The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1810-10-13 00:00:00

ROYAL SOCIETY.

It appears that M. Deidle, a French Physician,
and a Member of the French National Institute.
has transmitted a paper from the East Indies, to
the Royal Society. by the bands of a Lady. de.
scribing the real nature al.d properties of the cele-
brated Bohan Visas. or poison' tree Of Java.. The
botanic's' account of this plant he received from
one of the rrsuch naturalist. who accompanied Cap-
tain ilandin,. and who resided some time in J vas.
It was with much difficulty that br persuaded the
inhabitants to skew him the different poison plants',
which they carefully conceal for the purpose of using
them in war. Hence the many fabulous accounts
circulated respecting the fatal influence of the spas
are set in their true light. The apes, in the language
of Java, signifier a vegetable poison, and is applied
only to the juice of the Bohan tree. and another
plant with a twisted stein. The juice is extracted
by as incision made in the hark with a knife, and
being carefully collected. is preserved by the na-
tives to 'se employed in their wars. As to its d Reus-
ing noxious 'alluvia in the air, and destroying ve-
getation to a considerable distance aronud it, the
aboardity of three stories is rufficiently exposed by
the fact, that the climbing species requires them,-
port of other plants to attain its usual growth. Ac-
cording to a number of experiments mode by Dr.
Delille upon dogs awl cats, bi incisions, injections,
tkc. it appearr that this peculiar species of vegetable
poison acts exclusively upon the nerves. • .

AN ACCOUNT' OF THII OTTAIN-4C4

WHU EAT CLAY.

;Frani Ilsalcdt's T•bleas% Nakie.")
•

On the coasts of emotion, of New Barcelona,
and of Cameras, visited by the Fssncisian Monks
of Guyana in retuning from their miasmas, there
was a tradition preeffilt, that tribes inhabiting the
banks of the Oronot o rat earth.

On the 6th of June, 1800, we spent a day in a
mission iu a village inhabited by the Ottantses who
eat earth. The villege called La Concepcion, of
Usuauti, is situated its a very picturesque manner
upon the declivity of a rock of granite. Its latitude
Id. termined to hr seven degrees north, and its
longitude roar degrees rest of Paris. The earth
which the Ottemacs eat is a fat an I titictuotis clay, a
real pottet'a earth, of a greyish yellow tint, coloured
by a little oxide of iron. They select it with tomb
care, nod gather it on particular banks, on the
sides of the Orounco andof the Meta. They dis-
tinguish by the taste one kind of earth from +mo-
ther, for all kinds of clay are not equally agree-
able to their Hates. They knead this earth into
ball., of from four to six niches in dostneter,rund
brkeit eta slow fire, till its outer surface heroines
reddish. Before they eat these balls they moisten
them anew. 'these (Maniacs are for the most pert
a very savage race, and have an aversion to improve-
ment. The nations on the t)rouoco that are far-
thest from that canton, say prow. rhially. when they
wish to speak of any thing very filthy, i• It is dis-
gusting for an Ottamee to eat." When the waters
of the Oroonveo and Meta are low, the Ottatnacs
support. thetatelves on fish and tortoises. When
the fish appear at the sadism of the water. they
kill theta by means of darts, with a desterity which
we bare often admired. When the rivers ropes
rieoce their periodical overflow, the fishing ceases,
for it is as difficult to filth in rivers become too deep
as in the open sea. During this inundation, which
lasts two or three months, the (maniacs
prodigious quantities of earth. We have found in
their huts immense storesaf it. heaped op 111.PYra-
mid,. Each individual commutes daily three-
fourths or four-fifths of a pound el earth. acceding
to the account which Fray Boinun Buena. a Very.
intelligent monk, who Nutted twelve yew. among
three 'lndians, gave us. The Oitainacs themselves
say, that in the rainy season this earth is their prin-
cipal food ; in addition, they eat little fishes, li-
zards, cod fern roots. They are an fond of this
earth. that every day they eat a little of it after
their repast, to regale themselves,, eves in the dry
seasons. and when they have alhandence of fish.—
These people are of a very dark copper colour;
their features are as ugly as those of the Tartans.
The missionary who resides among them invited
as, that he has remarked uo difference in the hestltb
of these savages during the time that they eat this
earth.

Such lathe simple narration of Picts.—lt may be
asserted, that iu all the regions of the torrid zone,
this desire for earth bat been observed ; in Guinea,
the 'levees eat a yellowish earth, which they roll
realise. The slaves which are brought into Ame-
ric• endeavour to matte • similar gratification,
but it is always to the detriment of their !malt&

?Louth, Brady, Ann Carrel, *Niched Scowl.
ling, and Waage, Therm foor Irish labourers,
were charged with it riot and violent amain& i.O the.
person of Mr. George liodoon, a constable. on
Westosinsier-bnidge, on the Sth Spotant, were on
Thursday last found Gaiiry, at the Surrey Se.-
woos and Brady. the nest, who wounded the
constable, was sentenced to nine mouths hard la-
bour in the Hun..e of Correction, cud the other
three to six mouths each.