APPLICABLE TO GREAT BRITAIN. "THE tables in the Philofophical Tranfactions, thofe of Bishop Watfon, Dr. Robertson, and Major Hayman Rooke, all tend to prove, that the rainy feafon of thefe islands commences in June, and continues for the two or three fubfequent months; and that the greateft quantity of rain falls almoft invariably in the month of July. This is the fact: let us confider what ufe may be derived from it by the farmer. "In the neighbourhood of London, from the great command of manure and the goodnefs of the roads, the farmer is able to bring forward his grafs, and to mow it fometimes at the beginning of June, and always by the end of the month: thus he completely finifhes his hay harveft before the fummer folftice; the folftitial rains therefore which follow, but feldom commence before this time, are extremely beneficial to him: they bring forward the aftermath, they fwell the corn and increase the length of the ftraw; and having finifhed one harveft, the farmer is completely prepared for the other. But it is only within a very few years that agriculture was in fuch an improv ed ftate, even near the capital, as to ad mit of an early hay harvest; and I am forry to fay, that nine years in ten at leaf, in the highly gifted county of Glamorgan, even at the present day, the hay is regularly fpoiled in making. But let not this circumftance be confidered as reflecting upon the farmers of that country, who are far from deficient either in induftry or a competent knowledge of their bufinefs. Their country, poflefling every poffible na tural advantage, has not, until lately, had any good turnpike roads; manme was to be had only in fmall quantities; the little there was, it became difficult and expenfive to put on the land, and confequently they could not bring for ward their grafs to be cut before the middle of July. The rains, therefore, fo beneficial to the London farmer, were hurtful to them; but as it hap pened almoft every year, they patiently fubmitted to what they confidered irremediable; for, being fitusted near the fea, they fuppofed it the natural confequence of their climate and feil. "But turnpike roads being now made throughout the country, and fafe, expeditious, and cheap conveyances being opened, by means of the canals, from the interior of the country to the fea, and labourers of every defeription reforting in great numbers to the hills, where they are employed to work the mines of iron, lime, and coal,the produce of the country will in future be confumed on the fpot, and neceffarily increafe the quantity of manure. In the courfe of a few years then, the vallies at leaft will come into author's time. Hackluyt, in his Voyages, 1598, calls the fea about the Ber'mudas a hellifh place for thunder, lightning, and ftorms. So likewife the continuator of Stowe's Annals, 1615, defcribing the arrival of the English at thefe iflands in 16c9: Sir George Somers fitting at the fterne, feeing the ship ⚫ defperate of relief, looking every minute when it would finke, he efpied land, which according to his and Captain Newport's opinion fhou'd be that dreadful ⚫ coaft of the Bermodes, which iflands were of all nations, faid and supposed to ⚫ be inchanted, and inhabited with witches and devils; which grew by reafon of • accustomed monftrous thunder, forme, and tempeft, neere unto thofe iflands; alfo for that the whole coaft is fo wonderous dangerous of rockes, that few can approach them but with unspeakable hazard of shipwreck.' "The learned editor in this inftance proves, that his inimitable author was correct, as far as the information of his day went, in making Ariel fpeak in the manner he does of thefe iflands; but more modern, and authentic accounts, amongst which is that of the learned Bifhop Berkley, to whom Pope attributes every virtue under heaven, juftifies alfo, I flatter myfelf, what has been faid of them in this work. If the modern accounts are moft deferving of credit, fome unhappy invalid may, perhaps, be tempted to feek benefit from a voyage to the Summer Islands, in which fome authors fay perpetual spring prevails, and where alfo the inhabitants are stranger to most of our difeafes,” a high ftate of cultivation, and both the hay and corn harvest in Glamorganfhire will be as early and productive as thofe of any other county of Great Britain. The experienced farmer would not thank me for any remarks on the great advantages to be derived from having fodder of a fuperior quality for his horfes, cattle, and sheep. "As the folftitial rains are always accompanied with wefterly and fouthwefterly winds, the mariner will readily comprehend that this feafon is unfavourable for fhips outward bound to the Weft Indies and America, and confequently the reverfe for thofe which are homeward bound from thofe countries. "It is ufual for English travellers to fix the middle of July for their summer excurfions, but they must conftantly expect to be interrupted with heavy fhowers of rain. To one clafs of them however this circumftance may be confidered as an advantage: it has lately been the fashion to vifit Wales, and amidst its wild romantic fcenery, the waterfalls are in the height of their beauty at this feafon. "The next meteorological general fact worthy of obfervation is, that frequent violent gales of wind happen foon after the autumnalequinox. With out dwelling much on the advantages of thefe high winds, which are known to ftrip the trees of their leaves, and are faid to contribute greatly, by the agitation of them, to the fall of the fap, I fhall beg leave to obferve, that the little fummer of St. Martin, which follows thefe gales, and is probably the effect of them, continues from the beginning to the 22d of November. This interval of clear weather is particularly ufeful to the farmer and the gardener; to the former in ploughing and fowing winter and fummer fallows, to the latter in pruning and drefling his trees after the fall of the leaf, and when the return of the fap is completed. "As to the winter, it is well known that little is to be done in the country at this time, except the carrying of manure; but it is important both to the farmer and gardener to remember, that the hard weather feldom begins before Christmas, and in very fevere winters a hard froft is generally preceded or accompanied, in the early part of it, by a heavy fall of fnow. Thus fecured, the wheat and herbage of every kind is safe from external cold, for fnow being a non-conductor of heat, the internal warmth of the earth, which at all feafons is equal at leaft to forty-eight degrees of Fahrenheit's thermometer, rifes, and is retained near the furface; and when the thaw takes place, vegetation, having been preferved under this excellent covering of the fheet of fnow, is found to be in a very advanced and improved state. "The mariner at this inclement feafon will feldom go to fea if he can avoid it; but voyages to the Weft Indies may be undertaken in the winter, provided there is a good outfet from the Channel by the help of eafterly or north-eafterly winds. As the fpring approaches, the easterly winds commence: the March winds and April fhowers, fays the honeft countryman, bring forth May flowers; and it is fuppofed, that the motion of the trees at the vernal equinox contributes to raife the fap and develope nature, which feems to have been in a ftate of torpor or neceffary repofe during the winter. The prudent farmer avails himself of thefe winds alfo to fow his oats, barley, peas, beans, potatoes, &c. The drying quality of thefe winds, on which I have already pretty fully expatiated, takes from the earth what would otherwise be a fuperabundant degree of moisture on the furface of it. "At this feason, likewife, the Britifh mariner becomes particularly active. He may undertake his voyages to all countries fituated to the fouthward of these islands; and if bound to the Eaft Indies in particular, he may perform the voyage almost to a certainty in lefs than four months. The N.E. winds being favourable for fhips outward bound, they are of courfe adverse to thofe that are homeward bound; therefore it would be prudent to poftpone, if poffible, entrance into the Channel to the end of May, or the beginning of June. "In fhort, the spring is the most favourable feafon for outward bound fhips, and the fummer for thofe returning home. In the autumn the winds generally incline to the W. but rather towards the N. than the S.; and in winter they are often from the N. E. but the heavier gales of wind almoft always come from the N. W. "After having pointed out to the farmer and gardener, the mariner and the traveller, the winds which prevail at different seasons of the year, and which, in examining feveral meteorological regifters kept in Great Britain for upwards of fifty years, I have found to be almost as periodical as thofe in the tropics, I fhall proceed to a farther application of this hypothesis to domestic purposes. "It appears that in these islands the W. and S. W. winds prevail three fourths of the year, and E. and N. E. only one fourth. In all parts of Great Britain the $. W. is esteemed the most rainy point of the compafs. "In building houfes, granaries, or ftorehouses of any kind, therefore, in all parts of Great Britain and Ireland, great care fhould be taken not to place buildings to the E. or N. E. of any lake or ftanding pool of water, but particularly of marthes or fens; and where a choice is permitted, it would perhaps be prudent to erect our habitations to the W. and S. W. of every river and canal; for, if fituated to the eastward of them, according to this hypothefis, the wind will blow upon the buildings three fourths of the year, bringing with it the additional moisture of the river or canal, and confequently will render it damp and unwholefome; whereas if placed weftward of these fources of moisture, the air from the eastward, which is rather too dry, in paffing over large bodies of water, will abforb a certain quantity of the moisture in folution in the atmosphere, and the dampness of it of courfe will be by thefe means in fome degree diminished: but at all events, as the wind blows from the eastward three months of the year only, a houfe thus fituated will be lefs damp than one placed to the weftward, exactly in proportion to the difference of time each different wind blows, that is, as three to nine; and for this reafon every person fhould recollect that the W. and S. W. fides of a houfe are always the moft damp. "It feems needlefs to expatiate on the neceffity of applying thefe obfervations in particular to fituations near* marthes or fens. The fatal confequences of the exhalations from thefe places are very well known, and therefore 'I fhall content myself with having pointed out to thofe, who are unavoidably obliged to live near them, the most effectual means of partly avoiding their effects. If any perfons can for a moVOL. V. No. XLIX. ment entertain a doubt of their baneful influence, I must beg leave to refer them to the first book of the claffical and elegant poem on health by the learned and ingenious Dr. Armstrong, whofe falutary advice I fhall not attempt to disguise in the tame language of profe; nor would I with, by a partial quotation, to deprive the reader of the pleasure of gratifying himself by a general reference to the original. "Although our atmosphere in particular places is impregnated with noxious vapours, fortunately for the inha-` bitants of these islands they are not fubject to the baneful influence of poifonous winds; nor can they scarcely confider themselves exposed to the ravages of hurricanes. The tempefts, which fometimes are known in our temperate climate, can fcarcely be deemed more than torms, especially when compared with those in the tropic." P. 145. an art with which our predeceffors in medical science, for want of anatomical knowledge, were not fufficiently acquainted; but which, in the prefent age, is progreffively advancing towards perfection. No ftronger argument can be opposed to the fophiftical affertions of Temple*, Rouffeau, and fubfequent writers, than the modern hiflory of refufcitation. Indeed, no fcientific refearches have greater claims to public gratitude, and none deferve to be held in greater eftimation, than those which relate to the recovery of persons apparently dead; from whatever cause this fufpenfion of vital powers may have taken place. "The ancients, who duly acknowledged the great merit of their phyficians, revered them, according to the ideas peculiar to their age, as demigods. Such were their Heracles, Afclepiades, Empedocles, who enjoyed divine honours, and owed much of their celebrity to the fuccefsful reftoration. of those who were apparently. configned to the grave. When we examine the pages of the hiftory of medicine, we find among the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, many accounts of fuccefsful attempts at refufcitation, and of the refpectful attention beftowed on the preservation of human life; but there are no records of public inftitutions for that benevolent purpose. events. Yet, notwithstanding many useful hints contained in these works, they neither excited general attention, nor engaged the notice of the rulers of the country. "The prefent century claims the merit of having more fully difcuffed the fubject; à circumftance which, though it cannot be confidered as a confe quence of the more refined moral feelings for the value of human life (for the contrary is too strongly proved by fanguinary wars), may, nevertheless, be afcribed to the great improvement which has been made of late years in the art of healing. "Induced by the example of her fcientific neighbours, the attention of Germany was called to the important object of applying medicine to the improvement of the refufcitative art. For, though fome German writers had publifhed their fentiments on this fubject, yet they only produced a flight impreffion upon the minds of their countrymen. Nor did the famous ftory of the goldfmith's wife at Dresden ftrike them with awe. Winflow and Brubier, indeed, had previoufly written on this fubject in France; but many years elapfed before their publications were tranflated and read in Germany. They, however, produced feverat German pamphlets on the treatment of the apparently dead, fome of which are not deftitute of merit §. "At length, Profeffor Hufeland excited the attention of the public, by his excellent work On the Uncer "In the middle ages, when medicine, as well as all the other fciences, were totally neglected, this important object was likewife entirely abandoned. "In the feventeenth century, how-tainty of the Symptoms of Death, and ever, the attention of the public was again directed to this philanthropic aim, and there appeared feveral works on the fubject. Among these are the productions of Kirchmayert, and a few others, that difplay the character of the age in which they were written, namely, a ftrong defire of perpetuating fuperftition, and recording marvellous on the only infallible Means of preventing Perfons from being configned to an untimely Grave;' printed at Weimar, in the year 1791. "As the uncertainty of relying upon the figns of apparent death was thus more generally acknowledged, inftitutions were progreffively effected for the recovery of drowned perfons, or others "Les Œuvres mclées du Chevalier Temple, t. i. pp. 246. Utrecht, 1693." +Differtatio de Hom. apparent. Mort. Wittemb. 1651.-Henr. Kornmann, de Mortis Miraculis.?" "Nachricht von der aus ihrem Grabe wieder auferstandenen Goldschmieds Frau in Drefden; nebft Errinnerung von der unerkannten Sünde, die Leute zu be graben, ehe fe noch geftorben :-or, An Account of the Goldsmith's Wife at Drefden, who rofe alive from her Grave; together with an Expofition of the fecret Crime of burying People previous to their Death, by M. Paul Christ. Hilfcher, Drefden, 1773.' "Das greffe Unglück einer zu fruhen Beerdigung.-On the great Misfortune of premature Interment, by C. F. Struve, Phyfician at Neustadt, 1785." whofe whofe lives were endangered by fimilar accidents. "In the year 1767, a fociety for the recovery of drowned perfons was eftablished at Amfterdam: they published rules for proceeding in fuch cafes, and offered premiums to thofe who were fuccessful in the application of thefe rules. One of their most active memBers, John Abraham Willink, procured a translation of the hiftory and tranfactions of this fociety, in the German language. On the very day of its foundation, the fociety had the fatiffaction to fee the first person on whom their method was tried, refcued from aquatic fuffocation; and, in the fame year, two other cafes, equally fucceffful, occurred at Amfterdam. "In moft of the Dutch towns, fimilar philanthropic inftitutions were formed. Indeed it appears from a lift published in Holland, that by means of these establishments the following number of perfons, who muft otherwife have perifhed, were reftored to their friends and fociety: In the year 1767 Total 287 perfons. "The premiums were accordingly paid; but befides thefe, many were recovered for whofe prefervation no premiums had been offered: among thofe were three from a state of fuffocation, and one from ftrangulation, reftored to life by the fame process as is adopted with thofe who are drowned. According to later regifters of this fociety, from its foundation to the year 1793, during twenty-five years, 990 perfons have, by its patriotic exertions, been restored to the community. "There likewife were published at Venice, in the year 1768, Directions for the Refufcitation of the Drowned, and premiums promised to those who applied them with fuccefs. Similar inftitutions were established in several other parts of Italy, especially at Milan, and throughout Lombardy, while the tranfactions of the Dutch fociety were tranflated into the Ruffian language, by, the Imperial Academy at Peterf burg." P. 1. (To be concluded in our next.) MONTHLY CATALOGUE. NEW PUBLICATIONS. ARTS AND SCIENCES. A GENERAL System of Equestrian BIOGRAPHY. The Life of Marcus Tullius Cicero. By CONYERS MIDDLETON. New Edition. 3 vols. 8vo. 11. 4s. Royal Paper 11. 11s. 6d. Vernor and Hood, Otridge. DICTIONARIES GRAMMAR. A Dictionary of Mufic; to which is prefixed, a familiar Introduction to the Science of Harmony. By THоMAS BUSBY, L.L.D. 8vo. 6s.Phillips. An univerfal Gazetteer; being a concife Defcription, alphabetically arranged, of the Nations, Kingdoms,. &c. in the known World. By JOHN WALKER. A new Edition, greatly enlarged; revifed and improved by ARTHUR KERSHAW. With fourteen new Maps. 8vo. IOS. 6d.Vernor and Hood, Otridge. The Elements of Gaelic Grammar. In four Parts: 1. Pronunciation and Orthography; 2. Parts of Speech; 3. Syntax; 4. Derivation and Compofition. By the Rev. ALEXANDER STEWART, Honorary Member of the Highland Society of Scotland. 8vo. 45. Vernor and Hood. A Grammar of the pure and mixed Eaft India Dialects, with Dialogues 3 Fa affixed, |