Part 5

But no _body_ is so apt to put off things with, _it will do for the present_, as _corporate bodies_. If the navigation of a river wants improvement, the _public body_, that is, _any body_, _every body_, and _no body_, immediately exclaims, "how did our _fathers_ get along? The river did well enough for _them--it must do for the present_." If a bad law exists, by which the _public money_ is to be collected in the _worst manner_ that can be imagined; or if a constitution is defective, in permitting the same men to be _makers_ and _judges_ of a law; or the same men to rejudge a cause in a _higher_ court, which they have before judged in a _lower_ court; or which makes a legislature of two hundred men, a supreme court, to review the decisions of all inferior courts, and reverse their judgments; or if a constitution has _no executive at all_, and a _judiciary power_ dependent on the annual votes of two hundred men, which is little better than _none;_ I say, if a man proposes any reformation in those particulars, the public body says, away with your _projects; let us go on in the good old way; it will do for the present_. So in little public bodies, a town or a city, the poor must be provided for, bridges must be built, roads must be repaired--How? By a tax, or by labour. Is it best to raise money enough this year to pay the town debt? No, says the town. We will raise _almost_ enough; _this will do for the present_. Let a little debt accrue every year, till the whole will make a _shilling tax_, and pay the whole at once. Put off, put off, says the town. _And so says the sinner._

A bridge must be built. Is it best to build a good one; of stone, or some materials that will last? No, it will cost _more_, says the town; a wooden bridge _will do for the present_. The water may carry it away; it will decay, and somebody may break his neck by the fall; but no matter, _it must do for the present_.

CHARACTER OF CHARLES JAMES FOX.

_By Sir James Macintosh_.

Mr. Fox united, in a most remarkable degree, the seemingly repugnant characters of the mildest of men, and the most vehement of orators. In private life he was gentle, modest, placable, kind, of simple manners, and so averse from dogmatism, as to be not only unostentatious, but even something inactive in conversation. His superiority was never felt but in the instruction which he imparted, or in the attention which his generous preference usually directed to the more obscure members of the company. The simplicity of his manners was far from excluding that perfect urbanity and amenity which flowed still more from the mildness of his nature, than from familiar intercourse with the most polished society of Europe. The pleasantry, perhaps, of no man of wit, had so unlaboured an appearance. It seemed rather to escape from his mind, than to be produced by it. He had lived on the most intimate terms with all his contemporaries distinguished by wit, politeness, or philosophy, or learning, or the talents of public life. In the course of thirty years he had known almost every man in Europe, whose intercourse could strengthen, or enrich, or polish the mind. His own literature was various and elegant. In classical erudition, which by the custom of England is more peculiarly called learning, he was inferior to few professed scholars. Like all men of genius, he delighted to take refuge in poetry, from the vulgarity and irritation of business. His own verses were easy and pleasant, and might have claimed no low place among those which the French call _vers de société_. The poetical character of his mind was displayed by his extraordinary partiality for the poetry of the two most poetical nations, or at least languages of the west, those of the Greeks and of the Italians. He disliked political conversation, and never willingly took any part in it.

To speak of him justly as an orator would require a long essay. Every where natural, he carries into public something of that simple and negligent exterior which belonged to him in private. When he began to speak, a common observer, might have thought him awkward; and even a consummate judge could only have been struck with the exquisite justness of his ideas, and the transparent simplicity of his manners. But no sooner had he spoken for some time than he was changed into another being. He forgot himself and every thing around him. He thought only of his subject. His genius warmed and kindled as he went on. He darted fire into his audience. Torrents of impetuous eloquence swept along their feelings and convictions. He certainly possesses above all moderns, that union of reason, simplicity, and vehemence, which formed the prince of orators. He was the most Demosthenian speaker since the days of Demosthenes. "I knew him," says Mr. Burke, in a pamphlet written after their unhappy difference, "when he was nineteen; since which he has risen, by slow degrees, to the most brilliant and accomplished debater the world ever saw."

The quiet dignity of a mind roused only by great objects, the absence of petty bustle, the contempt of show, the abhorrence of intrigue, the plainness and down-rightness, and the thorough good-nature which distinguished Mr. Fox, seem to render him no unfit representative of the old English character, which, if it ever changed, we should be sanguine indeed to expect to see it succeeded by a better. The simplicity of his character inspired confidence, the ardour of his eloquence roused enthusiasm, and the gentleness of his manner invited friendship. "I admired," says Mr. Gibbon, after describing a day passed with him at Lausanne, "the powers of a superior man, as they are blended in his attractive character, with all the softness and simplicity of a child; no human being was ever more free from any taint of malignity, vanity, or falsehood."

The measures which he supported or opposed may divide the opinion of posterity, as they have divided those of the present age. But he will most certainly command the unanimous reverence of future generations, by his pure sentiments towards the commonwealth, by his zeal for the civil and religious rights of all men, by his liberal principles, favourable to mild government, to the unfettered exercise of the human faculties, and the progressive civilization of mankind; by his ardent love for a country of which the well-being and greatness were, indeed, inseparable from his own glory; and by his profound reverence for that free constitution, which he was universally admitted to understand better than any other man of his age, both in an actually legal, and in a comprehensive philosophical sense.

PUBLIC LANDS.

_Washington City, Nov. 18._

An interesting document was transmitted by the Secretary of the Treasury to the Senate, in pursuance of a resolution of that house at the late Session, containing a body of information on the subject of the lands of the United States purchased from the Indians; the quantity sold; for how much sold, &c. &c. The sums which have been paid, and remain to be paid under Treaties made with the Indian tribes, to indemnify them for cessions of lands to the United States is 2,542,916 dollars. The expense of surveying the Public Lands, from 4th of March, 1789 to 31st December, 1819, has been 4,243,632 dollars. The whole quantity of land which has been sold by the United states, as well before as since the opening of the Land Offices, up to, 30th September, 1819, is 20,138,482 acres; and the amount for which it has been sold is 45,098,696 dollars. Of this amount, 22,229,180 dollars had been paid, and 22,000,657 _remained to be paid_, at the close of Sept. 1819. The quantity of lands surveyed in the several Land Office Districts is 72,805,092 acres, whereof 13,601,930 acres have been sold, leaving 54,203,162 acres unsold. The quantity surveyed for military bounty lands, is 12,315,360 acres. The whole quantity of land purchased from the Indians by the various treaties and cessions is estimated at 191,978,536 acres.

_Extracts from the last Edinburgh Review._

"Mr. Lewis Burckhardt was a young Swiss, employed by the African Association to make discoveries in that country. He is recently dead; and the society are now publishing the result of his labours. Thoroughly aware that a great part of the failures of African discoveries proceeded from their want of previous education in the customs, manners, and languages of the east, Mr. Burckhardt prepared himself, by the study of Arabic, by a residence of six years in Syria and Egypt, by journies in Nubia, Palestine, in Arabia, and in the countries between Egypt and the Red sea, for his great purpose of penetrating into the heart of Africa. His knowledge of Arabic and the Koran, were so great, that after the severest examination by doctors of the Mohammedan law, appointed for that express purpose by Mohammed Ali, pacha of Egypt, he was pronounced to be not only a real, but a very learned Mohammedan. But as his skill in oriental manners and languages improved, his constitution became impaired; and he became as last the victim of a tour in Arabia: dying better qualified than any traveller hitherto employed by the association for the purpose of discovery in Africa."

"Some of his excursions were very unfortunate--twice, in spite of solemn bargains with shekhs and high blooded Arabs, he is deserted and pillaged in the desert. In one of these instances, the robbers leave him nothing but his breeches. These he thought tolerably secure; but he was not yet sufficiently acquainted with the manners and customs of the east. A female Arab met him with these breeches; and a very serious conflict for them ensued between the parties. The association have not stated the result.

"We are much struck by the perpetual miseries to which this traveller is subjected. In all his journies, he seems kick'd and cuff'd by the whole party, and subjected to the grossest contempt and derision, for the appearance of poverty he always thought it prudent to assume. His system was, that the less display of wealth a man makes in the east the safer he is. This may be true enough in general; but when he travelled with a caravan containing merchants who had ten or twelve camels, and twenty or thirty slaves each, he might surely have ventured on the display of one camel, and one or two slaves; for in one journey he travels upon an ass, without a slave; and in consequence his own wood to cut, his water skins to fill, and his supper to dress. He receives as much respect, therefore, as a man would do who was to rub down his own horse in England; and is well nigh overpowered by the great and unnecessary fatigues to which this violent economy subjects him. We do not remember that other travellers in Africa, proceeding with caravans, have found it necessary to affect such an extreme state of pauperism; and Mr. Burckhardt himself admits, that Ali Bey, the pretended Arabian, penetrated every where in the east by the very opposite system of magnificence and profusion, even though he was suspected not to be a Mussulman by the natives themselves."

"In his visit to the peninsula of Mount Sinai, Mr. Burckhardt meets with a substance which he considers to be the same as the manna mentioned in the books of Moses.

"'A botanist would find a rich harvest in these high regions, in the most elevated parts of which, a variety of sweet scented herbs grow. The Bedouins collect to this day the manna, under the very same circumstances described in the books of Moses. Whenever the rains have been plentiful during the winter, it drops abundantly from the tamarisk (in Arabic, Tarfa;) a tree very common in the Syrian and Arabian deserts, but producing, as far as I know, no manna any where else. They gather it before sunrise, because, if left in the sun it melts; its taste is very sweet, much resembling honey; they use it as we do sugar, principally in their dishes composed of flour. When purified over the fire, it keeps for many months; the quantity collected is inconsiderable, because it is exclusively the produce of the Tarfa, which tree is met with only in a few vallies at the foot of the highest granite chain. The inhabitants of the peninsula, amounting to almost four thousand, complain of the want of rain and of pasturage; the state of the country must therefore be much altered from what it was in the time of Moses, when all the tribes of Beni Israel found food here for their cattle.'"

COTTON-SEED OIL.

The subject of _Cotton-seed Oil_, is gaining attention, and obtaining investigations, both in Europe and America. It is a subject highly important to the southern states. Millions of bushels of cotton seed are annually used as manure for corn, wheat, &c. in South Carolina. For this purpose the article is worth, at the present reduced prices of staple commodities, about 12 or 15 cents a bushel; weighing about 25 lbs. lightly thrown in. One hundred pounds of cotton seed, yields about 27 pounds of clean cotton, and about three bushels of seed. The oleaginous quality of the pulp of cotton-seed has long been known; and it is believed that any given quantity of it contains as much oil as a like quantity of the pulp of any other seed. As to its qualities, they are not all fully developed; but considerable experience among leather-dressers in North Carolina, has proven it to be equal to any other oil for currying of leather for shoes, boots, harness, &c. Whether it can be made to take the place of linseed oil, in painting, or of olive in manufactures, remains to be determined. The great difficulty attending the extracting of oil from cotton-seed, lies in the soft and spongy texture of the shell which encloses the pulp, which with the short firbs of cotton adhering to it, absorbs a great portion of oil in the process. If the seed could be made to pass hastily through fire, by the operation of machinery, to divest it of the adhering cotton, then it seems probable that a machine somewhat similar to that made for hulling barley, would take off the shell or hull with great expedition. From all the light elicited on the subject, it appears probable, that each bushel of seed might produce a gallon of oil; and that the pulp, after the extraction of the oil, would still be valuable for feeding cattle or for manure. For every bale of cotton there might be produced about ten gallons of oil: this, should the demand for oil continue, would be equal to half or two-thirds the value of the cotton. The subject is highly important to this state: and it is humbly conceived, would be worthy of attention of the Agricultural Society of South Carolina, and perhaps of legislative aid, by way of premiums, to encourage further practical investigation.

[_Pee Dee Gazette._

_Nantucket whale fishery._--The number of ships now employed in the whale fishery by the people of the small Island of Nantucket is 72--28 of them between 3 and 400 tons. In addition to which they have a large number of brigs and smaller vessels in the same employment.

_A running horse_, lately died in England, for which the owner was offered a few days before upwards of _fifteen thousand dollars_.

CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES.

_Statement showing the Commencement and Termination of each Session of Congress, held under the present Constitution, with the number of days in each._

A: CONGRESS. B: SESSION. C: YEAR OF INDEPENDENCE. D: NO. OF DAYS IN EACH SESSION.

+---+------------------+------------------+----+-----+--------------- A | B | FROM | TO | C | D | WHERE HELD. -----+---+------------------+------------------+----+-----+--------------- 1 { | 1 |March 4, 1789|September 29, 1789| 13 | 210 | New York { | 2 |January 4, 1790|August 12, 1790| 14 | 221 | do { | 3 |December 6, 1790|March 3, 1791| 15 | 88 | Philadelphia 2 { | 1 |October 24, 1791|May 8, 1792| 16 | 98 | do { | 2 |November 5, 1792|March 2, 1793| 17 | 119 | do 3 { | 1 |December 2, 1793|June 9, 1794| 18 | 190 | do { | 2 |November 3, 1794|March 3, 1795| 19 | 121 | do 4 { | 1 |December 7, 1795|June 1, 1796| 20 | 178 | do { | 2 |December 5, 1796|March 3, 1797| 21 | 89 | do { | 1 |May 15, 1797|July 10, 1797| 21 | 57 | do 5 { | 2 |November 13, 1797|July 16, 1798| 22 | 247 | do { | 3 |December 3, 1798|March 3, 1799| 23 | 90 | do 6 { | 1 |December 2, 1799|May 14, 1800| 24 | 165 | do { | 2 |November 17, 1800|March 3, 1801| 25 | 107 |Washington City 7 { | 1 |December 7, 1801|May 3, 1802| 26 | 138 | do { | 2 |December 6, 1802|March 3, 1803| 27 | 88 | do 8 { | 1 |October 17, 1803|March 27, 1804| 28 | 163 | do { | 2 |November 5, 1804|March 3, 1805| 29 | 119 | do 9 { | 1 |December 2, 1805|April 21, 1806| 30 | 141 | do { | 2 |December 1, 1806|March 3, 1807| 31 | 93 | do 10 { | 1 |October 26, 1807|April 25, 1808| 32 | 183 | do { | 2 |November 7, 1808|March 3, 1809| 33 | 117 | do { | 1 |May 22, 1809|June 28, 1809| 33 | 38 | do 11 { | 2 |November 27, 1809|May 1, 1810| 34 | 156 | do { | 3 |December 3, 1810|March 3, 1811| 35 | 91 | do 12 { | 1 |November 4, 1811|July 6, 1812| 36 | 246 | do { | 2 |November 2, 1812|March 3, 1813| 37 | 94 | do { | 1 |May 24, 1813|August 2, 1813| 37 | 71 | do 13 { | 2 |December 6, 1813|April 18, 1814| 38 | 134 | do { | 3 |September 19, 1814|March 3, 1815| 39 | 166 | do 14 { | 1 |December 4, 1815|April 30, 1816| 40 | 149 | do { | 2 |December 2, 1816|March 3, 1817| 41 | 92 | do 15 { | 1 |December 1, 1817|April 30, 1818| 42 | 151 | do { | 2 |November 16, 1818|March 3, 1819| 43 | 108 | do 16 { | 1 |December 6, 1819|May 15, 1820| 44 | 162 | do { | 2 |November 13, 1820|March 3, 1821| 45 | 111 | do -----+---+------------------+------------------+----+-----+---------------

MISCELLANY.

_Gluten an Antidote for Corrosive Sublimate._--During the researches undertaken by Dr. Taddei on gluten, and on wheaten flour, he discovered that gluten had the property of acting on the red oxide of mercury, and on corrosive sublimate. If it be mixed with either of these substances, it immediately loses its viscidity, becomes hard, and is not at all liable to putrefaction. Further, if flower be made into a paste, with solution of corrosive sublimate, it is impossible to separate the gluten and starch in the usual way. This effect induced Dr. Taddei to suppose, that in cases of poisoning by corrosive sublimate, wheaten flour and gluten would prove excellent antidotes to the poison. It was found by experiment, that wheaten flour and gluten, reduced corrosive sublimate to the state of calomel; and also that considerable quantities, of a mixture of flour or gluten with corrosive sublimate, might be eaten by animals without producing injury; thus fourteen grains of sublimate have been given in less than twelve hours to rabbits and poultry without injury, whereas a single grain was sufficient to produce death when administered alone. A grain of the sublimate required from twenty to twenty-five grains of fresh gluten to become innocuous; when dry gluten was used, half this quantity was sufficient, but when wheaten flour was taken, from fifteen to eighteen denari, (500 or 600 gr.,) were required. Dr. Taddei recommends that dried gluten be kept in the apothecaries' shops, and that it be administered when required, mixed with a little water.--_Giornale di Fisica_, 2. p. 375.

_Anecdote._--During the examinations of Surgeons for the army or navy, it is well known that the veterans of that respectable class, question very minutely those who wish to become qualified. After answering very satisfactorily to the numerous inquiries made, a young gentlemen was asked; if he wished to give his patient a profuse perspiration, what he would prescribe? He mentioned many diaphoretic medicines in case the first failed, and had some hopes that he should pass with credit, but the unmerciful querist thus continued:-- "Pray, sir, suppose none of those succeeded, what step would you take next?" "Why, sir," rejoined the harassed son of Esculapius, "I would send him here to be examined, and if _that_ would not give him a sweat, I know not what would."

_Cutting of Wheat before it is ripe._--It is said by a Paris paper that grain cut eight days before the ordinary time, has, first, the advantage of escaping the dangers which threatened it at that period. This is accidental, but it has the positive advantage of being more nutritive, larger, finer, and is never attacked by the weasel. These assertions are proved by the most conclusive experiments, made upon a piece of corn, half of which was cut prematurely, the other half at the customary time. The first part gave a hectolitre more corn for a half hectare. Afterwards an equal quantity of the farina was made into bread; that of the corn cut when green, made from six decalitres seven lbs. more bread than the other. Finally, the weasel attacked the corn cut when ripe, and the other was free from it. The moment to reap, is, when the grain, squeezed between the fingers, appears pasty, like the crumb of bread immediately after it is taken from the oven. This, which is the opinion of Mr. Cadet de Vaux, is supported by that of Mr. Mellard, a very respectable agriculturist. They both confirm their theory by experiments. The same custom has been practised for many years at the magnificent farm of Mr. Coke, at Holkham, in England, who cuts not only his grain before its maturity, but likewise grasses, and even herbaceous plants. He does not hesitate to attribute to this measure the superior quality of his corn and hay to that of other farmers, who reap all things at the period of their perfect maturity.

_Seduction._--A verdict of damages, to the amount of fourteen hundred and fifty dollars, was lately given in Ohio, in a case of seduction. This is "paying dear for the whistle."

_Milk and Water._--We have received a communication (says the N. Y. Gazette,) from a very respectable source, giving an estimate of the probable quantity of milk sold in New-York in one year, and the quantity of water in the milk; by which it appears, that the citizens of New York pay in one year the sum of $35,587 for water. Our correspondent's calculations follow. He supposes the city to contain 120,000 inhabitants, 6 to a family--20,000 families, at 3 cents worth of milk per day, is $600, or 219,000 for one year; to which is added one twelfth for strangers, &c. making $237,250. Deduct one fifteenth, or $35,587, which is annually paid for the WATER, with which the milk is reduced.--Our correspondent requests us to add, that he can prove the facts above stated, if called upon by the proper authority. He is himself an extensive dealer in milk, and is well acquainted with the management of most of those in his line.

_Turkey Cement for joining Metals, Glass, &c._--The jewellers in Turkey, who are mostly Armenians, have a curious method of ornamenting watch cases, and similar things with diamonds and other stones by simply gluing them on. The stone is set in silver or gold, and the lower part of the metal made flat, or to correspond with the part to which it is to be fixed; it is then warmed gently and the glue applied, which is so very strong that the parts never separate. This glue, which may be applied to many purposes, as it will strongly join bits of glass or polished steel, is thus made: