境

ty would have willingly made her brother her successor had she been able to achieve such a perilous undertaking. To this she was still further induced, in some measure, by her hatred to the house of Hanover, as well as by the intrigues of Bolingbroke, seconded by Mrs. Masham. It will scarcely be believed, that not only he and Oxford, but even Godolphin and Marlborough, kept up a secret correspondence with the court of St. Germaines. Notwithstanding all this, a price was proposed to be set on the head of the Chevalier de St. George, and her majesty actually consented to it, in case he should land in Great Britain or Ireland. It appears, from Macpherson's State Papers*, that he addressed a letter to the queen a little before her death, urging her to do him justice; but it is not recorded that any answer was ever received by him.

MISCELLANEOUS,

A REMEDY FOR APOPLEXY.

M. SAGE has lately stated in a memoir read to the National Insti tute at Paris, the efficacy of flour volatile alkali, in cases of severe apoplexy. "For at least 40 years," says he, "I have had opportunities of witnessing the efficacy of volatile alkali, taken internally, as an immediate remedy for the apoplexy, if employed on the first appear ance of the disease. One of the keepers of my cabinet, aged 72 years, robust, though thin and very sedate, was seized, while fasting, with an apoplexy. He fell down deprived of sense. When raised up, he had the rattles in his throat; his eyes were closed, his tace pallid, and his teeth fixt together. I drew out his under lip so as to answer the purpose of a spout, into which was poured a spoonful of water, containing 25 or 30 drops of flour volatile alkali At the same time two slips of paper, the edges of which were wetted with volatile alkali, were introduced into his nostrils. The teeth were speedily separated, and the eyes opened. A second dose of alkali was instantly poured down the throat. The rattles ceased; speech and recollection returned In the course of an hour the patient recovered sufficient to proceed without assistance about 300 paces to his own chamber. In another hour he got up, asked for something to eat, and has since experienced no return of the disorder." He reports another instance in the person of one of his friends, who was a great eater, and was struck with the apoplexy while at table. "The volatile alkali excited a vomiting; and after that had abated, the patient took 20 drops of volatile alkali in half a glass of wine. His senses returned, and in two hours he was able to walk in his garden.”

* Vol. ii.

Female Duelling-The famous duel between two French ladies, occasioned by mutual jealousy of each other, is no longer without a parallel. We must, however, enter our protest against the practice; for should it become general, the hearts of the rougher sex may be exposed, first to a fatal glance from a love-sick fair, and ultimately to a fatal bullet from an angry one. The following is the story as given in the Newspapers:-" A curious report is in circulation in the fashionable world. Two ladies in high life, having had a dispute at the Prince's fete, a challenge actually ensued, and the parties proceeded to Kensington Gardens, with their female seconds, who took with them a brace of pistols each, in their ridicules. The seconds having charged, by mistake put in the balls first. The Amazons afterwards took their ground, but missed fire, when their difference was adjusted by the interference of their mutual friends.”

Flight of Flamingoes.-Bamberg, July 15. On the 25th of last month towards evening, we were witnesses of the passage of a nume. rous column of foreign birds, of the most splendid plumage. The last rays of the setting sun added still greater brilliancy to their colour, of which the glowing red dazzled the eye. These birds were nearly equal in size to a swan; their necks were much longer than the neck of that bird, which is a bird of passage, in its wild state. It is likely that this was a troop of Flamingoes; of which kind some have lately been seen in the neighbourhood of Strasburgh. Birds of this species, which inhabit the hottest parts of Africa and of South America, have never before been seen so far north. The extraordinary and long continued heat of the present summer, has no doubt been the means of attracting them into our regions.

** This is a curious fact in natural history. It justifies the opinion that birds may roam over many degrees of latitude in a short space of time; and that their species may spread into many, and distant countries without difficulty. The instinct by which these Flamingoes were led to seek a congenial temperature in a distant clime, with the cause of their seeking it so far north, deserves the attention of philosophers, There is still much to be learned on the actuating principles of nature, notwithstanding modern discoveries: to this a faithful record of facts, may by accumulation essentially contribute.

Musical Elephant.-At Mentz, there is now exhibited an elephant of surprising intelligence. The musicians of the theatre gave him a concert. The first piece produced a deep sensation; but a solo on the horn, transported him. He was much agitated, beat time with his trunk, and accompanied the instrument with certain sounds.

Flying. The art of rising and moving in the air by means of wings, continues to engage the attention of a number of persons in Germany. At Vienna, the watchmaker Degen, aided by a liberal subscription, is occupied in perfecting his discovery. He has recently ta ken several public flights in the Prater. At Berlin, Claudius, a wealthy manufacturer of oil-cloth, is engaged in like pursuits: he rises in the air without difficulty, and can move in a direct line at the rate of 3 X

VOL. VII.

four miles an hour; but his wings are unwieldy, and he cannot tura round in them. At Ulm, a taylor named Berblinger, announced on the 24th of April, that he had, after a great sacrifice of money, labour and time, invented a machine in which he would, on the 12th of May, rise in the air and fly twelve miles.

Gentlemen Robbers in consequence of Gaming.—July 23. Lately was discovered at Pesth, a band of thieves of an unusual description; it was composed of men, by their birth and education, apparently above all suspicion. They took advantage of their ready admission among the fashionables to accomplish their practices. In their possession have been found stores of watches, rings, diamonds, snuff-boxes, false seals, and false papers. One of them was detected by an attempt to sell a pipe ornamented with silver, which was known to belong to a gentleman. They conducted their business in a very orderly manner. They had a treasurer, a book-keeper, &c. and kept a regular account of their receipt and expenses: to the value of about 150,000 florins in effects has been found in their hands. The Jews were the receivers (Anglicé the fencers) and buyers of the stolen property. The fury of gaming had led these criminals into this additional guilt.

Regulated Banditti.—In all the towns situated on the borders of the great forests of Germany, associations are forming for the apprehension of robbers. It is ascertained that the bands which infest Wetteravia, the Odenwald, and the Spessart, have communication with each other; and the troop which infests the forest of Thuringia is divided into thirty-two detachments, the lowest of which is computed at sixteen individuals. The booty they have made during the last three years, is computed at a million sterling. Rendered daring by long impunity, these brigands venture into many towns in the open day, and purchase their provisions, without the civil authorities, which they have impressed with the greatest dread, making any attempt to apprehend them. The citizens who enter into the above association, engage by an oath to denounce all who have any private correspondence with these pests of society, and to use every effort to apprehend and bring them to justice.

It is also said that the large bands of robbers noticed in the French and German papers, to stop the communication between Frankfort and the French territories, are said to be formed in considerable bodies of determined warriors, like the Spanish guerillas. They possess a large tract of ground in the Black Forest, and have seized convoys of artillery and ammunition crossing the Rhine, in their march to Poland from France.

Avalanche,-At Villeneuve, in the neighbourhood of the Lake of Geneva. The heavy rain that fell during the preceding month, is sup posed to have penetrated a part of the mountain in the vicinity of this town, and detached the summit from its base, as large fissures, three yards in width, were observable two weeks preceding. These appear. ances warned the inhabitants of their danger, and the most wealthy removed their families and effects; and the magistrates, persuaded

that the lives of the others were endangered, made such provision for them that they were enabled to follow. A short time evinced the prudence of this measure. On the 14th of June, at mid-day, the atmosphere being remarkably serene and clear, the summit of the Fources, covered with several hundred trees, suddenly gave way; the concussion was so loud, that the report was heard at the distance of eight miles. The ruins occupy the space of one mile and a quarter, including a part of the town of Villeneuve. At Vevay and Noville, the avalanche had all the effects of an earthquake, the houses being rocked, the earthenware broken, and the furniture displaced.

Substitute for Walnut-tree. The substitute lately discovered for walnut-tree timber, in the making of musket-stocks, is elm prepared, a great quantity of which is now at the Tower, making up; and two muskets, stocked with it, are now before the Board of Ordnance for their inspection. It is said, the elm stocks when thus prepared have double the strength of walnut-trees, and will be a saving to government of 80,000/. per annum.

Oliver Cromwell.-Some genuine manuscripts, several of which are in the hand writing of Oliver Cromwell, have been discovered in a chest containing the records of the town of Haverford West.

A gigantic or romantic rat-trap. The place in which rats harbour being carefully inclosed (says a correspondent,) and only one or two apertures left open, then let a trap-door be fitted to each, with a long string attached to it, so that the doors may be easily shut. It will then be necessary to decoy the animals in great numbers, by feeding and suffering them to feed therein, at stated times undisturbed. If the rat is as partial to anise as the cat is to valerian, this may be used with effect: if there be thousands in the neighbourhood, they may be thus allured to the place of execution, when the trap-doors being closed, it will be impossible for a single rat to escape, and then the most merciful mode of destroying them will be that of suffocation.

Sparrows have been decoyed in the same way, by suffering them. to feed in a common stable, to the door of which a string was attached, and the birds imprisoned at pleasure; but as it may be doubted whether it would be wise to reduce the number of these in any great degree, so it is possible that in the economy of nature even the rat may not be made in vain; he may have his use by devouring various substances tending to putridity, and the contamination of the atmos, phere, which escape the vigilance of hogs and ducks, and other scavengers of the surface.

French Chymist.-A French chymist lately arrived in London, has astonished our sugar bakers by his peculiar process for refining sugar. He effects in two or three days, what, according to the ordinary process, would occupy as many months. He can even produce the finest sugar from the present refuse of the sugar-house, without using any animal substance.

Two Cities.-M. Gropius, a native of Westphalia, has lately writ ten from Athens, relative to the ruins of two cities recently discovered in Asia Minor. He resided during the last five years in Greece, where he has been constantly occupied in researches amidst its ruins.

Bees. To take the honey from a common basket hive, without destroying the bees, it is recommended to place a new hive close to the old one, then, excepting the usual place of going in and out, to shut up carefully every other crevice through which they could find a passage. But at the same time a proper door or opening must be left in the new basket to admit of the colony following their usual occupations. When the old store-house has been filled, the little animals will begin to work in the new one; then some offensive matter should be immediately introduced into their old house, for the purpose of dislodging them completely-putrid meat, or the carcasses of three or four dead mice, or any thing that has a disagreeable smell, put in at the top, will soon cause them to do this and remove to the new one,

Count Rumford.-Count Rumford has invented what he calls a nolyflame lamp, consisting of a number of burners, with wicks flat like a ribband. and so placed at the side of each other, that the air can pass between them, at the same time that they are duly supplied with oil. These flat wicks covered with a large glass which rose several inches above the flame, yielded as much light as forty candles. Count Rumford though willing to give every possible information in his power, to any person willing to construct such lamps, acknowledges that his apparatus may be still capable of further improvement.

Croup and Hooping-cough.-A prize of 12,000 francs being offered in 1807, to that physician who should produce the best memoir on the croup, &c.; eighty-three memoirs have been received, among them two have shared the prize. being of equal merit; three are distinguished as extremely honourable to their authors; and the sixth memoir is marked by the proposal of a remedy. It is liver of sulphur, alcalized, a sulphur of pot-ash, recently prepared, and brownish. It is usually mixed with honey. The dose, from the attack of the croup to the decided diminution of the disorder, is ten grains morning and evening, to be diminished as the disorder abates; and towards the close, the morning dose only to be given.-The mixture of sulphur and honey to be made at the moment of using. Young children will suck it off the end of a finger; but it may be given in a spoonful of milk, or of syrup thinned with water; or as a bolus; grown children take it best in this form; it usually relieves in two days, but it must be continued some time after the cure for fear of a relapse. The lips and the anterior of the mouth are whitened by the liver of sulphur, and it imparts a warmth to the stomach as it arrives there.-The first dose most commonly occasions a vomit of a viscid or concrete matter, to which the sulphur gives a greenish tint. Infants at the breast may continue their customary nourishment-This medicine is also recommended in pulmonary catarrhs, and other affections of that class, for the purpose of obtaining further information of its effects.