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though I do not conceive the improvement to be so great as the reverend writer supposes; as it appears to me only to increase the WEIGHT, and not the quantity of the bread.

I am, sir, with great respect,

Your most obedient, humble servant,

Observations by the Editor.

AMICUS.

No question that respects any of the phenomena of nature can ever be deemed unimportant by persons of a sound understanding; nor ought any thing that presents itself under that form to be ever rejected without examination, merely because it may chance to appear to us absurd or incomprehensible; for we should thus close for ever the inlet to knowledge in many of its most important departments; a striking illustration of which I shall here beg leave to specify, as I had it from the late ingenious Dr. John Gregory of Edinburgh.

When Dr. Gregory was a young man, he studied under the celebrated Mr. M'Laurin, who was then professor of natural philosophy at Edinburgh. Mr. M'Laurin used to have two classes, one for boys initiating into that science, the higher clafs being appropriated to young men who had made a considerable proficiency in science, to whom he communicated all the important discoveries that came to his knowledge. One day the profefsor, with more than his usual solemnity, told his pupils, that he had received letters from an old and much-esteemed correspondent in

mind; for they contained information respecting some alledged phenomena of nature that his correspondent said he had observed, which were so extravagantly improbable, and he thought indeed so near to impofsible, that he could not help suspecting that the intellects of his friend began to be deranged, and that he must have mistaken the phantasms of imagination for realities. He added, however, that the respect he bore his friend was such, that he was determined to try the experiments which he had recommended, as soon as he could get the necefsary apparatus prepared, though his expectations of succefs were far from being sanguine. He then read the letters, which contained a neat and distinct specification of some of the phenomena of electricity, and the means by which these might be produced. Those who advert to the state of science at that time, when the very existence of the electric fluid was not so much as suspected, and to the astonishing nature of the phenomena produced by means so seemingly inadequate, will not be surprised if a first relation of these phenomena should be received with some degree of scepticism. The apparatus, however, was made; the experiments were tried; and, to the astonishment of them all, were found to succeed exactly as they had been stated: nor did the ingenious professor fail to remind his pupils of the doubts he had entertained, and to warn them to be cautious how they trusted to their own prepofsefsions in declining to bring to the test of fair experiment such facts as were stated by persons worthy of credit, however improbable the alledged facts might seem.

But while we ought to guard against an obstinate

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Anecdote of Charles the Second.

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pyrrhonism on the one side, we should be equally on our guard against a too easy credulity on the other: nor should we ever admit a fact as such until it be incontestably proved to be so. We should never forget, on such occasions, the story that is told, on an occasion of this sort, of king Charles the Second, who liked a joke as well as any man.' As the story goes, this witty monarch proposed as a query for the royal society to solve, "What is the reason why a dead salmon is heavier than a living one?" When the day arrived on which this question was to be solved, the king himself attended to hear the arguments, learned difsertation was read, in which much physical, and more metaphysical talents were displayed, to account for this well-known phenomenon. But equal ingenuity was exerted to invalidate those arguments, and to establish another hypothesis in place of the first. This was again refuted in its turn: and so on they went, without giving any indications that they were ever likely to come to a conclusion. At last a grave member arose, who had hitherto taken no share in the debate, and, addrefsing himself to the president, said, “Sir, I beg leave, humbly to doubt the fact; and therefore I move, that all farther arguments on this head be postponed until the fact shall be proved to the satisfaction of this society, by the undoubted evidence of clear and satisfactory experiment." Aye," said the king, smiling, "had you begun with this, you might have saved yourselves a good deal of trouble; but at the same time you would have deprived me of a luxurious entertainment."

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respecting a circumstance like that of the poker alluded to, it may be a be a good reason for directing the attention to that subject, in order to discover whether the circumstance stated be really and truly a fact (for we ought ever to recollect that many notions of this sort originated in the dark ages of superstition). This point ought to be first established by demonstrative evidence, before any attempt shall be made to account for it. I, therefore, recommend to my correspondent and all my readers to begin by establishing the fact, viz. that the laying the poker over the fire does actually promote the ignition; when that is done, they may then try to account for it.

With sincere thanks for the polite attentions of this obliging correspondent, and the public in general, he is respectfully informed, that the Lucubrations of Timothy Hairbrain have been deposited in the Editor's bureau for several months past, where they have been suffered to remain, merely in compliance with the wishes of some correspondents, who exprefsed a dislike to the continuation of them. Should it seem to be the wish of others to have that concluding paper, it shall be given.

The printed letter that was inclosed seems to have obtained already as great a degree of publicity as its importance deserves, and is therefore here omitted.

Index Indicatorius.

A Young Inquirer, after exprefsing the satisfaction he has derived from the elucidations that have been given in this work respecting the gooseberry caterpillar, expresses a warm wish that similar information might

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be given respecting the means of destroying the other kinds of vermin that injure the produce of our gardens, particularly slugs, whose ravages, he says, have been peculiarly hurtful to him during the present season; especially with respect to his lettuces, which they have eaten up entirely, and have also committed great ravages upon cauliflowers, cabbages, &c. since they have been planted out in the spring season. quests, then, as a particular favour, that some directions may be given on this head.

He re

The directions that I should give on this subject would be by no means recommended by their brilliancy, for they would be all resolvable into the homely phrase, attention and care; but that care will prove more efficacious if properly applied than if it were given without due consideration and attention to the nature of the case. The clearing a garden from insects may be in many respects compared to the freeing it from seed weeds. It is a work of care and time, but it may be with certainty effected in most cases. In the one case as in the other they all spring from seeds, and if these seeds cannot be conveyed from a distance, the matter is best effected by taking care that the parents shall be destroyed as soon as they make their appearance, without allowing them to perfect their seeds. If this measure be steadily adhered to for a short time the very germ of life is destroyed, so that no trouble. can be given but from a chance straggler who may gain access, and which may soon be hunted out and destroyed. With winged insects and downy seeds this is indeed a matter of more uncertain success, but with creeping reptiles, such as snails and slugs, it