extremely damp.

Our engraving, aided by the subjoined references, will, however, enable
our readers to form an accurate idea of the topography of the _Seven
Towers_. It is copied from the Travels of M. Ponqueville, who devotes a
chapter of his quarto volume to a minute description of towers, gardens,
and fortresses. Nothing can exceed the horror with which his catalogue
of their miseries is calculated to impress the reader; indeed, they fall
but little short of some of the highly-wrought fictions of barbarous
romance.

* * * * *

ASTRONOMICAL OCCURRENCES FOR DECEMBER, 1827.

(For the Mirror.)

The sun enters the cardinal and tropical sign _Capricorn_ on the 22nd,
attaining his greatest austral declination at 1h. 31m. afternoon.

The moon is in opposition on the 3rd; in apogee on the 6th, and in
conjunction and perigee on the 18th.

Mercury is in perihelion on the 1st, becomes stationary on the 9th, and
reaches his greatest elongation on the 19th, when he may be seen before
sunrise, as well as a few preceding and succeeding mornings; be rises on
the abovementioned day at 6h. 8m.

Venus is in aphelio on the 18th, and in conjunction with the planet
Herschel on the 28th at 9 h. evening; she sets on the 1st at 4 h. 48 m.,
and on the 31st at 5-1/2 h. evening.

Mars rises on the 1st at 3h, 14m., and on the 31st at 2 h. 46 m.
morning.

Jupiter rises on the 1st at 4 h. 39 m. and on the 31st at 3h. morning;
he has now receded far enough from the sun to render the eclipses of his
nearest moon visible; the first immersion will take place on the 3rd at
6 h. 39 m. 4 s. morning; the next on the 19th at 4 h. 54 m. 42 s.
morning, and the last on the 26th at 6 h. 48 m. 14 s. morning, those
being the only ones that happen during the month.

Saturn who commenced retrograding on the 2nd, last month, in 20 deg.
18m. of _Cancer_, will on the 31st have reached 17 deg. 26 m. of the
same sign, and will be found a few degrees below the star _Pollux_ in
the constellation _Gemini_, rising on the 1st at 6h. 49m., and on the
31st at 4 h. 27 m. evening.

Herschel culminates on the 1st at 3 h. 23m., and on the 31st at 1 h. 17
m.

_Fomalhaut_ in Pisces, a star of the first magnitude, and very much
resembling the planet Saturn, (except that its light is not so steady,)
will be observed only a few degrees above the horizon in the south west,
coming to the meridian at 6 h. 19 m. evening; _Markal_ in t