he hoped I would have the goodness to pardon his having been the innocent caule of giving me pain.

When he was gone, I fat myfelf down in an elbow-chair, oppofite my husband, to whom I endeavoured to fhew both the meanness and impropriety of fuch a proceeding: He answered, That neceffity had no law; and that he muft either have that money, or go to prifon.' I faid, looking at him, and fhaking my head) Unhappy, miftaken, man! these are the difficulties into which vice plunges all her votaries. I then recounted to him all I knew of his conduct; but, he seemed hardened in bafenefs, and I had not the leaft remaining hope of being able to reclaim him. At length he pretended to go for England to induce his father to recruit his broken fortunes; but fome time after I received the news of his dying in Italy, furrounded with baftards by different women; and, at that time, was accompanied by a girl, whom he had picked up fomewhere in his travels, and who had, from the time he

great juftice, regarded as more wholefome than any other; but it is frequently adulterated by fo many mixtures, particularly of foil and mud, that it becomes neceffary to purify it, before it is fit for houshold purposes. This purification has been at tempted by many contrivances; but the most common method is to ftrain or filtre it through fand into a copper ciftem, in which it is preferved for ufe. But it is well known that water forms upon copper a kind of canker or ruft called verdigrease, and that verdigreafe is one of the most violent poifons in nature; yet, rather than quit an old cuftom, the greatest part of mankind are content to swallow fome of this poifon every day It is indeed true, that they believe the ill effects of copper are prevented by its being tinned; but the tin that adheres to the copper is fo extremely thin, that it is foon penetrated by the verdigreafe; which is produced by the water that infinuates itself through its pores; a fact which cannot be doubted, because the tin at length becomes green: Befides, fuch is the manner and figure in which cifterns and other copper veffels are generally conftructed, that the tin ning may fail in many places without being perceived, fo that the copper, being expofed to the immediate action of the water, muft

:

be confeffed, that the water which is drawn from these cifterns is not often impregnated with fuch quantities of the verdigrease as to kill fuddenly, but it contains enough to bring on a decay, and to occafion many chronical difeafes, especially the flow fever, the cure of which is more difficult, in proportion as the caufe is lefs known. That there is verdigreafe in this water may be alfo demonstrated by throwing into it a fmall quantity of any volatile alkali, which will immediately tinge it with a paler or deeper blue, according as the quantity of the verdigrease it contains in folution is greater or lefs. Water, indeed, that is filtrated through porous ftones, is extremely clear and limpid; but it

acquires a petrifying quality in is pallage, which, at length, may produce fatal effects.

For thefe reafons, M. Amy has propofed the ufe of lead or tin, instead of copper cifterns; for, though lead, when it is diffolved by acids, becomes strong poifon, yet water produces no more effects upon it than pon tin, and M. Amy has contrived a varnish which preferves it from air: But his principal improvement is that of filtrating the water through a fponge mere or less compreffed, inftead of fand or gravel, by which the water is not only rendered more clear but more wholefome; for fand is infenfibly diffolved

by

by the water, fo that in four er five years it will have loft a fifth part of its weight. These cifterns, confidered only as inftruments of filtration, are made fo fmall as to be portable even in the pocket, by which pit or well water (as in many places no other can be procured) may be freed from flime, the fpawn of vermin, and other foulneffes which it always contracts.

.. In an academical exercife of M. Thierry, a Doctor of Phyfic, in Paris, the use of cop per veffels in the dreffing of victuais is proved to be a dangerous and pernicious practice. Copper, fays he, when it is handled, yields an offenfive fmell, and, if touched with the tongue, yields a fharp pungent tafte, and even excites vomiting. Thofe who manufacture it are often feized with fluxes, frequently attended with the most violent fymp

toms.

Verdigreafe (a very fmall quantity of which will produce colics, intolerable thirst, and univerfal convulfions) is no more than a folution of copper by vegetable acids; but every known menftruum, mineral acids, fixed and volatile alkalies, every fpecies cf. oil, water, and even the humidity of air, will penetrate and diffolve copper. And, if the prodigious divifibility of this metal be confidered, there can be no reason to doubt its being a moft powerful and fubtle poi fon.

To the effects of this poifon we are greatly expofed, by the prefent ufe of copper utenfils for the dreffing our food. The very air of the kitchen, abounding with cleaginous and faline particles, penetrates and difpofes them to diffolution before they are ufed; the different fubftances alfo, which are used in feafonings, are all fuch as are adapted to produce verdigreafe; and the power of thefe fubftances is greatly increased by the heat of the place and the action of the fire. M. Thi

erry, after examining the qualities of feveral other metals, in order to determine which may be introduced into the kitchen, inftead of copper, gives the preference to iron.

Lead is easily dissolved by acids, alkalies, and oils, and its diffolution is poifon. Tin appears to be noxious by the difeales of thofe who work in it; and it has been prov ed by chemifts to contain arfenic. But iron, from the falutary effects of its ruft, of its filings, and of the waters that it impregrates, and from the good state of health and long life of those who work at the forge, mult he regarded as friendly to man. Iron is ufed both in pharmacy and cookery with fuccefs; and it is to be found in great plenty in our native earths, while we import the poifon of copper at a great expence from abroad.

M. Thierry concludes, by enumerating the various means by which the pernicicus qualities of copper, are communicated to whatever we eat or drink. Cur food receives its quantity of poison in the kitchen; the brewer mingles poifon in our beer, by boiling it in a large copper; and, at the apothecary's, it enters almost into every preparation.

Salt is fometimes fold out to the people from copper feales that are covered with ver digreafe, and the paftry-cook bakes most of our tarts in copper patty-pms; but confec tions and fyrups have yet a greater power of deftruction; for they are fet over a fire in copper veffels which have not been tinned, and the verdigreate is plentifully extracted by the acidity of the compofition; and, though we do not after all fallow death in a fingle dofe, yet it is certain, that a quantity of poifon, how Imall foever, which is repeated with every meal, muft produce more fatal effects than is generally believed.

TH

HE fox is called in Greek der; in Latin, vulpes; in French, renard; in Italian, volpe; in Spanish, rapofa; in German, fuchs; in Swedish, raef; in Polish, lika.

The fox is famous for his wiles, and merits partly his reputation from them. What the wolf atchieves only by force he does by dexterity, and is more often fuccefsful Without feeking to fight dogs or fhepherds, without attacking flocks, without dragging after him carcates, he is more fure

of living. He has greater exertions of wit than motion; his refources feem to be within himfelf, and are what, it is well known, he is leaft deficient in Equally acute and circumfpect, ingenious and prudent, even to pati.nce, he varies his conduct, and makes a referve of means, which he never adopts without making them conducive to his purpofes. He is extremely vigilant as to klfprefervation, and, though as indefatigable and even lighter than the wolf, he does not truft intirely to the swiftnefs of running, but

Knows

knows how to procure fecurity, by making for himself an afylum, where he retires in preffing dangers, where he establishes a fettle ment, and where he rears his young; fo that, far from being a vagabond animal, he is rather one that loves home.

. This difference, which is likewise perceptible among men, has much greater effects, and fuppofes much greater caufes among animals. The bare notion of an abode prefuppofes a fingular attention to one's-felf; and then the choice of place, the art of making a lodge, rendering it commodious, and keeping its entrance out of fight, are so many demonftrations of fuperior knowledge. The fox feems endowed with this talent, and therefore turns every thing to his advantage. He takes up his habitation about the borders of woods, near hamlets and villages; where he can hear the crowing of cocks, and the cries of other fowls: He winds them at a diftance, avails himself of opportunities, conceals his design and march, skulks about, flips and crawls along, arrives at last at his place of deftination, and rarely makes a fruitless attempt. If he can climb over the fences, or pals under them, he lofes not a fingle moment, he ravages the yard and henrooft, puts all his prey therein to death, retires afterwards, nimbly carrying off his boo ty, which he hides under mofs, or carries to his hole; he returns in a few minutes after for another load, which he carries off and hides the fame way, but in another place; then a third, a fourth, &c. till the day, or noife of ftirring about in the house, warns him that he must retire, and come no more. The fame operations he performs in places where fnares and gins are laid for catching birds; he gets the start of the bird-catcher, goes off very early in the morning, and often more than once in the day, to visit the fnares and bird-lime twigs, from which he takes fucceffively the birds that have been intangled in them, depofits them in different places, efpecially on the fide of roads, in ruts made by wheels, under mofs, or under junipertrees, where he leaves them fometimes for two or three days, and knows perfectly where to find them, when wanted. He hunts leverets in the open fields, feizes fometimes hares in their form, never miles of them when they are wounded, fcratches young rabbits out of their nets in warrens, dicovers the nests of patridges and quails, takes the hen fitting on her eggs, and destroys a prodigious quantity of game. The wolf is of greater prejudice to the peafant, the fox to the Gentleman.

The hunting of the fox requires a lefs apparatus than that of the wolf; it is more

eafy and more amufing. All dogs have an avertion to the wolf, but all, on the contrary, hunt the fox fpontaneously, and even with pleasure; for, though he has a very rank fmell, they often, prefer him to the ftag, the roe-buck, and the hare. He may be hunted with terriers, and other hounds. When he finds himself pursued, he runs to his hole. The crooked-legged terriers are thofe that are best for flipping in more eafily: This is a good way for taking an intire litter of foxes, the dam with the young; whilft fhe is defending herself and fighting with the terriers, the hunters endeavour to unearth the lodge at top, and she is killed or taken alive. But, as foxes have often their holes in rocks, under the trunks of trees, and fometimes at too confidertable a depth in the earth, this method is not always fuccefsful. 1 he most common, the most agreeable, and the foreft for hunting the fox is, to begin by ftopping up the holes: If fhooting at him is intended, the markfinen are placed at proper ftations; then they beat about with foxhounds; and, when they fall on his track, the fox repairs to his lodge; but on arriving he fultains the first difcharge: If he escapes the ball, he flies with all speed, taking a great fweep, and returns again to his hole, where he is hot at a fecond time, and where, finding the entrance blocked up, he endeavours to fave himleif by running to a great distance, driving ttraight forward, with the defign of not returning again: Then the hounds are fummoned to the purfuit, and the fox will fatigue them greatly, because he paffes defignedly into the clofeft thickets, where the dogs are put to great difficulties in following him, and because, when he takes to the plain, he runs to a very confiderable diftance without stopping.

In order to destroy foxes, it is fill more commodious to lay fnares for them, baited with fleih, a pigeon, a live fowl, &c. I once had fufpended on a tree, to the height of nine feet, fome fleih-meat, bread, and bonest The very firft night of this lure being there, the foxes had fo exercifed themfelves in jumping, that the ground all about the tree was as much beaten as a barn-floor. The fox is as veracious as he is carnivorous; he eats of every thing with equal avidity, eggs, milk, cheele, fruits, efpecially grapes: When be fails meeting with leverets and partridges he falls foul with rats, field-mice, ferpents, lizards, toads, &c. destroying great numbers of them, and this is the only good he procures. He is very greedy of honey, and attacks wild bees, wafps, and hornet, which at first trive to put him to flight, by piercing him with thouiands of ftings. He retires