ETYMOLOGY. CHAPTER IV.-SAXON AND FRENCH ROOTS, P. I SAID that many of our Greek and Latin derivatives have been introduced by men of science and literature. The English people, however, are principally Saxons ; Saxon words, therefore, still form the chief part of the language. I have given you only a few Saxon derivatives to learn. NYTHER, down. SCIRAN, to cut. Shears, plough-share, shire, scar, score, sheer. SNICAN, to creep. Sneak, snake. STOW, a place. Walthamstow, Chepstow. TEON, to draw. Tug, tow, team, tough, tight. Ur, out. Outermost, uttermost, utterly. WALD, a wood. Weald (of Sussex or Kent), Walthamstow, Saffron-walden. WRITHAN, to bend or twist. Writhe, wreathe, wreath. EXERCISE 91.-Write eight sentences each containing one of the above words. In our language we have also words derived from the French. The Normans, as I told you, introduced many French words. FRENCH DERIVATIVES. COUVRE, I cover. Discover, coverlet, curfew. Guardian, guard. PARLER, to speak. Parliament, parlour, parley. PETIT, small. Petty, petticoat, pettitoes. EXERCISE 93.-Write four sentences each containing one of the above words; also sentences containing derivatives from the following French words:-rendre, to give back; Nether, nethermost, beneath, un-rang, rank or row; tailler, to derneath, Netherlands. cut; and trouver to find. FRANCE. P. LET us go to FRANCE, to trade with the south of Willie. Europe, Africa, and Asia. You see also that France is W. I am quite willing. P. Then get the map of divided from Germany by the France out of my study. What noble river Rhine. Thus the countries in Europe have we French can communicate with talked about already? that country and with Switzer Ion. We have visited Spain land. But let us also notice and Portugal, Italy, Turkey the principal rivers. Begin and Greece-these countries with the largest. are the three southern pen- Ion. Here is one that seems insulas of Europe. We have larger than the others. It rises also heard of Malta, and of in the Cevennes mountains, Switzerland. and flows through the centre P. And here comes Willie of the country, into the Bay of with the map. Let us make a Biscay. It is called the Loire short lesson on that country. (pronounced Lwar). We will begin with the position of France. How is it bounded on the north? W. On the N.W. is the English channel; on the N.E. is Belgium. P. That is the longest, but not the largest river. The finest is the Rhone, which you may easily find on the map. L. Yes; here it is. But it does not begin in France. It rises in the Alps, and flows into P. Now notice the countries Lake Geneva. on the east. W. Where does it flow out of the lake again? Ion. There are three countries on the east. The most L. Here. It issues from the northern is Germany; below western end of the lake, at the it Switzerland, and below town of Geneva. It then proSwitzerland, Italy. L. The western boundary is the Bay of Biscay, and on the south are the Pyrenees, which separate France from Spain; and the Mediterranean Sea. ceeds westward to the town of Lyons. There it meets with a tributary, called the Saône, and it turns round southward. P. That is correct. You would like to visit Lyons, and see the confluence of the two rivers. P. These boundaries are of great importance to France. She thus has many fine ports Ion. What is the confluence? for shipping. The ports in P. The place where any two the English Channel are con- rivers meet is called a convenient for her trade with fluence (from con, together, England, Sweden, and other and fluere, to flow). The northern countries. Those in Rhone is one of the most rapid the Mediterannean enable her rivers in Europe, and it rushes down its steep course with the Bay of Biscay. The canal astonishing violence. The is called, The Canal of Langue doc. W. Here is another important river, for the capital, PARIS, is situated upon it. It flows into the English channel, and is called the Seine. Saône, on the other hand, is a slow, quiet river, and moves so gently that you can hardly perceive which way it flows. With such a contrast in their characters the effect produced by the confluence of these P. The Seine is like the rivers is curious. Even though Loire and the Garonne in they are united, a distinct line having a slow current. This is seen for some distance in the is because its course is winding, centre of the new river, show- and through level ground. ing the different motions of You may remember this river the two waters; this at length too, because its valley is very disappears, and the waters of beautiful. The scenery near the Saone are persuaded by Rouen cannot be excelled by their companions into the same that of any other river-valley activity. The force of the in Europe. Rhone is such that it washes down toward the sea a great deal of earth; it is said that, in consequence, the coast of France near its mouth extends 9 miles further south than it was in the year 1800. Ion. Here is a river that rises in the Pyrenees. It has tributaries too, flowing from the Cevennes. It is called the Garonne. P. You may remember this river, because some parts of it are very dangerous. It is like the Loire, because it flows into the Bay of Biscay. L. And I see, papa, that a canal has been cut to join the Garonne to the Mediterranean sea. P. Yes. Thus the river connects the Mediterranean and We have now noticed the four principal rivers of France the LOIRE, the RHONE, the GARONNE, and the SEINE. W. I think we will look at the lakes next. Where are WE'LL humbly take what God bestows, Look up in sunshine with a smile, A JOURNAL OF INSTRUCTION FOR THE FAMILY AND THE SCHOOL. 19th Week. MONDAY. THE JUSSIEUAN SYSTEM. THALAMIFLORALS. Order 4. THE POPPIES. (Papaveraceæ.) W. I HAVE had such a run, Lucy! Papa sent me to the corn-fields for a certain plant, and here it is! (1.) The Common Red Poppy; with bud and seed vessel. (2.) The capsule or ovary. L. It's a poppy. I suppose, then, that it belongs to Order 4. P. Yes; it's an interesting plant. It is the farmer's plague, and he calls it a rank weed. Nevertheless, poppies are useful, because of their narcotic Botany. quality. When the ovary of the white poppy is unripe, a pulp or jelly is procured from it, which is called opium. This opium is highly narcotic, and when properly used, is a most valuable medicine. But it is also most improperly used, as you read in "Uncle Richard's Travels" (vol. iv. page 111); it has thus been the curse of millions. Some of the medicines prepared from the poppy are morphia, laudanum, paregoric elixir, and syrup of poppies. A great many patent medicines for babies, which are called cordials, also contain poppy juice, such as Godfrey's Cordial, &c. They are given because of the soothing effect of the opium, but many are very dangerous; some have even caused death. L. I have heard of Godfrey's Cordial, papa. P. The ovaries of the white poppy (or, you may say, the capsules, which you will soon see is a better name) are also picked when ripe. They are sold by the chemists to boil and use as a "fomentation." W. Yes. Don't you remember that mamma had some boiled poppy-heads applied to her face, when she had the face-ache? P. Oil is also procured from the seeds of the poppy; but we have said enough of the uses of the plant. Examine its parts. We will begin with the centre of the flower this time. Here is a capsule, or poppy-head, as you call it. It is certainly a distinctly marked ovary, but the pistil is not very distinct. W. No; where is it, papa? P. These ridges which form a star shape on the crown of the ovary are all you have of the pistil (No. 2); they are the stigmas. The styles are wanting. Now let us cut open the capsule. There! Tell me whether or not it is divided into many carpels, like the ovary of the WaterLily. Section of Capsule; Parietal Placentæ. Ion. Yes, it seems to be. L. No; I think it is not, because you see, Ion, the divisions do not meet in the centre and make complete cells. P. You are right, Lucy; so we say that the ovary has only one cell. W. Then what do you call these little partitions springing from the side, which the seeds are sticking to? P. Each division is called a placenta. The placenta is the part to which the ovules are always joined. When the placentæ spring from the walls of an ovary, as these do, they are said to be parietal. You had better notice that word, as there are other kinds of placentæ. The Heartsease has parietal placentæ; if you will pick a seed-vessel, you will see the placentæ joined to the sides, and the seeds attached to them. Ion. The poppy has a great many seeds, but I cannot think how they get out. See what a hard tough box this poppy-head is; it will not burst, I suppose. P. No; but if you will turn it upside down Ion. I will. Ah, see Lucy, how the seeds are running away! P. That is because there is a particular contrivance. There are a number of doors (or valves) for the seeds to pass through. These valves are open; you may observe them underneath the lid of the capsule (see No. 2 in the cut at the commencement of the lesson); they are in the spaces between the stigmas. But we must quickly notice the other parts of the flower. Will you look at this poppybud? The calyx has, you see, only two sepals, which completely enclose all the red petals; these fall off when the flower opens. L. So they are called "deciduous." P. The corolla has four petals which are much crumpled. W. Yes; and they are very large and thin. No wonder, when they have no calyx to keep them steady, that they flaunt about so when the wind blows them; but some poppies have more than four petals. P. Yes. The great double |