Agricultural. CULTURE OF POTATOES. Extract of a letter from JOSEPH BARREL, Ely, to the correfponding fecretary of the Maffachusetts Agricultural Society. "I PLEASANT-HILL, JAN. 1, 1303. HAVE, for feveral years, anide experiments on potatoes, (fome of which I communicated to the fociety) and from them I am fully convinced, that fmall potatoes are as good for feed as large, that three in a hill are better than a larger quantity, that cut potatoes are better than whole, and that the eyes are best of all. "The paft feafon I planted my potatoefields chiefly with eyes, and had, in fome parts, a prodigions increafe, and in the field throughout, full as large a crop as any of my neighbors, although they planted from eight to ten bufhels on an acre; and I plantted a fhort half bufhel on an acre, and if I had cut the eyes carefully, I am fure there would not have been a peck to an acre. In this method there will be an immense saving of more than nineteen-twentieths of the feed which is well worth the attention of every farmer who dares to differ from the practice of his father. My overfeer, wanting faith in this method, planted a single large potatoe, with many eyes, in a hill, and it produced only thirty-four potatoes of all fizes." fon of Ham, who was one of the fons of Noah. He was "a mighty hunter," and after rendering himfelf popular by his ftratagems and prowefs in deftroying wild beafts of prey, he fubdued the tribes of men and bowed their necks beneath his regal fceptre. The facred hiftorian remarks, that the beginning of his kingdom was Babel. Babylon, begun by Nimrod where old Babel flood, was enlarged, enriched and embellished by his fucceffors, till, in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, its fplendor furpaffed defcription. It was four-fquare; and fixty miles in circumforence. Its walls were eighty seven feet thick, and three hundred and fifty feet high. Its gates were of brafs ;--its gardens, lupported in the air at the height of between three and four hundred feet planted with orange and other fruit-trees, and decorated with every flower, shrub and vegetable that could charm the fenfes, were an aftonishing fpecimen of the art and power of man. That city was the cradle, or the birth-place of learning and the fciences. In the obfervatories, on the fummits of its lofty towers, aftronomy was ftudied fome centuries before the time of Abram. The wealth of the Eaft, wrung from its owners by extortions and conquefts, was.poured into this refervoir: thither were conveyed the golden veffels of Solomon's temple and all the riches of Jerufalem and Tyre. -- ; While Babylon was at the height of her power and grandeur ;-while, in the confident expectation of endless profperity, fhe was "finging like an harlot," the holy Seers of Palestine predicted her fall and ruin. Jeremiah prophefied concerning Babylon," It fhall not be inhabited, but it fhall be wholly defolate." Ifaiah foretold that Babylon fhould be.deftroyed and never again inhabited; but wild beasts of the defert hall lie there, and their houfes fhall be full of doleful creatures." Events have frikingly correfponded to thefe predictions. Five hundred and thirty eight years before the chriftian era, Babylon was taken by Cetus; when Belfhazzer the king was lain. By a ferics of fubfequent calamities, that fuperb city was laid in ruins; and has long fince become a den of ferpents. In the time of Auguftus, the city was almoft deferted. The Perfian Kings, in the fecond or third century, while the walls were fill ftanding, ufed the city as a great park in which they kept and hunted wild beafts. At laft, the walls and the towers, which were builded of brick and hewn ftone cemented together with bitumen, crumbled and fell; and the fragments of thofe immenfe piles overfpread the ground. Benjamin, a Jew, who was there in the 12th century, faid, " Babylon is now laid wafle, and men fear to enter there on account of THE public has been lately gratified by a valuable performance from a young cler gyman of great abilities in this city. It is a difquifition on the character of Socrates, in which, though the fubject is not wanting in antiquity, there is nothing trite and threadbare; on the contrary, the views which are taken in this performance, of the character of Socrates, are as new and orig. inal, as they are candid and ingenious. This effay was fuggefted by a late publication of Dr. Prieftly, in which a com parifon is drawn between Socrates and Jefus. The Doctor is inclined to afcribe to Socrates all the merit which it has, for ages, been the fashion to afcribe to him, but he is not content with this. He is even difpofed to doubt, whether the thoughts and actions of this fage were not in fome degree dictated by inspiration; and to raife him in this refpect, to the level of the Hebrew prophets and the apostles. These opinions of the Doctor have been weighed, with a learned and candid hand, by the author of this pamphlet. The character and conduct of Socrates, are arraigned at a much more fevere tribunal, than ever fat in judgment on them before. The great difference between Socrates and Jefus, as well as between Socrates and fome other eminent teachers of wildom, are here exhibited in ftriking colours, and every impartial reader will probably ne from the perufal, with his veneration for Socrates confiderably diminished. In thefe times of political fervour, it is pleasant to turn from the fcene of eternal wrangle and abufe, to the verdant fields of claffical literature, and the writer of this pamphlet deferves the public gratitude in an eminent degree, for this as well as for his former publications.His merit, indced, will be very hih, he fhall appear to have executed friet jus tice upon Socrates, fince he will tha have rooted out as important and inveterate an error as ever infected the bifley of ancient times. [Relf's Philadelphia Gazette.] Miscellany. From the N. Y. MORNING CHRONICLE. ST. MICHAEL's CAVE. "After refreshing ourfelves, we found to the eastward a fecond entrance, fimilar to the one in which we had been admitted. Our journey was foon interrupted by difcov. ering that we were on the very brink of a precipice, which prefented to our view (by the affiftance of large rolls of greafed AMONG the natural curiofities of paper lighted, and thrown down) a fecGibraltar and its vicinity, the Cave of ond circular room; its perpendicular deSt. Michael holds a diftinguished rank.- fcent about 25 feet. On returning, we Superftition has made it the fcene of many difcovered a mall opening in the rock, flrange occurrences, and tradition has conwhich admitted but one perfon to creep nected with its hiftory adventures fuited in it was with difficulty and danger, we only to the fictions of romance. The purfued this narrow winding paffage for fanguinary contefts that formerly fubfifted about 30 feet, (in fome places 3 or 4 feet between the Moors and the Spaniards, a. perpendicular) when we were received bounded in events which, with a little into the apartment we had just been view. coloring from faney, are fuppofed to haveing from above. This was alfo handfomeoriginated thefe tales. The following defcription is from the journal of an American gentleman, by whom it has been lately vifited. ." The entrance into St. Michael's Cave is about 11 feet wide and 9 high, immediately opening into an irregular circle, the diameter of which is probably 60 feet, height 70. From your first entrance you defcend an inclined plane 25 or 30 feet, by teps formed from the clay of the cave here you view huge columns fufpended from the top of the cave, formed by the inceffant dripping of the waters, and which being highly charged with calcareous matter, petrifies as it falls, giving a variety of dufky fhades to the maily fupporters of the roof. One of these col. umns must have been at least 40 feet in length and 10 in circumference, and in whole formation the tardy hand of petrifaction might vie with the finest architecture; whilft their beauty not only defies, but is heightened by the ravages of time. The columns of the Saint's Cave alone rife fuperior to this common deftroyer. Nearly in the centre of the first apartment we found a vafe handfomely formed, and filled with remarkably fine water, which, filtering through, and dripping from the upper part of the rock, becomes perfectly pure and cold, affording a delightful refrefhment. 'Tis thus that nature, even in her most sportive moments, eviaces her friendship for the curious and enterprifing. Many imali arched chapels are feen on either fide of the apartment, and the gloomy magnificence of the whole was much increased by the reflection from he light of our torches. "My imagination carried me into the Wouldering ruins of a gothic cathedral, here, against that column which now pported me, the enthufiaft has opened Er nightly orifons; but the exceffive mps chilled my fancy, and powerfully Tailed my piety, forcing me to acknowlage my unwillingness to attend vefpers ith my imaginary NUNS. ly arched, and curioufly wrought, but prefented few columns; its length 50 feet, breadth 30, heighth 35 or 40. At the fouthern extremity, we were again carried into a third narrower entrance, which alfo led to a precipice; its depth unknown; the light of our torches and fire-balls of the light of our torches and fire-balls of greafed paper, gave us a view of almoft go feet perpendicular. On our return from this narrow paffage we difcovered two pools of water, the largeft about 9 feet in diameter, depth uncertain: the chryftal ftreams of the golden age, could not have furpaffed them in purity. "From this fecond apartment, we decended into a third, by a perpendicular defcent of about 10 leet, length 20 feet, breadth 12, height 12 or 15. From this we returned to our firft ftarting place; and after having vifited the friendly vafe, and poured libations to the Naiad of the fount we purfued our journey fouthward, defcending into feveral fimilar chambers; but, the offenfive and humid atmosphere -the difficulty in defcending, and the certainty of not being able to penetrate much deeper without ftrong and lengthy cords, induced us to return. In all of the In all of the chambers, we found innumerable quantities of bats. cafk one bufhel of unflacked lime-add to this 60 gallons of boiling water, after diffolving 30 pounds of pot or pearl-afnes therein this thould be done as quick as poffible-then fhut the hatches, and make the fhip tight-in this fituation, let the veffel remain until the next day, and then difcharge the air by means of the AirPump Ventilator. By this time the lime will be fettled in the cafk, and the water or ley, will be very clear-dip it out carefully, and, after drawing the boxes out of one of the fhip's pumps, fend it thro' that channel into the pump-well. From the WILMINGTON MIRROR. THE TYRIAN DYE. ANCIENT writers have greatly celebrated this particular kind of dye for its excellence in dying fearlet, crimson and purple, but unfortunately for the world, the knowledge of procuring the materials of this dye has been long loft, perhaps for near two thoufand years. Yet writers on the fubject have mentioned feveral circumftances refpecting it that may lead to a redifcovery of the method of procuring it, to wit, That it was procured from the fea and from fome kind of fifh; and that it was attended by this peculiar quality or property that the oftener any fluff dyed with it was wafhed, the more bright and beautiful the color grew. Directed by thefe circumftances and reflecting on them when I often visited the fea fhore for the benefit of the air when I was in a bad ftate of health, I tried fome experiments on the large fea-nettle, which were caft on the fhore by the fishermen, and thereby as they lay on the beach in the fun exhibited fome appearances of being the fame of that excellent and celebrated dye, by dying feveral fmall pieces of wollen, cotton, filk and linen cloth in a liquid which abounds in thofe creatures. The liquid dyed all thofe articles a bright and beautiful purple; and upon having them frequently wafhed afterwards, I found the color grew more bright and beautiful every time they were washed, fo that I was thereby induced to believe these creatures to be the true source of the Tyrian dye, and if fo there is little doubt but our country will afford an ample fupply of it, for all the manufacturing world, as thefe nettles abound in many of our bays along the fea coaft. And I hope that thefe hints will induce fome perfon fkilled in dying, and dye ftuffs, to examine and fully afcertain, whether thofe large fea nettles, are or not, the true genuine fource of the Tyrian dye. TAKE a cafk that will hold 100 gal- The importance of this article to the manlons or more, with one head out-fet it be-ufacturing nations, and particularly to our low in any part of the veffel-put into this own country, renders it worthy of a full in "At 6 P. M. we left the Cave of Saint Michael, refolving to pay it a fec. ond and more fatisfactory vifit when we hould be better prepared to explore its receifes." Improvements, &c. An obliging correspondent has furnished the editors of the Balance with the following DIRECTIONS FOR PURIFYING A LOADED SHIP WITHOUT REMOVING THE CARGO. In the Connecticut Courant, the fubjoined remarks follow the ftatement of votes: MR. COLEMAN, NEW-YORK, 16th May, 1803. [ ed it ftill; he was then taken before the police, and there he confeffed his guilt. He added, that had Mr. Bauman proceed. ed far enough he would have found the money upon him at his firft examination, as he had it then concealed in the knee of his pantaloons, but that in his perturbation he had feized the first moment after he reached home to throw it into the fire to prevent detection. This was found to be true, by queftioning a little girl, who faw him burn paper directly after he came in. The name of this unhappy young man is William H. Burbidge, fon of a foreigner who refided fome time fince in Hartford, Connecticut. [Evening Poft.] Sir, I am requested by our Minifter in France to communicate publicly, that he had on the 11th March received the moft flattering letter, in anfwer to one addreffed by him to the First Conful, on the fubject of our debts, &c. in which the most full and complete affurances are given, that every letter of the convention fhall be punctually complied with. That their finances are in the beft fituation, and capable of meeting all engagements; and that even were it otherwife, though it should fubmit them to partial inconveniences, he would flrictly comply with the demands of juftice; and calls upon the Minister to make out the accounts of American claims, for which he promises a full and ready payment. The minifter adds, that he gives this early intelligence, because it will probably come through other channels, as he intended to call the Americans nels, as he intended to call the Americans at Paris together, the next day, and communicate it to them, in which cafe he feared that interested perfons might fpeculate on the wants of thofe who have already fuffered too much by the delay. He concludes by faying, that without being ab folutely certain, he thought he might confide in thefe promifes fo folemnly made, and that he would prefs eagerly for their execution. EDWARD P. LIVINGSTON. THEFT IN THE POST-OFFICE. to take a witnefs with him to fee it done; Mr. John D. Martin had put into the Saturday's mail a letter addreffed to his On the refult of the Election we concorrefpondent Henry P. Franklin, at Prov. gratulate the friends of the genuine princi-idence, R. I. and had had the precaution ples of the adminiflrations of Washington and Adams. Connecticut, always unfhaken in her elevated courfe, has again given a fignal proof that neither the artifices of the leaders in revolution, nor the execrated vengeance of thofe who "feel power and forget right," can turn her to the right hand nor to the left from the path wherein fhe has fleadily progreffed in honor and profperity. "The two firft Magiftrates, every member of the firft branch of the Legislature, more than three quarters of the Houfe of Representatives, and a majority of the freemen in four fiths of the towns are decided Pederalifts. On fuch a phalanx, we rely with entire confidence for the prefervation of our great and invaluable interefts." The Meeting-Houfe in Weftfield, Maffachusetts, was recently fet on fire by fome incendiary, and confumed. This is excellent encouragement for Tom Paine to purfue his "ufeful labors." thrown into the proper pigeon hole; but was made for it. Mr. Bauman the Poft Mafter, on being made acquainted with NEW-YORK, MAY 16. An in The fhip South-Carolina, captain Steele, in 39 days from Havre-de-Grace, arrived at this port yesterday. We have received by her a file of Paris papers to the third of April, but they furnish no news. telligent gentleman who came paffengerin the South Carolina, and who during his refidence in France, has employed himfelt in noting, with much precifion, the "paf fing tidings of the times," has obliging favoured us with the following particu lars : Mr. Monroe had not arrived at Havre on the 6th of April. General Bernadotte had received inftructions to be in readiness to take his departure for the United States in the month of May, as minifter plenipotentiary. His retinue will be very numerous; and the plendour of the embaffy will, it is thought, be without any previous example in this country. After the first day of Germinal (March 21) the current coin of the French Repub lie will bear the "image and fuperfcrip tion" of the First Conful. Malta remained in poffeffion of the Bri tifh; and it was faid by fome, that the French had relinquished it for feven years. The Ifland of Sardinia, according to report, had been purchased by the English government for thirty millions of livres; but the French had expreffed their deter mination to prevent the taking poffeffion thereof. Couriers between England and France were frequent, Mr. Wright (a meffenger paffed through Havre on the 28th March, on his way to Paris. On being queftioned What he thought of the prefent crifis? he anfwered, It will be decided in a few days. The number of Englishmen in Paris wa computed at 15,000. They were leaving that city with much precipitation. The preparations for war on the part of the French progreffed flowly and from this circumftance as well as from the fup pofition that Bonaparte would make fome facrifices to his love of peace, hoftilities were not expected to take place at pref ent. Twenty fhips of the line were on the flocks at Breft. The First Conful having determined to put St. Domingo in the fame ftate as before the revolution, 50,000 troops were to be fent there in the month of May. The nephew of General Rochambeau was at Havre ready to fail for the Cape. He will be the bearer of difpatches for his uncle from the First Conful, which it is faid contain orders not to pare any of the negroes taken in rebellion! Touffaint remained in confinement in the tower of Befancon ! All the negroes found in France were arrested and taken on board the fhips at Breft. Egypt was evacuated by the British on the 10th of February. A fecret Senatus Confulta, it is faid, has increafed the allowance of the First Conful to the immenfe fum of thirty. fix millions of livres per annum. The veffels fitted out for the expedition to Louisiana were yet in the ports of the Batavian Republic. The British minif ter having declared that on their going out, the cruifers of his nation would take poffeffion of them, is probably the cause of their detention. They have been ready for fea more than five months. [Mercantile Advertifer.] WYSHINGTON, MAY 13. The following contents of letters received from Algiers, as late as the 21st of Febuary, exhibit, we believe, the moft authentic information: The fpecie fent by the Government of the United States to the Dey of Algiers had been rejected by him, and naval ftores demanded, conformably to our flipulations. The Dey threatened that uniefs this request was complied with, war would be declared against the United States. We understand that the Dey poffeffes the right of demanding ftores; and that in confequence of the requifition effectual meafures have been taken by the Government to furnish them. thousand dollars, as an extraordinary pre- Half of the fum ftipulated to be paid by non. One hundred and forty-five thoufand dollars is demanded of Great Britain for runaway flaves, without renouncing an old claim for 187,000 dollars. On the 30th of January the corfairs were all in port. On the gift of February there arrived at Algiers a Spanish trigate, and conful, with presents to the value of 55,000 dollars, and fpecie to the amount of 100,000 dollars. Two corfairs were expected to fail on [From the above statement it appears GENERAL ORDERS. As thefe duties are enjoined by law, and are effential to the public fervice, the Commander in Chief expects they will be faithfully performed. To prevent irregularities, and imperfections in returns, the Adjutant-General is directed to tranfmit blank forms to the different corps. It is indifpenfibly neceffary to regular promotion of officers, that their relative rank is afcertained; Boards of officers are therefore to be appointed in each brigade, by the commanding officer thereof, for this purpofe without delay. As appointments will in future, be made in the order that the returns of vacancies are received, it will be interefting to the officers that thofe returns be promptly made; and it is earnestly recommended, that they be forwarded to the AdjutantGeneral's office as early as the first of January, fo that time may be afforded for the commiffions in the courfe of the wincompleting the appointments and iffuing ter. The Commander in Chief conceives it to be a peculiar duty, at this important crifis of public affairs, to exhort the militia to ufe every exertion to provide themfelves with arms, and for their improveALBANY, APRIL 20th, 1803. ment in military difcipline ar 1 knowledge The Commander in Chief fubmits it of tactics. Government relies upon them to the Brigadier Generals and officers for national defence; and from tac opincommanding brigades to appoint the time on the Commander in Chief entertains of for the annual reviews and infpeétions of their patriotifm, he flatters him! If it will their refpective brigades, in order that the be their first pride to render themfelves convenience of the militia may be con-eminently worthy of the high confidence repofed in them. fidered. By an at paffed the laft feffion of the Legiflature, the Brigadier Generals, and fficers commanding brigades, are to attend the annual reviews and infpections of their different regiments, and corps, to give fuch orders as fhall appear to them military difcipline eftablifhed by law, and beft ca'culated to improve the fyftem of for improvement in military exercise and manoeuvres, and to give timely notice to On the 9th of January the Dey declared the Major General of the divifion to war againft France and Denmark, and or- which they refpectively belong of the dered the confuls of thofe nations to depart times fixed for the annual reviews and infrom Algiers but on the next day intima-fpections; to the end, that he may have ted to them that they might remain for an opportunity of reviewing a portion fome time. The Dey at the fame time re- thereof every year. By the flate act, the voked the pacific arrangements made with commanding officers of regiments and bat. France in Auguft laft, and demanded con- tallions are to make returns in due form, fular prefents and two hundred thousand of their refpective corps, to the officer dollars. In confequence of thele meaf- commanding the brigade, within one ures, all the French merchants had left the month after the annual review and inRegency. fpection-together with a return of vacancies and other cafualties, naming therein In July the Dey demanded one hundred Unseen the while a canker's pow'r Diversity. A FEW years fince James Malone, Efq. Mayor of Cork, imagining, if he could trip the beggars of the miferable and fickly ap pearance they generally made, he fhould diveft them of the ftrongeft claim to the charity of the humane, came to the following agreement with one Geoghegan, one of the conftables, who was by trade a barber, viz. He directed the barber to feize all the beggars he found ftrolling within the limits of the city, for each of whom he promifed a reward; but inftead of bringing them before him (the Mayor) he was to take them to his fhop, and there have, wafh, drefs, and powder them in the genteeleft manner. He feized about half a dozen, and with the affiftance of razors, wafhball, fciffors, and powder puffs, he fo completely metamorphofed them, that thofe whom he apprehended as mendicants, when they left his fhop, appeared like macaronies, at leaft upon the head. This laughable scheme was attended with fuch fuccefs, that the whole tribe (during Squire Malone's mayorality) avoided his jurifdic. tion as carefully as if it was vifited by a peftilence. THE following anecdote of Sir Sidney Smith is related by a Gentleman who attended him in Egypt: At that important moment, when the French were driven from the walls of Acre, the Pacha, in the first paroxifm of joy and furprize, exclaimed," Sir Sidney Smith fhall be King of Acre." That gallant officer, feizing the opportunity, claimed the fulfilment of his promife, by requiring the reins of Government for one day only. This request was granted, and Sir Sidney devoted that day to opening the prifons, and liberating a number of unhappy victims of Turkish barbarity, who had long languifhed in thofe loathfome dungeons. A DUELLIST OF THE OLD SCHOOL. THE time of Elizabeth will always be memorable for illuftrious characters, for the age of chivalry was not quite gone. The Queen did by no means approve of duelling; but he was fo much ftruck with the following inftance of bravery and high refentment, that fhe called the fon of the nobleman who difplayed it, her young General, and offered to fland godmother to him. Peregrine, Lord Willoughby, hav. ing the gout both in his hands and feet, received a challenge from a perfon who was fcarcely his equal in point of rank, and which, being fent at fuch a time, could Dot be deemed the lefs impertinent. The high fpirited nobleman was greatly exafperat ed; and to prevent a poffibility of his cour. age being called in queftion, or his nice fenfe of honor or propriety being doubt ed, he offered to meet the perfon with a piece of a rapier between his teeth :-The matter of course dropt, and the challenger was regarded with contempt by the whole court. RESIGNATION. A CERTAIN gentleman (who has not been long dead) was fo entirely refigned to, and dependent on, the will of Providence, that whatever accident happened to him, he not only faid but thought it was all for the better. He was going from Ireland to England, when fepping into the packa boat, the entering rope broke, he fell into the pinnace, and fhattered his leg: "well, faid the honeft gentleman, it is all for the better," (which was his conftant expref fion.) His friends afked him, how he could think breaking his leg, and the lofs of his voyage, which might be followed by that of a fuit in chancery he was going to attend, could be for the better? "provi dence (replied he) knows beft: I am fiill of opinion it was for the better." He was carried back; the packet boat failed, foun dered in her paffage, and but one man was faved. |