5995. [Rev. ix. 1, 2.] About the year. 1700, as I was riding one morning, says Mr. HENRY BARHAM, F. R. S., about three miles north-west from St. Jago de la Vega, I saw a ball of fire, appearing to me of the size of a bombshell, swiftly falling down with a great blaze. Wheuarrived where it fell, I found the people wondering at the ground being broken in by a ball of fire, which, they said, fell down there.. I observed there were many holes in the ground, one in the middle of the size of a man's head, and five or six smaller holes round about it, of the size of a man's fist, and so deep, especially the largest, as not to be fathomed by the long sticks they had at hand. It was observed, that the green grass was perfectly burut near the holes, and a strong smell of sulphur remained thereabouts for a good while after.

5996.

Abs. Phil. Trans. of R. S. vol. vi. pp. 369, 406.

-

In France, there was a very remarkable fall of atmospheric stones in the department of the Lot and Garonne, on the 5th of September, 1814; attended as usual by a serene sky, a great explosion, and a whitish cloud. The number of stones was considerable, and they were dispersed over the radius of a league. It is the opinion of M. De Saint Aonans, that the cloud usually accompanying such phenomena, must be the result of the gases developed in the bosom of the mass, and surrounding it with a spherule of vapors these, rarified more and more as the mass approaches the earth's surface, will eventually, he conceives, cause its explosion.

5997.

See TILLOCH's Phil. Mag. for Jan. 1815, p. 23.

A tremendous eruption of Mount Vesuvius, in the time of Titus, destroyed Herculaneum and Pompeii.

Rev. xi. 13.

Abridg. Phil. Trans. vol. xii. p. 194.

5998. [3.] May 16th, 1800, in the evening a flight of locusts passed over Mundium. It extended in length, probably, about three miles; its width was about a hundred yards, and its height fifty feet. The insects passed from west to east in the direction of the wind, at the rate of six or seven miles an hour. The whole ground and every tree and bush, was covered with them; but each individual halted for a very short time on any one spot. They went in a very close body, and left behind them a very few stragglers. In an hour after the flock had passed, few were to be discovered in the neighbourhood of the town. The stragglers from the grand body did not extend above a hundred yards on each side of it, and were perhaps not more than one to the cubic foot. In the middle of the flock four times that number must be allowed to the same space. I could not perceive, says

BUCHANAN, that in their passage they did the smallest damage to any vegetable; but I was informed, that last year a flock passed, when the crop of iola (Holcus sorghum) was young, and had entirely devoured it. The noise of this immense number of insects somewhat resembled the sound of a cataract. At a distance they appeared like a long, narrow red cloud near the horizon, which was continually varying its shape. The locusts were as large as a man's finger, and of

a reddish color.

Pinkerton's Coll. part xxxiv. p. 695.

5999. [Rev. ix. 5.] Common salt is a specific against the sting of the scorpion, ULLOA's Voyage, by Adams; vol. i, p. 59, note.

6000. [ 7. Horses prepared for battle] The horses belonging the Mamelukes were strong and courageous, in make aud swiftness much like the Spanish gennets; and what is by many hardly believed, so docile that, at certain signs or speeches of the rider, they would with their teeth reach him up from the ground a lance, an arrow, or such like thing; and as if they had known the enemy, run on him with open mouth, and lash at him with their heels; and had by nature and custom learut not to be afraid of any thing. These courageous horses were commonly furnished with silver bridles, gilt trappings, rich saddles, their necks and breasts armed with plates of iron. See Prov. xxv. 22.

KNOLLES'S Hist. of the Turks, p. 529.

6001. [ 10.] When, as was usual with the Antients, the parts of a new-discovered animal are thus compared to those of other animals already well known; painters, from this method of describing, receive an idea of a form of nature, which they always draw out of character. Hence those monstrous animals, Griffins, Unicorns, &c. &c. HASSELQUIST, p. 187.

See WELLS in loco.

6004. [Rev. ix. 11.] A tradition is common to almost all the nations of the Levant, who have any knowledge of the Sacred Writings; that in the time of Abdon, Judge of the Hebrews, a colony of Idumeans passed into Italy, and settled there.

6005.

CALMET, Art. Romans.

The property of dissolving silica (flint) is peculiar to Fluoric Acid, supposed to be a compound of two atoms of oxygen with one of hydrogen. When it is obtained, as usual, in glass vessels, it corrodes the glass, and takes up a portion of silica, which is held in solution in the transparent gas. Fluoric, muriatic, sulphuric, and nitric acids, cannot exist one moment along with steam (the aqueous vapor of the atmosphere, the old serpent, the angel of the abyss): they are no longer elastic fluids, but liquids.

6008. [14, 15.] The winds, in that tempest called by the Spaniards a Tornado, seem to blow from every quarter, and settle upon one destined place, with such fury, that nothing can resist their vehemence. When they have all met, in their central spot, then the whirlwind begins with circular rapidity. The sphere every moment widens, as it continues to turn, and catches every object that lies within its attraction. This, like the hurricane, is preceded by a flattering calm; the air is every where hushed; and the sea is as smooth as polished glass however, as its effects are more dreadful than those of the ordinary hurricane, the mariner tries all the power of his skill to avoid it; which, if he fails of doing, there is the greatest danger of his going to the bottom.

GOLDSMITH'S Hist. of the Earth, &c. vol. i. p. 361.

6009. [ 17.] In very remote ages, the Tartars nade use of fire-engines, which GAUBIL hesitates to deuomi

nate either cannon, or bombs, because he cannot say they were like ours: nor is he sure that the bullets were shot off in the same manner; though he is satisfied that when he wrote, the Chinese had had the use of powder more than 1600 years.

See Modern Univer. Hist. vol. iv. pp. 484, 485.

It is thought that the people of Assem iu Asia were long ago the inventors of cannon and gun-powder; that from them the use of those instruments of destruction passed to the inhabitants of Pegu, and from thence to the Chinese; to whom that invention has been commonly ascribed. Ibid. vol. vii p. 10.

6010. [Rev. ix. 17.] Fireworks, composed of gunpowder, have been known in China for more than two thousand years. PINKERTON'S Coll. part xxix. p. 402.

6011. During the celebration of a grand Hindoo festival, which annually takes place on the 11th of October, judge FORBES had an opportunity of seeing on the Ganges certain boats of a singular construction: Some, says he, called Moor-Punkees, or peacock-boats, are made as much as possible to resemble the peacock; others are decorated with the head and neck of a horse, and different devices: one sort in particular, which proceeds with the greatest velocity with oars, he says, is extremely long and narrow, and on that account called a snake.

6015.

SWEDENBORG, Arcana, n. 3637.

A very singular optical phenomenon is recorded as occurring to those who visit the summits of the Chilian Cordillera mountains. The figure of the observer is seen reflected upon the clouds, its head surrounded by concentric circles of the prismatic colors, making generally three circular irides (iris's original) or rainbows, and, at some distance, a fourth arch entirely white. This reflected figure moves in whatever direction the person of the observer does: But, what is most remarkable, when several persons are together, each one sees the phenomenon with regard to himself, but cannot perceive it as relating to others.

ULLOA, vol. i. p. 442.- - See Phil. Trans. R. S. vol. xiv. p. 639.

6016. [Rev. xi. 3. My two witnesses] Peter and Paul, according to the records of both eastern and western churches, suffered martyrdom on the twenty-ninth of June, 67. (See USHER. Annal. sub. an. Chr. 67.)- Paul was beheaded; but Peter, according to our Saviour's prediction, was crucified, but with his head downward at his own desire, and out of respect to his divine master.

Univer. Hist. vol. x. p. 452.

6017. [4.] The Apostles Peter and Paul came to Rome about A. D. 65, where they performed many miracles. CALMET.

lake, when he stops. He now swells himself by drawing in wind and water through his mouth, which causes a loud sonorous rattling in the throat for near a minute; but it is immediately forced out again through his mouth and nostrils, with a loud noise, while he brandishes his tail in the air, and the vapor ascends from his nostrils like smoke. At other times, when swollen to an extent as if he would burst, bis head and tail lifted up, he spins or twirls round on the surface of the water; and then retiring, the exhibition is continued by others, who dare now to come forth, and who strive to excel each other, to gain the attention of the favourite female. BARTRAM's Travels, p. 126.

6029. The Crocodile is not only a very large and terrible creature, but of a prodigious strength, activity and swiftness in the water. His body is as large as that of a horse; his shape exactly resembles that of a lizard, except his tail, which is flat or cuneiform, being compressed on each side, and gradually diminishing from the abdomen to the extremity, which, with the whole body, is covered with horny scales or sqamiæ, impenetrable when on the body of the live animal, even to a rifle ball, except about the head and just behind the fore-legs or arms, where alone he is said to be vulnerable. The head of a full-grown one is about three feet, and the mouth opens nearly the same length; the eyes are small in proportion, and seem sunk deep in the head, by means of the prominency of the brows; the nostrils are large, inflated and prominent on the top, so that the head in the water resembles, at a distance, a great chump of wood floating about. Ouly the upper jaw moves, which he can raise almost perpendicular, so as to form a right angle with the lower one. § In the fore-part of the upper jaw, on each side, just under the nostrils, are two very large, thick, strong teeth or tusks, not very sharp, but rather shaped like a cone: these are as white as the finest polished ivory, and are not covered by any skin or lips, and always in sight, which gives the creature a frightful appearance in the lower jaw are holes opposite to these teeth, to receive them when he claps his jaws together, a surprising noise is made, like what is caused by forcing a heavy plank with violence on the ground, and may be heard at a great distance. His roar resembles very heavy distant thunder, not only shaking the air and the waters, but causing the earth to tremble; and when hundreds and thousands are roaring at the same time, you can scarcely be persuaded, but that the whole globe is violently and daugerously agitated. In the breeding season, an old champion will instantly dart forth from the reedy coverts, on the surface of the waters, in a right line; at first seemingly as rapid as lightning, but gradually more slowly till he arrives at the centre of the

6032

See Experiments in Monthly Mag, for July 1812, p. 525.

All the particles of every kind of salt adhere one to another, surface to surface, and preserve one regular and stated figure. Of common salt the sinallest particles seem every one cut into eight angles and six sides, like so many dice, and, by consequence, this kind of salt principally consists of such masses or clusters as are of a square or cubical form. Of alum the fine particles do most exactly resemble pyramids. Nitre and crystal equally consist of such particles as appear to have six surfaces, which, by lying one over another, form, as it were, hexagonal columns. Vitriol consists of lozenges. Arsenic has parts similar, flatter indeed, but extremely sharp and pungent. All these salts, be the manner of their assemblage what it will, form themselves into masses of one determinate figure which never alters.

The upper jaw only of the crocodile was thought to be moveable; that is now completely disproved.

FORBES.

6033. [3, 4] About nipe at night, at Quito ju Peru, a globe of fire (a draco volans, or flying dragon, as it

is called) appeared to rise from the side of the mountain Pichinca, and so large, that it spread a light over all the part of the city facing that mountain. The house where I lodged, says ULLOA, looking that way, I was surprised with an ex traordinary light, darting through the crevices of the windowshutters. On this appearance, and the bustle of the people, in the street, I hastened to the window, and came time enough to see it, in the middle of its career; which continued from west to south, till I lost sight of it, being intercepted by a mountain, that lay between me and it. It was round; and its apparent diameter about a foot. I observed it to rise from

the side of Pichinca; although, to judge from its course, it was behind that mountain where this congeries of inflammable matter was kindled. In the first half of its visible course it emitted a prodigious effulgence, then it began gradually to grow dim; so that, upon its disappearing behind the intervening mountain, its light was very faint. Ulloa, vol. i. p. 41.

6034. [Rev. xii. 3, 4.] In composing their sacred figures, the Antients took such constellations as they found at the same time on the circle of the horizon, and collecting the different parts they formed groups which served them as an almanac in hieroglyphic characters. Such is the secret of all their pictures, and the solution of all their mythological

monsters.

VOLNEY.

6040.

PRIESTLEY'S Hist. of Vision, p. 620.

Vernet, the celebrated painter, was, one day in Italy, greatly surprised to perceive in the sky the appearance of a town turned upside down, and to distinguish perfectly the steeples, towers, and houses. He lost no time in sketching this phenomenon, and, determined on ascertaining its cause, he proceeded, following the same point of the compass into the mountains. But how great was his surprise on finding, at the distance of seven leagues from the spot, the town of which he had seen the reflection in the sky, and of which he had a sketch in his portfolio. See No. 1342, &c. St. PIERRE'S Harmonies of Nature, vol. ii. p. 11.

6041. [12.] If a double convex glass be held upright before some luminous object, as a candle, there will be seen two images, oue erect, and the other inverted. The first is made simply by reflection from the nearest surface, the second by reflection from the farther surface, the rays undergoing a refraction from the first surface both before and after the reflection. If this glass have not too short a focal distance, when it is held near the object, the inverted image will appear larger than the other, and also nearer; but if the glass be carried off from the object, though the eye remain as near to it as before, the inverted image will diminish so much faster than the other, that, at length, it will appear very much less than it, but still nearer.

PRIESTLEY'S Hist. of Vision, p. 690.

6037. [5.] In the library of the king of France is a manuscript in Arabic, marked 1165, in which is a picture of the twelve signs; and that of Virgo represents a young woman with an infant by her side.

6042. [ 15.] The excrements of the Crocodile are vomited The inhabitants about Cairo say, they see this up. daily, and observe that the Crocodile is obliged to come on shore as often as he has occasion to ease himself.

VOLNEY.

HASSELQUIST, Travels, p. 215.