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this he replaced them in a glafs hive, where they foon began to work as ufual. The queen laid eggs, which, to his great furprife, were impregnated; for he imagined he had feparated all the drones, or males, and therefore omitted watching them; at the end of twenty days he found feveral of his eggs had, in the ufual course of changes, produced bees, while fome had withered away, and others were covered with honey. Hence he inferred, that fome of the males had efeaped his notice, and impregnated part of the eggs. To convince himfelf of this, he took away all the brood comb that was in the hive, in order to oblige the bees to provide a frefl quantity, being determined to watch narFowly their motions after new eggs fhould be laid in the cells. On the fecond day after the eggs were placed in the cells, he perceived the fame operation that was mentioned before, hamely, that of the bees hanging down in the form of a curtain, while others thruft the pofterior part of the body into the cells. He then introduced his hand into the hive, broke off a piece of the comb, in which there were two of thefe infects; he found in neither of them any fting (a circumftance peculiar to the drones ;) diffection, with the affiftance of a microfcope, he difcovered the four cylindrical bodies which contain the glutinous liquor, of a whitish colour, as obferved by Maraldi in the large drones. He was therefore now under a neceflity of repcating his experiments, in deftroying the males, and even thofe which might be fufpected to be fach,

upon

He once more immerfed the fame bees in water, and when they appeared in a fehfelefs ftate, he gently preffed every one, in order to diftingufh thofe armed with ftings from thofe which had none, and which of courfe he fup pofed to be males of thefe laft he found fifty-feven, and replaced the fwarm in a glafs hive, where they im

mediately applied again to the work of making cells, and on the fourth or fifth day, very early in the morning, he had the pleasure to see the queen bec depofit her eggs in thofe cells: he continued watching moft part of the enfuing days, but could difcover nothing of what he had feen before.

The engs after the fourth day, in ftead of changing in the manner of caterpillars, were found in the fame ftate they were the first day, except that fome were covered with honey. A fingular event happened the next day, about noon; all the bces left their own hive, and were feen attempting to get into a neighbouring hive, on the ftool of which the queen was found dead, being no doubt flain in the egagement. This event feems to have arifen from the great defire of perpetuating their fpecies, and to which end the concurrence of the males feems fo abfolutely neceffary; it madė them defert their habitation, where no males were left, in order to fix a refidence in a new one, in which there was a good flock of them.

To be further fatisfied, Mr Debraw took the brood-comb, which had not been impregnated, and divided i into two parts; one he placed under a glafs bell, No. 1, with honey-comb for the bees food, taking care to leave a queen, but no drones, among the bees confined in it: the other piece of brood-comb he placed under another glafs bell, No. 2, with a few drones, a queen, and a proportionable number of common bees. The refult was, that in the glafs, No. 1, there was no impregnation, the eggs remained in the fame ftate they were in when put into the glafs; and on giving the bees their liberty on the feventh day, they all flew away, as was found to be the cafe in the former experiment; where as in the glafs, No. 2, the very day after the becs had been put into it, the eggs were impregnated by the drones, and the bees did not leave their hives on receiving their liberry.

The

--The editor of the Cyclopedia fays, that the fmall drones are all dead before the end of May, when the larger fpecies appear, and fuperfede their ufe; and that it is not without reafon, that

a modern author fuggefts, thata fmall number of drones are referved, to fupply the neceffities of the enfuing year; but that they are very little, if any, larger than the common bee.

Ode on the Popular Superftitions of the Highlands of Scotland. Written by the late Mr William Collins*.

leting many lines and words, and fubftituting others, which are written a❤ bove them. In particular, the great eft part of the twelfth ftanza is newmodelled in that manner. Thefe va riations I have marked in notes on the copy which is inclosed, and I think they fhould be printed: for literary people are not indifferent to informa tion of this kind, which fhews the progreffive improvement of a thought in the mind of a man of genius.

Ta meeting of the Literary Clafs of the Royal Society, held on Monday 19th April 1784, the Rev. Dr Carlyle read an ode, written by the Jate Mr Wm. Collins, and addreffed to John Home, Efq; (author of Douglas, &c.) on his return to Scotland in 1749. The committee appointed to fuperintend the publication of the Society's Tranfactions having judged this ode to be extremely deferving of a place in that collection, requested Mr Alex. Frafer Tytler, one of their number, to procure from Dr Carlyle every degree of information which he could give concerning it. This information, which forms a proper inrother to the poet in his laft illness, fays, duction to the poem itself, is contain ed in the two following letters.

This ode is, beyond all doubt, the poem alluded to in the Life of Col lins by Johnson, who, mentioning a vifit made by Dr Warton and his bro

"He fhewed them, at the fame time, "an ode, infcribed to Mr John Home, "on the fuperftitions of the High Letter from Mr Alex. Frafer Tytlerlands, which they thought fuperior to Mr John Robifon, General Secretary of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

A

DEAR SIR,

Tthe defire of the Committee for publishing the Royal Society's Tranfactions, I wrote to Dr Carlyle, requesting of him an account of all fuch particulars regarding Mr Collins's poem as were known to him, and which were, in his opinion, proper to be communicated to the public. I received from him the inciofed anfwer, and he transmitted to me, at the fame time, the original manufcript in Mr Collins's handwriting. It is evidently the prima cura of the poem, as you will perceive from the alterasions made in the manufcript, by de

"to his other works, but which no " fearch has yet found." Collins him felf, it appears from this paffage, had kept a copy of the poem, which, confi dering the unhappy circumftances that attended his laft illness, it is no won der was miflaid or loft; and, but for that fortunate hint given by Johnson, it appears from Dr Carlyle's letter, that the original manufcript would, in all probability, have undergone the fame fate.

Struck with the fingular beauty of this poem, of which, I believe no man of tafte will fay that Dr Warton and his brother have over-rated the merit, I could not help regretting the mutilated form in which it appeared; and, in talking on that fubject to my

Tranfactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

friend

friend Mr Henry Mackenzie of the Exchequer (a gentleman well known to the literary world by many ingenious productions) I propofed to him the talk of fupplying the fifth ftanza, and the half of the fixth, which were entirely loft. How well he has executed that tafk, the public will judge; who, unlefs warned by the inverted commas that distinguish the supplemental verses, would probably never have discovered the chafm. Several hemiftichs, and words left blank by Mr Collins, had before been very happily fupplied by Dr Carlyle. These are likewife marked by inverted commas. They are a proof that this poem, as Dr Carlyle has remarked, was haftily compofed; but this circumftance evinces, at the fame time, the vigour of the author's imagination, and the ready command he poffeffed of harmonious numbers. I am, dear Sir, Yours, &c.

I

To Alex. Frafer Tytler, Efq.
SIR,

SEND you inclofed the original manufcript of Mr Collins's poem, that, by comparing with it the copy which I read to the Society, you may be able to answer moft of the queries put to me by the Committee of the Royal Society.

The manufcript is in Mr Collins's handwriting, and fell into my hands among the papers of friend of mine and Mr John Home's, who died as long ago as the year 1754. Soon after I found the poem, I fhewed it to Mr Home, who told me that it had been addressed to him by Mr Collins, on his leaving London in the year 1749:

That it was haftily compofed and incorrect; but that he would one day find leisure to look it over with care. Mr Collins and Mr Home had been made acquainted by Mr John Barrow (the cordial youth mentioned in the first stanza,) who had been for fome time at the University of Edinburgh, had been a volunteer along with Mr Home in the year 1746, had been taken prifoner with him at the battle of Falkirk, and had efcaped, together with him and five or fix other gentlemen, from the caftie of Down. Mr Barrow refided in 1749 at Winchefter, where Mr Collins and Mr Home were, for a week or two, together on a vifit. Mr Barrow was paymaster in America in the war that commenced in 1756, and died in that country.

I thought no more of the poem till a few years ago, when, on reading Dr Johnfon's life of Collins, I conjectured that it might be the very copy of verfes which he mentions, which he fays was much prized by fome of his friends, and for the lofs of which he expreffes regret. I fought for it a mong my papers; and perceiving that a ftanza and a half were wanting, I made the most diligent fearch I could for them, but in vain. Whether or not this great chaẩm was in the poem when it firft came into my hands, is more than I can remember at this dif tance of time.

As a curious and valuable fragment, I thought it could not appear with more advantage than in the Collection of the Royal Society. I am, Sir,

O D E.

Your most obedient fervant, ALEX. CARLYLE.

thou return'ft from Thames, whofe Naiads long

H Have feen thee ling'ring, with a fond delay,

Mid thofe foft friends, whofe hearts, fome future day,
Shall melt, perhaps, to hear thy tragic fong.

Go, not unmindful of that cordial youth

Whom, long endear'd, thou leav'it by Lavant's fide;

See the preceding letter from Dr Carlyle.

Together

Together let us with him lafting truth,

And joy untainted with his deftin'd bride.
Go! nor regardless, while these numbers boast
My fhort-liv'd blifs, forget my focial name;
But think far off how, on the fouthern coaft,
I met thy friendship with an equal flame!
Fresh to that foil thou turn'ft, whofe ev'ry vale
Shall prompt the poet, and his fong demand:
To thee thy copious fubjects ne'er fhall fail;

Thou need' but take the pencil to thy hand,
And paint what all believe who own thy genial land.

II.

There muft thou wake perforce thy Doric quill,
'Tis Fancy's land to which thou fett'ft thy feet;
Where ftill, 'tis faid, the fairy people meet

Beneath each birken fhade on mead or hill.
There each trim lafs that fkims the milky ftore
To the fwart tribes their creamy bowl allots;
By night they fip it round the cottage-door,
While airy minstrels warble jocund notes.
There every herd, by fad experience, knows
How, wing'd with fate, their elf-fhot arrows fly;
When the fick ewe her Summer food foregoes,

Or, stretch'd on carth, the heart-fmit heifers lie.
Such airy beings awe the untutor'd fwain:

Nor thou, though learn'd, his homelier thoughts neglect;
Let thy fweet muse the rural faith sustain :

These are the themes of fimple, fure effect,

That add new conquefts to her boundless reign,

And fill, with double force, her heart-commanding ftrain,

III.

Ev'n yet preferv'd, how often may'st thou hear,
Where to the pole the Boreal mountains run,
Taught by the father to his lift'ning fon

Strange lays, whofe power had charm'd a Spencer's ear

At ev'ry paufe, before thy mind poffeft,

Old Runic bards fhall feem to rife around,

With uncouth lyres, in many-coloured veft,

*

Their matted hair with boughs fantastic crown'd:
Whether thou bid'ft the well-taught hind repeat
The choral dirge that mourns fome chieftain brave,
When ev'ry fhricking maid her bofom beat,

And ftrew'd with choiceft herbs his fcented grave;
Or whether, fitting in the shepherd's shiel †,

Thou hear'ft fome founding tale of war's alarms;
When, at the bugle's call, with fire and fteel,

The sturdy clans pour'd forth their bony fwarms,
And hoftile brothers met to prove each other's arms.

* First written, relate.

IV,

A kind of hut, built for a Summer habitation to the herdsmen, when the cats

Be are fent to graze in diftant pastures.

IV.

'Tis thine to fing, how framing hideous spells
In Sky's lone ifle the gifted wizzard “fits *,”
"Waiting in" wintry cave "his wayward fits t

Or in the depth of Uift's dark forests dwells:
How they, whofe fight fuch dreary dreams engrofs,
With their own visions oft aftonish'd § droop,
When o'er the wat'ry ftrath or quaggy mofs
They fee the gliding ghofts unbodied troop.
Or if in fports, or on the feftive green,

Their "piercing " glance fome fated youth defcry,
Who, now perhaps in lufty vigour feen

And rofy health, fhall foon lamented die.

For them the viewlefs forms of air obey

Their bidding heed **, and at their beck repair.
They know what fpirit brews the ftormful day,
And heartlefs, oft like moody madnefs ftare
To fee the phantom train their fecret work prepare.

V.

tt" Or on fome bellying rock that fhades the deep,
They view the lurid figns that cross the sky,

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a Where, in the Weft, the brooding tempefts lie,

"And hear their firft, faint, rustling pennons fweep.. "Or in the arched cave, where deep and dark

"The broad, unbroken billows heave and fwell,

"In horrid mufings rapt, they fit to mark

"The labouring moon; or lift the nightly yell
Of that dread fpirit, whofe gigantic form
"The feer's entranced eye can well furvey,
"Through the dim air who guides the driving ftorm,
"And points the wretched bark its deftin'd prey.
Or him who hovers, on his flagging wing,
"O'er the dire whirlpool, that, in ocean's wafte,
Draws inftant down whate'er devoted thing
"The failing breeze within its reach hath plac'd-
"The diftant feaman hears, and flies with trembling hafte,
VI.

Or, if on land the fiend exerts his fway,
"Silent he broods o'er quickfand, bog, or fen,
Far from the fhelt'ring roof and haunts of men,
"When witched darknefs fhuts the eye of day,
"And shrouds each ftar that wont to cheer the night;
"Or, if the drifted fnow perplex the way,

*Collins had written, feer.

« With

+ Collins had written, Lodg'd in the wintry cave avith-and had left the line imperfect: Altered and the chafm fupplied by Dr Carlyle.

Firft written, gloom.

Firft written, afflicted.

A blank in the manufcript. The word piercing fupplied by Dr Carlyle.. * First written, mark,

tt A leaf of the manufcript, containing the fifth ftanza, and one half of fixth, is here loft. The chafin is fupplied by Mr Mackenzie.

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