Ford's cafe, which you published in Phil. Tranf. vol. LXX. p. 128. From the facts you have adduced, it amounts to a certainty that her foetus had received the variolous infection in the womb. further ineftimable advantage of fhowing her place upon the ocean in the most critical fituation; for, as the current fets along the coaft of America at no great distance from foundings, the mariner, when he finds this fudden increase of This induces me to lay before heat in the fea, will be warned of you a fingular cafe, that fell under his approach to the coaft, and will my care fome years ago. I am thus have timely notice to take forry I cannot be more particular, the neceffary precautions for the having unfortunately loft all my fecurity of his veffel. As the books and my notes of practice of courfe of the Gulf-stream comes this cafe and feveral others, by the to be more accurately known, capture of the convoy on the 9th from repeated obfervations of the of laft Auguft. heat and latitudes, this method of determining the fhip's place will be proportionably more applicable to ufe. And it derives additional importance from the peculiar circumftances of the American coaft, which, from the mouth of the Delaware to the fouthernmost point of Florida, is everywhere low, and befet with frequent fhoals, running out fo far into the fea that the veffel may be aground in many places where the fhore is not to be diftinguished even from the mast-head. The Gulf-ftream, therefore, which has hitherto ferved only to increate the perplexities of feamen, will now, if thefe obfervations are found to be juft in practice, become one of the chief means of their prefervation upon that dangerous coaft. Account of a Child who had the Small. Southampton-buildings, Holborn, In 1768 the fmall-pox was fo general in Jamaica, that very few people efcaped the contagion. About the middle of June, Mr. Peterkin, merchant at Martha-brae, in the parish of Trelawney, got about fifty new negroes out of a fhip. Soon after they landed, feveral were taken ill of a fever, and the fmall-pox appeared; the others were immediately inoculated. Among the number of those who had the disease in the natural way, was a woman of about twenty-two years of age, and big with child. The eruptive fever was flight, and the fmall-pox had appeared before I faw her. They were few, diftinct, and large, and the went through the difeafe with very little trouble, till on the fourteenth day from the eruption fhe was attacked with a fever, which lafted, only a few hours. She was, however, the fame day taken in labour, and delivered of a female child with the fmallpox on her. whole body, head and extremities. They were dif tinct and very large, fuch as they commonly appear on the eighth or ninth day in favourable cafes. The child was fmall and weakly; fhe could fuck but little; a wet F nurfe nurie was procured, and every poffible care taken of this infant; but fhe died the third day after fhe was born. The mother recovered, and is now the property of Alexander Peterkin, Efq. in St. James's parish. In the courfe of many years practice in Jamaica, I have remarked, that where pregnant women had been seized with the natural fmall-pox, or been by miftake inoculated, that they gene rally miscarry in the time of or foon after the eruptive fever; but I never faw any figns of fmall-pox on any of their bodies, except on the child's above mentioned. I am, &c. Natural Hiftory of the Infect which produces the Gum Lacca, By Mr. James Kerr, of Patna Communicated by Sir Jofeph Banks, P. R. S. From the fame. Head Coccus LACCA. I have often obferved the birth of these infects, but never could fee any with wings; nor could I find any diftinction of sexes, nor obferve their connubial rights: nature and analogy feem to point out a deficiency in my obfervations, poffibly owing to the minutenefs of the object, and want of proper glaffes. Change.] This infect is described in that state in which it fallies forth from the womb of the parent in the months of November and December. They traverse the branches of the trees upon which they were produced for fome time, and then fix themselves upon the fucculent extremities of the young branches. By the middle of January they are all fixed in their proper fituations; they appear as plump as before, but fhew no other marks of life. The limbs, antennæ, and fetæ of the tail, are no longer to be feen. Around their edges they are environed with a fpiffid fubpellucid liquid, which feems to glew them to the branch: THE head and trunk it is the gradual accumulation of Trunk.] form one uniform, this liquid which forms a complete oval, comprefied, red body, of the cell for each infect, and is what is fhape and magnitude of a very called Gum Lacca. About the fmall loufe, confifting of twelve middle of March the cells are com tranfverfe rings. The back is ca- pletely formed, and the infect is rinate; the belly flat; the antenin appearance an oval smooth red næ half the length of the body, fi- bag, without life, about the fize of liform, truncated, and diverging, a finall cochinical infect, emarfending off two, often three deliginated at the obtufe end, full of vate diverging hairs, longer than a beautiful red liquid. In Octothe antennæ. The mouth and, ber and November we find about eyes could not be feen with the twenty or thirty oval eggs, or ra naked eye. ther young grubs, within the red fluid of the mother. When this Tail. The tail is a little white point, fending off two horizontal hairs as long as the body. Fret.] It has three pair of limbs, half the length of the infect. fluid is all expended, the young Infects pierce a hole through the back of their mother, and walk off one by one, leaving their Place.] The infects are the inhabitants of four trees. 1. Ficus Religiofa, Linnæi. In Hindoftan, Pipul. Banyan-tree. 2. Ficus Indica, Linnæi. In Hindoftan, Bhur. Banyan-tree. 3. Plafo Hortus Malabaraci. By the natives, Prafo. 4. Rhamnus Jujuba, Linnæi. In Hindoftanic, Bevr. Thefe infects generally fix themfelves fo clofe together, and in fuch numbers, that I imagine only one in fix can have room to complete her cell: the others die, and are eat up by various infects. The extreme branches appear as if they were covered with a red duft, and their fap is fo mach exhaufted, that they wither and produce no fruit, the leaves drop off, or turn to a dirty black colour. Thefe infects are transplanted by birds if they perch upon thefe branches, they muft carry off a number of the infects upon their feet to the next tree they reft upon. It is worth obferving, that thefe fig-trees when wounded drop a milky juice, which inftantly coagulates into a vifcid ropey fubftance, which, hardened in the open air, is fimilar to the cell of the Coccus Lacca. The natives boil this milk with oils into a birdlime; which will catch peacocks or the largest birds. fap of thefe trees in the formation of their cells. The Gum Lacca is rarely feen upon the Rhamnus Jujuba; and it is inferior to what is found upon the other trees. The Gum Lacca of this country is principally found upon the uncultivated mountains on both fides of the Ganges, where bountiful nature has produced it in fuch abundance, that was the confumption ten times greater, the markets might be fupplied by this minute infect. The only trouble in procuring the Lac is in breaking down the branches, and carrying them to market. The prefent price in Dacca is about twelve shillings the hundred pounds weight, although it is brought from the diltant country of Affam. The best Lac is of a deep red colour. If it is pale, and pierced at top, the value diminishes, because the infects have left their cells, and confequently they can be of no ufe as a dye or colour; but probably they are better for varnishes. A red medicinal gum is procured by incifion from the Plafotree, so fimilar to the Gum Lacca, that it may readily be taken for the fame fubftance. Hence it is probable, that thofe infects have little trouble in animalizing the This infect and its cell has gone under the various names of Gum Lacca, Lack, Loc tree. In Bengal, La; and by the English it is diftinguifhed into four kinds. Ift. Stick Lac, which is the natural ftate from which all the others are formed. 2d. Seed Lac is the cells feparated from the sticks. 3d. Lump Lac is Seed Lac liquified by fire, and formed into cakes. 4th. Shell Lac is the cells liquified, ftrained, and formed into thin tranfparent laminæ in the following manner: Separate the cells from the branches, break them into fmall pieces, throw them into a tub of water for one day, F 2 wali of a stick, heat the polished wood over a charcoal fire, and rub it over with the half-melted Lac, and polifh, by rubbing it even with a piece of folded plantain leaf held in the hand; heating the lacquer, and adding more lac as occafion requires. Their figures are formed by Lac, charged with various colours in the fame manner. wafh off the red water and dry the cells, and with them fill a cylindrical tube of cotton cloth, two feet long, and one or two inches in diameter; tie both ends, turn the bag over a charcoal fire; as the Lac liquifies twift the bag, and when a fufficient quantity has tranfuded the pores of the cloth, lay it upon a fmooth junk of the plantain-tree (Mufa Paradifiaca, Linnæi) and with a ftrip of the plantain-leaf draw it into a thin lamella; take it off while flexible, for in a minute it will be hard and brittle. The value of hell lac is according to its tranfpa-them is kept a fecret. The leaf rency. Ufe to the natives.] This is one of the most useful infects yet dif covered. Ornaments.] The natives confume a great quantity of Shell Lac in making ornamental rings, painted and gilded in various taftes, to decorate the arms of the ladies; and it is formed into beads, fpiral and linked chains for necklaces, and other female ornaments. Sealing wax.] Take a stick, and heat one end of it upon a charcoalfire; put upon it a few leaves of the Shell Lac foftened above the fire; keep alternately heating and adding more Shell Lac, until you have got a mass of three or four pounds of liquified Shell Lac upon the end of your stick +. Knead this upon a wetted boardwith three ounces of levigated cinnabar, form it into cylindrical pieces, and, to give them a polifh, rub them while hot with a cotton cloth. Japanning. Take a lump of Shell Lac, prepared in the manner of fealing wax, with whatever colour you pleate, fix it upon the end Varnish. In ornamenting their images and religious houfes, &c. they make ufe of very thin beat lead, which they cover with various varnishes, made of Lac charged with colours. The preparation of of lead is laid upon a fmooth iron heated by fire below, while they fpread the varnish upon it. Grindftones.] Take of river-fand three parts,of Seed Lac washed one part, mix them over the fire in a pot, and form the mafs into the shape of a grindstone, having a fquare hole in the centre, fix it on an axis with liquified Lac, heat the ftone moderately, and by turning the axis it may easily be formed into an exact orbicular shape. Polifhing grindstones are made only of fuch fand as will pafs eafily thro' fine muflin, in the proportion of two parts fand to one of lac. This fand is found at Ragimaul. It is compofed of small angular cryftalline particles, tinged red with iron, two parts to one of black magnetic fand. The ftone-cutters, inftead of fand, ufe the powder of a very hard granite called Corune. Thefe grindstones cut very faft. When they want to increase their power they throw fand upon them, or let them occafionally touch the edge of a vitrified brick. + In this manner Lump Lac is formed from Seed Lac. fame fame compofition is formed upon fticks, for cutting ftones, fhells, &c. by the hand. Painting.] Take one gallon of the red liquid from the firft washing for Shell Lac, ftrain it through a cloth, and let it boil for a fhort time, then add half an ounce of foap earth (foffil alkali); boil an hour more, and add three ounces of powdered load (bark of a tree); boil a fhort time, let it ftand all night, and strain next day. Evaporate three quarts of milk, without cream, to two quarts, upon a flow fire, curdle it with four milk, and let it stand for a day or two; then mix it with the red liquid above mentioned; ftrain them through a cloth, add to the mix. ture one ounce and an half of allum, and the juice of eight or ten lemons; mix the whole, and throw it into a cloth-bag-ftrainer. The blood of the infect forms a coagulum with the cafeous part of the milk, and remains in the bag, while a limpid acid water drains from it. The coagulum is dried in the fhade, and is ufed as a red colour in painting and colouring. Dyeing. Take one gallon of the red liquid prepared as before, without milk,towhich add three ounces of allum. Boil three or four ounces of tamarinds in a gallon of water, and ftrain the liquor. Mix equal parts of the red liquid and tamarind-water over a brifk fire. In this mixture dip and wring the filk alternately until it has received a proper quantity of the dye. To increafe the colour, increafe the proportion of the red liquid, and let the filk boil a few minutes in the mixture. To make the filk hold the colour, they boil a handful of the bark called Load in water; ftrain the decoction, and add cold water to it; dip the dried filk into this liquor feveral times, and then dry it. Cotton cloths are dyed in this manner; but the dye is not fo lafting as in filk. Spanish wool.] The Lac colour is preferved by the natives upon flakes of cotton dipped repeatedly into a strong folution of the Lac infect in water, and then dried. Ufe to the Europeans.] See European Authors. Account of two remarkable Cafes, related by Boerhaave, of the Baion Van Waffenaer, and the Marquis of St. Auban. From Dr. Zimmerman's treatife on Experience in Phyfic. Tranflated from the Ger man. THE Baron Van Waffenaer, Admiral of Holland, a man of a fober difpofition, fubject to altacks of the gout, in other refpects healthy, robuft, endued with great qualities, and with an extraordinary firmnels of temper, had accuftomed himself to the taking an emetic every time he thought he had ate too much. He conceived this method to be fo very useful to him, that he continued to repeat it as often as he fancied there was occafion for it. It was to no purpofe that his friends and phyficians diffuaded him from this practice. Nothing, in his opinion, relieved him fo much as a vomit; and he appealed, in proof of this, to his pretended experience. A meffenger came one night to Boerhaave, to tell him that the admiral was in the agonies of death, perhaps already dead, at his country houfe. Boerhaave F 3 flies |