The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-08-25

LAT Sunday lone negro fellows KILLED a Rat :
lie Snake, within q few miles OF this city, on the
Savannah road; it meainred ieyen feet, sxclu-
1--WE of the rattes, and was upwards of twelve
inches in circumference it was an Old Sersenf,
being twenty years of age. MIR. Chatfied, who
has got the isin, intends making prefent of it.,
we understand, TO the Unworthy at Athens
dog. Cbron. -aasgtR4.
The new. coinage of CROWN pieces, from dol
lars, isI,ew going on with all poiiible diipatch,
at Mr.. Bolton mint, at Soho, near Birmingham.
WITHIN theie few days two Wagons, containing
about fcven tons of dollars each, were fsnt un-
der proper eicort from the bank to that place,
where eight dies are employed at ths. fame time,
each Of which win firike lin a minute, giving
the impreiiion on both fdes at one nroke, and
10 Imply contributed as TO be worked by one
man, without the fnallef danger the piece
difcharging ittelf from the die, another iutantly
ilips into its place. His maiety's head and the
rcverfe are done in nsferly itic, forming W.
ry beautiful coin, and viii be extremely diff
cult TO counterfeit.-[ Ian. PAP.
III. MoJoN, the ChemiR, who difcovercd the
wen Of oil in the fate OF Parma, and with which
the town of Genoa is now lighted, has lately
found in Liguria, at the difance of about GO
miles from the former, a depot OF btuminous
wood. OF which III. MojoI gives the following
very lnterefting account:
&c Cattle Nouvo is a country of Lunagairs, on
the confines of the Italian Republic. II is in
the plain of that country, half league from the
mouth of tbe river Magra, that the mine in
queition has been found. It is ftuated in a foil
formed of ftrata of clay and lime, more or leis
thick, and inclined in different directions thro'
the whole extent. The nature of the foiIi, as
well as the contribution of the foil, evidently
fliews that thefe ftratas were formed by great
foods, and carried with them, and buried whole
foreAs. The extent of this depolt has not vet
been atcertained hitherto only one pit, about
40 feet deep, has been dug, and the prefencs of
the water prevents its being funk lower.
This btuminous wood, which in fome pla-
ces appears aimon uncovered at the fiilface OF
the ground, itill retains its primitive figure :;
| trunks of different dameters up to two feet,
have been dug up. The colour is black, grey
iplendour of glafs the others are naturally duh,
but will receive filming polifll.
Its texture is entirely that OF wood, rs it
has not been altered by the bitumcn, with !Thich
1t is iinpregnated 70 that in fome places, the
tree to which they belonged, may bedetera,;I-
ed thoie which are quite black exhibit al the
characters of FIR; others have a texture fimiiar
to oak.
1t is not 10 brittle as coal; and when lawn
IN direction perpendicular to the axis of the
trunks. exhibits fold compact, and very fnooth
turface, and capable of being worked by lathe
to reiemble ebony. The concentric ftrata OF
the Ebres of which the trunk is competed, may
be easily feparated by introducing the point Of
any inttrument. 1t readily kindles wit.iout the
aid of any other combufible, and givesin burn
ing, lively brilliant fame. The heat it gives is
more interfe and durable than that of vegetable
coal, and is greater than the heat Of oak cIar-
| coal in the proportion of eight TO feveh, and
when once kindied, never becomes extinct until
entirely confirmed, leaving very little aIhes,
(225 grains from IL poundsl. IT is lighter than
coal, and the fragments which exhibit the cha
rasfers Of oak are al! lighter its fpec;Gc sra
witty is to that of dinil!ed water as 1885 to 1000.