British, used there to this day; such as gwrando, to hearken, the island of Corroeso like croesaw, welcome, Cape Bryton, the river Gwyndor, white water, and Pengwin, a white-headed bird, or rock. A later writer, Mr. WILLIAMS, believes Prince MADOC to have sailed up the river Orellana, and to have founded the dynasty of Peruvian Incas, from the resemblance of his name to Manco Capac, and of the latter's wife Mama Ocello, to the Welsh words Mam uchel, meaning high or exalted mother. Either hypothesis rests but on a slender foundation, when we consider the uncertainty of etymological distinctions, and how easy it is to find corresponding terms in different languages, apparently unconnected, except by their common origin, the Hebrew. We are informed by Mr. IMLAY (State of Kentucky, p. 377) of a nation inhabiting far up the river Missouri, in mannerș and appearance like the other Indians, but speaking Welsh, and retaining some ceremonies of the Christian worship; a fact believed by all the Western settlers, In Kentucky itself several ancient remains still exist, which seem to prove that country once inhabited by a nation farther advanced in the arts of life than the Indians; particularly entrenchments, a mode of defence never practised by those tribes. From the circles of wood in the trees, with which these trenches are overgrown, they must have been at least one hundred and sixty years old; and the Welsh are generally supposed to have formerly lived here, but being expelled by the natives, to have taken refuge near the sources of the Missouri. As yet, however, we have not sufficient data to ascertain the period of their settling here, or whether it was before or long after the æra of COLUMBUS. The scanty num

bers of the Cambrians being still lessened by the diseases of a climate even now unwholesome to Europeans, both their manners and language would soon be ab. sorbed in those of the aborigines; or not improbably they shared the same fate with the Spanish Garrison left by COLUMBUS in Hispaniola, not one of which he found alive on his return from Spain.

་། ་

ti.

NOTE XIV. L. 742.

Ere, wafted from afar, the warrior train,

THE common Honey Bee (Apis mellifica) tho' now so generally spread throughout America, is not among her native productions. There are indeed some species in Guiana, which gather delicious honey; but these have no stings, and construct their combs very differently. Both Indians and white settlers con

,.

cur in the tradition that bees were first brought from Europe; tho' when and by what means they know not. JEFFERSON's Virginia, p. 121. The Spaniards are said to have introduced them into Florida from the West Indies. American Trans, Vol. III. No. 31. Yet it is not easy to conceive how they could have been conveyed to that hot climate from Spain, unless in a kind of ice-house; since Mr. HUNTER assures us that "when he endeavoured to confine them in their hives "they became so restless as to destroy themselves." Phil. Trans. 1792, p. 134. The following mere theoretic hints were thrown loosely out by the author to a gentleman, who, having obtained a grant of lands in New South Wales, wished to take with him a few colonies of these industrious labourers. The hives, on shipboard, might be enclosed in a net-work cage, with meshes small enough to confine the bees, yet with sufficient area to allow them abundant air, and even to sport and wheel in narrow circles. To prevent their impatience in passing the torrid zone, the hives* might be removed to the darkness of the hold, and kept constantly covered with evaporating moisture; as is done to cool liquids in India. The bees would thus be preserved throughout the voyage, in an uniformly torpid state; as with us they are often wintered in cellars, to save the consumption of honey. Perhaps, indeed, all this trouble might be avoided by simply fixing the hives in a sheltered but airy part of the ship, and allowing their tenants to ramble about at pleasure. Having no sweets to tempt their either sense, they would probably take but short airings round their homes; especially if they were well supṛ plied with honey or sugared water, and an empty hive placed near to receive incidental swarms.

NOTE XV. L. 748.

Oft shall they swell a dark embitter'd comb.

IN an ingenious Paper by Dr. BARTON (Amer. Tr.V. No. 51. and NICHOLSON'S Journal, V. p. 159.) we find that several North American plants produce honey, which is injurious both to dogs and the human species. The usual effects are dimness of sight, or vertigo, delirium, ebriety, pain in the stomach and bowels, convul sions, profuse perspiration, foaming at the mouth, vomiting and purging, in some instances temporary palsy of the limbs, but very seldom death. The best mode of

* For this purpose the best hives would be those of earthen ware, as recommended by Mr. BONNER, only of more porous texture, to encourage evaporation, ·

treatment has not been as yet ascertained; tho' the similarity of symptoms would induce us to pursue the same plan as in counteracting other narcotic poisons. As in those cases, early vomiting, whether spontaneous or induced by art, removes the disease at once: and cold bathing, so useful in other spasmodic or convulsive affections, is employed with considerable advantage by both natives and Europeans.

The most noxious plants are Kalmia angustifolia, latifolia, and hirsuta; Rhododendron maximum; Azalea nudiflora; Datura stramonium; and Andromeda mariana. To the credit, however, of the last genus it should be mentioned, that one species (A. nitida of BARTRAM) affords abundance of excellent honey, and is thence called "honey flower" by the country people in Georgia and Carolina. The pernicious kind is usually distinguished from what is innocent by its crimson or reddish brown colour, bitter flavour, and thicker consistence; but in Florida and Carolina it is so similar in all these respects, that the hunters depend upon experience only, and at first eat very sparingly. The converse of this would appear in the "blood-red honey" found by Mr. BRUCE at Dixan, in Abyssinia, to which he ascribes no evil properties. Travels to the Nile, Vol. V.-The honey of our native heaths is also of a reddish cast; but more of this will be said in another place. The mischievous qualities are said to be destroyed by boiling and straining, or even by long keeping only; yet when made into metheglin, it was still as deleterious as ever. We cannot then concur with the poet, when he asks, "In the nice bee what sense so subtly true

"From poisonous herbs extracts the healing dew ?"

at least with regard to man. It is, however, much to be questioned whether this noxious honey proves so to the bees themselves. Dr. J. E. SMITH asserts that "the nectar of plants is not poisonous to bees." Syllabus to Botan. Lect.—And Dr. BARTON, though disposed to adopt the contrary opinion, gives instances to the same effect. Thus, a party of young men, induced by the prospect of gain, having removed their hives from Pensylvania to the Jerseys, whose vast savannahs were finely painted with the flowers of the Kalmia angustifolia, could not use or dispose of their honey on account of its intoxicating quality; yet "the bees increased prodigiously," an increase only to be explained by their being well and harmlessly fed. Nor is this opposite effect of the same plant on different animals any longer paradoxical, when we consider that the leaves and twigs of the Kalmias, so poisonous to sheep, horses, and horned cattle, are eaten with impunity by the deer and round horned elk. BARTON's Memoir, p. 166.

As most of the plants here enumerated are now introduced in our gardens, and the Datura (common Thorn Apple) has long become perfectly naturalized, they might be supposed to injure the British honey. Most probably, however, their proportion to the whole of the flowers in bloom is too small to produce any such inconvenience; whereas on their native continent they exclusively cover whole tracts of country, as instanced above in the Jerseys.

Eddowes, Printers, Shrewsbury.

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