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mising that my cousin, whose name is affixed along with mine, was one of the four witnesses who beheld with me this uncommon spectacle.

While she and I were walking by the sea-shore, on the 12th of January, about noon, our attention was attracted by seeing three people who were on a rock at some distance, shewing signs of terror and astonishment at something they saw in the water; on approaching them, we distinguished that the object of their wonder was a face resembling the human countenance, which appeared floating on the waves! at that time nothing but the face was visible; it may not be improper to observe, before I proceed farther, that the face, throat, and arms, are all I can at. tempt to describe, all our endea vours to discover the appearance and position of the body being unavailing. The sea at that time ran very high, and as the waves advanced, the mermaid gently sunk under them, and afterwards reappeared.

The face seemed plump and round, the eyes and nose were small, the former were of a light grey colour, and the mouth was large, and from the shape of the jaw.bone, which seemed straight, the face looked short; as to the inside of the mouth I can say nothing, not having attended to it, though sometimes open. The head was exceedingly round, the hair thick and long, of a green oily cast, and appeared troublesome to it, the waves generally throwing it down over the face, it seemed to feel the annoyance, and, as the waves retreated, with both its

hands frequently threw back the hair, and rubbed its throat, as if to remove any soiling it might have received from it. The throat was slender, smooth, and white; we did not think to observe whether it had elbows, but, from the manner in which it used its arms, I must conclude that it had. The arms were very long and slender, as were the hands and fingers, the latter were not webbed. The arms, one of them at least, was frequently extended over its head, as if to frighten a bird that hovered over it, and seemed to distress it much; when that had no effect, it sometimes turned quite round several times successively. At a little distance we observed a seal. It sometimes laid its right hand under its cheek, and in this position floated for some time. We saw nothing like hair or scales on any part of it, indeed the smoothness of the skin particularly caught our attention. The time it was difcernible to us was about an hour. The sun was shining clearly at the time; it was distant from us a few yards only. These are the few observations made by us during the ap. pearance of this strange pheno

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Eaters of Earth. [From Hum. bold's Physical View of the Equatorial Regions.]

ON the banks of the Meta and the Oronooko live the Ottomaci, a hideous race, inclining to corpulency, with the gross and strongly marked features of the Tartars. For the greater part of the year they live on fish, which they kill, at the surface of the water, in rivers, with arrows. But, during the rainy season, when the rivers, overflowing their banks, inundate the plains, those savages subsist on a fat or unctuous earth, which is a species of clay mixed with oxid of iron. They collect it with great care, trying, as they gather it, what is most palatable. They form it into balls of four or five inches in diameter, and then dress it by slowly boiling or baking it. In their huts you every where see great quantities of this sort of provisions. These balls, when they are going to be used, are steeped in water, and every individual eats about a pound a day. The only thing they add to this strange kind of food, is sometimes, by way of scasoning, some small fishes, lizards,

or dried roots. The quantifies which the Ottomaci consume of this unctuous earth, and the avi dity with which they devour it, seems to prove that it does some. thing more than merely distending and abating the keen action of the stomach, and that the power of digestion may, in some measure, transform the more subtle particles into animal substance.*

Situation and Climate of the City of Marocco. [From Mr. Jackson's Account of the Empire of Marocco.

THE City of Marocco is situated in a fruitful plain, abounding in grain, and all the other necessaries of life, and depastured by sheep and cattle, and horses of a superior breed, called (sift Ain Toga) the breed of Ain Toga. At a distance, the city has a beautiful and ro mantic appearance, the adjacent country being interspersed with groves of the lofty palm, and the towering snow-topped mountains of Atlas, in the back-ground, seem to cool the parched and weary traveller reposing in the plains; for although none

"Can hold a fire in his hand,

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Compare Professor Davie's discovery that iron enters largely into the basis of the blood.

In the books of the great Lord Bacon, de Augmentis Scientiarum, a variety of subjects are enumerated, the consideration of which might throw some light

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the valley, the fleur-de-lis, lupins, roses, jonquils, mignionet, jasmines, violets, the orange and citron flowers, and many others, grow here spontaneously; and in the months of March and April, the air in the morning is strongly perfumed with their grateful and delicious odours. The fruits are, oranges of the finest flavour, figs of various kinds, water and musk melons, apricots, peaches, and various kinds of grapes, pears, dates, plums, and pomgranates.

rally calm; the neighbouring moun. tains of Atlas defend the plain in which it stands from the scorching Shume, or hot wind which blows from Tafilelt and Sahara, by ar resting its progress, and the snow with which they are always covered, imparts a coolness to the surrounding atmosphere; in sum. mer, however, the heat is intense, though the nights, during that pe riod, are cool: in winter the cold is very sensibly felt; but the climate is extremely healthy. The inhabi tants, particularly the Jews, are, The air about Marocco is gene- however, affected with opthalmia,

on the connection between mind and matter, among which subjects, in all nine, the second is the History of the Power and Influence of Imagination, the sensation felt on viewing the snow-topped mountains of Atlas is curious, and in physiology very important. It is for this reason that we have selected this article. The sensation was no doubt allied, and in some degree participated in, the very nature of that excited by a cooling breeze. Imaginations, or ideas, are re-sensations. Imagination, powerfully excited, runs, in some measure, back into sensation.

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USEFUL PROJECTS.

Sketch of a Plan for improving the Royal Institution, and erecting it on a permanent Founda

tion.

THE basis of this plan is to be

found in the following sentence, copied from the last report of the managers to the visiters, 20th March, 1809.

"If it should be thought advis. able to endeavour to attract the interest of scientific men in this country, and to induce them to form an active union for the support of the Royal Institution, something must be done to give it more the form of a public establishment, than of private and hereditary property. It can hardly be expected that a general interest should ever be excited for the improve. ment of the inheritance of a few individuals. The managers, however, have no doubt, but that the friends of science will be ready to come forward, and give the Institution a powerful and adequate support, whenever it shall obtain such a shape and character, as is calculated to interest the country at large; and while they express their own sentiments and wishes, they have no doubt of anticipating

the sentiments of the body of the proprietors, that it will be deserv ing of any sacrifice which it may be necessary to make of personal interest and advantage, to erect on

this basis, a public, national, and

permancut establishment, devoted and dedicated to the cultivation of science, and to the promotion of every improvement in agriculture, manufactures, and the useful arts of life, that may be condu. cive to the happiness and prosperity of the British Empire."

The property of the Royal In. stitution has been gradually improved since its foundation, and a number of sources of scientific and literary interest have been daily adding to it. It has been furnished with a mineral collection and an extensive library, which were not in contemplation when the esta blishment was formed. The scien tific lectures have not only exhi bited views of the actual state of science, but have likewise assisted in its progression; and investiga. tions connected with improvements in chemical philosophy and the che mical arts, have been constantly carried on in the laboratory.

The origin of the pecuniary difficulties of the Royal Institution

must

must be sought for principally in the nature of the primitive constitution of the body. The income of the Royal Institution is derived now wholly from the contributions of life and annual subscribers; these are the supporters of it, and yet they have no share in the govern. ment, and no concern with the property. Life subscribers can. not be expected to pay considerable sums for the benefit of an establishment in which they have no direction; and annual subscribers will consider only the quantity of amusement or information, or other advantages, which they may receive within the year, and their number will be continually fluctuating. The power of sale-the hereditary nature of the proprietor's shares destroy all sources of income from this part of the body, by inviting and encouraging speculation in the sale of shares; and supposing a constant transfer of shares, and a real or imaginary increase of the value of the property, persons who have been proprietors, may, for many years, have benefitted by all the advantages and privileges of the Royal Institution, and instead of having afforded it support, may actually have profitted in a pecuniary way by the concern. The persons in whom the government of the Royal Institution is vested, ought, it is obvious, to be either encouragers of useful public objects, lovers or patrons of science and the useful arts, or scientific men; but property, which can be tran-ferred-by sale, is likely to go to the highest bidder; and a taste for encou raging science and useful public objects may not be hereditary, and

in consequence, in the course of years, as the constitution now exists, the establishment may hereafter belong to men who can neither understand its objects, estimate its uses, or properly apply its means. Science can be exalted and promoted only by patronage and by sacrifices; will not bear to be trafficked with. It cannot be expected that liberal persons will afford support to a philosophical establishment, the basis of which may be commercial advantage; or that the disinterested person will contribute to a fund, which inte rested persons may have the power of speculating upon as a matter of business.

Whoever will cast his eye over the list of proprietors of the Royal Institution, will instantly perceive that those who co-operated in its formation, were influenced not by the narrow view of personal advantages, but by the desire of promoting the interests of science and of their country.-A plan, there fore, having for its object the extending the uses and exalting the views of the establishment, and rendering it permanent on a liberal and firm basis, can hardly fail to be considered with indulgence; but in the promotion of this object the interest of no class of the proprietors ought to be neglected, and in the new arrangements, no principles ought to be adopted that cannot be considered as equitable and just by all parties concerned.

The first proposition is, that a correct valuation shall be made of the property of the Institution so as to ascertain the amount of cach individual's interest.

The second, that an Act of Par.. 3 G4 liament

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