The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-06-05
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VARIETIES
LITERARY e PHILOSOPHICAL
(FRoN THE LONDON MONTHLY MAGAZINE
FoR JANUARY, 1Sl0)

The society for the encouragement OF Arts,
Manufactures, and Commerce, have lately pre-.
scented Mr.. JohS Morrison with their silver med.
al and forty guiness, for his ingenuity in provid.
ing himself with artificial arms, after he had ex.
perienced the misfortune to lose his natural ones
by the discharge ola cannon. This worthy man,
who lives in the Reighbourhoood Of Holbon Bars,
undertakes to supply other persons iabourng
under similar misfortunes with that which he de-
plores, with artificial arms, legs, and other in.
struments, adapted to almost every purpose of
life.
In the FIRST week of the present year, will be
published, anew edition, being the seventh, Of
the Laboratory, or School of Arts contain
ing m UGH larger and more extensive collection
OF valuable secrets, experiments, and manual
Operations, in the arts and manufactures, than is
TO be met with in any other work in the English
language. The whols is adapted to the present
improved state of the arts and sciences and il.
Illustrated with about forty copper-plates, some
of which are entirely new.
mr.. Jepson Oddly, author of European Com.
merce, is engaged in work on the political,
commercial, and local interest ofthis country
particularly they will be promoted by the inten-
ded Stanford navigation.
1t appears, that in the principal works fbota.
ny, are described 2046 genera, & 10 sos species
OF plants, OF which Gas genera have but one spe-
Cies, 263 but two, Ia hut three, 1874 but four
This enumeration is, however, only an approx
nation to the truth, the works referred to are
defective, and we may call the number of desert.
bed plants % COO The first edition of Lin.
neus's Species Piantar,ns contained only 800.
Common spirits of turpentine have been re-
centiy administered by several medical genie
men OF the metropolis, with good effect, in The
cure of tape worm. The doses given were in
some cases so largeas two ounces, but those of
nall an ounce at a time, repeated twice day,
were generally found to answer the purpose -
The vehicle in which the turpentine was admin
istered, was generally honey.
1t is fact which ought to be known to all
housewives, that if they begin to grate nutmeg
at the stalk end, it will prove hollow throughout
whereas the same nutmeg grated from the o.
ther END, would have proved sound and solid 10
the last The centre OF nutmeg, consists of
number ofhbres issuing from the stalk, and its
continuation through the centre ofthe fruit, the
other ends OF which fbres, though closely sur
rounded, and pressed BY the fruit, do not adhere
80 :. When the stalk is grated away, those f.
bres having lost their hold gradually drop out,
and the nutmeg appears hollow; and as more
oil the stalk IS grated away, others drop out in
succession, and the hollow continues through
the whole nut. BY beginning at the contrary
end, the hbres above .mentioned are grated off at
their core end, with the surrounding fruit, and
DO not drop out and cause hole. Another cir.
cunstance worth knowing, is, that in conse-
aauence OF the great value of the oil of nutmegs,
1t is often extracted from the nuts that are ex
Posed to sale, by which they rendered Owe
~ little value. To ascertain the quality of nut.
megs, force Pin into them, and if good, howe
ever dry they may appear, the oil viii be seen
oozins out all round tie pin, from the compress
sion occasioned III the surrounding parts.
The Rev. James Hal, has, for several months
past, been usefu}y engaged in experiments for
procuring fax from broom. This is done by the
following process steep the twigs, or the for
mer years branches preferring the most vigor.
fnr txuN mr. hras.
according TO the he at Of the season, in stagnant
water, OF boil them for all hour, in water This
done, the flax separates freely from the twigs |;
and where there is not machinery for the pur-
pose, it may be easily stripped off by children,
or others, at any time, when not quite dry as
hemp is pulled from the stalks What adds
to the value OF this discovery is, that on being
cleared of the fax, and stepped for some time in
boiling water, the twigs, or wood, become
tough and beautifully white, and are worth, at
medium, from shilling to eighteen pence
pound, for making carpet brooms, sc. When
stripped from the twigs tha fax requires only
10 be well washed in cold water, then wrung,
and shaken we'll, and hung out 10 dry, previous.
Ky to its being sent off TO the psper manufactures
&c. Professor Dapy has bleached some Of it for
MIR. Hall, who has also seen it spun. The same
gentleman also observes, that the flores of all
kinds OF rnallows are particularly beautiful, cs-
pecIally the mslva-sylvestris, They are finer
than camel's hair, which they somewhat resem.
Die, and there is no difficulty IN procuring them.
rRANcn.
Upwards of aixty chests, containing produc-
tions of art, collected during The late war, have
arrived at Paris. Among the most valuable,
are many original pictures Of the Flemish school,
and great number of rare printed books from
Vienna From that city have also arrived
q number OF animals, among which are two Ii
ons, ksngaroos, cassowary, parroquets. &c
Some OF these animals are destined for the me.
nagerie of Malmason; others for the Muse.
um of Natural History. They were accompa.
MED by many boxes containing rare and curio-s
exotic plants.
A family, consisting of the father, mother,
and daughter, died last October, in the commune
OF Porteis, from eating chsmpignoDs, which
they Procured from an old woman, who was in
tue habit of collecting them for sale The old
woman herself, though she had eaten quantity
OF the same Kind OF champgnons at several
meals, experienced no disagreesble consequcn
ses II was found, upon enquiry, that she was
intoxicated With sour wine at all her meals, and
The effect Of vegetable acids, in counteracting
narcotic poisons, is we'll known Both The per,
cons who died, and the inhabitants ofthe place
where they lived, assured the medical attendants
that they had used the same species of mush-
rooms for food in former seasons, without any
bad effects. The French nsturalists suggest,
that they may have contracted their deleterious
properties from the state Of the atmosphere.
For some time, the curiosity of the Parisians
has been gratihesl, by Messrs, FRAEcoNI, with
spectacle truly extraordinary (; that of the most