in concert with others of that colony. While I was there, fome Indians came one evening to Paramaribo, which is the chief city, and brought with them a living Torpedo. This animal was about an ell long, in fhape not much unlike a large eel, but more flat, with a head confiderably bigger, and a dark lift down his back. He was kept in a wide shallow tub, and covered with about three inches of water. On my coming to the fide of the veffel, he prefently dropp'd down close to the bottom, and feemed to contract himself, as if he was enraged.

I then attempted to touch him with my fore finger, having ftretched out my arm, and at the fame time I steadfastly kept my eyes fixed upon him to obferve what motions he might make. Immediately to my great furprize and confufion, as quick as lightning, my elbow received fuch a strong repelling force accompanied with such anguish that I thought my fore arm would have fallen off. But what is very wonderful, the fish never stirr'd, and my finger was fcarce within an inch of touching him. It is proper to mention, that the painful fenfation did not laft above a minute, because fome have afferted that the anguifh continues many hours.

The next experiment I made with an iron hoop taken off from an old Madeira wine pipe. When freighten'd it was near fix feet long. With this I attempted flowly at arms length to touch the Torpedo; but before I could reach him, the iron twirled out of my hand with a refiftless force, as when a learner is in fencing difarmed of his foil by a mafter of that fcience.

An accident like this happen'd fome years ago to the Honourable Admiral Fitzroy Lee, who was then an the coast of Guinea. As he was returning to his boat, on a fudden one of the boat's crew fell backward, and the oar leapt out of its hold with a confiderable fpring. The poor failor complained of a pain in his elbow, and every one was greatly furprized at fo uncommon an accident. On examining what could. be the cause of this Phænomenon, it appeared, that the failor

fome

Tome few days before had split the blade of his oar, and had mended it with a piece of old fron hoop.

These two cafes overthrow the falfe notions of those who affert, that the Torpedo can have no effect on the human. frame, where there is an intervening body. Several genflemen planters have affured me, that in angling the rod has frequently leaped out of their hands. As the hook is made of iron, this may eafily be accounted for from what has been before related.

I tried the fame experiment with a common ftick, but my arm felt no pain, though I moved the fifh. about the tub with it.

What is something more extraordinary and worth our notice is, that if a woman under her natural healthy evaeuations fhould by accident touch this fifh, they immediately cease, and the perfon falls into great anxiety fucceeded by a jaundice or dropfy, and sometimes both, frequently terminating in a fhort time in death. Mr. MAURICIUS had an Indian woman, who languifhed fome weeks and at last died by fuch an accident.

Notwithstanding this fifh can thus disturb and fhock the animal machine, it is, when dreft, very delicious food, and frequently to be met with at the tables of planters, especially thofe on Commowini river. Indeed they take out a slice down each fide the back bone, before they dress it.

On enquiring what was the method used in taking thefe

* Mr. Walter in his relation of Lord Anfon's voyage, fpeaking of the Torpedo, fays, " that the fame effect (i. e. numbness) "will be in fome degree produced by touching the fish with any "thing held in the hand; fince I myself had a confiderable degree

66

of numbness convey'd to my right arm through a walking cane, "which I refted on the body of the fish." Book II. chap. xii. page 362. octavo edition. This account, tho' feemingly contradictory, may be reconciled with the above, if we confider that Mr. Walter's walking cane had doubtless an iron spike or socket ferrel at the end of it.

G 2

animals,

animals, I was told, that the Indians, as foon as they difcover where they are, immediately feize them by their back and grafp them with great force, which defeats all their electrical energy or fpring.

To conclude, if obfervations on different animals &c. agree with the defign of your Mifcellany, and the many avocations, which my profeffion fubjects me to, will give leave, you fhall be welcome to draw out of my journals thro' many nations whatever may be of fervice to you or amufe ment to the publick.

TOWER-HILL, February 6, 1750.

I am, fir, yours, &c.

D. INGRAM.

We are greatly obliged to Mr. INGRAM for the favour pf his letter, and fhall think ourselves honoured by the continuance of his correfpondence. Juft accounts of any thing new and uncommon, when given by perfons of undoubted veracity, cannot but excite the attention of the reader, and are of real fervice to the publick.

The Curious may fee a diftinct concife account of the Torpedo from different writers, together with the causes of its furprizing effects variously enumerated, in CHAMBERS'S Dictionary under the word TORPEDO: to which we rather chufe to refer our readers, than ftuff our Mifcellany with extracts from other authors.

On

On the LEARNING of OXFORD Tradefmen and College Servants.

I

From my ground-floor in

OXFORD.

Cannot but be fenfible how gracious a reception I have met with from the learned, not only in the University, but also in this City. There is not a tradefman, I dare fay, of any note among us, who has the leaft connection with the gown, but is a subscriber to my monthly labours. As felfadoration is an idolatry peculiar to fcribblers, I cannot help feeling fome emotions of transport, when I hear the townf men whisper one another, as I go by, That's HE, that's the STUDENT,

This refpect I have the vanity to attribute to that profound learning diffufed from the colleges into every quarter of the town. A tradesman of OXFORD is no more like another common tradesman than fome collegians are like other men. Our very scouts and bed-makers have a knowledge fuperiour to ordinary fervants: our menials are dignified with latin appellations our butler must be promus, our cook coquus, the porter at our gate janitor; in fhort our whole domus is dif tinguished by fuch very learned titles.

To return to the tradefmen, the very fign-pafts express their tafte for learning and fuperiour education. Our mercers, milliners, taylors, &c. &c. &c, have shewn their nice judgment in the art of defigning, by the many curious emblematical devices that fo eminently adorn the entrance to their fhops. How fublime are the figns of our innkeepers! the angel, the cross, the mitre, the maidenhead, with many others, are too well known to need mentioning. A toothdrawer amongst us denotes his occupation by an excel, lent poetical diftich; a fecond with great propriety stiles. himself operator for the teeth and my printer who fells JAMES'S

JAMES's fever powder, GREENOUGH's tinctures, HOOPER'S female pills, and the like, exhibits to our view in large golden letters over his door the pompous denomination of Medicinal Warehoufe. Nor are we at all furprized to fee written in in this learned University, tho' over a female bookfeller's door, BIBLIOPOLIUM MARIÆ &c.

Not to dwell too minutely on externals, every tradesman with us is a mathematician, or philofopher, or divine, or critick, and what not? But they are all to a man particularly famous for their skill in arithmetick. For my own part I never dealt with one yet, who was not thoroughly practised in addition and multiplication.

I know an alehoufeman (he fells an excellent pot of ale) who has made feveral experiments in electricity, but without a machine: I know a grocer a profound reafoner and fpeculative moralist; a bookbinder deeply read in Geography, Chorography, &c. and a glazier, a great mathematician, who has fquar'd the circle several times all but a little bit. A barber has published a cutting poem lately, which is universally admired, and is all his own making.

It is not to be doubted but that our OXFORD bookfellers are excellent criticks. They can tell you the character of a book by only looking at the title page. My own in particular is fo fine a judge of composition, that he begs me not to fend any thing to the prefs, till it has been submitted to his correction. Befides I know he has a strong defire to commence author himself: but his fingular modefty will not permit him to own it. He has therefore prevailed with me to erect a fmall box with a flit in his door to receive the contributions of those writers who chufe to be concealed. As I know the man's vanity will oblige him fometimes to put in bis mite, I defire the reader, when he meets with any thing particularly dull, to fuppose it written, not by me, but my bockfeller.

I have often heard two learned tradefinen chop logick together on the most fublime topicks. Once in particular I was

prefent