The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-11-30 00:00:00

CUR.'S If'

The folloo ion.: article is extracted fish the rtOyal
Cornwall (;u:.eite, pribted it Truro, by M. Sho-
berl
On Tuesday evening Nil% Potts commenced his coarse
of lectities with the C *deratiumi of the Natural History of
the Conuty of Cornwall. Situated at the weattrumost extre-
mity of our island, and almost surrounded by the sea, this
county call boast of u climate peculiarly pastel. This is
evinced its a variety of vegetable product...us, some of
which, natives of inure southern regioii., el lavish here its
the open air as In miriautly air in their no:tie soil Slob a,-•
the arbutus, the (-it...fumy lily, the myrtle, the loot,
geranium, aud Ike Aloe Agave; while the sweetli....r is met
with wild in Crest perfection. Toe polsantli.e. loin here
been found will slew!, a at: of its name ; 333 thiae.• having
been counted WI sine stut4:: stalk. The asparagii,, eighty:it-
eel at great expense, and rromiriarx notch time auil labour Is
one gardens, flourialws wild on the Forks near the Lis ird.
181 further pt nor of the favottrahle i hurtle or thi. cmwilty
vegetation, the Lecturer adduced the silver fir, a holm at Enys,
the seat of F. linys, Ell. is Seen eleven (*Mr Ili elfetilllferf lire,
and the eliesnut tree, growing at Cowhide 4.f the amazing
girth of 27 feet, and roportionate height. As the lima ea I-
dente or the fertility of the soil and the no hints. of the p.
soul season, Mr. Potts appeal. il to the appearam e of
the table before him, cove. aol with mare than fifty
specimens of flower. and frott, grown in the open air,
and coutrlboted, at this Luc se.isuit, by the gat delis of
Mr. Env., Sir Tweedy, Mr. Vivian, 31r. Chi wits. Mrs.
Michell, MISS Lime, and oilier Gentletur•u amid 1,1411i.s in Iles
neighbourhood. Among, the latter were straw lwrrics and
raspberries, in flower and fruit ; apples 4.f a second crop slow
growing; and the gait flower apple, which is peculiar to this
county, and of such exquisite flavour, that we understand a
huiadred of them are annually moat as a preset.. by a fit-title-
Mast of Truro to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent.
" The Lecturer next took a cursory glance at the various
s of animated nature, aee.ii ding to the Li niiman .irrauge-
rnent, begosuing with mass. He described the Inhabitants t f
Cornwall as being generally of the middle stature, strong
and active; the nature of their employment im the mines
31111 fisheries enabling them to bear watching, cull aniiwei,
notwithstanding which, with temperance, they generally
attain to an advanced age. Of the atuutness of their make
some judgment may be formed from the fact, that a Corisieli
regiment stands ou immure ground than a corps ("retinal wins-
her from tiny other 4:utility. Here the Lector. r took area.
Mon to pay a high compliment to a regiment to which,
I hunik not himself a native of this county, hr bar hi:Ion:4141
for neatly 3eves years—the Coroteth Miners. For neatness,
determination, eleici plow, mid legato, for their Officer., which
indeed was unitual—fm• honesty, industry, and loyalty, rimy
were exceeded by no regiment to his 31.ijesfy's This
was f aol by the hoopitalitoa and kilod asli. its, nay even
the teata of the inbabitatitti, on their &pat owe from every
quarb r wile rever they hail been slationesl.
" Amongst the eminent characters which the county had
produced, he mentioned the late celebrated Oise ;
and that justly distinguished individual, Sir Huiiii.bry Davy,
who haviug, by hula own *Woggle', !Ostia.) his foot in the la-
boratury, hod, out by chatter, but by the force of genius and •
application, like a comet rising from the west, lett a bright
irark behind, which dazzles the i yes of the whole world.— I
When he looked round hilts and saw the number of highly
respectable characters that had ateproc4l rot th In assist at the
birth of the present liotitotion; whili lie etui.idereil the
number of omen of liberal minds as well as of fits flint, whelk
Cornwall could Moist ; when but 011iel Weil the support which
a valuable S;,ter Society had experieuced, though less ad.
vanta:z. misty situated, and more confinetl in ifs pursuits;
whim sir rel.:aided the example sliPiris by the Right Hon.
West., et, a masa who had risen by his mrrit to the rack he
grew.!, could lie doubt of the *mem.' of iii 1111111111iii311111C
sole oH,ct of which was acqui ttt iou mud exteusioti of kuus-
le.l4,-
" io adverting to the men of eminent talents whom Coin-
wall produced, Mr. Potts übse. v.. 41 how midi larger the
hat prububly have been bad tl it extsted at nit earlier
period aii tortilla:on tech as this sup.res to be, to elicit the
spark of latoit teams or fan its flossing embers into a flame.
Fur waist of such a laboratory as we now Pumas, how
many so:.:lthie taihstances have Irt•en lost! and how little
improyett.eitt has beet. made in !hone arta cid sciences un
which the prosperity of Cornwall chit fly depends, since the
palriolie wrote But of all arts th:,t which
t roticertis the gentlemen of this ty to cultivate, is
that of assaying metal,.—am ;tit which should be much more
generally known and practised than it is at peseta in a
county so fertile is fossils. The value of lin urn is well
Stilwell-4.f lead nut ass thoeoughly—and the agents of the
Copper CU4IIISIIOirS are almost lilt ooly persons who assay
copper ore. Herr, therefore, ends all our dociulastic know-
ledge ; and we are lint only obliged to take the word of
the buyer (which may naturally be supposed sumea•lint iu
favour of himself), as to our lead and copper • but our co.
ball, bismuth, speltre, manganese, and the like, lie utterly
unknown awl neglected. Great pity it is, that NO many
gentlemen of fit tune and inlieritanca as the mine districts
of this comity can boast of, can feo uo link to associate
themselves in so useful a design a, that of 4.inploy lug a pro-
w.: person, and licectoug oue air more assay utßees, whereto
every nom, ut a stimuli expense, 'night have. access fur in-
formatiou as to the value of It:: arc, and the nature of any
new fossil which iserilill.'

" Oar limits would nut permit its to live a bare catalugue
of the ilaines of all the aoimals which the Lectmer succes-
sively passed in review; we most therefore confine -
selves to the must impurtaut ur the must curious of his
out ie. 5.

"The wool of the Cornish sheep, which was formerly eoatse,
is now become, by attention, equal iu go:tilt) to (lost of other
counties; but Ms. Putts comcders the mutton in gellefni as
not re. y tiny. trwitoz to the practice of the nioliatal too
young; the flesh of a sheep seven year, old being my supe-
rior to that of Otis Ohl Is has meets but two summers. 'There
is, however, in this county, • Weed of small sheep, whirh af-
fords pm ticularly hoe niutton. 'lliey 1111: fed upon the
Downs near the coast, and the excellence of their flavour is
commonly ascribed to a sin ill conical snail, found in great
plenty on the grass, which they are supposed to swallow.
This notion the Lecturer seemed to consider as unfonoded,
especially as a situilar exeellenca is remarked is. the foothill
of Wales, and sonic other parts, where tittle is a line short
herbnze.
.4 The Cornish CI gh, the mos. decant of the crow
speeirs, is by uo means peculiar to this comity as is genfr-
al;F supposed. Mr. Putts kept one of these birds in a do.
medicated so le, %loch always greeted his friends will. a soft
note, though with sti augers he was both eueifeimis
mod pugnacious.
•` As a proof 01 the great profusion 01 fish on the Cornish
coast, Mr. Putts adduced the neglect of the skate and gar-
fish, a long green-bossed fish, which lw has seen sold a. a
delicacy at Southampton at the rate of three for two shit-
;
!digs, wiser., here tiny ate thrown away or ris,d offiy as
hail. The halibut, which abounds en our coi_lAs. is s.Dine.
times found of the enormous weight of 400!trr Of all NMI
finny tellies, however, the pilchard is the must valuable rrik
Ibis snooty; but we have to regret that it is not su abisochlat
.s rii vs' I ly. Before the year 18041 K. as, t..Lr number of
..ids annually caught nod cured i w ail. amounted
to shut 30,01/0: since that it. riot! they hive tint exceeded
20,000 tool last season this fishery has poured nearly

The planets Venn: and Jupiter are now beauti-
ful and iiiteresting ol,jects in the S.S.W. point of
the heavens ; the ft sssss er setiiiie at about half-pit,t
four, and the latter at about half-past five in the
afternoon. To those who hare teleseolwo, Venus
presents the appearance of the wown in its last
quarter.

Lest Thur,day, at Mr. BEN 11'4, at Peclcham,
i to ernitiit takiitg up to the poll a socking pig,
indiscreetly carted it into the ety, wht re the sow
wa which iiurnrdiatrlt flew olio') bon, mat tote the
! t•li off vile of his thigh. to the bone, hit his leg
in a terrible manlier, and it was with great difficulty
he est up, d from her with his