The latest piece of news in Westbridge is the established fact that Mr. Mainwaring is engaged to Miss McLeod. He who has withstood all the charms of the well brought up ladies of our town has been captivated by a Bloomer, and that, too, after having declared, openly and repeatedly, his disapproval and utter distaste for all women who had in any way made themselves conspicuous. But there seems to be naturally a perversity in all matters of this kind. Love evidently delights in bending the inclinations in that very direction against which the professions have been the loudest and most decided.
CELESTIAL PHENOMENA.—MAY.
BY D. W. BELISLE.
COMA BERENICES.—This is a beautiful cluster of small stars, situated about five degrees east of the equinoctial colure, and midway between Cor-Caroli on the north-east, and Denebola on the south-west. The stars that compose this group are small, but very bright, and are in close proximity to each other; therefore the cluster is readily distinguished from all others. There is a number of small nebulæ in this assemblage, which give it a faintly luminous appearance, somewhat resembling the milky-way. The whole number of stars in this cluster is forty-three. It comes to the meridian on the 13th of May.
This constellation is of Egyptian origin. Berenice was married to Evergetes, King of Egypt, and, on his going out to battle against the Assyrians, she vowed to dedicate her hair, which was of extraordinary beauty, to the goddess of beauty, if her lord returned in safety. Evergetes returned victorious, and, agreeably to her oath, her locks were shorn and deposited in the temple of Venus, whence they shortly disappeared, and the king and queen were assured by Conon, the astronomer, that they had been taken from the altar by Jupiter and placed among the stars; and, to convince them of the truth of his assertion, pointed out this cluster, and
"There Berenice's locks first rose so bright,
The heavens bespangling with dishevelled light."
This group being among the unformed stars until that time, and not known as a constellation, the king became satisfied with the declaration of Conon, who, pointing to the group, said, "There, behold the locks of our queen." Berenice was not only reconciled to this petty larceny of Jupiter, but was proud of the partiality of the god. Callimachus, who flourished before the Christian era, thus adverts to it—