RISING AND SETTING OF THE SUN AND PLANETS FOR GREENWICH. The Sun enters Libra on the 23d, forty-two minutes after noon. At that moment his centre will be right above that point on the Earth's Equator whose west longitude is forty-two minutes of time, or 10° 30m. of arc. His southward motion will then be twentythree minutes twenty-four seconds per day, or nearly one minute per hour: his eastward motion, relatively to the fixed stars, fifty-three minutes fifty-six seconds per day; the motion in the ecliptic amounts to fifty-eight minutes fortyeight seconds. When nearest to us, on January 1st, he moves each day through 1o 1m. 11s.; on July 2d, when farthest from us, the daily motion is 57m. 138. The Moon will be partially eclipsed on .92,480,220 miles. 91,732,730 "" She enters the night of the 13th-14th. the Earth's dark shadow at 10h. 57m. in the evening, and leaves it at 1h. 55m. in the morning. She enters the penumbra at 9h. 43m. in the evening, and leaves it at 3h. 9m. in the morning. The middle of the Eclipse will, consequently, be twenty-six minutes after midnight, when seven-tenths of the Moon's diameter will be obscured. Mercury will be very close to Venus on the 10th. At 9h. in the evening, the distance will be only twenty-four minutes less than the diameter of the Sun or Moon; but the planets will then be below our horizon. Mercury will be in the most distant part of its orbit, or right beyond the Sun, on the morning of the 15th, at 9h. 48m.; and, curiously 288 TABULAR RECORD OF MORTALITY. enough, though there is no physical connexion between the phenomena, Venus will, at the same moment, be in the highest point of its orbit, relatively to the ecliptic. Venus will be right beyond the Sun, or in superior conjunction, on the 25th, at 3h. 17m. in the afternoon; and will be near the Moon on the 27th. Mars sets too early in the evening to attract notice. Jupiter, though somewhat low, is favourably situated for observation. It crosses the meridian on the 9th, at 11h., and on the 23d, at 10h., in the evening, at an altitude of twenty-six degrees. This planet is now in Aquarius, eighteen degrees above Fomalhaut, the bright star in the Southern Fish. On the 6th, at 9h. in the evening, the first and second Satellites will be on the disc of the planet. A few minutes after 9 o'clock a powerful telescope will show the two Satellites and their shadows all on the disc at the same time. A similar phenomenon may be witnessed on the 13th, a little before midnight: precisely at midnight the first Satellite passes off the disc. The fourth Satellite will be eclipsed from 10h. 3m. 54s., on the evening of the 15th, to 2h. 27m. 4s. on the morning of the 16th. This planet will be near the Moon on the 12th. Saturn can only be seen early in the evening. The division in the ring can now be discerned with a telescope of no great pretensions. On either end of the ellipse, a little nearer to the outer than to the inner edge of the ring, a faint dark line is seen, running parallel to the edges: this is the division. When the eye is sufficiently accustomed to distinguish the division with ease at the two ends, it can be traced nearly all the way round. A first-class instrument is required to show the inner dark ring. MR. PILMOOR was a man of "good courage, commanding presence, much executive skill, and ready discourse," "an able and convincing preacher." In America he entered upon his work in the true spirit of a Methodist Missionary, first preaching from the steps of the old State-house, and afterwards from the platform of the judges of the VOL. XIII.-Second Series.-OCTOBER, 1867. T 290 PIONEER-MISSIONARIES. race-course on the common. After spending a week in his new sphere of labour, he wrote to Mr. Wesley to the following effect:-"I have preached several times, and the people flocked to hear in multitudes. Sunday night I went out upon the common. I had the stage appointed for the horse-race for my pulpit, and I think between four and five thousand hearers, who heard with attention still as night. Blessed be God for field-preaching! When I began to talk of preaching at five o'clock in the morning, the people thought it would not answer in America: however, I resolved to try, and had a very good congregation." His journeys were frequent and extensive. In the summer of 1770 he went to Baltimore, preached standing on the side-walk, and was heard with much interest. At New-Rochelle, after great opposition, he preached to the whole neighbourhood. From this place Methodism spread through all Westchester county, its easternmost outpost; whence it at last invaded New-England. Nearly a year was spent in expeditions to the south. He preached in Norfolk, travelled through the southern parts of Virginia, and through North Carolina, to Charleston, in South Carolina. He reached Savannah, Georgia, and made a pilgrimage to Whitefield's Orphan House, scattering the good seed along his route. He encountered not only the violence of the elements, but that of persecutors; yet wherever he went large crowds attended his ministry, and listened to his message. Many souls were converted. It seems that Mr. Pilmoor desisted from travelling for two years after his return from America. In 1776 he again took a Circuit, and was, during the succeeding eight years, appointed to some of the most important stations in England, Ireland, and Scotland. In 1784 he was stationed in the York Circuit. During that year he again retired from the Methodist ministry: subsequently, he returned to America, became Rector of a Church in New-York, and afterwards of St. Paul's, Philadelphia. He was a tall, dignified, gentlemanly person. He became Doctor in Divinity, and died in a good old age, greatly respected. After he had been in the ministry near fifty years, he still had the heart and soul of a Methodist preacher; and, with much of the fire of the primitive itinerancy, preached three times every Sabbath. Though he separated from the Methodists, he did not oppose or disown his former friends; but throughout a long life showed great love for them, often giving his pulpit to Coke, Asbury, and others, and was a subscriber to the "Preachers' Fund." In 1797 he wrote to Mr. Spence, of York, his early and constant friend, to the following effect:-"You will oblige me by tendering my most affectionate salutations to all the preachers of righteousness who labour among you; to the Society in York; and the dear saints all around you. Do let us keep up a friendly correspondence as long as we live." The letters written to his friends and relatives, in later years, manifested the same truly Christian spirit, as will be seen by the accompanying specimens. PIONEER-MISSIONARIES. 291 "London, February 28th, 1774. "DEARLY BELOVED FRIEND, - Notwithstanding my long silence, I can truly say I tenderly love you, and wish you all the blessings you can reasonably expect. My heart has been much attached to you ever since I left your house, and is concerned for your eternal welfare. Our time of probation will soon be over; the die will be cast, and our doom unalterably fixed for ever. Let us, therefore, give all diligence to make our calling and election sure; let us lay up treasure in heaven, and provide for ourselves a good foundation against the time to come, that we may attain everlasting life. About two weeks ago I arrived in England, after a very rough passage of eight-and-thirty days from New-York, in North America. We were exposed to great [danger], but the Lord was our hidingplace from the storm, and [also] from the tempest, and delivered us from the raging of the dreadful sea. On Monday, the 7th of March, I shall leave London, and hasten down to Yorkshire, where I hope to have the pleasure of seeing you on the fifteenth. As I shall stay but one night at Hovingham, [I] should be glad [if] you would let the people know of my coming beforehand, that I may have an opportunity of preaching the Gospel of Christ. "You know, better than I, at present, how matters go with the Methodists in your town, and therefore [I] shall leave it with you to settle it in the best manner you can. Salute [for] me your dear mother and sister, and Mr. and Mrs. Fawcit, and all friends. God bless you. "Mr. Wм. BADDISON, Hovingham, near Malton, Yorkshire." [TO THE SAME. "JOSEPH PILMOOR. "Dublin, September 2d, 1780. "MY DEAR FRIEND,-Having so good an opportunity, I am glad to send you a little token of real friendship and unceasing regard. [I] am very sorry I had not the happiness of seeing you in my way to Conference: our affairs requiring my attendance in Scotland, I was obliged to stay to the last moment before I set off. I travelled four hundred miles in six days, spent about a fortnight in Bristol, and am now, by the tender care of Providence, settled for a time in Dublin. "As I have been here but a little while, [I] am not able to form a proper judgment of the Irish: only I perceive they are very sociable and free. Our congregations are pretty large, and I am in hopes of success. My only intention, in travelling, from the first day until now, has been to do what I thought my duty, and promote [the] kingdom of Christ in the world. If this end is answered, I have my reward. Yet a little while, and all opportunities of improvement will have an end, and I must be numbered with the dead; then what is undone must be undone for ever, because there is no work nor device in the grave. Let us think of this, and give all diligence to make our calling and election sure. Do, my dear friend, do be in earnest for the crown of life. Nothing will avail us anything without a real conversion to God. We must be made holy, or we cannot enter into rest. "May God of His infinite mercy make us meet for His kingdom, that we may dwell with Him for ever. Peace be with your spirit." [TO MRS. BADDISON.] 66 'Edinburgh, January 4th, 1784. "MY DEAR FRIENDS,-Wherever I am, I find my heart is towards you in the love of the Gospel, and sincerely wishes your prosperity. Christians, as drops in the ocean, never part. Though they be separated by distance of place, they are drops in the same ocean still; but some are more closely united than others. Christ is, to believers, the centre of union and of life: by Him we have access unto the Father; and through Him we obtain consolation and heavenly joy. Of ourselves |