and all his other domestics tificial night to ourselves. We feek faft afleep around him. It disperses fome fhady lonefome place, and have the birds, and fends each of them to recourse to curtains and window- their respective abode. As it comes fhutters. Our fenfes are never un- on, it gradually hufhes the winds bent but by the removal of what that disturbs the atmosphere. It evigives them agitation; and it is evidently is commiffioned to fecure the dently this fervice to which Night is commiffioned and appointed. But let us confider for a moment, with what a discreet caution it difcharges that duty. Night in ferving man, does not tie him up exactly to any precife moment; it comes not in a blunt and abrupt manner to extinguifh the light of the day, and all on a fudden to rob us of the fight of those objects we are intent upon. Far, indeed, from coming upon us unawares in the midst of our works or travels, it advances, on the contrary, by flow fteps, and only increases and thickens its darkness by degrees. It permits us to make an end of what it is our interest to finish, and does not precipitately deby us the fight of the goal we strive to arrive at. It is not till after it has decently told us of the neceffity of taking our reft, that it finally makes an end of darkening the whole face of nature. lord of nature's reft. It caufes his repofe to be reverenced every where, the moment of which is no fooner come, but all tumults cease; all creatures retire, and for feveral hours together, an univerfal filence reigns throughout his habitation. Nor yet does Nature's palace remain wholly void of light. For as thofe who inhabit it, might perchance be inclined to prolong their works or journies during the night itself, feveral flambeaus fcattered in the firmament ftill guide their steps; but thefe lights which were granted that they might not be left in total darknefs, yield but a gentle and not very brilliant light. It would have been neither proper nor juff, to fupply thofe that wake with fuch a light as might interrupt the repofe of others. When the abfence of the moon, or the thickness of the air, takes from us the light we stand in need of, we are always mafters of procuring it to ourfelves. We find the principle of During all the time of man's re- it in the bowels of flints, and its fuel pofe, Night, for his fake, hufhes in the wood, the oil, the fat of anievery noife, keeps off all glaring mals, the wax which bees collect lights, and whatever might too ftrong- from flowers, and in the vegetative ly affect him. It, indeed, fuffers a tallow that may be drawn from sevefew animals, whofe grim afpectral plants. But the nocturnal light might feare him, while he is at work, ferves us very differently from that |