The National Register. — London, England, 1821-07-29 00:00:00

• 9c ~~ .~ HI.N7S FOR THE APPROACM.VG HARVEST. --0.- A residence of two years in Switzerland, and particular atter,- too dusted to the rural economy of the coutury, amongst other taitigt brought me acquainted with a method ofinevating which to me was quite new. Since my return home I made many in quiries without having learned that a similar method was ever practia.-d in England. though it is by no means improbable that It 11;3; already be known, either in local custom of old date, or Lem Lacing been introduced by travellers who had equal oppor• trinities with myself of observing what passed before their eyes. I ant not aware, however. that any written description of this netted has already appeared ; and it is untlef a persuasion of its great utility that I now endeavour to give it every possible pub licity. in harvesting. two important matters present themselves to the teonsideration of the fanner :--expense of labour, and time.— A saving in labour, if it protracts the time, is rarely beneficial. a.• it exposes the crop to additional risk and accident from bad wet.t'aer ; but every saving in time is a positive advantage. The Salta method saves tooth time noel la b our ; and the loss from shedding. in handling the corn, appears to be less than with us. Tic main principle of their system consists in the use of the icraate instead of the site LE. Every one must be aware of the very superior powers of the former instrument; but in the ordinary mode of using it, nothwithstanding the various contri eanee- of bows, sweeps, cradles. &c. which have been attached to the scythe to remedy the inconvenience, the corn is thrown down in such rude heaps, and the ears become so entangled, that a iereat allows from shedding t and hence farmers have con. center it better to employ six sickles than one scythe. Nay, I Fare heard it argued. when prices were high, that there was its od economy in reaping Jaen barley. In Switzerland, however, by a very simple contrivance the objection to the scathe have been completely obviated. Each mower is accompanied by a person bearing a light straight long pole. whose business is to press the pole in a horizontal position against the stems of the corn which arc to be cut, so as to bend the ears considerably away from the mower, and leave him a foil. fair, stoke at the aggregated stems. The pole is best vitls: of deal, and much about the thickness of the handle of a sweeping brush. and in Saitserland is commonly about nine feet he length r but this must be determined by the nature of the scythe used,* or rather by the sweep or extent of the stroke ; for the person who bears the pole must be out of the reach of all trom the scythe, and at the same time there must he adiaeicnt length of pole left to press against the whole breadth tor bench of banding corn which the mower can compass with Lie set tite. The person who bears the pole, commonly a lad, staude . with his face towards the mower, a little to the left of his 'line of progression, and moves backwards as the other advances. 'rite pole may be held as the bearer finds most convenient a and steadied. either against his body, or his thigh, according to hia Eei a ht ; but care must be taken that it is held nearly horsaontal, and the pole should press on the standing corn, from about six iaches to a foot below the ears, so as to give a sloping direction, array from the mower, to the whole quantity likely to be cut at err s:N.l:e. The ears which are thus pressed back never straggle. either during or after the stroke, but slide along the pole which it properly held, keeps them quite even, and they will fall one year, smoothly and regularly. Should the corn have been beaten down by rain or storm, the scythe cannot certainly be used with the same advantage as if it stands end and healthy ; the sickle will answer best under such circumstances. The Swiss, however, are so careful about their crops, that when fallen, they raise them, in part, by fattening FICIIII together, and tying them in is direction contraty to titer in which they have fallen. Sometimes they plant stakes through the field, and put small airs bars or rods, front stake to crake, so as to hear tL4., stems up ; and after this the corn may be snowed. But in the cane of a fine, even, upright crop. whether of wheat or other ;rain, there can be no hesitation in preferring the se' the and pole, it properly used, to the sickle. I After then:over has passed on, two or more women or boys. commonly women, follow, whose business it is gently and care fully to spread the corn that has been mowed, much in the same way that flax or heir.p is spread, in even regular lavers. When properly dried. a third operation preparatory to binding is per. formed by two other persons. commonly women, one of whom carries too waritla or rude, about four feet in length, the other ✓ac rod only. The person carrying the too rods, t h rusts t h em, cne in each hand, under the 'e'er of corn which lire sorted on the ground ; the person with the single wand, at the same time standing opposite to the other, puts the Finale wand under the oirtaaly midway between the opposite weals. Then the hands arc raised, whilst the points of the rods or wands remain on the ground, and thus the car, slides, or is slaved together, in heaps large enough for binding. if the crop is thin, the gather• inks unhat begin the wider apart, or too gatherings may be united, and great attention during this operation is paid to col lecting any scattered or straggling stems. The same operation may be performed with a long toothed rake ; but the corn is waken much less when the wands are used. The binders follow those who have collected the heaps ; and it is to be partieulaily noted, that the Swiss do not use the fresh cut corn for bands, but make them at home in the barns, of straw, at some convenient time in advance. When wantal for use, they ate carted to the. field, and distributed along the rows.— The time spent in knotting the band s i n th e fi e ld s is thus saved, ate the logs of grain (tom twisting the bands or rubbing against either sheaves in carrying home, is avoided. The advantages derived from this method, and the division of albeit 7, will be obvious to any person who has once seen the per feet practice ; and I do not think there is any exaggeration in amine, that a ith the same hands, a crop may by such means be saved in half the time. lint I am inclined to go further, and express my conviction, that the crop may be saved in half the foie with even fewer hands than the sickle requires. Much L. %ever will eertainiy depend on the dexterity and willingness of ti.e people employed but the niece experiment of the scythe and pole may be tried without au expense or difficulty. I:. describing this method as Swiss, it is necessary to add, that i. by no means general throughout Switzerland, but confined at ire:ent to particular cliAriets ; after being once introduced, however, Ais never abandoned and 1 have been told it is spreading very rapidly through the country. There can be no surer proof of its excellence ; for in a country espoweel to cala mities from inclement sea:ons, and where years of scarcity are by no means unet.mmon, it would certainly not be ad o pt e d, if it did not ensure to the husbandman the utmost possible pnwluee from hi, crop. The.e is no want of hands in Switzetlanel; on the centrary, the valleys of Oberland, where I have observed the upe of the scythe most prevalent, swarm with inhabitants. and men. women, and children all work in the fields with the green:at as,aduity, both early and late. I have purposely delayed this publication until the time of liarse-t was near, under a persuasion that it was likely to produce snort effect, alien there was an opportunity of trying the experi ment whilst the subjict w Lb fresh tn the mind. Luunivit. July ISAAC \VELD, jun. • I I, acy thee coudnotoly used In ',wilt. rlatol have Ilght short blades, awl I belies are tris"copally 01 Certnao In ....a c tor.. Ito. 'm u m., ale touch bent; and the mower at.lods upright. The seteep la rot vary great. got the Sod.. n.. admirable mowers; I have seen n'alICS 01 gram on the Alps gru o log an der ledges of tort: ..h.,e stu cause et aid climb, cal as rime and mot :o an a dekteroom ca• dead could cat asr a,r. plat. Ihry pe..ta esqoadte edge op Mei. erytio a by Itunnieting them ant on 1111:e ~sail, lead tor the ',miaow, tatted ot thlonnag the viee by a costae Wart. , aa oar mowers do; and t heir IC) lbel by this Ire:dam:a caotacian::•ly lAtt Mien longer. 1110 Stop..atios I. .perfornord tAice in a d.. or two; and the edge in I. CI wait!, ettlkearlbu !Learned by a li t et strop or }Hero cu buord, ILasa vas 1. THE NATIONAL REGISTER MR. GREEN'S ACCOUNT OF HIS AERIAL. VOYAGE, IN HONOUR OF HIS MAJESTY'S CORONATION. The balloon with which I ascended was 31 feet in diameter. as near the size as possible of the one with which Lunardi first made an ascension in England. It was inflated with about 1.400 cubic feet of carbonated hydrogen gas. supplied from the main pipes of the original chartered Gas Company, and I am much indebted to the gentlemen of the Committee for their kind assist ance riming the operation of flUing. I had no doubt of being able to ascend with the gas, having, since the period when I first conceived the idea that common gas would answer the purposes of serostation. made frequent experiments, all of which completely ateeeededt nor was my ardour damped when I knew that. even within an hour of ruy ascension, persons of great experience in aerostation expiewed their opinion that 1 should not be able to ascend. About five minutes before one o'clock the ropes were divided. and having taken my seat in the car. the ball° .n rose in a most majestic manner, nearly perpendicularly. The almost deafening shouts of the populace, and the roar of cannon that took place when I had ascended a considerable distance from the earth agitated the balloon. I felt the eflict of it most senably. The moment the discharge of cannon took place, I knew it was the signal to be given when the crown was set upon die head of my moat gracious Sovereisn and I drew the cork of a bottle of brandy, and having lou red out a full Ours, I drank " Health. long life, and a glorious reign to his Majesty." The effect of the air upon the brandy is worthy of notice: when I drew the cork, a report took place, which I attributed to the ratification of the air, similar to that produced by drawing a cork out of a bottle of soda water. When the balloon travelled at its greatest rapidity, 1 felt pot the least motion ; it appeared as if the car in which I sat was stationary, and that the earth was receding from me. The balloon took a north east direction at first, and on my looking down upon the vast assemblage of persons in Westminster, the delight I felt is out of my power to describe. The view presented one entire living mass of more than a million of human beings. ....Having ascended as high as I could without throwing out ballast, I determined. as the weather was so fine, to keep in sight as long as possible. I threw out two bags of sand of ten pounds weight each, and immediately the balloon rose with astonishing rapidity almost perpendicularly, according to my . wish. When the balloon arrived at its utmost altitude, which. in my opinion, could not be certain, in consequence of the oscillation of the ' 1 quicksilver in the burometerswas about 11,000 feet from the (mirth, f found that I had entered a current of air, conveying me directly eastward, towards the Noce. The cold was extreme. I put on cloak, which I nook up with me, and on looking at my glass I found it was beow So. two degrees below the freezing point. a was fearful of being carried to sea, and immediately opened the valve t the gas la urel in considerable quantities, and I found, by the increase of the sine of objects below sue to my optics,that I was descending very rapidly. The largest fields, which a kw minutes before appeared to be not more than six inches square, increased in size greatly 4 and I very soon saw the sea, and a number of vessels most distinctly. The balloon had a rotatory motion, and turned about four times in a minute. Still fearing that I should full into the sea, I opened the valve to its utmost cammity; and having deseend , xl so as to be able to recognize small objects distinctly on the earth, with great delight 1 found that tiv balloon had entered another current of air, which was conveying me from the sea; I was then travelling north west. lad down and ate some sandwiches with a good al.petite, and saw the clouds rolling beneath me, appatent/y on the ground. About 20 tninutesiefore two eitiock I descended in a held belonging to a fanner named Lamkins, which is situate about four miles beyond Barnet, in the parish of South Minis. I was not aware that I had descended so rapidly ' • before I had time :o draw myself up to the hoop, the car struck the earth with great lice, and I was thrown out of it on my back ; I was nearly maned from the effects of a blow which I received. I still held the hoop of the balloon ; and the grappling iron, which 1 burl thrown out when about; a quarter of a mile hour the earth, not taking firm hold, I was dragged on my hack along the ground a considerable distance. The balloon was eventually secured, with the assistance of a aentltnian n.med Waugh, and conveyed to a place of safety in his Park, and I was afterwards most hospitably Entertained at his mansion: to him my gratitude is due, and, but for his kind exertions, I have no doubt tie bal loon would have suffered considerable injury from the great crowd of }reasons that assembled on try descent. I believe, front the best calculation I car. make, that I travelled altogether, in various dizectiuns, upwards of fifty miles. CHARLES GREEN. 49, Gontell Strrd, ' ,irk 20, lag!. Mr. Green will ascina in a few days from Islington, with the same balloon. ARCTIC EXPEDITION. The Nautilus transport, which accompanied the discovery ships us a store-ship, is arrived off Berwick on her return borne, having left the t ury and Ileda off Resolution Island, on the Ist, all leen, and the crews in the highest spirits. Having received on board all the spare stores, provisions, &c. with which the Nautilus was loaded, the Fury and Ueda were about to proceed to Southampton Island, in the pro secution of their voyage of discovery. Resolution Island, where they stopped to take out the cargo of the Nautilus, is in the entrance of Hudson's Strait, through which they were proceeding in the prose cution of' their intended voyage. We have been favoured with the following extract of a letter, brought by the Nautilus, which contains an accurate detail, up to the time that vessel left the discovery ships, of the progress of the expedition, and probably the last notice that can be received of it for a long period:—His Majery's ship Fury, Hudson's Straits, north roast of America, June X 6, 1521. " We had a very fine passage to this part of the world, and therefore I ant Ode to tell you but little news. We reachtal the ice about a week ago, since which time we have made two attempts to take the heavy stores out of the Nairtifenr transport, which accompanied u,; but, from the wind blowing upon the ice, we welt obliged to stand oft; as die transport had nut been strengthened so as to resist the ice : we are now, however, making a third attempt, and we hope to gut rid of her in about a couple of days or so We made a Fent+ long stay at the Orkoays (about a foitnight), during which time we amused ourselves by shooting grouse, plover, de. or any thing that came in the way, for we were not very nice about the shooting season. We have got a tamous supply of live and fresh provision on beard, that will last us till Christmas. There is a goal deal of ice about us, but not enough to obstruct our passage forwards, it it was not for thy tninsport ; but, however, we hope to get her off in shoot a day or two, if it is tine weather. We made an island abent a week te r :o, called Resolution Islend, where we expected to see some Indians • but there was so much ice between the ships and tl:c land, that we were disappointed. I can hardly give you an idea of our intended route without a chart, for two reasons—first, because those it: common use are so inaccurate as to be of little uie, and because our future course will in a great measure depend upon the state of the ices but s however, it you ~~ should ever fall in with a good chart, I will tell you four most probable course. From the Orkneys we first made Cape Fare. well, the southern extremity of Greenland, in lat. 60 deg. north; from thence to Hudson's Straits, between Cape Chidley and Re solution Island, which is about due west of Cape Farewell, and hero we are at present ; and from hence we intend to steer about north west (if the wind and ice will permit; to try to get north. wards through some inlets on the north side of Hudson's Bay from thence northwards to the sea, as seen by Herne, near Coppennine river, where we shall probably winter; from thence to the sea, as seen by Itl'Kensier and from this to Behring's Straits, round Cape Horn to England. 6. We are all of us preparing our rifles for shooting deer, which we most probably shall see upon the next Lind we fall in with, as the islands here abound with them. We are, however, exceed. ingly well off in the eatitto way ; plenty of fresh beef, mutton. pork, poultry, eggs, fish. atc. on board. besides 14 or 13 sheep. bullocks, and as many pigs on board the transport: we have besides preserved potted fresh meats of all kinds. so that salt pro. visions we scarcely need taste all the time we are out, unless we choose. All the officers are very agreeable, and Captain Parry I like very much indeed; and I have no doubt but that we shall spend the winter very comfortable together." COURT ON EXCISE. ....m.-- I►Jr. William Weaver, a 4rocer, residing in Charles. street. St. George's in the East, was charged with hav ing had in his possession a quantity of cotlee, pepper, rice, and other articles, which had been removed from the Ducks before the duty had been paid upon it, with intent to defraud the revenue, whereby he had incurred penalties to the amount of 2001.—There was also an in formation against a•man named Atkins, (ma likeoffenee. 1 t appeared from the statement made by J. Calthoipe, an officer of the Excise, that on the 106 of June last he went to the house of the defendant Weaver, and seized 323 Ibs. of a mixture of coffee, pepper, rice, and other ingredients, which would defy the skill of the most able chemist to decompose or analyse. It appeared to be the refuse of a ship's hold, which Was in process of separation fur purposes of profit. A quantity of coffee, such as it was, had already been separated. The facer gave it as his opinion that about 40Ibs. of pepper might be got from the quantity seized. It was such stuff as no merchant would pay the duty upon, although it might be such as sonic men might, by skilful management, make money of. The witness and a brother officer dis covered a quantity of the same heterogenous stuff in a warehouse, which belonged to the defendant Weiser. They also discovered a quantity in some adjoining pre mises, which belonged to Atkins, who it was stated, was in the habit of speculating in such articles, and who had sold to Weaver the quantity found on his premises. Samples of the compound were produced to the Court, sonic in a garbled and others in au ungarbled irate. The:greater quantity was composed of rice.— There were other substances in it, which the witness could not ascertain the nature. Mr. NVeaver, iti his defence, disclaimed any intention of using the articies found upon his premises to the pre judice of the revenue or of his customers.—ile said he tnerely had it frosts Atkins for the purpose of trying whether his pigs would eat it. The Court asked the defendant hew the pepper, which the mixture contained in such abundance, agreed with the pigs ? Mr. %reaver made no reply. Mr. Atkins, in his defence, declared that he had bought 12 tons or the article, solely upon tine specula tion that pigs would !Ike the rice. Could the Court think that he would pass neon the town as pepper that which contained so large a proportion of rut's dung, about the nature of which substance the Excise officers had been so pusz:ed. The Court could form no other conclusion but that the articles composing the mixture were intended to be separa ted and sold. But it being the first case of the nature that came before them, they mitigated the penalty in the first case to 251. and in the second also to 251. obsers lot!, that they would visit the full penalty on the firat tradesman they found repeating the offence. A MinamE.—The town of Wurtzburg has just witnessed a miraculous cure, which has produced the most lively impression. We all recollect that unthrtunatc Princess of Schwt..-tzenberg,who in I 8 11 fell a victim at Paris to her maternal love, when a fire broke out in her dancing saloon. One of her daughters, the Princess Matilda, has from infancy been afflicted with a dreadful disorder which has produced a carious of two of the vertebra dorsal spine, and was pronounced incurable by the most eminent physicians of Vienna and Paris, among others by Dr. Dubois, who, after having attead,ai her for three years, declared that she might live, but would never be able to walk. A young man, how ever, has appeared, who has falsified the predictions of the doctors, and who has said to the young Prin cess, " Rise and walk." He is a German peasant, brought by Prince Alexander of Hohenlohe, an ecclesiastic, to the house of the physician at Wurtz burgh, where the Princess's friends had placed her, and who, after having repeated a prayer, and asked the young Princess it' she firmly believed that God had the power of working her curc, efleaed this miracle ! On that very day the Princess Matilda went down stairs to the family chapel in the house, and walked a long time in the garden befge an im mense conceume of the inhabitants, who flocked thither to convince themselves of this astonishing fact ! ! ! An officer of distinction, now in London, has just received a letter from Bombay, from which the following is an extract :—" A letter from Shiraz of the 17th Alarch last, confirms the report den attach having been nude upon General Smith immediately on his landing. in which six officers were killed and wounded." • 7