3. Gathered ripe ftrawberries.-4. Fox-glove in bloom.-5. Cuckoo-fpit (cicadula) upon different plants.-8. Grafs has grown much in the course of last week.-11. Gathered a Provence rofe.-12. Several Fields of hay-grafs cut.-13. Thunder at a distance.-14. Barley in the ear.-16. Bees fwarm.-17. Wheat in the ear. Thermometer 96 out of doors four o'clock P.M. Hay harvest become general. Fall of rain, 1 inch 5-10ths. Evaporation to the 23d of the month, 3 inches 7-roths 1 after that, owing to accident, no certainty. Walton near Live pæl, METEOROLOGICAL TABLE for July, 1794. Height of Fahrenheit's Thermometer. J. HOLT. Height of Fahrenheit's Thermometer. July 12 67 13 69 86 69 63 ,28 fair 65 ,01 fair 14 66 78 63 64 16 64 75 63 66 17 18 ,26 fair 19 5566 OMN +0000 ∞ 8 84 66 68 92 30,18 69 78 68 78 68 79 21 22 2 2 2 2 2 23 3456 24 25 26 W. CARY, Optician, No. 182, near Norfolk-Street, Strand. THE Gentleman's Magazine: For JUL Y, BEING THE FIRST NUMBER OF T Mr. URBAN, Dryburgh Abbey, July 12. HE very long intermiffion of my correfpondence with you has been owing to my particular engagements in literature, which have prevented me from contributing to your useful undertaking. Being of opinion, that the wide diffemination and extenfion of useful knowledge in both fexes, in all ages and ranks, ought to be the primary object of every friend to humanity, I have uniformly, with my illuftrious friend the Great Wahington, been a promoter of cheap and well-digefted periodical publications. I have, for three or four years paft, furnished a good deal of matter for Dr. Anderfon's Journal in Scotland, called The Bee; which, from fome difficulties in the circulation of it, has been lately fufpended by the Editor. Juft attachment to my own country induced me to give a preference to that Journal; but now, finding myself difengaged, I chearfully reaffume my literary connexion with the Gentleman's Magazine, that truly chafle and refpectable repofitory of crudite and ufeful information. As a beginning, I fend you a truly interefling letter of the worthy Dr. Franklin. Nothing, in my opinion, can more furely tend to produce peace, induftry, and happiness, in Britain, than an interchange of citizens with congenial America; and whoever difcourages that interchange must be confidered as no friend to the happiness of either fide of the Atlantic, or the interefts of humanity at large. America prefents a country founded upon pure princip'es of Chriftian charity, and untainted morality as flowing 1794. VOL. LXIV. PART II. from that charity, fuch as the world ne- Dr. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, Minifter Extra- "MY LORD, Paffy, March 17, 1783. "I received the letter your Lordship did me the honour of writing to me the 18th paft; and am much obliged by your kind congratulations on the return of peace, which I hope will be lafting. "With regard to the terms on which lands may be acquired in America, and the manner of beginning new fettlements on them, I cannot give better information than may be found in a book lately printed at London, under fome fuch title as Letters from a Pennsylvanian Farmer, by Hector St. John. The only encouragement we hold ou to ftrangers are, a good climate, fertile fail, aubolefme air and water, plenty of provifions and fuel, good pay for labour, kind neighbours, good luxus, and a hearty welcome. reft depends on a man's own industry and virtue. Lands are cheap, but they must be bought. All fettlements are undertaken at private expence; the publick contributes nothing but defence and justice. I have long obferved of your people, that their fobriety, frugality, induftry, and honesty, feldom fail of fuccefs in America, and of procuring them a good establishment among us. The "I do not recollect the circumstance you are pleased to mention, of my having faved a citizen at St. Andrew's by giving a turn to his diforder; and I am curious to know what the diforder was, and what the advice I gave which proved fo falutary*. With great regard, I have the honour to be, my Lord, your Lordship's moft obedient and B. FRANKLIN." moft humble fervant, * It was a fever in which the Earl of Buchan, then Lord Cardrofs, lay fick at St. Andrew's; and the advice was, not to blifter according to the old practice and the opinion of the learned Dr. Thomas Simfon, brother of the celebrated geometrician at Glasgow. B. Mr. Weft end of St. Nicholas's church, Mr. URBAN, July 10. IN your Magazine for April, p. 352, you mention a monument erected at Aberdeen to the memory of Mrs. Allardice; and, in your Obituary for May, p. 464, notice the death of her fon. I take the liberty of fending you a more particular defcription of the moIt is executed by Bacon in the best ftyle and taste, and is a masterly performance. nument. Two figures, Piety and Benevolence, in alto relievo, form the principal part. Piety is looking towards Heaven, holding the Bible in her hand, on the open page of which is written, "What doth the Lord God require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk hun.bly with thy God?" Micah, vi. 8. Benevolence has a pelican and neft in her hand. Between the figures, on part of a column, is placed an urn richly decorated with flowers; flowers, emblematical of beauty, but in their nature of no duration. On the front of the pedestal, which fupports the figures, the artist has happriv perfonified the idea of Shakspeare, Patience on aʼmonument fmiling at Grief. On the tablet is the following bao relevo: the mother, nearly exp ring, is committing to the arms of the father their infant fon; while he, kneeling at her bedfide in an attitude of grief, the countenance concealed, is receiving this pledge of their mutual affection. In this tender moment, with a fmile of patience and relignation, the points with one hand to the child, indicative of comfort here; her other hand is lifted towards Heaven, expreffive of her confidence that a happy union of all their Ipi its fall take place hereafter. The infcription is, Sacred to the memory of the wife of Alexander Allardyce, of Dunottar, BE pleased to accept a few miscellaneous fitures on fome of your preceding Magazines. Is not Vol. LXIII. p. 985, col. 1. the expreflion, "the affair is on the tapis, or carpet," borrowed from the Houfe of Peers, where the table ufed to be, and probably fill is, covered with a carpet? If so, it is easy to see how “to be on the tapis," i. e. on the table before us, came to fignify, to be under confideration or difcuffion; which is, I believe, its meaning. I understand it is alfo a French phrafe. P. 1078. In contrafting a bishop and a temporal pcer, your correfpondent L. L. overlooks one material difference between them. The bishop is intrufted with an office as well as invefted with dignity; but the temporal peer is invefted with dignity only. The bishop does not "affume a dominion;" he merely exercifes, with more or lefs prudence and difcretion, what is given him,` and it may be "over thofe who yetterday were upon an equal footing with him;" that is, if they are now part of his charge. But the temporal peer has no authority to "exercile over his former comrades;" what he received was honourable rank, accompanied indeed with valuable privileges, but, analy fpeaking, with no power. I will net here enquire into the degree of author ty poffeffed by bithops; but the fad, that authority, be it more or lefs, is joined to their office, I hope your correspondent him felt will allow. P. 1188. The remark of the Jews (John vii. 57), "Thou art not yet fifty years old," feems by no means to warrant the inference" of your corre fpondent S E. that our bleffed Lord "must have then been upwards of thirty-three." It is not always easy, from the locks of a perfon who is in the withvigour of life, to afcertain his age in fix or eight years; and, if they thought it even poffible that our bleffed Saviour might be forty, they would na. turally take the next round number; and half a century, as Grotius jully obferves, was nothing to the period in question, which was about eighteen centuries. Voi. LXIV p. 145, col 1. As I have not leen Dr. Symonds's Obfervations, I cannot imagine what puzzles him in 1 Cor. 1794.] Scriptural Criticifm, and Miscellaneous Remarks. 1 Cor. viii. 3: "If any man love God, the fame is known of him; that is, acknowledged or approved by him: as, "The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous,” Pfal. i. 6. Compare Matt. XXV. 12. As to Rev. i. 12 (ib. 146, col: 1), it is.no unufual thing for words belonging to one of the fenfes to be applied to another; as, "Et poftquam digitis fuerant cum voce lo cuti." "The band MILTON. Spake with the tongue." But here no words could be more proper than thofe which St. John ufes He turned to fee;" and that which occafioned his turning was "a great voice" which he heard behind him (ver. 10); but, till he had looked, he did not know whether there was or was not any perfon; fo that "to lee who uttered the voice" will not do: it might be a voice from Heaven, or articulate words formed miraculou in the air, without any visible appearance. The meaning, therefore, which the circum. fances require, cannot, I think, any other way be fo well and fo concifely expreffed as it is by the Apofle, "I turned to fee the voice." P. 209, col. 2. The "legendary tale," I believe, is a common one; and it is fingular that a tale fo incredible fhould be common. P. 496. The "Hiftoria Literaria" was the work of Dr. Cave, net of Mr. Cave. Pp 497, 498, 599, 617. The old infcription probably is to be read thus: "Muniat hoc templum cruce glorificans microcofmum Que genuit Chriftum miferis boc fiat afilum." 589 DESCRIPTION OF CORSICA. HE ifland of Corfica, now happily THE united to the Crown of Great Britain, is fituated nearly oppofite to the main-land of Genea, between the gulph of Genoa and the liland of Sardinia, and, according to the bet maps which Bufching had feen*, is in length thirty-two miles, and in breadth twelve miles, divimountains; and indeed the greatest part ded almost longitudinally by a chain of of the island is mountainous. The foil is fruitful even on the mountains, except the highest, whofe fummits are covered with fnow the greatest part of the year. Corn grows very well, and much flax, and in many places excellent wine, and oil, and chefnuts. In the interior part of the inland is plenty of cattle, and the inhabitants drive a great trade with all forts of them, but more especially goats, whofe flesh is the common food of Corfica. There are feveral mines of iron, lead, copper, and filver, befides ftones and minerals, and a good coral fishery on the coaft. The number of parishes in 46,854; and of fouls, 120,380; which, 1740 was 333; of villages 427; of fires, in 1760, amounted to 130,000; Mr. Bofwell carries it to 220,000. quered by the G-noefe, who drove out The kingdom of Corfica was conthe Saracens A. D. 806. The Pifans took it from the Genoefe in the 11th century, ceded it in the following, and recovered it in the next. King of Arragon, attempted, without Alphonfus V. fuccefs, to make himself master of it themselves of the greatest part of the 1420. In 1533, the French poffeffed ifland, but ceded it by the treaty of Cambrefis, 1559. In 1564, the inhabitants revolted from the Genotfe; and, though reduced to obedience five years the Genoefe, who treated them with the after, preferved an inveterate averfion to utmost rigour. An infurrection, on occafion of heavy taxes, broke out 1726, which were ended by the interpofition of the Emperor. In 1735, fresh troubles broke out, and the iflanders chofe Theodore Baron Neuhof their king; who, after fome exertions, ended his days in prifon for debt at London, where in 1753 a subfeription was raised for him by public advertisement (XXIII. 99). Peace was at length restored during the years 1743 and 1744; and, though our fleet bombarded Baltia 1745. and the malcon *Here is fume great miltake; and Mr. Bofwell's meafur-s, hereafter given, are more likely to be correct. 3 tents tents feized the town, it was foon recovered from them. May 15, 1768, the Gencefe gave up Cortica to the king of France as a compenfation for the expences that crown had been and was to be at for the reduction of the island. April 9, 1769, Comte de Vaux arrived at Corfica, and made a progrefs. May 13, Paoli and his friends embarked at Porto Vecchio on board a vetfel carrying English colours. July 18, France ceded it to the king of Sardinia; and the Duke de Chablais, the king's brother, prepared to take poffeffion of it. (Vol. XLIV. p. 384). The clergy are very numerous, and there are 68 convents of Cordeliers, Capuchins, and Servites. The revenues of the island were applied by the Genocle, in time of peace, to maintain governors, officers, and foldiers: the furplus has never exceeded 40.000 Genoefe livres. The chain of mountains divides the inland into two unequal parts, and thefe again are fubdivided into diftri&ts or provinces of different tribunals and fiefs, and thefeagain into pieves, parishes, and paczes. Thus much from Butching's Geography, XII. 297-306. For farther particulars we must refer to a map of the inland in our vol. XXVII. p. 441; to Mr. Bofweli's defcription of it, and of its chief Paoli, published 1778; and our abstract of it, XXXVIII. 172. Mr. Bofwell makes the length of the inland 150 miles, the breadth from 40 to 53 miles, and the circumference 322 miles. It is charmingly fituated in the Mediterranean, whence continual breezes fan and cool it in fummer, and the furrounding body of water keeps it warm in winter; fo that it is ore of the most temperate countries in that quarter of Europe. The air is freth and healthful except in one or two places. It is remarkably well furnished with good harbours. The great divifion of it is into the country on this and on that fide of the mountains, reckoning from Baftia, into nine provinces, and into many pieves, containing each a certain number of parithes. Every paese, or village, elects annually a podela, and two other magiftrates, called padri del commune; and once a year all the inhabitants of each village afiemble and choose a procuratore to repelent them in the general confulta or par iament of the nation, made up of feveral who have been formerly members of the fupreme council, or have loft near relations in the fervice of their country. The megates of each province fend allo a procuratore; and two of thofe of the provinces, together with the procuratore of their magiftrates, are chosen to elect the prefident to prefide in the general confulta, and an orator to read the papers fubjected to deliberation. The Generál's office much resembles that of the Stadtholder. The government exhibits a complete and well ordered democracv. Paoli appeared to Mr. B. to have no great propenfity to an alliance with any foreign power; but we trust our nation have fince been fufficiently undeceived in their opinions of the Corficans, and the latter have overcome their objections; and that Paoli's firm perfuafion that God would interpofe to give freedom to Corfica, and the prefentiment of Rouffeau, that one day this ifland would aftonith Europe, will be accomplished. I REMEMBER, when the French minifters were treating about Corfica many years ago, that the neutral and hoftile nations dwelt much upon the importance of that ifland to the French as a repofitory of growing naval timber, and more efpecially advantageous as being in the vicinity of Toulon. Now, Mr. Urban, I have never heard any authentic folution of that queftion; and the publick would be obliged if, through your medium, any intelligent correfpondent would determine the fame, and in what part the woods (if any) for the fupply of a navy grow. It has a coarte cheap white wine in tolerable plenty, and, I believe, a good harbour in St. Fiorenza; which, during any poffeffion of by friends in future, may be looked upon by us both as a negative and pofitive good, but not to that amount as to be equivalent to the expence of keeping it ourfelves. I have viewed it myself from the fea many years ago, when in the hands of the Genoefe, but faw, what I only thougt it to have, a barren furface devoid of woods. Whilft we are on the wing of enquiry in one article of Natural History, permit me to afk, whether any informant cin denounce if the Cafpian lake, or fea, as it is fometimes called, be in any degree falt or brackish? I have often had thoughts of afking the late good and inquifitive commiffioner Jonas Hanway this queftion, who could have precitely folved it, but as often forgot. I have not his Travels by me; but others may remember what he fays on this fubject, |