among the crowd. In our defence we replied it was not possible we could have used any means of compulsion, as we were unarmed. This we boldly asserted, as the brace of pistols I had with me was never produced. Besides, we recalled to his memory that on our way thither one of the guides who had died, had replenished our bardak with water from a well near Amabdi.-This proved that we had gone amicably together.

The Cacheff, who continued to treat us haughtily in public, commanded the Arab to explain the means by which the infidels (who he confessed were without arms) had killed his companions. He replied, by magic, for he had seen me burning something on our first entrance into the great chamber. This was the bat I had

accidentally scorched. Our cause now began to wear a better complexion part of the crowd, who treated the idea of magic with contempt, believed us innocent, and the rest probably dreaded the imaginary powers with which we had been invested. Emboldened by this change of sentiment in our favour, our dragoman assumed a lofty tone, and peremptorily insisted on our being sent, together with our two accusers and the Shekh of Amabdi, to Siout, to Ibrahim Bey, the son of the Pacha of Cairo, and the Governor of Upper Egypt. The reputation of this man for cruelty was so great, that his very name excited terror in the assembly. It was now our turn to threaten, and we talked of the alliance of our king with the Pacha of Cairo, and the consequence of ill-treating any

one protected by his firman. This had its effect, and the Cacheff having consulted for some time with the Shekh, suggested an accommodation by money. This proposal we at first affected to reject with disdain, as it would in some manner be an acknowledgement of our guilt, though we were secretly anxious to terminate the affair at any rate. Our dragoman was sent to negociate with the Cacheff, and it was finally agreed we should pay twelve piastres or two Spanish dollars to each of the women, and the same sum we offered as a present to the Shekh of the village. All animosity seemed now to have ceased, and we were permitted quietly to return to our vessel, and continue our voyage.

THE SPOTS IN THE SUN.

[From a French paper.]

The superstitious anxiety excited at present among the vulgar, and even among people who would be offended at being so classed, by the great news of spots in the Sun, must afford ample matter of reflection to all enlightened men. What renders these terrors ridiculous is, that nothing is more usual than the appearance of spots in the Sun's disk: few years pass during which astronomers do not observe them in less or greater numbers, and no injurious influence has ever yet resulted from them. A spot was observed in 1779, which, from its apparent dimensions, must have been about 17,000 leagues in diameter; it was therefore five or six times as

large

large as the earth. It passed off like the rest, without doing any mischief.

We were of course indebted to the telescope for our first knowledge of the existence of such spots. They were seen for the first time in 1611; and nearly about the same time by J. Fabricius, at Wittenberg, by the Jesuit Scheiner, and by Galileo. That great man watched their course with so much attention, and so well developed their phenomena, that very little has been since added to the descriptions which he gave, except more precise measures. The spots of the Sun are at present viewed with astronomical telescopes, in which the great brilliancy of that star is mitigated and not effaced, by the coloured glass placed between the telescope and the eye. There are in the interior of the telescope, at the focus of the object, some very fine threads stretched crosswise, and moveable parallely to each other, by means of which the distance of the spot from the nearest border of the Sun's disk may be ascertained, which determines its position on the disk at the moment of observation. By following in this manner the same spot for several days, it is perceived to change its place. Its size also varies much. The spots sometimes grow thinner, and disperse from one day to another and hence it is that, though last month rather a large number was visible, within these few days only two are to be seen. But during the whole time of their presence they pursue a regular course, of which the aspects are common to all.

When they first come in sight,

they appear on the Sun's border like a slender thread. In proportion as they advance towards the middle of the disk, they appear, from day to day, to enlarge in the direction of their movement. They then decrease periodically; and if they last long enough to traverse the whole disk, they go off by the opposite disk, narrow ing to a single thread. These appearances are evidently such as a small body, adhering to a spherical surface, and revolving with or upon that surface, must present. The diminution of the spots, in proportion as they approximate the borders of the disk, resulta from this-that they then project more obliquely, and are only seen sidewise; but when in the middle of the disk they are seen in their full extent. In fine, upon comparing the direction and rapidity of their course, it soon becomes evident that the supposition of their adhering to the body of the Sun is the only admissible one: that course is so steady, that when the same spot has been watched for several days, all the other positions which it may take may be predicted with certainty. thus tracing the route of all those which appear, it is ascertained that they move in courses exactly parallel, describing circles which all have their centre on a common axis, passing through the centre of the Sun. The size of these circles varies on different points of the disk, according to the same laws as on a sphere; and the rate of movement is nodified in such way, that all the circles are run through in equal times. This perfect concordance of revolution in spots so change

On

able

able in other respects, so fleeting, and so independent on each other, evidently shows that they must be attached to one and the same round body which makes them re volve altogether with a common motion. Hence it has been concluded that the Sun revolves upon itself with the general motion of these spots, that is, in 25 days and a half, in like manner as our earth revolves in 24 hours. The same calculation, applied to the spots which have been discovered on the other planets, has in like manner made us acquainted with their rotation.

As to the nature of these solar spots, it is absolutely unknown. Herschell is of opinion that luminous clouds float in the inflamed atmosphere of this star, as clouds of vapour float in ours. He supposes that the body of the Sun is opaque and dark; and that the black spots observed there at in tervals are merely the summits of very elevated mountains, which the solar clouds permit us to see between their openings. Other astronomers think that the globe of the Sun is on fire, and that the spots are merely immense scoriæ, launched on the surface of that mass by the terrible explosions of which our terrestrial volcanoes afford but a feeble picture. But whatever may be thought of these conjectures, it seems sufficient for us to know, that the solar spots are trifling compared with the immense mass of that star; and that the eruptions of which they are perhaps the effect take place at too great a distance from our earth to produce the least effect upon it. Generally speak

ing, the physical state of our little world is incomparably more stable and steady than its moral state.

ACCOUNT OF A SODA LAKS IN SOUTH AMERICA.

By M. Palacio Furar.

(From Journal of Science and the Arts.)

In Maracaybo, one of the provinces of Venezuela (48 miles east of Merida, about 8 degrees of N. L. and 70 degrees some minutes of W. Lon.), is a valley, called Lalagunilla, the small lake. On the south of this valley, which contains an extent of country seven miles in length and five in breadth, runs that branch of the Andes which extends along the coast of Venezuela, and rising on this spot to the line of perpetual snow, forius La Sierra Nevada of Merida.

The waters that descend northwards from La Sierra unite to form the river Chama, which traverses the neighbouring countries, Mucuchies, Merida, Exido, Lalagunilla, and Estanques, and loses itself in the woods which surround the lake of Maracaybo. Those, on the contrary, which descend southwards from the Cordilliera are received by several rivers communicating with the Apure, which falls into the Oronoco. At a considerable height northwards, on La Sierra, is found the species of Cinchona, known in commerce by the appellation of Cinchona of Carthagena.

The north side of Lalagunilla

is bounded by a limestone hill. The land rises imperceptibly towards the east and descends gradually several fathoms towards the west, until it reaches that tract of country which produces the Cacao (cocos butiracea). The bed of the valley is formed of chalk; it is situated about 250 fathoms above the level of the

sea.

The village of Lalagunilla is situate in the south of the valley; its inhabitants, a strong laborious people, are Indians, whose only occupation is agriculture and the extraction of the Urao.

Nearly in the centre of the valley is the lake which receives the rain water that descends from the neighbouring mountains; but as even during the greatest drought the lake never becomes dry, it is supposed that it has some springs which supply it with water, independent of the rains. Its dimensions in the rainy season, in the widest part, are two hundred and ten fathoms by one hundred and six. On the eastern side, where the waters are deepest, its depth never exceeds three fathoms. To prevent inundations to the neighbouring cottages, a drain is cut on the south-east side, which carries the waters into the Chama. On the eastern side the waters are very shallow, and being contracted in width, give to the lake a somewhat oval form. It is on this side that many aquatic plants are found. The air of the valley being very dry, the climate mild, the sky serene, the country in a high state of cultivation, and the view of La Sierra Neveda truly sublime, a residence here is delightful, and many families from Merida and

the environs constantly pass some months of the year at Lalagunilla.

The waters of the lake are impregnated with carbonate of soda, which crystallizes in the dry season, and is in that state by the Indians called Urao. The extraction of this salt, which is employed at Venezuela to prepare the Mò or inspissated juice of tobacco, has been long known and practised at Lalagunilla. At the end of the last century, when the Court of Madrid monopolized the cultivation of tobacco, the right of extracting the Urao fell likewise to the crown. On the east side of the lake a magazine was erected for receiving the Urao, and another building as a residence for the Teniente visitador, or captain of Gens d'armes, in whom was vested the government of the lake, with a view to prevent a species of smuggling which the Indians are much inclined to practise, by secretly withdrawing the Urao.

The water of the lake is of a yellowish green colour, of a saponaceous quality, alkaline taste, and peculiar smell. There is no appearance of fish of any kind in these waters; the only living creature I could observe was an insect on the borders of the lake, which appeared to me a species of spider.

These waters having a strengthening quality, convalescents resort thither in the morning to bathe, and derive great benefit from them in some cutaneous diseases. In many disorders incident to horses they are likewise very efficacious.

When the period for the extraction of the Urao arrives, which is every two years, those Indians of Lalagunilla, who are devoted

devoted to this employment, and who are called Huragueros, are embodied at the residence of the Teniente visitador. The Indians employed at this work are easily distinguished by their hair becoming red. Being embodied, they proceed, in presence of the Gens d'armes, to sound the lake with a long pole, at the end of which is fixed a bar of iron, which serves to break the mineral. Having by these means found the parts where the Urao is most copiously deposited, they divide themselves into different parties (quadrillas), for the sake of facilitating their labour. Each party, composed of eight, ten, or more Indians, fixes a pole in the centre of the district allotted to them. Supported by this pole, the Huragueros plunge into the lake, and beginning by separating a bed of earth which covers the mineral, they proceed to break the Urao. When they suppose that a considerable part of the Urao is separated from the mass, they dive for it, and then rising again above the water, place it in very small canoes (piraguitas), which float round the spot. As there are se veral Indians who explore the same mine, the work goes on without interruption, but the same Huraguero is not able to plunge many times successively. The work, which begins early, and always in presence of the Gens d'armes, who are stationed, on the borders of the lake, ceases at six o'clock in the afternoon, when the produce of the day's labour is deposited in the royal magazine, and is afterwards exposed to the heat of the sun.

The extraction, which lasts

nearly two months, produces from 1000 to 1600 weight of Urao, which is the quantity consumed in two years at Venezuela; but if more were required, the lake would probably furnish upwards of four times that quantity. The difficulty of extracting the Urao may easily be imagined, but what is much worse, considerable danger attends it. If the Indian diver happens to lose his hold of his pole, or if some other accident prevent his rising promptly to the surface of the water, and indeed the Indians of Lalagunilla are in general but indifferent divers, he is in danger of swallowing more or less of the alkaline solution. If the quantity drank be inconsiderable, the bad consequences may be trifling; but if he happen to drink largely, he cannot survive it many days. Oil has been had recourse to in vain. Acetic acid might, perhaps, in such cases be administered with better effect. Father Rendon proposed, in 1808, to the Captaingeneral of Caraccas, to effect the extraction of the Urao by sinking a caisson, which when properly secured should be opened at bottom to get at the soda. This project, which undoubtedly at low water might be realised at a small expense, was rejected as impracticable.

When the extraction of the Urao is completed, the superintendant of the tobacco, who resides at Merida, repairs to Lalagunilla, accompanied by the Teniente visitador and others. The salt is weighed, and paid for in the proportion of about one real of plata (about seven-pence) the pound. It is then conveyed into

the