The Delaware register, or, Farmers', manufacturers' & mechanics' advocate. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1828-1829, 1829-03-14

ton, having been able to foreel the freezing of the
canals, to whole town, when such circumstance
was least expected. A complete thaw came on but
sudden he observed contrary TO all expectation,
general hustle among his spiders the last day of Feb
ruary.
They ran backwards and forwards, began to spin
webs diligently, and attacked one another hence he
inferred that remarkable change taking place.
and that very dry weather. at least if not very cold
would ensue. This conjecture he announced to the
principal bookseller in the town, and through him to
the public. Two days after it rGined, which seemed
way favorable his representations and this rain
continued for five days, that the validity of his pre-
diction appeared daily more questionable. STILL how
ever, attentive to the proceedings of his spiders, he
wrote every day TO the same bookseller, telling him he
continued firm in the persuasion of the approach of
cold and dry weather. On the eighth of March it blew
hard the 9th it showed the tenth the frost was
sharp that all the canals frozen again.
The greatest and most striking instance of the i'm
portance of these observations and the dependence
that may be placed predictions respecting the
Their, drawn from them, to be found amongst the facts
relating the conquest of Holland by the French, in
the winter of 1794-5. Disjonval was then prisoner
in Utrecht. His keeper was inclined to the patriotic
party and in consequence treated him with less strict
Through his means, Disionva rave notice to the
Patriots that hard winter would ensue which would
render all the rivers and canals passable the ice
The taking of the town by the French afforded him the
only hopes of being emancipaed from his long mpris
onment. II may be supposed, therefore, that lie OBJ
served his spiders with the greatest and attention.
In the beginning Of December he heard to his great
alarm, that the people talked of capulaton, which
would have annihilated his hopes at once.
He used every means in his power, to make known
that from the operations of his spiders, very severe
frost would inevitably on, and this within two
weeks at farhest. The people gave credit to his pre-
dicton, did not captuate and on the 29th of Decem-
Der, the frost hard that the French were able
70 pass the wall The arstocratical party hattered
themselves, Notwithstanding, that the frost would soon
break up, on the 18th of January the wafer rose
and was turbd, which considered as a certain in
dication of tlaw Disjonva in the mean time, wrote
from his prison to the editor of the Utrecht Gazette
that before three days should eapse more severe frost
Chan the former would take place. On this occa-
son the spiders proved ncomparably better prophets
than tie turbid water. On the l4th of January the
wind rose, on the 18th it froze, and on the 10Th the
French entered Utrecht and the prisoner regained his
liberty He continued carefully to observe he spiders
be could nd in order give the French general fresh
intormation which Of such importance to him in
this daring enterprise.
On the goth of January a sudden thaw came on
The general alarmed for the fate of an army of an
hundred thousand men, with train of artillery, and
began to think of speedy retreat. But Disonval had
recourse to his spiders, and they foretold frost He
sent couple of these little prophets to the French
general they credited, their prophecies were full
hllet, and the French conquered Holland. Such str-
King circumstance induced the French executive d.
rectory to institute an inoury into this nj know