The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-10-30

the waters Of the upland country. The lake of
Iezcaco, near which the city Of Mexico is
quilt, has only two kinds of fish, and Of a very
inferior quality; one of them, called the axoloti,
being SO strangely formed, that the ingenious
Suvier considers it rs merely the larva of some
large salamander. The water of that lake, with
depth OF only two or three fa,homs, is, indeed,
salter than the Baltic sea, containing about the
4oth part OF its weight ofthe murate and Carlo
nate OF soda. Like the other lakes in the vale OF
Ienochtitian, it is highly charged with sulphu
rated hydrogen These lakes have been very
considerably reduced since the famous siege of
H1exco, which is described by the earlier wri
ters' as seated in the midst of waters, though it
now stands more than two miles from the shell.
wing margin OF the Tezcuco. Being encircled at
no great distance, by chain of lofty mountains.
which at tinles pour down torrents, the capital
was exposed to the ravages of sudd1n and over
wheiming Hoods. TO prevent such foundations,
II bee ame necessary to erect dikes and cut drains
,"H .ssa6i;5 5sss, y .!::=h.a.nca
tunnel driven through the mountain Nochiston-
go, and four miles in length, ii feet wide, and
IL feet high. was formed, il 1908, under the d.
rection OF Henry Martens, Flemish engineer.
ruteen thousand Indians, compelled under the
lash OF their unfeeling masters, to labor at me
work with spades and pckaxes, completed, in
the space OF one year, a sub, erranean passage.
which conducted the waters of the lake Sumnan.
go and OF the river Gusntitiau into the Tula, &
winch, at that period, might we'll have astonishcd
Europe.
In the higher Andes, the only inhabitant of the
pools and rlvulets, is a small fish, the brennael
ga, new species THE silurus, and which Hum
oo'ut, at tue suggestion of Lacepede, has demo-
minated Pynteiodus eyeiobun,, abeut four inches
'ong' not unlike the water newt, and of such "a
SHINY, disgusting appearance, that none but the
poorest of the indians will taste it. The stream
iets IN which 1T plays, have temperature of SO
degrees and seem to communicate, by crevices,
lie nj fl,x,x ,l~
collections OF water lodged in caverns within
.ne crater According to the most authentic
testimony, the VOLCANOES of Quito, and especially
Co'opaxi and Tungaragua, sometimes vomit
those fish IN Prodigous quantities, intermineled
with mud. Whole fields have been covered
oy these eruptions; and the putrd remains have
iaiected the air, and been supposed to breed in.
fictitious disease
The rivers and lakes Of the low provinces of
Vansuela and the Carracca. abound with the
gymRotRs elecriras, or electrical eel, called
fenioidd'r by the Spanish colonists, and anouiNe
"cf'l6lante, by the French settlers of GUYANA.
which possesses the singular faculty of stunning
Its prey by an e!ectrick discharge. 1t 10, howe
yer, met with, most frequently. in the small
stagnant pools, that are dispersed at intervals
over the immense plains which extend from the
Orcnocco and Apure. The old road ne ar Urnt;.
Gu has been actually abandoned on account of
the danger experienced in crossing ford. where
| ',e 'nuies were, from the effect of concealed
81, often Paraiysed and drowned. Even
'he angler sometimes receives stroke, con.
yeyed along his wetted rod and fishing line.
| Inc electrick cells Of considerable Size. being
about siE feet in length. The structure of ;tss
| nervous system has been accurately described !.
put the comparison of its cellular furniture with
the composition OF the electrick battery, is en-.
.ny l4hcnui ana seems nowise calculated for
assisting us in the application of the phenomena
Inc brilliant science of electricity, it must be
confessed, is still in its infancy. Philosophers
nave assumed the existence of an eiectrick fluid
without proof, and talk of the galvanick current
as familiarity as it they were describing the one
rAuoh OF rear and tangible substance. Were
such expressions merely hgurative, and forced
upon us by the poverty of language, they would
be liable to no material objection. But If thex
only serve to fill the imagination, and supply the
want ot solid argument, 1t is high time to reject
them. We may safely affirm, that the suppositi
on OF an electrck fluid has not contributed in
any degree to explain the Appearances All that
we know OF electrick agency consists in sv..
tenn OF attractions and repulsions, of which the
Chief relations have been clearly disclosed -
When substance receives or conveys an cleo
trick shock, all its Particles, during certain
minute portion IT time, suffer mutual and VIC.
lent dstensioh. The degree of effect which !,
produced must hence depend on the intensity of
acton combined with its duration. The cunyul.
sivc agitation excited in the animal frame bv an
eiectrick discharge, is caused by the general.
though momentary repulsion which it communi.
Gates to the tram OF nerves. The gyaanotas cleo.
tricss appears to have the power of reversing
this process. By an effort of yolition. perhans
II can suddenly give its nervous system the inter-
nal arrangement appropriate to the electrick a.
gency, and thus dart its influence among the bo.
dies IN its vicinity. The sensation which the
gymnotm occasions, is highly painful, andleayes
| numbness in the parts affected It. indeed. re.
! sembles more the effect of blow on the head
than the shock of a common, electrick DISCHARGE
Analogous to the galvanck excitement, it NAV.
however, depend less on The absolute intensity Of
action, than on the length of its duration. In
| both cases, the diffusc shock received is more
! akin to the impression made by the residuum of
| an immense battery, than to the sharp toitch
occasloned by the explosion of a small charged
jar
The Indians entertain such dread ofthe oy,,,
notaS, and show so much reluctance 10 apnrSach
II wnen alive and active, that Humboldt found ex.
IRENE difficulty IN procuring few of those cells
to serve as the subjects OF his experiments. For
!his express purpose, he stopt some DAYS on his
Journey across the Lanes TO the river Azure. At
the small town OF Calaboza, in the neiehborl,ood
OF winch lie was informed that they are very MI
merous But, though his landlord took the MT
most pains to crafty his wish, he was, after re.
peated attempts, constantly unsuccessful Tired
at last OF disappointment, ne resolved to proceed
bimself to The principal spot which the gy,nnst,
frequent. He was conducted to the Csgnu de
Bera, piece OF shallow water, stagnant and mud
dy, but O. the heat OF 70 degrees, and surround.
ed by rich vegetation of the ciusia yOsea, the
hy7neHfa co'oborH, the great Indian fig trees, and