fees ap as ; lnrent ih eel oe | < $e maga es “a 5 me ae q ee a ue Ewecraveno ror rue Bez. ABBE BLANCHET. Publirkea 4 SJ Anderren March Pi Wg2 P ) THE BEE, LITERARY WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER, CONSISTING OF ORIGINAL PIECES AND SELECTIONS FROM PERFORMANCES. OF MERIT,FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC. A WORK CALCULATED TO DISSEMINATE USEFUL KNOWLEDG®S , : AMONG ALL RANKS OF PEOPLE AT A SMALL EXPENCE, i > BY JAMES ANDERSON, LLD. FRS. FAS. S, Honorary Member of theSociety of Arts, Agricultures ke. at BATH; of the: Philosophical, and of the Agricultural Sacietiesin MANCHESTER 3 of the Society for promoting Natural History, Lon pon ; of the Academy of Artsy. Sciences, and Belles Lettres, Dijon; and correspondent Member of the ~ Royal Society of Paris; Author of several Performances. VOLUME EIGHTH.. 7 ; OD Ay 4 / NLT AL AL APIS MATIN MORE MODOQUE. Hor ack. ——"* AGRICULTURE MANUFACTURES App EDINBURGH: PRINTED FOR THE EDITOR, M)DCC)XC11,—VOL, ji. a CONTENTS OF VOLUME. EIGHTH. # ; : PAGE Memoirs of abbé Blanchet, - fF On animal instinct, - - - 9 Observations on breeding fheep, 20 Miscellaneous reflections of Fre- derick the Great, - - - Zimeo, an Indian tale,. - - Intelligence respecting arts in 23 23 India,- - = = = - ~ 32 Anecdote of Foote the comedian, 39 Tocurrespondents, - - - - 40 Premiums, - - =wirwilfe On the political progres of Great Britain, - - Memoirs of abbé Biches concluded. - = = = - Farther remarks’ on the circu- lar buildings called dhunes int Scotland, 00-0 = = Conjectures concerning. the uses to which these build- _ ings were applied, - - = Inquiry if they were used as watch towers, - - - -~ Inquiry if they were used as forts or places of defence, - Letter from Senex, - - - 41 48 53 56 Reading memorandums, - - 64 Zimeo a tale, continued, - - 69 Literary intelligence, - - - 75 Anecdote of Mr Sim, - - - 80 Tocorrespondents, - - ib Account of a voyage to the He- _ brides; = =) 2 Be Observations on Watson’s history €onclud*d, -- - -< «© = $6 Disquisitions on the dry-stone buildings called dhunes in Scotland,’continued, -. - Comparison between the Anglo Saxon keeps and the Scottifh dhunes,-- - -~ - - 95 The conjecture of their being the habitations of princes 1e- ede st Poa he Zimeo a tale, continued, - A hint to traders in wood = ogo ture and arts, — Downie’s Antiquities in Scotland conti- charts of the east coast of wuéd, - =<"“= <= = ~ 286 Scotlard, - 228 | Description of a view near E- Captain Brodie’s chart of the dinburgh, - = - = - 294 German ocean, - - 232 | Reading memorandums, - - 206- Political prog:efs of Britain, Notices concerning Japan, - 299 letter v. = - - - ~ = 233 | Onthe uces and culture of the Anecdotes of brigadier Resen, poppy» - - - = = = 304 and Peter the Great, - - 242 | On the uses and culture’ of Letter from Senex, - - - 248 | — weld, or dyer’s weed; - - 307 A fragment, - - - - - 253 | Onthelife-buoy, - - - 380 Anecdote of the emperor Se- Anecdotes, - - - = = 31K verus, - - - = - - 264 | Tovcorrespondents, - - +1 372:/ of marifhal de Toiras, - 255 |. Letter from Arcticus, - - 313 — — of prince of Arragon, - ib. | +—— from Alex. Simple, - 313: Mercantile legislation, = - 256 from Juridicus, - = ib Silk rearing in Scotland, - - 260 | —— from Thomson to Pater- Intelligence respecting litera- som, —- - - = = = 3293 ture andatts, - - - - 264 | Anecdote, - - - = = + 330 Anecdotey - - - - - ~- 266 | Antiquities of Scotland conclu- Chicorium intybus, - - - 268 ded, - “= - “= = 936 To correspondents, - - - 272 | Efsay onentails, - - - = 333 Hints respecting the treatment On the silk-worm, - -~ - 337 of persons apparently drowed, 273 | Premiums awarded, - = - 344 re cr POETRY. PaGE Pace Tre love-sick maid, - - -. 25 | Anonymous verses, - - - 196: Verses tothe crocus, - - - 26 | To a lady with a batket of Three songs from the Meats evergreens; - - - = = jb. cian no Conjuror, -- 2 @n the vanity of riches, - - 187 The life and death of grat deel An ode to solitude, - - - 225 Burke, a new ballad, - - 65 { Sonnet onthe residence of Imitation of the sonnet by Cal- Thomson by H. Pye, esq. deron, - - - = > > 105 poet laureat, - - - - ~ 227° A sorg-to the tune of Bow wow Verses. extempore on the late wow, - - - - - - - 106 report from India, mien! ei) 1s The African boy, - - - - ib. | Sonnet, - - = aN 257 Verses by Thomson to Aman- The pliant eae — -4= seeib da, never before publifhed, - 145 | A farewell to the vanities of Verses wrote by R. Burne on the world, _- .- =.= 258'7 a window in Breadalbane, - ib. | Wersesto hope, - ~ - = 259 An ode to M 1 = =) 146 —onhappinefs, -. = ac7 — Lines by a lady to.ber father, ib. — tothe memory of Mifs ‘The libertine repulsed, - - 147 Burns, (5s face serps Verses on seeing a lady on the On beauty, -. - - ™ = ib.. south bridge of Edinburgh, 185 | The entail, a fableg + = - 3355 | Asonnet, ~ - - - - = ib. | 64. 0 ——— nn inal THE BEE, OR ' LITERARY WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER, FOR Wepnesvay, Marcu 7. 1792. ~ ‘MEMOIRS OF ABBE BLANCHET *, “FROM THE FRENCH OF M. DUSAUX, OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF _INSCRIPTIONS AND BELLES.LETTRES, SELECTED AND TRANSLA- ‘TED BY THE OBLIGING FAVOUR OF A FRIEND. With a portrait. *But how sadly will the scene be reversed, if the first thoughts which oc- . cur to aman, concerning himself, be of the gloomy and threatening kind 5 if his temper, instead of calmnefs and self enjoyment, fhall yield him nothing but disquiet and. painful agitation? BLAIR’s SERMONS. "Tue Abbé Blanchet was ‘born the 26th January 1707, at the town of Anguville in the district of Chartres, from parents little blefsed by fortune ; but independent and hopést. He may be said to have erected himself. He came to the college of Lewis xiv. -at Paris to finifh his studies. The Jesuits were not VOL. viii. A t * Author of several elegant miscellaneous tules, two of which our * readers have lately seen, the dean of Badajoz, andthe Will. Atl of the author’s. works display a simiar elegant ten of humour, and have a fue moral tendency. 2 memoirs of Abbé Blanchet. March 4. long in discovering the sweet disposition and talents of this young man, who very soon became the confi- dant of his companions, and the friend of his masters. - These last so overloaded him with kindnefs and dis- tinction, that through gratitude he mistook his voca- tion ; and in 1724 he began his novicefhip, but did not remain there long. Already governed by a se- cret ascendant, by a restlefsnefs, the principle of which he was ignorant of, but which was nothing else but that natural desire of man for liberty and inde- pendance, he quitted his masters, or rather his be- nefactors, but with so much feeling, that they regret~ ted his lofs, and they never lost sight of him. He re- quested their friendfhip, but did not speak of protec- tion. Being his own master, but without support, without fortune, he never doubted, but that among his school fellows, providence had reserved him a friend to console and afsist him. One sees every day sO many reputations falsely usurped, that it appears but just to speak of that merit which was desirous of concealment, But is it proper to occupy the public attention with one who had condemned himself to ob- scurity, and which will not fail to be made a reproach to his historian ? It fhall be fhown whether the Abbé Blanchet had sufficient virtue, talents, or originality, to deserve that after his death his portrait fhould be drawn ; and it is to be hoped that this picture will be a stronger resemblance because he himself will furnifh the principal features and the colouring. ’ To judge of the gloomy affections which, from the age of twenty, poisoned his life, it is necefsary to hear him when he converses with the keeper of all] 1792. memoirs of Abbé Blanchet. 3 his sentiments ; “‘I am impatient to ease my secret pains in pouring them into your heart: My health gets worse and worse, and I am so horribly low that life is become bitter to me; such as I am, it is necef~ sary to support it ; but are others obliged to do it ? I lose myself; Tam always in my perplexities ; I do not know how I fhall get out of them ; if religion did not comfort me, I believe I fhould go mad.” When one recollects that it is the author of so many charming verses and tales who thus exprefses him- self, that it is aman who was so much sought af- ter, particularly for the sweetnefs of his temper, and the good humour of his wit, one must admit “that thé human heart will contain many contrari- ~ ties. . In order to avoid being carried away by different ‘pafsions, he proposed to himself a plan, conformable to his principles, from which nothing could turn him. He gave himself up intirely to the educating young persons, and resolved, in spite of his aversion to any kind of constraint, to do for others what had ibeen done so generously for himself. He had not the trouble of hunting after pupils, they were before hand’ with him. His old masters watched over him without his knowledge; the fathers Brumoy, Bou- geant, Castel, and the ingenious Grefset, whom he Shad loved more than the rest, had procured hima sort of reputation. Besides M. Bouvart, who was already celebrated, (for the first steps of this great physician were those ofa giant,) and M. de Gennes who was a man of letters, as well as a famous advo- cate, both countrymen ana friends of the Abbe Blan~ ‘a memoirs of Abbé Blanchet. March. 4: chet, had made him known and desired by all the best in France. Persons of very high rank withed to trust all the hopes of their honour to his care ; but he preferred, at first, a public institution. He was a distinguifhed profefsor of the humanities and thetorick, in two provincial colleges. A real a- postle, M. de Merinville, bifhop of Chartres, who was an eye witnefs of his zeal and of his succefs, but who saw his health suffering from it, offered him a canonry, on condition he would take priests orders: “* My lord,” replied he, ‘‘ I am too honest a man to undertake it.”? He then gave his reasons, and this vir-- tuous prelate could not fail approving them; the fact is, he did not think himself worthy of so impor- tant an office, and he was. in this like his illustrious’ countryman Nicole. His health, which was. daily. on the decline, forced. him to take private pupils, frequently more benefi- eial than the other mode ; but this he did not calculate upon, he only thought of doing good, which he did. As I only write the life of the Abbé Blanchet as thort as I can, I speak but little of his pupils. It must be known, however, that all of them have done him. great honour by their isreproachable manners.. He appeared more contented. with himself; but his most intimate friend, and to. whom I owe all my materials, and all the vouchers of this writing, was not satisfi- ed with him. M. de Chavannes (at present dean of the parliament of Paris), for it is of him.I speak, one of the worthiest and most upright magistrates of our age, gave: him an indultum *, which he neglected. to. * See the French Encyclopedia—article indulte. & 4792. memoirs of Abbé Blanchet. $ present and kept it five years. He gave him anw. ther which was worth to him a canonry in the cathe~ dral church of Boulogne, near the sea. He set out, and wtites thus in his first letter: ‘‘ Here I am arrived at Boulogne, the question now is whether I fhall re- main here? That no mortal can determine; for even I myself, who ought to know more on that subject than any one else, cannot!” It is from this period that the scruples, the indecision, and the singularities of the Abbé Blanchet, went on increasing ; but as he -was imsome sort a double man, that is to say two different characters were visible in him, we {hall soon consider him in another point of view... His chapter prefsed him to complete his orders ; he replied as he had before done, and gave his resignation into the hands of M. de Mirepoix, who allowed him eight days to consider of it. He persisted in it. The difficulty was how to. inform his friend of it; but M. de Cha- vannes, who. respected and admired the virtue which kept him poor, accepted his reasons, as he had before done, without being disgusted. What would become ef human kind if strong minds did not every now and then take pity of the weak ? . Being freed from his canonry, he again took to what he used to call in joke is Collar of miserp, and at which he was the first to laugh. ‘ Since one must row, said he, I row with a tolerable good grace, and cheerfully enough.” He always looked on the title of preceptor as honourable; and delighted: much in that profefsion formerly so highly esteemed } 4 Sce Plutarch’. life of Theseus and the 7th Satire of Juvenal, 6 memoirs of Abbé Blanchet. March 4. that it seemed fitted for him; it is for this reason he quitted it with regret, and preserved such a memory of it, that he looked upon himself as belonging to the family, where he had educated any young person. The singularity of this voluntary resignation, add- ed to the more singular contrasts which he constant- ly exhibited, naturally, and without any affectation, excited a curiosity in many, who, if he had lived like other people, would not have minded him. Great men wifhed to be acquainted with one, who keeping pain and chagrins for himself, carried good humour and mirth wherever he went ; a man above all, who did not know how to afk or accept; who, from his heart despised riches, but without cynicism, and without boastings; but who did not bid others do.so, as may be seen from the pains he took to pro- vide honourably for his nephew, (M. I’ Abbé Four- nier canon of the cathedral of Chartres, ) very worthy, without doubt, of all his affection and esteem. The great knew him and loved him ; they esteemed him so much as to occupy cnotsetves about his sophia in spite of himself. Let us observe here, that his character, for talents are out of the question, offers very similiar traits to that of the famous J. J. Roufsean, but there are great difsimilarities. Jean Jacques was continually a prey to the love of fame; he distrusted all the world, and was always unsocial ; on the other hand the Abbé Blanchet kept as much as he could his life and writings unknown, lived in perfect confidence, and died in the arms of friendthip. i702. memowrs of Abbé Blanchet. 4 in general, human life is spent almost entirely in withing for, and in pursuit of honours and riches ; the life of the Abbé Blanchet is more remarkable by -the obstacles which he never ceased to throw in the way of his fortune, which came to seek him without his thinking of it. They made him inter- preter of the Englifh, Italian and Spanith tongues, at the king’s library. After he had considered of it, he went to M. Bignon ;—‘ I understand what you come for,’’ said the librarian, ‘‘ but will not accept the re- signation of your place of interpreter, as M. de Mi- repoix did that of your canonry ; moreover, added he, it isa recompence given you, and not an employ- ment,” Thus the Abbé was condemned to receive a hundred pistoles, which were continued to his last moments. They had made him an interpreter, on condition he interpreted nothing ; they made him cen~- sor, on the like terms, and merely to give him a pen- sion ; but this time he would have his way, and ac- . cepted the title but refused the salary. He never loved presents, of whatever sort they might be; and, he had made a kind of agreement, with his generous friends, by which they were forced to serve him ac- cording to his own fancy rather than as they withed. These victories gained over the perpetual scruples of the Abbé, made his friends more eager. They got him nominated librarian of the king’s cabinet, an honourable and lucrative place ; but as soon as they informed him of it, they did not allow him time to deliberate. You must set out directly and with- out delay. More confounded than surprised, at this pew piece of good fortune, he writes to his friend, “ {. ’ 3 memoirs of Abbé Bianchet. March 4. “set out to-morrow for Versailles, andI think my books will follow me the day after. Alas! I am much afraid that my dear books and I may not return very soon.” He arranged, with a great deal of intelligence, the li- brary which had been intrusted to his care ; he con-~~ ducted himself, also much:to the liking of the prince and courtiers, who sought for his conversation, though he did not flatter them, In his commerce with them he had the talent to speak truth without rudenefs, and was polite without familiarity. He was a scrupulous observer of good breeding, and per- fectly aquainted with igs different fhades. It was in vain they called him familiarly my dear; his-reply- was always Sir; and it was by these means he a-- ‘voided any humiliations, which are generally the’ consequences of unequal connections. During this time he was dying of chagrin, and’ ennut, as he declares himself to his friend: ‘* Ah!: my friend, I ‘hope you are more happy where you are than I.am here! I -will quit it, if it please God, about the end of winter. I fhall find myself in all pro- bability as I was before, in moderate poverty, which. does not alarm me whento it is joined liberty, health of - body, and peace of mind.” He gave up his place, as he said he would, and returned to Paris, but his stay at Versailles had cured him of all illusion, by bringing immediately under his own eyes, what can only be-esteemed when seen at a distance. As the pafsions are every where the same, Paris, after this new and last experiment, appeared to him like a desart. Thinking himself incapable hence- forward of living with mankind, whom he could net I7O2. on animal instinct. 9 “esteem, as much as he withed, and dreading the con- tinual slight of friends, whose warmest expectations he had disappointed, he took the resolution of hiding, at St Germains en Jaye, the remainder of a life, which she thought nearer its period than it was, for he lan- guifhed there in melancholy near seventeen years. He no sooner took refuge in this last asylum, than he found the truth, that in changing places, we do not change characters. As soon as he had experienced his new situation, he thus exprefsed himself: ‘* As for me, who, as you know, has scarce ever tasted happinefs, I hall have lefs of it for the time to come. I am worn down by a cruel melancholy, which I can no longer conquer; and against which there are not rany resources here. In these last six weeks I am like a bear in my ‘hole, without having the courage to receive any visitor; if it please God this will soon finith, for according to all circumstances I fhall die of pure melancholy ; in the mean time preserve for me all those sentiments with which you honour me; it seems to me, that as long as I enjoy the friendfhip of ‘such a person as you I fhall not go mad, which I am sometimes apprehensive of.” To be concluded in our next, ON ANIMAL INSTINCT. Continued from p. 86 vol. vii. {OF all the instincts that influence the animal crea- tion, that which induces the dog to attach himself to man, seems to be the most unaccountable. Other VOL. viii. B ‘iT EO on animal instinct. March 4, animals may be tamed; many may be domesticated, © so as to depend upon man for their subsistence; al- most all animals may be brought by means of hun- ger, to look up to man for their food, and to yield to him a certain kind of obedience, from this over-. powering compulsitor ; but the dog is the only ani- mal that delights in the society of man above that of its own species; the only animal that attaches itself to him through choice, who takes pleasure in his smiles, who seems even to participate in his grief, and who, with unexampled fidelity, becomes his com- panion in adversity, and prosperity, nor ever deserts him on any occasion. No wonder if an attachment so strong, so uniform, and so lively, fhould beget, a sort of reciprocal regard ; and that man, on so many occasions, fhould discover such a marked fondnefs for this faithful domestic ! Who can blame the poor old man, who, when receiving a pittance of alms for himself, petitioned forasmall matter more for his dog; and though it was natural enough for the person who was bestowing the bounty, to desire the man to put ‘away his dog, yet when the powerful appeal was made to his feelings, ‘‘ J /ball then have no creature on earth that regards me,’ we applaud the benefi- cence which induced him to continue the pension to the faithful dog, as long as his unfortunate owner li- ved. This attachment of the dog to man, were it only observed to take place where he had no accefs to others of its own kind, might be resolved into the gregarious principle, which in some clafses of animals is very strong. Among horses, cattle, and most of ———e— 1792. om animal instinct. Ti the domesticated animals, this instinct is very power- ful; and though, in many cases, habit may recon- eile these animals to solitude, yet it often happens that a cow, which has not been early accustomed to be alone, can never be reconciled to it without dis- covering evident marks of uneasinefs, that pre- ‘vents her from feeding. Animals of this tempera- ment, when deprived of those of their own species, gradually contract ‘a fondnefs for those of any other kind that is often with them; a cow in my neigh- bourhood, when forced to go alone for a ‘day, conti- nues lowing without intermifsion, and when the milk- maid approaches, the cow runs up to her, not only for the relief the finds in being milked, but for thé pleasure, as would seem, of society. Cften have I seen a conversation between the two continued for half an hour together, the milk-maid soothing her for her solitary state, and the cow returning her me- lancholy complainings at every pause. When 2 solitary horse, afheep, a goat, or a deer happen to be confined in the same pasturt with a cow, they mu- tually comtract a reciprocal fondnefs for each other, and discover a great degree of uneasinefs when they are separated ; but I have met with no instance of the strong power of this propensity more striking than the following: A physician in the country chanced to have a single horse, with no other domestic a- nimal, that lived without doors, except one chicken, These two solitary animals, thus) deprived of society among their own species, soon contracted a fondnefs for the company of each other, and were never asun- ’ der unlefs from unavoidable necelsity. When the harse 12 on animal instinct. March 7. was carried from home, the poor chicken wandered about in search of him incefsantly, in melancholy mood, and when he returned, they flew together with the most evident tokens of mutual satisfaction. The hen picked up her food, by the horse’s side, and the horse lifted up his feet, and moved himself with the most cautious attention, least he fhould acciden- tally hurt his diminutive companion. ‘This affords a proof of the strong power of the gregarious prin- ciple. But nothing of that kind can be,alleged of the dog. He voluntarily deserts his own species for man; and only afsociates for a fhort time with the female, who receives but a few casual visits, while his general happinefs seems to be centered in the company of the person to whom he has attached him- self, All animals seem to Aave an instinctive knowledge of the best manner of employing the powers that na- ture has bestowed upon them for self-defence. The calf, before its horns have begun to bud, opposes its head to any annoying object, as if conscious of the arms that nature had intended for it ; but mever does: the foal think of making.a similar defence’; his little hoof makes unavailing strokes, a sure presage of the force his heel will acquire at a future period. In a wild state animals discover their natural in- stincts much more perfectly than when they are ta- med, so that such animals as: we have domesticated lose, mn a great measure, all their natural faculties. Being accustomed to be fed by man, they lose the faculty of discriminating food, and of searching for it themselves which they strongly pofsefs in their na- 1792. on animal instinct. 1Z tural state. They become a pampered dependant, which must immediately perith, if the fostering care of man be withdrawn for ever so fhort a time, though in a situation where they could have naturally sub- sisted with ease. Being also accustomed to be chasten- ed by him, they gradually lose a sense of their own powers, and yield, without a contest, to many objects. which they were. naturally capable of overcoming. The mighty elephant submits to be chastised by his driver. A child makes the sturdy ox obey his voice. The barking of a trifling dog will make a whole flock of cattle og fheep run with terror. In their natural state this harmlefs animal is endowed with 2 steadinefs” and firmnefs, and instinctive sense of con- _ gregated strength, that serves as a sure defence -a- gainst éven powerful afsailants. When threatened with ‘danger, the whole flock run instinctively to- gether ; but no sooner is a moment given for pau- sing, than they marfhal themselves in good order, and without being overpowered with silly fear, present 2 bold front to the enemy. In this situation, the hun- gry fox-himself dares not attack them. They wait ‘upon the defensive, the strong rams in front, their heads joined close to one another, firm as the Mace donian phalanx. Should the fox venture near, while ‘they are thus prepared, he would be sure to be knocked down, before he could seize on any one ; and those around, by repeated strokes, would never al. low him to rise. He knows his danger and avoids it. Never does he attack a flock of mountain fheep, in this situation. He steals away, lurks in some concealed corner, till the flock disperses itself to (14 on animal instinct. © > Maveh feed, and then seizes upon some defencelefs indi. vidual, before it be aware, and carries it off in safety. The gregarious instinct operates so strongly on al} animals of this clafs, as to induce any creature of that kind easily to afsociate with others of a different clafs, if it be accustomed to do it from its youth. As the most ferocious animals, in being tamed, lose a sense of their owa natural powers, and become gen- tle and timid, so the most timid animals, when tamed, lose all sense of fear, and often become pert and mischievous. A hare can be made thus to afsoci- with a dog, a mouse with a cat, or any other animals. of the same kind, without fhewing the least sense of danger. Andif it be naturally endowed with any offensive powers, it exercises those indifferently on its native enemies as on others. No animal is more afraid of another thana fheep is of a dog, yet the following case, whichI am afsured from good au- thority happened actually not long ago in this neigh- bourhood, serves to fhow that tlie case may be easily reversed. A nobleman in Scotland who kept a pack of hounds, happened to have about the house a tame ram lamb. When young, it was so pleasing and innocent, that it was a favourite of every person. It used to range at" large, to go into the stables, and among the hounds, all of which were taught to respect it. They thus became familiar with each other ; Willie, so the pet fheep was called, grew at length strong, and somewhat unmanageable; it, therefore, became necefsary to put him up into some place of confine- ment, when the servants were not at hand to protect» x 4 H7D% >” on animal instinct. 1S strangers ; and the dog kennel was the readiest place they could find. There, of course, he used to be fhut “up at night. In this situation, he was quite at his ease; and when ever any of the dogs offended him, he naturally made arun at them, and gave them such ablow as to hurt them very much. Feeling thus his own power, Mr Willie afsumed authority ; and as he liked not to be disturbed, when the dogs ‘ became a-snarling at each other, and making a noise, he used to rise up, and {make a race at them, stri-+ king the first that came in his way with great force, - This kind of discipline soon produced its natural efa- fects, The] offending dogs became afraid as soon as this champion prepared himself for battle, so that, in a fhort time, he no sooner rose up, than quiet was restored to the kennel ; every dog fhrinking peace- ably into his own place, without waiting for the blow. Animals that have no natural weapons for self-de- fence, are generally endowed with other faculties that they exert for that purpose. The cuttle-fith, as has been often remarked, when hard pursued, emits an inky juice from itself, that renders the water so muddy as to enable it often thus to escape. The JSeunk, an animal of the weasel clafs, in America, emits a substance of such intolerable fetor, as to overpower almost every animal that comes near it. The tor- toise retires within its fhell; and the hedge-hog rolls itself up into a prickly ball, which the dog in vain ‘attempts to tear in pieces. Some animals also are endowed with a natural in- gtinct for preserving their young, that has so much 26 on animal instinct. March %. the appearance of reasoning, that it is no wonder if we fhould sometimes confound the one with the o- ther. Not to mention the various and beautiful con+ trivances for securing nests from the attacks of ene» mies, which are better exemplified in warmer cli- mates than here, it is well known that when @ pointer steals upon a covey of young partridges, the mother rises a little, and tumbles as if wounded, so as scarcely to get out of the way of the dog, in or- der to induce him ‘to pursue, in hopes of catching — the mother, who continues thus fluttering and “tumbling, gradually alluring him to pursue her, till he has lost sight of the young. No sort of reaso« ning could produce a conduct better calculated to answer the end in view. It is, indeed, too well calculated for that purpose for me to rank it under the chapter of r%ason; instinct, in general, being much more certain of effecting the ends for which nature intended it than reason. On this principle, I fhould be inclined to range this act under the head of zstzmct ; and I once had an opportunity of being convinced, that I here reason justly from the following fact. I was travelling on a road, bounded by a ditch and a hedge on each side, which ran ina straight direction for a great way ; it was pretty early in the morning, and a wild duck had led her young into one of the ditches where there was a little water. When I approached, the mother flew off slowly, hardly rising from the ground and letting her feet hang down as if wounded ; frequently alighting and tumbling, as if unable te proceed. I rade on, following her, and I7H2..- - on animal instinct. ae marking her procedure. She kept a little before me in the same manner, and practising the same tricks for at least a mile. It was remarkable, likewise, that before fhe had proceeded a couple of hundred yards, some people coming in the opposite direction, forced her to leave the road, and fly over one of the hedges till they were past ; so that, if reason had had any fhare in this maneuvre, fhe must have seen that her young would be in much greater danger from those who were going towards them, than from me who had already pafsed them, and fhe ought to have turn- ed back, under the covert of the hedge, and drawn the young off the road before these frefh enemies came up. Instead of that, however, fhe pursued her in- stinctive course blindly, returning to the road as soon as they were past and, following the same plan as be- fore, proceeded for near a mile bere me, fluttering and dragging her legs as at first. This conduct, there- fore, though at first it appeared the most wzse that could have been contrived, appeared at length to be the most fooi/p that could have been conceived. Hence J attribute the one, as well as the other, not to reason, but to blind instinct alone. Docility is a principle that seems to be much more _ nearly connected with reason than with instinct. Sas e must, however, here distinguifh between docility an tractablene/s ; an animal may be so tamed as to si perfectly gentle and inoffensive; yet it may be stu- pid, and incapable of being taught any thing farther than to submit to its master’s power, or to be allu- ' xed by his bounty. The chicken soon knows to obey the call for food ; but scarcely can it be made to di- VOL, viii. C: t tere aS on animal instinct. March 7. stinguifh any other language. The cat is, in many cases, as tame as the dog; but it never can be taught to understand the language of its master’s eye, like this engaging domestic. ‘* The ox knoweth his owner, and the afs his master’s crib ;” they can be tendered tame and gentle ; but how few are the lefsons they can be taught when compared with the elephant? The tractability of animals is not indeed at all connected with their docility. The monkey, even in its wild state, mimics every thing it sees done by man ; but many animals are more tractable than it is. Quadrupeds, in general, pofsefs this talent of doct- Zity in a much higher degree than any other animals ; and though many of the feathered tribe can be easily tamed, and rendered very gentle and- familiar with man, yet, unlefs it be in respect to singing alone, which they acquire merely by a long continued re- petition of the same sounds, they are not in general susceptible of any culture. Even the carrying pigeon, which has been employed for conveying let- ters from a distance, does it merely by an instinctive propensity to return to its former place of abode. The following instance, however, as it is a singular exception to a general rule, deserves to be very gene- rally known, I met with it in a book that is in the hands of few persons, Asiatic researches, vol. il. Account of the Baya, or East Indian GROSS BEAK. ‘¢ The little bird called daya, in Hindi,” writes Atuus Aur Kuan, of Debi, who communicates this _ article, ‘‘ may be taught with ease to fetch a piece of paper, or any small thing that his master points out - L : 1 £7092. 62 aninial instinct. 1g to him. It is an attested fact, that if a ring be drop-~ ped into ‘a deep well, and a signal given to him, he will fly down with amazing celerity, catch the ring before it touches the water, and bring it up to his master with apparent exultation ; and it is confident- ly afserted, that if a house, or any other place, be fhown to him once or twice, he will carry a note thither immediately on a proper signal being made. One instance of his docility I can myself mention ~ with confidence, having often been an eye witnefs of it. The young Hindoo women at Benares, and in o- ther places, wear very thin plates of gold, called tica’s, slightly fixed, by way of ornament, between their eye-brows, and when they pafs through the ‘streets, it is not uncommon for the youthful liber- tines, who amuse ‘themselves with training bayas, to give them a signal which they understand, and send them to pluck the pieces of gold from the fore- heads of their mistrefses, which they bring in triumph to the lovers.. This is atruly singular instance of docility in a bird, the like of which has never before fallen under the notice of A YOUNG OBSERVER*. * Thinking the reader may be curious to know more of this singular bird, I supply the rest of the description omitted by this correspondent, et This bird, which is called derbera in Sanscrit, babui in the dialect of Bengil, cida in Persian, and tenawawéit in Arabic, from his remarkable pendant nest, is rather larger than asparrow, with yellow brown plumage, a yellowifh head and feet, a light coloured breast, and a conic beak, very thick in proportion to his body, is exceedingly common in Hindostan. He is astonifhingly sensible, faithful, and docile, never voluntarily desert- ing the place where his young were harched; but not averse, like most other birds, to the society of mankind; and easily taught to perch on the hand of his master. In a state of nature he genera!ly builds his nest om the highest tree he ean find, especially om the palmyra, or on the Indian ~ 20 on breeding fheep. March 4. OBSERVATIONS ON DIFFERENT KINDS OF SHEEP. SIR, To the Editor of the Bee. Or all domestic animals, the fheep is surely the most worthy of our notice, in that it supplies ug with both food and raiment. . That there is more of both produ- ced by some kinds of them, with the same keeping, than others, and that too of a superior quality, few people at this day will dispute ; by consequence, it is the businefs of every breeder of fheep to inquire where that kind is to be found in the greatest perfec- tion. Mr Bakewell’s breed has for many years been thought to stand foremost of the long-woolled kind ;. fig tree, and he prefers that which happens to overhang a well orrivulet. He makes it of grafs, which he weaves like cloth, and fhapes like a bottle, suspending it firmly to the branches, but so as to rock with the winds and placing it with its entrance downwards, to secure it from birds of prey~ His nest usually consists of two or three chambers; and it is the popular belief, that he lights them with fire-flies, which he catches alive at night, and confines with moist clay, or with cow dung. That such flies are often found in his nest, where pieces of cow dung are also stuck, is un- dubitable; but as their light could be of little use to him, it seems pro- bable that he only feeds on them. “ “« that Master James} is a fool. He has married a © daughter of the king of Denmark; and hence the / Britith empire would become but a province to the court of Copenhagen. We have formed a — much better plan, and you must adopt it. Jersey, — Guernsey, and Plymeuth, Dover castle, and the | * The Conduct of the Allies. + Heary 1v. of France used to call him sow 2 1992. political progréft of Britain. 43 * ‘county of Kent, are to compose a frontier in the *¢ hands of his most christian majesty. The isles cf e Wight, Anglesea, and Man, must be delivered up *‘to their High Mightinefses for the convenience of *« jmporting gin, and you must likewise permit them **to catch and cure pilchards on the coast of Corn- “wall. To Ireland you never had any title but “that ef a robber, and as you are detested by the ‘«’whole natien, to the very last man, it is’ necef- “sary, for preserving the balance of power, to de- **-clare them independent. As for the rest of &* your dominions, we have brought you a GERMAN ** master, born at the distance of a thousand ‘miles, a stranger to your country, your laws, *« your manners, and your language. In defence of “his right, we have disembarked on the coast’ of ** Yorkthire two hundred thousand armed ruffhans ; * and unlefs you instantly acknowledge him as s*:0- “ cefsor, we fhall spread desolation from Caithnefs “¢ to the Iand’s end. Ifhis Danith majesty declines *€ to afsist us in opposing his son-in-law, our admi- ** rals have orders to beat Copenhagen about his “ears. We are perfectly determined; and before we give up the point, we fhall spend thé last drop | < of our blood, and the last far thing of our money ; “ besides diving into more debt than our posterity “can p2y off in an hundred generations.” Perhaps you may fancy this stile a burlesque; but the di- vision of the territories of a great nation was denounced in a tone of more outrageous inso- lence. -On the news of this projected partition, Charles, to disappoint such harpies, transferred his lominions, by a testament, to Philip Duke of Anjou, £4 political progres of Britain. - March t4u the second son of the dauphin of France, and grand son-of Lewis xiv. England determined, at all ha- zards, to enforce the pretended right of the archduke Charles, the second son of Leopold emperor of Ger- , many. The alleged reason was, lest Lewis thould . ifnite France and Spain under his own go vernment. ‘* We hastily engaged in a war,” says Dr Swift, ‘¢ which hath cost us SIXTY MILLIONS; and after re- peated, as well as unexpected succefs in arms, hath , put us and our posterity in a worse condition, not , ‘¢ only than any of our allies, but than even owr con- ‘© guered enemies themselves*.’ To complete the farce, in the course of this war, the emperor him-.. self died on the 1st of May 1705, and about six years after, his eldest son Joseph; upon which, in the year 1711, his second son Charles, who had been bur intended king of Spain, was declared emperor. Hence, even upon our own mad principles, it became still more necefsary to oppose his succefsion than , that of the duke of Anjou. The war was, therefore, . put to an end as fast as pofsible. By the peace, be- sides Minorca and Gibraltar, we obtained a partial right of trading to Spanifh America, which produced the Spanifh war of 1739, and Nova Scotia, which , produced the French war in 1756. The whole oris gin, progrefs and termination of this contest, displays — such a series of blunders as never, I hope, disgraced, * any history except our own. «« Let truth employ tea thousand several tongues, «« And every tongue bring in a several tale, «« And every tale condemns us ail for mad men”? * The Conduct of the Auties, 1792- . -- pohtical progre/s of Britar. ag To Dr Swift, chiefly, we’are indebted for having escaped the i ie of another campaign. His pamphlet, distinguifhed for boldnefs, perspicuity, and. clafsical simplicity, excited a sort of political earths quake ; and, more than all his admirable verses, must endear him to distant posterity. Yet, even at this day, we are deafened about the glorious victories of the duke of Marlborough, and-though by the death of the emperor Joseph, the object of dispute was utter- ly extinguifhed, a crowd of authors, even at this day, lament that our commander was checked in the ca- reer of pillage and butchery. Happy might it have been for this country, had Marlborough, with all his forces, perifhed on the field of Blenheim; since it may be supposed, that such a stroke would at once have blasted our crusades upon the continent. As if his Grace had not enjoyed sufficient opportunities of plundering the treasury of the nation, as if the ma- nor of Woodstock, the palace of Blenheim*, and an hundred thousand pounds a-yeart, had not been as dequate to the services of himself and his dutchefs, we are saddled with an annual payment of five thou- sand pounds to his family for ever. When a consti-« tution, deserving that name, fhall succeed our present _ political anarchy, it is not dificult to foresee some of the first objects of reformation. © The earl of Cha- tham enjoys four thousand pounds a-year, because * Dr Swift estimates Woodetock at forty thousand pounds, and adds, that Blenheim house had cost two hundred thousand pounds, and was at the time of his writing unfinifbed. + The sum has been stated higher, but such computations are always ip part at random. 46 political progre/s of Britain. March 14; his father added pated millions to the national debt. The duke of-Richmfond raises from the city of London an annual revenue, said to be twenty thousand pounds, because he is descended from the natural son of a criminal *, who deserved an hun- dred times over to have been flogged out of human ° society. Whatever were the merits of the peace of Utrecht, it gave the utmost offence to George 1. The duke of Ormond, and Lord Bolingbroke, were compelled to fly their country, and Harley, earl of Oxford; among others, was arrested and sent to the tower, though he was at that time so much indisposed by the gra- vel, that Dr Mead declared his removal was at the hazard of his life. He was confined for two years, and at last dismifsed without atrial. The illustfi- ous family of Ormond was finally ruined. The conduct of what was called the whig party, at this period was such, as might have been expected from ‘a horde of Tartars. Such plain language cannot be employed by an historian like Smollet, writing for a sum of money ; and whose bulky production, to en+ sure a sale, must be in some measure adapted to the ‘vices of the public ; but the facts here stated are unquestionably true, and truth, while it requires no tendernefs of investigation, disdains all subterfuges. ~ From this time forward, during many years, our history presents a tiresome, uniform, and disgusting scene. On account of our connection with Hanover, we engaged in a variety of absurd and expensive al- diances with different nations on the continent ; and ® Charles im 1792. podittcal progrefsof Britain. 47 ‘* is there any Briton so weak as to think, or so fool- “< hardy as to afirm, that this was a Britith quar- “© rel*?”? We acted ina double capacity, as the bullies and the bubbles of Europe. In the year ‘1718, we engaged in another war with Spain, and on this occasion France + combined with England, Hol- land, and the emperor, to invade that kingdom. How striking is the madnefs cf modern politics! Six years had not yet elapsed, since the termination of a war of ten or eleven campaigns ; and that war had been undertaken, to prevent a French prince from succeed- ing to the crown of Spain, lest, as a certain conse- quence, that country fhould become a province of France. Within the fhort, the very fhort. space of six years only, France combined with his former enemies, against that individual French succefsor. Sir Robert Walpole { afserted in the House of Com- mons, that ‘‘our conduct was contrary to the law of *« nations, and a breach of the most solemn treaties!” We could not pretend, that Spain had afforded to Britain the most remote pretence of provocation z But the king of Spain had quarrelled with the em- peror, about the pofsefsion of Sicily and Sardinia. The war was extremely unpopular, and the Spani-. ards were compelled to submit. Our next war with the same nation, commenced. _ in February 1727, with the siege of Gibraltar: And, it is curious enough, that in this war the emperor _ espoused the cause of the king of Spain, as a proper return for our knight errantry in having seconded his * Smollet vol. x. p. 319. + Upon the z9th December 1718. } Smollet vol, x.p.238, ‘es 48 memoirs of Abbé Blanchet. March 14. claims upon the same court. George 1. had'exprefsed a disposition of restoring the fortrefs to its proper owners. The dispute was soon ended. In March 1729, our wise parliament addrefsed George u. with a request that he would take care to preserve | ‘¢ his undoubted right” to Minorca, and Gibraltar. This undoubted right was at best but that of an in- cendiary, who after setting fire to his neighbour’s house, rufhes in to plunder it. This remark implies no censure on the character of George 1. The un- generous act of theft, for it does not even arise to the dignity of robbery, was perpetrated upon a helplefs nation, long before the accefsion of the House of Brunswick. I fhall beg leave to conclude this fketch in a fu- ture letter, and I am, tc. Laurencekirk, | Feb. 25. 3792. Timotuy THUNDERPROOF. MEMOIRS OF ABBE BLANCHET. Continued from p.9- Ty he did not lose his reason, we must allow that it was often overfhadowed. The idea of death conti- nually before his éyes, and the fear of the judge- ment of God Almighty consequently, full of justice and compafsion, made him sometimes bewildered ; so that what ought to have comforted him, only served to intimidate him. JI can easily believe that a wicked and corrupt man, disgusted with his own _vices, may be afraid to live or die; but I cannot comprehend how a man, naturally good, who never zYO2. memoirs of Abbé Blanchet. 49 acted but well, who never wifhed but to do good, could have such fears. ‘Ie is time now to fhow the Abbé Blanchet in a more nteresting point of view, and to resolve, if pof- . sible, the moral problem which his life presents us. We have seen how he lived with himself, let us now see how he lived with others: It appears that from his earliest youth he had two principles of acting within him, which: never ceased urging him in ‘con- trary directions ; hence his love of indolence, when at the same he was eager to adorn his mind, to finifh and bring to perfection his different works ; his bodi- ly organs were not adequate to those of his mind’; ha- ving more imagination ‘than pafsion, he was restlefs, uneasy, and wearied himself for trifles. What he most dreaded was, the carriers of notes and expref- ses, which were sometimes sent to him; he would turn pale as they came to him. ‘* You cannot conceive,” as he writes tohis friend, ‘‘ what a hard . exercise for me is handling’a pen! there are days when I would rather walk two leagues than write two lines.” ‘When he depended solely on himself he couldnot have any sudden wants, unlefs they were ab- solutely indispensible. I recollect a very odd trait, to ‘say no worse, which he always reproached himself for. ‘Thie friendfhip that a great man honoured him with, who was equally to be praised for his pure manners, this talents, and his understanding, was one of the “principal reasons for his journey to England. He thadbeen in London but a few days, when the duke ofi_ —, at that time ambafsador there, was ~ much hurried to add to an important dispatch a tran-~ VOL. viii. G Tb 50 memoirs of Abbé Blanchet. March 14. slation of some speeches in parliament. The duke di- vided them into three parts, took one himself, gave another to his secretary, and hastily sent the other to the Abbé, who understood Englifh perfectly well, and who had translated different parts of Englifh books. The poor Abbé no sooner sees the packet from the am- bafsador, and learns its contents, and what is expec- ted from him, than he cries out, ‘* Oh heavens ! how . I am treated! It is the very day I expect my wather-. woman, and they load me like a jack-afs! What can . Ido? what businefs had I in this cursed country ?” He packed up his things, and returned directly to » France. But the best is, that after such behaviour, the duke, who knew him well, pitied him and did not . Joye him the lefs for it, Some few capricious acts. . and little humours cannot tarnith so good a charac- . ter. I did not promise the life of a perfect, but of an excellent man. . He did not confine himself to the simple rules of pe breeding ; this man whose early infirmities had con-. . siderably altered his temper, and slackened his acti- ; vity, found, in his withes to serve his friends, a prin., ci,'e of life which made him indefatigable; one might say sometimes that his mind was uselefs to him- self and belonged to others. ‘The distrefs of others. was painted in his face; and when he suspected any © of his neighbours wanted necefsaries, he could not take any food before he had afsisted them. Wh y. did: by always succour the blind? ‘It is,” says he,. ‘ because they are in want of the organ which com- mands pity ; and they must be sought_ after so much , “1492. memoirs of Abbé Blanchet. 51 the more attentively because they are more neglec- ted.” . I am very sorry that the modesty of M. de Che- vanes will not permit me to publith the letters of his friend ; for, independent of the graces, the mirth, and the wit, interrupted indeed sometimes by cries of grief, there are some curious anecdotes, and some portraits very well drawn. One may judge by the following : ** T subscribe with all my heart to your epinion of the late cardinal de Fleury; he was I think a wise and ‘a good man ; he had, if I dare say so, a great soul, but tempesate and moderate, who neither admired nor des- pised any thing ; who did great and little things, with the same manner; who witha great deal of applica- tion, joined to much addrefs and patience, rendered himself capable of seeing every thing, and conducting any thing. He was a disinterested and modest mi- nister, who loved the state and the king, and who was not loved as he ought to have been by any order of the state ; a man really deserving admiration, who did not desire it, and who had it not.’”? The continu- ation of this letter characterises too strongly the Abbé Blanchet to omit it : ‘* There is, if I am not de- ceived a portrait in all the rules, one feature is how- ever wanting, which does infinite honour to the car- dinal, it was his kindnefs to men’ of worth, to men of any country. The holy man he sent for from Char- tres, or rather from Auneau, and whom, as it is said, he wifhed to make a bifhop, this M. Cafsegrain, of whom you spoke to me, is a man I know intimate- ly well. Would you believe it, Sir, he comes from my village ; he is the son of the surgeon of Angerville. 52 memoirs of Abbé Bianchet. March.14, Nothing is more true, than what I have just inform- ed you, and you may congratulate me upon it,” One must have known the Abbé well to feel alk the warmth of this pafsage which appears so mode- rate. About forty yearsago, M. Bouvant was given over by the faculty; he told his friend Blanchet, ‘“* from the character, I know you to have, you will be always poor; there is every appearance, my friend, I cannot last long, and when I am dead what. will become of you?”” The Abbé wifhed to reply, but the sick man, taking advantage of his condition, order- ed him to be silent, and dictated his last orders. “* My will is, that you enjoy the interest of ten thousand crowns, which I have earned, for your life. Don’t make any difficulties, the principal will return to my family.”” M. Bouvant recovered. Some time after- wards the Abbé related this trait to the duchefs of Aumont, who was so delighted that fhe urged him to tell it her again. ‘* Why, madam, what I have just related is nothing to what followed; when my poor Bouvant was recovered, I found: him quite sorry that he was so well.” Such was the character, the mind, and talents of this good man. As for his life, do not let us be rafh in beheving, or afserting that it was unhappy, be- cause he saw only misery. What life is exempt from it? For me I feel that virtue forbids me to de- plore the lofs of him, who could say, at the end. of every day, ‘‘ Heaven is my witnefs, I love God above all things, and mankind as well as myself.” Man- kind !—he often loved themin preference, That gto~ 1492. - on antiquities in Scotland. 53 rious pafsion glistened in his eyes, and was visible in every word, Have we not seen that he was the _-tutelar genius of all those with whom he lived. When he perceived himself dying, all his regret was to leave 80 many unhappy mortals behind: ‘‘ Oh!” exclaimed he, ‘if it was but given to a mortal to make happi- nefs alegacy.” The Abbé Blanchet died at St Ger- mains en Jaye, the 29th January 1784. Good men regret him, his friends bewail his'lofs, and the poor blefs his memory. Lu FARTHER REMARKS ON THE CIRCULAR BUILDINGS CALLED DuuveEs* IN SCOTLAND, WITH CONJECTURES CONCERNING THE USES FOR WHICH} THESE HAVE BEEN ORIGINALLY INTENDED. Continued from vol. vil. p. 289. Buirpies of this sort, have never yet been disco. vered in England; nor have I heard of any on the east coast of Scotland farther south than Rofsthire. Many vestiges of these are to be found among the Western Isles, and along the western coasts of Scot- land far south. Dun M‘Swene in Kilmartine parith, and Dun Aula in Craignifh, both in Argylefhire, are the southermost I have yet heard of. Mr Pennant has described, with great accuracy, the remains of two structures of that sort in Glen-elg ; and Dhune- _dornadilla, in the parifh of Rea in Sutherland, has been accurately described by the reverend Mr Pope. They are also frequently to be met with in the Shet- land isles, as appears from the following extract of,2 etter from Arthur Nicholson, younger, of Lochend * Sol find this word fhould be spelt, . td ~ 34. on antiquities i 4s Se. _ March 14. _esq3 near Lerwick. After mentioning ‘them i in gene« ral, he thus proceeds: : ‘< T thall give you,” says he, ‘‘an account of the ‘principal one, which I conjectured to have been the “residence or strong hold of their prince for the time. “Tt is situated om a small island, about half a mile long, lying off the 8. E. end of this country. This castle stands about twenty yards from the sea, and seems to be of a different kind from any others in the country, there being no ditches round it; but T can trace a slight stone dike that has encompafsed it. This castle is by far the most entire of any in this country, it being still forty-five feet high. It is built round a circular court, twenty feet diameter. You enter through the wall, from the side next the sea, by a low door into the-court ; on the opposite side of which, is a door raised three feet from the ground, which leads to the stair. The stair is placed in the heart of the wall, and leads up by high nar- row steps to the top of the building. The thicknefs of the wall is sixteen feet. The whole height is di- vided into stories about five feet high. Each of these stories or galleries go round the building, in the heart « of the wall, except where the stair interrupts. In_ the inside of the building there are three ranges of square holes, each range going from bottom to top, which divide the whole structure into three unequal segments. ‘These holes are separated from each o- ther by one or two stones’ thicknefs ; and are from eight inches to a foot square. JT imagine they have been intended for throwing mifsile weapons from, in case of the enemy getting pofsefsion of the court. 1792. on antiquities in Scotland, 55 ** The galleries are divided fro . one another by broad thin stones, which form so many floors and roofs. ‘The building on the outside appears to taper considerably, till within one-third of the whole height, when it goes up perpendicularly ; and rather seems to fall without the plumb*. The inside wall is plumb. What makes me imagine that this has been the seat of the prince is, that the place next adjacent to it is called Conigfburg, which is the Norwegian term for king’s seat.” All these buildings, he re~_ marks, are of dry stone. The structure here described, resembles those of Dornadilla, and of Glen-elg, (which last I have seen since the former part'of this paper was written, and examined with great care,) much more than it does those of Dunagglesag and Dunrobin, though they all agree in their leading features. The stairs, and the galleries in the heart of the wall, being the most striking peculiarity of these buildings, and what ig — most difficult to comprehend, I fhall take some pains $o render these intelligible. : Se eee SECTION, Representing the stairs and galleries in the heart of the wad] of a Dhune lard open. * This isa peculiarity not observable in any of those I haye seen or Beasd described in Scotland, ; 55 on antiquities in Scotland. March 14. The above fketch may be supposed to represent a section of one of these circular walls, in which the innet surface is taken down, so as to lay the stairs, and galleries open to the view ; you may be supposed to enter the lowermost stair at A, ascend the flight of steps, and you land on the horizontal gallery Ev Before you can reach the other flight of steps you must move forward to F ; and so on round the whole building, till you reach the foot of the next flight of steps at H. This you ascend till you reach the se- cond gallery atI. Here you again proceed forward round the whole area till you arrive at the third flight of steps K; and by a similar procefs, repeated at every gallery, you at last gain the top of the whole. If che paper on which the engraving is made be bent in a circular form, you will thus have a most perfect idea of these stairs and galleries, which you will easi~ ly see are altogether unlike to those inany other build- ing on the globe, and clearly indicate that they must have been appropriated to some particular purpose, very different from any of the ordinary uses of life. I fhall next endéavour to discover what these | purposes were. Conjectures concerning the uses to which the buildings above described have been appropriated. Wuen the manners of a people, and the customs to which these gave risé have changed,” in a country where the art of writing’ was unknown, it must hap- pen, that if any ‘works of art have ‘been so strong as to resist the ravages of time for a long period, every amemorial of the uses for which they were originally . antended, may be totally lest ; and it may become a 299% 4 6n.antiguities in’ Scotland. - oe matter of very great difficulty, to form even a. pro- ‘bable conjecture on that head. Such is actually the «caseat present with regard to those buildings which form the object of our present inquiry; no record, no-tradition even ‘is preserved of their origin and ‘uses. Formerly, it |was customary to ascribe every stupenduous undertaking to the ancient race of giants, with which traditionary history had peopled every country of the globe, in remote times ; but we 4o mot find that, this universal bias takes place here. ‘The only circumstance-that bears the appearance of tradition in this case is, the vulgar name usually ap- #propriated to these structures, viz. the druid’s house, asthe druid’s house of Dun-agglesag the druid’s house of Glenelg, tc.. But it is well. known, that aost things that,are extraordinary in Scotland, have ‘been attributed blindly to the druids, so that little re- diancé'can be had-upon this circumstance. . ; »Modetn antiquarians, as might be expected, are divided in opinion concerning the uses of these struc- ‘tures|; butthese conjectures may be all reducedito the following, viz. sirst, that they. have been intended to serve the purpose of watch towers ; or second, places of defence ; third, habitations for the princes or gran- idees of the land ; fourth, places of religious worthip ; each of which fhall be considered in order. So Orn 1. Watch towers. - © Many persons believe that these structures were erected; like the watch towers on the southern coasts of Spain, to serve as beacons, on which fires might “be lighted, to-alarm the country in case of an invasioa (VOL, vili. H t °° on antiquities in Scotland. March t4. by an enemy. ‘The stairs in the heart of the wall were supposed to lead to the top, ‘like the stairs of a modern light-house, for the purpose of giving an alarm. To render this conjecture more’ probable, those who have adopted it, have afsumed as a postula- tum, that no tower of this kind is to be found that is not within sight of some others ; and ‘that a series of these towers may be traced, thus within view of one another, all along the coast. Few words, however, will be necefsary to refute’ this hypothe- sis. In the first place, it is not true that these struc- tures are always so placed, as to be seen from eaeh other. I do not recollect:to have seen one that is within sight of two others ; and I have seen one at Dunbeath in Caithnefs, which is placed in a deep valley, surrounded with high banks on every side, that cannot perhaps be seen from any point of view at two hundred yards distance; this one, therefore, could not have been intended for that purpose. 2. The site of these buildings is almost in all cases improperly chosen for this use. I have indeed seen some of them on the top ofan eminence, but in ge- neral they are placed rather ina valley, or on a decli- vity, near the bottom of the hill, as at» Glenelg and Dun-agglesag. : 3-.It happens that there are very often two of these structures in the same valley, very near to one another, as is particularly remarkable at Glenelg, where the two dbunes stand upon the southern decli- vity of the hill, in the same valley,-at the distanee of not more than half a mile from each other, which 792. on antiquities in Scotland. 59 clearly. proves that they could never have been inten- ded for watch towers. And «Lastly, in a mountainous country like Scotland, tops of high hills, within view of each other at a great distance, formed natural, alarm-posts, so infinite- ly superior to any artificial work for this purpose, that our forefathers must have been totally desti- tute of common sense, if they could ever have form- ed an idea of substituting such imperfect works as these in their stead.’ Other invincible objections to this hypothesis, arising from the construction of these piles themselves, might be urged; were it here necefsary. 2. Forts, or places of strength. I find that an opinion very generally prevails, espe- cially among those who live at a distance, and nevet have seen any of these buildings, that they have undoubtedly been erected for the purpose of defence; but neither does this hypothesis appear to be te- nible when it is nearly examined. In the rst. place, these buildings are so construc- ‘ted, that they could have contained but very few persons, in proportion to the immense expence of e- recting them. In those times it was necefsary to fhelter the whole body of the people, men, women, and children, from the rage of their enemies, and al- ‘so their cattle, and valuable effects. The modern idea of a fortrefs, defended by a few warriors, to se-' ‘eure the pofsefsion of the country, would have been _ Jaughed at as ridiculous ; for, as military expeditions ‘were at that time merely predatory, and of fhort 60 on antiquities in Scotland. March 1gs- continuance, these strong holds: would have, beem pafsed by as of no avail, or at best it would only have: been necefsary to leave a guard sufficient to overawe the garrison, and to prevent a sally from it, to sur-) prise them while they were busy pillaging the coun-, try. : 2. The situation of these places effectually refutes; ‘the idea of their having been built for defence., Ca-~ ledonia abounds with high mountains, and inaccefsible rocks and fens, which would have been chosen.as the situation for places of defence ; for in such situ~ ‘ ations little art would have been necefsary to: render them impregnable. But it has been already ob- served, that these buildings are seldom to be found thus situated. The castles of future times were in- variably so placed. Some of these dhwnes are placed in the very bottom of deep vallies, as that at Dun- beath, in «particular, which is so near to a steep rock, that rises much above it, that a stone might easily be thrown by the hand from it into the heart of the circular area itself. No person will believe that any set of men could have been so stupid as to chuse such a situation for a place of defence. 3. There is.not, within any one of these structures that I have examined, the smallest appearance of a well, though water is always near them on the out- side; and theugh it is not denied. that it is pofsible ‘wells might have been there, thatare now filled up, yet there is no probability that if these wells: had ever been there, the memory of them, by tradition, would have been entirely lost. I have seen many , with me fhare The plenitude of blifs, And, as an earnest, I bestow This soft and melting, kifs. : Prick’d by the heav’nly temper’d steel, As once old Satan rose, So EpMuND started from his bed, And threw off all the clothes. Scar’d at the view, the vision fled, . For much unus’d was fhe, Such sights as Epmuno’s fhrivel'd fkin, And spindle limbs to see. And now the knight his armour took, And seiz’d his pond’rous spear, And oft, by way of exercise, Made puthes at the air. His corslet next he buckled on, His helm so bright to see, And thus accoutred, out he rufh’d, Full arm’d in cap-a-pee. % O had you seen the strange surprise, O had you heard the rout, ) When first in this most fierce disguise, } The hero ventur’d out: 7792. poetry. 67 Some|thought old Hamlet's buckram ghost Had rose in-evil hour; Whilst others judg’d the jointed ‘mail Had walk’d trom out the tower. - But Epmvuwp soon convinc’d them all That on his legs he stood, And that’his arm, tho’ chill’d with age, Was yet of flefh and blood. Full tilt ‘he ran at all he met, And round he dealt his knocks, Till with a backward stroke at last, He hit poorpCuarLey Fox. Now CHarcey was, of all his friends, The warmest friend he had 5 So when he felt this gracélefs blow, He deem’d the ‘man was mad. With grief his gen’rous bosom rose, A grief too great to hide ; And as the stroke was somewhat hard; He sat him-down and ecry’d. But not a whit did Epmuno» feel, : For at his friend he flew, Resolv’d before the neighbours round - To beat him black and blue. Then Cartes indignant started upy: The meagre form he took, And with a giant’s awful grasp, His rusty armour fhook. © have ye seen a mastiff strong, A fhivering lap-dog tear? Then may you judge how Epmunn did When claw’d by Cares appear. But yet his gauntlet down he threw, In beauty’s cause to fight, And dar’d ajl Christendom to prove His courage and his might. ~~ And wild he'roam’d the country round, And angry scours the streets, And‘tweaks the nose, or kicks the breech Of ey’ry whig he mects. 68 poetry - The neighbéurs first were all surpris’d, Then sorry as. he pasty, Then laugh’d his antic freaks to seey. ” But angry grew at last. | And lo! an.Amazon stept out, One WotsToneEcrarT her namé,.- Resolv’d to stop his mad career, Whatever chance became. An oaken sapling in her hands Full on the foe fhe fell, Nor could his coat.of rusty steel Her vig’rous strokes repel. When, strange to see! herconq’ring staff;. Returning leaves o’erspread, Of which a verdant wreath was wove, And bound around her head, But heavier ills on EpmuND wait, He seeks to ’scape in vain, For out there rufh’d a fiercér foe, Whose dreaded name was.Paine,. A club he bore, whose parent tree In western climates grows, And woe to him whose haplefs. head Its stroke in anger knows. As he who.once, with strength divine, Earth’s monsters cou’d appall, Who gagg’d old triple Cerberus, - And cleans’d th’ Augean stall ; Marck, 14 Like him this Raing the world did range,. Its monsters.to subdue, And more than Hercules he fought, And. more than him he slew. This dreadful foe, when Epmuwnp saw, He felt his fate and sigh’d,, His. head received the thuna’ring blow— He fainted, gasp’d, and died. And now his Wand'ring spectre walks, By night,and eke by day, A warning to the thoughtlefs crew That beauty leads astray. . L792. Zimeo, a-tale. - by ZIMEO, ‘A TALE. Continued from p. 31. “ Tue great Damel, sovereign of Benin, whose heir I am, sent me, according to the 2ncient custom of the king- dom, to be educated by the husbandmen of Onebo, I was given in charge to Matomba, the wisest among them, the wisest of men! At the court of my father, his coun- sel had often prevented evil, and been productive of good. While he was yet young, he retired to that village, in which, for ages, the heirs of the empire have been educa- ted. There Matomba enjoyed all the pleasures that a be- nign fky, a bountiful soil, and a good conscience can be- stow. In the village of Onebo there were no animosities, no idlenefs, no deceit, no .designing priests, no hardnefs of heart. The young princes had none but the most excel- lent examples before their eyes. ‘Lhe wise Matomba made me lose those sentiments of pride, «:d of indolence, that the court and my earlier instructors had inspired me with. 1 laboured the ground, like my master and his servants ; I was instructed in the operations of agriculture, which makes all our riches: I was taught the necefsity of being just, a duty incumbent on all men, that they may be able to educate their children, and cultivate their fields in peace 3 and I was fhewn, that princes, like the labourers of Onebo, must be just towards one another, that they and their sub- jects may live happy and contented. “* My master had a daughter, the young Ellaroe; I lo- ved her, and soon found that my pafsion was. returned. We had both of us preserved our innocence invivlate ; [ saw no other in the creation but her; fhe saw no other but me, and we were happy. Her parents turned this m0 Zimeo, a tale. March ig, pafsion to our mutual advantage. I was obedient to every command of Matomba, in the hope of making myself worthy of Ellaroe; and the hope of preserving her place in my heart, made every duty delightful to her. My at- tainments were all due’ to her, and her’s to me. ‘ Five years had we thus spent, with increasing attachment, when I demanded permifsion of my father to espouse Ellaroe. O how I cherifhed the thought, that fhe would be my companion on the throne, and my friend in every period of life ! “TI was expecting the answer of my father, when two merchants of Portugal arrived at Onebo. They brought, for sale, some implements of hufbandry, several articles for domestic use and some trifles of drefs for women and children, We gave them ivory in exchange, and gold dust. They would have purchased slaves, but none, except criminals, are sold in Benin; and there were none of those in the village of Oncbo. I questioned them with regardto the arts and the manners of Europe. I found in your arts many superfluities, and in’ your manners much contradiction. You know the pafsion which the blacks have for musi¢ and dancing. The Portuguese had many instruments unknown to us; and every evening they played on them the gayest and most enchanting airs. The young people of the vil_ lage gathered together, and danced around them; and there I danced with Ellaroe. The strangers broug ht us. from their fhips the most exquisite wines, with liquors and fruits that were delicious to our taste. They sought our friendfhip, and we loved them truly. They informed us, one day, that they were now obliged to leave us, and to return to their country: The news affected the whole village, but no one more than Ellaroe. They told us, with tears, the day of their departure; they said’ they would leave us with lefs regret, if we would give them T7Q2+ Zimeo, a tale, wk ah opportunity to testify their regard, by entertaining us on board their fhips. They prefsed us to repair to them the next morning, with the young men, and the pretties, girls of the viliage. Accordingly; conducted. by Matomba, and by'some old people, forthe sake of decency, we set off for the fhips. '“ QOnebo is but five miles from the sea, and we were upon the fhore an hour after sun-rise. We saw two vef- sels at a little distance from each other; they were cover ed with branches of trees; the’ sails and the cordage were loaded with flowers. As soon as our friends perceived us, they sounded their instruments, and welcomed us witht songs. The concert and the decorations promised: a de- lightful. entertainment. The Portuguese came to receive us; they divided our company, and an equal number went on board each fhip. Two guns were fired: The concert ceased; we were loaded; with irons, and the vefsels set sail. -Here Zimeo stopt for a moment :—Then resuming his story :—‘‘ Yes, my friends,” said he, “ these men, to whom we had been prodigal of our wealth:and’ confidence, car - ried us away, to sell us with the criminals they had pur- chased,at Benin. I felt at once the misery of Ellaroe, of Matomba, and myself. I loaded the Portuguese with reproaches and threats; I bit my chains, and wifhed I could die ;, but a look from Ellaroe changed my purpose. ‘The monsters had not separated me from her. Matomba was in the other vefsel. “ Three of. our young men, and a young girl, found means to put themselves to death, I exhorted Ellaroe to imitate their example; but the pleasure of loving, and of being beloved, attached her to life. The Portuguese made her believe that they intended for us a lot as happy 2s we had formerly enjoyed. She hoped, at least, that 2 Zimeo, a tale. March 14. we would not Paetsch and that fhe bright egain, find. her father. “ After having, for some days, ‘wept the lofs of our li-: berty, the pleasure of beingyalways together stopped the tears of Ellaroe, and abated my despair. “In those moments, when we were not interrupted by) the presence of our inhuman masters, Ellaroe would fold mein her. arms, and exclaim, Oh, my friend! let us en-/ deavour to support and encourage ‘one another, and we» thall resist all they.can do to us. Afsured of your love,» what have I to complain of? and what happinefs is it that” you would purchase at the expence of that which we now: enjoy ? These words infused into me extraordinary torti- tude; and I had no fear but one,—that of being separa- - ted from Ellaroe. ‘“* We were more than,a month at sea; there was little wind, and our course was slow; at last the winds failed» us entirely, and it fella dead calm. For some days the« Portuguese gave us no: more food than was barely suffici-. ent to preserve us alive. “ Two. negroes, determined on death, refused every species of nourifhment, and secretly conveyed to» us’ the : bread and dates designed for them.. I hid them with care, ’ that they might be employed in prea the life of ae laroe; 7 jot “ The calm continued; the sea, without a wave, pre-’ sented one vast immoveable surface, to which our vefsel seemed attached. The air was as still. as the sea. The sun and the stars, in,their- silent course, disturbed not the profound repose that reigned, over the face of the deep Our anxious eyes, were continually! directed to that uni+: form and unbounded expanse, terminated only by the hea- ven’s arch, that seemed to inclose:us as ina vast tomb. - Sometimes we mistook the . undulations of light for the’ 5 Zimeo, a tale. 73 motion of the waters; but that error was of fhort dura- tion. Sometimes, as we walked on the deck, we took the resistance of the air for the agitation of a breeze ; but no _ Sooner had we suspended our steps, than the illusion va- nifhed ; and the image of famine recurring, presented it- self to our minds with redoubled horror. * Our tyrants soon reserved for themselves the provi- sions that remained, and gave orders that a part of the blacks fhould be sacrificed as food for the rest. It is im- pofsible to say, whether this order, so worthy of the man of your race, or the manner in which it was received, af- fected me most. I read, on every face, a greedy satisfac- tion, a dismal terror, a-savage hope. I saw those unfor- funate companions of my slavery, observe one another with voracious attention, and the eyes of tigers. “Two young girls of the village of Onebo, who had suffered most by the famine, were the first victims. The cries of these unhappy wretches still resound in my ears; and I see the tears-streaming from the eyes of their fami- fhed companions, as they devoured the horrid repast. “ The little provisions which I had concealed from ‘the observation of our tyrants, supported Ellaroe and myself, so that we were sure of not being destined to the sacrifice. I still had dates, and we threw into the sea, without being observed, the horrid morsels that were offe- red to us. “* The calm continuing, despondency began to seize e- + ¥en our tyrants; they became remifs in their attention to us; they observed us slightly, and we were under little re- Straint. One evening, when they retired, they left me on _ eck with Ellaroe. When fhe perceived we were alone, _ the threw her arms round me, and I prefsed her with rapture : in mine. Her eyes beamed with an unusual exprefsion of sen-. sibility and tendernefs, I had never in her presence experi¢n- VOL. viii. | + | 44 Zimeo, a tale. March +4. ced such ardour, such emotion, such palpitation, as at that moment. Long we remained thus infolded in one another’s arms, unable to speak. “ O-thou!”? said I at last, “ whom I had chosen to be my companion on a throne, thou fhalt at least be my companionin death.” “ Ah, Zimeo!” said fhe, “ perhaps the great Orifsa will preserve our lives, and I fhall be thy wife.” “ Ellaroe,” I replied, “ had not . these monsters by treachery prevailed, Damel would have chosen thee for my wife, as thy father had chosen me for t®y hufband. My beloved Ellaroe, do ye still depend up- on the authority of Damel, and fhall we now wait for or- ders that we can never receive’? No, no, far from our pa- rents, torn from our country, our obedience is now due on- ly to our hearts.” “ Q, Zimeo*” cried fhe, bedewing my face with her tears. “ Ellaroe,” said I, “ if you weep ina moment like this, you love not asI do. “ Ah!” replied fhe, “ observe, by the light of the moon, this unchangeable ocean; throw your eyes on these immoveable sails ; behold on the deck, the traces of the blood of my two friends ; consider the little that remains of our dates, then—O Zi- mea! be but my hufband, and I thall be contented !” *“* So saying, fhe redoubled her carefses. » We swore, in presence of the great Orifsa, to be united, whatever fhould be our destiny; and we gave ourselves up to numberlefs pleasures, which we had never before experienced. In the enjoyment of these, we forgot our slavery ; the thoughts of impending death, the lofs of empire, the hope of ven- geance, all were forgotten, and we were sensible to nothing . but the blandifhments of love. At last, however, the sweet delirium ceased ; we found ourselves deserted by e- very flattering illusion, and left in our former state; truth appeared in proportion as our senses regained their tranquil- lity 5 our souls began to suffer unusual opprefsions 3 weigh. 1792.) literary intelligence. vi ed down on every side, the calm we experienced was awful ‘and dead, like the stillnefs of nature around us. “ I was roused from this despondency by a cry from Ellaroe; her eyes sparkled with joy; fhe made me ob- serve the sails and the cordage agitated by the wind; we felt the motion of the waves; a frefh breeze sprung up, that carried the two vefsels in three days to Porto Bello. To be continued. LITERARY INTELLIGENCE. i curious discovery. "Tere has been lately discovered as it is said in the library of St Mark at Venice, acollection of hydrographical charts, designed in the year 1436, accompanied with a manuscript description of the voyages of Marin Sanudo, a celebrated Venetian navigator, who lived at the end of the thir- ‘teenth, and beginning of the fourteenth century, which prove, it is said, in the most unequivocal manner, not only that the seas of Africa and India were known by the Ve- netians, long before the discoveries of the Portuguese, but also that the Antilles, Hudson’s bay, and Newfound- land, had been discovered and frequented by their navi- gators, more than a century before the age of Christopher Columbus. This information was communicated to the public in a memoir concerning Italy, read at a general meeting of the Literary Society of Valence in Dauphigné, in France, on the 26th of August last, by a M. Naillac. No account has yet reached us of the proofs by which he has establi- fhed the authenticity of these manuscripts. In this age of literary forgeries, it will be necefsary to bring very un- equivocal evidence of the authenticity of these produce, "6 hiterary intelligence. March r4z tions, before a tale so little probable, will be believed by the public. The intercourse between Venice and all the countries of Europe, before the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope by the Portuguese, was yery great, and Co= lumbus employed a great many years soliciting the diffe. rent courts of Europe, before he could get one of them te listen to the very improbable tale, as it was then thought, of the pofsibrlity of reaching land by sailing westward in the Atlantic ocean. If the Antilles had been frequented by the Venetians before that time, would this have been ac- counted a wonderful discovery, as it certainly was. by all Europe at that time? This, and many other obvious considerations, will induce thinking men to hear this tale’ with diffidence. At the same time, it is much to be wifhed that the po- tentates of every country in Europe, instead of exerting’ their utmost efforts in exteriding their dominions, and di- sturbing the tranquillity of their neighbours, would, in, imitation of the prince of Denmark, turn their attention to domestic improvements, and, literary pursuits ; and in~ stead of burying whole mafses of literary performances, in dungeons where no person can have accefs to them, would cause the nature of those treasures they pofsefs be fully investigated, and publifh a catalogue ratsonnée of the whole, that literary men might. thus be directed in their researches, and be enabled to bring to light whatever was useful in these libraries. For although it is not probable that many discoveries of the nature of that which is here znnounced, will be made, there is great reason to believé that many of the lost writings of the ancients, might thus be brought to light. Mr Astor, advocate in Naples, known in the republic of letters by a profound work, publifhed by him on the ' £792. : literary intelligence. philocophy of Eloquence, has lately publifhed the first vo- _dume of a very interesting work, entitled /a guida scien- tifica, or a guide for studying the sciences, which is to ~ be followed by four other volumes, to complete the work, of which great expectations are formed by the anes in Italy. ' In the first volume he explains the truth of the Christian teligion, the errors of Paganism, and the uncertainty of human reason when abandoned to itself. The second volume is to contain the astronomiico-phy- sical history of the celestial bodies,—cosmography,—thé natural history of the earth,—the physical geography of ‘the globe,—physics, general and particular, with the na- tural history of terrestrial bodies,—of the air,—the at- mosphere, and the phenomena observed in them. The third volume will contain the theory of the earth, and terrestrial substances. Every thing that respects the natural history of the earth, of animals, vegetables, and minerals. The fourth will be appropriated to geography, ancient and modern. And the fifth will contain the physical history of man, —a fketch of the sciences and intellectual discoveries of man,—and a history of the progrefs of the social state. The following pafsages, translated from the part of this work already publifhed, will probably give the reader a favourable opinion of this author’s manner of thinking. “ All studies ought to be so directed, as not to load the memory, but to enlighten the understanding. “ We ought to search for truth, and not to follow sy- stems. “For nature, ages are moments,—and for man, moments are ages, 48 _ literary intelligeticé. March 23 “ The philosopher ought to be the enemy of hygothe- ses and systems,—the friend of observations, experience, t and sound reasoning. “ In every science, as in the difk of the planets, there are luminous parts, parts that are lefs lucid, and parts that are obscure. j ““-One ought to read little, observe and meditate a great deal, and read more in the book of nature, than in the books of men, which often betray us into error. “Tfin many things modern philosophers have surpafsed the ancients, they have also been, in a good many things, surpafsed by these last; and in a great many things the obscurity of modern philosophy is equal to that of the. ancient. “* Whoever studies only with a view to make money, is never, or very rarely, in a situation either to mzeke himself better, to discover the truth himself, or to commu- nicate it to others. “« The riches of the understanding are much preferable to the greatest pecuniary wealth.” Ar the general meeting of the academy of Dijon, held the 28th of August last, M. Grofsart read a memoir on the means of making instruments of the elastic gum from the bottles of it which come from the Brazils. Mr Grofsart, after regretting, as we have done, vol. ii- that the tree which affords the caoutchouc, grows at too great a distance from Europe, to admit of the juice being. brought hither in its fluid state, sets himself to discover if it be pofsible to convert the dried bottles of it to useful purposes. The difsolving the caoutchouc, by means of ether, he considers, justly, to be too expensive a procefs for ordinary purposes, and the softening of it by means of efsential oils, is not only objectionable on account of the ex- pence, but also to the inconvenience that results from their 2792. kiterary intelligence. ) not drying properly. Both of these procefses, there- fore, he rejects. After many trials, he thinks he has at length discovered ‘an easy and cheap method of making catheters, and simi- Jar tubes, of this elastic gum in Europe. It has been re- marked, that if fhreds of these bottles frefh cut down, be prefsed very close upon each other, they may be made to adhere so clofely as to appear one piece. This operation is facilitated if the caoutchouc be softened in warm water. Upon this principle he thus proceeds: After having pro- vided a mould of a proper size for the open of the tube intended, he slices down the caoutchouc into thin fhreds, puts these into boiling water; after they have remained there for some time, to soften, he takes out these fhreds, ‘and rolls them tightly on the mould, taking care to make the edges overlap each other; one fhred is applied after another, till the mould is all covered to the thicknefs wanted, then a ribbon is bound as tightly as pofsible over the whole, and above that it is still more closely bound by a tire of packthread, laid close to each other over the whole surface. In this state it is allowed to remain for some days, when the packthread is unbound, and the rib- bon taken off. The mould may then-be easily drawn out after dipping it a few minutes in hot water, and the tube is formed. * How much more easy would it be, however, to make a variety of uses of this substance, could the juice be cb- tained in its fluid state in Britain! and this it easily could be, were it reared in our new settlement of Sierra Leona, on the coast of Africa, which is net a voyage of a month from Britain. What a valuable acquisition would a cargo of the seeds of the caoutchouc' tree be to this new colony! Is not this an object deserving the attention of the Sierra Leona directors ? Bo to correspondents. March 14. t oe ANECDOTE. Sir, For the Bee. Tue following anecdote is much in the spirit of that which was lately given by your facetious correspondent 1-G. About the year 1750, Mr Sim was minister at Glafs, in _ Banff-fhire, and had, as a parifhioner, the late much re- spected Mr Gordon of Auchmull, who had entertained a long and inveterate grudge at the honest parson. Mr Sim got or procured a call to the neighbouring parifh of Mortlich, and, as usual, preached a farewell sermon, which Mr Gordon did not honour with his attendance; but a third person. extolling the discourse ‘to the fkies, and lamenting Mr Gordon’s absence, the latter replied only by afking the text ; and being told, Acts xx, 22. And I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that fhall befall me ther e.——=“ Ah! d—1 curse’ him ! Weel kens he that the stipend of Mortlich is better than the stipend of Glafs.” TO CORRESPONDENTS. ‘Tre very flattering letter and communication of Missbrontes are received, Perhaps the Editor will best act up to the character this correspondent has been pleased to give him, by deferring to publith his animadversions till the whole of the observations he criticises are finifhed. He thinks, too, the writer will be thankful for being allowed time to revise his piece coolly, before he thinks of laying it before the Public. When a person’s feelings are warmly excited, he does not always say what he himself on se- cond thoughts would deem the best. . From these considerations the py: blication of this critique fhall be deferred. An Old Corespondent will observe that his remarks have been in some Measure anticipated. After the whole that occurs on the subject of his. paper is publithed, his observations will be more apropos. The epitaph hhe has been so kind as transcribe, has been sent from different quarters, and has been often publifhed;—so often, indeed, that it could be new to few of our readers. . The verses by a Friend to Merit, are safely come to hand. “If the wri- fer does not forbid it, they will be printed with a few omifsions, so as te yender it fhorter for this Miscellany. , The very beautiful original letters and verses of Thomson, are received ; and several other performances, which fhall be acknowledged in eur next, 66. - THE BEE, OR LITERARY WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER, FOR - ‘Wepnespvay, Marcu 21.1792. ACCOUNT OF A VOYAGE TO THE HEBRIDES, BY A _ COMMITTEE .OF THE BRITISH FISHERY SOCIETY, IN \THE YEAR 1787. ~The attention of the-publicthaving been frequently of late years directed to- _ wards the important object of the Sifheries on the western coasts of Scotland, it is not doubted, but our readers will be pleased with a performance that ~ tends to Throw light on this very interesting subject. In this persuasion, the Editor is happy to be able to: present his-readers with the following re- » marks, with which he bas been kindly favoured, by a public spirited ger tleman, to.whom Scotland lies under great obligations, whose name widl By be revered in future ages by all-who study the bistory of this country. Sir, Zo the Editor of the Bee. ‘Ow perusing my memorandums, I find a fhort jour- nal among them of-a‘tour made to the Hebrides by a committee of the directors of the fifhery society, in the year 1787. The object of that committee was for the purpese of chusing proper stations for some new towns, which the society intended to erect, in the most advantageous situations for the fifhery ; and for the general commerce of. the kingdom. I know VOL. Vili. L t 82 - a voyage to the Hebrides. March 216 not if those meagre memorandums will afford your readers much entertainment ; but your insert- ing them in your Bee, may serve to perpetuate the memory of an expedition which does great honour to the directors of the society of Britifh fifheries. That it will prove ultimately beneficial to that ne- glected part of the kingdom, can hardly be doubted, since some persons of high rank, and distinguifhed abilities, have thereby been eye witnefses of the ne- glected state of that country, and of its capability of receiving great improvement by the joint efforts of parliament, the proprietors, and the fifhery so- ciety. I need not tell you, Sir, that the regions sur- veyed by the committee are the principal seat of the emigrations which have for these last twenty years taken place toa destructive extent in Scotland ; and that the attention of the public may perhaps be thus awakened to discover the causes, and to admi- nister a cure for this great political distemper. The society having thought it expedient to have the western coasts of Scotland surveyed and inspected by a committee of their own members, - the duke of Argill president, lord Breadalbane vice president, Sir Adam Ferguson, J. H. Mackenzie of Seaforth, esq; Tsaac Hawkins Brown, esq; Henry Beaufoy, and George Dempster, esqrs; undertook this expedition. _ Mr Beaufoy’s time not admitting of his accompany- ing the other members by sea, made a journey by land from London, and visited Lochbroom and Gare- loch, and some other parts of the western coasts. He was attended by a surveyor, and had a plan made ef atown at Ulapole in Lochbroom, which is now 1792. a voyage to the Hebrides. 83 actually carrying into execution, on a lot of twelve or fourteen thousand acres of land, obtained on* easy _ terms from the late lord Macleod. it is to be hoped this public spirited gentleman will one day favour the public with his observations, during this interest- ing tour. J am, Sir, Yours, PISCATOR. My memorandums begin June 27th, 1787. The duke of Argill, lord Breadalbane, the honourable Mr Campbell his lordthip’s brother, Sir Adam Fergu- son, Mr Brown, and Mr Dempster, together with ‘Mr Thorkelin, an Icelandic gentleman of great learn- ing, and profefsor of antiquities, and keeper of the public archives at Copenhagen in Denmark, and lieu- tenant John Pierce of the navy, a very ingenious navi- ‘gator and draftsman, left Inverary and reached that night Dalmaly in Glenorchy. 28th, They ‘reached. Oban, where they were joined by J. H. Mackenzie, esq; of Seaforth, in his yacht, a beautiful and commodious vefsel. Here they also found waiting for them one of the Custom-house cutters, commanded by captain Campbell of Campbelton, who had been appoint~ éd by the lords of the Treasury-to attend the com- mittee ; along with captain Campbell, was also Mr Mactavifh of Campbelton. Lord Breadalbane also hired for the expedition a vefsel belonging to Strom- nefs, in the Orkneys, the hold of which was fitted up into a cabin, under the direction. of lieutenant Pierce, and proved a very useful tender during the course of the voyage. > 84 a voyage to the Hebrides - March 2% 29th, Sailed from Oban, wind fair, S. W. thermo-: meter at'eight o’clock. A. M. at. Oban 55.. About two o?clock. reached the bay of Arras in the iske of Mull, where they were joined by Mr Maclean of Coll, in a. handsome decked. vefsel, by Airds, Kin- gairloch, Drimnin, and the Baillie of Tyree in their respective boats ; dined that day in the sound of Mull on board Seaforth’s yacht. The. party were, besides» the gentlemen'from,Oban, Coll, Lochbury, Drimnin, Kingairloch,. Lochallyn, captain’ Hamond. Maclean, captain L, Maclean isle of Muik, Kingairloch’s brother, _Mr Colin Maclean, captain Wilson, Dr Hume, Mr Agnew, Mr Maclean of Turleik,. Airds junior, both the Mr Stewarts and Mr Stevensons of.Oban.. - e The day was fine. The boats of the Highland gentlemen had colours. flying, a bag-piper in the bow of each, and rowers in uniform liveries,.and-made a: fine appearance. His majesty’s health, succefs to the fifheries, and many other loyal and. patriotic. toasts were drunk, accompanied with a discharge. of swivel guns, with which all the- vefsels, and some. of the boats, were provided. The company all. in. great spirits. Ac gayer scene could notibe seen.. The committee slept that night on fhore at Mr’ Stewart’s of Arras, where. the sound of: Mull forms a’ fine bay. 30th June, weather fine, wind, fair, the duke of Argill and some of the party. rode along the banks of the sound of Mull to Tobermory.;. the rest went by water. A plentiful dinner was provided by the duke of Argill at Tobermory, for the same company as yes~ terday ; dined under a tent, founded.the. New Town. Fygz a voyage to the Hebrides. 8x wnder every favourable anspice. It was named Bri— tif) Harbour by the duke of Argill. Its ancient: name of Tobermory will probably be its prevalent name.—Fine-all day.—Returned by water and paf- sed the night at Arras. July rst dined at Arras ; while there, several boards were held, all the committee present. A large part of Tobermory farm was purchased for the society from Mr Campbell of Knock.. It consists of five hun-. dred acres round the harbour. Terms. were the pre- sent rent L,.53 1os.. and L. 500 down. The duke of Argill sold the society still a better bargain, ha- ving only afkedthe present rent of about. L. 30 or L. 4o° _ for fifteen hundred acres, so that. the society is now’ in pofsefsion of two thousand and. odd. actes, round: Britifh. Harbour, for L..go a-year, and L.. 500. paid in money. One of the party said he would leave direc-~ tions for publifhing in the newspaper, fifty years hence, the terms of this. purchase, and would appeal. to posterity for a confirmation of his opinion, in which. he was singular, that the bargain made with Knock. is a cheap one, for in lefs time than fifty years: the land round Tobermory would yield the society L. 2000 a-year. The board directed Tobermory to be surveyed-a~ gain, the town and roads to be~ laid out anew, ac-. eurate measures to be taken of the necefsary embank~ ments, quay, warchouses and other storehouses ; with» a view to advertise for their execution by public eontract. he To be continued, 86 observations on Watson's history. March 2%, % OBSERVATIONS ON WATSON’s HISTORY. Continued from vol. vii. p. 169. "Tue stile and narration .of this history deserve much praise ; it is easy, flowing, and natural, always correct, and well adapted to the different subjects which come under review; it pofsefses, however, more of the dignified simplicity and strength of the philosopher, than the flowery embellifhments of the poet. Watson rests none of his merit upon external ornament; ke is chiefly anxious to relate facts, clear- ly and completely, in their’ due proportion and pro- per connection, and to please, and interest, rather by what he has to tell, than by any adventitious co- louring. But though he does not seem ambitious to decorate his narration with beauty and sublimity of diction, we feel no want of it; we meet with nothing harfh, redundant, or inelegant ; we can on no occasion say, thathe has not done justice to his subject, that his: conceptions are ever inadequate, his views deficient, or his description feeble. His aim is never solely to. please the ear, but always to fill and satisfy the mind. Very different from the manly modesty of this au~ thor, is the practice of many modern writers, who are always attempting to draw our attention from the subject to themselves and their manner of describing it ; who are ever on the watch to catch at an elegant phrase; and who with, one would think, to “cover the deformity or poverty of their thoughts, with the gaudy ornaments of stile and exprefsion, Ina nar-, 2992. ~ observations on Watson's history. 84 tation of facts there fhould be nothing rugged, abrupt, or obscure ; simplicity, perspicuity, and cor- rectnefs, are chiefly to be studied; it seldom admits of a highly decorated stile. A perpetual succefsion of musical sounds, and a great attention to the regular swell and cadence of periods, serve rather to emba- rafs and interrupt, than illustrate the subjects of his- tory. Inthe great models of antiquity, the utmost simplicity reigns ; Herodotus, Xenophon, Cesar, and Livy, are remarkably chaste in this respect.. Their easy andnatural composition seems to have been close~ ly imitated by the author of this history, which is’ elegant without affectation, and:perspicuous withuot being diffuse. The reign of Philip 1. is crowded with great and important transactions. The scenes are various and uncommon. It is one continued train of active exer- tions ; many subjects of wonder occur, many of pity, love, and abhorrence. In order to do justice to such an extensive field, and to produce suitable sensations, ur author makes use of no rhetorical artifices ; he does not set himself, by a laboured deseription, to ele- vate the imagination, and by many pathetic expos- _ tulations to rouse indignation, or to excite pity ; he does net attempt, like some puerile writers, to raise to the highest pitch of admiration, or melt with the ut- Most extremity of pitiful distrefs ; such overstrained efforts never gain their end. We always read them with distrust, and instead of brightening the object, as they intend, serve rather to cast a mist over it, and aften put it wholly out of view. But Watson aftey B8 observations on Watson’s history. March 212 the manner of the above celebrated ancients, has no unmeaning flathes of oratory, no studied research af- ter novelty of exprefsion, or measured combinations of words; he gives a simple recital .of facts, in lan- guage pure and philosophical, and addrefses him~ self to the pafsions, wholly through the medium of ‘the understanding; ‘he is content with presenting clear and satisfactory views of interesting scenes, and allows them to make their way to the heart by their native merit. The unadorned picture whichhe exhi- bits of the miseries of the Netherlands, is certainly far more affecting than though he had employed all the refining arts of rhetorical embellifhments/ This indeed is one of the great excellencies of Watson, that we are never amused with words instead of things ; he never calls.our minds from the proper businefs of the work, to reflectionsof his own that are unne- _cefsary, and which are,in many writers no more than an effected parade of. unmeaning ingenuity. The whole series of events lie full and clear before us as they actually existed; nothing is heightened beyond truth by the false colourings of imagination, nor does any thing appear without suitable dignity. The prin- _.cipal circumstances are selected with judgement, and displayed with the utmost perspicuity and ordgr. On mo occasion are we at a lofs to apprehend his mean- ing, or follow the thread of his narration; we are -never fatigued with minute attentions, nor distrac- ted with a multiplicity of things at once. In relating those complicated arrangements of battles, sieges and encampments which modern im- — ‘movements have introduced into the military art, he T49Q2. observations on Watson’s bistory. §9 fhews an uncommonly clear and capacious mind, the reader always easily imagines himself to be upon the spot; indeed throughout the whole we are continually upon the scene, of action, we are always so much ingrofsed with what is going on, that we never think of the composition, or the historian him- self. In describing engagements, he fhews much abi-. litysand addrefs. The number and disposition of the, combatants;their peculiar situation, their advantages. and disadvantages, are all represented as in a map before us.” The action itself is always highly inte- resting ; our solicitude about the ifsue is for a while in suspence, the tumult gradually thickens, the vigj- lance, valour and sagacity of the leaders, are well painted ; and the causes of victory or defeat are ac- counted for ina satisfactory manner. We ‘hall here give a fhort specimen of our au- thor’s {kill in managing a scene of this kind; it is an afsault of the prince of. Parma. upon Maestricht, of which de Herle and Tapin. were governors. The most striking circumstances are well chosen, the ac- tion is naturally developed, and the whole descriptioa bold, concise, and masterly. “« In order to weaken the garrison by See it, _ the prince of Parma resolved to make an afsault at, each ofthe two breaches at the same time. His troops advanced in the face of the enemy’s cannon with the utmost intrepidity, the besieged stood undismay-__ ed till they approached, and nothing could exceed the fury with which both parties began the combat. Their fire arms soon ceased to be of use to them; fcr they came immediately to close fight, in which they could VOL. Vill. M what” . ge observations on Watson’s history. March 21. employ only their pikes and their swords. At one of the breaches de Herle, and in the other Tapin, gave the most splendid proofs of capacityand valour. ‘The afsailants, enraged at meeting with such obstinate resistance from an enemy somuch inferior innumber> exerted their utmost vigour to overcome them; the action was furious and desperate. The ruins of the wall, and the ground on both sides were strewed with dead, and dying; stones hurled down from the bulwarks, and artificial fires which the besieged launched among the afsailants, increased the confu~ sion. “Those fires happened to lay hold of the bar- xj3 of gunpowder, which stood near for the use of the combatants ; the explosion was terrible, and many on both sides. perifhed by this fatal accident. The air resounded with cries, and fhrieks, and groans. ‘The earth was covered with mangled carca- ses ; yet those who survived still maintained their ground with the same unconquerable obstinacy as before, and, from the horrid scene which lay around them, seemed only to derive frefh rage and fury. The prince of Parma gave orders, at last, with much reluctance, for sounding a retreat. The resolution and fortitude of the besieged he perceived ‘were not to be overcome.” To describe characters is one of the most difficult tafks which belong to an historian, and in the perfor- mance of which he is most liable to fail. To esti- mate the powers of the mind, and to attend to the natural and acquired biafses of the heart, is a much nicer study, and requires far more genius and dis- €ernment, than a relation of external occurrenges, 1792. observations on Watson's history. ge The difficulties are so great and so various, that we do not wonder so few have succeeded in this depart- ment of history: Much penetration is necefsary to discriminate the natural character of the hero, from that political one which his particular situation ob- liges him to afsume; they are often so much blen- ded, that the historian is at a lofs to discern any character: at all. -An amiable partiality to virtue and heroism, misleads many, while still more have a _ prejudice for certain characters, on account of their own pre-conceived notions, with regard to a particu- Jar system of laws, morality, and religion, and some in fhort have a partiality for a favourite character without any reason. That profound and maualy simplicity of investigation, which distinguifhes our author on all occasions, is also very apparent here. His characters are consistent, intelligible, and com+ plete. He is not indeed ambitious to delight the imagination, merely by painting them in vivid aud brilliant colours, he does not with to surprise his readers by strained efforts of ingenuity, and to con- found them with a dazzling picture; but rather to exhibit the sober and, faithful lineaments: of truth. The character of Philip, himself, is delineated with a masterly pencil; his actions proceed in an uniform tenor of cruelty, difsimulation, and despotism ; and the simple detail of them which is given in this history, makes a more forcible imprefsion on the mind, than though they had been loaded with the most, violent epithets, and the: most aggyavated invec~ tives; his character is not ofa general and undeter- wiped kind, it is always marked with certain pecu< 92 observaitons on Watson's bistory.. Mareh 2¥3 liar traits, which make it clearly distinguifhable from that of Alva and his afsociates, though walking in the same steps, and guided eby the same maxims. An ordinary writer knows no distinction but that of _good or bad, great or little ; and it is one of the highest efforts of genius to mould the general properties of human nature into form: or fhape, so as to make a distinct figure in the imagination. The whole his- tory of Philip 1. teems with distinct and natural characters; the ferocity, pride, and military abili- ties of Alva are strongly exprefsed ; the timid mode ration of Requesens, the turbulent activity of Don John, and the dignified courage of the prince of Par- ma. The characters of the prince of Orange and ‘his illustrious son Maurice, are the most amiable and * interesting inthe whole work, their singular virtues. and abilities, and the qualities in which they differed, are beautifully displayed, and supported with great dignity. The important period of this history is crowded with heroes, patriots, and politicians, who all make their appearance before us in their prope? characters as on a stage, and the bold and difficult enterprises in which they are engaged, call fortlr every exertion of body and mind, and give occasion: to a very diversified display of human nature. The different situations .in which they are placed, serve the more to heighten the characters, and interest us_ in their actions. Philip on the one hand, with his: generals, all actuated by the same dark spirit of des potism, and driven on to the most barbarous deeds, are naturally objects of abhorrence. But when con- trasted with the prince of Orange, and his generous 1792. observations on Watson's history. OF band, all inspired with the noble flame of liberty, and exhibiting in their whole conduct the greatest inte- grity and heroism, we have a double aversion to the one party, and our affection towards the other is greatly in¢reased. On every subject our author maintains all the grave and philosophical dignity of an historian’; he~ admits nothing quaint or witty, light or trivial on on any occasion. His aecutate and extensive ac- -quaintance with what he relates, his candour and regard to truth cannot well be surpafsed ; his senti- ments are manly and independent, but modest and unafsuming. The morality which runs through this work js pure,'delicate, and chaste, unaffected, and without ostentation. Though Watson cannot be called a sprightly or _ volatile writer, he is never dull, drawling, or languid; a chaste philosophical animation is always preserved, a vivacity tempered by the serious dignity of an historian. If he does not dazzle us with flame, in recompence we have no smoke. If he does not soar tohigh flights, we have the satisfaction to find that he is neyer out of view. Ifhe does not gild over his scenes with the splendour of poetical description, We dre secure of not, being upon enchanted ground ; we are always where we ought to be, among subjects of truth and nature. He does not, in fhort ,like some writers, injudiciously anticipate the feelings. of his readers, by a perpetual rapture of enthusiasm ; his aim is simply to afford, in the most striking manner, a proper subject for such sensations, and leave them to be affected with it according to the several de~ r 94 on antiquities in Scotland. March 28. grees of constitutional warmth, and sensibility of imagination. } But the best proof of this writer’s merit is, that he never fails to delight and to interest ; there is a charm diffused over the whole which is easier felt than de- scribed ; and it maybe safely affirmed, that he who has: the power of pleasing his readers, and engaging their affections, has retained the highest praise of an au~ thor ; fer without this power the most laborious at= tention to the ‘best plan, and the greatest extent of knowledge, is vain and uselefs. PHILO. DisquisITIONs ON THE USES OF THE DRY-STONE BUILDINGS, CALLED DHUNES IN SCOTLAND. Continued from p. 61. Tue ingenious Mr King, who has so succefsfully explained the nature of the Anglo Saxon and Nor- man forts, vulgarly called Kreps, has inadvertently dropped some exprefsions that may tend to mislead his readers, which, as coming from him, require to be examined with more attention than would other- wise have been thought necefsary. He not only be- liéves that the dhunés in Scotland have been un- doubtedly erected as places of defence, but he “even insinuates that they have been the originals fronr whence the Artglo Sixons borrowed the first idea of those round fortified towers which they called keeps = both which opinions it will not be difficult to prove are equally groundlefs. With this view it will ‘be: necefsary, ‘ FO@e we on antiquities in Scotland. 95 In the first place, to advert that few structures of the kind here treated of, are found in the southern parts of Scotland, to which part of Scotland alone the Englifh, in the time of the Anglo Saxons and Nor- mans, ever had any accefs ; the dhunes are chiefly to be found in the northern remote parts of the island, where no Englifhman ever could have had an oppor- tunity of seeingthem. Hence it is not at all probable that they could have formed an idea of imitating them. From this circumstance we may naturally infer, In the second place, that had these structures been really intended as fortifications, they would naturally have been more frequent on the borders between England and Scotland, than any where else in the island, as the inhabitants of that district were more exposed to predatory invasion than any others ; but not only none of those are there found, but no building has ever been discovered in England that bears a re- semblance to these in any respect, except merely the circularity of their external form. Indeed this is so obvious, that nothing but a perfect ignorance of the peculiar construction of the dhunes could ever have induced Mr King to have adopted the opinion above cited. Our readers being already in some measure acquainted with the peculiar structure of the dhunes, to satisfy them of the truth of this position, it will be only necefsary to give them a general idea of the structure of the Englith keeps. ‘ Anglo Saxon keeps and dhunes compared. An Anglo Saxon keep is always a cylindrical (nota conical) tower, rising from the apex ofa conical hill , @i carth, which in most cases appears to have bees g6> on antiquities in Scotland. — March 21. artificial. The basis of the tower is laid deep with- in the bowels of the mount, and in the center of the: whole is placed the well, which has always been sunk deep enough to furnifh an abundant supply of water for the use of the garrison, and those who might be besieged within the keep. This high’ tower was always divided into stories, one above the: other, each story consisting of one apartment, which; was lighted by windows in the wall, that were so con-- structed as to admit the light freely, but not to allow: any mifsile weapon thrown from below to penetrate into the apartment through these apertures, while- they at the same time admitted of weapons being dis-’ charged through them from within for the annoy- ance Of the afsailants. These particulars are beau- tifully illustrated in Mr King’s masterly efsay on the subject. Each ef these apartments too is furnifh- ed with its fire place, and a chimney leading from it to the top of the building, in the heart of the wall; and in most of the stories some cavities have, been made in the wall, to serve as cupboards or prefses for the conveniency of the inhabitants. All the floors of these apartments, above the surface of the mount at least, were made of wood, not vaulted ; and in every one of them is to be seen, till this day, holes ia the wall fitted to receive the ends of beams for supporting the floors of the different apart- ments. Te The entry to the keep was always by one narrow door, on a level with the top of the conical mound; to which there was no accefs but by one narrow flight of steps, ascending in a straight line from the bottom sta wee ‘R792. on antiquities in Scotland. 97 eof the mount. The top of the tower was formed jn- to battlements, over which stones and mifsile wea- pons could be thrown upon the afsailants, when they attempted to come neat the foundation of the build- ‘ing, either with an intention to force the entry or to undermine the structure, without exposing the be- -sieged to the smallest danger. The accefs to the different apartments within the Aeep, was by means -of a stair in-the heart of the wall, exactly similar to ‘the stairs in the dbunes, if you take into view no- ‘thing more than the ascent of one flight of steps, but agreeing in no other particular ; for the stair in the keep always terminated in adoor ieading into the ‘circular apartment that occupied the whole internal area of the structure, from which also there was ano- ther door, entering into the bottom of the flight of steps, ascending to the next floor ; whereas the stair in the dhune had no door that opened into the inter- nal area at all, except at the bottom only; each flight of steps terminating in a gallery that ran quite round the building, till it reached the second flight of steps, and so on, as has been illustrated in ‘our last number, page 55; but no mark of any such galleries has ever been discovered in the keeps; neither is ‘there ever ‘found in the dhunes, any mark of holes for receiving the ends of beams of wood to suppor ‘the floors. ; Inthe seeps also, the under part of the tower, which was deep within the bowels of the mount, and. consequently dark, was appropriated for containing stores to the garvison, and, as the well was at the bot- ‘tom of the whole, and directly in the center of the VOL, Vili. N + 98 on antiguities-in Scotland. - Maréh2t. - building, they contrived to leave a circular opening in the centre of each floor that was closed by & move- -able cover, through which water’ and ‘stores could easily be raised, by means of a pully, to any story where it might be wanted. We have in Scotland many circular towers of more modern date, built as those of England were, with stone and lime, and upon the same general prin- ciples with them; but these have never here been confounded with the dhunes. There were no lefs than five of these circular towers in the castle of Kildrummie, alone ; and there is the remains of one, of very large dimensions, still to be seen in the eastle of Rothsay in Bute ; but these are exceedingly different from the dbunes, and have evidently been constructed for very different purposes. On the whole, it seems to me perfectly clear, from these considerations, that the kind of dhunes here specified *, never were intended to serve as places of defence, and, therefore, they must have been appro~ ptiated to some other purpose. 3. Habitations of princes. Some have believed that these structures had been originally employed as the habitation of princes or great men, like my ingenious correspondent Mr Ni- * Jt will be fhewn in the sequel, that there was another clafs of cir- cular dry-stone buildings in Scotland, that had probably been employed as strong holds occasionally, which are also called dhwnes, that have been confounded with thoze I here describe, which has probably tended very much to mislead the judgement of men en this head. The Srottith reader is, therefore, desired to advert to this circumstance at present; aes to suspend his final decision on this head till the whole be before him. 3Q2: 0! on antiquities in Scotland. . 99 sholedats » Many circumstances contribute to render pr oa probable, at first sight, to those who only take a casual, and hasty view of the matter. The huts of all savage nations are of a circular form, and lighted from the top ;,so are these. This general resemblance catches the attention; and, as_ these towers are of great magnitude, and must have been reared at a vast expence, it was concluded that they were only huts of a superior kind, that had been e- rected as the habitations of great men or princes ; but, upon a near/examination, it will clearly appear that they never could have been appropriated to this use. In the first place, wherever men are found to be in that state of society where huts of the kind here referred to are employed, their princes, if such you please to call them, are little distinguifhed from the people, and live in huts similar to the others. Conve- nieucy is the first improvement that men, advancing in civilization, try to.obtain in their buildings ; gran- deur and fhow are long postponed to that. Conve- niency is indeed almost the only object that uncivi- lized tribes seem to aim at in their habitations, and they are far. advanced in many useful arts before they seem to spend a thought about rendering them either superb or durable. Hence it happens that we meet with so few vestiges of the ruins. of the ancient dwellings of uncivilized tribes, throughout all the nations on the globe. In Scotland, in particular, this is known: to,be remarkably the case; for although the site of the ancient city called Beregonium, beso accurately described by historians, as to leave no 1c0 en antiquities in Scotland. March 2x. doubt of the place where it once was, yet there is’ not at present even the mark of a ruin, that could induce any person to believe that ever a number of people had lived together upon that spot. When. princes came to build palaces of lasting materials, they were acquainted with many of the conveniencies of life, so that their palaces were, when compared with the ancient huts, as much distinguifhed by their superior conveniencies as by their superior strength. But if we examine the‘dhunes with this view, we fhall find that all these rules have been entirely re- versed. There we shall find a vast pile, that must -have been erected at an immense expence, without one single accommodation fitted to render life tole- rable, far lefs comfortable ; for it will soon appear, that the poorest hut that has been any where disco- vered, in any country, would afford a much. better fhelter against the inclemencies of the weather than one of these supposed palaces ever could have done. - It is to be observed, that all these towers are en- tirely open at the top, and must evidently ever have: been so, as there is not the smallest vestige of any roof having been wpon them. nor the most distant probability that there ever were. Indeed the idea of. a hut, supposes they must have been open at the top ; and if they had not been open there, the people with- in could have no light, as there is not the smailest o- pening in any one of them through the wall, but by the door alone ; the people within, therefore, must have been in total and perpetual darknefs, a state infinitely lefs agreeable than that of the inhabitant ef the meanest hut, who obtains light sufficient for ‘ 1792. on antiquities in Scotland. ror his ordinary purposes, through the hole that he is obliged to leave open for the emifsion of smoke. * If then the roof was open, the royal inhabitants must have had some place to fhelter themselves from rain and other inclemencies of the weather wher they went to rest. And where were they to find these conveniencies ? The galleries in the heart of the wall, which some have chosen to call apartments, could not afford that fhelter. The walls are of dry-stone, without even a vestige of a little fog to close the crannies, so that there is a continued suction of sif- ting air through the whole, that would have destroy. ed any human creature who fhould-have attempted to sleep in them ; andthough there fhould have been a fire in the centre of the building, these supposed a- partments would have been at such a distance from the fire, as to have derived no sort of benefit from it. But it is truly ridiculous to hear these galleries called apartments, as the slightest attention to their form and structure will sufficiently demonstrate. The annexed elevation and section exhibiting a view of one of these dhunes, will help to give the reader a clearer idea of the internal construction of these galleries than he could obtain by words alone. itis drawn from the observations I made at the eastmost dbune in Glenelg ; and will be found sufficiently accurate, unlef:, perhaps, in regard to the number of the windows and galleries in that tower, and its total height; for these circumstances are taken at random. The general * The general height of these towers, and their large dimensions, compared with a low hut, wauld occasion this comparative darkiefs, had a bol: suilicient only for the emifsion of smoke becn left in them, \ ¥02 antiquities in Scotland. -. March 2t.« idea given, is perfectly accurate ; “for exact particu- lars} aS to dimensions, they are here of nouse. I on- ly recollect, in general, that the galleries, at the. widest, were lefs than four feet, and in height from floor to roof did not exceed five feete - SECTION Of a dhune, representing a front view of the wollpeies and inside of these structures. The first particular that steuck me asa > 4 \ Tro Zimeo, a tale. March 213. light of the sun. My friends, take all my riches, and pro- vide me a veflsel—” Here Zimeo was interrupted by the arrival of Francisco, fupported by the young negro who had so suddenly retired upon the sight of his prince. ' No sooner had Zimeo per- ceived them, than he flew to Francisco. ‘ O, my father! O Matomba !” cried he, “is it you? do I indeed see you again? O Ellaroe !”? “ She lives,’ said Matomba; “ the lives, fhe weeps your misfortunes, fhe belongs to this fami- ly.” ** Lead me, lead me,”—“ See,” interrupted Matom- ba, thewing Wilmot’s friend, “ there is the man who saved us.” Zimeo embraced by turns, now Matomba, now Wil- mot, and now his friend. ‘Then with wild eagernefs, “‘ Lead me,’’ he cried, “‘ to my love.’? Marianne, or rather Ella- ree, was approaching ; the same negro who had met Ma- tomba had gone in quest of her; fhe came trembling, lift- ing her hands and eyes to heaven; and with tears in her eyes, in a faint voice, fhe could hardly utter, “ Zimeo! Zi- meo!” She had put her child into the arms of the negro, and after the first transports and embraces were over, the presented the infant to her hufband. “ Zimeo! behold thy son! for him alone have Matornba and I supported life.” Zimeo took the child, and kifsed him a thousand and a thousand times. “ He fhali not be a slave,” cried he ; “‘ the son of my Ellaroe fhall not be a slave to the whites.” “ But for him” said fhe, “ but for him, I fhould have quitted this - world, in which I could;not find the man whom my soul lo- ved. The most tender discourses at last.gave place to. the sweetest carefses, which were only suspendedl to bestow. these carefses. on their child. But soon their gratitude to Wilmot and his friend engrofsed them wholly ;. and surely> never did man, not even a negro, exprefs this amiable sen- timent so nobly and so well. Zimeo, being informed that the Englifh troops were on: their march, made his retreat in good order, Ellaroe * 1792. on larch wood. 112 and Matomba melted into tears on quitting Wilmot. They would willingly have remained his slaves; they conjured him to follow them to the mountain. He promised to vi- sit them there as soon as the peace fhould be concluded be- tween the wild negroes and the colony. He kept his word, and went thither often, to contemplate the virtues, the love, and the friendfhip, of Zimeo, of Matomba, and of Ellaree. A HINT TO TRADERS IN WOOD, AND MANUFACTURERS. Now that machinery has come so much into use in manu- - factures, it is of some importance to know_how to find wood, that is well calculated for these purposes, and at a moderate expence. At present the only wood that can be used for fine machinery, is mahogany ; but the price of that is so high, as in a great measure to preclude the use of it in large works. The ordinary woods of Europe, however, are so apt to fhrink, or warp, or become worm- eaten in‘a fhort time, that a machine made of mahogany goes so much truer, and by consequence more sweetly, and at a.lefs expence for a moving power, that it is, per- haps, upon the whole, cheaper to employ that wood than any of them. I have often thought it strange that our carpenters fiould not have thought of employing larch wood for these purposes, as this is in all respects preferable to ma- hogany,And could be procured at lefs than one-fourth of the price. Larch timber, when cut into thin slices, is lefs apt to fhrink or warp than mahogany. Many of the paintings of Raphael Urban were painted upon larch wood, 43 we now paint upon canvas ; and these have stood three hundred years without occasioning the smallest crack in the paintings ; a thing that could not have happened with mahogany ; nor is there the smallest mark of worm holes v12' on larch wood. . March 246 on any of them. ‘The wood is not only thus durable. above ground, but seems to be even incorruptible be- low ground, or immersed in water. The city of Ve- nice is built almost entirely upon piles of larch wood» which are found to be perfectly sound, though they have now stood seven or eight hundred years. It is also ina great measure incapable of being consumed by fire. Since, then, such are the well known qualities of the larch, is it not astonifhing that no wood merchant fhould ever have thought of importing a log of it into any part of Britain for sale? I am told it may be obtained at Dantzig or Memel, at nearly the same price with fir logs. Its German name is /erchen-baum. The man who fhall first import some of this wood, would probably lay the foundation of a run of businefs to himself, that might prove very favourable to his family. . This wood can probably be got from any port on the south side of the Baltic; but the best place for obtaining it in perfection is the mouth of the Danube; as the mountains that fkirt the borders of that river, are in a great measure furnifhed with forests of larch, which has never yet found an extensive foreign market. Were we, to open.a commerce with the Turks through the Black sea, this might prove a valuable staple article for completing cargoes, when other kinds of goods fell fhort. if larch wood can be afforded at nearly the same price with that of fir, the consumption of it in this country would be immense, as soon as its qualities came to be fully known. Nothing in Europe can equal it for planks for fhip-building. _ For all manner of joists, and rafters for houses, Vitruvius celebrates it as the very best that ever had been discovered ; for gate-posts, rails, and out of door work, of all kinds, its incorruptible nature renders it pe- culiarly valuable. . It is fortunate, that before many years fhall be elapsed, this country will be able to supply itself T7092. en fine arts and kiterature. TLR -with this valuable timber, as the great beauty of this tree, and the quicknefs of its growth, has recommended it to the notice of every person who is making plantations; so that the demand for young plants of it for several years past, in Scotland at Jeast, has been very great, and is ‘daily increasing, every part of the country, therefore, will be abundantly furnifhed with.it ina few years. It cannot be so.too soon. INTELLIGENCE RESPECTING THE FINE ARTS, AND LITERATURE IN BRITAIN. Bowyer’s Hume's history. True succefs of Boydell’s magnificent edition of Shake- speare. has been such as not only to induce him to under- take an edition of the works of Milton and Thomson on the same plan, but has stimulated others to tread the same ground. Mr Bowyers, Berner’s street, London, has lately publifhed a prospectus of proposals for printing _ the history of England by David Hume, with a continua- _ tion of that history from the Revolution to the present time by David Williams, to be printed in asuperb manner, and illustrated by elegant portraits, and historical prints, done from paintings to be made for this work, by the first artists in Britain. The paintings to be.exhibited as those -im the Shakespeare gallery, and given to the public aft ‘the work is completed. ‘The following are the artist al- ready engaged for this work : ‘ PAINTERS. J. Barry, T. Laurence. T. Stothard. "J. S. Copley. W. Martin. . H, Tresham. _R. Cosway. J. Northcote, J. Wright, of Derby. Mrs Cosway. G. Romney. F. Wheatly. H. Fuseli, I. F. Rigaud, R. L. Welth, and “W. Hamilton, R, Smirke. Benjamin West. VOL. Vili, P + 114 on fine arts and literature March 2%: ENGRAVERS. Bartolozzi. ~ Emes. Pouncey. Byrne. Fitler. Sharp. Bromley. Hall. Skelton. Blake. » Landseer. A. Smith. Collier. Medland. S. Smith. Delatre. Neagle. Stowe. It has been often afserted, and has been long implicitly believed, that nothing but religious zeal, and the wealth accumulated by the clergy in Roman Catholic countries, could afford sufficient encouragement for calling forth the exertions of men of genius in the fine arts. The time seems to approach when experience will give the lie to this hypothesis, as it has done already to many others. Before the art of printing was discovered, rich men, alone, could become the patrons of men of genius; but now the general diffusion of knowledge by printing and en- graving, combined with the general diffusion of wealth by means of manufactures and trade, afford a public patron- age, that seems to be capable of liberally compensating the most eminent artists for the highest exertions of ge- nius. The effects of this mode of encouragement seem to be wonderful, if we are to judge from the rapidity of the progrefs of enterprizes of this kind since it was first begun. Boydell’s views on the Thames, Forth, Clyde, and Severn. Tuis is another attempt of the same nature with those above named. The unfortunate Mr John Knox first set this undertaking a-foot ; but for want of funds it proved in his hands abortive. Since his death the drawings that were made for his intended work having been sold, ano- ther bookseller attempted to carry his plan into effect, an 702. ‘on fine arts and literature. . a but Mr Boydell having interfered, and proposed to ex- tend the work from the Forth, which was all that was ori- ginally intended, to the three other rivers above named, the other proposals have been withdrawn, probably in consequence of a compromise, and Mr Boydell will thus have the honour of bringing forward the first public grand display of the present powers of Britifh artists, in the line of landscape, as he had formerly done in that of the histo- tic line by his Shakespeare. This seems, however, fo be an attempt on a much narrower plan than his former; for we see no other name announced but that of Faringtoa as the designer, and of Stodier as the engraver in aqua tutta ; so that, without derogating from the merit of these ar- tists, it is easy to see that neither that force nor variety ean be expected, which would have’ happened if rival ar- tists had been invited to display the utmost power of their talents, . This work is proposed to consist of five volumes in su- perb 4to. the same as the Shakespeare, each -volume to contain at least forty plates; the whole to comprehend an historical description of everything remarkable relating to these four principal Britifh rivers and estuaries. ua Morrison’s Thomson. Tuover Scotland is yet, and must long continue far be- hind England in the fine arts, and in wealth, the is not per- taps behind her in a spirit of enterprize. In regard to typo- ‘graphy, the books printed by the late Mr Martin of Edin- burgh, at the Apollo Prefs, surpafsed in neatnefs and beauty, any thing that had at that time been executed in Britain ; and every léarned reader is acquainted with the elegance of the Greek clafsics printed by the Fowlis’s of Glasgow. Mr Bell at London has copied Martia’s manner, and: in- troduced a taste for neatnefs in printing, that will soom 116) _ on fine arts and hterature. March'avs spread over the whole island. No one house, perhaps, in the island, has made greater exertions to improve the ty- pographic art, than the Morrisons at Perth, who, in a si- tuation that is by no means favourable for enterprizes of that sort, have executed many works, particularly the Scottifh poets, in a cheap and elegant manner, that de+ serves a very high degree of applause. Ambitious, in. some measure, to imitate their southern neighbours, they have lately publithed the episode of Palemon and Lavinia, from 'Thomson’s Seasons, as a specimen of a superb edi- tion of Thomson’s works, to be ornamented with elegant engravings, which they offer to publifh by subscription. . May their succefs in this, and other laudable enterprizes, be proportioned to their judicious efforts ! Gregory’s history of England. Aworuer literary performance is lately announced to the public, as in some degree of forwardnefs. It is a history of England, from the Revolution, to the present time, by G. Gregory, D.D. F.A.S. weit known in the republic of letters by his efsays historical and moral; this work is to consist of four volumes 4to. to-be. printed ina superb manner, on the finest vellum paper, and to be ornamented with historical engravings, (in which the portraits of re- markable personages will be. preserved,)- designed and ex- ecuted by the most eminent artists. It is with pleasure that we see this very important pe- riod of Englith history, likely to be presented to the pub- lic, in a manner that will prove both agreeable, and inte- resting to the reader. Hitherto.it has been treated only by zealous supporters of parties, who have written with a. warmth of enthusiasm that is incompatible with the disco- very of truth, which fatigues the impartial reader, and leaves. him hewildered in a chaos-of uncertainty ; for as to. the 1702. on fine arts and literature. 107" history of Smollet, the circumstances in which it was writ- ten are too well known, to allow the défects of it to re- flect any blame upon its auther. If the present work fhall be executed in the manner the public have reason to expect, and not hurried forward with a precipitancy that is’ inconsistent with the accuracy necefsary to give works of this nature their highest degree of perfection, it cannot fail to prove a valuable acquisition to the public. Naval affairs.. Capratn JoserH:Bropie who has been so often mention-- ed in this work for his ingenious inventions for the im-- provement of navigation, is lately returned from London where he had been, at the desire of the Trinity House, for the purpose of explaining the principles of his various im- provements. At their desire, he carried models of the whole along with him, which we are afsured gave the high- est satisfaction. The Navy Board already ordered several buoys, to be constructed according to his plan, to be fixed on sunk rocks-or sands, along the coast ; and there seems to- be now scarcely any doubt, but that funds will be provided for erecting a. beacan on the be// rock, (see vol. v. p. 295.) which is the object that captain Brodie has most at heart, as being calculated to insure safety to navigators in a si- tuation where, without it, they never can be secure. Rearing of silk in Scotland. Ir is with pleasure we have heard, that the honourable Board of Trustees, for the encouragement of manufactures and fifheries in Scotland, have turned their attention to the rearing of silk in this country. As a small mark of their desire to promote experiments on that head, they, some time ago, gave to Mr Andrew Wright at Pai-, sley, ten guineas, for his laudable perseverance in rearing: / > 118 anecdotes. March 2% silk worms, till he had procured as much as was sufficient for makinga web of gauze of the silk of his own rearing ; some ladies in this place, whose names I am not permitted to mention, have produced some silk in great perfection, and I make no doubt, but that next year they will obtain it in such a quantity as to admit of its being applied to some useful purpose. : ANECDOTES. dy the early part of his life, Mr Whitfield was preaching in an open field, when a drummer happened to, be pre- sent, who was determined to interrupt his pious businefs, and rudely beat his drum in a violent manner, in order to drown the preacher’s voice. Mr Whitfield spoke very Joud, but was not so powerful as the instrument. He therefore called out to the drummer in these words, “ Friend, you and I serve the two greatest masters exist- ing, but in different callings ;—you beat up for volunteers jor king George,—I for Lord Jesus ;—in God’s name, then, let us not interrupt each other; the world is wide enough for both; and we may get recruits in abundance.” This speech had such an effect, that he went away ia ‘great good humour, and le‘t the preacher in full pofsefsioa of the field. “e ee eee ees Tue Jews of Gibraltar, according to annual custom, had ‘prepared a present for the governor. He was by some means informed it was but a thousand fhekins, and refused to admit them to an audience, under the pretext of their -being the descendants of those men who had crucifed our Saviour. They easily discovered the real cause, aud rai- sed two thousand. He then received them very gracious+ ly, remarking, that “ they, pogr people, had no hand in the crucifixion”? P ‘992. a catd. ' 119 —— CARD. Tue earl of Bucuan presents his complimen‘s to his learned corres- pondents, both at-home and abroad, and his dutiful respects to the repu- blic of letters in general. He has had the good fortune, by the liberal and commendable in-- terposition of the learned and truly respectable bithop of Rodez, to receive following important commun cation from that worthy and leatned ec- lastic, the abbe de Se Leger, relating to the inestimable correspon- ce of the great Nicholas Claudius de Fabry ce Peiresc, senator of the Parliament of Aix, so celebrated over the whole world for his patronage of learning and learned men, and for his wonderful knowledge of history and antiquities. Lord Buchan had been informed by his friend the cele- brated John Bernoulli, at Berlin, that the Fabry family were still in pof- sefion of the eminent store of literature which belonged to the library of Peiresc, a part of which has been enumerated by the tamous Gafsendi, in the appendix to his life of Peiresc; and he now finds that the abbé-de St Leger is in poisefsion of a most important part of this literary treasure, the letters that pafsed between M. de Peiresc, and the most learned men of his timesin Europe, relating to philosophy, natural history, botany, civil history, biography, philology, criticism, and elegant literature, together with an im- mens¢ collection of facts relating to antiquity inevery part of Europe, to mo- numents, muniments, and meials, and to the annalsof illustrious families. This noble collection, which if printed would fill seven or eight volumes in 4to. he has agreed to put into Jord Buchan’s hands, for three thousand livres of France. The letters addrefsed to M. de Peiresc, and to other learned men, in this collection, were originally arranged by M. Tho- mafsin de Mazauges, into three clafses; those written in Latin, Italian, and French, omitting all such as were merely complimentary, or contain- ed no important or entertaining information. And in the year 1724 M. Thomafsin announced his inteation. of publifhing three volumes of ue collection as a specimen of the extensive undertaking. This advertisement to the learned world was made in the Nouvelles Li- teraires of the above mentioned year, and is to be found in the 167th and following pages of that literary journal, printed fur Mesnier at Paris, 8vo, Among the learned and eminent persons whose letters are contained in this collection, are ~ The Chancellor d’Aligre, Scaliger, Gerart, The President de Thou, Mr Petit, Grotius, Selvin, attorney -geseral Mr de Bagarris, Meursius, of the parliament of Mr Tristan de St Amand, Spelman, Paris, Mr Bergin, Kircher, M. d’Avaux, counsellor Mr de Naude, Gorlée, of state, and ambafsa- Mr Capel, The duke d’ Arschoty dor to Venice, Mr Besty, Cardinal Barbarini, M.- thousand of our fellow citizens,¢ our historians, comfort us with an afsirance, that our conquerors - had no reason to rejoice ‘in their victory. By the; destruction of several men of war, and the lofs of a few capital fhips, only, it has been boasted, , that Spain suffered damage to the extent of twelve millioné sterling. This, however, could be but a: small part of her total lofs, and, as to France, her foreign commerce was almost absolutely extirpated. - We may, therefore, hope, that three hundred -thou-. sand industrious French families were reduced to beggary. At Fontenoy our allied army lost ‘ about ** twelve thousand men *.” But we have the satisfac- tion of hearing that ‘the victory cost the French ** almost an equal number of lives+;’ a circumstance of ped tham of their effects. What Anson could not carry off he wanted to sell, and the P.* vians would not or could not satisfy his demands; on which, in a fit of revenge, he set the place on fire, and his worthy chap- , Jain exults in observing, that rbe flames spreed with tke utmost rapidity A men must have a heart of iron, whose blood is not rea 2y to-curdle at such stories. If Arson was right in burning Paita, could Jones have been to blame for burning Leith or Whitehaven ? Anson, himself, was as brave and respectable an officer as ever trode a deck; and, therefore, these remarks are levelled not at the character of the individual, but of the proféfsion. In every war, a thousand events oc- cur more fhockirg than even what happened at Paita; but when the read- ex hes once acquired the habit of beholding them in the proper point of view, the application is easy, and he will be induced to contemplate the “whole with regret and détestation. The public may be off nded at the comparison between on Englith comme- dore, end a person whom we are pleaced to call a renegaro. Let facts speak for them elves. Captain Jones was compelicd by his crew to catry off the silver plate from the house of a Sco:ch nobleman. He ook 2 furure: opportunity to restore it. Did lord Anson make any such cesticution? * Smollet vol. x1 p. 204. + Ibid. 4 = oe 2792. political progres of Britain. 167 ‘the most rational exultation. We ‘have printed whole libraries in this benevolent style, and we are ‘amazed when foreigners ridicule and. detest us. Dr -Smollet closes a summary.of the conduct and conse- - Tser?’s travels. 189) little, becomes filled with frefh water, perfectly sweet and excellent to drink. Our author profefses that he is much astonifhed at this phenomenon, as, by the most accurate research he could make, he never could discover in these sands any thing of an absorbent nature, Perhaps if he had discovered such absorbents, the phenomenon would not have been accounted for. -The Europeans live in such good intelligence with these people, whose manners, he says, are mild, and dispo- sitions gentle, that they have establifhed a custom of contracting with the females there a kind of temporary marriage, which lasts while thé Europeans remain in that country, and is under the regulations of the law. Before permifsion is given to contract this kind of :narriage, the man is obliged to pay a certain sum, which goes to a fund appropriated for the support of the children, called the mulatto bank *. They likewise become bound to pay to the use of the woman, a rixdollar per month, as long as the. marriage lasts. The children that spring from these mar- riages are all educated in the Christian religion, and at eight or ten years of age, the boys are entered into the pay of soldiers in the Danith troops, at least if the father does not take charge of them; the daughters, and in general all the children whose fathers are absent, are brought up at the expence of the bank till they are able to pro- vide for themselves. While he was on that coast, Mr Isert had occasion to make a visit to the chief of the Acguafins, a negro nation. inhabiting the mountains, about thirty leagues from the coast, which gave lim an opportunity of seeing a consi- derable extent of that country. He was received with the greatest marks of friendihip; and, instead of finding the people wicked and perfidious in the interior part of * For a negro this must be equal to a month’s pay, fora mulatto wo- man it must be the double.of irs . 190 Msert’s travels. (April h. the country, as they had been represented to him, he had occasion to observe that they were more gentle in their manners, and more unaffectedly kind, in proportion to the smallnefs of the intercourse they have with the Europeans.. “ The houses,” says he, “ of these negroes, consist of stakes of wood interlaced with branches, whose interstices are closed with a kind of mortar. They consist only of one © floor, but they are divided into several apartments, which are kept very neat and clean. Woo here abounds; the mountains are covered with trees which appear to be as an- cient as'the wotld. Some of those J saw measured forty-five feet in circumference. ‘The soil is so fertile that the la- bours of agriculture occupy not above four weeks in the year. Paim-trees grow here in great abundance, from which the inhabitants extract’ a very refrefhing drink, and also an oil which answers instead of butter. Their principal nourifhment is the fruit of the banana, [musa paradisaica Linn.] ; and the root of the yam, [Dioscreca alata Lixn.} ; which is here of a more delicate kind than that which grows in the West Indies. “« 'There are two methods,” continues he, “ ofobtaining the drink in question from the palm-trees. One is to pluck up by the roots an old palm-tree, which has given over car- rying fruit, to lay it horizontally, and to bore a deep hole in. the middle of the trunk, under which they place a vefsel to receive the juice that flows from it. During the first three or four days it yields but very little ; but in eight days follow- ing, it runs so fast, that one would think the whole sub- Stance of it would be converted into juice. The other me- thod is to allow the tree to continue standing, to cut off only the summit, and to make an incision along the trunk. The liquor that is obtained in this manner is not so abun- dant, but of a better quality than the other.” Every morning they go to the woods to collect this li- quor for the consumption of the day. Our author, in his } 792. Isert’s travels. 19 walks, often met with troops of young women returning from the woods, with vefsels on their heads filled with this li- guor. When they approached him, with a politenefs which was highly attractive, they always offered it to him to drink, and bent down upon their knees, that he might with conveniency and ease reach the vefsel. When there were several of them together, they were emulous who fhould have the honour of preference ; and fhe who was preferred seemed to be very much flattered by it. To content as many as he could, he used sometimes to taste of the whole, ‘When it is frefh drawn, he says, this drink 18 mild and in- nocent. Preserved beyond two days, it becomes acid and jjntoxicating. In every case it is refrefhing, and ought to be accounted as a great bounty of nature in these hot cli- mates. The air of the country, he says, is pure and healthful, whatever travellers may say of it, whose diseases rather o- riginate in their own intemperance, than the insalubrity of the climate. The heat, also, appears to be a good deal more supportable in the interior part of the country than along the seacoast. How different a country is this from what the people in Britain usually believe Africa to be! Two years 0 it was represented in the Britifh senate, as a country too bad even for our condemned malefactors to inhabit. “We fhall conclude our extracts from the sensible perfor- mance with the following anecdote, which does equal ho- mour to all the persons concerned, Europeans as well as Africans. j Anecdote. “ A negro, who had become bankrupt, surrendered himself to his creditor, who, according to the establifhed custom of the country in such cases, sold him to the Danes. Before the departure of the vefsel for the West Indies, the son of this man came to him on thip-board, After the tenderest x92 fser?'s travels * April ay «effusions of sensibility, on both sides, the son. respectfully reproached the father for not having made use of the power the law gave him of selling ‘his children for paying his debt, and demanded, with great earnestnefs, to be allowed to take his place ; but the father, not lefs generous than the son, having refused to agree to this exchange, the son applied to the owner of the slaves, and had no difficulty in persua- ding him, that a young robust person was better able te — endure fatigue, than a man already advanced in years. “His offer was accepted ; the son was put in chains, and the fa- ther, in spite of himself, not being able to prevent it, was se¢ at liberty. Mr Isert having been witnefs to this generous contest, was so affected by it, as to represent it to the go- vernor, who, moved by the story, sent for the owner of the slaves, paid out of his own pocket the money he had given for the old man, and restored the son to his father.”” Those who with to degrade human nature, and vilify the- works of god, must often meet with facts which contradict their detestible Aypothests. “God made man upright.” And there are traces of the original propensity of the hu- man mind to beneficence and kindnefs, in all nations, and among every people. Whoever attempts to inculcate an epposite doctrine, is guilty of treason,—not against the king,—not against the nation,—but against the majesty of — human nature,—it ought to be reprobated as the most hei-. — nous of all crimes. oe een te A ey gin ie eee A pe ee OBSERVATIONS ON THE SALT LAWS IN SCOTLAND, Continued from p. 160. T wap lately occasion to make some observations on the mischievous tendency of the salt laws in Scotland. The — subject is far from being exhausted, and it is of such mag- AIQBWw» observations on the salt laws. 193 . nitude, that I hope my readers will'excuse me for specify- “ing a few other particulars. While.I am writing, a recent case has come to my know- ledge which is a very striking illustration of the pernici- ous influence of these laws on the community. I have seen a copy of.an anonymous letter, that was lately sent to the commifsioners of customs in Scotland*, informing them, that it has been long a practice on the west coast of Scotland, for private persons to salt butter and cheese -with smuggled salt ; and then this butter and clteese is ~ frequently fhipped from one port to another, coast-wase, for market. The informant therefore desires that the com- mifsioners will forthwith ifsue orders, requiring all cus- ‘com-house officers strictly to prohibit any butter or cheese from being put on board any vefsel to be carried coast-wise, until they bring a clear and satisfactory proof that such but- ter or cheese has been cured only with salt that has paid the duty. And this modest gentleman concludes with threatening, that if such order be not ifsued, he will write to the lords of treasury, informing them of this fact, and stating the negligence of the revenue board in this parti- cular. . ‘Whether such orders have been ifsued or not, in conse- -qgence of this intimation, I do not enquire, But that simi- Jar orders, in cases of the same sort, have been ifsued in ‘Scotland, admits of no doubt. I state the fact merely to thow in what manner businefs is here conducted, and like- wise to point out the disagreeable situation in which the commifsioners Jof revenue in this country are placed}. * The commifsiorers of salt duties are always com mifsioaers of cus- 4oms in Scotland. t It has been so much the custom in this country to point out wate the rights of their people, and prevent them from suf- fering opprefsion, in which their own interests are so~- deeply involved? I answer that the principal land ow: mers there neither ‘know that their people are opprefsed, nor are they sensible of the consequences of these acts of opprefsion, if they heard them. I will venture to say, that no set of men will be more apt to overlook these- observations, or even to contsadict them in private con- versation, tian some of the the great land owners of the Highlands. They think it is for their:honour that it fhould be believed: that their people suffer no opprefsion, and for that reason they will maintain it. Is a ministér to-be- blamed if he trusts to the representations of such men, in: preference to that of those who write with a kind ardour, as I now do, which many will think can only flow from some. private pique? Yet it will be difficult for these men to say what reason could influence. me. sa warmly to es. pouse the cause of these people, unlefs it be a principle of humanity and justice alone. I have neither connections Nor private property in that country ; nor have I'the mos, distant view of ever having ‘any such; yet I-cannot help being anxious for the welfare of these people. I have seen. their patience, their indigence, their unavailing industry. I have seen them langnifhing in want, yet scarcely even da- ring tocomplain. | have seen despair heaving their bosoms with anguifh, and urging them with irresistible powerto abandon tliat country which refuses to permit them to taste of that plenty which heaven has put. within their reach, Tfaving seen and. pondered these things, I dare to do, what no one else seems to-think prudent; and, regardlefs x93 observations on the salt laws. April 4y of that power, which too many in this country idolize, I point; out with freedom, and without malevolence, abuses, which it isa disgrace to any country, that calls itself civilized, so long to have tolerated. If the time be not yet arrived, it af- suredly will come, when those things I now begin to point out to the notice of the public will be reprobated as the opprobrium of the nation. Nor is it to the fifheries only that the salt laws are des- tructive, nor to Scotland alone that their influence is con- fined. There are numberlefs manufactures retarded, and many branches of industry banifhed from this kingdom, that would otherwise flourifh in it, were it not for that pernicious influence of these laws. I shall here only spe- cify two cases, out of many hundreds that might be produ- ced. Vast sums of money are sent annually from Britain to Spain for barilla, which is a necefsary article in the manufac- ture of glafs, and the finer sorts of soap. That salt comes dt a very high price to us, and of course enhances the price of those manufactures in which it is used. It was proved, some years ago, before a committee of the House of Commons, that barrilla of a superior quality to that which came from Spain, could be extracted here from. common salt, and could be afforded full thirty per cent. cheaper than it, were it not for the salt duties. The committee having been satisfied with regard to. these facts, recommended that the salt to be employed for this purpose fhould be exempted from duty... It was so; but the precautions, necefsary to guard against the salt being taken away for other purposes, became such a burthen on the manufacture, that the undértakers were constrained to abandon the enterpiise with lofs. There are many other chemical manufactures, of great national moment, which must be abandoned on the same account. ee a eee ee y 2 eek ee . , F792. observations on the salt laws. 199 In my near neighbourhood are several persons, at this mo- ment, nearly reduced to beggary, by being subjected to perpetual harafsments under the pretext of salt laws, though they do not employ an ounc® of salt in, their manufac- tures . While I thus only state facts, that cannot be contro- verted when narrowly examined, yet some of these facts are so incompatible with the dictates of common sense, that they will scarcely be believed by any person who has not reflected on subjects of this sort. Such is that I am now about to mention. One would think it could not be for the interest of any nation to discourage their own agriculture and manufactures, for the sake of encouraging those of another country, especially where that kind of partiality diminifhed the revenue of the country conside- rably ; yet so it is with regard to the curing of beef and pork for sea stores in Britain at present. By the laws, as they now stand, supposing frefh beef or pork were to be sold at the same price in England and in Ireland, yet, merely by the operations of the salt laws, an Irifh bar- rel -of beef or pork, could be sold cheaper in England, than an Englifh barrel of the same beef and pork, by not lefs a sum than seventeen fhillings *. The consequence is, that there can be no competition between them. Of cougsse most of our salted meat for sea stores is brought from Ire- land, from which branch of trade our revenue derives no emolument, but the reverse. We likewise furnifh them rock * This is taking into the account the difference inthe size of the barrels. If the ¢ °: alone be regarded, the difference of price would be ten fhillings. ‘We thus grant to Ireland an indirect bounty on beef and pork, consumed in Britain and Britith vetsels, to the amount of about L. 206,000 per annum. Could it be believed pofsible that a people who lay claim to common sense thould pay so much to discourage theirown agriculture !!! Yet so itis. The want of room only preyents me from giving the items of this singular ace eount. ‘200 observations on the salt laws. April 4. ‘Salt from Liverpool, at next to no duty, and coals to manu- facture it, so that they can afford to-sell that salt more than three hundred per eent. cheaper than Britith salt can be -sold ; by which means they Wre enabled to carry ona smug” ~gling trade in salt'to Britain to the amount of more than a ‘hundred thousand pounds a-year. And their tanneries, and -other manufactures in which saltis used, have an advantage over ours toastonifhing degree. I must thereforé once more - repeat it, that the minister who can take the trouble of inves~ tigating this very important subject, and seriously try to re- move the evils to which these impolitic laws have given birth, deserves a very high degree of applause, and merits the countenance of every honest man in the kingdom, in ‘forwarding any rational plan for removing such ruinous abuses. When he therefore has digested his plan for this important reform, and hall bring it forward, it isto be wifhed that the unprejudiced part of the nation will be quite unani- mous in his support in this instance, and fhow, for once that the great body of the people can be brought to approve a measure that is dictated by common sense and beneficences If they do this it may be marked, ‘however, as an era it » the history of mankind ; for I do not recollect if a similat instance can be produced in the annals of past ages ; it is in regard to war and predatory expeditions, alone, that the suffrages of the people have been hitherto unanimous. TO CORRESPONDENTS. Yackstrolle’s favour is received, and fhall appear with a few necefsary omifsions, with the first opportunity; his farther correspondence is requested. The extracts by 7. Aprice are thankfully received, as also the reading memorandums, a continuation of which is requested. The queries by R. WW. fhall have a place as soon as pofsible. m As also the anecdotes 4. O. E. ; The Acrostic by 4. S. would neither do honour to him nor AZ. S. nor this miscellany. The Editor is sorry he cannot comply with the request of B, B. He js 1s not satisfied of the propriety of travestying any part of the sacred scripture. The letter of a subscriber is received. And several other pieces that will Se acknowledged in our next. - Pao si THE BEE, ZITERARY WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER, t FOR ’ WEDNESDAY, APRIL II. 1792. ORIGINAL MEMOIRS OF BRIGADIER RESEN, sCOMMUNICATED TO THE EDITOR EY A CORRESPONDENT AT ST. PETERSBURG. a... . to the Eduor of tbe Bee. By reflecting a moment on the motley groupe. of characters, with their various tastes and modes of thinking, which constitute what is called the public, we see immediately that the subjects treated in such a work.as the Bee, cannot be too much varied ; nor is it easy to say what species of writing fhould be refused, which does not militate against morality and manners. For my own part, I am strongly of opinion, that the more it resembles the description of the public itself, the more it promises to please. To contribute then my mite to your chequered efsays, 1 send you a very rough outline of a very extraordinary northern character, drawn up in ra- ther an unusual form. In spite of much diligence and research I have not, been able to find any of those charming and interesting prognostics of bud~- VOL, Vili. QC + 203 memoirs of brigadier Resen. April tt, ding talents so much attended to of late by your learned Britifh biographers; not a single line of lisp- ing poetry could be found in the haunts of his youth, no engaging prattle of happy infancy, no sage re- marks on chace hoop and whip top, no juvenile sallies of promising wit; nay, I must confefs, that I have not even the consolation of edifying the world with the moral precepts of my dying hero; but if you will take all I know about him, it is much at your service. The subject of this paper is the Rufsian naval bri- gadier Resen, (a rank in this service equivalent, I believe, to a three years post-captain, or commodore in the Britifh,) however, let that be as it may, the ” last is the title I used to give him, and nothing could be more applicable, as he was the commodore Trunnion of Rufsia, and died-here a few years ago at the advan- ced age of one hundred and seven, probably the only seaman who survived till 1787 the famous battle of la Hogue, between Rufsel and Tourville, in the year 92 of last century, But what makes the commo- dore’s history more interesting, is his having been cast away, (at least in the land sense of the phrase,) in the midst of this city, and lost for a quarter of a century, till discovered on the following occasion. In 1782 the noble ‘equestrian statue of Peter the Great, executed by the celebrated French artist Fal- conet was uncovered, and exposed to public view with great ceremony and,pomp, striving to gain the summit of the huge rock on which it stands, so em-~ blematie of the labours and situation of the great man it represents. The instant the statue was vie ©7992. —- memoirs of brigadier Resen. « 203 sible, a venerable hoary officer, in the ancient naval uniform, was seen to break through the circle of troops that surrounded it, and to fall on his knees, with uplifted hands, before the eifigy of the Rufsian hero. This uncommon and unexpected apparition much heightened the effect of the moment, amidst the thunder of artillery, and the sound of drums, trumpets, and all the instruments of war, and not a little excited the curiosity of the numerous spec- tators to know the name of the veteran, who seemed aman of other times, with his silver hair and an- tique drefs. When led up to her imperial majesty, who was present in the midst of her court, and attended by her nobility and general officers, the honest tar in- formed her that he was brigadier Resen, who had served under, and accompanied Peter the Great, in most of his maritime expeditions on the Baltic and Caspian ; but, about twenty-five years ago he was put upon the superannuated list, and a small pension, according to the rules of the navy ; and as the gene- ration with which he served was all gone, and his fortune did not permit an equipage, modern clothes, &Gc. to cultivate the new, who seemed too fine gentle- men for a seaman of the last.century, he had lived retired, and mostly at home, but that the sight of his old master had roused him so much, that he was ready to fight a few more battles for the illustrious lady who had so nobly commemorated the hero of his age. On her majesty demanding his age, he af- sured her he was but very little turned of a certury, which was nothing for a Norwegian, and begged te — 204 memoirs of brigadier Resen. Apriyt, be employed. It is easy to conceive the gracious reception Catharine gave the old servant of Peter the Great, who seemed to be dropt from the clouds to render the inauguration of his statue complete, in the very costume, and language of his reign ; and ‘he was accordingly taken care of the rest of his life, presented with an order of knighthood, invited to - court, &%c. which he attended ever afterwards, on ‘great holidays, till the day of his death, with all the ‘gaiety and spirit of a young man. ne following outline of the commodore’s life was taken by his physician, from his own mouth, on dif- ‘ferent visits he made him, rather as.a friend than 2 ‘patient ;. for the old ‘tar was never sick but once du- -ring their acquaintance, which commenced after his resurrection at the statue; nor had he ever takemin his life any thing under the name of remedy, but a difh of what he called his purgative, Virginiatea, or ‘infusion of tobacco, a medicine worthy of Smoilet’s .Trunnion, whether for taste or operation. Commodore Resen was born in Norway, about the end of 1679 or the beginning of 1680, and edu- cated for the Danifh navy at the marine cadet corps of Copenhagen. Towards the end of 1691 he em- barked on his first voyage, in a frigate called the -Worthern Eagle, accompanied by another called the Crown Prince, both under the command of his uncle Van Resen, afterwards admiral and governor of Dron- theim in Norway. ‘They were ordered to Leith as a convey to some merchant velsels, and the old com- modore still preserved a faint remembrance of Edin- burgh, particularly its castle, an object that had 2794. memoirs of brigadier Resene 205 struck his young imagination. From Leith they sailed for the Thames, and visited London and its court in king William’s time. Before their return . home the commodore was left by his uncle to learn his profefsion, as a volunteer on board the French _ fleet then fitting out against England. He went out with admiral -Tourville on board his own fhip, and was in the great battle of 1692, that ended so fatally for the glory of Louis x1v..and the navy of France. The old gentleman, when mentioning this event, mused to give us a little air’ they sung im going out, but slyly added, that theiz tune was changed in co- sming back; so that we see ca wa, ¢a ira, the song of that day as well as of this, has not been always truly prophetic. He mentioned nothing else “remarkable except that he was at Pondicherry when Louis xiv.-died, during; his service in the French emavy, which he gquitted for his own native service »soon after their return from India. . About the »year 1713, Peter the Great having applied to the Danith court for some naval. officers of experi- ence, our commodore was one of those sent him, -and he commanded a vefsel in the great fleet which -anchored before Copenhagen in the year 1716, under » the orders of the emperorin person. Here he made pacquaintance with a young Rufsian boy whom Peter -brougiit on board to see the fleet, from a school at Copenhagen, who will be mentioned in the anec- _dotes. The commodore accompanied his master in the , Caspian as wellas the Baltic; and at the siege of Derbgnt in Persia, in the year 1722, he met withvan 266 memoirs of brigadier Resen. April tts accident, which one would think must have more or lefs affected any other man’s health and naval career. A handspake, whirled round in the capstan by the ac= cidental slipping of an anchor, struck him so violent a blow on the lower belly, as to force down a part of its contents through either groin, and these two rup- tures he carried about him to the day of his death, with little seeming inconvenience, (after the first ef- fect of the accident,) a period of sixty-five years, as he was after, as before, one of the most active and healthy mew-of his age. He was left by Peter, as.an intelligent, trusty officer, on the Caspian sea, where he seems to have been forgotten for a long period, on the unexpected death of his master. He was called, however, at last to Peterfburgh, but we hear no more £ hun till his apparition at the statue, after having been twenty-five years on the yellow flag. From that period the commodore peach once more: amember of society, frequenting the court in great holidays, and was often invited to stay dinner, even whennone other ofthesame rank could sit down to table, according tothe etiquette ; but none was observed at the court of Catharine with the companion of Peter the Great, nor at that of his imperial highnefs the grand duke, his lord high admiral; but the’old tar chad his mind so strongly imprefsed with a long train of the strict military subordination, observed in the Roufsian naval and land service, that he found him- self in the stocks, when obliged to remain sitting, from’ respect to his great age, whilst his imperial highnefs himself, with the field-marthals, admirals, generals, We. were all standing, as isalways the case, ~ £792 memoirs of brigadier Resen. 204 in presence either of the soverign or the heir ap- parent; and he used to make us laugh at the serious manner he complained of the amiable and conde. seending great dutchefs, holding him down in an arm~ ed chair when he offered to rise on these occasions. The veteran likewise frequented the houses of the great, particularly that of the venerable general Betfkoi, director general of the public seminaries of education, so honourably mentioned by the benevolent _ Howard and Mr Cox, the same school boy he made acquaintance with in the fleet before Copenhagen ; but from the different nature of their services they had never met afterwards till at the inaugural ceremony. , In.this manner the old commodore, spent the last yeacs of his life, happy and carefsed, enjoying much better health than our luxurious, indolent men of faihion at sixty. This observation suffered only one. exception, by a fit of illnefs in the year 1785, but ofa nature that demonstrated the uncommon force of his constitution and frame, at the advanced age of an hun- dred andfive. It was a pleurisy, the disease of vigo. rous young or middle aged men, and of so inflama- tory a nature, that his physician had only the alter- native of seeing his venerable friend perifh in the greatest sufferance, or to rifk the sarcasms of the pub- lic, if not lofs of reputation, by bleeding and blister- ing a man in his second century, the only pofsible way, however, of saving him. To the surprise of every body these remedies operated as promptly and effectually as they do in common cases ; and the old — Trojan not only bore them well, but likewise the violent evacuation of a secretdose of his Virginia tea, 208 -memotrs of brigadier Resen. Apra its which he t6ok unknown to his physician, and to his. infinite alarm, as by no ‘means entering into his cal- culation. But the sailor of Louis xiv. and Peter the: Great, had the pleasure of laughing at his doctor on his feet, the fourth day after his fright, and of telling kim, in Englifh *, that his practical calculations were all made on feeble landmen of the eighteenth cen- tury, but did not apply toa son of Neptune of the seventeenth, particularly to a Norwegian, who had, _ his elder sister, Mrs Chaplet, at the age of. an hun- dred and eleven years, eating meat suppers at Cron~ stadt, after burying two generations. This curious circumstance was confirmed to your correspondent by Mr Booker, British agent at that sea port, her next door neighbour, who said these suppers consisted of sour cabbage, and sausages, or ham, in the German stile. The commodore survived his pleurisy two years, frequenting, as formerly, the court and tables of theno~ bility, till, in 1787, a singular circumstance put a sud- den period to a life so uncommonly vigorous, that it would haye been difficult to prognosticate when such a machine would have ceased to act, without: some uncommonly violent derangement. This was an unexpected visit from an old superan-' nuated colonel of marines, whom the commodore had not seen for forty years, and thought long since dead ; the joy that such a meeting created in the two ancient fhip amates was highly natural, and the tender scene of con -gratulations, inquiries, stories, 8c. was prolonged un- «il the commodore, finding himself faint and fatigued, * His physician.was an Englishman. 1792. avoyage to the Hebrides. eog - ordered his old housekeeper to entertain his friend in the next room with théir. best chear, while he lay down for a few minutes on a sopha to take a nap, but after waiting an unusual time for his awaking, they found it eternal! although with all the appearance of sleep, and a benign smile on his countenance, like ‘the ef- fects of a pleasant dream. His medical friend, al- most his next neighbour, being immediately sent-for, was an uselefs witnefs of this happy and beautiful modification-of death, in the hundfed and seventh year of a glorious life, I perceive that the Englifh Annual Register for 1789, has noted the death of his sister Mrs Chaplet, very exactly, at the age of one hundred and eleven; ‘but made the commodore seven years too young. Imperial cadet corp St Petersburg, r * Oct. 10, 1791. Arcricus”*. SS SS A VOYAGE TO THE HEBRIDES. _ Continued from p. 178. Island of Usst. Jory gth sailed for south Uist, and reached it ina few hours. Distance from ten to twelve leagues. Af- “ter dinner some walked,.some rode to Boisdale’s house, — reached it atdark. It stands on the Atlantic ocean. This venerable gentleman, about sixty years of age, has thirteen children all alive. Lives lke an ancient patriarch, surrounded-by his children and relations, diffusing happinefs and plenty amongst them all. * In a future number will be given, some characteristic anecdotes af this singular person2ge, and of Peter the Great, preserved by him. VOL, VIL, DD 210 a voyage to the Hebrides. . Aprit Ii. Landed in a fine harbour, safe from all winds, but full of sunken rocks. Slept at Boisdale’s house. ‘roth July. Some of the party walked to the top of a high hill, Some crofsed a channel of two miles in an open boat, to Erifkay, an island belonging to Boisdale, in the centre of which there is a fine’ inlet from the Minch or channel, between the islands and main land. Quere Minch? perhaps’ Manche, or la Manche, as the French call the sea between France and England. Here were two Jrith fifhing wherries, which had nearly completed their cargoes ‘of » cod and ling, ‘principally the former. -They came from Ruth, twelve miles north from Dublin. - They take: in salt, duty free, at Campbelton; they carry their cargoes to Campbelton, and receive the bounty, L. 3 per ton ;—export the fifh to Dublin, and sell them there, from L. 24 to L. 27 per ton. ‘The excefsive foulnefs of the bottom, makes it doubtful if a fifhing station would answer here. Boisdale has improved a great deal of land, by draining and laying thelly sand on the surface. This island is ‘a full confirma- , tion of Dr Anderson’s afsertion, that fhelly sand is to be found in inexhaustible quantities in the Hebrides. There is here a flat on the western side, five or six miles long, composed solely of this sand: Thin soil, bearing exquisite grafs, and fine rye, and barley.» The whole hills are mofsy like those of Derbyshire, and probably capable of the same improvement, by drain- ing and laying lime or fhells on the surface, which destroys the heath, and brings rich pasture ina few years. shat Eat a bread, called greddan. This is made of oats, roasted like coffee beans; grouad’ip a hand mill, and “£792. | avoyage to'the Hebrides. * 211 baked with water into cakes on a hot stone, or and- iron ;—thought a delicacy, and was not disagreeable to those who had never tasted it before. ws See in number dined at Boisdale. - " Loch Skipford. «11th July. Some of the party rode from Bois- dale along the west side of the island, for several miles, to the island of Beabecula, on which is situated Nuntown, the seat of Clanranald. Some sailed from the: harbour to Loch Skipford ; were surprised the boat came soslowly from the fhore ; when it ap- proached the cutter the delay was found to arise ; - from a little cow in tow, which, with some fheep, Boisdale had, unknown to the party, put on board. for sea-stores. Sailed at half past twelve,—at four reached loch Skipford in south Uist. Caught some fine trout in a smail lake near this harbour, ealled Loch Brachenmore, or the Loch of Big Trout. Inthe harbour itself, crabs, lobsters, and oysters..—Slept on board. This harbour is the finest we have yet seen, On approaching to south Uist, and Benbecula, the whole islands seemed on fire. There was a great smoke in a variety of places round the fhore. Atthis season kelp is burning in every creek. The sea weed of which kelp is made grows best be- tween high and low water mark. It is at every three years cut, dried, arid burnt to an imperfect glafs, inskilns made by two low walls of stone; about two feet high and two feet afsunder. Island of Benbecula. r2th July... The sailing party rowed and sailed in an open boat for Benbecula; saw on the edge of loch 212 a voyage to thé Hebrides. Aprilir. ———— a turf or peat hill, so dry that it would have burnt. By means of this, a salt work may be erec- ted with advantage. Reached Clanranald’s to dinner,, og large company. Conyersed Clanranald as to: towns.—He offered any, quantity of his land round. Loch Skipford; from one hundred to five hundred acres: and to co-operate with the society. By the: way, overtook an old man, riding on a small horse, with a young person of each sex attending him. He acs costed the company with great courteousnefs. Found. he was Macmuirifh Clanranald’s blind bard. Ofsian's poems. r3th July. Before breakfastattended Macmuirith: He said Clanranald’s red book contained the ges nealogy of most of the families of Scotland. That the poems it contained related to the genealogies of O'neal. and other Irith families, ‘* Do you know the: poemsof Ofsian ?”?“‘ St Patrick son of Alpin, request- ed Ofsian to give him some account of Fingal and his wars.” The poems he repeated were that account. He repeated at great length, and with great energy and fluency. The gentlemen who.understood the lan. guage, bestowed the highest encomiums on the poems. They said they were natural, elegant, and-affecting. One of those gentleman being desired to explain to. the strangers the scope of the poem, would have willingly declined the tafk; he said the explanation would convey a very inadequate idea of the composi- tion. He observed it was more on the Irifh than Scotch Gaelic dialect. Being urged to tell us the sub- ject of the poem he went on thus: ‘ It is a-story of a wild boar being killed by Dermid, Ofsian was the 1792. > a voyage to the Hebrides. 2g son of Fingal, Oscar was the son of Ofsian son of the king, and lost his sight before he died; Fingal was jealous of Dermid. He bid him measure the wild boar. He measured it from snout to tail, along the hair or bristles. Fingal bid him measure it against the bristles. There was poison among the hair,— ‘Dermid died of it.” Another, * The king of Greece’s daughter appear= ed to Fingal on the hill of Crochin aim ; and told him fhe was confined, or detained by a man, a giant, who had a head and tail like acat. His‘name was Talk, the sonof Traine, (strength.) Fingal under- took to rescue her, and turned out one thousand warriors, whom Talk engaged singly and slew. Os- car offers him single combat. After much intreaty, Fingal consented to his grandson’s engagtag Talk the giant.—Oscar killed him, released the lady, who. died of grief for the lofs of Fingal’s thousand war- iors.” Left Nuntown, Clanr2nald’s house, in the ferenoon,, and all returned to the vefsels. Clanranald, before our departure, renewed his generous offer of land for’. a town at Loch Skipford, and for another at Cannay. Benbeeula is a pretty island, like the other parts of Long Island. The best land is towards the western. ocean, with mofsy hills on the eastern side, Memorandum. To write to the society of antiquarians at Edin- burgh, to have the traditionary poems of the bard Macmuirith preserved, especially respecting Fingal and Ofsian. They exist only in the memory of this bard, and of another man in Nuntown. Received a 214 a voyage to the Hebrides. > April tt. present from Boisdale of some ancient coins, one’ “ah them of Robért Bruce, coined at Perth, 14th July. Skipford wind bound. mbiditea the grant of land made by Clanranald. After dinner sailed out of the loch in Clanranald’s sloop. | r5th July.. Got under weigh at six o’clock, A. M. Thermometer Friday 13th, at rr P. M. 48. 15th same- hour, 50. Sunday at 8, A: M. calm, thermometer 59- Isle of Skye, Dunvegan. By eight o’clock P. M. reached Dunvegan castle, in the Isle of Sky. | On the pafsage saw many cuttle filh leaping out of the sea chasing herring fry, and four or five very large whales pursuing the euttle fish. ‘They spouted water to a great height,—remained | long above the surface,—high, ‘black monsters. 16th July. Rode five or six mile¢s:a little way a- crofs the island, to Loch Bracadalé. Visited the re- mains of a great Danifh fort or doon. Colonel Mac- leod of Talifker joined us in his boat, rowed by boat- men in uniform, with a bagpiper in the bow,—re- ‘turned to dinner,—were honoured with the compa- ny of colonel Macleod of Talifker, major Normand Maeleod of Dunvegan, Mr Macdonald of Scalpa, Mr ‘Mac eod of Mr Shaw. merchant, of Dunve- gan, Mr Macdonald of Ormadale, Mr Macleodycap- tain Macleod, bailie Macleod,, Mr Campbell. Took the opinion of all the company as to the fittest place for two fithing stations, one on the west, and one on the east side of the island. Some were for Loch Bracadale, at the doctor’s house; but the most for Slein in Lochbay, which isa small loch within Loch * Folliaxt. On the east side some preferred Portree, 14392s-% a voyage to the Hebrides... 215 others said Cailliachan,—by much the greater num-. ber preferred Cailliachan. Slept on board. Wind .~ contrary. _ 27th July, Wind crofs.. Stayed all. day.; sailed in the forenoon to the farm of Slein in Lochbay pee ait TS the fiuest situation for a town that the committee has yet seen; cod and ling filhing near, and the bay , full of herrings. Hauled up a line, and took a fine ling off one of the hooks to which some money was fastened, and the hook, let down again. The land near Slein is flat, of excellent quality. Exposure south,—climate warm,—crops early,—harbour safe, and of easy accefs near the fishing grounds 3.2, pier of some expence requisite. Lime-stone within half a mile by land or water,—free or grit-stone on the farm ;—near the lime-stone veins of coal of the kan~ nel kind, or parrot coal, make their appearance. Visited Mrs Macleod at. the castle of Dunyegan, the lady of major Macleod. That lady said, Fobn the blind, an oid man in Troternyfh parifh in this island, used to repeat parts of the poems of Ofsian to her and her family, fhe holding the translation in her hand, and comparing it with the original, which, in ther opinion, always surpafsed the translation in beauty. Supped at the inn. An old man, of the name of Macleod, repeated the death of Dargo. By the account given of it, this poem seemed to be near- ly the same story of the Boar told by Clanranald’s bard. Those who understood the language were in raptures with this poem. ‘They said no translation could convey any tolerable idea of its beauties, which drew tears from the eyes of some of the au- 216. aw voyage to the Hebrides. April 11. dience of the greatest sensibility. The memory of those two old men whom we have heard, surprised allthe party. ey 18th July, Wind bound. Visited another har- bour in the boats. Dined on board the cutter ;—the gentlemen of the island of the party. Visited also — what is called a subterraneous house; it is four feet high, three feet wide, about sixteen or twenty feet deep, built with common stones, and covered with lag stones or pavement. It can only have been 2 ‘repository for goods. It enters in the face and nedt ‘tthe top of a bank. Its only merit is its antiquity, for such a place might be made at any time for forty fhillings. Not so with the Danifh tower we saw on a former day in our way to Loch Bracadale ;—this: is a large stupenduous work, of big fhaped stones, awithont cement, and now demolifhed to within eight ‘or ten @ voyage.to the Hebrides. 214 have been retreats in times of war: That they were covered on the top for men to fight from, and dark within lightened by tapers or flambeaux only. Others think all the inhabitants of those days lived in circular houses of the same construc- tion, lighted only trom the roof, like those of Kams- katcha at this day: That the doons were probably the houses of the chiefs, differing only in size and strength from the houses of the other inhabitants *. _ It-was-observed, that in the county of Sutherland, where there are three of the greater houses still to be seen, there is also between Dornock and Skeebo, very distinct circular remains of }. 1ses, and so nu- merous as to induce one to believe they must be the ‘remains of an ancient town. Tradition degenerates into fable :——The tradition respecting one of the: is, ‘that it was Fingal’s house, and that his wife carried the stones for building it from the adjacent rocks in her apron. ‘Fingal represented invariably. as a Giant, and his race as gigantic. In another place in the Highlands some great stones are fhewn, of many tons weight, which, it is said, he and his compani- -ons amused themselves throwing from one mountain to another.—Took leave of the gentlemen of Sky at midnight: Slept on board. To be continued. * This.sibject has been already agitated, and will be far her discufsed in some recert numbe-s fof the Bec. It is only now postponed to male way for other important mattcr. VOL. viii. ar t 218 + on several eminent writers. April 1% MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS ON SOMEEMINENT WRITERS*, Apollo defend me from— The censures of wise men, and praises of fools 5 From critics who never read Latin or Greek, And pedants who boast they read both all the week. Sir, To the Editor of the Bee. Ty reading your Miscellany, I find much entertain- ment, and some papers, which I earnestly with that both king and ministry could find time to peruse. I heartily with them a more extensive circulation than even your Bee. Of this sort are the deep and just reflections of Tsnothy Thunderproof; and several anonymous papers. Albanicus too seems a judici- cious thinker ; and, without flattery, Sir, I am high- ly pleased with the excellent remarks that you have made vol. vii. p. 320 on his novum organum politi- cum. 1 do not say it is impofsible that some simples — or chemical preparations may exist which are capable of ‘restoring a decayed human constitution; but though I fhould hear of their being found out, I fhould incline to see the experiment of the supposed catholicon first tried upon others ; and some deeayed constitutions actually restored by them to a confirm. ed state of health, before I ventured to take a dose myself. * The ingenious author of the following letter will excuse the Editor for having abridged it; and for having softened a little the language in 3 few pafsagces. The miscellaneous remarks which have been omitted, wilh perhaps, appear with greater propriey in‘a separate efsay. To the read- er, no apology is necefsary for obliging a correspondent who evidently jadges for himself. 4 29972. on several eminent writers. 21g _ The chief design of my troubling you at present is to exprefs my admiration of the ingenious and excellent criticism of your old correspondent on the works of Mr Pope, a man,—thall I call him a poet ? whom many a fool hath praised. In his efsay on criticism, generally allowed to be as good a poem as ever he wrote, except, perhaps, the Rape of the Lock, he has the following verse: _ «© A work, outlast 1mMORTAL Rome, design’d.” What a glaring inconsistency ! and in the Rape of the Lock he has : ‘© And sieeple/s tovers just at twelve AWAKE.” It were endlefs to point out his many inconsisten- cies, especially as in your apology ‘for him to your Old Correspondent you have not ventured to say, that he has written any good poem, but only “ a greater ** number of good lines, when taken singly,” tc. As this seems to me to imply, that you a//ow he had not capacity for any thing above a single line, I am content. But pray, Sir, would you, or any of your correspondents, be so obliging as to acquaint me, why modest writers, and especially poets, are almost always allowed to sink into oblivion, while conceited fops, like Mr Pope, become the objects of public ve~ neration ? Can any thing be more proudly said than the Exeg? monumentum aere perennius of Horace ? What a fund of self sufficiency must he have been pofsefsed of, when, in a letter addrefsed to Augustus, an absolute prince, he tells him, in his own peculiar manner, that to him (Horace,) and his brethren the poets, the emperor of the world must be indebted for his reputation in future ages! Yet what want of order, and want of harmony, and some things worse, “220 on several eminent writers. April ti. are to be found in this vain man’s works? What must a modest man feel when he hears Virgil boast- ing that his verses «© Shall through more ages bear his sov’reign’s praise, _ © Than have from Tithon past to Czsar’s day’s It is needlefs to mention many of those self-con- ceited men. J am not so much surprised at the va- nity of these poets, (poetical enthusiasm being sup- posed allied to madnefs,) as at the folly of the world that supports them in all their vanity, and fulfils their prophecies ; so that their fame “¢ Spreads and grows br'ghter with the length of days. But as bad taste has served the purpose of many a - bad poet, so it has done much evil, in another way, also, by destroying a great part of some good histo- ries. Caligula thought Livy a wretched historian, and another imperial buffoon, whose name I have forgot, paid the same compliment to Tacitus. Mr Pope having got puffers in different nations to set his fame afloat on the folly of mankind, which is an everflowing stream, it is hard to say how long his poetry may draw the public attention, notwithstand- ing his weaknefses, vanity, and evident want of wit and judgement. Voltaire gave Mr Pope a great lift among the dabblers in vertu, and sciolists in litera- ture, a noisy genus and excellent puffers. ‘‘ Mr ‘* Pope (says he, writing to a friend, ) is the best poet ‘Cin England, and, at present, in the world.” After this, what one of Voltaire’s admirers durst wag a tongue against Mr Pope? But he has found props from a quarter where it might lefs have been expec- ted. You would think, Sir, that men resemble Sheep; if one breaks out of a fold they all hurry aft . 1792. on several eminent writers. 225° ter. How hard is it not to be carried away with. the current of the times! Even a grave profefsor of: rhetoric has blown his wind into the trumpet of fame in favour of Mr Pope. Can a man of true taste hear him with patience? ‘* Few poets ever “had more wit than Mr Pope, and, at the same “‘ time, more judgement to direct the employment of ‘‘ that wit. This renders'his Rape of the Lock the ‘* greatest masterpiece that, perhaps, ever’ was com-- ‘« posed in the gay and sprightly style.” THE RAPE OF THE Lock, Sir! The very poem, in the reading. of which your Old Correspondent declares, justly and truly, that he, and the critics of his acquain- tance, found nothing but wearine/s and disgust. I fhall fairly tell you my mind on the subject, in two lines which ].am very fond of, for the knack that they have of exprefsing almost every one’s senti- ments who sepeats them : « True taste to me is by ths touchstone known, «* That's always best that’s nearest to my own.””” Shakespeare seems to be your Apollo, a man who has written more bad lines, when taken singly, not. excepting even Mr Pope* himself, than almost any author that I know whom the foolifh world has so * If our correspondent will not admit that single good lines will con- stitute a good poet, perhaps he will also allow that single bad lines ought not to exclude him from that honour. Indeed it has been gene- rally admitted, that it is not the want of faults, but the abundance of beautics which constitutes excellence in literary compositions. I am always gled, however, to find a man who thinks for himsedf. Should he even be wrong, he avoids the disgusting monotony of 66 faultlefs medic- crity,”” which, to a man who thinks at all, is the most tiresome. of all tiresome things. Edit. 222 a query—sarplar. : April 1k much praised. I fhould be glad to see a criticism on his works by your Old Correspondent. I have not a doubt but he would convince you that hitherto you have not been thinking for yourself on that sub- ject, but with the public, and that it is now time to open your eyes to wisdom. Y ACKSTROTTE. A QUERY. Yo the Editor of the Bee. ; SIR, I wave often wifhed to know what was the precise amount of the old weight called a sarplar or surple, but have never been able to make it out. It was applied only, I think, to the weighing of wool. What perplexes the matter is, that in all old dic- tionaries, and accounts of weights, you find this de- nomination of weights explained, but in such an in- accurate and erroneous manner as to exceed belief. I will be much obliged to you, Sir, or any of your readers, who can explain this matter tome. To af- sist them in their inquiries the following notes re- specting it, that have occurred: to myself, are sub- joined. This word occurs in Rymer, tom.v. p. 248, where we meet with the following words: ‘‘ Captores, &c. zn com. Leyc. 34 SARPLAR, tribus saccis, ‘8 viginta due petris ;” so that it is plain three sacks, and twenty-two stones, are lefs than one sarplar. In Smith’s memoirs of wool, vol.i. p.50. thirty- six surples of Yorkfhire wool are valued, 50 Ep- 5792. anecdotes. 223 WARD If. at L. 1900, which is at the rate of L. 53 nearly. And in p. 29 of the same book it appears, that Yorkthire wool was sold at four marks per sack, viz. L.2: 137 4. Louis Guicciardin, in his diseritéione de paest bafsi, article anversa, p. 225, says, that one thousand two hundred surples are worth, at a medium of the coarse and fine, two hundred and fifty thousand seudi ; which, converting the Roman scudo at the rate of ene! ‘d. amounts to very nearly L. 53 per sarplar. From these facts it appears undeniable, that the surpie or sarplar of wool contained several sacks. I fhould, however, be glad to know if there be any direct eyidence that can ascertain its precise weight, AN INQUIRER. © ANECDOTES FROM WARBURTON’s REMARKS ON NEAL’S HISTORY OF THE PURITANS. *¢ Durine the civil and religious commotions of the Jast century, a puritan gofsip met a church-woman, her neighbour, one morning in the streets of Exeter. Hark ye, neighbour, says the first, do you hear the news? Merchant such a one is a bankrupt, and mer- chant such a one, the church-man, loses ten thousand pounds by the break—There is God’s judgement for you :—The merchant was a great scoffer at the con- venticle. And is this all you have heard? said the other. Yes. ‘Why, then, you have heard but-half the news. Mercer such a one, of your religion, has Jost fifteen hundred pounds by this break. I must eonfefs, replied the first, a severe trial.” 224 reading memorandums Apr tts , Another. «« A pepuTaTion of the London divines wert to Cromwell to complain that the cavalier clergy got their congregations from them, and debauched the faithful from*their ministers. Have they so? said the Protector; I will take an order with them. And he made a motion, as 7f/he was going to say some- ‘thing to the captain of the guards, when turning fhort,—but hold, said ‘he,:after what manner do the cavaliers.debauch your people? By preaching, re- plied the ministers. Then preach Back again,.said this able statesman ; and left them to their own re- flections.” READING MEMORANDUMS. Continued from p. 144. THE deportment of most men in common life, and of all men without education, is never marked with any trait of politenefs or tinge of good breeding. Discourse not in a whisper: In company it is ill breeding, and in some.degree a fraud ; conversation being a joint stock and common property. — Resolve never-to speak of a man’s virtues before ‘his face; nor of his faults behind his back. “The man who has a pafston .for fiction, can never -obtain credit in any company. A man’s first care, fhould be to avoid, the reproach- es of his own heart. His next, to escape the cen- sures of the world: To be continued. ——<—$—$—_—_—$——— eee: POETRY. eee a AN ODE TO SOLITUDE. For the Bee. A\u Solitude! celestial maid ! Wrap me in thy sequester’d fhade, And all my soul employ 5 From folly, ignorance, and strife, From all the giddy whirls of life, And loud unmeaning joy. While in the statesman’s glowing dream Fancy pourtrays the high-wrought scheme, And plans a future fame ! What is the phantom he pursues? What the advantage that accrues ? Alas!-an empty name! To him the grove no pleasure yields, The mofsy bank, nor verdant fields, Nor daisy-painted lawns; . In vain, th’ ambrosial gale invites, An vain all nature theds delights, Her genuine charms he scorns! Pleasure allures the giddy throng, The gay, the vain, the fair, and young, Alkbend before her fhrine; She spreads around delusive snares, “The borrow’d garb of blifs the wears, And tempts in form divine. Fafhion, with wild tyrannic sway, Directs the bus’nefs of the day, And reigns without controul; The beaus and sparkling belles confefs, She animates the modes of drefs, And ¢ehains the willing soul. ‘Can these, the slaves of Fafhion's pow'r, Enjoy the silent tranquil hour, And bloom with nature’s glow? Or to the voraries of sense, Can Solitude her sweets dispense, And happinefs bestow ? VOL, Viil, FRE an sab poetry. How wretched that unfurnifh’d mind Which to each vain pursuit inclin’d, Is ever bent to roam! Oh! be that restlefs state abhorr’d! Seek not for happinefs abroad, She’s only found at home ! Ye sages who, with anxious care, Roy’d thro’ the fleeting tracks of airy A vacuum to find; Wiser had ye employ’d your fkill, With solid sense and worth to fill The vacuum of the mind. Let choice, not wrinkled spleen, engage The mind to quit the World’s gay stage, Where folly’s scenes. are play’d; Sour discontent and pining care, Attaint the fragrance of the airy Disturb the silent fhade, Not wounded by misfortune’s dart, I seek to ease the rankling smart Of thorny-fest’ring woe; But far remote from crowds and noise, To reap fair virtue’s placid joys, In wisdom’s soil they grow, I afk not pageant pomp nor wealth, For blest with competence and health, >Twere folly to be great 5 May I thro’ life serenely slide, As yon clear streams that silent glide, Nor quit this lov’d retreat. Beneath this leafy arch reclin’d, / T taste more true content of mind Than frolic mirth can give. Here to the busy world unknown, I feel each blefsful hour my own, And learn the art to live! While turning nature’s volume o’ery Freth beauties rise, unseen before, To strike th’ astonith’d soul; Our mental harmony improves, ‘To mark each planet, how it moves, How all in arder roll! > April tt. Zz 792. poetry. From nature’s fix’d unerring laws, We're lifted to th’ eternal Cause, Which moves the lifelefs clod ; This wond’rous frame, this vast des‘gn, Proclaims the workmanfhip divine, The architect, a God! Ah! sacred blifs, thy paths to tracey And happiest they of human race, To whom this pow’r is giv’n; Each day in some delightful thade, By Contemplation’s fost’ring aid, To plume the soul for heav’n! * 227 SONNET ON THE RESIDENCE OF THOMSON, BY H. J. PYE, ESQ, POET LAUREAT. For the Bee. The Bard of nature wak’d the rural reed, And as the months in circling lapse succeed, Her varying form, in glowing tints, pourtray’d ; Or to Britannia’s list’ning ear convey’d Th’ exulting praise of Freedom’s sacred need, y Ye seats where oft in pensive rapture laid, Or taught the sympathising breast to bleed, As Tragedy her thadow woes display’d. Still Fancy’s train your verdant paths thall trace; Tho” clos’d her fav’rite vot’ry’s dulcet lay; * Each wonted haunt their footsteps still fhall pace, Still genius thro” your green retreats fhall stray ; For from the scene B—s—n loves to grace, Th’ attending muse /ball ne'er be long away oo ; Me VERSES EXTEMPORE, ON THE LATE REPORT FROM INDIA. For the Bee. As summer's torrid beam destroys The verdure of the frefhen’d fields, And blasts the blooming fragrant joys Of flow’rs and plants which nature yields; So doops Maria’s glowing soul When fatal news arrive from far, Her troubl'd thoughts in battles roll; She hears Alexis fell in war! : 228 Mr Downte’s charts. April 1X. ee INTELLIGENCE RESPECTING LITERATURE AND ARTS. Downte’s charts of the east coast of Scotland, Norute deserves a higher degree of praise than that kind of attention in profefsional men. which prompts them to perfect the businefs in which they are employed. Na- tional improvements are thus obtained, that are of great consequence, and at a very trifling expence to the pub- i, * Such is the nature of that public spirited enterprise I now have the. pleasure to announce to the public. Mr Downie, while master of his majesty’s fhip the Champion, which was for several years upon the Leith station; know- ing there were no very accurate charts of the eastern coast. of Scotland, made it his businefs to collect all the informa- tion he could, respecting the tides, currents, fhoals, rocks, and other circumstances that could affect the navigation on. this coast, which he marked in his own charts, for his own: information in navigating the vefsel. By a contiued at- tention to this businefs for many years, the discoveries he made became numerous and important. His chart hap- pened to be seen, occasionally, by profefsional men, who encouraged him to prosecute his discoveries still farther, and prompted him to publifh them. Encouraged by the approbation and patronage of captain Duncan in St An- drews, and several other sea-faring men of distinguifhed merit, he appliedyhimself to make a survey of the whole coast, from the Srap/es off the coast of Northumberland, to. Duncanfby-head on the northern extremity of Caithnefs. The whole of the coast was laid down by actual trigonome-~ trical survey, conducted in a very simple, ingenious, and accurate manner, that will be desczibed in the work itself, 3992-0). Mr Dowmnie’s charts.’ 22H. The fifhing banks upon the coast, the sunk rocks and sands, not formerly noticed, and the fhelvings of the fhore, were first pointed out to his notice by the fifhhermen on the coast, from whom he took every pofsible information ; they were then ascertained by himself, for the most part, by actual soundings and surveys. I have seen these surveys, and, without. pretending to a profefsional {kill in matters of that kind, but trusting to the approbation, as to accura-. cy, of those who are knowing in these matters, who had examined and approved of them, I can safely say that I have seenno hydrographical chart, those of the Ganges and, Baramputer, by major Rennel, alone excepted, that gave such a clear and distinct idea of the surface of the ground below the water near the coasts. “ This work he divides into four charts. The first is a ge- neral chart of the east coast of Scotland, from Holy island and the Staples to Puncanfby-head, containing the true posi- tion of the fhore, the form extent, and depth ef water on the fifhing banks, with the depth between them and the fhore. In the vacant spaces are charts of the harbours. of Aberdeen, Montrose, and Cromarty, on a larger scale. _ “1, A chart of the coast of Scotland, from St Abb’s head to the Red-head, in which the Edinburgh Frith is con- tinued up as far as Aberlady bay, and the river Tay, up to Dundee, on a scale of above half an inch to a mile; in this. chart the Cape or Bell rock, and the Carr rock, are exactly aid down, with conspicuous Jand marks for avoiding each; the depth of water on the outside of the Bell rock, and between it and the fhore, as also the depths near the Carr, off the mouth of the Frith, and in St Andrews bay, are carefully inserted, for a guide to fhips pafsing in the night or in thick weather *. * By a careful attention to the tides Mr Down’e lays down very plain direct.ons by whicha veisel which, has been by misfortune embayed in St 230 Mr Downie’s charts, April tt, . “yn. A chart of Edinburgh Frith, from North Berwick to Limekilns, on a scale of an inch and a tenth to a mile, in which the pafsage south of Inchkeith is described, with good land marks for it, and for every rock, fhoal, and paf_ sage in the Frith. On the same fheet is a chart of the ri- ver Tay, up to Dundee, on a scale of an inch and a quarter to a mile, with the marks for taking Tay bar, and those ei- ther for sailing or turning up the river to Dundee. “ ry. A chart of Holy island, the Fern islands, and the Staples, with the coast from Sutherland point to Berwick ona scale of two inches to a mile, describing all the paf. sages through these rocks and islands, and the pafsage into Holy island harbour, with proper marks for each. In this chart are inserted four sunk rocks not known before, be- sides many others but imperfectly known, all of which are pointed out by conspicuous land marks. “ These charts are accompanied by a book of directions, containing, in the introduction, an account of the time and manner in which this survey was taken ; a description of the compafses commonly used by the vesfels in the coasting trade, pointing out the errors and defects they are liable to, with the most proper methods (as far as it can be done) of rectifying them, illustrated by a copperplate. “ A general view of the tide along this cvast, giving an account of its rise, strength of the stream, and time of the current ending at each place. “ A description of the fithing banks, their extent, depth of water on them, and the depths between them and the fhore, with directions by these depths, how to conduct vef- sels in the night or in thick weather. Andrews bay, may, with good management, be able to be extricated from that dangerous situation without suffering damage. There is scarcely a year elapses in which some vefsele a: nov lost in this bay, merely because this particular has not been hitherto known or adverted to. 2792. > Mr Downie's charts. 23K. “« The appearance of the land, when coming in from the sea, or any part of the coast, by which it may be known. * Then follows the piloting directions for the coasts, bays, channels, harbours, d°c. divided into five chapters, each containing a certain space of the coast, and is divided into three sections: The first section in each chapter treats of the tide, giving an account of its rise, velocity, course, and ending of the stream in each place: The second, is 2 description of all the places, rocks, sands, land marks, with every thing else necefsary to be known, for the purpose of comparing with the chart, in order to be acquainted with the proper marks and objects, before the fhip proceeds: And the third section contains sailing directions and an- chorages, calculated for the immediate conduct of the fhip, and bringing her to an anchor, in which nothing is touch- ed upon but what is necefsary for that purpose, and so ar- ranged, that the objects appear as you sail along. ; “ And lastly, is a tide table, a table of latitudes and lon- gitudes, and a table of magnetic courses and distances, from | place to place along the coast.” Mr Downie does not give general-views of the appear- ance of the cvast, because, as he justly observed, no view can be just unlefs when taken from a particular point only ; such general views therefore often mislead unwary naviga- tors. But when he points out the land marks for avoiding a sunk rock, or other dangerous object, if the land mark he has chosen be not some very remarkable object uni- versally known, such as the castle of Edinburgh, dc. he takes care to give an exact delineation of the country where his land mark stands, with the precise line of direc- tion and distance necefsary to be attended to, which can- not be mistaken by any one. Allow me to add, that there are a great number of rocks and fhoals laid down in these charts that never before were 23 captain Brodie’s chart. April 1%. known, and several important errors in respect to longi- tude and latitude corrected; so that it cannot fail to prove a valuable addition to the nautical knowledge of the coasting seamen. I make no doubt but Mr Downie, from the extensive sale of this truly useful work will re- ceive a reasonable compensation for thetrouble and time he has employed in perfecting it. Surely if any species of exertion deserves the liberal patronage of the publics this is one of those. Captain Brodie’s chart of the German ocean. Capratn Joserx Bropie, whose patriotic exertions I have had sojoften occasion to mention with applause in this Mis- cellany, has for many years past been engaged in a labour of the same kind, and very much upon the same plan with the above, for perfecting a chart of what is commonly called the German ocean ; reaching between the straits of Dover and the Cattegut, and bounded on the west by the Britith fhore. This great. work, I have the pleasure to inform the public, is now in considerable forwardnefs, and if that gentleman’s valuable life fhall be preserved, will probably be, ere long, presented to the public. Mr Brodie’s chart will not only contain the bearings and distances from the principal places, and the fifhing banks in the course of that. chart, but very exact plans of the principal harbours, and, accounts of tides, currents &’c. the knowledge of which are necefsary for navigating in those seas with safety. N. B. One of captain Brodie’s buoys is now finifhed, with its flag-staff, complete, and may be seen by such as. are curious in matters of this nature at Leith. It has been, tried in the water and found to answer the purpose per- fectly. Acknowledgements te correspondents deferred till eur next. 70. THE BEE, OR LITERARY WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER, FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18. 1792. . ON THE POLITICAL PROGRESS OF BRITAIN. LETTER V, Ignota rostris verrimus zquora, Gentes quietas sollicitavimus Terrore belli, orbisque pacem Miscuimus misero tumultu. EUCHANAN. ‘We haye ranged seas unknown to navigation. We have harrafsed inof- fensive nations with the terrors of war; and by wretched quarrels have confounded the:peace of the world. Si, To the Editor of the Bee. ‘Tue stanza which I have chosen as the motto for this letter, is borrowed from an ode, written on the ravages committed by the Portuguese in Brasil, and it affords a concise, but comprehensive idea of ‘the ge- -neral conduct of Europeans in the new world. An impartial survey of some part of the transactions of Britain in the West Indies, will vindicate my present application of the verses of Buchanan. There are but two motives, those of commerce and of conquest, for which one part of the globe maintains VOL, Vill. cG + ie 234 political progres of Britain. April 18. a correspondence with another.” Of our mercantile in- tercourse with Spanifh America, we have, in my last letter,-. seen aysufficient: specimen. Of our mili- tary progrefs in‘ the same country, a very candid summary has been sketched by the late Dr Samuel Johnson, in his pamphlet respecting Falkland’s Islands. This publication has been more than once recommend- ed in my hearing by the late Dr Adam Smith,-as the best and most valuable portion of all Johnson’s works. A few extracts from it will interest every reader. ‘* Against the Spanifh dominions” says Dr Johnson, ‘* we have never hitherto been able to “¢¢ do much. They are defended, not by walls ** mounted with cannons, which by cannons may “‘ be battered, but by the storms of the deep, and “« the vapours of the land;—by the flames of calen- “¢ ture, and blasts of pestilence. Here Cavendifh “* perifhed after all his hazards; and here Drake ‘and Hawkins, great as they were in knowledge ' “‘ and in fame, sunk, by desperation and misery, *¢ in dishonourable graves. Here, and only here, ‘‘ the fortune of Cromwell made a pause. ‘¢ The attack on Carthagena is yet remembered, «¢ where the Spaniards from the ramparts saw their in- ‘«¢ yvaders destroyed by the hostility of the elements ; ‘* pofsoned by the air, and crippled by the dews ; ‘“‘ where eyery hour swept away battalions; and in ‘«« the three days that pafsed between the descent and «¢ ye-embarkation, half an army peri/bed.” - In this country there is no military project more popular than an invasion of Spanifh America. These remarks may tend to calm the impatience of piratical %. Wot political pr oneal of Britain. 235 heroism. * Hf we are disposed to reject general afser- ‘tion, the prospect is not improved by a. particular detail of circumstances. In April 1726 admiral Hosier, with seven fhips of war, was dispatched for the Spanifh West Indies, His orders were to intercept the Spanifh galleons in their way to Europe. ; The plot was discovered and disappointed. By the unaccountable tenor of Hosier’s instructions, he was condemned to continue inactive upon his station, till his squadron had become the jest of the Spaniards. In the end both his fhips and their crews were destroyed by the climate, and Hosier himself died of a broken heart. In the pathetic ballad composed on.this event, three thousand men are said to have perifhed in this inglorious and dis- astrous expedition. ‘‘ Itseems to have been a mean ‘* piratical scheme to, rob the court of Spain of its ** expected treasure, even while a peace subsisted be- ** tween the two nations*.” On the 18th of September 1740, commodore Anson set out on his memorable voyage to the south seas. The first chapter of his narrative is chiefly employed in describing the ignorance and stupidity of the board of admiralty ; and if this great man had not been as much above, as their lordfhips were Se/ow, the com- mon measure of human understanding, the difiiculties which they cast in his way must have overwhelmed both himself and _ his squadron. For example, he was ordered to take on board, under the title of land Sorces, five hundred out-pensioners of Chelsea Hospi- tal. ‘‘ But instead of five hundred, there came. on © Smoll et"; History. 236 political progrefs of Britain.. April 183. “« board no more than two hundred and fifty-nine: “ For all those who had limbs and strength to walk ‘* out of Portsmouth, deserted, leaving behind them “only such as were literally zvalids, most of them ** being sixty years of age, and some of them upwards. “« of seventy. Indeed itis difficult to conceive a more ‘* moving scene than the embarkation of these un- ‘* happy veterans.” As the book is in every body’s hands, I need not quote farther... About a: thousand persons were aboard that division of the squadron which. reached the south seas. Of these, not a-fourth: part returned to England.. An able bodied man can. perform work upon an average to the value of twen- ty-five pounds per annum, and.his life may be rated worth twelve years purchase. To the public he is therefore worth perhaps three hundred pounds ; and’ hence the lofs of seven hundred and fifty men is equal to that of two hundred and. twenty-five thousand. pounds. It is certain that the expence of equipping. this armament, and the value of the fhips that were destroyed, far exceeded that sum. By the account of the commodore himself, ‘‘ all the treasure taken by the ‘*- Centurion, was aot much {hort of four hundred: “* thousand pounds ;” so that we may affirm without presumption, that the Manilia galleon was a dear bar- gain. Guthrie in his grammar, not only without evi-- dence, but in spite of it, has. generously augmented the value of the prize to ‘ about.a m//ion sterling.” As to the affair of Carthagena, referred to by Dr Johnson, two quotations may serve in the place of an. hundred. ‘* [twas thought, that above twenty thous ‘* sand Britith soldiers and seamen. perifhed in the icy political progre/s of Britain. 237 “« impracticable attempt on Carthagena ; and by in-. “ clemency of air, and climate, during other zd/e ex- “« peditions *.”” And again ‘‘in September 1742, ** Vernon and Wentworth received orders. to re- “ turn to England with such troops as remained * alive ;.and these did not amount to a tenth part of *¢ the number which had_been sent abroad +.” The miserable: consequences of this contest to- every party concerned are evident from the follow-— ing fhort statement. ‘‘ The number of prizes taken ‘* by the Englifh in this war was three thousand * four hundred and thirty-four ; namely, twelve. “ hundred and forty-nine from the Spaniards ; and two thousand one hundred and eighty- “ five from the French: They lost during the war, “ three thousand two hundred and thirty-eight t.” So that as. the same writer justly observes, ‘“ the. ‘« question is not yet decided, which party had the “* greatest reason to desire peace.’’ As to the fhips captured from.the enemy, we have seen, in the case of Anson, that his seamen had much better have been at home planting cabbages ; and were it pof+ sible to fix, with equal certainty, the profit and lofs upon every other prize taken in the war, it would. very likely appear, that even by succefs we were se- vere losers. But this is not the worst. The ene- ® Guthrie’s grammar edition x1. p. 369. + Smollet’s history. T Guthrie p. 370, This account fully justifies the reflections of the- late king of Prufsia upon this subject. “ I view the undoubre! superio~ *€ rity of the Englith fleets, over those of France and Spain united.—I fur-- ** ther remark, with surprise, that all these naval armaments are rather ** for ostentation. than effect, and do not impede the destruction of come S€ meres.” Preface to.:he history af my own times. 238 political progre/s of Britain. April 18% my’s privateers took three thousand two hundred and thirty-eight Britifh vefsels ! The more that we reflect upon the war system, the more we are fhock- ed by its guilt and folly. The pretended object of the war of 1739, was to recover the sum of ninety- five thousand pounds, to revenge the insults commit- ted upon our seamen, and to afsert our partial right of trading to the Spanifh West) Indies. As to the first of these three motives, the sum of money, it is as if two litigants were to enter the court of chan- cery on a dispute for half a ‘crown. | As to the in- sults of our seamen, let us consider what Dr Robert- son has told us, that we had abused to the mostiscan- dalous degree our permilsion of trading to Spanih America. While we attempted to support: such a complicated system of fraud, the Spaniards were not jiefs anxious to check it; and what right have we to blame them? If innocent persons were stripped of their property, such accidents were sometimes una- voidable in so extensive a scene of action. “When we speak of the outrages committed upon our ’¢om- merce, let us reflect that-by our abuse of confdence, ‘‘ the immense commerce of the galleons, ‘formerly ‘‘-the pride of Spain, sun to nothing, and that’ the “squadron itself was reduced from fifteen thousand ** to two thousand tons.” As for the third reason ‘of making war, an /4/szento trade, the company who en- joyed that monopoly sustained a very considerable lofs ! Sothat we fought nine years for permifsion to carry ona losing trade ; and yet we laugh at Don Quixote for attacking a windmill.’ Bnt had even this commerce been worth our acceptance, it, was ae yo - political progre/s of Britain. 239 Jike Esau’s birthright, an advantage extorted in the hour of distrefs, and to insist upon enforcing it, was ~unbecoming an independent, an opulent, and a gene- rous nation. We speak with as much fluency of French ‘and Spanith treachery, as if we had engrofsed in our ' \own:persons the whole integrity of the human spe- -ciess Let us think of Hosier’s expedition. I thall.mention another. instance of our treatment -of the Spanifh’ nation, which is extracted from’)Dr Campbell’s naval history. It is foreign to my pur- ‘pose, and far beyond the limits of my plan, to give a ‘detail of the endlefs and. fantastical treaties entered -into by Britain during the reign of George 1. One _of the most remarkable was, what has been termed ‘the-guadruple ‘alliance, between the emperor, France, ‘Holland, arid this country. The object was to fix the general tranquillity for ever. The plan adopted for this end was extremely curious. The island of Sici- ‘ly was to be taken from the duke of Savoy, and. be- -stowed on the emperor, and the island of Sardima ‘was to be taken from the Spaniards, and’ bestowed in -exchange on the duke of Savoy. As we had former- -ly conceived that we had a right not only to give the ‘Spaniards a king, but to partition their’ dominions, ‘our title to wrest Sardinia from their hands followed ‘as a matter of course. To complete the game of ,erofs purposes, the court of Spain had, at this very time, invaded Sicily,—had defeated the forces of the duke of Savoy, and had almost entirely conquered the island. Hence the duke was reduced to a situation, at once the most distrefsing and ridiculous. On the rsth of June 1718, Sir George Byng, with twenty 240 political progrefs of Britain. April 18. thips of the line, sailed from Spithead tothe Mediter- ranean, to afsist in accomplifhing our pacific project. To enter into the particulars is unnecefsary. Byng - attacked, and burnt, sunk, or ran afhore almost an entire Spanifh fleet. One of the prizes took fire and ‘blew up with a crowd of Spanith prisoners, and I -cannot help wifhing that his majesty’s most bonoun- able privy council had ascended in the explosion. Between six and eight thousand of the Spanifh sea- amen were destroyed or:taken prisoners. Dr Camp- ‘bell calls this ‘‘ a famous action.” The morality of statesmen is very well defined in a sentence of ‘the Beggar’s Opera. ‘¢ What is ‘the woman al- ‘¢ ways whimpering about murder?” says Peachum, ‘“* when people won’t deliver their money, what ‘* would you have a gentleman to do?” We need ‘not wonder that the imperial viceroy of Naples ‘sent Byng’s fleet seventy hog/heads of brandy. The parliament met on 11th November 1718. ‘Some “‘ looked upon this stroke as one of the moblest ex- “‘ ploits since the Revolution ; but others considered it in quite a different light.” On the 17th Decem- -ber following, war was declared in form. In Sep- tember 1719 we took Vigo. The war which, as 1 formerly observed, gave general disgust, ‘continued till February 1720*. It is not pretended that Spain had afforded the smallest provocation ‘to Britain5: * Tn pafsing I may just observe, that we had, at this time, a strange kind of businefs on‘hand with Sweden, Denmark, and Rufsia. On the ust May 1718, Sir John Novris, with ten fhips of the line, sailed for Copenhagen. He there joined the Danith fleet, and both set out in con- junction to attack that of Sweden. They failed in their object. On the 30th November.1718, Charles x1z. was killed. Upon this event, : 1792. —— political progrefs of Britain. 2ans and we, with our usual judgement and humanity, » undertook this project for no purpose but that of ° fixing the general tranquillity for ever, Even Dr’ ‘Campbell, partial and timid as he is, acknowledges that zt was PRETTY DIFFICULT to throw the blame upon the Spaniards. But in another pafsage, the Doctor drops the mafk : ‘‘ The ENTIRE DESTRUCTION ‘* of the Spanifh maritime power was the principal ‘point in view. Abundance of pamphlets were “-publifhed to fhew the expediency of this measure, » ‘© and the benefits that would result to Britain from | ‘*the destruction of the naval power of Spain.” Here we have, in all its lustre, the old and beautiful - maxim delenda est Carthago. ‘* The Spaniards fill- “© ed/all the world with complaints of our zmsincerity ‘* and ambition.” Nor can we be surprised, since there is not in the blackest page of Davila, himself, an example of more atrocious treachery. What right have we to condemn John the Painter, a man : acting upon principles which his conscience consi- dered ‘as defensible? We evidently had no principles but those of a robber; and, therefore, it would be we changed sides, and in September 1719, Sir John Norris, with his squadron, was dispatched a second time to the Baltic, to protect our new , Friends the Swedes, against cur old allies the Rufsians. In April 1720, he was again sent to the Baltic, with twenty men of war; and in April 1721, a fourth time, with thirteen men ef war. Our friendfhip had been of very Small service to the Swedes; for in spite of these three succefsive arma. ments for their protection, it was not till 31st August 1721, that the czar, on bis own terms, cordescended to grant them a peace. Such a ruinous-and absurd system is sufficient to discompose the patience of the gravest reader. . In April 1727, Admiral Norris made a fifth; voyage to the Baltic to protect Swede n. VOL, Vill. Hu t 242° anecdotes of brigadier Resen. _ April 18. degrading the name of that unfortunate, incendiary to, say that we behaved as.a nation of Joun THE Parn- TERS*. Laurencekir®, TrmotHy THUNDERPROOF. April 5. 1792. ’ = ANECDOTES OF BRIGADIER RESEN, AND OF PETER THE GREAT, PRESERVED BY HIM. As I perceive, Mr Editor, that anecdotes in Britain have lately taken a quarto form, I presume a few of our Trunnion, and of his great master, will not be regarded as the worst part of my paper. One trait in the commodore’s character, although, ’ § it may be more or lefs common to other men at an advanced age, afforded much amusement to his friends, which was, his-constantly addrefsing and ad- vising those he had known boys, as if they were, still so, although often the most aged and grave se-. nators of Rufsia ; this was more particularly the case. with the venerable general Bettkoi, blind with age, * It is amusing to observe the reward which Britain received from the emperor. About the year 1725, his imperial majesty ‘¢ prohibited ‘¢ the goods and manufactures of Britain from being imported into the €: island of Sicily, of which”’ (says Dr Campbell) ‘¢ we had so lately, and <¢ at such a mighty expence to ourselves, put him in fofsefsion.” The dispute ~ ended in a personal quarrel, and ‘¢ the king in his speech to the parlia- «<< ment, publicly accused the emperor of a design to place the pretender «<< on the throne of Britain.” (Guthrie edit. xi. p. 366.) Abundance of scurrility, as Dr Smollet informs us, pafsed on both sides, a conduct which cannot tend to elevate our general opinion of the characters of so- vereigns. All these continental coniections were undertaken for the sake of Hanover: With respect to that electorate, Britain resembled a mn of war in thé tow of a bum boat. tha. anecdotes of brigadier Resen. ° 243 who is regarded as the Methusalem of this city, where few old men are seen*, and it was truly co- mique to hear the commodore giving him advice at table, under the juvenile and diminutive name of Jacky, as to the difhes he ought not to acquire the habit of eating as hurtful to health, tc. Another most laughable circumstance of the kind happened when invited to dine with the first lord of the admiralty, count Chernifheff, who was so long ambafsador in England. The count inquired, on sitting down to table, if the commodore had nobody with him, but was answered by him, none but his boys ; who were of course left, without farther re- flection, to dine with the young people in the next ‘room ; but one of the guests arriving late, inquired at the count who the two hoary venerable officers were, whom he observed at dinner with the young folks, as he pafsed through their room; and to the no little amusement of the company, it was discover- ed that they were Trunnion’s boys, two superannua- ted officers of invalids, the one seventy, the other near it. Talking of them one day at general Bet~ fkoi’s table, the commodore said, ‘* Tom was a good stout lad, but that Will, the youngest, had but a feeble constitution, and he was afraid wou? never be good for much.” * + Few but what may be called effective men, are to be seen in St Peters~ burgh at anadvanced age, as the nobility generally retire to their estates, to pafs their last yeais amongst their humble vafsals; and the peasants. are sent to their villages by their lords, when past labours where he must maintain them as his own property. 244 anecdotes of Peter the Great. April 18.. Lord St Helens, then envoy extraordinary at this court, paying him a compliment on his Englith, he- replied, ‘‘ That he had spoke it better, but it was some time since-he learned it.”,. This some time we discovered to have been in the year 1691 when he made his voyage to Britain. Anecdotes of PETER THE GREAT related by the COMMODORE. Ir is well known that Peter regarded his own sub- jects as grown children, and frequently corrected them with his own hand as such, in the patriarchal stile, whick still exists in Rufsia, where a father corrects his children of all ages, if he thinks proper. It is also pofsible that the poznt of honour at that pe- riod was not as yet sufficiently establifhed, to make other punifhments as effectual, as in some countries where the chivalry of the middle ages had introdu- ced z¢, and where a reprimand is worse than death to an officer. At the siege of Derbent, where the commodore attended, some transports, with military stores, ne- cefsary to the attack, long waited for with impa- tience, arrived at last under the care of a prince, who, thinking the danger of the seas over, came to an anchor, (pofsibly in a carelefs manner) till mor- ning, when he was to bring them in and land his cargo. But a cruel storm wrecked the emperor’s present hopes during the night on the coast, which was found next morning covered with the so much wanted stores, and threw him into one of those fits of pafsion to which he was occasionally subject, and /¥792. anecdotes of Peter the Great. 245 -that none could calm but his beloved Catharine. ' The unfortunate commander appeared with his re- ‘port during its violence, and received such a lefson : from Peter’s dubeen or cudgel, (which he seldom went ‘without) as rendered him ever after one of the most -vigilant officers of the fleet. However, the commo- -dore afsured us, that, on another similar occasion, ‘the emperor ‘was brought to a laughable form of jus- tice for breaking one of his own laws, by 2 Rufsian captain of a man of war, in the following manner : It is equally well known that Peter the Great ser- ved regularly in person, and did the duty of all the ranks of both navy and army, from a private up to ‘field marfhal, to set example of military subordina- tion and discipliiie to his subjects; and that he set up a pageant representation, at the head of each de- partment, who were to judge of the merits of him- self and fellow officers, and reward their meritorious service, by gradual advancement of rank and pay. But I doubt much if the public are acquainted with the urgent necefsity and expediency of this measure, which has been termed by superficial observers a pue- rile farce. Jt was no lefs than an inveterate rooted pre- judice that Peter had to combat and eradicate, of so ab- surd a nature as scarcely to gain credit in this age, and which stood between him and the formation of the regular standing army he so much desired, and in- deed had so much occasion for, if he meant to make any efsential changes in his empire, surrounded and controuled as he was by the ancient strelits, or pre+ torian guards of Rufsia. When Peter mounted the throne, a man whose father had held a higher place 246 - — anecdotes of Peter the Great. April 18. in the empire; than the futher of one destined to com- mand him, could not serve under such a commander without beimg difeonoured. Now let any one reflect for a moment on the influence of such a prejudice on regular subordination and discipline, and they will be convinced both of the magnitude of the ob- ject the czar had to combat, and that he took the on- ly effectual method of doing it; for what subject. could plead such an excuse after the sovereign him- self had served under every officer of experience and merit, without regard to their genealogy. He must be a philosopher little acquainted with the world, who does not know the force of prejudice on man- kind in general, and the danger of violently crufhing it, especially in proud feudal barons, who had thou- sands of vafsals, their own property, and. probably at their disposal. During the building of Peterfburg, its Seshiaty, docks, navy 8c. the czar had ifsued the strictesr laws, for the preservation of prder in his favourite infant city, and for the protection of the many fo- reign artists, who were so efsential to his great de- signs. Pofsibly to please this body of men, with whom he spent so great a part of his time, to the no small jealousy of his officers and nobles, he used to drefs as they did, in an Englifh great coat, and drive about in a one horse chaise, similar to what the artists used, with only one attendant, behind it. One evening that he had remained amongst them later than usual, to see the end of some mechanical operation or procefs,(and to which he often put a hand himself,) he was met in returning to his palace by a Rufsian captain of a man L7Q2. anecdotes of Peter the Great. 24% of war, in a phaeton and pair, who taking the empe- ror for one of his much favoured, and consequently much hated artists, run’ up against his chaise, and begun whipping his horse, with many insulting invec- tives against the master, for not having cleared the way for a man of his rank; till the thundering voice of Peter convinced him of his mistake, who dragging’ the offender out of his proud car, without further ce-; remony gave him the usual correction of his dubcen,— afking him, between each volly of blows, have I not made my streets large enough for people to pafs with-. out molestation? have J not publifhed laws for the preservation of the inhabitants against such insults ? did you not take me for one of our useful helpmates. who have come so far to instruct our ignorance? and did you not think to insult him under the cover of night with impunity ? This, adventure which got wind amongst the aie ficers, turned the laugh so strongly against the bold, captain,who hadso manfully belaboured the emperor’s horse, and been answered by the dubeen, that he found. it difficult to remain in the corps, till his friends sug- gested to him a means of regaining the czar’s favour, and diverting the laugh of his companions, which, was to summon him before the lord high admiral, for breaking alaw lately made. This was executed, and‘ the czar appeared in open court, when the captain complained that rear admiral Peter, not having the fear of the emperor’s laws before his eyes, had struck him in his uniform, against an exprefs article of war ; and he therefore demanded the fine awarded in it, v7. one year’s wages of a captain.of the navy, and an ex~ 248 letter from Senex. Apri 18. cuse from the offending rear admiralh—The money’ ‘Peter instantly ordered to be stopped out of his own: pay; bowed respectfully to the court, and embracing the captain, took him once more into favour, highly pleased at his having so well seized the spirit of his’ institutions, and at his courage in inforcing them on himself; he probably might also be flattered with» the compliment paid to his justice and magnanimity. The commodore added that for the first years after : the institution of his different courts, the emperor u-’ sed to slip in, when he knew there was any cause to be tried where a poor man was plairaiff, and woe to’ the judges, if their decision was directed by a con-’ sideration of the rank or fortuue of the parties.— Such was the man who has been so much misrepre-* sented by illinformed authors ; and your correspon- dent, without injustice to this great sovereign, (a title: he thinks he truly merits when his education, means, and the state of the country are compared with’ his works,) cannot help remarking, that when he first settled in this country, twenty-one years ago, ' there were still living several of Peter’s old servants, © who all talked of him with the respect and venera~ tion of the honest commodore. Yours, Imperial cadet corp St Peterfburg, : ARCTICUS. Oct. 10. 1791. ’ LETTER FROM SENEX, Sir, Zo the Editor of the Bee. Iy my last I half promised that you fhould hear from me again, if health fhould be continued. I have rea- TFQ2 letter from Senex. 249 son to thank heaven for having conferred on me a greater fhare of health and strength, since that period, than I had any reason to expect. AndJI think the best use I can make of this interval of health, is to try to promote the welfare of others. ‘* To be good is to be happy.”’ This isa maxim to which I believe no aged person, who seriously reflects on the past transactions of his life, can withhold his afsent. Allow me to add, that if mankind would be- stow half the attention to conduct themselves by the unerring principles of justice and beneficence, that they sometimes do to promote their own interest at the expence of others, they would not only feel muck lefs uneasinefs in the mean while, but would also much better succeed in augmenting their worldly pof- sefsions than they do at present. This is not a has- ty remark, but the result of long and serious obser- vation; and if such as feel themselves disposed to doubt the fact, will take the trouble to take a view of all their acquaintance, they will perceive, that many _ persons of moderate talents, who are known to he pofsefsed of rectitude of mind, and its necefsary at~ tendant, a natural desire to promote the interest, in a fair open way, of those with whom they are connec. ted, make their way through life with great ease and honour,-—while others who have unfortunately once deviated from the paths of rectitude, though pofsefsed _ of talents, even of the most brilliant cast, are obliged to make exertions sometimes seemingly above the reach of human powers, and which, like the floun- derings of a horse in a mire, only tend to sink them- sclves the deeper in misery and wretchednefs. What an infinity ofevils in this world then would be avoided, VOL, Vill, If + 259 Vetter from Senex. April 18. could the minds of young persons be deeply impref- _sed with the truth of this unerring maxim, ‘¢ That to be good,” that is, to adhere on all occasions to the dic~ tates of justice and beneficence ‘‘ 1s to be happy !” Few. persons are inclined to dispute the truth of this maxim in the abstract,—but when they come to apply the rule to their own particular case, they find a difficulty in doing it, and sometimes convince them- selves they are adhering to it most rigidly, avhen they are indeed transgrefsing it as far as is in their power. ‘Thus it is that man frequently deceives him- self, and, while he is doing wrong, his constience up- braideth him not. In no case is this more frequently experienced than in regard to retaliation of injuries, supposed to be received by one man from another. The Scripture «ule, which is indeed the only rule of rectitude in eases of this sort, ‘* To do good to those that curse you, and to pray for those who despitefully use you,” is set at nought, as directly contradicting the prin- ciples of natural justice, which we allow to be the ba- sis of all goodnefs. IJtis just, says one, that the man who has injured me fhould be punifhed ; and I am determined to inflict exemplary punifhment upon him for this crime; in doing so, who can blame me, and why therefore fhould I desist ? Before this question can be answered, many others must be solved. Who hath made thee a judge in thine own cause ? What evidence can you bring that an injury was intended? Art thou certain that the person blamed had not reason to conclude that you had injured him ina yet higher degree? Art thou certain that thon hast not actually injured him, 179% letter from Senex. 25% though perhaps without your knowing of it? Is it clear, that even if all the circumstances were laid before the accused person, he is capable of forming a sound judgement concerning them? These, and an infinity of other such questions must be solved, before you can be certain that by revenging a supposed offence, you are not in fact the cause of infinitely greater of- fences. It is certain that offences must come,. ‘* but woe be to him through whom offence cometh.” Let it, for example, be supposed, that by some un~ avoidable accident, I have trampled upon your toe, and hurt it very severely; you have in this case re- ceived a real injury, which I certainly did not intend, and for which I am exceedingly sorry, and am anxi-- ously desirous to do every thing I can to alleviate ,the smart you feel. This is the natural state of my mind when the injury is perceived; and if you have: patience to hear my apology with candour, and to: witnefs the sincerity of my sorrow, by the natural exprefsions it will suggest, you will be entirely satis~- fied,—you will feel that no malevolence was intend- ed,—that it is one of those unavoidable accidents im life, to which all mankind must submit,—that the: same case might have happened to yourself,—and: that from the natural exprefsions of sorrow it has. extorted from me, you have reason to form a more: favourable opinion of me, than you had ever former- ly entertained.—The accident instead of producing a: breach between us in this case, only serves to ce-- ment our friendfhip the more. Such are the blefsed. effects of forgiving an injyry ! ; Put the case otherwise,—that instead of forgiv~- °, you instantly revenge the injury. No sooner: Py . 252 letter from Senex. April 18. “have you received the hurt, than, without waiting” for any explanation, you knock me down,—abuse me for a rude impertinent rascal,—contradict my attempt to tell you it was only accidental,—tell me it is a lie,—that I did certainly intend it, and that I lay in wait for an opportunity to do the deed, when I could do it with the greatest effect. If, in this case, 1 fhould happen to have as little reason and forbear- ance as yourself, the necefsary consequence must be, that, conscious of the injuriousnefs of these unjust accusations, my pride is irritated; instead of apolo- gies, injurious recrimination is adopted.—I conclude that if you had not a bad heart yourself, you could not have supposed I could have been capable of so much basenefs. | One injurious imputation produces andther-much more so ; and, instead of increasing our mutual esteem and kindnefs for each other, this trif- ling accident ends in an irreparable breach, which perhaps can terminate only with our lives.—Unhap- py, indeed, must the consequence be, if the parties in this case fhould chance to be man and wife ;—their mutual esteem is gone, and with it their love, their reciprocal kindnefses, and endearing tendernefs for each other ;—adieu then to happinefs for ever! And for what is allthis ? the parties have sl dispositions that ought to insure their mutual tenderest regards, but because of an inadvertence to the golden rule, that never can be transgrefsed with impunity, they are rendered the mutual pests of each other.—Look at this picture, ye married pairs ; and if your hearts be naturally upright, you ‘will perhaps recognize the justnefs of it. Make haste to repair the injuries . 1792. eh, a fragment.) - 253 your inadvertence has produced; recal those plea- sing days in which you felt no delight butin promo. ting the happinefs of each other.—The hopes that zhis may be the case with a few who hall read this, will add a gleam of joy to the departure of SENEX. A FRAGMENT. ‘*¢ THE tear of the morning hangs on the thorn, and im- pearls the rose. In the day of my joy, my cheek was likened to the blufhing beauty of that charming flower: And, though it has long since lost its crim- son, it still retains a partial similitude; for the tear is on it. But, alas! no chearing sun exhales my sor- row : And the crystal, which stole forth in the mor- ning from my eyelids, holds its place at the midnight hour. ** And is love,” said I, ‘* the canker-worm that has preyed on thy beauty ?—Does that torturing pafsion make thee fhed the ceaselefs tear? *« No,” replied Lucilla,—*‘* Love gave me all its choicest blefsings. During five years I rioted in them ; and this world was a heavento me. William, it is true, is no more ; but he died in the field of ho- nour—he is recorded with those heroes who fought - and fell for their country. I bathed his wounds— his last. words blefsed me—and his expiring sigh was breathed forth in my bosom. I ‘wept the briny tears of honest sorrow—but I had my consolation— my William loved none but me; and he still lived in the blefsed image which he left me of himself. “* It was my duty, and soon became my Sole de. light, to point out to the darling boy the path in 254 anecdote of the emperor Severus. April 18. which his sire had trodden, and to instill into his ex= panding mind an emulation of parental virtue. His young breast felt the glowing flame; and he was wont to weep when I led him to the gree which. glory had dug for his father. ‘¢ But he, too, is taken from me—he sleeps be- neath this turf which I adorn with flowers—here my fancy feeds my sorrow; and this sacred fhrine of af- fection I {hall daily visit, till weary nature conduct me to my hufband and my child.” . ANECDOTE OF THE EMPEROR SEVERUS. A certain Vetruvius Turinus had insinuated him- self into the good graces of the emperor. He abused. his power by laying under contribution all those who.. solicited places or pensions. He often made them pay even for services which he had not done ; and he fre- quently received money from opposite parties. Seve rus, informed of his odious behaviour, did not think it unworthy of his rank to hold out a snare to the avidity of this unfaithful minister, to obtain a clear- and evident proof against him. Some one in concert with the emperor publicly demanded a favour, and implored secretly the support of Turiaus ;—he pro- mised to speak of the affair but did not. The favour having been obtained, Turinus exacted a certain sum for the obligation, which was counted out to him in presence of witnefses. Then the emperor made him be accused. Turinus could not defend himself, nor deny a crime proved by the testimony of those who had been concerned in the negociatiom As Severus. ” EOD. anecdotes. . 256 withed to make an example of him, he brought be- fore. the judges a proof of a great number of crimes, equally odious, which the accused had committed, and which had remained unknown, because nobody dared to attack a man whose power was so great. The emperor thought that his severity could not be bla- med; and to proportion the punifhment to the crime, he ordered that Turinus fhould be tied to a post in the public market, at the foot of which a great quan- tity of green moist wood was placed, which, be- ing lighted, produced nothing but smoke. Turi- mus was thus suffocated, whilst the public crier re peated with a loud voice these words: ‘* He who has sold smoke, is punifhed by smoke.” ANECDOTE OF MARISHAL DE TOIRAS. On the eve of a battle, an officer came to afk per- mifsion of the marifhal de Toiras to go and see his father who was on his death-bed ; go, said that ge- neral to him, you honour your father and mother that you may live long. af \ ANECDOTE OF ALPHONSO KING OF ARRAGON. Axpuonso besieged Gayette, a city of Italy in the kingdom of Naples. As that place began to want provisions, they obliged the women, the children, the old men, and all uselefs mouths to depart. Al- phonso received them directly into his camp; and when his officers withed to inspire him with lefs ge- nerous sentiments: ‘‘ Do you think then,” said he, to them, “* that I came here to make war with wo- men and children ?” 256 mercantile legislation. April 18. To the Editor of the Bee. Sir, Tue following information will not perhaps be unac- ceptable to many of your readers. The truth of it may be depended upon, and can be attested by those who have visited the part of the world to which this intelligence relates. At the Cape of Good Hope, the Dutch East In- dia company, who are the sole masters of that de- lightful country, /et, by public auction, every three years, the exclusive privilege of supplying the town with meat. The farmer of this important necefsary of life, is not, however, allowed to demand what price he pleases for it. The price is regulated in the following curious manner. All the company’s ser- vants must be supplied in the first place, at the rate ~ of one penny per lib. All the other Dutch inhabi- tants on fhore, at twopence per lib. with’ the permif- sion of exacting from foreign residents, and foreign fhips, and even from Dutch men of war, fourpence per lib. or more tf necefsary. I need not comment, Mr Bee, on this instance of the talents of a commer- cial company, when employed as legislators of their foreign settlements. We have heard that some com- motions have disturbed, of late, the tranquillity of the Cape of Good Hope, and that the inhabitants grow clamorous in their demands for a better govern- ment. Your readers will be inclined to believe the truth of these reports, and to judge how far the de- mand is reasonable. Yours, ANTI-FARMER GENERAL, , i ce POETRY. SONNET. To the Editor of the Bee 'W «en morn breaks forth, and Sol’s enliv’ning ray Drinks from the flow‘ret’s eye the pearly tear; *Creation rirys with varied grateful lay, And strains melodious murmur far and near. The clouds which floated on the blue expanse “Now stream-with gold, and emulate the sun, Then seek the-waters, where the bright beams-daace, And hide their heads beneath the horizon. Just so each sadd’ning gloomy thought doth fly, When pleasure fkims o’er-the delighted brain, And strikes the nerve which leads to gaiety, And thoughts of love inspires a kindly train; Ease feels th’ infection, gilded dips in night, And the full soul, unclouded, smiles delight. A PHC@ENIX HUNTER, THE PLIANT MAID. A song from a volume intended for the prefs, but not publifhed. For the-Pee. As o’er the green the other day I walk’d to take the air, I met a maiden by the way * Most beautiful and fair; Her sparkling eyes were azure blue, “Her fkin like lilies wet with dew. As bluthing by-me fhe did pafs, My youthful heart did warm, s] said to her, ** sweet lovely lafs, I mean to thee no harm :”” ; Still blufhing sweet fhe nvthing said. ‘I ne’er beheld a sweeter maid. I took her hand, O! heayen what jey! Young cupid, from his bow, Sent a tharp dart, that sly young bey, That would not let me go; 4 strove to part, but ah! my heart Was wounded with his crue! dart, VOL. Vili, KK t poetry. a. . April 18: At length the nymph, with a sweet smile, My aching heart did chear, The little god we did beguile, As we her cot drew near 5 My heart beat fast, my pulse beat high, Icould not leave her, no,—not I! We went into a neat thatch’d cot, Within it was complete, Which made me much envy her lot, It was so snug and sweet 5 The woodbine and the jefsamine Around her lattice did entwine. Young man, said the, I see your love Fast darting from your eye, And fhould you now inconstant prove; Ah me! I sure must die ; To marry me, if you incline, / Thy will fhall be for ever mine. ‘ I stood amaz’d! I could not speak, At finding her so kind, I kifs’d the rose bud on her cheek, And freely told my mind ; The marriage articles were wrote, And now we both live in one cot. Feb. 15. 1792. A—, S—. eed GLEANINGS OF ANCIENT POETRY. A FAREWELL TO THE VANITIES OF THE WORLD, Farewrrt ye gilded follies, pleasing troubles ; Farewell ye honour’d rags, ye glorious bubbles; Fame’s but a hollow echo, gold pure clay, Honour the darling but of one fhort day 5 Beauty, th’ eye’s idol but a damafk’d fkin; State but a golden prison to live in,» And torture frec-born minds; embroider’d trains Merely but pogeants for proud swelling veins 5 And blood ally’d to greatnefs, is alone. Inherited, nor purchas’d, nor our own ; Fame, honour, beauty, state, trainy blood and birthy Ave but the fading biofsoms of the earth. I would be great, but that the sun doth stiil Level his rays against the rising hill: I would be high, but see the proudest oak Most subject to the rending thunder-stroke : Ee st ee a a ee ee ee ee Sell 4792. | poeirye I would be rich, but see men too unkind, Dig in the bowels of the richest mine: I eauld be wise, but that I often see The fox suspected, whilst the afs goes free: I would be fair, but see the fair and proud, Like the bright sun, oft setting in a cloud: I would be poor, but know the humble grafs Still trampled on by each unworthy afs: Rich hated: wise suspected: scorn’d if poor: Great fear’d: fair tempted: high still envy’d more: I have with’d all ; .but now I with for neither ; Great, high, rich, wise nor fair; poor P11 be rather.” Would the world now adopt me for her heir ; Would Beauty’s Queen entitle me ¢* The Fair ;” Fame speak me Fortune’s minion; could I vie Angels wich India; with a speaking eye Command bare heads, bow’d kreees, strike justice dumb, As well as blind and lame, or givea torgue To stones by epitaphs, be call’d great Master in the loose rhimes of ev’ry poetaster 5 Could I be mofe than any man that lives, Great, fair, rich, wise, all in superlatives : Yet I more freely would these gifts resign, Than ever fortune would have made them mine, And hold one minute of this holy leisure Beyond the riches of this empty pleasure. Welcome pure thoughts! welcome ye silent groves ! These guests, these courts, my soul most eaely loves + Now the wing’d people of the fky thail sing My chearful anthems to the gladsome spring : A prayer-book now fhall be my looking-glafs, In which f£ will adore sweet virtue’s face. Here dwell no hateful looks, no palace-cares, No broken vows dwell here, nor pale-fac’d fears ; Then here I'll sit, and sigh my hot love’s folly, And learn t’ affect an holy melancholy ; And if Contentment be a stranger then, - Pll ne’er look for it, but in Heaven again. Sir H. Wotton. VERSES TO HOPE, Cerestrat child, fair Hope! descend, And dwell within my humble bow’r, With heav’nly blifs, my soul defend, In ev'ry dark desponding hour. Far swecter than the budding rose, Or fragrant smelling jefsamine, From heiy’n to me thy sweets disclose, Oh fed, dear Hope! thy pow’r divine . M 269 en silk rearing tm Scotland. April 8. SILK REARING IN SCOTLAND. In answer to the queries of many respectable correspon-- dents. concerning the rearing of silk worms in Scotland, fF beg leave to inform them, that this important. object has never been lost sight of by me, but has been merely post-. poned, till I could give them some useful information, not merely extracted from books, which are, in general, not: to be implicitly relied on in cases of this sort. I fhould con- sider it as a crime of great magnitude, if, under the idea of benefiting persons who have little to lose, I fhould heedlefs- ly induce them to engage in hopelefs experiments, in which. besides the lofs of time, considerable expence might per- haps be incurred. For these reasons, however anxious I may be to promote the general introduction of this busi-- nefs, I fhall ever proceed with caution, so as to avoid exci- ting hopes that may lead to premature exertians. The great bar that stands in the way of the general in- troduction of that manufacture into this country in a. thort time, is the difficulty of procuring mulberry leaves in-abun- dance. The voracious silk worms devour an inconceivable quantity of food, in proportion to their size. Andthough mulberry plants’ can be reared in great abundance from. - seeds, and though these plants-will thrive very well in this country, yet that is a fhrub of such slow growth, that it must be a good many years before a great many leaves could be got from yovag plants. Without relaxing in the culture of the muiberry, therefore, which, if once establithed, would continue to thrive for ever,;I have been anxious. to dis cover some method by which we might sooner get for-. ward, ; In the course of these inquiries I have found out two. Kinds of mulbgrries, not as yet known. ia Europe, which ap~ eo ~ F792. on silk rearing in Scotland, 2618 pear to be, in several respects, preferable to the two kinds we have, as they seem to be freer growing plants, and pro- duce more luxuriant crops of foliage; one is called the Chinese mulberry, which has lately been found by my in- genious friend Dr Anderson of Madras, in several places onthe Coromandel coast. This gentleman, without any com- munication with me, has, I find, for more than a twelve- month past, been actively engaged, from motives of huma-. nity to the poor inhabitants of that country, many of whom I find are starving for want, in trying to introduce the rearing of silk worms in that country. ‘This: Chizese mul- berry is represented by all his correspondents as carryi#2. larger, and more succulent leaves, than either the black, or the white mulberry of — and growing much more freely than they do; it is of course universally cultivated in preference to them. I have written to him for some seeds of that sort, and if they come safe, {hall order from. “thence abundant supplies for propagating in nurseries. By the favour of Mr Pinkerton, of Kentifhtown. near London, a gentleman. well known in the literary world,’ I have been put upon 2. plan of receiving more satisfacto- ry accounts of the Tartarian mulberry, once slightly men- tioned in the Bee ; and thall write for that purpose, by the very first fhip that sails for St Peterfburzh, and doubt not but, in due time, I fhall receive seeds of that also. ‘The plant is represented as growing wild in Siberia, so that’ there can be no doubt of its thriving here. It is represen- ted as a more luxuriant and healthy plant than either of the European sorts. It is by no means impofsible, but it may be the same plant that is known in India by the name’ of the Chincse mulberry. But though both these promise to be Benicia to this’ country ; yet the time when this fhall happen is far dis- tant, which is chilling to the hopes of man. Anxious ta get over this di ficulty, T have been very particular in my 262> on Silk rearing in Scotland. .. April 48. inquiries, to discover if any plant could be with safety sub~ stituted to the mulberry as a food for the silk worm. Many persons think such inquiries nugatory, from some preconécived theories they have adopted on this head, but all such theories I despise; and, on this principle, I have been anxious in quest of facts only ; and I have been so fortunate very lately as to discover one that promises to remove all our difficulties, if future experience fhall con- firm it. ‘ Mifs Henrietta Rhodes, a lady who has made some suc- cefsful experiments on raising silk worms in England, had found that the silk worm could with'safety be kept on let- tuce for some time. This is pretty generally known by la- dies who have turned their attention to this subject, but fhe found that, in general, they could not with safety be kept upon that food above three weeks. If longer fed upon that ‘plant, the worms for the most part die without spinning a web at all. She found, however, that they did not a/ways die, but that, in some cases, they produced very good co- coons even when fed entirely on lettuce. She, therefore, with reason, suspected, that the death of the animal. must be occasioned by some extraneous circumstance, and not from the poisonous quality of the food itself; the circum: stance fhe suspected, from some incidental observations, was the coldnefs of that food, and, therefore, the’thought it was not impoisible, but if they were kept in a very. warm place, while fed on lettuce, they might attain in all cases a due perfection, 7" . . . ; . I General Mordaunt having been informed of this conjec- ture resolved to try the expesiment.. He gor some silk worms.eges; had them hatched in his hot house, and cau- sed them to bejall fed upon lettuce and nothing. else. They prospered as well as any worms could do, few. or none of them died ; and they afforded as fine cocoons as‘if they had been fed upon mulberry leaves, AAs far as one ex- ' \ < 1792. on sulk rearing in Scotland. 263 , periment can go, this affords a very exhilirating prospect, in many points of view. If one kind of food has been noxious, merely because of an improper temperature, others may be;found which have been hurtful only from+a simi- lar cause ; so that it is not impofsible but we may at last find that this delicate cteature may be supported by a va- ‘ riety of kinds of food. Few, however, could be more easily obtained than lettuce ; and this plant, when cabbaged,.(the cols, orice lettuce especially,) would pofsefs one quality that the mulberry leaf never can pofsefs, from the want of which many millions of worms die in those countries where silk is now reared ; for it is observed, that when the leaves are gathered wet, it is scarcely pofsible to preserve “the worms alive for any length of time ; so that during a “continuance of rainy weather many of them are unavoida- bly cut off ; but a lettuce, when cabbaged, resists moisture. If gathered, even during rain, the heart of it is.dry, so that, af the outer leaves be thrown aside at that time, the worms would be continued in perfect health. The expence, too, of cultivating and gathering lettuce, would be so much lefs than that of gathering mulberry leaves, as to occasion a saving that would be much more than sufficient to coun- terbalance the expence of heating the RORSETYRLORY, as L fhall prove below. But the great point to be now ascertained is, whether it is a fact that worms fed cn lettuce, if kept in a due tem- - perature will continue in good health, in general, till they fhall have perfected their cocoon, One experiment is too little to establifh this fact with perfect certainty. I there- fore now invite all persons who have an opportunity to make the experiment in the ensuing season, to do it, and to communicate the result to the public through the channel of this Miscellany. If it fhall be found to answer, I fhall then fhow in what manner proper places for rearing the -svorms could be erected, at a very small expence, and kept 264 on literary tntelligence. Aprd 18. ‘heated to the proper degree, without any waste of fuel whatever. Such directions at present would be premature, and therefore they are pastponed. While I thus invite every well disposed veer who has an opportunity to make the experiment, and offer my af_ Sistance to procure for those, who with to do this, afew eggs, { am aware, that to persons who have had no experi- ‘ence in this businéfs, especially if in a high station, where the detail of the management will, in most cases, devolve upon others, the experiment must often’ fail, from other circum stances than the noxiousnels of the food. The report, therefore, of many anabertive attempt, in these ' «circumstances, may be expected. If a few, however, suc- ‘ceed, such positive evidences are worth a thousand nega- tives in the circumstances here stated. I now with to ob- -viate in time, an objection that I easily foresee may come _ in the way. —— eee ANTELLIGENCE RESPECTING LITERATURE.AND ARTS. For the Bee, Nore concerning the valuable literary correspondence -of John Bernoulli the elder, preserved by his posterity at Bile, in Switzerland, communicated to the earl of Buchan by the learned John Bernoulli at Berlin. 1. The correspondence in French, between Mefsrs de -Maupertuis and John Bernoulli the elder, from the year 4730 to 1740, containing about one hundred very long letters. 2. Ditto in Latin with Mr Bilfinguyer, from the year 44720 to 1725, sixty letters. = * 3. The unpublithed correspondence in French with the chevalier Renau, eight tracts. 4. Latin and French correspondence with Mr Michelot, trom 1714 to 1725, one hundred and eight letters. "5. Correspondence in French, with Mr de I’Hopital, from i694 to 1701, eighty-five letters, 1792. literary intelligence. ; 265 6. Correspondence with Mefsrs the brothers John James, and John Sheuchzer, Latin and French, from the year 1706 to 1735, three hundred and forty letters. 7. Letters in Latin and French tothe Sheuchzers, with their replies, from the year 1706 to 1732, one hundred and _ forty letters. ‘8. Correspondence in French with Mr Varignon, from 1692 to 1722, two hundred and forty-six letters. g. Correspondence in French with Mr de Crousaz, from 4712 to 1724, forty two letters. 10. Correspondence in French with Mr de Monmort, from 1701 to 1719, forty-one letters. 11. Correspondence in French with Mr de Moivre from 1704 to 1714, nineteen letters. 12. Correspondence in French with Mr Burnet, from 4708 to 1714, thirty-one letters. 13. Correspondence in Latin with Mr Wolffe from 1706 to 1743, ninety-seven letters. 14. Correspondence in French with Mr de’ Fontenelle, from 1720 to 1730, nineteen letters. Also a long letter from Mr Daniel Bernoulli to Mr de Fontenelle in the year 1728, with remarks. Also remarks by Mr John Ber- noulli, the elder, on ¢he infinite series of Mr de Fontenelle. 15. Correspondence in Latin with Mr Euler from 1729 to 1742, twenty-four letters. ° 16. Correspondence in French with Mr de Mairan, from 1723 to 1740 about one hundred and tweive letters. 17. Correspondence in French with Mr Cramer, from 1727 to 1733, twenty-six letters. A 18. A large packet containing the correspondence be- tween Bernoulli and about fifty of his cotemporary geome- tricians, é'c. among whom are Newton, Halley, Falconer, Leslie, Sloane and Woolaston. N. B. These MSS. were left by Mr John Bernoulli, profefsor of the mathematics at Bale, who died ia the year VOL. Vill. aan Te + 266 anecdote. ‘ April 18, 1790, and left them in property to his four sons, of whom the respectable Mr Bernoulli at Berlin is the eldest co-heir, and suggested, that as the whole collection is prepared for the prefs, if the lovers of natural philosophy and mathe- matics in Britain were to induce any booksellers to under- take publifhing these letters in numbers, by way of speci- "men, and trial of their succefs, Mr Bernouili of Berlin would engage to elucidate the letters with notes literary and biographical, and with fac simile of the hand writing of the authors ; claiming for his reward no more than one gninea for each fheet of letter prefs, in the first instance, and more as the undertaking fhould be profitable to the publithers, There are great treasures of a similar nature at Riga, Breslau, Hamburgh and other cities in Germany, which will be indicated hereafter, if these notices fhall attract the attention of the learned and be called for through the me- dium of literary journals. ANECDOTE. Tx 1542 (34 Henry vi.) was publifhed a book of the introduction of knowledge, the which doth teach a man to speak part of all manner of languages, and to know the usage and fafhion of all manner of countries, and for te know the most part of all manner of coins of money, by Andrew Borde, London, 1542, 4to. dedicated to the lady Mary, daughter of king Henry vir. byan epistle dated at Montpelier, 34 May same year. This book is written partly in verse, and partly in prose, contained in thirty- nine chapters ; every one of which hath in its beginning the picture of a man, sometimes two or three, printed from a wooden cut. Before the first chapter, which treats of the natural disposition of an Englifhman, is the picture of a na- ked man, with a piece of cloth lying on his right arm, and 3.7, 1992. anecdote. 267 a pair of scifsars in his left hand, with a copy of verses printed under him, the two first lines of which are, «¢ T am an Englifhman, and naked I stand here, «¢ Musing in mind, what raiment I fhall wear, Before the 7th chapter is the picture of the author, Borde, standing in a pew with a-canopy over it, having a gown-on, with sle€ves a little wider than an ordinary coat, a laurel on his head, and a book before him on a detk. “ T will tell you here how Sir Philip Calthrop purged John Drakes the fhoemaker, of Norwich, in the time of king Henry vi. of the proud humour which our common people have to be of the gentleman’s cut.” “ This knight bought, on a time, as much fine French tawny cloth as fhould make hima gowne, and sent it to the taylor’s to be made. John Drake coming to the said tay- lor’s, seeing the knight’s gowne-cloth lying there, and li- king it well, caused the taylor to buy him as much of the same cloth and price, to the same intent ; and farther bade him to make it of the same fafhion that the knight fhould have his made of. Not long after, the knight, coming to take measure of his gowne, perceiving the like gowne-. cloth lying there, afked the taylor whose it was? Quoth the taylor, it is John Drake’s, who will have it made of the self-same fafhion that yours is made of.’ Well said the knight, in good time be it. I will, said he, have mine made as full of cuts as thy fheers can make it. - It fhall be done, said the taylor; whereupon, because the time draw near, he made haste of both their garments. John Drake having no time to go to the taylor’s till Christ- mas day, for serving of customers, when he hoped to have worn his gowne, perceiving the same to be full of cuts, be- gan to swear with the taylor for making of his gowne after thatsort. I have done nothing (quoth the taylor) but that you bade me do. For as Sir Philip Calthrop’s is, even so. have I made*yours.. By my latchet, (quoth John Drake,) Iwill neyer wear gentlemen’s fathions again,” 168. ehicorium intybus. April 18.. CHICORIUM.INTYBUS. Experiments in agriculture, when conducted with judgement and perspicui- ty, are among the most useful publications.. The following judicious: experiments, therefore, I make no doubt willbe attended to with satis- faction by all my country readers. |The chicory plant was mentioned in this Miscellany sometime ago, as promising to become a useful food for cattle; and now, that red clover is found to be such a ticklifk crop in many places, a good substitute for it is much wanted. No plant that has been hitherto recommended to the notice of the farmer, promises so well to answer this purpose as the chicory. But till farther experiments, thall have ascertained its value, the judicious farmer will not venture on: cultivating it. From what follows it will appear, that this plant de- serves to be particularly attended to, and to have all the peculiarities re- specting its culture and uses fairly ascertained; for it is scarccly to be doubted, that, though it may be found to-prosper abundantly on certain: soils, it may prove of very little profit on others; I, therefore, can. not belp withing, that some of my agricultural readers would try some ex-- periments on this plant, and communicate the result of them to the public through the channel of this Miscellany, or Young’s Annals of: agriculture, from which the following extracts are made. J, A. Experiment 1. Son, a wet sandy friable loam, on a clay marl bottom ;, hollow drained ; level; worth 14s. an acre. March 20, .1790, sowed oats on a cabbage preparation,.on 16 square perch lying circularly, for the convenience of ploughing, and, at the same time with-the oats, the following seeds on- each perch: No. Seeds. Propor.per acre. | No: Seeds. Propor. per acre. a Burnet, ~ - - 20 1b. { Timothy grafs, - 20 1b. 4 4 White clover, - 10 Alopecurus praten. bu. Rib grafs, - - 10% 2 < White clover, - 10 lb. AY Rib grafs, - - 10 {, Chicory,. =. iG 5 < Rib Grafs, - 10 Poa pratensis, - 20 1 peefoll, - 10 3 4 White clover, - 10 Rib grafs, - lo 6 Chicory, ts 10. _ 8792. i No. Seeds. LWhite clover, - 5 "Chicory, 9 4 Alopec. pratensis, 2:bu. Rib grafs, 11 < Poatrivialis, - 10 | Rib grafs, - - 5 The oats were mown at harvest, without account being _ taken of their produce, as they were not in contemplation, ¥ _ further than being the means of laying down. May 20. 1791, some gentlemen, correspondents of this. work, favoured me with their company, and afsisted at { ‘mowing and weighing the crops, Produce weight green. chicorium intybur. Io it (Chicory, - - 10 to ¢ Timothy, - - ro LRib grals, 5 Chicory, - - To No. 1, 86 Ib. | No. 9, 2, 69 10, 3, 73 Ti; 4, 67 12, ra 81 13, 6, 88 14, 7) ae 8 86 16, v4 269 é Propor. per acre.| No. Seeds. Propor. per acre” \ 9 Chicory, 20 Ib. Chicory, - - tolb. ‘ 12 4 Poa pratensis, - 10 [Chicory, 5 | Rib grafs, ie 5 g Burnet, 10 ; Trefoil, A 13 Lucerne, wilk= wml) 2D 14 Ditto alone, no oats, 20 { Avena elatior, - 5 bu.. 15 4 White clover, - ro lb. /URib grafs; -- - 1 316 f Poa pratensis, - 10 16: } Poa trivialis, - 10 aren elatior, - 10 Timothy, - 10 ' ~I Ll ee > : Bot {graf and weeds. - 113 : 102 Viewed them June 1st, not a drop of rain having fallem since the last cutting; numbers 2d and gth were fhot out most, that is the two numbers of the alopecurus. No rain. 2970 mowing. Monks, 6, 7 8, No. 1, ‘ chicorium intybus. till July rith and rath, when much fell. ' the chicory numbers again, the rest had Produce. 56 lb, | No. 9, 74 To, 65 11. 53 12; August 17, cut all 25% Ib. No. 9, ae 10, 232 2 30 | 12, 25 13, 30 14, 34 | 15; 25 16, . April 13. The 14th cut nothing wortlt - 47 lb. again. . 23 Ib. ~ 27 " gz » 38 bot no account. = 31 = 26% The after-grafs was inconsiderable, except of the chico- ry, which might have been weighed, but I did not think such minutiz useful. No. 1, 3> 4) 5> 10, IJ, use I5, 10, Tovial Produce. Ib. Tit —_ 932 a 96% — 97 rie 162 — 192 — 186 = 164 — I4l — 170 — 218 coe 253 — 144 = 1282 Produce per acre. Ton Cwt. Ib. 7 19 32 6 13 64 6 17 96 6 18 64 II ir 48 13 14 32 13. G22 IL 14 32 10 i +48 12 2 96 15 11 48 18 1 48 10 5 80 9 3 94 I do not attribute the greater produce of numbers 11th and 12th to the addition of the plants sown with chicory, 1792. ° chicorium intybus. y Dan for appearances would not allow that supposition; but to some accidental variety of the soil, or preceding culture ; and the principal circumstance to be attended to, is the _ superiority of chicory, in general, to the other plants in | general, which is remarkably great. : The reader will of course bear in recollection, the cir- " cumstance of the season being an uncommon drought, _ so that all crops of grafses, both natural and artificial, } ‘were as scanty as ever known. These crops of ehicuey ‘amount, in this unfavourable season, from three to four tons of hay per acre, allowing it to lose three-fourths in drying ; not that the plant is perfectly adapted to making hay *, but merely to mark the produce. One cannot but remark the e- normous difference between this plant and lucerne ; while chicory yields from ten to eighteen tons per acre, the lu- cerne is such a poor, puny, sickly thing, as not to pay for mowing the weeds which its weaknefs allows to vege- tate ! Experiment 2. The trial upon this plant, already registered in this work, (Annals of Agriculture) during three years, was this year cut, June 14th, produce 44lb, and August 18th, 28lb. in all ‘g2\b. ; or per acre, 23 tons 6 cwt. 8o lb.; a very conside- rable produce ;—the extreme drought considered, much more than might have been expected. In four years the “acreable produce has been 119 tons, or very near 30 tons per acre per annum! one of those years that of sowing, and ‘another an extreme drought. A general observation I fhall make, which may be worth the attention of those who cultivate this excellent plant, which is, that it seems to flourith remarkably where * 1 however made about half an acre this year into hay, the crop good, the hay, in so dry a season, made as well as any other, and is eaten by all ' live stock as readily 292 «a tocorrespondents. April 18, 4t has most room and air. The plants along the edge of paths, dsc. are vastly superior. From this I fhould imagine, the drill hufbandry would be the best for it; but to mow At, in that case, four times a year. I design drilling a field -of it the ensuing spring. A. Y, TO CORRESPONBENTS. Tue second letter of Misobrontes came to hand, and thall beduly attended to. The hints of M. 4. fhall be duly attended to.—lIn a very ‘fhort time some observations on silk rearing will appear in the Bee. The letver from the country school-master is received, and fhail» have a place as soon as convenieacy will permit, The very judicious remarks by a citizen are thankfully received. As are.alsojthe anecdotes by Argus. The extracts by Renneth Seal are come to hand, this correspondent -ought to have paid the postage of his letter. ‘The sly performance of D. B. is come to hand, and will appear as soon as our large arrears to others will permit. His farther correspondence is requested. As also the favour of Peflicola. The second translation of Ovid's epistle to his wife is also received, which fhall be inserted very soon. i ; The verses by A. are received, and G. 247. It was altogether impof- sible to comply with the request of this correspondent, as this, and twe other numbers, were partly set before his letter was received, _ Matthew Bramble’s odes are too carelefsly written. The anonymous verses to Fancy have considerable merit, but the wri- ter has been so careleis as to forget that he has changed his measure in turning the leaf. One of the letters communicated by Amicus is too personal for inser- tion in this Miscellany, without considerable omifsions. To the other no objection occurs. A citizen of the world is received, and fhall be inserzed with convenience. A Jarge picket of valuable communications is received from a corres- pondent in Rufsia, of which a specimen will be given in our next. Another is received from Denmark, the conten:s of which will appear soon. The observations on entailsare thankfully received, and hall appear with the earliest opportunity. Reading memorandums by B. are also come to hand, and are gratefully acknowledged. The beautiful Scots song ‘* O tell me how to woo” is just received, and fhall appear as sson as pofsible. Also the ode by Masca, The verses by G.J. and a reader are received, and under cons: ‘deraticn. The decisions on the competition pieces in.our next. - +. ‘ = - "HV HO a NEG u : ie eou H J LI ary : oO BALV MA : \ Tee OR . LITERARY WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER, | FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25. 1792. ‘ ike. it Ut sae AG HINTS RESPECTING THE TREATMENT OF PERSONS APPARENTLY DROWNED*. In may be premised, that when the accident of drown- ‘ing happens, the method of recovery fhould be recol- Jected, and the articles that may aid in the businefs procured as soon as pofsible, as dry towels, blankets, warm water, one or more large vefsels or tubs, cor- dials, &%e. ; Not more than six or eight persons will be wanted, and a greater number may produce confusion. The recovery of a person apparently drowned, may be at- tempted. * These hints have been delayed longer than was expected, from an accidental circumstance that could not interest the public. They are writ ten by a.gentlcman of emineace in the medical profefsion, whe, from mo. «tives of humanity, hae endeavoured to simplify the directions, so as tobe intelligible to those who have no medical knowledge, and to abridge them as much as pofsible. These few pages will be found to contain the re, sult of the practice that bas been the most succefSsful in a vast variety o¢ cases, thit have been communicated to the public in a great many* volumes publithed in all the different languages of Europe. , VOL, Vili. M™M + ‘ ! ‘ 244 on drowned persons. April 25. 1, By restoring the usual heat of the body. Ir. By blowing air into the lungs, to afsist nature in beginning anew the breathing. 1. By rubbing the body, to ‘promote the iedeaid circulation of the blood. And, iv. By the application of certain stimulating a A stances, to excite the inactive powers of life. The order in which the means of recovery fhould be employed, will vary a little in different cases. When the body. is found, after having been a considerable time in the water, or if it have become very cold, the application of heat will be the best remedy to be- gin with; for before the ordinary temperature be in a great measure restored, other remedies will be used with lefs prospect of advantage. On the other hand when the body has been but a few minutes sub- mersed, and is not much chilled, blowing air into the lungs, friction, and gené/e stimulants fhould be instant- ly employed, because most likely to.do good. A few directions about using the means, and some cautions about other matters follow, 1. Heat. On getting the body, directly remove its wet clothes, and wrap it in some dry covering, as the fhirt and clothes of a person present, blankets, or the like. Ifthe body be then found sufliciently warm, lose no time in using the other means, as directed af- terwards ; but if it be cold, convey it gently in an easy stretched posture, placed rather on its right side, with its head somewhat supported, not greatly raised, to a warm apartment in the nearest house. The bo- _ dy may be placed in a warm bed, for the purpose of applying heat to.it, by the naked fkin of some per- Be nes aed a. ae ee fy “ £7925» on drowued persons. 2g son lying down beside it, by hot bricks, or bottles fill~ ed with hot water, and covered with flannel, tc, ; or it may be laid on a mattrafs at a proper nearnefs to any common fire; or, if convenient, it may be placed to the neck in warm water. For this last pur- pose, one part of boiling water to four parts of cold spring water will produce a sufficient degree of heat, since the fkin. need never be made warmer than its usual temperature in health, about 96°. or 98°. of Fah- renheit’s thermometer, or that of new drawn milk. The heat fhould be always gradually, generally, and equally applied, and may be kept up as long as means are used. 11. INFLATION OF THE LUNGS. Air must be blown in either from.the mouth of some person, er by a pair of bellows, through one nostril, the mouth and other nostril being kept fhut. The air thrown in by bel- lows is preferable to that from the mouth, if as easily managed. The muzzle of the bellows will keep the nostril open, but a quill, or small pipe of any kind, or a piece of strong paper or pasteboard rolled up for a pipe, will be of use to distend the nostril when the mouth is applied. On throwing in air, to prevent it from gelting in- ; to the stomach instead of the lungs, it is necefsary to apply the hand to the foreside of the upper firm head of the wind-pipe, (commonly called Adam’s apple, ) and with a moderate force to prefs it directly backwards; for in this manner the gullet will be comprefsed, and the pafsage to the stomach stopped, while that to the lungs will remain open. When the breast is obseryed to rise by as much air having en- ' 246 on drowned persons. April 2% tered as a person may be supposed to receive in com= mon breathing, the blowing fhould be discontinued, and gentle prefsure thould be made upon the breast, that the air may be discharged. ‘The inflation is then. to be immediately set about, after which the air is. again to be forced out by prefsure ; thus by alternate inflation and, expulsion of air, natural breathing is to: be imitated. It is unnecefsary to hint that children, will not require as much air to fill their Jungs as a- dults. This remedy ought to-be continued for a very considerable time, either till all hope be destroyed, or till marks of recovery decidedly appear. These. marks are commonly imperfect and noisy breathing, ir=. regular pulsation of the heart and arteries, and. per- haps motion of some part of the body. The inflating- may be gradually discontinued as the recovery ad~ vances. Two particulars of some consequence may be at- tended to during the procefs of inflation. 1, Should a small quantity of thin hquor be pre- sent in the wind-pipe, or the inside of the lungs, which sometimes happens in drowning, it may be in danger of continuing the suffocation, or of rendering the attempts to renew breathing lefs efficacious. It will be proper, therefore, to turn the body on its side or face, and- then. to raise it in. sucha manner that the head may be low, and the fluid be discharged: when the air is.expelled. But if no liquor run out, » or no ruttling noise indicate its presence, after ma-. king two. or more trials to evacuate, it may be right to desist from them.. ur. Farther, fhould it be necefsary at any time to: interrupt the inflation far 2 few seconds, the lungs: ‘ JR Rs. on drowned persons. ~ 29 _are by no means to be left then in a collapsed or ra~ ther unfilled state ; but air is to be thrown in, and on leaving off, no prefsure fhould be used to force it out. Since, however, the air will readily return from the. lungs, frequent occasion must be taken to supply it. mr. Friction. The body is now to be rubbed with a warm hand, or with some soft substance, as flannel. The left side, near the heart, is advised by some writers to be especially rubbed; but it may be doubtful how far it would be safe to solicit its ac- tion in any instance, till the advantage to be gained: by it, be in some degree secured by the previous in~. flation of the lungs, or by the imitation of breathing. As one mean of applying heat, early but very mild friction of the fkin may be allowable. Whenever natural respiration is imitated as. already directed, moderate, generai, constant and loug persevered in rubbing is proper. This remedy may be continu~ ed even after the symptoms of recovery are pretty evident. Iv. STIMULANTS. Certain exciting substances may be occasionally employed, as snuff, smelling salts; spirits of hartshorn, by means of a feather, Wc. to the nose ; table mustard and spirits to the fkin-; glysters composed ot milk-warm water, and asmall spoonful of ground mustard or pepper, or of spirits and water, We. Too much attention fhould not be paid to such remedies, lest the former more important means be neglected. Should the patgat be so far recovered as to be able to swajlow, some cordial, as warm. wine,, spirits and water, tc. may be given. Cordials ongltt: tobe employed at first im very, small quantities, and, in every case toey had better not be used at all tham 478 on drowned persons. April 25% be used in an over proportion. Diluent drinks to pro-~ mote perspiration, and at length entire rest, to pros cure sleep will be found of advantage. Some cautions may now be subjoined. 1. Admit of no delay in the use of the several means of recovery. Every moment lost inereases the danger of the drowned state, and the neglect of 2 very few minutes may render the recovery difficult, if not impofsible. i. Do not rathly conclude that the sufferer is ir- recoverable. The signs of death have frequently been present, and yet the living principle has not on- ly not been extinguifhed, but even capable of restor- ing the actions of life, sometimes of itself, but often with the afsistance of very simple means. The Hu- mane Society of London direct, that attempts fhould ~ be made on ail bodies that have not Jost the marks of life above two hours; but though the time were doubled, hope ought not to be reprefsed, nor the means of revival be neglected. No bad consequence can pofsibly arise from the attempts to recover, even though they prove ultimately unavailing. nr. Avoid doing any violence to the person by the employment of rqugh means of recovery, as hanging the body by the feet, or rolling it on a barrel, or swinging it over a man’s fhoulder, te. Several persons that have been harfhly treated have thereby contracted fatal disorders after they had been re- covered from their drowned conditioa. sa Iv. It any ribs be found Ureken, or any partbe bruised, take care of these m rubbing or in moving the body. In common cases the posture of the body may be fre- £7923 | on drowned persons. 279 quently varied with advantage during the use of means; but if there are evident marks of injury that position which seems the best fhould be Bs preserved. v. Lose no time by taking blood; for this is per~ haps never necefsaty but in very full habits. When recovery has been accomplifhed, there have been a few examples wherein blooding has seemed beneficial, by removing a disorder in the breast, by obviating | ge of pleurisy. . Use no strong stimulants when the powers of ny are weak. Emetics thrown into the stomach by means of a crooked pipe, and glysters of the fumes sor of the infusion of tobacco, which nauseate, are of very doubtful use. Electricity, howsoever safe, or pethaps proper in the hands of medical men, can sel- dom be found by common afsistants, is difficultly ma- | vnaged, and of precarious operation. vit. Do not relinguith the attempts to recover for a long time, since after six or more hours some have been revived. It would be better in every instance to persevere till signs of putridity were discovered, than to desist where there appeared the most remote pofsibility of snccefs. vit. Though it be acase of suicide, refuse not your best afsistance to the unhappy sufferer, and a- void all disagreeable reflections, especially during the weak state of incipient recovery. 1x. Never be unduly hurried, lest the businefs of recovering be done imperfectly ; but, through the whole, be steady and composed. 280 a voyage to the Hebrides. April 2%. A VOYAGE TO THE HEBRIDES, Continued from p. 217. _ Isle of Herries, Rowdil. Jory 19. Wind fair. After a pafsage of six hours reached Rowdil, in the isle of Herries, by 12 0’clock. Visited captain Macleod of Herries’s operations at Portmore. This gentleman merits the fame of a se- ‘cond czar Peter. He has built a pier of 300 feet Jong, and 22 wide. He is building a second, to in- ‘close the harbour. He has built a large storehouse, ‘and over it agood inn, his present dwelling. He has for- med gardens, walled round, of two or three acres, out of tocks and mofs ; made a good road from the harbour to a little town he is forming on the height, where there is already built a good house two or three stories high ; and a manufacturing house for teaching children the art of spinning. Many wheels for spin- ning wool, are already provided,—a teacher of spinning daily expected. One of the upper rooms full of boys and girls, whom a schoolmaster was instructing in the arts of reading and writing. Some of them had made such proficiency in reading, that an Englith gentleman of the party said, few children at the schools in England, read with more correctnefs or Jefs accent. “There was, besides, atolerable house he had occupied on his first coming to the island. Around these houses were thirty or forty huts occupied by the peo- ple, which he intends to demolifh, and to give the people better houses in better situations. He had yepaired a ruinous church at the expence of L..300 F792. “a voyage to the Hebrides. 2%y ‘or L. 400, which was burnt down by accident al- . most @s soon as finifhed. He has-built a small stout ‘bark from fifteen to twenty tons burthen, and is building a flat bottomed lighter for transporting theily sand from’a neighbouring island, for improving the ground. All his artizans and work people‘are na- ‘tives of the island of Herries. He has made a car- iage road from Portmore harbour several miles into the island towards the wesiern side of it, which is most fertile ; nothing. can exceed the ruggednefs of the Spot he has, on account of the harbour, been obliged to make the seat of his improvements. All appears stony hills, and mountains of granite ; neverthelefs, like the other mountains in the Hebrides, they con- tain more good ‘pasture than they appear to do. Being himself far advanced in life,‘and rather infirm, he is afsisted in his -operations by a nephew of his own. Shewed us a model‘by which he intended to construct a mill for grinding corn, and for fulling cloth. Also some Herries wool, of a very soft and - ‘fine quality. In the church is a tomb of one of thé ancestors of colonel Macleod of Maclecd, dated 1523; not worth notice but for its rude sculpture of the figure of the galleys used by the chiefs of the islands in those days and long afterwards. It is calleda long fader or long fkip. Made a rough fketch of it. It rises high at stem and stern, has a rudder, one mast, a lug sail, and its sides pierced with holes for ‘seventeen oars of a side; seems temarkably well adapted for the navigation of those seas. Captein Macleod has also sounded the banks aad ' moast between Herriesiand St Kilda, which les some VOL. Vili. NW t 282 a voyage to the Hebrides. April 25% leagues to the westward and belongs to Herries. He has fhewn the people ‘the right manner of catching cod, ling, and turbot, with which those seas abound. He has provided the fittest tackle for catching the car- ban, or sun or sail-fifh, and has caught many of them. He has commifsioned boats for his fifhers, from Nor- way, and provided them in trawl-nets and herring- nets. He has built a large boat-house, for making and preserving his boats. This is covered with heath, which is both warm and durable. It is laid very thick, with the roots inwards; no turfis used but for the ridge; where straw is scarce, and heath uni- versal, this is an important lefson to the country. No free-stone near ;—the buildings are all of granite, worked with hammers into what form the mason chooses. His lime-stone is fetched twelve or fourteen leagues from Lochbuy in the isle of Sky; shells for making lime from the isle of Bara, thirty leagues off, The nearest custom-houses to Portmore are Storna- way, in the isle of Lewis ; isle Marten, in Lochbroom; Fort William, and Oban, all at a great distance, There are certain winds, that during their continu- ation prevent his sending to any of them. His vef- sels with salt and coal are on this account often un- seasonably detained, and the expence of those articles greatly enhanced thereby. In fhort greater efforts, un- der more discouraging circumstances, have seldom been made. Captain Macleod, though a medest man, seems to pofsefs an enthusiastic love for his native island, and perseverance enough to enable him to o- vercome the difficulties which obstruct the accom- plithment of his noble object, of introducing agricul. RQ2 * a voyage to the Hebrides. | 283° ture, commerce, manufactures, and every useful art, into the island. Herries is about twenty-four miles in length, and six or seven broad, containing at present about two thou- sand inhabitants. ‘The present rent about L. 700, or L. 800, a-year; when the present lease of St Kilda expires, for it makes part of the lease of a tacksman, he means to exact no other rent from the inhabitants but what they can easily afford to pay in feathers, and to give them perfect freedom. Such is captain Alexander Macleod, to whom it has been found im- pofsible not to devote a few pages of a journal, meant merely as a register of dates and names*. ee 2 Loch Tarbat. * Slept on board, wind N. E.—crofs Loch Tarbat. July 20. Visited west Loch Tarbat, towards the north end of Herries. The vefsels anchored in east Loch Tarbat. The distance between the two only seven or eight hundred yards of flat ground. The name Tarbat, not unfrequent in the Highlands, is derived from two Gaelic words, meaning to draw a boat. Boats can easily be drawn by men from the one loch to the other. Visited Loch Boononetter a fine harbour within west Loch Tarbat. The proper fifh- ing station, however, is between the two lochs, where there is some cultivable land, for gardens dt least; on “* This gefitleman is now dead, otherwise much of what is said concer- ning him would have been omitted. It is now a just tribute to his me) mory. He-seermed to the writer of this journal to have discovered, with, uncommon penetration, both the physical and political causes which have hitherto prevented the improvement of the Hebrides; moralones he always’ gaid there were none, for the inhabitants were a frugal, industrious, and most faithful race of people, whenever placed in circumstances that gave them an Opportunity of displaying those virtues, ‘ 284 a: voyage to the Hebrides. | = April 25s. each, side, high, bare, rocky mountains. At Loch: Boononetter, captain Macleod of Herries’s foresters brought the party two stags. ‘The largest when gut- ted weighed one hundred and thirty pounds. Four or five foresters had been out in. quest of them four days. and nights in. aforest, where were neither houses nor people ; their sole provision one peck or eight pounds weight of barley meal, till they killed a deer, when they fed upon its intrails. Captain Pierce hooked a salmon which broke the Hne, and carried off his on- ly hook, in a2 very stony rough river, that runs into. Boononetter. On reporting his disaster, one of the foresters took an iron hook with a wooden handle, -afsigned all. the party their stations to throsv stones into the brook, spied the salmon,. struck it with the iron hook, threw both on the bank of the river with unparalelled acutenefs and agility. He had just retur-. ned from the forest, fatigued with carrying one of. the deer on his back three miles through a horrid; road. There is a salmon fifhing in the bottom of’ west: Loch Tarbat. Herrings are frequently taken here, and cod and ling- abound. in the seas adjacent. It, were to be wifhed the society made a settlement: here, captain. Macleod tendered them the spot at, the present rent, or gratis. The facility with which the: inhabitants might fifth on either the-Atlantic, ocean.or. _the Minch, is a.greatinducement. The harbour swarms with cuttle or ink-fifh, which pursue the herring fry to the surface, then seize them in their hand, for: so their mouth may be called ; it. has many long fin-. gers, and the mouth is. situated in the palm of the: wee B792. ‘a voyage to the Hebrides. 285; hand, in the centre of those fingers. The mouth. has- a bill like a parrot’s. Some of the party had eaten these fifh in the Mediterranean. They were ordered to-be prepared according to the Mediterranean fafhion,. but never drefsed. Itis the gristly bone only that ts said to be eatable. The fith itself is not bigger than a herring. , The herrings in west Loch. Tarbat, are said to be larger than those on the east side,—a strong argu-. ment for an exterior fifhing. Last year, it was said,, an Irvine bufs, by pufhing through the dangerous sound of Herries, got into west Loch Tarbat, and ina -fhort time made three cargoes. Evening dead calm. Jn the house where the deer was. brought to the patty, were found most of the utensils used. in the Hebrides for agriculture and domestic use. A: chafs-. croomb for tilling the ground by manual labour, a straight spade for digging it, a rustil or fharp piece of iron for cutting the furrows, a sack made of straw for holding corn, astraw carpet fer spreading 1t upon, a quearn or hand mill for grinding it, an iron pot for boiling their victuals ; the fire-place in the middle: ef the house, with dogs, cats, ducks, and. poultry surrounding the fire. The mistrefs ofthe house, a » decent lady, had never seen a growing iree.. ‘* You. are a native of this island, madam?” “ By no means, I came to it on. my marriage ; but I came from the isle of Sky, and never saw any thing larger grow than a broom bufh.’ ‘* From whence came the trees that make the roof of your house?” ‘ From, the woods.’ * What woods?” ‘ The woods. of _ Afsynt to be sure.’ 286 antiquities in Scotland. » April 25+ July 21. Windbound.—Rowed and towed the three vefsels down to the harbour of Scalpa,—cast anchor,—remained there all day. . Bill of fare, captain Pierce’s salmon, captain Mac- Jeod’s stag venison, and grouse. In the evening caught many red cod, and cuttle-fith. The ink of which is fine and flows easily, very black. To be continued. ANT IQUITIES IN SCOTLAND. ConjJECTURES CONCERNING THE USE TO WHICH THOSE ANCIENT CIRCULAR BUILDINGS, FOUND IN SCOTLAND, CALLED DHUNES, WERE ORIGINALLY APPROPRIATED. Continued from p. 104. Places for wor/bip. Sriwce, therefore, these buildings could neither have been employed as fortifications, nor as watch towers, nor as private habitations, it is scarcely pofsible they could have been intended for any other purpose than that of religious worfhip, I,am therefore inclined to believe, that they must have been the temples of some of those nations which once inhabited the re= gions where they now are found. According to this hypothesis, we meet with none of those difficulties we found on every other supposi-~ tion. ‘As they were not intended for defence against an enemy, it was not necelsary they fhould be situa- ted in a place naturally strong and difticult of accefs : As they were not intended to give signals of distrefs, it was not necefsary they fhould be placed in.a con- spicuous situation: As they were not meant to be the habitation of princes, it was not uecefsary that they yet - s 1792. antiquities in Scotland. 237 fhould have conveniencies suited to the accommodation of a family: But as they were devoted to the wor- thip of the deity, no expence in rearing them would be reckoned too great, nor any labour be deemed a hardthip when it was applied for such a pious pur-- pose. In Peru, where the habitations of individuals, at the time of the Spanifh conquest, were poor and in- significant, and so perifhable as to have fallen long ago into total ruin, their temples, somewhat similar’ in their form and mode of building to those which now claim our attention, were built in such a maf- sive manner, and, with infinite art and labour, were so firmly compacted together, ds still to remain the objects of wonder and astonifhment to all who behold them. Inthis view, therefore, we meet with no- thing contradictory to common sense, and the general experience of mankind: And were we acquainted with the form of worfhip of the people who reared these structures, we fhould probably be able to see the obvious uses of those peculiarities which now to us appear inexplicable. . But for whatever tribes of people these structures thall have been built, it seems to be pretty certain that it could not be for any people who followed the worlhip of the ancient druids, as it was practised in Mona, and other places where that system of religion prevailed ; for in none of these places have any ves- tiges of temples of this sort been discovered, nor any hints that could induce us to believe they ever em- ployed any such. By the best accounts their places of worlhip never were bounded by walls, but their ’ zeligious rites were always performed in the fields, 288 antiquities in Scotland. April 25+ within the fhade, indeed, of secret groves, which confers red upon them that kind of solemn gloom that seems to have been in general considered as favourable for exciting in the mind imprefsions of devotion. Whe- ther the circles of loose detached stones, to be met with so frequently in the northern parts of Europe, constituted a part of the druidic ritual, as has been generally supposed, or whether they were the tem- ples of another clafs of religionists, or whether they were merely courts of civil justice, I mean not at pre- sent to inquire; but as these differ in many of the ‘most efsential particulars from the dhunes, I think we must conclude, that these last were built by a people who profefsed a religion different from that which was in general practised, either by the inhabitants of south Britain, or by the greatest part of the inhabi- tants of Scotland, before the introduction of Chris- tianity into those regions. Where certainty cannot be attained in inquiries of this nature, it is allowable to make use. of such helps as lead only to probable conclusions. With this view, in examining the poems of Ofsian, I have met with several hints that some may perhaps think will tend to unravel this mystery a little. Scandinavia is often mentioned in these poems, and always in terms which denote that the religion of that country was very different from that which prevailed in Bri- tain before the days of our bard. The religion of that people is always represented as being accompa- nied with circumstances peculiarly awful and tre-— menduous ; and their worfhip is said to have con- sisted of incantations which drew from their suppos ~ a 3702. antiguities in Scotland. 289 sed deity responses to their prayers, accompanied with apparitions that were fitted to appall the bold- est, and with sounds that could not fail to imprefs the miads of a rude people with the most reverential awe.—‘* High broken rocks,” says Ofsian in the ‘po- em of Sul Malla of Lumon, ‘ -high broken rocks were round with all their bending trees. Near were two circles of Loda with the stone of power, where spirits descended at night in dark red streams of fire. There, mixed with the murmur of water, rose the voice of aged men. They called the forms of night ‘to aid them in their war.” This spirit vf Loda »which they -worfhipped, was believed to be all power- ‘ful in battle, as appears from the following pafsage : “* He called,” says Oisian, speaking of Starno king _ »of Lochlin, ‘‘ he called grey haired Snivan, that of- _ ten sung round the circle of Loda, when the-stone of power heard his cry, and the -battle turned in the field of the valiant.” Here -we have described, not only the object of their worfhip, but the form of their ceremonies also, and the nature of their apparitions. Aged men sing round the stone of power,—they call the forms of night to aid them in their war,—these spirits of night descend in dark red streams of fire. ‘This spirit of Loda is still more particularly described by Ofsian in the poem of Garicthura: ‘‘ A blast,” says he, ** came from the mountain, which bore on its wing - -the spirit of Loda. He came to his place in his ter- ors, and he fhook his dufky spear. His eyes ap- pear like flames in -his dark face, and his voice is like distant thunder.” VOL. Viil. Oo + 2.99 antiquities in Scotland. April 25. From all these descriptions the reader may easily perceive that the spirit of Loda was worfhipped in Scandinavia, as a powerful deity, by magical songs and © incantations, and that sometimes he appearedin streams of fire,or inother forms,2nd sometimes uttered voices,or sounds of thunder. ‘“ Far from his friends, it is said, they placed him within the horrid circle of Brumo,. where often it is said, the ghosts of the dead howled round the stone of their fear.”” With these ideas in our mind, let us take a view of the particular struc- tures of which I now treat, and consider how proper- ly they were calculated for producing the effects here ‘described, : In the centre of the circular area we may suppose the stone of power, as it is generally called, though sometimes the stone of their fear, was placed. The great height of the walls, (some of those remaining being still forty-five feet high,) would occasion a gloomy fhade, well calculated to imprefs the mind with a reverential awe. At night the meteors of heaven, seen obscurely through the aperture at top, aided by a powerful imagination, might occasion- ally represent frightful forms and living objects, The numerous holes, too, opening from the galleries inward, all round, and the many divisions between the top and bottom, might be so employed as greatly to heighten these imprefsions. When dark, persons concealed in these, by means of lights flafhing occa- sionally athwart in different directions,—by figures moving with dim lights, forming eyes in their dark face,—by groans, howlings, and noises, adapted to the eccasion, and accompanied by such appearances as an 1792. antiquities in Scotland. * ~ ZQ¥ artful priesthood might invent, and such as could be easily played off by means of this peculiar kind of ap- paratus, the mind of an ignorant worfhipper, prepof- sefsed with false notions, might be imprefsed with what ideas.they pleased. Half formed words might be heard, and all the dreadful apparatus, calculated for im- prefsing the minds of ignorant men, might be display- ed with irresistible power. The oracles of Greece, by arts of deception, which, when compared with this grand apparatus of power, seem only calculated to impose upon children, kept the most enlightened na-~ tion of antiquity in blind thraldom for ages. How great, then, must-have been the fascinating power of these more artful northern sages. ~ That these circles of religious worfhip, among the Scandinavians, were not open on all sides, but consist= ing of close walls, lixe the buildings we now treat of, and were occasionally emp!oyed as a prison, may be learnt from a pafsage already quoted, where Ofsian,, speaking of Grumal, (Fingal b. vi.) who was over- come by the king of Craca, one of the Zetland isles, adds, ‘* Far from his friends, they placed him in the horrid circle of Brumo, «where often they said the ghosts of the dead howled round the stone of their fear.” Here it would seem they left the prisoner alone, without so much as a guard to secure him, without any intimation of his being even bound. “* They placed him there,”’ and left him alone in that frightful solitude, which the poet describes with so much energy. 5 When all these circumstances are adverted to toge- ther, I think there is as*full proof as can be expected 292 antiguities it Scotland. April 25. in matters of such remote antiquity, in unlettered times, that the buildings of which we now treat, were temples erected in. honour- of those gods that were worlhipped in Scandinavia. What adds still greater weight to this conjecture is,. that these buildings are to this day called by the common people- Picts’ bouses, and it is well known that the. people called Picts were anciently of Scandinavian origin. They are found too only in the Zetland and Orkney. isles, and in the northern parts of Scotland, which, by: being nearest to Scandinavia, were probably first peopled from thence, and often visited in future times by the Scandinavians ; and even till of late, many of them were subjected to the power of Nor- way. They abouud in Norway. I pretend not, however, here to explain all the dif- ficulites that might be started on this subject. It ap- pears that zm general these structures were called eir- cles of Zoda;,and that the spirit there worfhipped was. called the spirit of Loda ; yet we find in Ofsian fre- quent allusions made to another temple of the same kind, that was called the circle of Brumo, which was placed in the isle of Craca. It is probable, however, that the circle of Loda was. the generic. name by which all.the temples of this kind were known, be- cause in all of them the spirit of Leda» was wor-- fhipped; but that each individual temple might have. — its particular name, by which it was distinguifhed from all others; and that the circle of Brumo. might. be only a_particular name for one of the circles of. Loda. This circle of Brumo, however, seems to have keen eminently distinguithed for’ the wildnefs of its. R72. - antiquities in Scotland. 293: situation ; for it is offe characterised by the epithet borrid, and the gloominefs of the grove that sur- rounded it. That sucha grove did actually surround it we learn from the following pafsage: ‘‘ He (7. e. Grumal) poured his warriors on the sounding Craca ;. and Craca’s king met him from his grove ; for with- iv the: circle of Brumo he spoke to the stone of pow- er.” It is probable that most of these temples mighit- then be placed within a grove,’to add to the gloomy reverence of the place. The situation of one of these, , and the picturesque scenery around it, is.thus descri- bed in the poem of Caricthura: ‘+ A rock bends along, the coast,” says Ofsian, ‘* with all its echoing wood; on the top is che circle of Loda, and the-mofsy stone of power ; a narrow plain bends beneath, and the blue course of the stream is: there.”” The scenery here, excepting the wood, which is not often found surrounding these structures now, is. in general the same with that where they are now found. Another striking feature: that Llong ago* remarked; occurs in the following description of another of these struc- tures. ‘* High broken rocks,” says. Ofsian, in the- poem of Sul Malla of Lumon, ‘‘ were round with all their bendjng trees; Near were two circles of Lode, with the stone of power, where spirits descended at night in dark red streams.of fire. There, mixed with the. murmur of waters, rose the voiee of men, 9c.” In the description of these structures, just quoted, * which I made at the time. from observing the object -alone, without having any reference to the works of; * In the year 1776, in a Jester publifhed in the transactions of ie. An- “tiquarian. Ssciery of Loudon. 294 description of the plate. | April 25. Ofsian, I took notice of it asa singularity pretty re- markable, that two or more‘of these structures were usually near to each other, and also that they were in general placed very near to some water. | It is im- pofsible for me to form any conjecture concernin g the reason of this proximity of these temples ;'but that_ it is often to be observed cannot be denied ; and this circumstance, with the others, seem to point out these descriptions of Ofsian, as peculiarly appropriated to the structures of this sort that are still preserved. It deserves here also to be noted, that from an ac~ curate examination of the different structures of this clafs that still remain, 1t appears that they have not all been divided exactly in the same manner within, in lefser particulars, though the general plan is much the same. Those that are of large dimensions seem all to have had stairs, and most of them galléries within the thicknefs of the wall; and whérever these are found, the whole of the openings are towards the . inclosed circular area, and none of them outward ; but the form of the internal cavities, the number, the size, and the disposition of these openings, differ in different places. It seems_from hence probable, ‘that the superintending priests or architects, at the time of their erection, ordered these lefser matters as best suited their own fancy. A few observations on another kind of dhunes will be given in a subsequent number. A DESCRIPTION OF THE BLATE. Few countries pofsefs a greater diversity of pictu- resque scenery than Scotland; and few parts of Scot~ 1792. description of the plate. 295 Jand can be compared to the vicinity of Edinburgh, and the frith of Forth in that respect. In many o- ther places, romantic scenery may be seen to greater perfection. The mountains are there more stupen- duous, the vallies are deeper, and the rocks more wild. But here, though the country be in general flat, the fields fertile, and the view extensive ; yet the beds of the rivulets are so steep, their banks so rude, and the trees growing out of them with such a wild lux- uriance of nature, that a traveller is at one moment amused with the prospect of a wide extended, cultiva- ted country, and in another minute he feels himself in the midst of a solitary dell, overhung with rocks and woods, without one single object 1m view that could make him believe he was not at. a great distance from the seats of man, or peopled towns. The plate, which accompanies this number, exhi- bits a view on one of those romantic dells, within a mile of Edinburgh. In the fore ground is the Water of Leith, winding along in its narrow vale; the banks on each side are fringed with trees, and the castle of Edinburgh towering above the whole ;. so that from this point of yiew, it appears to be a rich highland country, highly wooded. Had the painter moved a hundred yards from the place where he stood, and turned to another side, a vast extended scene would have lain before him, rich in corn fields and pastures, interspersed with villas, and distant spires, with only a few tufts of trees, to give diversi- ty to the lights and fhades, and distant hills, to serve as a contrast to the extended vale. 296 reading memorandums. April x5» RESDING MEMORANDUMS. ‘Continued from p. 224. Ir is an endlefs and frivolous pursuit to act by any other rule than the care of satisfying our own mind in what:we do. There is no state of life se anxious, as that of a man who does not live accord~ ingto t he dictates of his.own reason. What can be added to topics on which succefsive ages have been employed? The hope excited by a work ofa man of genius, being general and indefinite, is rarely greene When debtors exert themselves to the utmost to do justice, humane creditors will acccept their endea- vours ; and their probity will compensate, in a great measure, for what they cannot make good. I know not-any crime so great, that a man could contrive to commit, as poisoning (or confounding) -the sources of eternal truth. * a ee Infamy ought to be attached to an unchaste wo- man! We hang a thief for stealing a fheep: But the unchastity of a woman transfers fheep, and farm, and all from the right owner. Hf a single woman is li- centious, you will rarely find her faithful in mar- riage, A man may write at any time, if he will set him- self doggedly to it, To be continued. POETRY. VERSES ON. HAPPINESS» For the Bee. Ts there a man who ne’er has sorrow known, Nor felt the pang of fickle fortune’s frown? Is there a prince or peer of noble birth, Who ne’er knew care disturb the hour of mirth? I fear alas! to search for such is vain: The rich, the poor, alike of fate complain; *Tis not in pow’r nor riches to bestow One happy moment wich but grief ihould know. Who is it then that feels the /east distrefs ? ‘Who has more joys, or who fears evils lefs? Who does most hours of happinefs enjoy ? I look me.round, and fain would say ute boy. Without a sigh, we think ‘he spends the day, From piay to school, from schoo! again to play, And seems not e’er a pensive hour to pafs ; i But ’tis not so, he also feels distrefs. The boy is still the miniature of man, He has his views, so lays his little plan; Af unsuccefsful, then his little cares Deprefs his mind, yet tender as his years. We look to youth, and hope we there sal see A mind more calm, from anxious care more free. Here too we err ;—the youth ambition fires, And racks his heart with nurmberlefs desires. Fie only views the pinnacle of fame, Of flatCring pow’r and an immortal name, But while he gazes on with eager eyes, Another gains the envied bauble prize. Thus d’sappointment all his hope destroys, Breaks his proud heart, and blasts his promis’d joys, Then is his temper sour’d and manhood spent, A scene of fretful, peevith discontent ! Now let us cast our-eyes on hoary age, Here features grave no happy heart presage ; The feeble body and the wrinkI’d brow Would seem to say, here dwells-no pleasure now: VOL, Vill, PP + ek a ~ 98 VERSES TO THE MEMORY OF THE UNFORTUNATE MISS BURNS. : poetry. April 25- Vet we conjecture wrong; his bosom glows With no wild pafsion, nor ambition knows 5 — Tho” his pursuits have unsuccefsful been, Yet is he chearful; yet his mind serene. Tho’ ne’er his foot-has enter’d fortune’s door, : * And during lrfe been destin’d to be poor; These bring not sorrows on the aged head, So soon to rank among the silent dead. His course is run ;—life’s goods or evils seern Not much distinguifhed, but an empty dream 5 The scene is past; unending joys await His rising spirit in a future state. 45, For the Bee. » Lixe toa fading flow’r in May, Which gard’ner cannot save, So beauty must some time decay, And drop inco the grave. \ Fair Burns, for long the talk and toast Of many a gaudy beau, That beauty has for ever lost Which made each bosom glow. Think feilow sisters on her fate, . Think think how fhort her days, Ob! think ‘and c’er it be too late, Turn from your evil ways. Edin. Nov. 26. 1791. ; A.——S. bsg : ON BEAUTY. sn For the Bee. On! beauty what a pleasant thing Thou art unto the eye, _-Tho" hundreds have thy praises sang With greater glee than I. ] Still if a lovigg heart can claim A tender bdésom sigh, With freedom I.that boon may crave So give it littlai. ~ £792...» on Fapan. ch 299 =3° = NOTICES CONCERNING JAPAN, FROM THE WORKS OF MR THUNBERG, LATELY PUBLISHED AT STOCKHOLM IN THE SWEDISH LANGUAGE. No civilized nation on the globe is so little known by Gs Europeans as Japan. For about two centuries past all ec- cefs to it has been prohibited to Huropeans. The Dutch are the only people who are permitted to trade thither from this hemisphere, and they are so strictly guarded as to have no.other intercourse with the natives but what is absolute- ly necefsary for their commerce. They are permitted to have one factory only, upon 2 small island called Degima, which by Mr Thunberg’s account is only six hundred! feet in length, and about two hundred and eighty in breadth. itis surrounded on all sides by a high. wall, having one gate only towards the city Nangasakt, and another towards the port. The first is fhut every night, and carefully guard- ed by Japanese soldiers even during the day, the other is. cals opened to admit the merchandise to be landed when it arrives, or to be put on board before the velsels depart. On pafsing the guard towards the city, every person, whether native or Dutch, is searched carefully at going in and out 3. so jealous are the Japanese, lest the Europeans, by their in) trigues, as formerly, might endanger the public tranquillity. Mr Thunberg having gone thither in a Dutch vefsel, was extremely desirous of getting information respecting the present state of that country ; and with great difficulty, _and bribes distributed with the most cautious secrecy, and by the help of an old Portuguese and Japaitese vocabulary ke accidentally met with, was enabled to pick up so much of the language as in some measure to understand it. He, at length, by means of an affected ignorance and simplicity of _ tianners, obtained permiftion ta herborise a littlein the neigk- “ / 303 on Fapan. April 25: bourhood of Nengasakt, in which employment he found means to pick up a little information from the natives. He likewise was allowed to accompany the Dutch ambaf- sador to Fede and Miaco, the two capitals of that empire, where he had an opportunity of observing a few things di with his own eyes. But he owns that the greatest part of his information was picked up from the interpreters with whom he sometimes conversed, for which he was o- bliged to pay them liberally and keep the secret with the greatest care, The Japanese year finifhes on the 18th of February, on which day all debts ought to be paid. For by what he could larn, it seems to him that unlefs these debts were ther liquidated they could no longer be legally claimed. The new year is celebrated with great feasting and various re- Joicings ; at that time also they trample the emblems ofthe Christian religion under foot, a practice, he thinks, that was originally instituted with a view to discover those who were secretly inclined to favour the Europeans at the time of their expulsion; and has been kept up ever since, in com- pliance with that jealous policy which their fears induced themto adopt when they were in danger of suffering by Eu- ropean intrigues. This gave rise to the report universally cir- culated, that the Dutch were obliged always to trampleom _ the crofs before they were permitted to land, whiclr he says . is one of those popular errors to be met with every where, Mr Thunberg saw several of the Japanese temples. The most remarkable bears the name of Daibud; it is a vast building, supported by nimety-six columns, of which those that support the principal floor are six feet_in diameter. It has two roofs, one above the other, and by the description it seems in some respects to resemble some of our Gothic churches. It,has several doors, which are extremely high in proportion to their width ; amd in the middle of it is 1792. ‘on Japan. 308 placed a gigantic figure sitting crofs-legged in the oriental manner. This fizure occupies the whole space between the central ranges of columns which is from thirty to forty feet. In another temple called Quammon he was told there were no lefs than thirty-three thousand three hundred and thir- . ty-three monstrous human figures, having many arms each, arranged in such a manner as to make a beautiful peripec- : tive. Mr ‘Thunberg had an opportunity in pafsing through a city called Osaca to see a Japanese drama acted. It was conducted in a manner not very different from our own ; and irethe pantomime dance he thought they particularly excelled. ' In returning to Nengasaki the month of June, he saw in the evening as if it were an infinite number of moving Stars sparkling around him. This phenomenon was occa- sioned by a little winged insect, which he called Laz- phyres Japonica, whose body terminated in two bladders which produced in the dark a phosphoric light, as the glow- worms in Europe. After having given an account of his journey, he arran- ges the information he obtained concerning this country under different heads, forming so many distinct chapters, of which what follows is a slight abridgement. The quality of the soil and the nature of the climate of Fapan. The country consists chiefly of mountains and vallies; there are very few plains. In some places yeu find the hills covered with wood, in others, they are cut into ter- yaces, and cultivated with the greatest care. The’ soil is far from being naturally fertile, but by dint of manure and cultivation it produces abundant crops. In the sum- mer the heat is very strong, and in the winter the cold is also sometimes very rigorous; it is ccldest there when th* 302 on Fapan. April ae wind is in ‘the north or north-east.. The rains are very frequent, particularly during the summer solstice. Descriptson of the person of the natives. The Japanese are of a comely personage, strong limbed; with much ease and activity ; of a yellowifh complexion, in which sometimes a black colour predominates, some- times a whiter.. The women, as they do not expose them-~ selves to the heat of the sun are pretty white. Their eyes are stretched cut and half open, which gives: the look a great degree of delicacy. ‘The colour of their eyes is ge- nerally b! lack, also,their hair, and eye-brows, which latter are supposed to be placed higher than those of Eurapeans- , Their head is large, their neck fhort, their hair thick and «— fhining with oil, their nose is fhort and pretty large. Character of the nation. The Japanese is sensible and prudent, polite towards his equals, obedient.to his superiors, without being slavith- ‘Their government is far from being despotic, but the laws are very severe, In their families they are laborious, ceco- nomical, and sober, being very fond of clean linen; c- therwise they are attentive, curious and much addicted to superstition. There is much cordiality and sincerity in their correspondence; but their vanity is very easily hurt ; and when they think themselves ill used, they are very re- vengeful. They havea great deal of national pride. In war + they are brave but untractable ; as to the above Mr Thunberg gives us ‘proofs taken from the history of the country, and many anecdotes relating to their distrust towards strangers ; we know. upon what that is founded, and there are few countries whose inhabitants are more tpoa their guard against an anaes In order to prevent all intercourse with strangers, the natives wre severely forbid going out of the kingdom, and whe ence they are out, they dare never @ return.” ' ‘E792. on Japan. 303 Language. The learned men of the nation use the Chinese langu- age, because their sciences are borrowed from China ; but the vulgar language resembles it so little, that‘a Japanese and a Chinese cannot understand one another without an interpreter. Their letters are also very different, although -in both languages each single character exprefses a word ; and they write in vertical lines, or lines running from top to bottom. When a native.of Japan signs any act, he begins with his family title, and then his own name, which he often changes at a certain age, according to his employ- ment and any other remarkable incident of his life. Drefs. Both sexes wear long robes, and they pretend that the fa- fhion of their drefs has not varied for two thousand years. Those of the women are trailing, and commonly made of gauze, some plain, others embroidered, and so fine, that they ‘wear from thirty to fifty plies, above one another, and they are so yery light that the whole together scarcely’ weighs five pounds. A large 1ibbon round her waist sets off her fhape ; the married women tie it before, the young women behind. Manner of building. The houses of the Japanese are generally built of wood and mortar ; om the outside they are white and resemble exactly those built of stone; in the inside, instead of walls for dividing the apartments, they use folding screens, made of a strong kind of paper, which they move about and make as many apartments as they chuse. The windows are of white paper, sometimes oiled, which admits the light very well, but one cannot see through them. Mr Thunberg, in another volume, proposes to give an account of the religion, the government, and the public ceconomy of this empire, which the public will wait for with impatience, 304 on the poppy plant. April 23. He likewise proposes to publifh in a separate work his — observations in botany, and the discoveries he made in that science inthe course of his travels. \ THE USES AND CULTURE OF THE POPPY, AND MODE OF OBTAINING OPIUM FROM IT IN EUROPE. I> is an advantage for the farmer to have his choice of as great a variety of plants to cultivate as pofsible, because he may thus adapt his conduct to suit the peculiarities of sea- sons and circumstances, on many occasions with great pro- priety. If the season of sowing one crop prove unfavour- able, that crop may be abandoned without lofs, as another equally advantageous may be substituted in its stead. He may adapt his crop on many occasions to suit the cir- cumstances of his situation. Ifhe be near.a great mar- ket, bulky articles which cannot be brought from a dis- tance but at a great expence, will afford 4m a very abun- dant return. If he be at a great distance from that mar- ket, he may have profit in cultivating articles that are ve- ry light, and of great value. The carriage of a crop of weld, for twenty miles, might cost more than the whole prime cost of the crop; the produce of an hundred acres of opium, might perhaps be transported on one horse ; therefore it could admit of being cultivated, with nearly equal profit, in the wildest part of the highlands of Scotland, at perhaps the distance of an hundred miles from any market, as at the gates of the most populous city. Were we acquainted with several other articles of the same kind, it is hard to say what a spring it might give to the industry of this country. r It has been long known that opium is an ey an juice obtained from the poppy ; no plant admits of being more easily cultivated in Europe than the poppy ; yet we oe 5 PPE erent Se Ser 3792 on the poppy plant. 305 never have been able to supply ourselves with this valuable drug ; all the opium used iin Europe has been hitherto ob- tained from Asia alone. It isrmany years since this object attracted my notice ; aut upon inquiring into the mode of extracting the opi- ‘um from the plant, I found the directions were such as did ‘not admit of its being collected with any prospect of pro- fit. It has always been said .that the juice fhould be ex- tracted from the seed capsule, by making incisions in it awhile yet green; but this requires suchnicety in the ope- ‘tation, and the quantity of juice that exudes from it is so ‘small, that the expence of collecting that juice becomes very great. A gentleman in America, however, by pro- ‘ceeding with a bolder hand, has found that opium may be a easily obtained in our climates as in any other, and probably in as great quantities and at as small expence. Instead of cutting the seed capsule only, having obse- yved that the whole plant contained the same kind of juice, -he at once cut off the head of the poppy, when in its high- est degree of succulence, immediately after it had done _ flowering, as close to the seed vefsel as pofsible : The juice, immediately after amputation, springs out from the neck very freely. It soon accumulates in considerable quantity, sand becomes a thick darkifh coloured paste, that heals up ahe wound, and prevents more of it from exuding. When _ sit has attained this state, he again cuts off the top of the sstem, carrying home all'the pieces thus cut off, where they tare left to dry at leisure. A freth bleeding again com- amences, which in its turn gradually stops as before. The atalk is again cut over, and the same procefs is repeated as dong as any juice exudes from the wound, in sufficient quantity to pay for the collecting of it. In this way may the obtained, perhaps, a hundred times the quantity of opi- wm from a single plant, that ever could be got from the VOL. Vili. 2 + 3306 on ihe poppy plant. April 2%. -capsules alone, and that perhaps at lefs than one tenth “part of the expence, When the juice has acquired a proper degree of thick nefs upon the pieces cut off, it is scraped from them in the house, and made up into lumps of a proper size, and when “it becomes sufficiently dry, ‘it is carried*to market. «By this simple procefs, opium :may be’ obtained in any part of Europe with .as-much facility as in-Asia, and of as sire a quality. Having thus taught ‘my readers how to ‘extract opium from the poppy, it may not be improper to give a few.di- rections for the cultivating of this plant. ‘Culture of the poppy.plant. Every gardener knows that the poppy grows very easily in every cultivated soil, if the ground be made fine ; (the richerit is, no doubt the more luxuriant will bethe crop, ) the seeds may be sown in drills, very thin, at about one foot from each other; the plants will-soon come up. As soon -as weeds appear, let the interval between the rows be ho- ed with a hand hoe. “When the weeds begin again to ap- pear, let it be hoed a'second time and now thin out the — plants in the rows, so as to let them stand at not lefs than "six inches from each other. ‘Thus treated, they will pros-_ per abundantly, and no other careis required but to keep down all weeds with the hoe, fhould any appear. After — ‘the plant has advanced to that stage of its growth, indica- — ted before, let it be treated as above, and the businefs | is finifhed. In the Netherlands, great fields of poppies are cultiva- ted for the sake of their seeds, which are there employed as an article of food, and are esteemed a.great delicacy. — ‘The seeds are’not in the smallest degree narcotic, or dele- terious, as I myself have often experienced ; and there are few seeds more generally pleasing to the palate in their 140% on dyer’s weed. 307- ‘natural state, ot I believe moré nourifhing. The produce of seeds from an acre is very considerable. From these seeds also may be extracted an oil which is esteemed for.- some purposes. Where the seeds are the object, the culture fhould be in: every respect-the same.as has been indicated above, But. -in this case, the tall white poppy only, fhould be reared, as the pods of this kind are large, and all ripen nearly at the same time. But when opium isthe object in view, the black or carnation poppy, whether double or single, ought to be preferred, as that kind produces a greater quantity of. heads, and continues longer in a-succulent state than the other. 3 RSS —_. SAUER ON THE CULTURE AND USES OF WELD, OR DYER’S WEED. Reseda luteola. Tyas is one of the plants of easy culture, and general consumption, which has hitherto escaped the notice of the Britith farmer, to the great prejudice of our manufactures. . It affords a durable dye, of a bright yellow colour, and. forms the basis of greens, and many other colours both ta= the dyer and calico printer. The consumption of it so far - exceeds the quantity raisedin this country, that it has been lately proved, before the House of Commons, that upwards:: of sixty thousand pounds -a-year go out of this country annually for this single article alone ; and as this is a very bulky article, that.cannot be transported to a distance but ata very great expence, the carriage alone may amount to» half the whole of the price, so that it comes to the ma- nufacturers at more than double the priee.it could well be afforded for if raised by our own farmers. ' Weld is of such easy culture that it may be reared in ec. very country with the utmost facility. In dry and barregs ' 308° on dyer’s weed, — April 2. - -soils it grows naturally small and fine in the stalk, and these weakly plants. are found to afford the finest dye. In richer soils, however, in which it would _ naturally attain to a larger size, itis easy to give itthe same dwarfith stature, and the qualities that adhere to it, by the simple contrivance of sowing the seeds pretty. thick ; so that in every situation it may be reared. Even in deep moist soils, which are not naturally well adapted to the growth of weld, . it may be reared on the banks of hedges. where. scarcely any other plant could be made to thrive. This plant, if sown early in the spring, is an annual, as in that case it flowers and perfects its. seeds that same season 3 but if it be sown after midsummer, or in a. situ ation that prevents it from vegetating freely at first, it is, like a and many other plants; biennial, in that. case remaining green throughout the winter, and flowering, and perfecting its seeds in the ensuing summer. To have an annual crop, sow the seeds in the month of r) March, upon any waste corner you may-find convenient ; al] that is absolutely required for insuring a-crop is that the, soil be free from root-weeds. Ifthe ground be light, sandy, or poor, the seeds fhould not be sown very thick, otherwise: the plants will not attain a proper size; but if it be a rich field, the seeds fhould.be sown pretty thick, in order to. prevent them from attaining too large a size.. When they, appear, the annual weeds fhould be pulled out by the hand, The plant will flower in the end of May or June, and per- fect its seeds in July. When the seeds in the lowest pods begin to harden, and’ the whole plant to afsume a yellowith cast. it is time to ga- ther the crop. As the whole of the plant, root, stalk, and leaves are employed in dying, it ought to he pulled up by the rovts when ready, in the same manner. as is practised with regard to flax. It may be tied up in single handfuls PyQ2z~ on-dyer’s weed. 3097 by one of the stalks of itself, and set om its end to dry,. three or four bundles in one place leaning towards each o- ther at top to prevent them. from falling down. If the -seeds are wanted, the tops fhould not be turned downward during these operations, to prevent them from being lost ; for as the capsules are open at the top the seeds drop out whenever the plant is put downward after they have at- tained maturity. If the plant is intended to be a biennial it may be sown’ either by itself or with some kinds. of spring corn; by itself it may succeed a crop of early pease, or other crop» that comes off the ground in the month. of July.. If sown with barley, its growth will be so much retarded as to pre-- vent it from flowering that season. In either of these cases: it will resist the winter’s frost perfectly. well, and ‘come to: flower in the spring ;. but I thould in general. prefer the spring culture, which I have never seen to fail.. Ifit were cultivated merely for the sake of its seeds, it: eught to be sown in autumn, and the plants set by the hoe, | to six or eight inches a part, if on a good soil, and in these: circumstances it becomes avery strong robust plant, rising to four or five feet in height, and yielding a prodigious quantity of seeds; but as such robust plants are not es- teemed by the manufacturer, and as seeds can always be obtained in abundance, merely by fhaking the plants, it, is never adviseable to cultivate them in this manner after. the plant has been once intreduced into any place. When it is thoroughly dry it may be put. up in. a stack or carried to market. It. is in this state it is in general. employed ; but when it grows upon the spot it may be used by the dyer in its green state, though it ,is only employ-- ed by the calico printer after being dried. The demand for it is so great at present, that a single house in Man- chester makes use of at least eighty tons in a season ; the: + ‘ : 310 * om the life-buoy. Aprilags price runs at ptesent from 3 s. 6d. to 4:s. 3d. per stone, of | fourteen pounds. Weld is so very favourable for bees; that-I have known» Some persons cultivate it chiefly. on that account. Wherever. © it grows there is a’ perpetual hum of these active insects through the day, aud it seems to be all alive. . It is cultivated pretty much at large in Efsex, and some parts of Yorkthire, and is-reckoned a meliorating crop. It ~ does very well.to precede wheat, as it comes off the Hind in good time for that crop, The sweet smelling plant cailed mignionette is. of the same genus, and probably pofsefses similar qualities. It iS — equally favourable for bees; but it does not admit of — being so easily cultivated. The Editor has been obliged to Mr Charles Taylor of Manchester for some of the hints respecting this plant. ON. THE LIFE-BUOY. Sir, To the Editor of the Bee. My attention is sometimes attracted by the buzzing of the — Bee, on the wing of which I fiad always painted, directions. _ for the recovery of drowned persons, but not a syllable , with regard to the prevention of persons drowning. Sailors are amongst the most active sets of men, the life of commerce, andthe great bulwark of Britain; yet they seldom sip the honey of your Bee till they come along: the coasts, when the wind and- waves run so high as to overwhelm boats in the attempt of saving life. When the bird ia the fable saved the bee from drowning, by-bending | the branch of a tree, why fhould your Bee, so famous for-~ philanthropy, delay to he grateful, by making an addition to the directions for the recovery of drowned persons, by strenuously recommending the use.of the Yie-buoy to.all: amryg2. anecdotes. Rte “masters and owners of : fhips, for the prevention of petsons drowning. The life-buoy is a log of. wood, having a twelve pound “thot hong to its under side, on the upper side a small flag »staff. To the log is fastened a line, many fathoms long, and wound ona reel. The whole apparatus is suspended "from the stern of the fhip, quite clear of incumberance. When a sailor drops over board, the life-buoy is let go, vand the ball keeps it steady in its place, and the flag- staff points eut to the swimmer in the {vaves where to ‘steer his course ; whilst the fhip drifts or runs many miles ‘through the sea, nothing is‘necefsary but to pay out the line nto the buoy, and by the time the vefsel gets round you _thave the sailor onthe buoy, and thus is his “life preser- ved, ; I have only to-add that if you will please look into the Star paper of London, dated 30th of May last, you willthere find an accident related from real life, and the use of the ~life-buoy much wanted. Theinsertion of this accident in the Bee will not fail to inforce the above, and at the same ‘time give general satisfaction to the public * , Pour w’amitige pes Marecors, aaaaeooeoalele=eq=q«qououququqaqaoaoooeeeeeeeeee we ANECDOTES. ‘Cour v’Avsrene, grandfather of madame de Maintenon had a great deal of generosity in his sentiments. Henry 1v. teproaching him one day for fhowing himself to be the friend of S. de la Tremouille, disgraced and banifhed the court, “ Sire, answered d’Aubigné, M. de la Tremouille is unfortunate enough since he has lost the favour of his *,I have not been abie 2s vet to recover that paper- Edit, ' 312 ‘to Correspondents. April 25, ‘master. I thought I ought not to abandon him when he had most need of my friendfhip.” Sully entering:the house of Henry 1v. one morning, 2 the time the king’s mistrefs was going out, drefsed in greem he found him out of order, and said to-him ; Sire, your ma_ _jesty appears to me not to be very well. Itis true said the “king, I have hada fever all night, and have only just got rid of it. You say true, replied Sully, I sawit pafs: i¢ ‘was allin green. Alphonso king of Arragon traversed without attendants and on foot the streets of his capital. When they represen- -ed to him the danger'to which he exposed his person, “A father, answered he, who walks in the midst of his chil- ‘dren has nothing to fear.” “TO CORRESPONDENTS. “Tue important packet from- Copenhagen is thankfully received, and the useful information it contains fhall be soon communicated to the public. ° Perimitator is informed that che-paper about which he inguires contains nothing that is net generally known. The Editor begs pardon of a Citizen of the world.” The efsay about which he ingtires was received, and soon fhall have a place. It was marked as already acknowledged. Verses by Academicus are received and under consideration. As are also the verses I. T. by 4. J. and by Q..D. C. Thanks for the old poem of Pompey’s ghost, though it.seems not .4 correct edition. ,If any of my correspondents can furnish a correct copy .of this poem it will be deemed a favour. The verses by a Friend to liberty are on a subject that has been so much shackneyed of late, that the public are become extremely fastidious re- specting it. The ode on the death of Eira, and several other pieces, are recel- aved. —_ 726 THE BEE, OR LITERARY WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER, FOR WebDNeEsDaY, May 2. 1792. Pee 0 SS ees To the Editor of the Bee. SIR, Tue first four volumes of the Bee have reached your subscribers in Rufsia this autumn, and I must own that we were far from being prepofsefsed in its favour, from the reports of some young gentlemen who had read the first part in Britain. However, ican by no means subscribe to the censure of my young acquaintances, nay I even suspect that the _ part which furnithed them least entertainment, is that _ which will recommend it the most to a large clafs of your readers, for the following reasons: In forming the plan of a periodical publication, ‘on such a moderate scale of expence as to suit the largest pofsible circle of readers, it is certainly pro~ per to take into consideration, not only the state of the country, with regard to its progrefs in letters, but likewise in agriculture, commerce, and the useful arts, before we are able to determine what species of dnstruction they stand most in need of. VOL. Vill. RR ¢ 314 letter from Apcticus. | May # First, as to the state, of Scotland with regard to Jetters, surely no country, either ancient or moderns ever boasted a more brilliant groupe’ of clafsical au- thors than it does at the present period. The works of Robertson, Hume, Dalrymple, Henry, Gillies, ‘Fer- guson, Watson, Thomson, Guthrie, Stewart, Pinker- ton, in the highest walk of literature, would have done honour to the Augustan age of Rome, or of any ether country; and it may be said with truth, that, independent of their superior stile of composition, and philosophical view of their subjects, they have made a new epoch in history, by their uncommon at- tention to authorities, and their research into the ar- chives of Europe, where much important informa~ tion was reserved for the enlarged views and libera- lity of the eighteenth century, Pofsibly this general remark on the veracity of modern history may suf- fer an exception in the elegant, philosophic, but scep- tic Hume, who had none of those ties upon him which give law to the conscience and veracity of the Christian historian, as he has fhewn in his controversy with the respectable and able champion* of an un- jortunate queen, whom he had too harfhly treated+. In the line of ethics, surely the names of Smith, ‘Hutchison, Ferguson, Reid, Campbell, Blair, Beattie, €$c. do equal honour to Caledoniaf ; nay it is hard to say what walk of literature has been neglected. * William Tytler esq. of Woodhouszlee. +; Perhaps our ingenious correspondent goes too far here; but every one thould judge for himself. 3 Edit. t In political“ecgnomy, Smith and Stewart will long occupy a cons epicuous place. 1792+ letter from Arcticus. ar Criticism of late years, and clafsical learning*® in all times, distinguifhed the north of the Tweed; and as to the sciences, the reputation and crowded clafses of the Edinburgh university, (were there not.others in the country,) are strong evidences of their flourifh- ing, equal at least to any other branch of learning. Even your claim to poetry, to which the genius of the country has been sarcastically supposed not very favourable, is supported by some illustrious names, The noble translator of Virgil (Gavin Douglas bithop of Dunkeld, )was unrivalled in the day he wrote;and Bu- chanan has had no equal since the Augustan age. The Scotch Virgil, too, Thomson, is a phalanx of himself; _ nor has the modest bard reason to {lun competition with his more affluent southern cotemporaryt, thi- ming in all the splendour of borrowed metaphysics and original caustic wit, whilst poetic imagery, lively de scription, and painting after nature, fhall be held the: criterions of that art; nor will I give up our favourite Allan Ramsay at the frown of your commercial dic~ tator t, (whose censure, by the by, would equally affect. ‘Theocritus the model and father of pastoral, ) especially ‘as a friend of that truly great man, see vol.iii. p. 166,, aisures us, ‘* That he had.neither an ear for music, ‘nor any perception of the sublime or beautiful, in ei- ther poetry or prose.” Is it pofsible to pats this * Perhaps Scotland is distinguithed from other nations, more by the general knowledge of letrers among the lower ranks of her people, tHarm by the depth of her clafsical learning. There is not a person: here, among ten thousand, who cannot read, and very few who cannot write: and ¢ypher. Edit. $ Pope. t Adam Smith author of the Wealth of Nations. & + 316 letter from Areticus. — May 2? subject, without feeling for the hard fate of our great writers, who, after saying so many fine things in their life, are doomed to say so many silly things in their graves. It is a pity Adam Smith’s friend had not extended his remark to another great talking spirit, who has filled two quarto volumes in his tomb; as it would have. accounted for his amazing severity on the northern Homer, Gray, and some other of the most beautiful Englith poets. Humour, the Scotch have been thought still more destitute of than poetry; ~but surely no man since the days of the Englif: Cer- -vantes, Hudibras, has been so distinguilhed for it as Smollet*. It appears then pretty evident, Mr Editor, that it © is not in letters Scotland is deficient, on the contrary I have always heard her sister kingdom comment on the general diffusion of learning and morality, in a © greater or lefser degree, through all ranks of people, which they attribute to the cheapnefs of schools, with the constant residence and afsiduity of a clafs of men “who do much honour to their cloth and holy mifsion. ‘I with we could say as much for the state of com= mercé, agriculture, and the useful arts in Scotland + for I am afraid it is in those that it does or ought t feel its inferiority to England, and some countries” on the continent, more than in learning, 7 * Nor will Arbuthnot be forgotten so long as the memoirs of Scriblerus fhall be read. | + My ingenious correspondent will be glad to be told that in respect to agriculture, manufactures, and commerce, Scotland has advanced mor within these last twenty years, than it had done for a century before that and were those bars removed which impolitic laws have thrown in the: way of her industry, this little country bids’ fair to advance in improvemen with a rapidity that has been hitherto equalled perhaps im no age or coun try. Edit. i al 1792. letter from Arcticus. 317 manners, and taste, the ordinary topics of the pe~- riodical papers which have hitherto existed ; so that it appears, at least to a man at my distance, that a -cheap vehicle to convey useful information to the hufbandman and artist, is the great desideratum of Scotland in its present state; and that such a publi- cation promises to be more useful than half a dozen Spectators, Ramblers, and Mirrors, to remark, col- lect, and reflect, the moral and physical state of man in all his modifications, habits, elegancies, and oddities. However, as it is but fair that all clafses of readers fhould be pleased, I give you credit for the large space you have left, and uncommon encouragement you have offered for the species of writing so much de- ‘sired by the gayer part of your subscribers; and that you may fill both, to the instruction and amuse- ment of the public, is the hearty wilh of Imperial cadet corps in St Peterfburg, ARCTICUS. Now. 24. 1791. P. S. Ihave read with much pleasure Teens ‘triotic exertions of my Peterfburg acquaintances, Sir John Sinclair, and the earl of Hopeton, (for the range of their inquiry has taken in even this distant part of Europe) to meliorate the Britifh wool. Jn- deed the list of your society, in its full extent, dis- tinguifhed the patriotic exertions of the Britifh aris- tocracy, (to use a fafhionable exprefsion,) from that of all other countries of the globe. These are the arms to combat the wild fanaticism of modern level- lers, whom Johnson wittily remarks, are alleager to level every one down to themselves, but not to raise themselves up to the level of others, as he demon- strated by his humurous experiment in the famous republican historian, 318 letter from Alex. Simple. § May 2 Sir, To the Editor of the Bee. I tive in the country on a small estate of my own, and having a numerous family, (ten sons and four daughters,) I find some difficulty, though my wife: be an excellent ceconomist, to make both ends. meet at the close of the year. I am not much given to read- ing, but when I saw the proposals for your work, I became a subscriber, in hopes that I might find some: information in it, respecting a subject that has, for se- veral years past, very much occupied the minds of my wife and myself,—that of chusing proper busi- nefses for our sons ; but hitherto, though I have de- rived information from it on other points, I have: got none upon that head, at which I have been not a little disappointed. I hope you will give us some observations on that subject ; for it is a very inte- resting ome to me, and I dare say to many others of your readers. Not having heard from you on this subject, and being ptefsed by the advancing years of our elder boys, I wrote to a friend of. mine, an advocate in Edinburgh, who sometimes spends a week or two with us in autumn, to take the diversion of fhooting. His answer, though it did not altogether suit my views, may perhaps prove agreeable to some of your readers. I therefore send-it enclosed, with permif- sion to do with it whatever you please. Iam, te. ALEX. SIMPLE. The LETTER referred to above is as follows. an | My pear FRIEND, ; You afk my opinion. about the best businefs fos Ri your song. This is a subject Iam lefs prepared to h yhC3. letter from Yuridicus. 31g énter on than many others you might have propo- sed ; but as you are much interested in the case, and as I am at all times sincerely disposed to serve you, I fhall throw out such observations as occur, for your consideration. I have taken a sort of hasty retrospective survey of all the kinds of businefs I know that can be car~ fied on in this country, with a view to discover those in which the greatest number of persons have attained wealth in businefs, and who have begun the world with a small stock ; andI find the result of the inquiry is, that experience clearly proves, that ten people acquire riches from nothing, by becoming b—k—rpts, for one that acquires wealth in any other. manner. Having thus ascertained the main point by the un- erring test of experience, I next set myself to dis- cover what were the talents required, and the cir- cumstances necefsary to insure succefs in this hopeful businefs ; and fortunately I find that neither a great stock in money nor unusual talents are required. Two or three genteel suits of clothes, made in the neatest fafhion, a good frizeur, a smart hat, a stately step, and courtly carriage, rather on the high tone, accompanied with that kind of modest afsurance that prevents any of those whimpering, half-apologising tones, which country boobies are so apt to afsume when they think they are to afk a favour, are all the apital and talents required. Thus accomplifhed, man may da{lh at once into businefs. He hires a enteel house and fhop, does the gentlemen he con- scends todeal with, or their agents, the honour toin- e them sometimes to eat a bit of dinner with him, 320 letter from Furidicns. — * - May 2 has every thing there in the most elegant stile, treats them like a nobleman ; and, to conclude the businefs properly, does them the superlative favour to order two or three hundred pounds worth of goods, in pre- ference to many others who have been applying for his custom. ‘Thus do both parties pial ‘wie mu- tual satisfaction. The above is all that is required at the outset ; but a little more addrefs becomes necefsary in a fhort time. Bills must be granted for the goods received, and these bills must be retired regulatly when they fall due ; this requires a degree of attention and a know-" ledge of businefs that cannot be at once acquired. A clerk properly qualified, must therfore be procured And luckily this kind of businefs has been so long practised here, that there will always be some of this description to be found, who have been regularly bred toit, who may be engaged. These necefsary — accomplices in businefs must indeed be well paid — for their trouble ; but the emolument their employer derives from their labours is such as to entitle them to a very genteel allowance. These gentlemen, acquainted with all the fictitious modes of supporting © | credit, which the superlative refinement, ingenuity, and taste of the present age have devised, take care Jj; answer all legal demands with the utmost punctuality. ], No matter if this cafh be obtained at the enormous }. expence of forty or fifty per cent. lofs on certain tran= [ sactions ; as they well know that this lofs must ulti- }} mately be sustained by others, and not by themselves, J) let these others look to this». It is none of their own TIGR. letter from Furidicuss 32% businefs.. To augment their credit, and te get into ‘trade. upon.a very large scale ;to live like a lord, and ‘to be courted:by the dependent fools who have so ‘much money °2s:notto know-whatto make of it ; orto gosnacks with'those, who, like.themselves, enter into ‘liberal speculations, to:promote the trade of this coun- try, at the -expence of the old bunks who have not ‘spirit to:tread the stege of businefs im a masterly ‘manner, is all that they need'to think of. _ In this train things go on for some years, till they hove obtained a-character fer liberality, generosity, and spirit in trade, which no other clafs of persons ean lay claim to, and have thus secured a great num- ‘ber of friends among »bankers who have profited by -¢heir numerous transactions, and dealers who are in ‘the same train of adventurous .career with, them- sélves,, They at last stop payment. If their clerks however have ‘been clever, and themselves alert, care will have been taken to make out such a'state of:their: -aifairs as will bear.the investigation of a.general meet~ ing of creditors. Many of these.creditors are indeed: irritated to a high degree ; ‘but these are for the most part persons of small note in'the mercantile world, ‘whose growlings are little attended to in a general meet- “ing, where some dafhing member, who hopes to derive: «a like favour from some such friend at’a future day, offers certain propositions, that are acceded to by ‘some others who entertain similar hepes, and pof- sefs great influence. Thus the humble non-contents’ -afhamed, to speak out, growl only in secret, and dare seatee so much es hint a difsent to the vote proposed. MODs Vidb. $6 1 EE 322 letter from Furidicus. May 5 ‘. Humanity is such an amiable virtue as none butia brute would venture to oppose its dictates. ‘* None but barbarians could think of insulting the unfortus nate :—The poor man who lived at the rate of a thou- sand pounds a-year 5 what {hall be allowed him now 2 The most obdurate heart cannot’ think two or three hundred too much. Even with this, what a sad re verse !”” Such is the language held out to meetings on similar occasions ; and thus it comes, that the mam who enters life, without any reasonable prospect of ever having one ‘hundred pounds a-year to live upon, acquires a right-to three times the sum, by the dus manity of those very persons, many of whose families he has reduced to the most abject misery. It is very hard, indeed, if the man who has ated this part cannot, moreover, find ove friend in whom he’ can confide, for kindly lending his covering aid to help: him to some future provision, which fhall secure to his. family a more permanent establifhment than. that which his narrow circumstances, and his little expe- rience of the world, rendered practicable “at first. For some time, indeed, if he is acautious man, he lies bye, seemingly contenting himself with the slender allowance that has been alloited to him, But bye’ and bye, he begins to enter into new enterprises, con-- ducted with greater caution, indeed, than. before, and: on somewhat different principles, because he has now something to lose. He gradually extends his transac-’ tions more and more,—acquires a character for judi- ciousnefs in businefs, that must insure succefs ; by this means he usually acquires property before his death, that entitles his son to become a competitor 1792. letter from Furidicus. 323 for a seat in parliament, and dies respected and re- gretted by all. _ This, my dear friend, is a picture of the world as it goes,—I think a very just one; so that if any of your sons can get free of that mauvaise honte, (I am obliged to go to France for this very exprefsive and very fafhionable phrase,) which their father pofsef- ses in too high a degree, I think you need to give yourself no uneasinefs on the head. Your younger. boys, trained up at the foot of this Gamaliel, will soon make-2 wonderful progrefs ; and as to the girls, they will become so fine in this brilliant society as to be courted by some fafhionable lover, who never would have looked at one of them had you offered the half of your estate with her, had fhe continued to live with yourself in the humble stile you would insist upon; and will honour you with an alliance without de- manding a single sixpence from you, in hopes of ob- taining something from the great brother ? Thus, my good Sir, I have pointed out, in as few words as I could, the easiest way that I can devise for putting all your family into genteel employments, without costing yourself one farthing ; and for-ac- quiring to them such affluence as they can have other- wise no title to expect. If you do not follow this plan, the fault must be your own. I think T have done my part so wellas to entitlé me'to receive some bottles of your best claret, which I hall come to claim from you next fhooting’season. Till’ then’ farewell. Edinburgh 15 Fan. Juriprcus. 1792. spat ' : Ay THOMSON’S LAST LETTER TO.PATERSON, WRITTEN A SHORT TIME BEFORE HIS DEATH, IN THE BEGINNING OF MAY 1748 *, FROM THE ORIGINAL IN THOMSON’s HAND-WRITING FOUND. AMONG HIS PAPERS BY HIS EXECUTORS, NEVER BEFORE PRINTED. Dear PATERSON,. No date. Ty the first place, and previous to my letter, I must- recommend to your favour and protection Mr James Smith, searcher in Sc Christophers ; and | beg of you, as occasion fhall serve, and as you find he merits it, to advance him in the businefs of the customs. He is warmly recommendedto me by Sargent, who.in. verity turns out one of the best men of our youthful. acquaintance,—honest, honourable, friendly, and ge-. nerous. If we are not to oblige one- anotlier, life becomes. a paltry selfifh affair,—a pitiful morsel in a corner ! Sargent is so happily married, that I could almost. say,—the same case happen to us: all-!' That I have not answered. several letters of yours,. isnot owing to the want of friendfhip, and the sincerest: regard for you; but you know me well enough to zccount for my silence; without me saying: any more: upon that head. Besides, I have: very. little to say that is worthy to be transmitted over the great ocean, The world either futilises so much,.or we grow so dead to it, that its transactions make but feeble im- — prefsions. on us. Retirement, and nature, are more and more my pafsion every day. And now, even — * Paterson was Themson’s:deputy. as surveyor of the Leeward islands. 324, Thomson's last letter to Paterson. May 2. E7Q2" Thomson's last letter to Pater som. 325 now, the charming time comes on: Heaven is just on the point, or rather in the very act, of giving earth a green gown. The voice of the nightingale is heard. in our lane. f You must know that I have enlarged my rural domain much to the same dimensions you have done yours. _The two fields next to me ; from the first of which I’ have walled—no, no,—paled in about as much as my garden consisted of before; so that the walk runs round the hedge, where you may figure me walking any time of the day, and sometimes under night. For-you, 1 image you reclining under ce- dars and palmettoes, and there enjoying more mag- ‘nificent slumbers than are known to the pale climates. of the north; slumbers rendered awful and divine by the solemn stillnefs and deep fervors of the tor- rid noon! At other times I image you drinking punch in groves. of lime or orange trees, gathering pine-apples from hedges, as. commonly as we may ° black-berries, poetising under lofty laurels, or ma- king love under full spread myrtles. But to lower my stile a little. As I am sucha genuine lover of gardening, why don’t you remember me in that instance, and send me some seeds of things that might succeed here during the summer, though they cannét perfect their seeds sufficiently in this, . te them ungenial climate, to propagate; in which case is the~ealliloo, that, from the seed it bore here, came up puny, ricketty, and good for nothing. There are other things certainly with you, not yet brought over hither, that might flourifh here in the summer time, ‘and live tolerably well, provided they be fhel- tered in an hospitable stove or greenhouse during the ‘526 Thomson's last letter to Paterson. May +. winter. You will give me no small pleasure by sending me, from time to time, some of these seeds, if it were no more but to amuse me in making the trial. With regard to the brother gardeners ; you ought to know, that as they are half vegetables, the ani- mal part of them will never have spirit enough to consent to the transplanting of the vegetable into dis- tant dangerous climates. They, happily for them- selves, have no other idea but to dig on here, eat, drink, sleep, and kifs their wives. As to more important businefs, I have renee to write to you. You know best the course of it. Be (as you always must be) ‘just, and honest; but if you are unhappily romantic, you fhall come home without money, and write a tragedy on yourself*. Mr Lyttleton told me that the Grenvilles'and he had strongly | recommended the person the governor and you proposed for that considerable office, lately fallen vacant in your department, and that there were good hopes of succeeding. ° He told me alse that Mr Pitt had said that it was not to be expected that offices, such as that is, for which the greatest in~ terest is made here at home, could be accorded to your recommendation ; but that as to the middling or inferior offices, if there was not some particular rea- son to the contrary, regard would be had thereto. ‘This is all that canbe reasonably desired: And if you are not infected with a certain Creolian distem- per, (whereof I am persuaded your soul will utterly * Paterson had tried his hand om a tragely at Loadon withont much uccels. 1992. Thomson's last letter to Paterson. 337 resist the contagion, as I hope your body will that of their natural .ones) there are few men so. ca~ pable of that unperifhable happinefs, that peace and satisfaction of mind at least, that proceed from being © _ Feasonable and moderate in our desires, as you, are, “These are the treasures dug from an inexhaustible mine in our own breasts, which, like those. in the kingdom of heaven, the rust of time cannot corrupt,» nor thieves break through and steal. I must learn to work at this mine a little more, being struck off, from. a certain hundred pounds a-year. which you, know I had. - West, Mallet, and I, were all routed in onc day. If you would know why,—out of resentment to our) friend in Argyll-street. Yet I have hopes given me of having it restored with interest some time or other,—Ah ! that some time or other is a great decei-- wer. _ Coriolanus has not yet appeared upon the stage, from the little dirty jealousy of Tullus* towards him who alone can act Coriolanus+. Indeed the first has entire~ ly jockeyed the last eff the stage for this season ; but I believe he will return on him next season, like a giant in his wrath. Let us have a little more pati- ence, Paterson ; nay, let us be chearful. At last, all will- be well; at least, all will be over,—here f mean : God forbid it fhould be hereafter! But as sure as there 1s a God that will not be so. Now that I am prating of myself, know that, after fourteen or fifteen years, the Castle of Indolence comes , abroad in a fortnight. It will certainly travel as far * Garrick, = ¢ Quin. 328° Thomson's last letter to Paterson. May 2- as Barbadoes. You have an apartment in it, as a nightspensioner ; which you may remember I fitted up for you, during our delightful party at North- haw. Will ever these days return again? Don’t you remember your eating the raw filh that were never caught ? All our friends are pretty much in statu quo, ex- cept it be poor Mr Lyttleton. He has had the seve- rest trial a humane tender heart can have; but the old physician, Time, will at last close up his wounds, though there must always’ remain an inward smarting. Mitchel* is mm the house for Aberdeenthire, and has spoke modestly well; I hope ke will be in some~ thing else soon; none deserves better;—true friend- fhip and humanity dwell in his heart. Gray is working hard at pafsing his accounts, —I spoke to him about that affair. If he gives you any trouble about at, even that of dunning, I fhall think’ strangely ; but I dare say he is too friendly to his old friends, and’ you are among the oldest. Symmer is at last tired ef quality, and is going to take a semi-country | house at Hammersmith. I am sorry that honest sensible Warrender (who: 43 in town,) seems to be stunted m church preferment, —he ought to bea tall cedar in the House of the Lord. Tf he is not so at last it will add more fuel to my in-° dignation, that burns already too intensely, and throbs towards an eruption. Peter Murdoch is in town, tutor to admiral Vernon’s son, and is in good * Af e-wards envoy.to Berlin, and Knight of the Bath. y 3 = 2792-'. Thomson’s last letter to’ Paterson. 329 hope of another living in Suffolk, that country of tranquillity, where he will then burrow himself in a wife, and be happy. Good natured obliging Millar is asusual. Though the doctor increases in his busi- nefs, he does not decrease in his spleen; but there is a certain kind of spleen that’ is both humane and a- greeable, like Jacques in the play ; I sometimes too have a touch of it. But I must break off this chat with you, about your friends, which, were [ to in- -dulge it, would be endlefs. ‘ As for politics, we are, I believe, upon the brink of a peace. The French are vapouring at present in the seige of Maestricht, at the same time they are mortally sick in their marine, and through all the vitals of France. It is-pity we cannot continue the ‘war alittle longer, and put their agonizing trade ‘quite todeath*. This siege (I take it) they mean as their last flourifh in the war. May your health, which never failed you yet, still continue, till you have scraped together enough to return home, and live in some snug corner, as happy as the Corycius Senex, in Virgil’s fourth Georgic, whom I recommend both ‘to you and myself, as a perfect model of the truest _happy life. Believe me to be ever most sincerely cand affectionately, ‘ Yours, €8c. jaune THOMSON. ANECDOTE. Tur leader of a gang of banditti in Corsica, who had long been famous for his exploits, was at length * Good Thomson here speaks the language of the times. Honest »man! He did not dive deep into the system of political depravity, and »was gulled by plausible words, as many an honest man before and since ghas been. Edit. VOL, Viil. rr t KE - aritiguities in Scotland. May 2. taken and committed to the care of a soldier, from ‘whom he contrived to escape. The soldier was con- demned to death. At the place of execution, a man, coming up to the commanding officer, said, “Sir, lam astranger to you, but you thall soon know who I am. I have heard that one of your soldiers is to die for having suffered a-prisoner to escape. He was not at all to blame ; besides the prisoner fhall be-re- stored to'you. Behold him here: I am the man. I cannot bear that an innocent’ man fhould be punith- ed for me: And have come to die myself.”—‘* No,” cried the French officer, who felt the sublimity of the * action as he ought, ‘‘ thou fhalt not die ; ‘and the sol- dier fhall be set at liberty. Endeavour to reap the fruits of thy generosity. ‘Thou deservest to'be hence- forth an honest man.” ee ee (ON THE ANCIENT BUILDINGS IN SCOTLAND CALLED DHUNES. Continued from p. 204 and concluded. A the dry stone circular buildings I have yet seen inany part of Scotland of a constderable height, were — accompanied with stairs and galleries; but I have © also seen others, in some sort resembling these, © though none of them were of great height, nor ever J seem to have been so, in which, by the most diligent search I could make, no traces of stairs, or internal — openings, could be perceived, and which, from their situation and accompanyments, seem rather to have been intended as places of strength, and covers for re- fuge in times of danger, than for the purposes. of worfhip. Of this sort J can now point out three or — ¥792 antiquities tn Scotland. 332 four: One on the top of a hill in the island of Islay, near the sound, called the hill of Lofsit, if my me-. mery serves me well; another stands on the top of a hill in the north east side of the island of Tiree, the name of which I have forgot ; and there are two others near together, in the vicinity of Portree, in the isle of Skye. These two last are remarkable, among other particulars, for having an area adjoin- ing to them, surrounded with a kind of wall or ram- part, the tower standing in one corner, that seems to- have been the most inaccefsible, resembling very much in the plan, a town with its citadel. From these observations, I am inclined to think that there have been two clafses of circular buildings in Scot. land, one of them fer temporary defence, of which the four just mentioned may be accounted examples ; and the other solely for religious ceremonies, of which the following are well known, and to which: all the observations in this. paper are strictly appli- cable: One at Dornadilla in the parith of Rae in Lord. Rae’s country ; one at Dunrobin in Sutherland ;.-one: at Dunagglesgag in Rofsihire ; and its fellow on the opposite side of the frith of Dornoch ; and three in the valley of Glenelg, in Invernefsthire, which have been described by Pennant, and which [ myself exa- mined with particular attention. I fhould think ic probable that this last clafs of circular buildings may- be the most ancient of the two; and that the natives, in future times, having observed how long*the walls. thus built stood firm, have adopted the idea of rear- ing places of defence on the same general plan. But this I only offer as a conjecture, 332 antiquities in Scotland. May 2 All the structures of this sort, and some particu~ Jar places, are distinguifhed by the epithet Dun; and as it has been said that this monosyllable, in the Gaelic language, signifies 2 rock, a fortrefs, or place of strength, many people have adopted the idea that this circumstance, decisively, points out the uses for which they have been originally and solely appropri- ated. Arguments founded on etymology alone, are, however, in my opinion, in general, of a, nature too equivocal to be relied on implicitly.- Not to enter, however, on this wide field at present, I fhall here only beg leave to observe, that little reliance can be had on the argument founded on the name in the present instance. The learned and ingenious colo- nel Vallancey observes, that the above is not, perhaps, the strict or the original meaning of that word. «In the Irifh language,” says he,‘* DUNN is a judge. But it is well known, in ancient times, that the ptiests and judges were the same.” In conformity with this idea, he observes, in another place, that the the word is derived from the Hebrew 11 DUN. ‘¢ Que vox,” says the learned Hutchison, ‘‘ per totam scrip~ turam significat officium in ecclesia, seu predicationent qua arguimur, reprebendimur, discernimus bona a ma-= lis.’ Hence, adds Vallancey, the Irith dunn, 7. e. Ol- lamban a doctor, a druid in his oracular office. It was therefore most natural to give this name to those buildings, where the priest in his oracular character, or dunn, performed the mysterious rites which peculiarly belonged to his sacred office. I mean to ground nothing more on this etymologi- cal argument, than merely to.inculcate the propriety of being cautious about building any hypothesis on o Me ee 2! rs Be. dae 1792 efsay on entails. 33% such slender foundations, especially with regard to languages, whose original roots, and. their precise meanings, are not sufficjently understood. Jo Ae ESSAY CONCERNING ENTAILS. SIR, To the Editor of the Bee. Ir the right of primogeniture has in all ages and countries, where civilization prevailed, been found in- jurious to society, by withholding stock for frefh in— dustry from the rising generation of men, and due support from the unfortunate and weaker sex, it is evident that the fidez eommu/st, or entail of estates, and property to one male only, in succefsion, must be productive of much more pernicious consequences. Perhaps nothing in the whole tablature of human “existence has so much tended to the corruption of manners, the downfal of nations, and their utter con- quest and extinction, than this very favourite right of primogeniture, above all when ‘fortified by the, _ authority of the state, against the ordinary and wise ordinations of providence in the unfettered course of human events. By means of this preposterous right, suited only to the Jewifh expectations of a Mefsiah, . which for near two thousand years have become ridi- culous in the extreme of absurdity, in such a king- dom as Britain, an army of thirty or forty thousand idle men is kept. , » stop, like drones, the entrances of the political hive, and to abstract the food which has been collected by the industrious community. If this injury to the state included all the evils that. arose from the institution, it might be borne, as the 3°34" efsay on entails. May 2. utmost extent of it might be estimated and perceived, But that army of men, nurtured in exclusive privi- leges, and corrupted by wealth and idlenefs, must be, from their nature and occupation, productive of all. the evils that arise from intemperance, frivolous pur-. suits, and the desire of vain fhow, unconnected with the production of national stock, while they are, con- tinually deteriorating the morals of the people, by keeping up, as one may say, tabernacles for luxury and corruption. It is not the high flown eloquence of a peasiined orator that can persuade an enlightened age and people that the corruption of manners is to be ba- lanced by the splendid fabric of a hierarchy and aris-. tocracy ; or that the scratch of a beautiful queen’s finger is to be commuted only by the sufferings of a whole nation. The reign of delusion is at an end. 6» What cors‘itutes a szate?”” Noc hign rais*d, battlement, or labou.’d mouad, Thick wallor moited gate ; : Not citics proud with spires and turrets crowa’d.; Not bays and broad arm’d ports, Where laughing at thescorm, rich navies ride 5 Wet starr'd and spangl’d courts, Where low -bred basenefs wafts perfume to pride; No,—men—high minded mea, With pow’rs as far above dull brutes.endow'd In forest, brake, or den, As beasts excel cold rocks.and brambles rude; Men—who their dutics. know, But knw their rights, and knowing, dare maintain; Prevent the jong aun’d blow, And crufh the tyrant while they read the eile Thee constituce a sta-e 3 It is indecent, and se eee tate, to talk of the: _ lofs that would be sustained by the public, by fami- lies that had once distinguifhed themselves from the =792. the-entail, a fable. 33% common crowd, returning back again to their first origin in consequence of the extravagance of heirs. , This is just as it ought to be, and according to the venerable institutions of heaven, that impruadence ‘and vice fhould meet with their due rewards, and that a voice fhould be heard’ continually sounding through the universe, ‘‘ To be good is to be happy ;” ‘and that it fhould declare to the elohims of the earth, who meet with deserved punifhment, ‘ discite justi- tiam morsiti, <8 non temnere divos.” : It must rejoice every friend to humanity, to see a prospect of the abominable feudal system getting its death’s wound in Britain, and among its worst pro- geny that which annihilates the people in the scale of Scottith representation, and multiplies, all over the mation, the occasions of expensive, and destructive litigation. The elegant Horace Walpole, when he had finifhed. this little castle at Strawberry-hill, and adorned it with the portraits, and armorial bearings of his ances- tors, and illustrious persons, was afked if he did not design to entail it on his family; on the subject of this query he wrote the following verses, with: which I thall conclude this fhort article. THE ENTAIL A FABLE ™. In a fair summer's radiant morn, A butterfly divinely born, Whose lineage, dated from the mud * This piece was inserted in Dodsley’s Annual Register, vol xv. a dear book, and therefore but in few hands, 336 the entail, a fable. May 2% Of Noah’s or Deucalion’s flood, Long hov’ring round a perfum’d lawn, ; By various gusts of odours drawn, At last establifh’d his repose On the rich bosom of a rose. The palace pleas’d the lordly guests What insect own’d a prouder nest? The dewy leaves luxuriant fhed Their balmy odours o’er his head, And with their silken tapestry fold His limbs, enthron’d on central gold, He thinks the thorns, embattl’d round, To guard his castle’s lovely mound, And all the bufh’s wide domain Subservient to his fancied reign. Such ample blefsings swell’d the fly! Yet in his mind’s capacious eye, He roli’d the change of mortal things, “The common fate of flies and kings 5 ‘With grief he. saw how lands and honours, Are api to slide to various owners 5 Where Mowbray’s dwe!t, how grocers dwell, And how cits buy what barons sell: «© Great Phebus! patriarch of my line, «¢ Avert such fhame from sons of thine! . ¢¢ To them confirm these roofs,” he said 5 And then he swore an oath so dread, The stoutest wasp that wears a sword, ‘Had trembled to have heard the word ! “© Tf law can rivet down entails, *€ These manors ne’er fhall pafs to snails, ‘© J swear,”—and then he smote his ermine,— “¢ These tow’rs were never built for vermin.” qwreSs Ssae A caterpillar grovell’d near, A subtile slow conveyancer, Who, summon’d, waddles with his quill, To draw the haughty insect’s will; None but his heirs must own the spot, Begotten or to be begot, Each leaf he binds, each bud he ties To eggs of eggs of butterflies. When lo! how fortune loves to teaze, Those who would dictate her decrees ; A wanton boy was pafsing by, The wanton child beheld the fly, And eager ran to sieze the prey 5 But too impetuous in his play, “Crufli’d the proud tenant of an hour, And swept away the mansior flow’r. ~ “ wyom son the silk-nuorm. 337 ON THE SILK-WORM. | Fro the queries of several correspondents I find that the nature of the silk-worm is not generally understood. ,A succinct account of that wonderful creature will, I doubt not, prove acceptable te them. The silk-worm is a species of caterpillar, which, like all others of the same clafs, undergoes a variety of changes, «that, to persons’ who are not acquaiated with objects of this kind, will appear to be not a little surprising. Itis produced from a yellowifh coloured egg, about the size of a small pin head, which has been laid by a kind of greyifh coloured moth, which the vulgar confound with ' the butterfly. These eggs, in the temperature of this climate, if kept beyond the reach of the fire and sun-fhine, may be preser- wed during the whole of the winter and spring months without danger of hatching; and even in ‘summer they may easily be prevented from hatching if they be kept ia a cool place ; but in.warmer climates it is scarcely pofsible to preserve them fram hatching, even for a few days, or » from drying so much as to destroy them. Hence it is easy for a native of Britain to keep ihe , .eggs till the food on which the worm is to feed be ready , for that purpose. When this food is in, perfection the egzs - need only be exposed to the sun for a day or twe, when . they will be hatched with gveat facility. When the animal is first protruded from the egg, it is 2 small black worm, which is active, and naturally ascends to ) the tep of the heap in search ef food. At this stage of his growth the silk-worm requires to be fed with the young- apne. -atet est and most tender leaves; on ‘these leaves, if good, he will feed very freely for about eight days, during which VOL. Vili. vu + ; — $38 - on the stlkvorm. May 2. period he increases in size to about a quarter of an inch in length. He is then attacked with his first sicknefs, which ~ consists in a kind of lethargic sleep, for about three days ‘ continuance, during. which time he refuses to eat, and changes his fkin, preserving the same bulk. This sleep being over, he begins to eatvagain, during five days, at which term he is grown to the-sizecof full half an inch in length, after which follows a~second sick- mefs, in every respect like the former. He then feeds for other five days, during which time he will havé increased to about three quarters of an inch in length, when he is attacked with his stird sicknefs. This being over, he begins to. eat again, and continues to do so for five days more, when he is attacked by his fourth sicknefs ; at which time he. is arrived at his» full — growth. When he recovers this sicknefs he feeds once more, du- ring five days, with a most voracious appetite ; after which he disdains his food, becomes transparent, a little on the yellowith cast, and leaves his silky traces on the leaves where he pafses.. These signs denote that he is ready to be- gin his cocoon and will eat no more. Thus it appears that the whole duration of the lifeofthe — xvorm in this state of its existence, in our climate, is usu- ally about forty-six days; twenty-eight of which days he takes food, and remains in his sick, or torpid state, eighteen ; but it is te be observed, that during warm weather the pe- tiods of sickne/s are fhortened, and incold weather lengthen- — €d above the terms here specified. In very hot climates it may be said to live faster, and sooner to attain maturity . than in these that are colder. From the correspondence of © Dr Anderson at Madras, 1 learn that in their climate the © worm undergoes its whole evolutions in the space of twenty-two days. It appears, however, that it feeds fully as many days in India as in Europe, the difference being ( el ede I792." on the sile-worm. 339, ‘entirely*occasioned by fhortening the period of sicknefs. The longest sicknefs he had seen them-there experience did not exceed two days; and during summer it only t lasts a few hours. When the worm has asvaaiiea its full perfection, it searches about for a convenient place for forming its co- coon, and mounts upon any branches or twigs that are putin its way for that purpose; after about. two days _ spent in this manner, it settles in its place, and forms the . cocoon, by winding the silk which it draws from its bow- - els round itself, into an oblong roundifh ball. During this operation it gradually loses the appearance - of a worm ; its length is much contracted, and its thick- - nefs augmented. By the time the web is. finithed,: it is ; found to be transformed into an oblong roundith ball, co- » 4 vered with a smooth fhelly fkin, and appears to be per- > feetly dead. Im this state of existence it is called an au- » _ reha., Miany animals in this state, all my country readers, - _ must have seen, sticking on the walls of out-houses, some- what resembling a small bean. tionlefs, in the heart of the cocoon, after which it bursts, uses for flying, it “y crawls slowly about in the place it “has been hatched. ‘This creature forces its way through the silk covering the worm had woven, goes immediately 44 in quest of its mate, after which the female: lays her eggs, and both male and female, without tasting food in this. : stage of their existence, die in'a very fhort time. Such are the. surprising changes of the silk-worm. I do not at present mean to cnter into any details on its ma- } Nagement, but merely to make my readers acquainted with the great outlines of its: natural pdt A more ene, will perhaps prove acceptable, In this state it remains for several days; entirely mo- ° like an egg hatching, and from that comes forth a heavy, - dull looking moth with wings; but these wings it never > . minute description of the worm itself, when at. its full. 349 ; on the silk-wworm, May 2 “ The silk-worm, when at its full size, is from an incly and a quarter to an inch and a half in length; and about half an inch in circumference. He is either of a milk or pearl colour, or blackifh ; these last are esteemed the best. Ilis body is divided into seven rings, ‘to each of which are joined two very fhort feet. He has'a small point like a thorn, exactly above the anus. ‘The substance which forms the silk is in his stomach, which is very long, wound up as it were upon two spindles, and surrounded with a gum, commonly yeHewifh, sometimes white, not often greenifh. When the worm spins his cocoon, he winds off a thread from each of his spindles, and joins them afterwards by means of two hooks which are placed i1¥ his mouth, so that’ the cocoon is formed of a double thread., Having opened a silk-worm, you may take out. the spindles, which are folded up im three plaits, and, on “stretching them out, and drawing each extremity, you may extend them to néar two ells in length. If you then scrape the thread so stretched out with your nail, you scrape off the gum, which is very like bees wax, and per- forms the same office to the’silk it covers, as gold leaf does to. the ingot of silver it surrounds, when drawn out by the wire drawer. ‘This thread, which is extremely strong and even, is about the thicknefs of a middling pin *.” Of silk-worms, as of mest other animals, there is a con- siderable variety of breeds, some of which are much more hardy, and pofsefs qualities considerably different from others. This is a particular of much importance to be adverted to at the time of beginning to breed these crea- _ tures in. any place; for it willimake a great-difference.in. the profit on the whole to the undertaker if he rears a * This description marked within inverted commas is transcribed from an {ralian work: the Editor supposes it just, but dues not vouch for its authenticity, What is said respecting the spindles in the: bowels has’ much the air of being hypothetical. _ 1792s) on the silk-worm, 34% good or a bad sort *. This is a department in respect to the ceconomy of animals that has been in every case much lefs adverted to than it deserves; and in particular with regard to the silk-worm it has, been almost entirely overlooked. A few eggs of the silk-worm can be easily transported by post in a letter from any part of Europe to another, especially during the winter season. It would, therefore, be an easy matter for any patriotic society, such as the Society of Arts in London, to obtain a speci- men of the eggs from every country in which silk is now reared, to put these under the care of a person who could .be depended upon, and who understood the management of them, with orders to keep.each kind distinct from an- other, and. advert to every particular that occurred in their management, so as to make a fair estimate of their respective merits. By this means the best might be se- lected, and those of inferior value rejected. Forty or | fifty ofeach sort might be enough for the experiment; but it ought to be repeated several times before conclusi- ons could be drawn from it that might be altogether re- lied upon; for it is well known that.a variation of cir- > cumstances will make a change in the result ; and it is by _ no means certain that the same particular would affect those of one breed exactly in the same manner..as it _ would do those of a different breed. One may be more , "hardy with regard to cold, another more delicate in re- "spect to food, and so on. It is experience, alone, that _ cam ascertain the circumstances here inquired for. The colour of the cocoons is considerably diversiied. The silk produced by some is white, others yellow or ) * & Jy have three differznt kinds of silk-worms,” writes Mr Jolin Glafs ‘ a ) to Dr Andersen of Madras, dated Roglipore gih of June 1791, ‘ each of which producesa dife.ent size of cocoons; the largest about thirteen , 4 theueand.to a seer, the smallest nearly twenty-five thousand.” This diffe- renee is nearly astwo to one. He says nothirg of their other qualities, 342 / on the silk-worm. May 2. gold coloured, others orange but it is not certain but | a change of food may produce some effect in this respect. It is, however, very certain, that if different breeds be ‘ fed upon the same food, and kept in the same tempera- ture, there will neverthelefs be a great diversity in the colour of the silk. This colour does not arise from the ' silk itself, but merely from the gum with which it is co- * vered, for ail silk is white when the gum is wafhed from it. From the above ‘mentioned particulars it will appear, © that the management of silk-worms must be very dif- ’ ferent in hot climates from what is required jn those that are colder. At Madras, I leara from Dr Anderson’s expe- » riments that it is very difficult to prevent the eggs from » hatching for a very few days, so that many generations of ° them must be propagated in one year. “ In this hottest season,” says he, in. a letter to Sir Joseph Banks, dated — July 6. 1791, “ the fhortest time I have been able to re- mark for the whole evolutions of the silk-worm is forty | days; that is to say, sz days an egg: fwenty-fwo a worm, » eleven a grub in the cocoon, and onz a moth or butterfly.” - Fortunately, where the climate forces forward their pro- ° duction so rapidly, nature hath been equally provident of food for their subsistence ; for in these regions the mul- ° berry continues to grow and puth out leaves throughout ° the whole year. In cooler regions, where vegetation is stepped for a season, it is also an easy matter to retard the progrefs of » animal life. In some parts of Italy, when the season is favourabie, and the mulberry trees recover their leaves, after being once bared, they rear a second breed towards the end of summer; but in general they are contented with gathering ove full crop in a season. When they with for no more, they lay up the eggs in a cool dry place, close wrapped up, where they may be preserved as a ee eee 9792. * ow the silk-worm. at 343 |.dong as is necefsary ; so that during the winter they occasion no sort of trouble. If there be but ebundance of eggs provided, .it is in the power cf any person in our climate to bring them forward, at whatever time they ‘hall incline, and in the quantities that may suit their con- . "venience. * Convenience must be studied, and a great part of the profit depends on the ceconomising so well, as to give as equal employment as pofsible to all the persons concerned, _ and not to cause them be too much _ hurried at one time more than another. During the time the worms‘continue to eat, the gathering leaves is a considerable labour ; and . if the works are extensive, it will facilitate the businefs to have two breeds coming forward at one time; one of ’ which may be eating, in general, while the other is in its sickly state; or one breed may follow another. If the animal be allowed to undergo its natural changes unchecked, much of the silk would be lost; for in ma- king its pafsage through the cocoon, the moth so much deranges the threads of silk, as to render it very difficult to be unwinded ; and as it is not pofsible to overtake the winding of the silk at this hurried season, it becomes ne- celsary to kill the aurelia in the cocoon, so as to prevent * its producing this evil,—a proper number being always re- served for producing eggs. ‘This is best done by expo- sing the cocoons, for a proper time, to the heat of an oven duly regulated, which not only destroys the life of the animal, but dries up its moisture sc as to enable it to be kept without putrefaction for a reasonable time. The . cocoons thus dried can be kept till the autumn and win- ter, when they can be winded off at leisure by those hands that were busily employed during the summer in providing food and attending the worms. \ A considerable degree of ingenuity has been exercised for discovering the best mode of unwinding the cocoons, and 2 very ingenioys contrivance has been devised for ie ad hs os ry PF 344 premiunis awarded. May 2. that purpose, which fhall be described in due time; and in properly performing this operation a great part of the profit of the undertaking will depend. In all cases seve- ral threads, as it is left by the silk-worm, are put toge- ther; but the fewer of these that go to form one thread, the more valuable is the silk; so that from the same -co- coons an’attentive matron may produce silk worth three guimeas the pound weight, while a hasty slattern could obtain for that which’ fhe winded not more than twelve or fifteen fhillings. It is in offering such a premium-for - ingenuity and adroitnefs that I chiefly hope to derive emolument to my fair countrywomen, who are, I think, inferior to none}; in these respects, wherever they find it can ene beneficial to them or their families. - f PREMIUMS AWARDED. Tue judges to whose tevisal the compe .tion pieces were submitted, have given the following decision : *¢ Among the pieces submitied to our revisal most of them pofsefs me- rit; but few, or perhaps none, come up to the idea we entertain of that ex- celience which might be expected. Upona fair investigation we think, how- ever, that, notwithstandingof several ampeppr ieties, the piece signed Phjls, Naturam expell las furca, &c. deserves the first place. The mesit con- sists more inthe manner in which it is written than the matter it contains. «¢ The piece signed Maschezabel comes in the next place, and pofseises, in a certain sense, perhaps even a higher degree cf merit than the for- mer. But tre writer, who appears to “have had as yet but little practice in the art of writing, has not been able to,bring forward his thouglits i in that. neat and forcible manner’ that would have shown them tothe Sorat? est advantage. se Jo the allegory,—O Dea certe, &c. the imagery is well supported fhrougheut; but the language is a kin. of poetic prose, which in our opi- nion ovght never to be encouraged. «“ The poetical fragment by the same authot,——Dea saewa potentibus Serbis, pofsefses considerable merit. “© The same.may be said of the fable, —Quodquisque vider, &c. Te pol sefses a degree of vivacity which is very pleasing, and we f:ou!d be sarry to see itcommitted to the flames as the writer desires it may be, «© The verses on money.—O Cizxs &c. though less /iwe/y, are at least e- ‘qually just with the forr.er, your readers would be pleased to see thenr in your Bee. ‘¢ The same may be said of the verses by Theelegus and Graham Can- . wie, and the fragment on Cortex. | The other p pieces it is mapeceaary to” mention particularly.” Philo will cbtain the premiunt when he fhall please to call for it. The other pieces mentioned above will be printed, if not forbid in the course of five or six weeks. : a a a ener mere od ree) “SHORT ‘CHRONICLE OF EVENTS. March 21. 1792. FOREIGN. Death of the emperor of Germany. ‘Tue death of the emperor of Germany, which happened on _the first of March, after a few hours illnefs-only, is the most’ “important incident that-has oc- curred since our last. The fhortnefs of his illnefs has gi- ven room for various conjec- tures. It is generally believed at present that he has been poisoned ; but we have as yet had too. few particulars to be able to speak with any degree of certainty on that head. It seems to be admitted, that his disorder was.a bowel complaint. It was confidently afserted at first, that his body had swelled _.go much as actually to burst. | At has been since surmised, that _ his disorder proceeded from too free a use of stimulating drugs that he had taken; but this seems to be mere surmise, nor ‘do any of the symptoms men- tioned appear to countenance this afsertion. On the supposition that poi- son has been administered, con- . | sameanraiadl — made to discover the persons who have probably been the procurers of it; and here, the critical situation of France, with respect to the emigrant princes, has induced many to suppose, that it must have originateé from.that quarter. There seems, however, to be little probabil - ty that this conjecture is well founded; at least, fhould it afterwards prove to be so, it must evidently be of more dif- service to the cause of the re. volutionists of France than any other event could have been, For fhould it be proved, or fhould even a very strong sts- picion of it remain, that they had had any hand in this event, it would serve to unite all the powers of Europe much move firmly against them, than any other circumstance ever could have done. However this event may be explained, and whatevex the re- sult zz the end may be, it will be apparently in the first i: 4 stance, beneficial to ihe stew constitution of France,2nd hurt “jectures, as usual, have been; ful to that of the emigrant VOL. vill. 4 t ii piinces. If Leopold had any intentions of interfering in their quarrel, it must, on the part of the empire, be suspended at least for a season. But as there seemed to be no just grounds to suspect that he intended to engage, hastily, at least, in this quarrel; and as his succef- sor in’ the empire, who will probably be his son, the arch- d ke of Austria, may not bg so mach disposed to pacific mea- sur sas his father, there appears to be rather a greater chance now of a rupture between France and Austria than for- merly. Poland, Rufsia, Sweden. The emperor’s death may be as Critical with respect to Po- land as to France. The em- prefs of Rufsia was too much engaged in her war with the Turks, to be able to take that lead in the Polifh councils, the had done for some time be- fore. The revolution in the constitution of Poland fhe has never approved of. It was promoted by Prufsia and the em- peror. It is suspected that fhe has privately countenanced the disaffeeted noble Poles and the other malcontents in their op- position to the new constitution, and it is not impofsible but fhe has privately influenced the e- lector of Saxony to adopt that caution in regard to this reso- lution, which has so strongly , marked his conduct hitherto. At the very moment the news historical chronicle. of the death of Leopold reach- ed Britain, government has been officially informed that | the emprefs of Rufsia is to have, a fleet in the Baltic this sum- | mer, to act in conjunction with that of Sweden; and private report says, that the emprefs has pzid, per advance, four years of the subsidy due_to the king of Sweden, in order to en- able him to equip his fleet with the greater expedition, It is not easy to say what can be the object of this sudden arma- ment. 4 France. Anarmament, equally sudden, we are told, is ordered to be made in France. Their navy is to be put on the same footing as when they armed two years azo in opposition to the arma- ment that was then carrying on in Britain. But from the ex- treme derangement of the fi- nances of that country, the little subordination that subsists in the navy, and the consequent dis- gust that all experienced offi- cers belonging to it have ex- prefsed to that service, it will probably be a difficult matter for that nation at present to fit out a fleet that could act with effect against any naval power. Spain, OP" | The internal tranquillity of | Spain is by no means fully e- . | stablithed ; and though great precautions are taken to guard against any news being either carried out of this country, e: bistorical chronicles brought into it, there are suff- cient evidence that all is not there as it ought to be. No farther accounts of the popular commotions mentioned. in our last chronicle, have transpired; de Florida Blanca, who has so long acted as first minister of that kingdom, has resigned, and it is said that count d’?Aranda is advanced to that dignity in his stead. It is long since Spain has had a minister who bestow- ed such unwearied attention to promote the welfare of the people, and the improvement of that country, as the count de Florida Blanca. He has exert- ed himself to make roads and eanals, to promote manufactures and agricultuze, to encourage the study of science, and above all to enlarge the human under- standing with respect to the influence of religious prejudices, and to curtail the judicial power of the clergy in the court of In- quisition. In all these particulars he has. conducted himself with great judgment and moderation, considering the circumstances in. which he was obliged to-act; but whether with as much cau- tion as to screen himself from now feeling the weight of the machinations of his enemies, time only can discover. Du- ring the reign of the late king of Spain, who, with all his foibles was a very good man, the operations of the count de Florida Blanca, met with his erful, ore TE fullest approbation and support 5. but circumstances seem to have indicated, that during the pre- sent reign, there has not sub- sisted the same cordiality be- | tween the prince and the mini- but it is certain that.the count | ster as formerly. Many of the transactions of the present reign discover a wayward precipitan- cy of conduct that was not re- marked in the former. And the dismifsion of this minister from office, we fear, indicates nothing favourable to the tran- quillity of Europe. Miscellaneous. The king of :Sweden in his addrefs to the diet, thus disco- vered his hatred at the new constitution of France, which has deprived him of his subsi-+ dy:: “ It is reserved” said his majesty, “ for your courage and energy to givesuchian example to the world, in the moment when a great state, hitherto so pow- our most ancient ally, presents such a dreadfulinstance of all the evils. which licen- tiousne(s brings, to the disgrace and destruction of empires.” The queen of Portugal at present labours under a mental derangement. _ Dr Willis has been offered L. 20,000, exclue sive of the payment of all his expences to go to Lifbon. In the late insurrection at Metz, the Jews were severely handled, the pretext was the astonifhing high price of cath. La Fayette ordered the troops. to attend when all the mischief was done, iv March 3: Intelligence was received from Jamaica, that on the 17th of December last, a smart fhock of an earthquake was felt at Kingston and other places. On the 31st of the same month, another very smart thock was felt. . The Pope has publifhed a bull for the supprefsion of twenty festival days in Spain. The debts of. the United States of America, to. the a- mount. of ‘between fifteen and sixteen millions sterling, have, by an actof congrefs, been fun- ded iu the three following stocks, viz. Three per cent. whereof the interest is now paid every. quar- ter. Six per cent. whereof the interest is likewise now paid every quarter. Deferred stock, which, after the year 1800, will bear an interest of six per cent. payable every quarter. The interest on. the three percent. and six per cent. stocks is paid with the utmost. punc- tuality on the days on which it. becomes due, v7%. 1st of April, ist of July, rst of October, and rst of January. The three fer .cent. stock can only be redeemed at par, when congrefs fhall make pro- vision by law for it, The six per cent. stock is subject to redemption, by pay-. ments not exceeding in one year the proportion of 8 per historical chronicle: cent. on account’ both of the: principal and the interest of six: per cent. The deferred stock is ashe ject to. redemption, only in the: same proportion as» the six per. cent, stock. * But it is exprefsly stipulated: thatthe United. States are- not. bound: or obliged to redeem in the above ‘proportions but: only that they have a right so. to do. The stock is in dollars, which. are reduced to money, at the: par of. exchange of America, viz. 4s. 6d. per dollar. ° Three per cent. L.75. Six per cent. L. 420. Deferred stock, L. 75. The produce of- the taxes: laid to provide for the payment. of the interest on the American funds, has far exceeded the es= timate made of them, yielding a surplus of above one million. two hundred thousand dollars, which, by: an act of congrefs, is laid out im the same manner as in this country, in reducing the public debt. / The deficit in the: French fi- nances for the current year, on a: supposition that taxes will not be better paid than they have: beenxthe two preceding years, 1s calc¥tated at twenty- five millions sterling; a sum exceeding, by. one-third, the whole revenue of Great Britain; and fully equal to what the | whole revenue- of France in historical chronicle. ; ¥ its most improved state ever amounted to. The lofses by the insurrec- tions at St Domingo, are esti- mated at more than twenty- five millions sterling. The frost at Rouen has been as severe as it was lately in ought to ‘have known long ago: - that the war in India is destruc- tive to the interest of:this country, and if persisted in might prove fatal. Orders it is said have been forwarded to lord Cornwallis to put’ an end to it mmediately, without re- England ; and the blofsom of | gard to his allies, if they refuse the pears, peaches, and apricots, is entirely cut off. On Feb. 15. ‘fhe queen of ~ Portugal continued without any abatement of her disorder, and ’ daily prayers were offering up for her recovery. A general terror prevails at Constantinople. A man having whilst the Grand Sigmior was at prayers, thrown a ball of lead at him, it was conjectured that a conspiracy was on foot ; in consequence of which his Highnefs ifsued orders to be- nith all those who were not sufficiently known to the ofh- to listen to reasonable pro- posals. Some people may con- demn this as improper conduct 3 but impartial persons will say, that he who does not persist im an error when he once sees he is wrong, is nearest to him who never committed an error at all. And where is the man that can _ lay claim to this character ? In the country at large, no- thing seems to engrofs the at- tention of the people, so much as the abolition of the slave trade. There is scarcely a community or a description of men who have not met toge- cers of police, and hundreds of }ther, and either publifhed re- persons are daily transported to Asia in the most violent man- ner. - DOMESTIC. Noruixe has occurred dur-|m ing the present sefsion of parlia- ment that is of much impor- tance. Every question has ee a the way that adnmnistration withed it fhould go. Rumour, however, says that the ruling powers of this country, are at last convinced of what they been carried with great ease, in solves» intial to) whouslayey’ trade, or petitioned parliament for its abolition. Whether le- gislature will pay attention to these petitions, or disregard them, as coming from peuple, - many of whom are undoubted ly incapable of judging, as to the political expediency ot the measure they condemn, a little time will now discover, as the cause comes on inthe House of Commons on the 2th instant. Admirers of the fine arts, have sustained a great lofs since our lact, by the death of Sir vi Jothua Reynolds, who we sup- pose will be allowed to be the first portrait painter that ever Britam produced. Under the auspices of this single man, aided by the countenance of his majesty, and the liberal patronage of the public, has been effected a revolution in the fine arts that Europe did not seem toexpect. The Ab- bé Du Bos, and many other critics have admitted with re- luctance, that Britain. has pro- duced some poets who were intitled to the name, but ne- ver a painter,; and they have with great ingenuity accounted for this circumstance, proving clearly that our atmosphere was too grofs for giving play to those fine traits of genius that were necefsary to constitute a painter. Sir Jofhua Reynolds, for many years past, has been admitted to be the finest por- trait painter in Europe; and though accidental circumstan- ces diverted his attention from historical painting, yet the few things he has done § in that line, fhow that it was net for want of talents; and his discourses to the students of the academy, that have been publifhed from time to time, have perhaps done more to afsist students in that art than all the writings on painting that have been publithed put together; nor have these discourses been thrown away, for Britain con- tains at present a greater hum- ber of eleves, who promise to _ historical chronicle. excel in this art thanany. o7 ther country in Europe. It happens also to be a pretty singular fact, that the two first painters in the world at present are natives of North Britain, Gavin Hamilton in_ history, and Jacob More in landscape painting. The following are the lead- ing features of the treaty sign- ed at Berlin on the 26th of ja- nuary, on the part of the king of Great Britain, and the king of Prufsia concerning the late marriage between the duke of York and the princefs of Pruf- sia. The king of Prufsia gives to. the princes a portion of 100,000 - crowns, 40,000 as being the usual portion of the princelses of Prufsia and 60,000 as) para- phernalia. Should the princefs die betore her hufband, without ifsue, both sums are to. revert to the king of Prufsia. The princels of Prufsia re- nounces all right of inheritance to the crown of Prufsia, in, fa- vour of the male succefsion. The king of Great Britain and the duke of York confirm this. renunciation. The duke of York gives to the princefs, as a gift on the day after her marriage, the sum of 6000 1. the interest of which is to make part of the sum fix- ed for pin-money. The duke of York, besides the above sum, promises to al- low 40001. sterling, annually, as pin-money, and the king of historical chronicle. Great Britain takes upon him- ‘self the execution of this en- gagement. The king of Great Britain grants, as a counter-portion to that given by the king of Pruf- sia, the like sum of 100,000 crowns, and engages to secure to the duchefs, in case of the duke’s death, the annual sum L. 8000, together with a resi- sidence and suitable establith- ment 2 On Sunday Feb. roth, Duc de Biron set off for France, hav- ing been released from his con- finement on the Friday before. Lord Rawden and a French gentleman were his bail, to the amount of L. 4000. He was in great haste to get away, as he heard other promifsory notes were coming from Paris as de- tainers against him. On Sunday, Feb. 12: the in- habitants of Portland were a- larmed by the fhaking of the earth; in the course of the night the piers and a gteat quantity of the rock gave way, » including a space of more than half a mile square. London, Feb. 25. the queen has appointed the earl of Mor- ton to be chamberlain of her _ majesty’s household, and has al- $0 appointed the earl of Ailes- _ bury to be treasurer of her ma- -jesty’s household. ; On Thursday evening, Feb. 23. died, much lamented by his | mumerous friends, in the 69th year of his age, Sir Jofhua Rey- _ molds, the president of the Vii royal accademy. His genius was not confined merely to his own peculiar art, for his talents - were truly various. He has left Mifs Palmer (his niece) re- siduary legatee. Mr Boswell, two hundred pounds, to seven- teen noblemen a picture each, and Mr Burke, L. 2000. On Saturday last, at two o’clock, died, his house in Al- bemarle-street, Robert Adam, Esq. Architect, Fellow of the Royal and Antiquarian Soci- eties of London and Edin- burgh. His death was’ occa- sioned by the bursting of a blood vefsel, Feb. 27, the House of Com- mons at Dublin was discovered to be on fire about half past four o’clock, and in*lefs than an hour the whole dome was surrounded by a volume of fire, About half past six the dome fell in, and communicated the flames to every thing near. By timely exertions the fire was entirely extinguifhed about one o’clock. Saturday, March 4. Dr Wil- lis set out for Lifbon to attend the queen. On the rothsult. died at Auchinleck, Ayrthire, Mat- thew Tait, aged one hundred and twenty-three years. He served as a private soldier at the taking of Gibraltar by the | Britith in the ycar 1704. | Lord Macartney, it is now known, will set out fhortly up- | on an embafsy to China. One material purpose of his mifsion, es ee Se ee Vili historical chronicle. ° . . . ” « \ is tobe that of inducing the em- , the first kinds is a human head peror to direct the payment of with a crown, round which is debts, owing by the merchants of China te those of our settle- ments in India, to the amount of more than one million ster- ling. A monument, it is said, will be erected to the late Mr A- dam the architect, in St Paul’s Cathedral. . St Andrew’s,. March 12. There was discovered, the be- ginning of February last, in a garden on the east side of the Castle Wynd, St Andrew’s, a- bout three feet below the sur- face, an earthen pot, contain- ing a number of Englith, Scotch, and French coins. By tra- cing the names of the princes, and examining the form of the different imprefsions, they ap- pear to be about the size of - half a crown, but thin and light. There are above 200 of silver, mostly about the size of a fhilling, many of them co- vered with rust, and very much defaced. The silver ones have on one side a St George’s Crofs, in the angles of which is written, on an inner circle, up- on some Villa Calisie, wpon o- thers Civitas London, on others Civitas Eboract, and on others Villa Edinburgi. In the outer circle of the three first kinds are the words, Posus Deum Ad- jutorem Meum. On the outer citcle of the Scots kind, Do- minus Protector meus et Libe- tator meus, On the reverse of generally the inscription, Hen- ric. Det Grat. Rex Anglorum et Francorum. The reverse of the Scotch coins exhibits also a crowned head circumscribed with the words, in some ‘Rober- tus, in others Jacobus De: Grat. Rex Scotorum, The spirit of emigration which lately threatened to de- populate the Highlands of Scot- land, has now, in some degree, subsided. Nothing has contri- buted more to this desirable purpose than the society insti- . tuted by the patriotic Mr Dale, in Glasgow and the neighbour- hood, for the encouragement of the opprefsed Highlanders. The Hon. Lord Rockville died here on Tuesday the r3th March. He was the son of the’ late Earl of Aberdeen by his third lady, Ann Gordon, daugh- ter of the duke of Gordon. The cause of his Lordfhip’s death was a fall, from the streets be- ing slippery, by which his arm was broke, and a fever was the fatal consequence. On Saturday night, March roth at eleven o’clock, died at his house in South Audley- street, London, in his 80th year, the right hon. the earl of Bute,viscount and baron Mount- stuart, do’c. His lord{hip bore his illnefs with great composure and resignation, though his dis- order produced at mes very excefsive pain. SHORT CHRONICLE . OF EVENTS. April 152 T7 G2. —E FOREIGN. Afsafsination of the king of _ Sweden, _ Yesrerpay evening an ex- _ prefs arrived at the secretary ‘of state’s office, from Robert Liston, esq. our envoy at the Swedith court which brought the extraordmary intelligence that his majesty the king of Sweden, had fallen a victim to the too succefsful attempt of a regicide on the 26th ult. ‘The circumstances of this un- expected event were as fol- low: His majesty that evening gave a grand -masquerade, to which persons .of distinction, atthe Swedish court, including .seyeral foreign diplomatic cha- ',¥acters, were invited. During this entertainment and when the festivity was at its height, a gentleman of considerable rank, an officer Win the army, watching a fa- _vourable opportunity, fired a Iarge pistol at the king, loaded, with slugs, the contents of “which lodged in his majesty’s - Vii i, groin, and the bottom part of his belly. The. perpetrator of this horrid deed was imme- diately secured,,but though questioned, would afsign no reason for his conduct. The exprefs was sent off a few hours after the event, at which time the king was alive, but it had. been pronounced imposible for him to survive any length of time. The world on these. occa- sions are busy in forming con- jectures.. As the king of Sweden so openly opposed the revolution in France, some suspect that the patriots in France are at the bottom of this bloody attempt; but asthe king had offended his nobles at the beginning of his reign, by de- priving them of much power they then enjoyed, and had punifhed several persons of high rank for mifbehaviour during the late war, it is by no means impofsible that these discontents may have paved the way to this enterprise; a little time will clear up these doubts, a India. { About a week ago a report ! was raised in London which | gained credit for oue day, that Seringpatam had been taken by lord Cornwallis after ‘a bloody conflict, in which ma- ny persons had been killed on | both sides. It now appears that this was one of those da- ring fabrications that are daily | made in the metropolis for the purposes of the Exchange AJ- ley. ‘by the Thames frigate, lately arrived from India, we learn that Lord Cornwallis was on full march towards Se- tingapatam; that he was col- lecting artillery from all quar- ters; and that Tippoo was strongly encamped on the road to that capital, so that an en- gagement may bé expected to take place before he reach it. We also learn that a small fort called Coembatore, which was defended by the braye Britith officer, Chalmers, was carried by a detachment of Tippoo’s troops ; and it is ad- ded, that the barbarians had infringed the articles of capitu- lation. We may expect that something decisive has been done in that quarter of the world by the next dispatches. Capture of a French frigate. But the most alarming news from India is the following ac- count of the capture of the yrench frigate, the Resolue. historical chronicle. At any other time this would probably have been the occa- sicn of a war between the two nations. Fortunately for the tranquillity or Europe, France is not at present in a condition to go to war with us; and the businefs may probably be ter- minated in a few remonstran- ces; and apologies among ma- tions, the stronge stis always in right. The particulars of this account are as follow : In August commodore Corn- wallis, lying in Trincomalee, dispatched his majesty’s fhips Thames and Vestal to the Ma- labar coast, and going fhortly after to Madras, sent the Mi- nerva also, having received in- telligence that some neutral fhips, under Imperial and French colours, loaded with ammunition and _ ordnance stores, from Europe, were to arrive there for the use of the sultan’s army. Orders were given to the separate commanders strictly to examine all fhips they might fall in with. He followed himself with the Crown and Phcenix fhortly after. Hither- to no fhips that were descri- bed to him had been seen. On the 23d of October, at six in the evening, the com- modore being on a cruise to the northward, and the Phe- nix and Atalanta in Tillicher- ry roads, two French fhips and a brig were discovered in the offing. It being the Atalanta’s : _ board them ; two historical chronick. fuard, fhe got under way to board them, and was followed by the Phoenix; but having little wind, they got into the Mallee roads, a French port, _and close to Tillicherry. Captain Foot of the Atalan- ta, sent a boat with an officer to them, but they refused to be examined, alleging they were in their own boat. Im- mediately onthe boat’s return, hearing of their resistance, he sent an officer of marines, with a party, with orders to force the hatchways, and examine them; which being effected, they were found laden with merchandize only. ‘This irre- gular proceeding was, however, huthed up by the’ comodore’s arrival, and interposition in captain Foot’s behalf with the governor. Early in November, the Resolue French frigate of 32 guns, arrived in Mallee roads, and sailed on the roth with merchantmen, at two A. M. trom the same port, which, it is conjectured, was a scheme to discover whether eommodere Cornwallis would board the merchantmen under his protection, an unlucky ex- periment in the event; for at five A. M. on seeing them in the offing he made signals to the Phoenix and Perseverance to they got under way, and chaced to the north- ward, as far as Mangalore, be- fore they came up with them. xa When. the Phenix came within hail, fhe was afked what fhe wanted ? Sir Richard Stra- chan answered, That he had orders to board the merchant-. men in company with her, and would send an officer on board. of him to explain the reason. The first lieutenant, George Parker, went on board; the French frigate then made a signal, which the merchant- men answered, and made sail 5. the Pheenix making sail also to intercept them, leaving the cutter with Mr Parker some distance astern, and firing at the fhips on the larboard bow and beam, to bring them to. The French frigate being on the starboard quarter of the Pheenix, fired two guns fhot- ted to windward, which was. thought to be at the boats; the Phenix next hoisted out her jolly boat and sent the the third lieutenant, Mr Butt, to board one of them, the Per- severance at the same time boarding the other. At this time the Phenix, in backing astern, to keep one of the merchantmen. from ma- king off, had her ensign. staff. carried aw ay by her jibb boom. The French frigate kept fring on the boats; and upon the Phoenix wearing to keep close to her, fhe fired a broadside into her and. commenced the action, The engagement lasted 25 minutes, and termiuated by a happy maneuyte of Sir Rich- wit ard: Strachan, who, on: obset- ving the Resolue crofsing her hauses, luffed up, went under her stern, and raked her with considerable damage. The Resolue had 25° men killed, and 40 wounded, seve- ral of whom are since dead, and the first captain eo tiie! wounded. The Phoenix had six men killed and eleven wounded, a- mong whom was lieutenant Finley of the marines, since dead, and Mr Wilmot, mid- fhipman, wounded. By the commodore’s orders the French frigate was conduc- ted into Mallee roads, and left there, her ownofficers and sea- men refusing to do any thing with her, saying the Resolue struck, and was a prize to the Phoenix, and the commodore might dispose of her as he thoughtproper. The commodore answered them, that he must refer the determination of the. affair to this nation, being of too much impgrtance for him to settle. |” Commodore Cornwallis has fhifted his broad pendant. into the Phoenix. Mifscellancous. Tue war between the Moors and Spaniards is renewed bythe former in revenge for the afsis- tance afforded by the court of Madrid, to Ben Afser the em- peror’s rebét brother. The government of St Peter- fburgh have lately received the historical chronicle. agreeable news of the redisco> very of the gold mine,-situate- between the seas of Ladoga and Onega; The Prince Royal of Den- mark has publifhed an arret by which, -the slave trade is to cease, and to be for ever abo- lifhed after the year 1803.. » The new King Francis 1: of ~ Hungary and Bohemia has ap- pointed count Francis Hollore- do.to be his ‘cabinet minister. , From Constantinople we: learn, that. the insurrection: still continues in Mont, of the~ Asiatic provinces, and they~ are equally alarmed’ with ‘re- gard to the conduct of Mhir Timur Khan, who has left Bag- dat, and is marching towards the Turkifh provinces in.that: part of the world, with an ar-: my of eighty thousand men. A dreadful fre happened at’ Gottenburgh, on the 2d and 3d of March. It broke out ata sugar baker’s-and raged with. such violence, that every at- tempt to extinguiih it proved. ineffectual, until it had con- sumed one hundred and twenty houses. —The university has* escaped, although the buildings immediately surrounding it- were destroyed. The prince of Brazil; as presumptive heir to the crown’ of Portugal, on the 10th ult. ifsued a degree, purporting, that’ as his mother, from. her* unhappy state, was incapable~ of managing the affairs-of go- Piboukimed. historical chronicle. vernment,. his royal highnefs had resolved to place his. sig- nature to all the dispatches in the name of her majesty, till her return of health rendered it unnecefsary. The news cf an insurrec- tion lately at Hefse Cafsel is The landgrave wifhing a regiment to be sent to Sedgewater, a small town on the Rhine, where he has o- ther troops, ordered it to ap- pear on the parade. Being drawn up, five soldiers came out of the rank, and demanded to speak with their captain. They obtained the permifsion, and in the name of their com- xades demanded to be paid as in time of war. ‘The prince of Hefse Cafsel was informed of this .immedintely, and im an- swer,ordered the five soldiers to be made ran the gauntlet. ‘The regiment hearing this brutal order, declared they would not suffer the execution of it. The noise spreading, all the garrison of Cafsel ran to the parade, and the people follow- ed ‘in multitudes, threatening that the prince himself fhould undergo the punithment, if he| if he dared to carry his. orders into execution. The landgrave retired to his castle, and proceeded the abHowing night to Hanau. On Sunday, March 25; be- fore the national afsembly of France, abstracts of a num- ber of petitions were reed, a. xili mong which was one from madame Grandval, a mother,. without being a wife, praying the afsembly to pafs a law, to: enable children not born in wedlock, to inherit the pro- perty of their parents. Her petition was warmly applauded,. and referred to the committee of legislation. DOMESTIC. - Tue slave businefs, which hath so strangly attracted the attention, of the nation for some, fartle past, is not y et fully determined. Mr Wilberforce, according to notice given,. brought that. businefs forward in a committee of the whole House on the 2d inst. when he: concluded a long and energetic speech, in which he stated some recent transactions on the coast. of Africa, of the most atrocious nature, by moving that the trade in slaves from the coasts of Africa by Bri- tifh subjects ought to be imme-, diately abolifhed. Col. ‘Tarleton, and several others, opposed the motion, anc others warmly supported ir. At length Mr Dundas, after, acknowledging that the nation’ at large spoke a language that could not be understoed, and cught not. to-be resisted, with a view to reconcile all parties, proposed a middle course, by moving, as an amendment, that the word gradually be sub- stituted instead of zumediately. This motion, after some de- \ xiv bate, was carried by a conside- rable majority, and leave given | to bring in a bill to that effect. | Whether this proposition will , tend to reconcile the opposing parties, cannot be said till par- ticulars be more fully explain- ed; but it does not appear probable that things can be so| modified as to please both par- ties ; pofsibly it will please nei- ther. Mr Dundas in his speech hinted at the entire abolition of slavery, a particular that gives no favourable idea of the po- pularity of the measures pro- posed. Mr Pit and Mr Fox, both declared themselves to be decidedly against the amend- ment. On the 17th March Mr West was elected president of the royal academy, in the room ofthe late Sir Jofhua Rey- nolds. A mill has lately been in- vented in Yorkthire, by which cordage is manufactured, from the size of whip cord to the Tar.est cable, (which, to make in the common way, will re- quire eighty hands, ) and whic by this new machine may be completely managed by ene man. Fifty thousand pounds were subseribed in the space of twen- ty minutes, at a meeting of the gentlemen and landholders at! Harborough in Leicesterfhire, lately, for the purpose of ef- fecting a navigable canal from that place to Leicester, Il for historical chronicle.” A general court “of proprie- _tors of the Sierra Leone com- pany, was held at the London tavern on Wednesday last, for the annual election of directors the year ensuing. The court was numerously and most respectably attended. The di- rectors having read the body of instructions given by them to the superintendant and coun- cil at Sierra Leone, and re- ported in detail what had taken place since last meeting, and particularly their purchase of a large {hip forthe purpose of remaining on the coast as a re~ ceptacle for such of their of-, ficers and settlers as might | not be provided with proper ae- commodations during the rainy season, the thanks of the court were unanimously voted to them, for their unremitting. exertions in promoting the in- terests of the company during, their past direction; and the. same gentlemen were, with the like unanimity, re-elected di- rectors for the ensuing year. , The instructions for the su- , | perintendant and council, com- prised the code for the inter-: nal government of the infant. colony, and were spoken of with much praise, as a compos: sition replete with wise and philanthropic regulations as: for’ their elegance of diction, About L. 200,000 have al- ready been raised towards the pee of this company ; and the subscripticns are tebe con~' > era ee historical chronicle, Xv tinued open till the 3oth of] of them resolutely attempted April and then closed, The price of sugar is fallen near 20s. percwt. Refined and raw sugars are a drug on the market. One rider of Bris- tol, who on his circuit usually received orders for one hundred hogfheads, returned last week with orders for seven hogtheads only ! Not only a more cco- Nomical wse of this article in most, but its total disuse in many families, has been the consequence of the late mono- poly, and exorbitant price of this necefsary luxury ! The account of the lofs of the boat belonging to the Ot- ter sloop of war, on the re- cruiting service, off Scarbo- rough, is untrue, and origina- ted from her being mifsing seve- ral days from the sloop. Sub- sequent advices, received at the Admiralty from the Lieu- tenant on board the boat, give intelligence, that having been beat about in tempestuous wea- ther for three days, fheat length put into Sunderland without the lofs of a single hand.— Captain Hope of his majesty’s fhip, Race-horse, now in Leith toads, before he left Shields receiveda letter from the officer who commanded the boat, in- forming him that he had wea- thered the gzle, and arrived safe at Sunderland. Last week, two gentlemens’ servants, returning from hunt- ing somewhat intoxicated, one | ‘o crofs the water of Leven, in Fife, at hal*flood, but having quitted his horse he was drowned. March 30. ‘This week two highway robberies have been attempted in this neighbour- hood.—On Monday evening, about eight o’clock, as a young man was coming on horseback, fromm Leetholme to this town, a fellow jumped over a hedge near Hoanrig, and ordered him to stop, at the same time aimed a blew at him ‘with a bludgeon, which fortunately mifsed him, but hitting the horse made the animal run off at full speed. Immediately a pistol was fired, and a whistle with a call given, which the young man supposed had been done by an accomplice; but clapping spurs to his horse, he escaped without seeing more of them. On Wednesday night,aman coming from Lang- ton to this town was attacked about the same time of the night, and near the same place, and a pistol fired at him, but he also escaped by the fleet- nefs of his horse, without any personal injury. By the Howe packet, arri- ved April 1st, we have recei- ved letters from Lifbon, which give a very particular account of the queen of Portugal’s health. We learn of Dr Wil- lis’s arrival there, and of the general estimation in which “XV ‘he is held by all descriptions | of persons. The queen is much the same as for -some time past; but Dr Willis has pronounced her species of dis- order to be such-as to give him hopes of a recovery, ‘The whole management of her per- son is confided to his care, and he has recommended fhort ex- ‘cursions on the river, by way of. exercise. Her majesty goes abroad every day in a gondola (a kind of boat,) which is inclosed, so as to pre- ‘vent the people from seeing the queen. The emperor’s death was “formally notified on Wednes- «A day, 27th March, to his ma- jesty at St James’s, by the imperial Envoy, The court mourning for the late emperor of Germany will go out on Thursday the rath April. The emprefs of Germany, we are given to understand, sick of the world, retires to a monastic cell, so soon.as_/he has witnefsed the coronation of her gon! The old lady polsefses some of the spirit of our late countefs of Coventry. Who knows but. the brilliant sight may reconcile her to the world again ? The death of Sir George Pocock in some of the papers is contradicted.. That vete- ran is in a very bad state of health, from which his very Brstortcal chronicle, advanced age gives‘little’ hopes of his recovery. Sir George Pocock was for- merly in the list of admirals, but his name has been with, drawn, (for what xeason we could never learn) many years. In the war before last, he ser- ved a considerable time in the East Indies, and acquired a fortune, with the reputation of an active brave officer. Sir George is the second of the elder brethren of the Trinity House, having been chosen in the year 1766. He has been a knight of the Bath mate the year 1761. On the 24th current, a boy about two years of age, was found floating in one of the ca- nals at Luncarty. He had fallen unperceived, and when found had no signs of life remaining. It was supposed he had been at least half an hour under wa- ter. He was immediately put into warm blankets before a fire, his body was rubbed with spirits, particularly his sides, and about the stomach; in fifteen minutes some faint con- vulsive motion was observed in the face, but no other symp- tom of life, till half an hour after, when he gave a deep sigh. The rubbing was conti- nued, and burnt feathers appli- ed to the nostrils, and in half an hour he began to breathe, aad to the astonishment of e- very person present, he by de- grees revived, and is now well. it heienemeniell eee SHORT CHRONICLE OF EVENTS. ForeIcn. War between France and Ger- many. For many months past the French have fhown a decided inclination to carry on a war The prema- in Germany. ture death of the emperor, and of the king of Sweden, conjoined with the ferment in the Netherlands, and the de- bilitated state @f Rufsia, after so long a wart, seem to have been judged by them circum- stances too favourable to their views to be let pafs without avail ; they have therefore pre- cipitated measures at the pre- sent time as much as pofsible, ' and, on the 2ist April, the ~ national afsembly came to an _ unanimous resolution to de- clare war against the king of Hungary. From the same considerations they will no doubt make what haste they can to carry it into effect. far as respects national inte- rests, it is impofsible to fore- see; but it is too plain that VOL. Vili. How this war may end, in as! ' fhe calamities it will bring} upon harmlefs individuals will be great and irreparable. This war seems indeed to threaten private individuals with distrefses that for more than a century past have been but little known in Europe. May God grant that our fears in this respect prove to be ili founded ! While so many others have reason to dread the effects of these commotions, the- people of Britain have reason to thank heaven, that, as indivi- duals, they cannot be imme- diately affected by them; and they have reason to hope that their rulers will be endowed with so much common sense as not to involve them in this quarrel, as ‘anation. Attempts will no doubt be made to in- veigle us to take a concern in this businefs; for hitherto we have been at all times so for- ward.and have so freely contri- buted ourmoney in every con- tinental quarrel, that the same conduct will be hoped for at present: But the nation judged so wisely with’ regard to our | xVili late proposed interference be- tween Rufsia and the Porte, that it is to be expected a portion of that wisdom will be exerted to save us on the present occasion. The sums that we have madly expended in support of the House of Austria, within the present century, are inconceivably great, and can scarcely be e- -qualled by any thing but the sums we have found necefsary to apply in order to humble that same power after we had exalted it too much. The fhare that Britain’ takes im continental affairs, under pre- text of preserving the badance of power, (a combination of magical words that has fas- cinated one half the nations of -Europe for some centuries past) may be compared with the concern Penelope took m. her famous web; in raising up one power we only cut out businefs for ourselves to pull him down again. Let us therefore leave those who are disposed to fight at pre- sent at full hberty to take their full swing, while, like a wise people, we attend to our own proper businefs alone. Should this, however, take place, perhaps it might be deemed a greater revolution in the ideas of our cabinet | historical chronicle. t the disturbances they hope to be able to foment in the Au- strian Netherlands ; and as Britain guaranteed the treaty that secured them to that House, it will be contended that we fhall be under the ne- cefsity of taking a concern in this quarrel. It would seem, however, that this argument could not be conclusive. This war, on the part.of Austria, seems to havebeen by no.means unavoidable; fhe was under no obligation to support the emi- grant princes ; butif fhe chooses voluntarily to involve herself | in difficulties, is it just that we fhould be obliged to partici- pate in the calamities that her own obstinacy alone has brought upon her? Surely no.} The benefits of peace are to us inestimable. In spite of three succefsive armaments since the last peace, which have accumulated nearly twice as much frefh national debt as the minister has been able to pay fof, our revenue, in consequence of . the peace, has a prospect of soon accu- mulating to such a degree, as- to enable us to do much more than we have hitherto done in clearing old scores. But if we fliall, as formerly, be con- tinwally anxious to run our head into freth quarrels, adieu counsels than the revolution | to all these pleasing prospects ! that has taken place in France. | If Britain persists in peace, The French, it is very | her industry will accumulate plain, place great’ reliance 01} to an astonifhing degree, and . historical chronicle. her prosperity be proportion- | ally augmented ; but if me | must engage in foolifh wars, an effectual check must be gi- ven to these beneficent enter- prizes. Let the nation, there- fore loudly demand peace. If they do so, and are steady in this demand, the minister w2// —nay he musé listen to their voice. ' Sweden. Advices were received on the 15th of Jast month atthe se- cretary of state’s office, from Robert Liston, esq. Britith en- voy at the Swedifh court, stating that the king of Swe- den died on the 29th of March. The greatest part of the} slugs had. been extracted, and appearances indicating a reco- very were visible for about a week after he was wounded. But pact of d rusty nail, and some small pieces of iron, had penetrated whiere it was dan- gecous and diilicult to follow them. His majesty was apprised ef the certainty of his death several days before it took place; he bore the tidings of his doom with great fortitude and resignation; he retained all his mental faculties till the last, and gave orders about the arrangement of govern- ment and other important af- fairs, with great composure Thus has fallen in his forty- fifth year, by the hands of an afsafsin, Gustavus 1. of Hol- xix stein-Gottorp, king of Swe- den, who was to have headed armies against the new con- stitution of France. He was a man of great per- sonal accomplithments, and of extraordinary taleats, either for the cabinet or the field: He was pofseised of much pe- netration and duplicity ; nor was he !efs remarkable for an insinuating addrefs. The young king, who was instantly on his father’s death proclaimed Gustavus iv. king of Sweden, is anly fourteen years old, but he has discover- ed great and promising abili- ties. As yet no men of high au- thority are found to have had any dhare in the plot. They are chiefly young men, all noble indeed, but noblemen: ‘of desperate fortune. The following are the names of some of the conspi-- rators °\ Ankerstroem, the actual mur-- derer. i Baron Koldenhern. Count Horn. Count Rebbing. Aldermen Bjorkmann and A- legrin, Baron Watstrenna. And major general Bechline;. Their examinations, have commenced before M. Litlan Spar. The corpse of baron Bielki,. one of the conspirators, who had poisoned himself, was: xX drawn on a sledge through Stockholm and hung ona gal- lows. March 30th his majesty’s will and codicil were apened. By the latter he appoints all those who were of the former regency to act as counsel to his brother, the duke of Sn- dermania, who is sole regent until his son (the present king) marries or comes of age ; re- commends the duke to get the former done as soon as pof- sible ;—but he itmits the duke net to make any nobles, on any account, or create any Knights of the orders of Swe- den, except military, and those only for metitorious actions in case of a war. The new king has received homage from the inhabitants of this city, and appointed baron Armielt to be gover- nor. The physicians on opening the king’s body found a square bullet and two nails sticking between the ribs. Madrid, Don Francisco Monino, go- vernor of the council of the In- dies, and brother to count Florida Blanca, is disgraced. He was ordered on the 21st of March to quit Madrid instant- ly, and to repair toa small town in La Mancha. He is deprived of ail pensions. ' March 28. Her Catholic majesty was this day safely delivered of a sen,-—who has ' historical P ee / chronicle. Mis been baptised by the name of Don Phillip. ‘Poland. The diet was opened on the 15th of March, with ap- pearances highly* favourable to the new constitution. Seve- ral deputies, who had formerly protested against it,erazed their protests from the registers ; and it was resolved unanimous- ly to celebrate the 3d of May next, the anniversary of the revolution, by a public thanks- giving. A very salutary regulation has just been adopted there, not to allow their dead in fu- ture to be buried within the walls of towns, or in churches, where the smell proceeding from the bodies might be ei-* ther ofiensive, or injurious to health, but to have their burial places enclosed at a dis- tance from towns in the open air. Turin. Tranquillity had been com- pletely restored there on the goth March. ‘I'wenty-iour of the rioters had been condemn- ed to the gallies, and six o- thers were expected to be pu- nifhed with death. Morecco. The emperor of Morocco died on the 14th of last month, in consequence of the wounds received by him in the last battle ; and his competitor Sidy - Muley - Aichem, over whom he was then victortous, historical chronicle. was expected to die of a wound in the leg, the ampu- tation of which had been too longdelayed. Sidy-Muley- Silama, another brother, who had retired to a sanctuary near Tetuan, was looked to as the future emperor. ; Domestic. Ow the gth April John Kim- ber,of the Recovery slave thip, (whose conduct in the Afri- can slave trade was the sub- ject of much animadversion in the house of commons,and pret- ty general conversation out of it,) was brought before the sit- ting magistrate at Bow-street, charged with the murder of two ‘negro women on their pafsage from Africa. After a long ex- amination, he was fully com- mitted to take his trial at the Old Bailey. The Providence frigate, with the afsistant tender, left the Cape of Good Hope the last week in December, to proceed on his voyage to Otaheite. | Captain Bligh was then perfect- | ly recovered; but two of his crew, a seaman and ‘marine were left ill at this Cape. ‘The *mutual explanations which have pafsed between the courts of London and Paris, on the subject of the engagement between the fri- ) gates in the East Indies, have ' settled the subject amicably _ and henourably. xxi The wise and provident di- rectors of the Sierra Leona company, have engaged Mr Aszelius, demonstrator of bo- tany at Upsal, toreside at Sier- ra Leona for two years, for the purpose of collecting new and extraordinary plants; whereby not only the colony, but this country also, may hope to reap very considerable improve- ments and additions to the present stock of useful and agreeable knowledge. - Orders are sent down from the Admiralty office to Ply~ mouth, to prepare a slip fur laying the keel of a new first rate, of a hundred and twelve guns, in the royal dock yard at that place. The three fine libraries of the late earl of Bute go into different hands. Thatat Lu-’ ton Hoo, one cf the most magnificent in the kingdom, is the present earl’s; those at High Cliff, and at the house in South Audely-street, are left to two younger sous. The velsel carrying the mail from Copenhagen to Hamburgh, has been sunk by the ice in the Great Belt. Thirty thousand rix dollars partly belonging to the king, and partly to the merchants, have been lost in her. The salmon fitheries on the coast of Northumberland and Yorkthire, have been greater year than ever before During the last fort- this knowa. xii night, upwards of ffly thousand have been taken. The last accounts from) New South Wales are said! to be of a dreadful nature. The whole scttlement- were | put upon fhort allowance, on. account of the extreme scar- city of provisions, and the, crops pared at Port Jackson, exe of the most uniavour- able kind ; the most promising not likely to yield three buth- els for one sown; and, in ma- uy parts, even the seed was not expected to be returned. Norfolk island did not pro- duce corn enough for its own inhabitants. In fhort, the prospect of the whole settle- ment was deplorable in the extreme. In consequence of these ac- counts, orders are said to have | been senté te Portsmouth, that the fhips destiged for that place thould be detained. A Paris pager dated Sun- day, April 8,,alter stating the particulars of the late affair in the East Indies, aiserts that our minister has sent out er- ders to try Sir Richard Stra- chan fer his conduct 5 and_a- pologise to the French na- tion jor the outrage offered to their flags? ut Governor Brooke, of St elena, in his dispatches to the Court of Directors, men- tions, that a French hip cail- ed the Bengal, was arrived there: in her way to France, we Ve a & historical chronicle. s] which left the Malabar coast the latter end cf January, and | brings advice that Chittel- i droog was certainly taken ‘from Tippeo, in which vast | supplies of grain, and sums of specie had been found. The. ‘captain mentions also, that the Mahrattas were very ac- tive in our cause, and had’ furnifhed our army with plen- ty of horses to remount the cavalry ; that lord Cornwallis was in his way to, if he had net already besieged Seringa- patam ; that Tippoo was much difheartened; -and that very great desertion prevailed thro” ali his army. The clerks in the State Of- ice for foreign affairs, most of whom have been many years) in oitce upon very small sa-. laries,' (shough chie tly mar- l vied men with large families} have lately had their salaries increased. For this; act ‘of humanity and benevolence, ey are greatly beholden to the generous exertions of his grace the duke ox Leeds, their jate princival. Extract of a letter from on. board the Avtel at Titlicberry, Dec. 23. 179i. “ We are now keeping: a fharp look cut on this coast, and da ily expect the Trench commodore here, who-has an equal force, and probably wiik resent the insult te their flag, in which case we have every reason to expect an obstinate: F | 7 Prd ‘engagement. We have every thing ready for action at a moment’s notice, and conse- quently exercise our men e- very day at the great guns. However we can do them but little mischief, unlefs we meet a {hip of our own rate.” The keels of three new fhips, designed for the East Andia company’s service in the Bengal and China trade, have been lately laid down in the river, whose tonnage very much exceeds that of a- ny merchant thips heretofore built in this kingdom. Among the improvements intended in the Covent Gar- den new theatre, the one {fhil- ling gallery is to be omitted. The commilsioners for re- ducing the national debt, since the new powers given them by the late act have been put in force, purchase on an ave- rage about L. 14,000 stock per day, which is just double the quantity suey, used to buy in before the additional L. 400,009 ‘surplus of the public revenue was appropri- ated to that purpose. The fheritis and the grand juries of Lancafhire and Che- thire have taken some decided steps in opposing the imposi- tions of several inn-holders who have raised the price of post- horses to 1s, 3d. per mile. ‘Vhe rise was supposed to be the more extortionate, as it was attempted at a time © historical chronicle. ee XxHi when corn was falling in ‘its price. By the Alfred Indiaman accounts from our infant co- lony, in New South Wales, have been received. The ground, by uncommon labour, had in some places been fer- tilized. Several bipeds, and a few quadrupeds, had beer discovered in the interior part of the country; but the natives continued so fhy, that governer Phillips was .afraid to venture far on discoveries. A complaint, which ended ia diarahcea, had, we are sorry to learn, been _ prevalent throughout the colony, and carried off several persons, chiefly convicts. The Etonians intend pre- senting Dr Davies, their late head master, with a superb piece of plate, in testimony of their grateful venerati- no. The mackarel fihery on- the coast of Cornwall has been abundant. Near thirty boats loaded with mackarel, sailed from Penzance about a fort- night ago, for Southampton, to be from thence conveyed to town, The common price eighipence per dozen. The pope has just ifsued a thundering bull against the French constitutional clergy. He allows them 120 days, during which if they do rot abjure their errors, he thr: at= ens to excommunicate then . ‘ \ historical chronicle. ° XXIV April 12. A general court was rev. Dr Edward Dupré, and held at the East India house. The chair was taken by Mr Baring precisely at twelve, and after the clerk had gone through the common forms of reading the minutes and bye- laws, ~ The chairman stated the conference he had held with Mr Pitt respecting the equa- lization of duties, and that the minister had given a decided opinion that nothing at present could be done to alleviate the rate of duty payable on sugar imported from the East In- dies. Extract of a letter from Jersey, April 1. ** Every body in this place waits with the utmost impa- tience for the decision of the royal commifsioners who were sent to Jersey in August last, for the purpose of examining whether atrial by j jury would be practicable in this island ; and to make such. other fawe and regulations as might be conducive to its welfare and prosperity. The states have deputed john Dumaresa, esq. advocate of the royal court, and representative of the pa- rifh of St Peter’s, to confer with the commifsioners, and to hasten the decision as early as pofsible; and have also ap- pointed a committee to cor- respond and to give directions to te said John Dumaresq, consisting of Mefsrs Lear Priere and le Couteur, jurats 5 le Couteur, rectors; and |Vefs. Pipon and te la Taste, con- stables.” The Portuguese begin to consider Dr Willis a greater man than the pope ; and it is with the utmost difficulty that the priests are able to prevent the people from wor- ihipping him. ‘They have hit upon one expedient, however, but it ob- tains credit very slowly, to regain their ascendency. It is this—they have declared that at the intercefsion of the holy mother church, the pope inspired Dr Willis, and gave him an anotnted crofs, which as soon as the queen touched fhe was cured. April 26. A duel was fought yesterday se’enight near Paris, betwen two mem- bers of the National Afsem- bly, Mefsrs Gouvion and Cho- dieu, in consequence of some’ harth language which pafsed between them on the subject of the soldiers of Chateau- vieux, in the Aisembly on Monday the oth; they were accompanied by seconds, and fought with pistols. —M. Gou- vion had the first fire, which proved fatal to his antagonist. M. Gouvion has since not only resigned his seat in the national afsembly, but has |also quitted Paris, where the magistracy have decreed ho- /nours and triumphs to the ' murderers of his brother. ——_ INDEX. A. Account of a voyage to the Hebrides, 81-173-209-280 Anecdotes, 39-80-113-191-223-254 *266-311-330 Anecdotes of brigadier Resen, 242 —of Péterthe Great, 244—of the emperor Severus, 254—of marifhal de Toiras, 255—of Alphonso king of Arragon, 255 Animal instinct, observations on, 9g Anti-farmer General on mercan- tile legislation, 256 Antiquities in Scotland, 53-94-286 Arcticus on brigadier Resen, 201-242 on Peter the Great, 244 —— Scoitifh literature, 313 Arts, Gc. intelligence respecting, 228-264 »—— in India, intelligence re- specting, 32 “Baya, remarkable Indian bird, description of, 18 “Benbecula island, account of, | 211 -Blanchet abbé, memoirs of, with a portrait, 1-48 {Boydell’s views on the Thames, Forth, Clyde, and Severn, an account of, Britain, political improvement of, 41-161-233 remarks on ditto, 170 ‘Brodie’s chart of the German ocean, an account of, -Buchan, earl of, card from, letter to G. Wathington, ic lig 232 119 142 _Cannay island, account of, 176 Caouchouc,-experiments on, 73 Card from the earl of Buchan, 11319 hicorium intybus, 2.63 Correspondents, acknowledge- ments to, 40-80-120-200-272-412 Course of reading, observations on, 126 Curious discovery, 1$ Description of a view near Edin- burgh, 294. Dictionary, a:specimen of, 179 Disquis tions on the uses of the dhunes in Scotland, , 56-94-2386 Dhunes,remarks on, 53-94—con- jectures concerning their uses, 56 —considered ast as watch towers, 57—-2d as forts, 59 —3d as habitations of princes, g3—ath as places of worthip, 286—a different kind o 339 Docility of animals distinguifhed from tractability, 17 Dog, his singular attachment to man, Downie’s charts of Scotland, ac- count of, 228 Drowned persons how torecover, 273 Dutch government at the Cape of Good Hope, 256 Dyer’s weed, culture of, Earth-worm, physiological que- ries respecting, 137 Entails observations on, 333 Eulogium on the minister, 150 Exercises on practical grammar, 179 Experiments on chicory, 268 Fine arts, intelligence respecting, 113 Fragment, 253 Frederick the Great,reflections of, 23 G. Grammar, exercises in, Gregory’s history of England, account of, 179 116 . RXVI Andex,. Grumio on some Englith novels;132 M.' Guida stientifica, by Mr As- Macleod, captain, his improve- tore, account of, 76 ments in Herries, 286 Gustavus 111. memorandums Memoirs of abbé Blanchet, of with a portrait, 121 with a portrait, 1-48,—of g H. brigadier Resen, se ZOE ! Hebrides, voyageto,2 1-17 3-209-28c | Memoran@ums of the king of Herries isle, account of, 280 Sweden, witha portraic, 125 Hints respecting the treatment Minister, eulogium on, 150 of persons apparently drown- Miscellaneous reflections of ed, 273 Frederick the Great, 23 ‘Hint to traders in wood, 111 | Miscellaneousremarks on some Horse and chicken, remarkable eminent writers, 218 attachment to each other, 11 | Morison’s Thomsen, ris “Hume’s history by Bower, 113 | Mull island, account of, 173 Japan, netices concerning, _ 299 | Naval affairs, i17 Improvements in India, * 32 | Nifbet, John, on different India, intelligence respecting + breeds of theep, 20 arts in, . - ib. } Notices pennies: Japan, 299 Inguirer, on the sarplar or oO. \ surple, 222 | Obseryations—on animal in- - Instinct of animals, observati- stinct, 5—on different kinds ons on, 9| of fheep, 20—on the politi- Tntelligence respecting arts in. cal improvement of Britain, India, 32—the pe-la, 34— * 41-161-233—on Watson’s respecting literature and arts history, 86,—on a course of 75-228-264—the fine arts. 113 reading, 126—on some Eng- Internal structure of the anci- lifh novels, 132—on the salt ent dhunes illustrated, 55 laws, 146-192 ° Isert’s travels in Africa, re- Opium, mode of obtaining in view of, 183] Europe, 304 Juridicus, his ironical letter in Original memoirs of brigadier © praise of b—k—tcy as a.bu- _ Resen, 205 sinefs. 318 | Ofsian’s poems, remarks on, K. 212-215 Keeps of Anglo Saxons and P. ; dhures compared, 9% | Pe-la, or Chinese wax, intelli- g