THE BLIND YOUNG MAN.

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wonderful fagacity and extenfive ideas, that his advice is frequently folicited refpecting spiritual and temporal matters, law, literature, &c. He has been confulted about the best mode of educating and treating blind persons, particularly a poor blind boy in Corporation Row, Clerkenwell, whom he recommended to be taught music and scripture knowledge, the latter being the chief road to all other wifdom, and the former as a neceffary gratification to earn his bread: and here we must obferve that the fubject of thefe memoirs is paffionately fond of fpiritual finging; uncultivated as he is in this delightful amusement, he has evinced an uncommon tafte and difcrimination, by having adapted the 149th Pfalm, New Verfion, to a hymn tune lately compofed "Mufic hath charms" not only to focrh his breast, but, perhaps to amend the heart, for by accidentally hearing them finging the hymn at Mr. Williams's meeting house, he went in where he alfo heard an admirable difcourfe on the excellency of the chriftian religion, which had a confiderable effect upon him; in this manner, about two years ago, he was induced to enter Queen Street Chapel, where he was highly delighted in hearing the minifter's recommendation of the Miffionary Society's inftitution, for the promulgation of the gospel in foreign parts; ever fince, he has been very regular and defirous of attending the Miffionary Meetings.

Before the last election he could feldom appear in the city, though on his commission business of procuring books for his customers, without being rudely molefted by the Lord Mayor's officers. Men of authority fhould not abuse the power with which they are entrusted, they fhould do their duty, but no more than their duty; they fhould distinguish the fuppliant from the pauper, they fhould banish thofe half-naked beggars, perhaps impoftors, who too fre quently offend the eye of modefty, and endanger the lives

of

of mothers, in Cheapfide &c. but not dare to incommode the harmless paffenger, who is blind and infirm. Since the election, however, poor Statham has met with more civility.

We shall now conclude our sketch with obferving, that in his mode of living he is always regular and frugal, he abstains from strong liquor, a draught of porter being his chief beverage; he enjoys good health, is remarkably cheerful, and though bereft of fight, yet poffeffes that spiritual light which feems to give him real joy and confolation.

Remarkable Account of the LAND Crab. THE land crab inhabits the Bahama Islands, as well as moft parts between the tropics, and feeds upon vegetables. These creatures live not only in a kind of orderly fociety in their retreats in the mountains, but regularly once a year march down to the fea-fide in a body of fome millions at a time. As they multiply in numbers, they choose the month of April or May to begin their expedition; and then fally out by thousands from the ftumps of hollow trees, from the clefts of rocks, and from the holes which they dig for themselves under the furface of the earth. At that time the whole ground is covered with this band of adventurers; there is no fetting down one's foot without treading upon them. The fea is their place of deftination, and to that they direct their march with right-lined precision. No geometrician could fend them to their destined station by a shorter course; they neither turn to the right nor to the left, whatever obftacles intervene; and even if they meet with a houfe, they will attempt to fcale the walls to keep the unbroken tenor of their way. But, though this be the general order of their route, they, upon other occzfions, are obliged to conform to the face of the country; and, if it is interfected with rivers, they are then feen to

wind along the course of the stream. The proceffion fets forward from the mountains with the regularity of an army under the guidance of an experienced commander. They are commonly divided into. three battalions; of which the first consists of the strongest and boldest males, that, like pioneers, march forward to clear the route and face the greatest dangers. These are often obliged to halt for want of rain, and to go into the moft convenient encampment till the weather changes. The main body of the army is composed of females, which never leave the mountains till the rain is fet in for fome time, and then defcend in regular battalia, being formed into columns of fifty paces broad, and three miles deep, and fo close that they almoft cover the ground. Three or four days after this, the rear-guard follows, a ftraggling undifciplined tribe, confifting of males and females, but neither fo robuft nor fo vigorous as the former. The night is their chief time of proceeding; but, if it rains by day, they do not fail to profit by the occafion; and they continue to move forward in their flow uniform manner. When the fun fhines and is hot upon the furface of the ground, they then make an universal halt, and wait till the cool of the evening. When they are terrified, they march back in a diforderly manner, holding up their nippers, with which they fometimes tear off a piece of the skin, and then leave the weapon where they inflicted the wound. They even try to intimidate their enemies; for they often clatter their nippers together, as if it were to threaten thofe that come to disturb them. But, though they thus strive to be formidable to man, they are much more so to each other; for they are poffeffed of one most unsocial property, which is, that, if any one of them by accident is maimed in fuch a manner as to be incapable of proceeding, the reft fall upon and devour it on the spot, and then pursue their journey.-When, after a fatiguing march, and efcaping a thousand dangers, (for they are fometimes VOL. I. No. II.

3 S

thise

The

three months in getting to the fhore,) they have arrived at their destined port, they prepare to caft their spawn. peas are as yet within their bodies, and not excluded, as is ufual in animals of this kind, under the tail; for the creature waits for the benefit of fea-water to help the delivery. For this purpose the crab has no sooner reached the shore, than it eagerly goes to the edge of the water, and lets the waves wash over its body two or three times. This seems only a preparation for bringing their spawn to maturity; for, without further delay, they withdraw to feek a lodging upon land; in the mean time the spawn grows larger, is excluded out of the body, and sticks to the barbs under the flap, or more properly the tail. This bunch is feen as big as a hen's egg, and exactly resembling the roes of herrings. In this stage of pregnancy they once more feek the thore for the last time; and, fhaking off their fpawn into the water, leave accident to bring it to maturity. At this time whole fhoals of hungry fish are at the fhore in expectation of this annual fupply; the fea to a great diftance feems black with them; and about two-thirds of the crabs eggs are immediately devoured by these rapacious invaders. The eggs that escape are hatched under the fand; and, foon after, millions at a time of the little crabs are feen quitting the shore, and flowly travelling up to the mountains. The old ones however are not so active to return; they have become fo feeble and lean, that they can hardly creep along, and the flesh at that time changes its colour. The most of them, therefore, are obliged to continue in the flat parts of the country till they recover, making holes in the earth, which they cover at the mouth with leaves and dirt, fo that no air may enter. There they throw off their old fhells, which they leave, as it were, quite whole; the place where they opened on the belly being unfeen. At that time they are quite naked, and almost without motion for fix days together, when they become fo fat as to be delicious food.

They

METHODS FOR TAKING THEM.

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They have then under their ftomachs four large white ftones, which gradually decrease in proportion as the fhell hardens, and, when they come to perfection, are not to be found. It is at that time that the animal is feen flowly making its way back; and all this is most commonly performed in the space of fix weeks. This animal, when poffeffed of its retreats in the mountains, is impregnable; for, only fubfifting on vegetables, it feldom ventures out; and, its habitation being in the most inacceffible places, it remains for a great part of the season in perfect security. It is only when impelled by the defire of bringing forth its young, and when compelled to defcend into the flat country, that it is taken. At that time the natives wait for its defcent in eager expectation, and deftroy thousands; but, difregarding their bodies, they only feek for that small spawn which lies on each fide of the ftomach within the fhell, of about the thickness of a man's thumb. They are much more valuable upon their return after they have cast their fhell; for, being covered with a skin resembling soft parchment, almost every part except the ftomach may be eaten. They are taken in the holes by feeling for them with an inftrument; they are fought after by night, when on their journey, with flambeaux. The inftant the animal perceives itself attacked, it throws itself on its back, and with its claws pinches moft terribly whatever it happens to faften on. But the dexterous crab-catcher takes them by the hinder legs in fuch a manner that the nippers cannot touch him, and thus he throws them into his bag. Sometimes also they are caught when they take refuge in the bottom of holes in rocks by the fea-fide, by clapping a ftick to the mouth of the hole, which prevents their getting out; and then foon after, the tide coming, enters the hole, and the animal is found, upon its retiring, drowned in its retreat.-Thefe crabs are of various fizes, the largest about