The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1828-07-30
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

INGENUITY. The Saratoga Sentinel thus
speaks OF an ingenious piece of mechanism ex-
hibited IN that village timepiece which
strikes the hours and halves, plays six tunes
with all the force and sweetness of a piano
forte, and sings like a nightingale Yet this is
not all; you are not only saluted by the cheer.
ful notes of feathered warbler, but presented
with the bird ITSELF decked out in coat Of
many colors, rejoicing with motion as well as
music, huttering its little wings with the light
and sprightly notes, and accompanying the
more soft and solemn with slower motion oil
the head and whole body The top of the
tlmepiece represents flower garden, the bird
sitting on the summit of the structure in the
centre, from which spouts of pure water appear
pouring down while the bird sings-the whole
presenting most lively and picturesque ap-
pearance.
On Friday, July II, the most severe thunder
and lightning was experienced in Plymouth
County, that has been known for years. Three
oarns were struck-one belonging to Mr.. Jo-
seph Dyer OF Abingdon, containing from three
to tour tons hay, was consumed; one in East
Brldgewater, belonging to a MIR. Reed, was
struck and considerably injured, but not burnt
barn In Stoughton, principally filed with hay
was burnt
THE JUMP. On Saturday, July 10, Samuel
fatch made another leap from the highest point
above the falls at Patterson, (N j. into the
chasm below, distance of ninety feet. The
Elizabethtown Journal states that Patch is a
mechanic connected with one of the factories
IN fatterson-that he is perfectly sane, and that
ms object IN the hazardous enterprise is gain.
lie received $i3 for his feat of the 4th inst and
SIS for that of Saturday
LIGHTNING ROB. Professor Fansher of ale
College, says" In dry atmosphere its in.
huence extends to from 80 to 40 feet In a
damp do, from 20 to 25 feet. When it rains
profusely, from Is to 90 feet. From this state
ment 1t will be obvious that conductors should
always be erected with reference to the most
watery SITE Of the atmosphere"
The Cashier of the Bank of Geneva, cautions
the public 10 beware of Five Dollar counterfeit
bills, purporting to be of the Bank of Geneva,
plate engraved by Murray, Draper, Fairman
q Co., and printed on thin paper by L. Lemet,
Albany. The genuine bills of this plate having
been well eolnterfeited, the bank gives notice
that 1T has issued none of the bills of said plate
Tor more than two years past, and almost the
whole OF the impression is withdrawn from cir
culatlon; it has no other five dollar bills in cir
culation Of the engraving of Murray, Draper,
FaIrman d Co., except those Of very thick pa
per printed on the back with checker work with
an oval centre, and which have not been coun-
from
circulation nearly all the One and Two Dollar
bills, of Reeds engraving, which have not been
counterfeIted.
INGENIOUS INVENTION. We have seen min
lature cannon which as a specimen of neat and
ingenious handicraft, is well worth the attention
OF the public. 1t is complete in all respects,
having bore and touch-hole the gun is made
Of steel, the carriage Of gold, and the wheels of
silver, and the whole weighs only the twenty
ninth part of grain The workmanship is
very beautiful, but cannot be distinguished ex-
cept through powerful magnifying glass, the
size of this warllke engine, being only about
that Of a common pins head
Plymouth (Eng.) Journal
a letter from Manchester, (Eng.) dated June
II, says -" We have heard with great regret
of the disastrous result of the spring shipments.
All who did any thing, appear to have suffered
alike, just IN proportion to the extent of their
operations-neither skill nor Judgment availing
any thing. The house of Hutchinson g. Co.,
who shipped so largely, and who did so much
injury to others by their forced sales in Amcri-
ca have just stopped payment"
The New York Daily Advertiser says" For
several weeks we have had to record but few
transactions in the way of business. There
begins to be symptoms of more activity. Ex-
change on England has fallen to and 10 per
shipments of specie, and there is now consider
able more specie coming in than going out-the
money market is, consequently, greatly reliev-
ed"
HERNIA. But few days past, we noticed a
forlorn case of Strangulated Hernia speedily and
successfully relieved by the prompt use of the
knife, by DR. G.. Chaplin, of this place, assisted
by DR.. Jimeson, of the navy. Another case OF
the same kind, but more complicated in its ma
ture, has since happened at Black Rock, and
after all other means were abandoned as hope.
less; and life and death hung upon the expert
ment of dangerous operation. DIR. Chapiu
assisted by Drs. Olmsted and Congdon, proceed
ed to operate as in the former instance, and we
are happy to state that it was attended with
complete success.-Bufato Emporium.
METEoRIc STONE. The Richmond Enquire,
contains an account. from correspondent, of q
meteoric stone which had been brought to thai
place for exhibition, and which fellon the farm Of
Matthew Winiall, in the county of Chesterfield
The time when this phenomenon occurred was
between 8 and o'clock in the morning, the
sky being perfectly clear. A number Of per
sons were hoeing corn within 60 or 80 yards Of
the place where the stone was found, imbeddec
in the earth at the depth of about 10 inches anC
at an angle of about five degrees from a perpen
dlcular The fall was accompanied with q
whizzing noise Before any part of the stone
was broken off, it weighed upwards of FIVE
pounds /; its form was speroidal, with some If.
reguarities of surface. 1t was covered with a
thin black crust. The fractured surface exhib.
its granular appearance, showing small cavi-
ties, varying in size from the point of small
pin to mustard seed. When first broken it
emitted sulphurous odour. No attempt had
been made to analyze it, or to ascertain its spe-
cific gravity.-BoStoR Courier
THE BIG WALNUT TREE. This mammoth pro.
duct Of the American forest, which was exhibit
ed in New York and Philadelphia, has been
transported to London and sold for two hundred
pounds sterling. 1t was found near Lake Erie,
and measures thirty six feet in circumference
its interior presents a splendid drawing room.
The ccrnfield of Mr.. Asahel Ivers, of North
Adams, as we are informed, was attacked not