that many animals that have brought forth young shall continue to give milk, not only after the young are removed, but even for years, when the impression of having had young must have been entirely forgotten. The cow, and goat, he gives as instances of this kind; but in the ass the secretion of milk is not continued after the mother has lost the Impression of the existence of the foal; this is a fact so well known to the keepers of asses, that whenever an ass's foal dies, they take every means in their power to keep up the impression in the mother of the foal being still alive, to keep her in milk. For this purpose they take off the skin of the foal, and preserve it, so that it may be occasionally thrown over the back of another foal, and smelled by the mother, more particularly at the time they are milking her. The ass, under the deception of having her own foal, gives down her milk, and the secretion is carried on as usual, and she is kept in milk; but if this artifice is neglected she soon goes dry. This appeared to Mr. Hunter so curious a fact, that although it was well attested by every ass keeper to whom he spoke upon the subject, he could not give it full credit, till he had put it to the test of experiments. He took an ass in milk, that had a foal, and kept them apart every night, but had the mother milked in the morning in the presence of the foal; this was done for more than a month without there being any diminution in the morning's milk. The foal was then taken away altogether, and the mother was milked, instead of being sucked by the foal, particularly in the evening, at the same hour at which the foal had been taken from her, and again in the morning at the usual hour. The milk taken in the morning was always compared with that taken the morning betore, but in three mornings the quantity was lessened; and the fifth morning there was hardly any. The foal was then restored to her, but she would not allow it to suck. The experiment was repeated with similar results. EVERARD HOME. ON THE BAD EFFECTS OF THE INCAUTIOUS USE OF MAGNESIA. BY EVERARD BRANDE, ESQ. At a time when domestic empiricism is so prevalent as at present, it is important to point out the dangers which may arise from the uses, or rather the abuses, of the most simple remedies. Every medical practitioner must have repeatedly witnessed the serious, and sometimes the fatal consequences attendant upon the imprudent use of the stronger medicines, which are so extensively supplied for family consump tion, particularly preparations of antimony, niercury, and opium, which, under a great variety of seducing forms and titles, are constantly employed; generally, however, they are, I believe, not sufficiently aware of the prejudicial effects of the too liberal use of magnesia; either those which may arise from its chemical action upon the urine, which are more immediately observable and common, or which may arise from its mechanical action, as an extraneous insoluble substance, and which are more remote, obscure, and rare. I need not dilate upon the former, but may refer to my brother's observations upon that subject, published in the Philosophical Transactions for the year 1810, which, I regret, are too little attended to; and with respect to the latter, shall confine myself to the recital of the following case. A lady was recommended to take magnesia, in consequence of some very severe néphritic attacks, accompanied with the passage of gravel. She was desired to take a tea-spoonful every night; and Henry's calcined magnesia was preferred, as that always operated upon the bowels and "carried itself off," which other maguesia did not, but, on the contrary, felt heavy and uneasy in the stomach. The dose was gradually increased to two tea-spoonsful, in order to produce effect upon the bowels, which this quantity never failed to do; the symptoms for which it was ordered were soon removed, but the plan was persevered in for two years and a half, with little intermission or irregularity; so that as the average weight of a tea-spoonful is at least forty grains, and the average dose was a tea-spoonful and a half, it may be presumed that she took during the above period between nine and ten pounds troy. In the course of the last autumn she suffered severely by a miscarriage, and shortly afterwards by an attack of biliary calculi; subsequent to which she became sensible of a tenderness in the left side just above the groin, connected with a deep seated tumour, obscurely to be felt upon pressure, and subject to attacks of constipation, with painful spasmodic action of the bowels, tenesmus, and a highly irritable state of the stomach: these attacks recurred every two or three weeks, varying in violence, but requiring the use of active remedies; during one of them, about the middle of last March, a large quantity of sand was voided by the rectum, attended with a peculiar acute and distressing pain in the seat of the tumour above mentioned. This was lost. The following day, however, the same kind of evacuation happened again, and to the same extent, which being saved and measured, was found to amount to two pints. Another attack took place upon The 5th of April, when several irregular Jumps of a soft light brown substance were voided, having the appearance of a large mass broken down, and when dry extremely friable: a part of each of these two last were subjected to a careful analysis, and found to consist entirely of sub-carbonate of magnesia concreted by the mucus of the bowels, in the proportion of about 40 per cent. The use of magnesia was now given up, and that of an active purgative medicine enjoined, with some other necessary directions, and there is every ap pearance of returning health, although some slight attacks have recurred, and small portions of the same concretion still occasionally come away. : An instance, in many respects resembling this, has lately occurred in the practice of some gentlemen of eminence in this town, in which not only large quantities of a concretion of a similar description were voided, but upon examination after death, which took place, perhaps, six months after any magnesia had been taken, a collection, supposed to be from four to six ponuds, was found embedded in the head of the colon, which was, of course, much distended. Some notes, which were made of this case are, I fear, not to be found. The following article may not be altogether unworthy the notice of readers, as it will show the great improvement which has been made in travelling in this country: it is a literal copy of a printed card, which is framed and glazed, and preserved in the bar of the Black Swan Inn, at York. Earop. Mag. Vol. LXX. July, 1816. "York, four days stage coach. Begins on Friday the 12th of April, 1706. All that are desirous to pass from London to York, or from York to London, or any other place on that road, let them repair to the Black Swan in Holbourne, in London, and to the Black Swan in Coney-street in York, at both which places they may be received in a stage coach, every Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays, which performs the whole journey in four days (if God permit), and sets forth at five in the morning, and returns from York to Stamford in two days; and from Stamford, by Huntingdon, to London, in two days more, and the like stages on their return. Allowing each passenger 14 lb. weight and all above, 3d. a pound. Benjamin Kingman, Henry Harrisou. Walter Baynes." "Performed by To the Editor of the European Magazine. 21st July, 1816. SIR, S your publication is celebrated for its candid reception of all such articles upon multifarious subjects as may be entitled to attention, and more especially of such as particularly regard the arts, sciences, and literature, I trust that the following communication may claim the notice of your numerous readers, as it concerns an improvement effectually benefiting the art of music, with respect to that highly fashionable keyed instrument, the grand piano forte. Indeed, this instrument has now be come so universal a piece of household furniture, that it would be almost as rare to find a house (in the environs of the metropolis), without a piano forte as without a bed; and, among the numerous manufacturers of this elegant and expressive instrument there will be a natural and laudable ambition to produce some novelty, either in tone, touch, mechanism, or ornament, which may tend to maintain and advance its encouragement. It were tedious and superfluous to particularize the names of the many meritorious fabricators existent in this country suffice it, therefore, to instance only a few; Stodart, Broadwood, Tomkison, Clementi, Kirkman, &c. &c. all these have justly reached so Н high a pitch of fame as to place their MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. comparative merits occasionally in a dubitable ratio of perfection; and all of these have most undoubtedly de served the continuance of that patronage and support which they have so long received. The more immediate purport of this letter, sir, is to call the attention of your numberless readers to a discovery made by Mr. Kirkman, of Broad-street, Golden-square, who has lately con structed a grand piano forte (for which he has taken out a patent), upon a principle which has already received the approval and sanction of the first musical judges in this kingdom. Instead of the hammers striking on three strings in unison, as is the case in all other grand piano fortes, the third string is made to sound the octave above the note of each key; the effect of which produces a richness, sweetness, and mellowness of tone which experiment alone can render credible. When full and strong chords are struck, the dignity of sound is wonderfully aug 'mented, and carried clearly and distinctly to the ear, and this at a distance, where any other instruments (even by the same maker) produce, comparatively, little or no effect. An old Latin proverb truly says, "Experientia docet:" certainly, the only infallible criterion of any truth or falsehood, is the touchstone of experience; and to this, in the present instance, I will appeal, trusting the result without the slenderest apprehension of committing myself as a hasty critic, or an admirer of novelty for mere novelty's sake: from a very early period in my life 1 have been habituated to the most watchful notice of all new inventions in mu musical instruments. Some of them have had much mechanical ingenuity to recommend them; others were mere inventions and no improvements; others again were not inventions only, but improvements also; and, among the last class I most unequivocally declare and assert, that this instrument of Kirkman meritoriously and unquestionably challenges the highest praise, consequently claiming just and general encouragement. I am, Mr. Editor, Respectfully yours, PHILALETHES. No. XXVII. MADEIRA wine is selling at that island at the enormous price of 807. per pipe. This great increase in price is wholly attributable to the small quantity that was made last season; not more than 6790 pipes having been entered at the Custom House. average from the preceding seven years, was 25,000 pipes annually, and ten years ago, even 40,000 pipes were manufactured. NAVAL The It is ordered that midshipmen, and master's mates, who have qualified for the rank of lieutenant, and also second masters, or those who have acted as masters in the navy, may, in future, be deemed fit candidates for the situation of mates of revenue cruizers. Their pay (independent of their victualling, and proportion of the value of seizures) to be, in a vessel of 140 tons and upwards, 801.; in a vessel of 100 tons and upwards, 707.; and under 100 tons, 601. per annum. The second mates in the first class of these vessels, are to receive 457.; in the second class, 40 per annum. GOLD COINAGE. The total gold coinage of his present Majesty's reign, amounts to the almost incredible sum of between sixty-seven and sixty-eight millions sterling. DUTIES ON SUGAR. It appears from another Return to Parliament, that the net produce of the duties on sugar in Great Britain, in the year ending 5th January, 1816, was 2,957,4087. Is. 3 d. With such a fact before us, it is impossible not to feel still more intensely the danger of tampering with our colonial interests. The gross receipt of the above duties was no less than 4,518,3291. 11s. 4d.; but the drawbacks, bounties, &c. come to be deducted, and amounting to 1,560,9267. 10s. 04, they left the above net balance. NATIONAL DEBT. By the certificate and declaration of the commissioners for the reduction of the national debt, it appears, that up I d to the 14th of June last, they had purchased or transferred on account of Great Britain, 308,539,330. 10s. 7d. of capital stock, with an interest there on of 9,837,0531. 18s. 34d: and that the several Sums of capital stock, and the interest or yearly dividend thereon, purchased by, or transferred to them, up to the said date, exceed the capital stock and annual charge, in perpetual redeemable annuities of the said public funded debt of Great Britain, created by sundry acts prior to, and by an act of the 35 Geo. III. c. 14, by twentyfour millions three hundred and eightyone thousand five hundred and fifty-six pounds, twelve shillings and elevenpence farthing, capital stock; and, by one thousand three hundred and ninety pounds, six shillings and five-pence, annual charge. The commissioners for liquidating the national debt, received this quarter their dividends on 12,510,9057. 2s. Id. consols; also on 406,0007. New South Sea Annuities, and on 51,0007. 3 per cent 51 South Sea Annuities; the amount is 2,825,7691. 12s. 7d. which will purchase in the next quarter, at 65, about 4.400,0007. consols, which, with 150,000. of unclaimed dividend money, and 140,0007. of the lottery money for the prizes, will probably cause a rise in the price of the Funds. The following copy of a letter received by the chairman of the London Dock Company from Sir R. Lushington, Esq. Secretary to the Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury, and a list of the articles therein referred to, originally inserted in Table E. of the Warehousing Act of the 43d of George III. cap. 132. To Leeston Long, Esq. Chairman of the London Dock Company. SIR, The Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury having had under their consideration further memorials of the Legal Quays Wharfingers, and Uptown Warehousekeepers, respecting the privilege of bonding the articles in Table E. of the Act of 43 Geo. III. cap. 132, at their premises; and my lords having read the said Act, and the various or|_ ders which have been issued for adding articles to Table E. of the same, I am commanded by their lordships to acquaint you, that they have directed the Commissioners of the Customs to be informed, that there lordships are of opinion it will be just and reasonable to grant to the legal quays and up-town warehouses, approved as fit for the purpose by the Commissioners of the Customs, the privilege of warehousing, without payment of duty, all goods which have been added by this board to Table E. of the above Act; but that the security of the revenue, and the just claims of the London Docks, require that all the articles enumerated in the said table should be confined to the London Docks. I am, Sir, Your most obedient servant, (Signed) S. R. LUSHINGTON. Treasury Chambers, May 31, 1816. TABLE E. A list of the articles which (not being imported by the United Company of Merchants of England trading to the East Indies, or not being imported from the West Indies) may be secured in warehouses to be approved by the Lords Commissioners of his Majesty's Treasury, without the duties due on the importation thereof being first paid:Almonds of all sorts Anchovies Anniseed Balsam Capivi Barilla Bees' Wax Bristles, undressed Cantharides Carpets, Turkey Chip Hats Clover Seed Cochineal Cotton Yarn Wool Currants Figs Jalap Indigo Manna Mohair Yarn Oil of Olives -- Palm Oil of Sallad Turpentine Opium Prunes Quicksilver Raisins of all sorts Rhubarb Saffron Sena Silk, Raw Thrown Waste Smalts The articles added to Table E. of the above-mentioned Act by the Lords Commissioners of his Majestys Treasury are allowed to be warehoused, without payment of duty, either at the London Docks, the Legal Quays, or Up-towa Warehouses. 30 per annum or upwards, and under £40 SIR, 9 9 40 per annum or upwards, and under £50 10 ILL any of your numerous Correspondents be kind enough to favour me with their opinion on the 50 per annum and upwards.. 10 13 propriety of using the word ili as an REDUCED RATES OF DUTY ON HUS- Ey an Act of the present Sessions of Parliament, the following reduced Rates of Duty have been granted for two years on husbandry horses, in lieu of the present assessment of 17s. 6d. each horse: A Farm under £70 per annum, 3s. each horse. adjective. We constantly hear such phrases as 'this-"He is in ill health" "I hope you feel no ill effects from your last night's exertion"-&c. &c. Shakespeare sometimes makes an adjec tive of it, as in the following instances: -"Beautified is an ill phrase." Oh Ophelia! I am ill at these numbers."But the instances of this kind are innumerable-Are they correct? Oct. 2, 1815. INQUISITOR. |