Having completed the tour of the upper apartments, we defcend, with our Author, to the bed-chambers, and fummerrooms, on the lower floor:

The molt remarkable room below, is the king's bed-chamber, which communicated, by means of a gallery, with the upper ftory. The beds were placed in two alcoves, on a raised pavement of blue and white tiles.-A fountain played in the middle, to refresh the apartment in hot weather. Behind the alcoves are doors that conduct you to the royal baths: thefe confift of one fmall clofet, with marble cifterns, for washing children, two rooms for grown-up perfons, and vaults for boilers and furnaces, that fupplied the baths with water, and the ftoves with vapours.

Hard by is a whispering-gallery, and a kind of labyrinth, faid to have been made for the diverfion of the women and children.'

Our Traveller defcribes fome other apartments, which brevity obliges us to pafs over; from the fame confideration also, we have omitted many circumftances in his accounts of the rooms, &c. which we have introduced into this abftract.

Mr. Swinburne concludes his description of the Alhambra, by obferving: How admirably every thing was planned and calculated for rendering this palace the moft voluptuous of all retirements; what plentiful fupplies of water were brought to refrefh it in the hot months of fummer; what a free circulation of air was contrived, by the judicious difpofition of doors and windows; what fhady gardens of aromatic trees; what noble views over the beautiful hills and fertile plains! No wonder the Moors regretted Granada! No wonder they ftill offer up prayers to God every Friday for the recovery of this city, which they efteem a terreftrial paradife.'

The above fpecimens fhow, that the Author's ftyle is eafy and unaffected, though neither remarkably elegant, nor perfely accurate. Much commendation, however, is due to him, for the pains he has taken to give the English reader an idea of the Moorish antiquitics in Spain, which are not defcribed in any other book in our language. Indeed, every attempt to explain the ftate of that country is particularly meritorious, on account of the facrifice of money, eafe, and health, which a man muft make, in order to obtain the neceflary infor mation. Mr. Swinburne has given a table of Spanish coins and measures, with their relative proportions; but without comparing them with the English, or any other ftandard with which he fuppofes the Reader acquainted. In the itinerary prefixed to his work, he mentions the names of the places, and the inns at which he stopped, as well as the time employed in travelling from one place to another. He forgets, however, to tell us his rate of travelling, or whether he travelled uniformly.

ART.

fixth he fows five falls more with the produce of the first, and twentyfive with the produce of the fecond; in all thirty falls. The feventh year he fows with the first and fecond, as above, thirty falls, and with the third twenty-five more: in all fifty-five. The eighth, with the produce of the firit, fecond, and third, fifty-five; and with that of the fourth, a hundred and fifty: in all two hundred and five. It will be neceffary that he fave the feeds of this laft one year more, before he can have enough for carrying on his experiments properly: so that about the tenth year he may be in a condition to begin his experiments upon that particular kind of grafs, How few private experimenters would have patience for this?

The next difcouraging circumftance that would occur to a pri vate perfon in this walk, would be the unavoidable trouble and expence attending thefe experiments. For every one of those plots in which the grafs-feeds are fown, must be weeded with greater care than is neceffary for the borders of the best kept flower-garden; as the leaft ftalk of other graffes coming up among them would mar the experiment; nor is it poffible for a private perfon to obtain operators in almost any cafe, who will have accuracy for performing this talk, even if the expence should not be grudged.

But let us fuppofe all thefe difficulties overcome. It next becomes neceffary to inclofe, in the most perfect manner, the feveral plots of grafs intended for the particular experiments, fo as to make the experimenter quite certain that no animal he wishes to exclude from it can get access to it without his knowledge. This must like wife be effected by means of wooden rails, or fome other fort of dead fence; because any hedge or tree near it would greatly affect the experiment.

This done, it would be neceffary to fet apart fome plots to be cut and confumed green by each kind of domeftic animal: the num ber of thefe plots, therefore, must be proportioned to the number of claffes of animals that could be reared by the farmer in this country, and the extent of each plot fhould be fufficient to afford food for a whole feafon to a confiderable number of each class of animals, to guard against the errors that might arife from particular temperaments. Other plots require to be cut and made into bay, in fuch quantities as to admit of feeding a fufficient number of animals of each fpecies for fuch a length of time as would give a certainty of the effects produced. Other plots must be allotted for pafturage to different claffes of animals to feed together, or fucceed one another in an infinite number of varied rotations. Others must be appropriated for trying the effects of mixing this kind of grafs-feed with other plants that can be employed as food to animals, through all the variations that thefe will admit of; while others must be fet apart for making a comparative trial of all these various experiments with each of the plants feparately that admits of being reared by the farmer. But I begin to lofe myfelf in the immenfity of objects that croud upon me. To conclude, therefore, I hope the reader, who reflects on these objects, will be fatisfied, that if, at the end of a hundred vears continued attention and unwearied care, with a perfect command of money, and unlimited extent of foil, a fatisfactory anfwer could be given to the above query, as much would be doneas can ever be expected from any human power, even with all the advantages

advantages we have above fuppofed. How vain is it, then, to hope that ever this can be effected by the zeal or affiduity of any private experimenter?

For these reasons, although it is certain that a national experimental farm would not be capable of anfwering every purpose that may be required; yet it feems to be equally indifputable, that without fome public inflitution of this nature, either in Britain or fome other nation, it will be altogether impoffible ever to bring the art of agriculture to its ultimate degree of perfection. I cannot, therefore, too warmly recommend this matter to the attention of those in power. What glory would it be for Britain to be the first nation that had ever adopted a proper plan for giving certainty to this moft ufeful of all arts: an advantage which it never hath yet attained! What lafting honour would it reflect upon the memory of that person who had put that plan in execution! And at how small an expence might this be effected! A fum of money not greater than might be neceffary to force a trifling pafs, or deftroy a paltry town, and reduce a few hundreds of innocent perfons to mifery, might be fuffi cient to accomplish this great work, which would promote the ease and felicity of millions who are yet unborn, and render Britain renowned among all nations to the latest ages of pofterity.'

The experiments of the fecond clafs, as well as those of the fourth, he obferves, naturally come within the fphere of private perfons; but thofe of the fecond, which are almost the only experiments in agriculture that have been hitherto attended to, can be of little ufe, as had been before fhewn, until the mode of claffification which falls under the third general head shall be attended to with effect.

The experiments referable to this third head, he obferves, do not come within the fphere of an experimental farm, nor of private individuals confidered as detached from others. For,

As this fet of experiments, he proceeds, is merely intended to discover the particulars by which different varieties of the fame clafs of bodies may be distinguished from each other, and as these varieties are often met with at a great distance from other varieties of the fame class, it becomes impoffible for individuals to compare these with one another, or to have an opportunity of discovering thofe peculiarities which might ferve to distinguish each from the others. Hence, therefore, it is only by collecting together and comparing the experiments of many farmers in different parts of the country, that a knowledge of thofe particulars referable to the third general clafs above named can ever be obtained. It therefore behoves us now to enquire what is the moft proper method of obtaining the neceffary information from fo many individuals, who are at prefent scattered through all the provinces of the kingdom, or even through all the kingdoms of the earth, and totally unconnected with and unknown to one another.

It will readily occur that no method can be fo proper for collecting detached obfervations, the refult of actual experience in many different parts of the country, and of communicating thefe to the public, as a periodical performance judiciously contrived, and exe

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cuted

cuted with becoming fpirit, caution, and fidelity. For, if fuch a work were written and could be afforded at a moderate price, fo as to come within the reach of farmers of every denomination, it would become the mean of uniting into one grand fociety all the farmers of every district of the country, or even of every country in Europe, if proper means were adopted for fecuring correfpondents, and esta blishing an extenfive circulation.'

The benefits that would refult from fuch a periodical performance he defcribes in the following animated strain :

It is perhaps impoffible for the mind of man to contemplate any fublunary object that would be more agreeable than the prospect of fuch a fociety, compofed of innumerable multitudes of people of all fects, and nations, and languages, conferring together for the fole purpose of improving one another in ufeful knowledge; who, forgetting thofe little diftinctions of rank, opinion, and party prejudice, which fo inceffantly tend to tear from us thofe few enjoyments that might naturally have fallen to our hare, fhould ftrive with the moft cordial fympathy and brotherly affedion to promote those peaceful arts which may contribute to the happiness of millions yet unborn. For, in this grand republic of farmers, every individual might freely communicate the knowledge which he had acquired, and might propofe his doubts and receive inftructions concerning thofe things in which he found himself deficient, without difcloling either his rank in life, his country, or his party connections. If any erroneous opinion fhould be there advanced, without regard to extraneous circumftances, which have fuch a tendency to influence the mind in general, it would quickly be refuted. What was doubtful would be elucidated by the difcuffions that would naturally result from contradictory opinions. Facts that seemed to oppofe one another would not be hastily abandoned as fictions, but would be fifted to the bottom by inquifitive men. Judicious questions would be propofed to the oppofing experimenters, while both were alive and capable of anfwering every query that could be proposed; by which means thofe effential circumftances that had been omitted in any one experiment, and from which the variation had proceeded, might often be difcovered without waiting for a repetition of it. Or, if that could not in all cafes be done at once, a few experiments propofed for elucidating the fubject might perhaps be tried by thousands in one feafon; from which numerous experiments, when compared together, a degree of certainty would arife, which no single perfon would have obtained during the courfe of many years.

On the other hand, when any new experiment should be propofed for elucidating a doubtful point, and the benefits that would refult from it were clearly pointed out, many perfons would be induced to try it at once in different ditricts, and on a vast variety of foils; the refult of all which experiments could be laid before the Public about the fame time, without almost any trouble to the feveral experimenters. Other perfons, who had formerly made fimilar experiments, would in the mean time communicate the refult of them to the Public; and the reafoning that would occur in confequence of this would put the new experimenters on their guard, and

• Scotticifin.

make

make them attend to thofe particulars that are of capital importance. And when the whole of thefe experiments were produced and compared with one another, many important obfervations would be fuggefted, which would lead to ftill more useful enquiries. Thus, in the course of a few years, a greater number of decifive experiments might be obtained than could have been accumulated in many ages by folitary individuals.

Nor could any circumstance of importance be allowed to escape fuch a refpectable fociety unobferved. For, as the attention of thoufands would be directed towards each fingle experiment, it is not to be fuppofed that any matter of confequence would efcape them all. The hints fuggefted by fome correfpondents would raife new ideas in the minds of others, and these in their turn would produce new reflections from others ftill. The omiffions of one would be fupplied by another even the errors of correfpondents would lead to important truths, by inducing others to refute them, who would also in their turn be corrected if they should fall into any mistakes.

A periodical performance of this nature would not only be better calculated for collecting the detached obfervations of practical farmers than any other mode of publication that could be devised, but it would also have a more powerful tendency to awaken a spirit of ob fervation among all the inhabitants of the country. At prefent, farmers are in a great measure excluded from the literary world. Few of them read much: and they fo feldom meet with inftruction in books of agriculture, that these are perhaps lefs read by practical farmers than books of any other kind whatever. From this caufe practical farmers feldom hear of the improvements that are from time to time mentioned in books. They lofe the tafte for writing themfelves. They even, for the most part, defpife those who write on the fubject of their own profeflion as idle vifionaries. They thus lofe the habit of arranging their ideas with precifion, and their minds have no delight in inveftigation, and of courfe fall into a vacant kind of torpor; in which ftate few important discoveries or vigorous exertions are to be expected.

But if they should be induced to become members of a Georgical Society on the liberal plan above alluded to, they would at once be introduced into a fociety of men like themselves, with whom they would freely communicate their ideas on fubjects that they mutually underflood, and would frequently find themfelves qualified to take an interefting part in the difcuffion. This would naturally beget an attachment to that fociety, and a fondness for thofe fubjects that were inveftigated in it: for man never deferts fociety, or lofes relish for converfation, but when he feels that he is an object of lefs importance in his own eyes when in company than when alone. Society expands the heart, and foftens the rougher affections. Emulation whets the talents. Oppofition roufes the faculties of the foul, and draws forth every latent fpark of genius. Sometimes they would be able to correct mistakes, to anfwer queries, or to folve doubts; and at other times they would liften in their turn to useful inftructions from others. By thefe means a habit of accurate observation would be established among farmers in general, which would enable them to difcriminate every important circumstance: and a fpirit of enterprife

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