38. THE SEVEN AGES OF MAN.

All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;
They have their éxits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many pàrts,
His ácts being seven àges. At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then the whining school-boy, with his sátchel,
And shining morning fáce, creeping, like snáil,
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like fùrnace, with a woful ballad
Made in his mistress' eyebrow. Then, a sòldier,
Full of strange daths, and bearded like the pàrd,
Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quàrrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
With eyes sevére, and beard of formal cùt,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;

And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantalòon,
With spectacles on nóse, and pouch on síde;
His youthful hóse, well sáved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shànk; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish tréble, pipes
And whistles in his soùnd. Last scene of áll,
That ends this strange eventful history,

Is second childishness, and mere oblivion

Sans téeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans èverything.

SHAKESPEARE.

SPELLING. Require pupils to select and dictate one or more words, from this piece, for spelling.

MEMORY EXERCISE. After training pupils to read this extract, require them to memorize it for recitation.

SLATE WORK. Write from memory the first two sentences. Exchange slates, compare with the book, and correct errors.

39. A FAMOUS SEA-FIGHT.

1. John Paul Jones, the greatest naval hero of the Revolution, was a Scotchman who emigrated to America about the time of the breaking out of the war. He commanded the first war vessel that floated the "Stars and Stripes," our national flag.

2. His greatest sea-fight was the capture of the British ship of war, the Serapis, off the coast of Scotland. Jones's ship, the Bon Homme Richard, was smaller than the Serapis, and carried fewer men and lighter cannon.

3. The battle was fought by moonlight and in sight of land. Captain Jones boldly lashed his ship to the side of the Serapis. The muzzles of the guns almost touched, and the men on each side fought with desperate courage.

4. Jones's ship was old and rotten, and her sides were soon blown to pieces by the enemy's guns. His vessel began to leak badly; some of his cannon burst; but Jones kept on fighting.

5. Twice both vessels caught fire. The decks of both ships were slippery with blood. After two hours' hard fighting the Bon Homme Richard almost ceased firing, and the British captain called out to Jones to surrender. "I have only begun to fight," shouted back the undaunted Jones.

6. At length, after each ship had lost two hundred men in killed and wounded, the Serapis struck her colors. Jones's ship was by this time in a sinking condition. He got his crew on board the Serapis as soon as he could, and in a few minutes the Bon Homme Richard went down.

COMPOSITION. Write this account from memory; then exchange, and correct errors.

40. THE SETTLEMENT OF CALIFORNIA. Question the class, in advance, on the leading facts of this lesson, to ascertain if pupils have studied it.

1. The exploration of that region of the Pacific Coast now known as Lower California, California, Arizona, and New Mexico, was begun by Spanish expeditions, sent out by Cortes, soon after his conquest of Mexico, in quest of fabulous regions reported to contain wealthy and populous cities, and to abound in silver and gold. Similar expeditions were sent out by successive viceroys of Mexico.

2. The territory now included in the State of California was discovered, and its coast explored, by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, in 1542.

3. The first settlement by Europeans, within the limits of what is now the State of California, was made at San

Diego, in 1769, by a party under the leadership of Governor Gaspar de Portata, and Father Junipero Serra, a Franciscan friar.

4. This was the first of a chain of "Missions," extending along the coast to San Francisco. They were established by the Franciscan Fathers for the purpose of converting the native Indians to Christianity, and preparing the country for settlement by the Spanish.

5. Into these Missions, or settlements, the natives were gathered, and trained to till the soil and raise live stock. The Mission churches were spacious edifices, built, in general, of adobes, or sun-dried bricks, and covered with a roof of tiles. Clustered around the churches were the humble dwellings of the Indians.

6. At the height of their prosperity, in 1820, the number of Christianized Indians living near the Missions exceeded 30,000. At this time they possessed large herds of cattle, sheep, and horses, and had accumulated considerable wealth.

7. Two years later, Mexico became independent of Spain, and California was made a Mexican province. In 1833, the Mexican Congress opened the Mission lands to settlement and colonization. The Missions were reduced to parishes, and the general management of affairs was transferred to the territorial government. Under this policy, the Indians became gradually scattered, and their possessions absorbed by the new settlers.

8. The first American settler found his way into California by sea, in 1816; the first overland party, in 1841. American ships occasionally touched at the ports of San Francisco, Monterey, and San Diego, to take cargoes of hides and tallow. During the war of the United States with Mexico, 1846-48, the Americans seized California, and by the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, February 2, 1848, the province, together with New Mexico, was ceded to the United States for fifteen millions of dollars.

9. It was about this time (January 19, 1848), that gold was discovered in California. It was found by

James W. Marshall, an American, employed by General Sutter in building a saw-mill on the American River at Coloma. The exciting news quickly spread through California, and there was a general rush for the "new diggings.

10. As soon as the news reached the States east of the Rocky mountains, thousands of gold-seekers set out for the new El Dorado. Some "crossed the Plains,” in long lines of "emigrant wagons;" some took the long voyage "round the Horn;" while others came by the "Panama route," across the Isthmus of Darien.

11. In 1849, forty thousand immigrants landed in San Francisco; thousands more came overland; and in 1850, the population of California exceeded 100,000. Ships from all parts of the globe lay in the harbor of San Francisco, and a great city sprang up as if by magic.

12. In September, 1849, a convention met at Monterey, and framed a State constitution, and on the 9th of September, 1850, California was admitted to the Union as a State.

13. From 1849 to 1860, the leading occupation of the people was gold mining. The yield of gold from 1849 to 1870 is estimated at over $1,000,000,000. Since 1860, agriculture has been steadily developed, and the goldyield has steadily diminished. A settled population has taken the place of the migratory gold-seeker.