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An Uncommon INSTANCE of INTREPIDITY.
[From Morfe's American Geography.]

IN the town of Pomfret, in Connec

ticut, is a cave, rendered remarkable by an almost unparalleled adventure of the late general Putnam. This cave is described, and the story told, by colonel Humphreys, in his life of that hero. The story and the defcription I fhall infert in his own words.

Soon after Mr. Putnam removed to Connecticut, the wolves, then very numerous, broke into his fheepfold, and killed seventy fine sheep and goats, befide wounding many lambs and kids. This havock was committed by a fhe wolf, which, with her annual whelps, had, for several years, infefted the vicinity. The young were commonly deftroyed by the vigilance of the hunters, but the old one was too fagacious to come within reach of gun fhot: upon being clofely purfued, fhe would generally fly to the western woods, and return, the next winter, with another litter of whelps.-This wolf, at length, became fuch an intolerable nuisance, that Mr. Putnam entered into a combination with five of his neighbours, to hunt alternately, until they could destroy her. Two, by rotation, were to be conftantly in pursuit. It was known, that having loft the toes from one foot, by a steel trap, he made one track fhorter than the other. By this veftige, the purfuers recognized, in a light fnow, the route of this pernicious animal. Having followed her to Connecticut river, and found fhe had turned back, in a direct courfe, toward Pomfret, they immediately returned; and, by ten the next morning, the blood-hounds had driven her into a den, about three miles diftant from the houfe of Mr. Putnam: the people foon collected with dogs, guns, ftraw, fire, and fulphur, to attack the common enemy: with this apparatus, feveral unfuccefsful efforts were made to force her from the den. The hounds came back badly wounded, and refused to return.

The fmoke of blazing ftraw had no

effect; nor did the fumes of burnt brimstone, with which the cavern was filled, compel her to quit the retirement. Wearied with fuch fruitless attempts, which had brought the time to ten o'clock at night, Mr. Putnam tried once more to make his dog enter, but in vain: he proposed to his negro man to go down into the cavern and fhoot the wolf: the negro declined the hazardous service. Then it was that their mafter, angry at the difappointment, and declaring that he was afhamed to have a coward in his family, resolved himself to destroy the ferocious beaft, left she should escape through fome unknown fiffure of the rock. His neighbours strongly remonftrated against the perilous enterprize: but he, knowing that wild animals were intimidated by fire, and having provided several strips of birch bark, the only combustible material which he could obtain, that would afford light in this deep and darksome cave, prepared for his descent. Having, accordingly, divested himself of his coat and waistcoat, and having a long rope faftened round his legs, by which he might be pulled back, at a concerted fignal, he entered headforemost, with the blazing torch in his hand.

The aperture of the den, on the eaft fide of a very high ledge of rocks, is about two fect fquare: thence it defcends obliquely fifteen feet, then running horizontally about ten more, it afcends gradually fixteen feet toward its termination. The fides of this fubterraneous cavity are compofed of fmooth and folid rocks, which feem to have been divided from each other by fome earthquake: the top and bottom are alfo of ftone, and the entrance, in winter, being covered with ice, is exceedingly flippery. It is in no place high enough for a man to raise himself upright, nor in any part

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more than three feet in width. Having groped his paffage to the horizontal part of the den, the moft terrifying darkness appeared in front of the dim circle of light afforded by his torch. It was filent as the houfe of death. None but monsters of the defert had ever before explored this folitary manfion of horror. He, cautioully proceeding onward, came to the afcent, which he flowly mounted on his hands and knees, until he difcovered the glaring eye-balls of the wolf, who was fitting at the extremity of the cavern. Startled at the fight of fire, fhe gnashed her teeth, and gave a fullen growl. As foon as he had made the neceffary discovery, Mr. Putnam kicked the rope, as a fignal for pulling him out.

The people at the mouth of the den, who had liftened with painful anxiety, hearing the growling of the wolf, and fuppofing their friend to be in the most imminent danger, drew him forth with fuch celerity, that his shirt was stripped over his head, and

After he

his fkin feverely lacerated. had adjusted his clothes, and loaded his gun with nine buck-fhot, holding a torch in one hand, and the mufquet in the other, he defcended a fecond time. When he drew nearer than before, the wolf, affuming a still more fierce and terrible appearance, howling rolling her eyes, napping her teeth, and dropping her head between her legs, was evidently in the attitude, and on the point, of fpringing at him. At the critical inftant he levelled and fired at her head. Stunned with the fhock, and fuffocated with the smoke, he immediately found himself drawn out of the cave. But having refreshed himfelf, and permitted the fmoke to diffipate, he went down the third time. Once more he came within fight of the wolf, who appearing very paffive, he applied the torch to her nofe; and perceiving her dead, he took hold of her ears, and then kicking the rope (till tied round his legs) the people above, with no fmall exultation, dragged them both out together.'

An Account of the CITY of TOLENTINO, in Italy: With a Perspective View of that ancient City and its Romantic Environs.

THE city of Tolentino is fituated duced feveral great men remarkable

of

marquifate in the territories of the Roman pontiff. It is a very ancient city, and shares the cathedral fee with Macerata. The Tolentinati are frequently mentioned by Pliny. Before we enter the gate of the city, which is a Gothic structure, the Strada Romana, or road from Rome, takes a turn paffing by l'Arancia, formerly a caftle of fome ftrength, and at prefent in the poffeffion of the family of Varani, lords of Camerino. San vicino, a lofty and pointed mountain, is feen hence at a distance. Tolentino is thirty miles diftant from Loretto, twelve from Macerata, and eightyeight from Rome. It is populous, well fupplied, and furrounded by various landfcapes, and little towns. It was formerly defended by a fortrefs, now almost demolished, and has pro

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Among the number, we should not omit mentioning Francis Philelphus, a celebrated writer of the fifteenth century, whò tranflated many of the Greek claffics. into Italian. The inhabitants are

very proud of having had him among the number of their fellow citizens; and befide his effigy in marble, with a pompous infcription, erected in the town-house, they fhew ftrangers the fword and other memorials of this great man. His brother and fon were both equally learned with himself. In thefe times, however, 'Philelphus would not have acquired fuch celebrity. All his works prove that he was a pedantic grammarian, more folicitous about words than things, and who understood perfectly well the history of philofophy without being a philofopher himself. His pride was ex

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ceffive;

ceffive; and he wished to reign in the republic of letters with defpotic fway. He valued himself fo much upon the exactnefs and minutene? with which he underflood all the laws of grammar, that, difputing one day about a fyllable, with Timotheus, a Greck philofopher, he offered to pay one hundred crowns in cafe he was wrong, provided he might difpofe of his adverfary's beard, if the point were adjudged in his own favour. Philelphus having gained his wager, moft unmercifully caufed the beard to be fhaved, notwithstanding all the offers which the unfortunate philofopher made to avoid the dire difgrace. A pretty inftance this of the humanizing influence of letters on the manners of their votaries! But Philelphus, like some more modern authors, joined to unbounded prefumption an inconfancy, irritability, and extravagance, that ftrewed his life with thorns. He died in the year 1484, aged eightythree; and the furniture of his room, and his kitchen utenfils, were fold to defray the expences of his funeral.

The city of Tolentino being built upon high and craggy rocks, in order to render it ftronger, the view of it, as reprefented in the annexed plate, has at once a mixture of the awful and pleafing. This city is not only famous, as already obferved, for having given birth to Francis Philelphus,

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but is fill more celebrated for the body of St. Nicolas, (of the order of St. Auguftine, and furnamed Tolentini, from his native city) which is depofited in a rich and noble church belonging to his order. This faint, who obtained great reputation, among the votaries of the Romish religion, for his extreme aufterities, was born in the year 1239, died in 1310, and was canonized in 1646, by pope Eus genius IV; and, it is faid, that never was a canonization performed with greater folemnity; the pope walking in proceffion with the utmost pomp and magnificence from the monaftery of St. Auguftine, to the bafilic, or church, in the Vatican. Lello Petronio, in his manufcript memoirs preferved in the Vatican, thus defcribes the proceffion. The streets were covered in honour of St. Nicolas, with cloth of gold, velvet and tapeftry, and all beautified from St. Auguftine's to the holy church. It was fuppofed, that the money which the Auguftine friars expended upon that occafion amounted to more than five thousand ducats.' Befide what this contemporary author has faid, Eugenius IV has preferved the memory of this folemnity by a medal, which is not deemed one of the least valuable among the medals of the popes.

A MEDICAL ANECDOTE. Tis very remarkable, that, at Aleppo, in Syria, a diforder prevails, called the Aleppo difeafe, which is common to both sexes, and which attacks natives as well as foreigners. It appears in a kind of boil, which breaks out in various parts of the body, and which, at the end of a year, fuppurates and then heals without any other inconvenience than leaving a fcar in the place where it was. For a long time this difeafe was attributed to the fubtility of the air of Aleppo; but late obfervations have induced fome to believe that it is occafioned rather by the water. I have known people, who during their refidence here never

drank water till it had been boiled, remain free from this distemper. Others, who purfued a different conduct, though they ftaid in the city only a few days, were attacked by this disease even a year after. This malady is announced by a fever; and the method of cure is very fimple. Nothing more is neceffary than to lay an ivy leaf, with a little cerate spread upon it, over the tumour, and this brings it to a fuppuration in the courfe of a year. No particular regimen is required; and when a cure is effected, the body generally enjoys good health for a long time after. Mariti's Travels.

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