plies. But if any man, said the blessed Saviour, drink of the water that I shall give him, that water shall be in him a well of water springing up into eternal life. Literary and Philosophical Intelligence, etc. Dr. Forster has conducted a variety of experiments to show that original and reflected light may be distinguished from each other by causing the object glass of a telescope to vibrate, so as rapidly to change the inclination of its plane to the object; in which case reflected light remains unchanged after its refraction; whereas original light becomes decomposed into its colours. The fixed stars gave coloured light; the planets white; though the latter might be decomposed like the former through a prism. The discovery will be applied to ascertain whe. ther comets shine by native or borrowed light. Dr. Johnson's favourite willow tree, which he always went to see when he visited Litchfield, was lately blown down. It is stated to have measured no less than twenty-nine feet in circumference. Captain Ross has sailed on another voyage for the discovery of the north-west passage. Tobacco is extensively planted in Ireland; and the quantity grown last year, if foreign and imported, would have yield ed $140,000 to the revenue. No duty is attached to Irish tobacco, but the growth is interdicted in England. Beet-root sugar can now be manufac. tured in France as low as three pence per lb. and is likely to be still cheaper. The process of boring for water is practised with great success in Paris. Two sheets of water flow beneath the Paris basin; one between the chalk and the green sand, the other at a greater depth. From the last of these the water is discharged at St. Ouen to the height of ten or twelve feet. M. Champollion writes from Monfalouth, "I went at sunrise to visit these hypogeums, and was agreeably surprised on finding a wonderful series of paintings, perfectly visible, even in the minutest details, on being damped with a sponge, and removing the fine dust which covered them. We set to work and gradually discovered the most ancient series of paintings in the world, relating to civil life, the arts and trades, and the military caste. The animals are painted with such elegance and truth, that we shall need the testimony of the fourteen wit ג nesses who have seen them, to induce people in Europe to believe in the fidelity of our drawings." This abode among the tombs has produced a portfolio of drawings, which already exceed 300 in number. The introduction of Christianity among the Hottentots has improved their charac ter almost to a miracle. Habits of cleanliness and industry have grown up among them. They exercise useful trades: the best forge in the colony belongs to a Hottentot, who has nine apprentices and three English journeymen; and the only asylum in the colony for the sick, the aged, and the poor, was built by Hottentots, and at their expense. We bless God that these deserving men will no longer be the victims of colonial oppres sion; that the law at least protects them; and we doubt not there will be found just and benevolent persons to see that it is enforced for their benefit. Oyster Trees.-The Seville, or bitter orange tree, abounds on the margin of the island of Jakel, situated in the mouth of the Altamaha river, in Georgia; and the lower branches being submerged in the waters of the river at times when it is high, thousands of oysters attach themselves to them, and thus, when the tide falls, present the curious phenomenon of that testaceous fish growing on them, as part of the fruit of the orange tree. What adds to the singularity of the appearance, says from which we learn the above particuthe Mississippi Statesman and Gazettelars-is the fact, that the upright branches of the tree are frequently found abounding in their natural fruit, while the lower ones present strange looking clusters of their marine adoption. An account of a similar phenomenon is given in the subjoined passage from a work, entitled "A Voyage to South America in 1823," "On a branch of the river Tomboz, in Peru, a singular appearance is presented by the oysters which line its banks. The reader has heard of that extraordinary tree in Numington, so large that a coach and horses can be driven with ease through its hollow trunk!-of that wide spreading oak at Nismes, said to cover an acre of ground!-as also of the far-famed Indian Upas, so baneful in its effects that instant death would attend the temerity of that traveller who should approach within five miles of it, and whose vicinage is covered with the dead bodies of the animals, reptiles, birds, and insects, which have ventured within the sphere of its contagious influence! But has he ever heard of the oyster tree?-a tree on which oysters were the fruit. Nay, start not, gentle reader. This branch of the main river that I have been speaking of is so lined with trees and underwood as almost to exclude the rays of the sun. The branches of these trees, like the weeping willow, grow downward: at high water, the tide rising and falling six or seven feet every twelve hours, and overwhelming the low lands, these branches become partly immersed in the water. Thou sands of oysters attach themselves to them, and at low tide they are seen suspended several feet above water, and present a curious spectacle. We plucked two boat loads of this species of marine fruit, which, though small, nearly equalled those of the Chesapeake." In Harte's Essays the following passage occurs. It is an extract from one of Bishop Latimer's discourses, preached before Edward the Sixth, and as it relates to the Bishop's own personal history, and is also a just picture of the ancient yeomanry, and moreover shows the familiarity with which a king might be addressed in those days, it is curious. "My father was a yeoman, and had londes of his own, onlye he had a farme of three or four pound by yere, at the uttermost; and hereupon he tilled so much as kepte halfe a dozen men. He had walke for a hundred sheps, and my mother mylked thirty kine. He was able, and did find the kynge a harnesse, with himselfe and hys horse, whyle he came to the place that he should recyve the kynge's wages. I remembre that I buckled hys harnes, when he went into Blackheath felde. He kepte me to schole, or elles I had not been able to have preached before the kynge's majestie now. He marryed my sisters with five pounde, or twenty nobles a pece; so that he brought them up in godliness and fear of God. He kepte hos pitalitie for his poore neighbours, and sum almess he gave to the poore, and all thys did he off the sayd farme." This sermon was preached about the year 1550. Rumford Premium.-The following article, from a Baltimore paper, relative to the Rumford Premium, should be widely circulated, for the information of our men of science. The reward proposed, is, both in a pecuniary and honorary view, one of the most brilliant ever offered for the competition of scientific effort. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, in conformity to their vote cepting the donation of Count Rumford, will at their statute meeting in May next, take into consideration the discoveries and useful improvements which may come to their knowledge, which shall have been "made and published by printing, or in any way made known to the public in any part of the continent of America, or in any of the American Islands, during the preceding two years, on heat or on light;" and will award to the author of the most important discovery or improvement the Rumford premium, of a gold and a silver medal of the value of three hundred dollars, and the farther sum of about fifteen hundred dollars in money, it being the interest of the said donation for the two years. Application for this premium, founded on any discovery or improvement, coming within the conditions prescribed by Count Rumford, addressed to the offcers of the society, will of course be duly attended to. Dry Atmosphere.—All over the southeast part of Persia, to within a few miles of the Persian Gulf, the air is so dry, that the brightest steel may be laid bare to the atmosphere, at all hours, without the slightest shade in its brilliancy. To find a rose with a sparkle of dew upon it, from March to September, would be regarded almost equal to a miracle. Modern Authors.-It has been calculated, that at present, exclusive of occasional writers, there are upwards of 5000 authors in Great Britain, who rely solely on the productions of their brains for subsistence. Of these, a considerable number are connected with the periodical presses, in its various gradations, from the dignified quarterly and monthly publicstions, to the ephemeral of four pages, which lives its little hour and perishes forever. Of the aggregate number of authors, it is presumed that not more than 500 enjoy the comfort and respectability to which they are entitled by their talents, and the industry with which these are exercised. It is also found that, as in most other occupations, those who labour hardest obtain the most scanty remunera tion. Connexion of the Atlantic with the Pacifick.-Says a Bogota paper, "The Topographical Commission appointed to examine the obstacles which oppose the opening of a communication between the Atlantick and Pacifick, through the Isthmus of Panama, have informed the government that in their opinion one considerable dif. ficulty has vanished, in the discovery that the two seas have the same level; but, notwithstanding this, they consider the enterprise as not very easy to be accomplished. The present mode of communication would perhaps be preferable. The navigation of the river Chagres being im proved by means of steam boats, and a road constructed from Cruces to Panama, which is but seven leagues, and can be made passable for carriages, the course to the Pacifick would be very short. Even as the case is at present, Senor Hurtado, going with his family as far as Panama, has travelled from Jamaica to Buenaventura, (Popayan,) in only twenty days. Whatever may be the mode, the government of the Republick is disposed to encourage the projects which may be presented to facilitate the said communications across the Isthmus, and will give to the undertaking all the favour in their power, which will be compatible with the security and defence of the country. Cure of a Snake bite by common Hartshorn.-A physician, in a Calcutta paper, gives an account, of which the following Sugar Cane.-We have received from our friend Hartwell H. Tarver, Esq. a stalk of sugar cane, of a species called the riband cane, the growth of his plantation in Twiggs county, upwards of six feet long. Notwithstanding the unfavourable season, and the very late drought, this cane will bear a proud comparison with the product of Louisiana. We are informed, by the very intelligent gentleman who brought us this cane, that it is a fair specimen of his crop, of about twenty acres. We hope that Mr. Tarver's industry and enterprise will be an encouragement to his fellow citizens.-Milledgeville Patriot. Raisins.-The editor of the Troy, N. Y. Sentinel, says he has received specimens of raisins, prepared by Mr. Learned, of Lansingburg, from grapes raised this year in his own garden. They were made from the white Madeira grape, or sweet water, as it is usually called, and cost no and putting them twice into an oven after other trouble than cutting off the clusters baking bread. Dr. Spafford, of the same place, has also made excellent raisins from his own grapes this year, with very little trouble; one species of his grape is the same as that from which the bloom raisin is made. is an extract, of an instantaneous cure, by the use of hartshorn, of the dangerous bite of the species of snake called Karaite. "A young stout Hindoo, about 20 years of age, was brought to my house, accompanied by his mother, together with a crowd of natives, in a state of insensibility, and apparently dead, from the bite of Card-making Machine.-The invention a snake, which accident had occurred a of Mr. Amos Whittemore, of West Camfew minutes before my assistance was re-bridge, Massachusetts, formed a new era quired. The teeth of the patient were firmly clenched, and to every appearance he was at the last extremity. I immediately forced his mouth open, and poured into his throat an ounce of common hartshorn. This medicine acted like a charm -the insensibility vanished, and he instantly started from the horizontal into an erect posture-opening his eyes, yet seeming incapable of understanding what was passing. Half an ounce more of hartshorn was administered, after which he drew a deep inspiration, inquiring where he was, and the occasion of his having been brought to my house. He then drank plentifully of water, and every unfavourable symptom disappearing, he who had half an hour before been conveyed to me while in the jaws of death, I had the inexpressible satisfaction of seeing walk forth, followed by the crowd, and return home barely supported by the persons who had brought his apparently lifeless body to my house." The wound, which was in the ankle, was also washed with Ammonia. Straw is likely to become an article of value. Great quantities of it are now manufactured in Pennsylvania into wrapping paper. One manufacturer advertises for 1,000 tons. in the mechanical ingenuity of this country, and the real importance of the machine can hardly be estimated. As a piece of mechanism, it has never been excelled; strips of smooth leather and rolls of wire are placed in one end of the apparatus, and the intricate process of cutting the leather to the exact size and pricking the holes is performed, while at the same moment the wire is cut, bent, and the teeth are inserted in their respective places; the cards then come out, perfectly formed, and completely finished for immediate use, occupying but a few moments in the operation. We heard the old gentleman, a few months before his death, while confined to his house by disease, relate the particulars of the origin and completion of his design, with an enthusiasm that would awaken youthful ambition to exert itself in something more than a limited sphere. He mentioned, that three days, as well as nights, were constantly devoted to the making and completion of his model, all of which was done in his own house, and the fear of losing sight of his plan, prevented every thing like repose until it was completed: the original he preserved and exhibited to his friends in his last days, as an evidence of industry, to stimu 1 late the young to perseverance and exertion. For a number of years previous to his decease, he was feeble and much debilitated, and the great mental efforts and the intense and close application he made in bringing the machine to perfection, impaired his constitution, and produced a premature death. The proceeds of his ingenuity produced him something, but his wealth was far from being extensive, and little was left as the result of his arduous toil and intense mechanical research. Breakwater. We have before us a mo del of the Breakwater at Plymouth (Eng. land). This noble structure is 1700 yards in length, running nearly east and west, with an average width of 120 yards at the base, and 16 yards at the top. The expense, including piers, light-houses, &c. was £1,171,000, or $5,199,240. The general figure of the Breakwater is represented by this diagram: The only undertaking of the kind in this country, which will bear any comparison with the above, is the Breakwater erecting at the mouth of the Delaware. The figure will be nearly the same, the north side being 740 yards in length, the N. W. flank 440 yards, and the N. E. flank 580-total 1760, or 60 yards longer than the Breakwater at Plymouth. The angles which the flanks make with the cen tre are 135 degrees each. The estimated cubick feet of stone required for the undertaking is 26,908,646, and the estimat ed expense $2,326,627. The difference in the amount of stone required for this Breakwater and that at Plymouth, arises principally from the greater depth of water in the latter case. The mean depth of the harbour, to be created at the mouth of the Delaware, at low tide, will be 28 feet. Some portions of the walls are already within twelve feet of the surface. The slope of the interior side is to be in the ratio of half a yard horizontal to one perpendicular, and of the exterior side four yards horizontal to one perpendicular. The position of this Breakwater is near the South Cape of the Delaware, having between itself and the shore about half a mile of good anchorage. Either by the shore or the Breakwater all winds will be excluded, except those from the E. N. E. and a large space will be sheltered even from these. Religious Intelligence. The following extract of a letter, which we have been permitted to publish, we think interesting, as calculated to give important information, in reference both to the political and religious state of Buenos Ayres. It serves to show the real cause of those sudden and violent changes in the government, of which there have been frequent instances, and one of very recent occurrence. The mass of the people are so little sensible of the value of the elective franchise, that they do not generally even exercise it; and hence a few ambitious men are elected into office, and a convulsion ensues, from their opponents endeavouring to displace them--which it is not very difficult to effect, because the community at large care but little who are their governors. The radical cause of all is, that dreadful religious superstition and ignorance, in which the people have been educated; and a part of which is strikingly depicted, in the description contained in the following letter, of the mummery which constitutes the process of making a Nun. It will take some considerable time, before real republicans can be made of such materials. And yet this is the system which his misnamed Holiness of Roine, is labouring to introduce into the United States. Romanists may make good citizens or subjects of a free state, when An Extract of a Letter to a Lady in this Country, from a Friend in Buenos Ayres. "So little interest do the mass of the people take even in the elections, that in order to get them to attend at all, they are always held on Sunday, and the ballot box is placed in the entrance of the principal churches, so that they can vote and go to mass at the same time. Yet even so, only a fragment of the people attend, and the votes of this fragment are invariably in accordance with the wishes of the existing authorities, or of a few intriguing men. At the last election for representatives, the party decidedly and confessedly the minority, but which happen. ed for the time being to have the offices in their hands, gained the election, by several thousand votes. "The majority, or rather their leaders, refused to acknowledge the electiongot the offices into their own hands, and we are soon to have another election, in which, from the same voters, there will doubtless be as large a majority on the other side. "I do not mean, however, to give you a description of the political condition of those around me, nor should I have alluded at all to the subject, were it not that from a wrong impression on this point, far more is expected of this people, as respects knowledge and improvement, than ought to be-viewing them as they are. I have often been surprised that the influence of superstition over their minds has been so far weakened as it is, and that the priests have not been able more completely to stifle the spirit of inquiry, which is abroad among them, and which I trust is destined, under God, to bring them eventually into the light of his blessed gospel. "I mentioned to you in a former letter, an expected addition to one of the convents. Having expressed my desire of witnessing the ceremony, to the prioress, she promised to inform me when it was to take place, which she very kindly did, and I accordingly attended. The service VOL. VII. Ch. Adv. was introduced by a sermon, the prominent object of which was, to illustrate and enforce the benefits and blessedness of monastick seclusion. After this, mass was celebrated. This is a Latin service, accompanied by some ceremonies of the priests over the consecrated bread of the sacrament, which they are taught is the real body of Christ, and these ceremonies a real and efficacious offering of the body of Christ, for the benefit of those to whom the priest chooses to apply it; this service is performed daily, in most of the churches. Mass being ended, the nuns descended from the gallery, and entered at the further end of the room, separated from the body of the church by an open grating, so that they could be distinctly seen. The priests also retired to the side of the church most remote from the grate, and directly in front of it, and commenced the Latin service adapted to the occasion; which consists of short sentences, chaunted alternately by the priests and the nuns; and each as they sang their respective parts; slowly and solemnly approached the grate. The victim was in front of the nuns, led between two of the oldest, and clothed in the vestments of the tomb. The death-like paleness of her countenance and her white muffler, as she advanced, formed a strong contrast to the dark complexions and large black mantles of her conductors. The sisterhood followed in pairs, each carrying a larg wax candle lighted, in her hand. About a quarter of an hour was thus occupied in crossing the room, during which time, the ceremony far more resembled the conducting of a criminal to execution than any religious service. Indeed the ghastly paleness and sepulchral dress of the candidate, the slow and measured step of the procession, could hardly fail to impress the mind with the strong resem. blance of the whole scene to a publick execution. As they approached the grating a small door opened, which opens only on these occasions; the subject knelt on the threshold with a candle in her hand, and the provisor, who is the substitute for the bishop, read aloud the vows, to which she gave her assent, the whole sisterhood responding amen to every answer. The prioress then placed on her head a large black veil, as the sign of her final and perpetual seclusion from the world, and separation from all duties and interests without the walls of her cloister. The priest then pronounced a short benediction, and the door closed which separated her for ever from her family and friends, several of whom stood weeping without. She was then led to the other end of the room, when the ma, 4 C |