The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-12-28 00:00:00

SELECT EXTRACTS.

Mr. Moor records a flight in India of butterflies, which
extended 500 miles; and Mr. Barru describes one in Africa,
which occupied an area of 2,000 miles.

The greatest compliment ever paid to a preacher was that
paid to the celebrated Rev. Robert Hall, of Leicester, of the
attraction of whose eloquence it is said, that at one time it
was not uncommon for persons to go down from London by
the mail to hear him, and return the next night.

THE BABOON SHEPHERD, &C.—HINTS FOR SOME MODERN
STATESAIEN.—The Namoquas informed us that, not long
since, a fanner had brought up a young baboon, and had
made it his shepherd. This creature every day remained in
the fields with the flock, and at night drove his fleecy charge
home to the kraal (village), riding upon one of the goats
which brought up the rear. This baboon had the milk of one
goat allowed it, and it. sucked that one only, and guarded the
milk of the others from the children. It also got a little meat
from its master. It held the office of shepherd for twelve
moons, and then was unfortunately killed in a tree by a leo-
pard.—UTlLlTY OF BABooNs.--These creatures (not the
statesmen) are the very best watchmen for lions, and should the
king of beasts come near them at night, they set up such a
clamour that he is compelled to move off to a quieter neigh-
bourhood; so that the safest place for a benighted traveller
to bivouac in, is under the rock frequented by this chattering
tribe, though even in this safe retreat, if the baboons be spite-
fully inclined, he may find himself about as comfortable as if
he were between " the devil and the deep sea."—Sir James
Alexander's Expedition into Africa. This article is seriously
recommended to the grave attention of Lord John Russell
and the other great poverty-grinding Malthusians. Here we
see that baboons can be taught to supersede men in field la-
bour. What a saving it would be to the rate-payers if some
thousands of these goat-sucking gentry were brought over to
do our farmer's work, and assist where the factory children
are now actually paid some trifle for the ruin of their consti-
tutions;—nay, might not this improvement be carried higher,
and a " House of Commons" and its leadei be selected from
the most portly of this chattering tribe? As things go on at
present, most persons think that this would be " a reform
indeed."

THE WHITE PELICAN.—Ranged along the margins of
the sand-bar, in broken array, stand a hundred heavy-bodied
pelicans. Gorgeous tints, all autumnal, enrich the foliage
of every tree around, the reflection of which, like fragments
of the rainbow, seems to fill the very depths of the placid and
almost sleeping waters of the Ohio. The subdued and ruddy
beams of the orb of day assures me, that the Indian summer
has commenced, that happy season of unrivalled loveliness
and serenity, symbolic of autumnal life, which, to every en-
thusiastic lover of nature, must be the purest and calmest
period of his career. Pluming themselves, the gorged peli-
cans patiently wait the return of hunger. Should one chance
to gape, all, as if by sympathy, in suceession open their long
and broad mandibles, yawning lazily and ludicrously. Now,
the whole length of their largest quills is passed through the
bill, until at length their apparel is as beautifully trimmed as
if the party were to. figure at a rout. But mark, the red
beams of the setting sun tinge the tall tops of the forest trees;
the birds experience the cravings of hunger, and to satisfy
them they must now labour. Clumsily do they rise on their
columnar legs, and heavily waddle to the water. But now,
how changed do they seem ! Lightly do they float, as they
marshal themselves, and extend their line, and now their
broad paddle-like feet propel them onwards. In yonder nook
the small fry are dancing in the quiet water, perhaps in their
manner bidding farewell to the orb of day, perhaps seeking
something for their supper. Thousands there are, all gay;
and the very manner of their mirth, causing the waters to
sparkle, invites their foes toward the shoal. And now the
pelicans, aware of the faculties of their scaly prey, at once
spread out their broad wings, press closely forward with pow-
erful strokes of their feet, drive the little fishes toward the
shallow shore, and then, with their enormous pouches spread
like so many bag-nets, scoop them out, and devour them in
thousands.—Auclubon's Ornithological Biojraphy.

CaoczcHouc.—The caoutchouc tree occurs very generally
as a solitary tree, although occasionally two or three may be
found grouped together. It is among the most magnificent
of forest trees; and is second to the banian, because that
tree admits of indefinite extension. Such is the size of the
caoutchouc, that it may be distinguished from a distance of
several miles, by its dense, immense, and lofty crown. The
dimensions of one of the largest are as follows :—The circum-
ference of the main trunk, seventy-four feet; circumference
of the main trunk and the supporters, a hundred and twenty
feet; and of the area covered by the branches, six hundred
and ten feet; more than a tenth of a mile ! the estimated
height, a hundred feet. The appearance of the tree, us one
approaches the trunk, is majestic. It has a natural tendency
to throw out branches both from the main trunk and from the
branches, and these have a strong disposition to cohere with
the trunk and with each other. When the roots are thrown
out either from the main trunk or near it, they ordinarily run
down its outface, and impart to it the picturesque appearance
of the most elaborate sculpture. Frequently the caoutchouc
plants itself on various other trees; and as soon as it is firmly
fixed, casts down its roots to the ground. These, according
to their nature, seek each other; a net work is soon formed
round the tree; the recticulations diminish with the multipli-
cation of the roots, and at length a solid and firm cylinder is
formed round the tree which received the young seedling,
which is eventually stifled in the embrace of the catoutchouc.
The juice is procured from transverse incisions made in the
large root. The incision reaches the wood, and even pene-
trates it ; but the flow of juice is from the bark alone.
Under the incision, a hole is scooped in the earth, in which
a leaf, folded up into the shape of a rude cup, is placed. The
fluid, as it issues, is, when good, nearly of the consistence of
cream, and of a very fine white colour. Its excellence is by
the degree or its consistence; and the quality of caoutchouc
—which would appear to depend on its consistence—is readily
ascertained by rubbing a few drops in the palm of the hand,
when the caoutchouc rapidly becomes separated. By knead-
ing this up again, it speedily becomes elastic. Many inci-
sions are made in one tree ; the juice flows rapidly at first,
but diminishes in a few moments. It flows more copiously
during the night. In two or three days, a layer of caout-
chduc is formed over the wound, and the flowing consequently
ceases.—Friend in India.

AN INDIAN AND HIS SQuaw.—When it iS said, in general
terms, that the men do nothing but hunt all day, while the
women are engaged in perpetual toil, I suppose this suggests
to civilis-ed readers the idea of a party of gentlemen at Mel-
too, or a turn-out of Mr. i\leynell's hounds; or at most a
deer-stalking excursion to the Highlands—a holiday affair;
while the women, poor souls ! must sit at home and sew, and
spin. and cook victuals. But what is the life of an Indian
hunter! one of incessant, almst killing toil, and often dan-
ger. A hunter goes out at dawn, knowing that, if he returns
empty, his wife and his little ones must starve—no uncom-
mon predicament! He comes home at sunset, spent with
fatigue, and unable even to speak. His wife takes off his
moccassins, places before him what food she has, or, if latter-
ly the chase has failed, probably no food at all, or only a
little parched wild rice. She then examines his hunting
pouch, and in it finds the claws, or beak, or tongue of the
game, or other indications, by which she knows what it is,
and where to find it. She then goes for it, and drags it
home. When he is refreshed, the hunter caresses his wife
and children, relates the events of his chase, smokes his pipe
and goes to sleep—to begin the same life on the following
day. Where, then, the whole duty and labour of providing
the means of subsistence, ennobled by danger and courage,
falls upon the man, the woman naturally sinks inimportance,
and is a dependent drudge. But she is not, therefore, I sup-
pose. so very miserable, nor, relatively, so very abject : she
is sure of protection; sure of maintenance, at least while the
man has it; sure of kind treatment; sure that she will never
have her children taken from her but by death; sees none
better off than herself, and has no conception of a superior
destiny; and it is evident that in such a state the appointed
and necessary share of the woman is the household work, and
all other domestic labour.—Mrs. Jameson's Canada.

EAST INDIAN OlLs.—At a meeting of the Asiatic Society
on the 15th instant, Mr. E. Stilly read a paper on some In-
dian oils, sent by the Chamber of Commerce at Bombay to
the East India and China Association, which is at present
engaged in investigating the productions of India. After
stating the difficulty of ascertaining the applicability of these
oils in the arts, such as soap-making, &c. from the smallness
of the specimens sent, Mr. Solly described the respective
properties of each. Several of them were. quite new to this
country, and, he observed, would be important for the pur-
pose of soap-making and illumination ; but 'that, of course,
the real value would depend on their relative cheapness of
price_ lie stated, that the want of cheap oils %%RS rather felt
at the present time by manufacturers. Mr. Solly proceeded
to detail some experiments he had made on the soaps of these
oils, describing their colours, smell, and other properties.
Some of them promised well, and might probably be of con-
siderable value. In regard to the use of these oils as sources
of light, he divided them into those which were solid and
those which were fluid, at the ordinary temperatures of the
air. Some of these latter, by their manner of burning, gave
evidence of containing carbon in excess, and thence burning
with a smoky flame; whilst others, from containing less car-
bon, consumed the wick. Mr. Sony suggested, that advan-
tages might arise from a judicious mixture of two such oils,
and adverted to the fact, that large quantities of the seeds
yielding one of those oils, which were now annually imported
from India for the purpose of extracting the oil, and mixing
it with sperm oil; this, he stated, was done with great advan-
tage, from the considerable difference in price of these two
oils. Some of these-oils, and in one particular, is well suited
for the manufacture of candles; and he had no doubt, that if
it could be procured at a sufficiently low price, it would soon
become an important article of commerce. Dr. Boyle said,
that the paper just read was an evidence, amongst others, of
the utility of this branch of the society. - These oils had been
sent to the East India and China Association by the Bombay
chamber of commerce, and had been referred by the secre-
tary of that institution to this committee, but for the exist-
ence of which, the specimens might long have remained
without any thing being done with them for the purpose of
ascertaining their comparative value or utility.
THlRST.—Thirst is a painful sensation, indicative of want
of fluid in the economy. Its seat is in the back and upper
part of the gullet. It seems to be, however, sometimes local
only, and capable of being removed without adding to the
existing fluids of the body ; simply by sucking any sapid
substance, and thereby inducing a flow of saliva from the
salivary glands of the mouth and gullet. When the water is
cold, it extinguishes thirst much better that when it is of the
same temperature with our bodies; showing that, besides its
mere moistening effects, it acts in some peculiar manner by
altering the animal heat and the nervous conditions. Hence
a less quantity of cold than of warm water equally or better
stanches thirst. When the body is very heated, by great
exercise or atmospheric warmth, and transpiration by the
skin is taking place, a draught of cold water strikes a sudden
chill through us, and arrests the transpiration. In this case
the transpiration which was tending rapidly to the surface, is
thrown on the walls of the chief and belly; and hence the
inflammatory effects which often ensue from this cause. In
such a case, water very cold, but in minute quantities, taken
into the mouth and slowly swallowed, effectually yet safely
extinguishes thirst, in consequence of the great difference
between its temperature and that of the body. There exist
many liquids which quench thirst better than water ; as, for
example, acidulous liquors, such as the juice of acidulous:
fruits, water acidulated with vinegar, with tartaric, oxalic,
citric, and carbonic -acids. So also the distilled aromatic wa-
ters of mint, the waters of rose, orange flowers, lemons, rue,
&c., as well as the acidulous and white wines; also perry,
cider, beer ; also water mixed with a little red wine or alcohol.
The juices of the natural botanic order cucurbitaccce, to which
the cucumber, melon, and pumpkin belong, also speedily
and effectually quench thirst. Is it from a narcotic property
that these so act? The liquids just noticed, independent of
their particular effects on the stomach, have also the advan-
tage of quenching thirst in small quantity. Further, they
quench thirst durably, which liquids either too strong or too
softly nutritious and sugary do not; the former of these de-
stroying, by the heat which they immediately excite, the ef-
fect which they produce at the moment of being swallowed;
the latter scarcely quenching it at all. It is owing to this
circumstance that wines sweet and sugary, aromatic, very
spirituous, and charged with much extractive matter—in
other words, wines of much body, do not perfectly or durably
quench thirst. Strong ale is open to the same objection. Iu
the phlegmatic and cold constitutions of northern countries,
they, indeed, answer the purpose better. But in warm coun-
tries, and in sanguinous habits, they accelerate the circula-
tion, produce nightly agitation, which soon destroy their
thirst-slaking effects, and reproduce the evil more strongly
than before. However, these same liquids, which, when
taken into the stomach, produce disadvantageous effects, and
operate dangerously, may be made effectually and safely to
quench thirst, if taken in such a manner as to act only on the
mucous membrane of the mouth and salivary organs, as by
rinsing, without their being permitted to pass down into the
stomach. Alcohol a little concentrated, ordinary brandy,
generous wines, some aromatic liquids, as distilled mint-
water, pastilles; some salts, as nitre, the roots of the umbel-
liferous or aromatic plants, all may be employed in this way ;
but, in particular, it is alcohol which acts best in this manner,
and which, without being swallowed, cures thirst most effec-
tually, and for the longest .time.—Dr. Dick': Work on Diet
and Regimen.- •