The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1804-07-10 00:00:00

THE ARTS AND San:CRS.

A Memoire of M. Thouin, published in the an-
nals of the Museum, presents the public with some
very interesting fans.
Two varieties of the Potatoe have been for some
time cultivated in the hot-houses of the Museum ;
and one of these, the red kind, begins to be natu-
ralised in the neighbourhood of foulriuse, and it is
expected that they will be successfully cultivated in
the other southern departments.
Au* theT specks of the Potatoe, the Pennsylvania,
known by the name of the Couto/calms Patatat
lours, appears to be proper for our northern coun-
tries Seed from this sort has been sent to several
of the Departments, and particularly to the depart-
ment of the Scheldt. The Memoire contain; vari-
ous instrunions to preserve and make this root pro-
dative. It is to be observed. that these Potatoes,
differing essentially from what we call the pongee de
lure, require to be differently treated.
The Memoire speaks also of a kind of Potatoe
that is yellow, which are nearly round, and of a
more agreeable flavour, than the greater part of
those kinds we have been used to cultivate. They
are also of a more early kind than any of ours, and
this property renders their introclunion very im-
portant. Besides which, they will improve our spe-
cies of potatoes, which begin to degenerate. The
ingenious author of the Islemoile, leaving first ex-
posed the causes of this decline, advises the planting
of varieties of seed, to bring this valuable root to the
perfenion which will yield the finest sort and the
most abundant quantity.
The Itattie Snale, which was brought about six
weeks since to Bourdeaur, is shewn at the Museum
of that city ; and attrafts a prodigious crowd of vi-
sitors. This Serpent, which is one of the most agile
and fierce of his kind, has contraned a friendship
with a bird that was thrown alive into his cage for.
his prey.
All animals fear the Ratl.e Sisaie, except the hog,
who makes him his food. Horses and dogs shun
him. But man may easily master him, especially
if he possesses coolness with courage, because he ne-
ver voluntarily attacks him, and suffers himself to
he readily approached. He may be easily killed by
a blots with a stick on the sack. But the blow
must be sure ; fbr the animal being only wounded,
darts rapidly on his enemy, and avenges himself by
a bite, whose poison kills in two minutes, and occa-
sions extreme agony. What is called his rattle is
formed of hard scales, which play and sound from
his motion, and are placed tinder his belly, but prin.
cipally under his tail. Travellers have greatly exag-
gerated the danger of this animal to the human race;
for, if they are to be taken literally. America would
be uninhabitable. Fortunately, nature, in rendering
the Rode Snake so formidable by its poison, has
denied it extraordinary activity, and furnished it
with that which lieti.sys its approach. The real
fact is, that they are sear:ely to be more dreaded
in America, titan l'Yetrs in Europe.
The Rame &mit. has a large head, tilt and triaa-
guliti. His eye is extremely bright and fiery. He
is very long lived, (ceding chiefly on hares, rats, and
birds. He wind, himself mend to wait for his
prey ; and, when that is within his reach, he darts
up'm it with the rapidity of lightning. It is seldom
that he does not voluntarily die of hunger, when re-
dacesi to captivity. The Rattle Snake at Bourieanx
is four and a halt feet long and twelve inches round.
He lived eight months in captivity before he would
take any nourishment. For some time past he has
taken a little water and milk, so that there is some
hope, though not much, of preserving him, fto is
to be sent. to Atria in the course of the eas;sing
month.

Attempts are made to supply the scarcity al
ordinary fuel by the introdustion of pear t--end,
fortunately, France has no want of this sub-
stance. But there are preparations that will
render it more fit for burning. In Htilland, it
is pressed. In gene: al, it is desirable to ren-
der it more comp:o than in its natural state.
Citizen Oyon, engineer of bridges and high ways,
has invented a method for this purpose; and has
sent to the Council of Mines, specimens of pee,
thus prepared. The natural substance be gets from
the valley of Essona ; but, the rise being equal,
' his specimens weigh three times as math as the
natural pea ; whence it is plain, they are in a
state of greater ecusiplession. They are also very
firm, do not easily break, and may be conveyed
without loss in the carriage. They burn exceed.
ingly well. Citizen Oyon states, that blacksmiths
may use them in heating iron in their forges. They
will, of course, answer very well for ordinary
fires and domestic uses ; which is a fo.tunate cir-
cumstance.
While we enrich ourselves with foreign produc-
tions, y makin them natives of our climate, doubt-
less we do a useful thing. But how many are our
natural advantages'. Let us not neelea those, at least,
that are almost -thrust upon us. There grows en the
shores of the Mediterranean, in Lower Languedoc,
in Pros eice, and Alsace, a kind of Senate, to which
the botanists have given the name of eia,.esoale. It
is described in the New DiSionary of Natural His-
tory. The root, composed of fibres, to which are
attached oval nuts, are eatable. Burnt and mingled
in the pro ration of a third or half with coffee, they
aft- ird a Liquid preferahle to the coffee sold in many
clout eWee houses, and even to that made from
ground mike sold by the grocers. When ground,
the roots will yield five-eighths of flour. It is said,
that a dish has been made from this flour, very
ageenble to the palate, good for the stomach, and
preteranle to saloop or ,agile. It has been also used
in medicines. So many useful properties demand
that this plant be improved by cultivation althoug'a
hitherto it has scarcely ever been attended to.
It appears by a memoire presented to the Prefen
of the department of Leman, by M. Charles Pictet,
that in the manufafture of shawls, a new branch
of industry introduced by him, the value of the
wrought materials may be carried to twenty times
the value of the raw materials; although, in I!x O.
the finest materials of the same kind, fabricated
in the English manufallorits, did not exceed nine
times the value of the raw materials. The largest
and finest of M. Pictet's shawls are sold at 240
francs each. It is, beside, calculated by M. Pictet.
that every ewe of the kind called werns«, fed ln our
land, independent of the manure she produces, and
the lamb she yields annually, gives a sum of .272
francs annually to le contruunity---[Fren
do Peru.]