of coal and petrified wood buried in the falt. The mine appears to be inexhauftible, as will eafily be conceived from the following account of its dimenfions. Its known breadth is 1115 feet; its length 6691 feet; and depth 743; and the best judges on the fpot fuppofe, with the greatest appearance of probability, this folid body of falt to branch into various directions, the extent of which can. not be known of that part which has been perforated, the depth is only calculated as far as they have hitherto dug; and who can afcertain how much farther it may descend? Our guide did not omit pointing out to us, what he confidered as one of the moft remarkable curiofities of the place, feveral fmall chapels excavated in the falt, in which mafs is faid on certain days of the year; one of thefe chapels is above 30 feet long and 25 broad; the altar, the crucifix, the ornaments of the church, the statues of feveral faints, are all carved out of the falt. Many of the excavations or chambers, from whence the falt has been dug, are of an immenfe fize; fome are fupported with timber, others by vaft pillars of falt, which are left ftanding for that purpose: feveral of vaft dimenfions are without any fupport in the middle. I remarked one of this latter fort in particular, which was certainly 80 feet in height, and fo extremely long and broad, as almoft to appear amid the fubterraneous gloom without limits. The roofs of thefe vaults are not arched, but flat. The immenfe fize of thefe chambers, with the fpacious paffages or galleries, together with the chapels above-mentioned, and a few fheds built for the herfes which are foddered below, probably gave rife to the exaggerated accounts of fome travellers, that thefe mines contain feveral villages inhabited by colonies of miners, who never fee the light. It is certain that there is room fufficient for fuch purposes; but the fact is, that the miners have no dwellings under ground, none of them remaining below more than eight hours at a time, when they are relieved by others from above. In truth, these mines are of a moft ftupendous extent and depth, and are fufficiently wonderful without the leaft exaggeration. We found them as dry as a room, without the leaft damp or moisture; obferving only in our whole progrefs one fmall fpring of water, which is impregnated with falt, as it runs through the mine. Such an enormous mafs of falt exhibits a wonderful phænomenon in the natural history of this globe. Monfieur Guetard, who vifited thefe mines with great attention, and who has published a treatise upon the fubject, informs us, that the uppermoft bed of earth at the furface immediately over the mines is fand, the fecond clay occafionally mixed with fand and gravel, and containing petrefactions of marine bodies, the third calcarious ftone. From all thefe circumstances he conjectures that this fpot was formerly coveted by the fea, and that the falt is a gradual depofit formed by the eva. poration of its waters*." *See Memoire fur les Mines de Sel de Wieliska, in Hift. de l'Acad. des Sciences for 1762. Account perfon has fupported his favourite Account of the Plica Polonica; from hypothefis; the most probable are the fame Work. Ccording to the obferva nious Swifs phyfician long refident in Poland, and who has published a fatisfactory treatise * upon this fub ject; the Plica Polonica is fuppofed to proceed from on acrid vifeous humour penetrating into the hair, which is tubular + it then exudes either from its fides or extremities, and clots the whole together, either in feparate folds, or in one undiftin. guifhed mafs. Its fymptoms, more or lefs violent, according to the conftitution of the patient, or malignity of the difeafe, are itchings, fwellings, eruptions, ulcers, intermitting fevers, pains in the head, languor, low nefs of fpirits, rheumatiẩm, gout, and fometimes even convulfions, palfy, and madnefs. Thefe fymptoms gradually decreafe as the hair becomes aff. &ted. If the patient is fhaved in the head, he relapfes into all the dreadful com. plaints which preceded the eruption of the Plica; and he continues to labour under them, until a fresh growth of hair abforbs the acrid humour. This diforder is thought he reditary; and is proved to be contagious when in a virulent ftate. Many phyfical caufes have been fuppofed to concur in rendering the Plica more frequent in thefe regions than in other parts; it would be an endlefs work to enumerate the va rious conjectures with which each Memoire fur la Plique Polonoife. thofe affigned by Dr. Vicat. The firft caufe is the nature of the Polish air, which is rendered infalubrious, and occafionally derive an uncom mon keennefs even in the midst of fummer from the pofition of the Carpathian mountains; for the fouthern and fouth-easterly winds, which usually convey warinth in other regions, are in this chilled in their paffage over their fnowy fummits. The fe cond is unwhólfome water; for although Poland is not deficient in good fprings, yet the common peo. ple ufually drink that which is near. eft at hand, taken indifcriminately from rivers, lakes, and even ftag. nant pools. The third caufe is the grofs inattention of the natives to cleanlinefs; for experience fhews, that thofe who are not negligent in their perfons and habitations, are lefs liable to be cted with the Plica, than others who are deficient in that particular. Thus perfons of higher rank are lefs fubject to this diforder than thofe of inferior ftations: the inhabitants of large towns than thofe of fmall villages; the free peafants than thofe in an abfolute fate of vaffalage; the natives of Poland Proper than thofe of Lithuania. Whatever we may determine as to the poffibility that all, or any of thefe caufes, by themfelves or in conjunction with others, origi. nally produced the diforder; we may venture to affert, that they all, and particularly the laft, affiit its The dilation of the hair is fometimes fo confiderable as to admit fmall globules of blood; this circumftance, which however very rarely happens, has probably given rife to the notion, that the patient, if his hair is cut off, bleeds to death. propagation, inflame its fymptoms, and protract its cure. "In a word, the Plica Polonica appears to be a contagious diftemper; which like the leprofy, ftill prevails among a people ignorant in medicine, and inattentive to check its progrefs; but is rarely known in thofe countries, where proper precautions are taken to prevent its fpreading." Defcription of, and obfervations upon, the Cock-Chaffer, both in its Grub and Beetle State: From Letters and Papers on Agriculture, &c. addreffed to the Bath Society; by the Secretary of the Society. S there are few infects more A prejudicial to the farmer than that generally known by the name of the Cock-Chaffer, I beg leave to make a few obfervations thereon. In different parts of this kingdom thefe infects are called by different names, fuch as, the Chaffer, the Cock. Chaffer, the Jeffry-Cock, the May-bug, and (in Norfolk) the Dor. In what class Linnæus ranks them, I do not remember; but they feem to be the Scarabeus arboreus vulga ris major, of Ray. When full grown in their grubftate, they are near an inch and a half long, and as big as a child's little finger. Their heads are red, their bodies foft, white, and shining, with a few hairs on the back. They have three hairy legs on each fide, all placed near the head, in which are two forceps or jaws, like the hornet; with these they cut afunder the roots of grafs, corn, &c. and frequently deftroy whole fields in a fhort time. In this eruca or grub-, ftate, they continue three and fometimes four years. In their beetle ftate they have two pair of wings; the one filmy, and the other fealy. The interior pair are folded up in a curious manner, and remain hid, unlefs when ex panded for flight. The elytra, or cafe-wings, are of a reddish brown colour, and fprinkled over with a fine white powder, like the auricula. The legs and tail (which is pointed) are whitish. The body is brown, except at each joint on the fides of the belly, which is indented with white. The circles round the eyes are yellowish; the antena fhort, and terminated by fine lamellated spreading tufts, which the creature expands more or lefs as it is brisk and lively or otherwife. The firft account I find of thefe deftructive infects, is given by Mouffett. who tells us that in the year 1574, fuch a multitude of them fell into the Severn, that they clogged, and even ftopped, the wheels of the water-mills. There is alfo an account in the Tranfactions of the Dublin Society, that the country people fuffered fo much in one county, by the devakation thefe infects made, that they fet fire to a wood feveral miles in length, to prevent their further progrefs. In the day-time they feldom fly about, but conceal themselves beneath the leaves of oak, fycamore, maple, hazel, lime, and fome other trees, which they foon eat to a skeleton; but about fun fet, they are all on the wing, and fly about the trees and hedges as thick as a swarm of bees. While in their grub-state, they entirely deftroy all the grafs, corn, or turneps, where they harbour. I have feen fine meadows, which in May and June have been ali withered, and as brown as thatch. These Thefe grubs generally lie near two inches below the furface, and eat the roots of the grafs fo regular. ly, that I have rolled up many yards of the withered turf as eafy as tho' it had been cut for a garden. When they attack turneps, they eat only the middle of the fmall root; but by that means, kill all they bite without remedy. Neither the fevereft frofts in our climate, nor even keeping them in water, will kill them. I have kept fome in water near a week; they appeared motionless; but on expofing them to the fun and air a few hours, they recovered, and were as lively as ever: Hence, it is evident, they can live without air. On examining them with a microscope, I could never discover any organs for refpira tion, or perceive any pulfation. Hogs will root up the land for them, and at firft eat them greedily; but feldom meddle with them a fecond time. To rooks and crows they feem to be a high regale. When numerous, they are not deftroyed without great difficulty; the best method is, to plow up the land in thin furrows, and employ children to pick them up in bafkets; and then ftrew falt and quick-lime, and harrow in. About thirty years fince, 1 re. member many farmer's crops in Norfolk were almoft ruined by them in their grub-ftate; and in the next feason, when they took wing, the trees and hedge-rows in many parishes were ftript bare of their leaves as in winter. At first the people used to brush them down with poles, and then sweep them up and burn them. One farmer made oath, that he gathered eighty bufhels; but their number feemed not much leffened, except juft in his own fields. Their mode of coupling is fingu. lar; and the time of their continuance in that act, fometimes two or three days. I have seen one of them fly in that ftate, with the other hanging pendant from its tail; and am in fome doubt whether (like fnails) they are not hermaphrodites, as there feems to be mutual infertion. They depofit their eggs in the earth. The first year the grubs are very small, and do little mischief; the second year they are increased to the fize of a goofe-quill, and are very injurious to the herbage; the third year they attain full fixe, and fly. I am, &c. E. RACK. Bath, March 26, 1780. Lift of the Animals found in Kamtfchatka, communicated by Mr. Pennant +: From Vol. III. of Captain Cook's laft Voyage. The quadrupeds and birds mentioned in this part of the voyage are marked in this lift with a double afterisk. |