BEING THE FIRST NUMBER OF VOL. LVIII. PART I

Crocufes begin to blow in warm fituations.-2 Chaffinch (fringilla celebs) and thrush (urdus muficus) fing. Beautiful vernal day. -3 Striped crocufes in full bloom.-4 Woodlavr 1 (Daphne laureola) in bloom.-5 Sky-lark (alauda arvensis) fings.-6 Hedge-fparrow (motacilla modularis) fings.-7 Bloom-buds of pears much enlarged. Violets in bloom. Yellow crocufes in high beauty.-9 The opening buds of the weeping willow (falix Babylonica) give a greenifh caft to the tree. Our late frofts in the fpring of en detroy thefe earl eft appearances of returning foliage.-12 Perfian iris and elm tree in bloom. - Male yew-trees dufty with farina. Rooks (corvus frugilecus) build.-12 While poplar in bloom. Brimstone and brown butterflies (papilio rhamni & cortica) appear.13 Greenfinch (loxia chloris) fings. Bees frequent crocules.-14 Forward apricots in bloom, The fky-lark warbles high And, leffening from the dazzled fight, His trembling thrilling extacy; Meits into air and liquid light.

T

(3

THE

Gentleman's Magazine:

For JANUARY, 1788.

BEING THE FIRST NUMBER OF VOL. LVIII. PART I

Mr. URBAN,

M

the explanation of an altar, a medal, or a conventual feal; difquifitions which I own, to me, form one of the most entertaining parts of your Mifcellany, and on which, on hiftory, topography, and other branches of antiquities, I do not fee what room there can be for illiteral perfonalities and uncandid frictures. In fubjects of religious controverfy, indeed,

Mr. B. complains; but in this inftance it would be easy for you to reject the obnoxious papers, or adopt his plan quoad boc. If thefe few hints, feflinanter et aurooxidiasi fcripta, prevent the general adoption of Mr. Bs fcheme, I fhall think myfelf happy in continuing Your Occafional Correspondent.

Jan. 1. XXXR. BERINGTON, wellknown to the world by his "Hiftory of Abeillard and Heloife," and many other ingenious and interefting publications, having propofed (LVII. 1044) that, in future, no anonymous contributions shall be received into your valuable Mifcellany; I am one of a -quæ tantum potuit fuadere malorum, large number of your readers and cor- I confefs I have fometimes been offendrefpondents, who, knowing the weighted with faults fimilar to thofe of which which every thing muft have that falls from fo refpectable a pen, are much alarmed left his propofal fhould be carried into execution. But a moment's reflection will convince Mr. Urban, that fuch a fcheme would be greatly to the prejudice of himself and his readers. At prefent, Sir, your publication is the only one in Europe, which is conftantly filled with entertainment and inftruction from a variety of authers, who can expect neither fame nor profit from their communications: but, if Mr B's plan were permanent, your Magazine would foon fink to the level of other Magazines, must be filled with infipid ftories, trifling anecdotes, piracies from other publications, or a pitiful detail of the fafhions, and confequently, inftead of being circulated through all the learned part of Europe, must be confined to the perufal of teeble amateurs, or ladies' maids. For a numerous tribe of your correfpondents, thofe who are invited by the iecrecy of the publication would immediately with draw their contributions; and many others would be ahamed to meet the world openly on fo trivial a fubject as

IT

Mr. URBAN, Jan. 2. T was recommended, vol. LVII. p. 1044, that all your correfpondents fhould fign their real names; a recommendation to which I prefume, Sir, you will never attend. The very utility and excellence of your Magazine confits in the opportunity it gives to men of fcience or literature to inveftigate fubjects without the necefhty of ftanding forth as the authors. Some names, I will readily grant, might be given to the publick without any inconvenience; and whether I or your correspondent fign our names, our initials, or atlume fictitious ones, may be of little importance; but I fhould be forry to lole the entertainment and improvement your Magazine affords by the arbitrary in junction Mr. Berington propoles. It

ought

ought to be a fufficient fecurity to your
readers, that the candour and good
fenfe of the publifher fecures his work
from being the vehicle of malignity and
folly.
Yours, &c. D. R.

Mr. URBAN,

You

Jan. 5.

men

YOUR correfpondent B. B tions the fuccefs with which the late Dr. Battie administered a potion of mimickry to fome of his patients; nor can there be any doubt but that a cordial laugh, properly timed, may prove as beneficial in fomne cafes as any cordial whatever in the Materia medica; and I can assure you that Battie always carried that cordial about with him, though lately it was only here and there that he would adminifter it. In short, Mr. Urban, the Doctor was as good a PUNCH as he was a phyfician. At fchool, or at college, he was always in purfuit of what we call fun. Now, Sir, as it is agreed, that thofe who play at bowls must take rubbers, I cannot help relating a piece of funnery which befel the Doctor himself at Uxbridge, the place where he first opened his medical budget, and when his Fellowship of King's-college, Cambridge, and what little he could pick up in fees, were his whole fupport.

Mr. Tffe, a Fellow of the fame college, and a fellow-funfier alfo, having rode from London one morning to vilit his old chum, arrived when the Dr. was out upon his vifits, and, as a little rain had wetted his vifitor's wig, he called upon William to bring him the Doctor's old grizzle, and to put a duff of powder into his. But before that operation was compleated, the Doctor appeared in his well-dreffed tye. As foon as the mutual civilities were over, "Zounds," faid Battie, "Ralph, what a curfed wig you have got on!" "It is true," faid T. (taking it off his head), "it is a bad one, and if you will, as I have another, I will burn it." "By all means," faid the Doctor, "for, in truth, it is a very Caron." Accordingly, the fry went to the fire. Now, in thoje days frugality was neceffary, and the Doctor conftantly, upon returning home, uncovered his yarn under-stock

1

ings, and edged off his eye, that a oncea-week combing might do; and therefore, previous to his fkinning his legs, "Here, William," faid he, " bring me my old wig, and put up my tye." William informed the Dr. Mr. T. had got it. "And where is it, Ralph ?" Why, burnt, as you bid me." And thus it is, Mr. Urban, throughout all mankind. We can fee the fhabby wig, and feel the pitiful tricks of our friends, and yet overlook the diforder on which our own wardrobes often are left during life.

Now, Mr. Urban, you may, if you pleafe, clofe this account of an innocent piece of fun, unless the following additional anecdote may adminifter health to your many readers:

There was at King's-college, a very good-tempered, handfome, fix-feethigh parfon, of the name of L――t. He was one of the college chaunters, and the conftant butt at commons, in the hall as well as in the parlour. Harry dreaded fo much the fight of a gun, or a cafe of pistols, that fuch of his friends as did not care for too much of his company, always kept fire-arms in their room. The relater of this article, then fcarce a man, was encouraged by the reverend the Fellows to place himself at the corner of the chapel, with a gun loaded only with powder, and, as Harry went to prayers, to fhoot at him at the. diftance of about twenty yards. Unfor tunately, the gun being loaded with coarfe damp common powder, the whole of it did not burn, and poor H. L-t's face received a great many whole grains therein, and with fuch force as to remain in the skin. The fright, and a little inflammation, put the poor chaunter to bed. We were all much alarmed; and, left the report fhould reach the Vice-chancellor's ears, the good-tempered L-t was prevailed upon to fink the caufe of his diforder, and to be only ill. Battie and Banks (the only two fellow-ftudents in phyfic) happened not to be of the booting party, and were, therefore, called to the afliftance of the fick man. They found his face red, inflamed, and fprinkled with black fpots! that his pulfe was high, and his

We are not a little indebted to the good opinion of this and the preceding correfpond ent; and cannot help being of opinion with them, that the advantage of an anonymous fig‐į nature to thofe who are derous of trying their ftrength in our "Ulyffes his bow," prepons derates againit the obligation of adding real names. the fuft importance, when the name adds refpectability to the publication; and in this point There are cafes, however, and those of Every correspondent will confult and comply with his own feelings. Anonymous flander wẹ are ever ftudious to avoid. EDIT.

fpirits

fpirits low; and, after a ferious confultation on his cafe, they preferibed: and then being examined by the impatient plotters of this wicked deed, they pronounced it to be the black rash. This was a never-to-be-forgotten roaft for the two medical students. And, if we may add to this, that, after the Doctor had jaftly established a high reputation as a phyfician, he fent Mrs. Battie to Bath for a dropfy, and that the was cured by dropping a child at his door, it may give us a little insight into the practice of phyfic, and induce us to fay

with the Poet,

As improving wafte ground is a good deal the taste of the age, I fall be much obliged to you, to infert, in your ufeful and entertaining Mifcellany, the following account, which may not only be of ufe to my brother Farmers, but may likewife be a curious fubject of inveftigation to the ftudious in natural philofophy.

In October 1786, I bought thirty-nine ewe-fheep of three different perfons, and

at all affect the full-grown fheep, and at the fame time that the dams fhould almoft univerfally convey fo fatal a diforder to their young, is to me unaccountable; and I fhould be very glad to fee it explained by fome more intelligent perfon. This newly-reclaimed land is likewife very unhealthy for all horned cattle, generally bringing them into a violent lax. But it has the contrary effect upon horfes, which, I think, are fooner freshened and made fat there than upon other land. But as I have fome mares with foal, I fhould be very glad of fome of your correfpondents' opinion about the probable effect upon them; whether or no thefe young animals will be liable to the fame diforder with the lambs.

I imagine former cultivators of wafte grounds have experienced the fame effects, but I do not know that it was ever made known to the publick. Had I ever feen it, I certainly should not have ftocked my farm with fheep.

This land was fown with the best common hay-feeds that could be procured. I have fince been informed, that rye-grafs, not being of fo luxuriant a when fown upon land of this

let them run all the fucceeding winter 107 [wn not be attended with fuch

upon land juft laid down to grafs, after being recovered from a wild ftate. The foil was what is called here a black foil, a good deal inclined to the peat earth; but, when fown with oats and hay-feeds, in 1785, was very folid, and of good confiftence for pafiure, the year following. There were about 100 bushels of lime fpread upon every acre of it, when laid down. The fheep were very healthy all winter; but, when the lambs came into the world in fpring, though large and full-grown, they were almoft all either dead, or, having no ufe of their limbs, grew worfe and worfe till they expired, fo that only four of them lived to come to the butcher. But the ewes were always well, fattened regularly, and were all killed for mutton. There was only one crop of corn taken off this new land, which being of a loofe contexture, the grafs upon it grew very luxuriantly; and as this fort of grafs is generally esteemed very unwholefore for fheep, I fuppofe it must have been the caufe of this difagreeable effect.

The after-grais upon the fame fort of land was this year eat off by the wea thers, which have likewife fattened and done very well upon it. That this luxuriant growth of herbage should not

4

pernicious effects.

A FARMER,

MURBAN, Jan. 16. W people are unacquainted, that the numerous particular divifions of knowledge are only derivative branches from a leis number of more comprehenfive fciences. And it is an inconteftible truth, that, while we are ignorant of the principles of any primitive science which ferves as the bafis to fome other branch of knowledge, we can be only fuperficially converfant in that branch of knowledge, of the bafis of which we are by the fuppofition ignorant. This, Sir, leads me to an application of almoft univerfal extent, and of the last importance. There is fcarcely any thing in which our knowledge is more confined, and lefs clear and fitisfactory, than the general theory of motion, its origin, continuance, and communication. And fince almost all the compafs of human knowledge, at least fo far as relates to material objects, confifts in the cognizance of motion in fome or other of its varieties, it is evident that the defects of this theory muft pervade almost every other branch of enquiry, and that our knowledge of this or that particular fet or fyftem of motions, fuppofe a mecha

nical