liquor for a purple dye; though they treat of its birth, tell us how long it lived, how it was to be found, how that precious liquor was extracted from it, and prepared; yet the tincture of purple, known to the Ancients, was reckoned among loft fecrets. Hence it is, that the observations of one of our English writers on the purple dye, proceeding from a shell-fish very common upon the coafts of England, appeared a new thing. That fhell-fifh is only one of those kinds included under the word Buccinum by the Ancients, because the figure of those fhells is fomewhat like that of a hunter's horn. Pliny, lib. 7. c. 36. mentions two forts of fhell-fish, that afford a purple dye. The first are all the feveral kinds of small buccinum's; and the fecond, the fhellfish, called purpura, as well as the colour it affords.

M. de Reaumur obferved, that the latter fort is not to be found upon our fhores; but that they frequently afford a fmall kind of buccinum, the largest of which are about 12 or 13 lines long, and about 7 or 8 in diameter, in the thickest part of them. Thofe fhells wind in a spiral manner, like those of our garden-fnails, but are somewhat more extended.

As I was confidering the fhell-fifh of that kind upon the fhore, (adds M. de Rheaumur) I found a new tincture of purple, which I was not looking for. I obferved, that the Buccinum's were generally gathered together about fome. ftones, or under fome fandy arches formed by the fea; and that they lay there in fuch plenty, that one might take up handfuls of them; whereas they were difperfed up and down every where else. I obferved at the fame time that thofe ftones, or that fand, were full of finall grains, of a figure fomewhat like that of an elliptic fpheroid. Thofe grains were above three lines long, and above one line broad. They feemed to contain a white liquor inclining to yellow; a colour not much unlike that of the liquor taken from the uccinum's for a purple dye. This re

femblance, and the manner how the buccinums were, always gathered toge ther about thofe fmall grains, made me think that the fame grains might perhaps afford a purple dye, like that which is taken from this fhell-fish. I refolved to take a narrower view of those grains; and I perceived that some of them look. ed reddish. I immediately took fome from the ftones, to which they adhered very faft; and having squeezed their juice upon my ruffles, I saw no other colour but something yellowish, which I could hardly diftinguish in fome places. Some other objects made me forget what I had been doing. But casting my eyes accidentally upon my ruffles half quarter of an hour after, I was very agreeable furprized to see a fine purple colour in those places, on which the grains had been squeezed. I could hardly believe the truth of fuch a quick alteration; and therefore I took up again fome of thofe grains, but more carefully than I had done at first, having made choice of those that appeared to me whiteft, or rather not so yellow as others. I fqueezed them again upon my ruffles, in feveral places, and I faw no manner of colour that came near red. But looking upon my ruffles in about 3 or 4 minutes, I perceived they had all of a sudden a purple colour, as fine as the firft; which was fufficient to convince me, that those grains afforded a purple colour, as beautiful as that of the buccinum's.

M. de Reaumur having next made feveral experiments, to know whether that liquor would last as long as that of the baccinum's, observed that a cloth dipped into it, did not receive a purple colour till it was exposed to the open air. Notwithstanding all his experiments to know the nature of those grains, he could not discover it, but that their liquor might be drawn much more conveniently than that of the buccinum's by the antients, and that withal the benefit arifing from them would very much exceed that which the ancients reaped from the buccinum, as being infinitely more plentiful,

He

*XXXX*XXXXXXXX From the UNIVERSAL MAGAZINE.

Remarks on Swallows on the Rhine.
N the latter end of March, I took

terdam; a little below Bafil, the fouth bank of the river was very high and fteep, of a fandy foil, fixty or eighty feet

above the water.

I was furprised at feeing, near the top of the clift, fome boys tied with ropes hanging down doing fomething; the fingularity of these adventurous boys, and the business they fo daringly attempted, made us stop our navigation to inquire into the meaning of it. The watermen told us they were fearching the holes in the clift for fwallows, or martins, which took refuge in them, and lodged there all the winter, until warm weather; and then they came abroad again.

The boys, being let down by their comrades to the holes, put in a long rammer with a screw at the end, as is used to unload guns, and, twisting it about, drew out the birds. For a trifle I procured fome of them. When I first had them, they seemed stiff and lifeless. I put one in my bofom, between my skin and shirt, and laid another on a board, the fun fhining full and warm upon it. One or two of my companions did the like.

That in by bofom revived in about a quarter of an hour; feeling it move, I took it out to look at it, and faw it ftretch itself on my hand, but, perceiving it not fufficiently come to itself, I put it in again; in about another quarter, feeling it flutter pretty briskly, I

Remarks by Mr. Collinfon.

What I collect from this Gentleman's relation is, that it was the practice of the boys annually to take these birds, by their apparatus and ready method of doing it; and the frequency of it was no remarkable thing to the watermen.

ments, that fome of this fwallow tribe go away, and some stay behind in these dormitories all the winter. If my friend had been particular as to the species, it would have fettled that point.

From the UNIVERSAL MAGAZINE. The Method of extrafing the Virtue of Hops in Brewing.

SI deal pretty largely in the hop

cate, through the channel of your useful collection, an injurious charge that is often brought against me by most of my customers, and which, I doubt not, is as frequently the cafe with others in the fame way of trade; for tho' I always give the best price, and am a fufficient judge which are the best goods, yet, when I have retailed them out to my customers, feldom a week pafles but fome of them complain of the exceffive sweetness of their ale, and the intolerable bitterness of their small beer.

Our 'fquire the other day fwore his ale was like honey, and his fmall beer like foot; and became in such a paffion with me, that all I could say to his Honour could not appease him.

I defired leave to examine his butler in what manner he brewed; to this he confented; but at the fame time faid he would be bound to be hanged if any

Mmm 2

The clay may be supposed to act only as a fubftance of exceeding small particles, which being diffused through the whole interstices between the particles of water, adhere, by their clamminefs, to every animal or vegetable substance they meet with, and carry them to the bottom. There the animal and vege. table particles, the only putrefcent ones, are fo far feparated from one another, by the intervening clay, that they no where come in contact in fufficient quantity to bring on a regular putrefaction, but rather diffolve into an uniform fubftance with the clay.

There are great naval purposes to. which this discovery may be applied.

From the UNIVERSAL MUSEUM.

Some Account of Sir John Barnard.

IR John Barnard's first appear ance on the public stage, on which he afterwards made fuch a distinguished figure, was in the year 1722, when he was chofen one of the reprefentatives in parliament for the city of London; a truft, which he continued to enjoy during the fix fucceeding parliaments, and which he always difcharged with equal integrity and ability. In 1725, he received the thanks of the cominon council, for opposing a bill, introducing a change in the method of conducting elections in the city of London. In 1727, he was chofen alderman of Dowgate-ward, in the room of John Crowley, Efq; deceased, who had enjoyed that office but a few months. Next year he prepared and prefented to the Commons a bill for the better regulation and government of feamen in the merchants fervice.

In 1730, the court of Vienna having begun a negotiation in England for a loan of 400,000 pounds, a bill was propofed and enacted, prohibiting all his Majesty's subjects from lending any fum

of money to any foreign prince whatever, without licence obtained from his Majefty, under his privy seal, or some greater authority. Violent oppofition was made to this bill, by a great number of members; among whom Mr. John Barnard (for the dignity of knighthood he obtained afterwards by his own merit) made no inconfiderable figure. He observed, that if the bill should pass in its prefent form, it would, in his opinion, open a channel for the Dutch to carry on a very lucrative branch of bufinefs to the prejudice of England: that the bill ought abfolutely to name the Emperor as the power prohibited to borrow; for that, otherwise, all the other states of Europe would think themselves equally effected by this act, which would give it the air as if England was at war with all the world that he was, by no means, for making the Exchequer a court of inquifition; he conceived it to be equally odious and unconstitutional, that subjects should be obliged to accuse themfelves, and thereby incur the most fevere penalties*; he knew, indeed, there were fuch precedents already, but that was fo much the worfe; precedents could not alter the nature of things; and he thought the liberties of his country of more confequence than any precedents whatever.

:

In the debate upon the famous excise scheme, projected by Sir Robert Walpole, in 1733, Sir John fhewed himself not more zealous for the trade of his country, than jealous of the honour of thofe, by whom it is principally conducted. While this affair was depending in parliament, the merchants of London, having been convened by circular letters, repaired to the lobby of the House of Commons, in order to folicit their friends to vote against the bill. Sir Robert Walpole, piqued at the importunity of these gentlemen, threw out fome reflections against the conduct of thofe, whom he supposed to have been the means of bringing them thi

ther;

ther; and at the fame time infinuated, that the merchants themselves could be confidered in no other light, than that of sturdy beggars. This expreffion was highly refented by all thofe in the oppofition, and particularly by Sir John Barnard, who made the following anfwer: "I know (faid he) of no irregular or unfair methods that were used to call people from the city to your door. It is certain that any set of gentlemen, or merchants, may lawfully defire their friends; they may even write letters, and they may fend those letters by whom they please, to defire the merchants of figure and character, to come down to the court of Requests, and to our lobby, in order to folicit their friends and acquaintance against any scheme, or project, which they may think prejudicial to them. This is the undoubted right of the fubject, and what has been always practifed upon all occafions. The honourable gentleman talks of stur dy beggars: I do not know what fort of people may now be at the door, be cause I have not lately been out of the house; but I believe they are the fame fort of people that were there when I came last into the house; and then, I can affure you, I faw none but fuch as deferve the name of sturdy beggars as little as the honourable gentleman him self, or any gentleman whatever. It is well known, that the city of London was fufficiently apprised of what was this day to come before us: where they got their information, I know not, but I am very certain, that they had a right notion of the scheme, which has been now opened to us; and they were fo generally and zealously bent against it, that, whatever methods may have been used to call them hither, I am fure it would have been impoffible to find any legal methods to prevent their coming hither." In a word, he made fo ftrenuous an oppofition to this unpopular and unconstitutional scheme, that, in conjunction with other members, he obliged the miniftry entirely to lay it afide.

In 1735, he moved for leave to bring

in a bill to limit the number of play. houfes, and restrain the licentiousness of players, which was now increased to an amazing degree; and though the bill miscarried at that time, it was yet, about two years after, enacted into a law, which ftill continues in force. In 1736, he ferved, with his brother in-law, Sir Robert Goodschall, Knt. Alderman of Bifhopfgate-ward, the office of Sheriff of the city of London and county of Middlefex. Next year, he formed a scheme for reducing the intereft on the national debt; a project, which, though it did not, at that time, fucceed, was, nevertheless, afterwards carried into execu tion, to the great emolument of the trading part of the nation,

In 1738, he served the high office of Lord Mayor of London. During his mayoralty he had the misfortune to lose his lady, who was buried in a very grand manner at Clapham church: the children belonging to Christ's-Hospital, of which he was many years President, attending the funeral through the city. Upon the death of Sir John Thomson, Knt in 1749, he removed, pursuant to act of common-council, and took upon him the office of alderman of Bridge-wardwithout, and then became in name, as he might already be confidered in reality, the Father of the city; and in July 1758, to the inexpreffible regret of his brother aldermen, and of all his fellow citizens, he refigned his gown.

In the fame year, upon the motion of Sir Robert Ladbrooke, then Father of the city, the thanks of the court of aldermen were given to Sir John Barnard, and expreffed in the following terms: "It is unanimously agreed and ordered, that the thanks of this court be given to Sir John Barnard, Knt. late one of the Aldermen and Father of this city, for his constant attendance and falutary counfels in this court; his wife, vigilant, and impartial administration of juftice; his unwearied zeal for the ho nour, fafety, and profperity of his fellow citizens; his inviolable attachment to the laws and liberties of his country; and for the noble example he has fet

of