Horfe-dung, the leaft pinguid and fat of any, taken as it falls, being the moft fiery, excites to fudden fermentation above any; wherefore, it is then fit only for the hot-bed, and when that fervour is paft, may be fpread on fields where we would have a rank grafs to fpring, but is at no hand to be admitted into the garden, or where you defire good roots fhould grow, unless the ground be very stiff, cold,. or wet, and then too it had need be well rotted, left, instead of curing it, it leave couch-grafs and pernicious weeds, worse than the disease. The feeds of hay and other plants, of which the horfes eat, come oftentimes entire from them; and we obferve, that fuch vegetables do commonly spring up from the foil of cattle as they chiefly eat; as long knot-grafs from this beaft ; fhort, clean, and fweet pafture from theep and cows; the fonchus, or fow-thiftle, from the fwine. Ground mucked with horse-dung is always the most infected of any, and if it be not perfectly confumed, it makes your roots grow forked, fills them with worms, and imparts to them an unpleafing relish; but being laid on at the beginning of winter, and turned in at spring, it fucceeds fometimes with pulfe. The foil of affes is highly esteemed, for its being better digefted by the long maftication and chewing of that dull animal; but fince we have no quantity of it in this country, it does the lefs concern us. Neats dung, of all other, is univerfally the most harmless, and the most useful; excellent to mingle with fandy and hot grounds, lean or dry, and being applied before winter, renders it the moft like natural earth, and is therefore for the gar den and orchard preferred to any other. To use it therefore with the most certain fuccefs in fuch thirty grounds, apply a plentiful furface of it, fo blended, as the rain and fhowers may wash in the virtue of it thoroughly; but this is best done by making the dung the finer, and what if reduced to powder, fprinkled for the garden, or otherwise working it in at a foaking wet (not ftormy) feafon; but leave it covered with it for fome time, if the rain descend in too great excess. The next is sheeps dung, which is of a middle temper between that and pigeons; profitable in cold grounds, and to impreg nate liquors, of choice ufe in the garden. The dung of fwine is esteemed the coldest and leaft acrimonious, (though fome there be who contradict it) and therefore to be applied to burning lands; but always fo early interred as never to appear above ground, where it is apt to produce weeds in abundance, from the greedy devouring of what that animal eats. This, though not fo proper for the garden, (and the moft ftinking) is faid yet to edulcorate and fweeten fruit fo fenfibly, as to convert the bittereft almond into fweet, and therefore recommended, above all others, for experiments of change and alteration: fome qualify it with bran, or chaff well consumed, K 2 greatly greatly comfortable to fruit-trees, but especially the hairs and briftles buried about the roots of pear-trees. Pigeons dung, and that of poultry, (efpecially of aquatic fowls, which is too fiery) being full of volatile falts, is hot and burning, and therefore moft applicable to the coldeft ground. There is nothing more effectual to revive the weak and lan. guishing roots of fruit-trees than this laid early to them; but firft be fure they pass their mordicant and piercing fpirits, and be difcreetly mixed: be this therefore obferved as a conftant rule, that the hotter composts be early and thinly spread, è contra, the colder. • Very efficacious is this dung to keep frofts out of the earth, and therefore of great ufe to cover the mould in cafes of exotic and tender plants; but if the heat be not well qualified, the very fteam will kill them in a moment; therefore let a full winter pafs over this lætation for moft ufes. The best way of preparing it, is to reduce it into powder, and mingle it with the mould, and to water with its infufion, which alone does wonders; or, if it has been well expofed and abated, you may ufe it at the spring without addition; but if you defire fomething that is exquifite, macerate it well rotted in the lees of wine, ftale urine, and a little brimstone beaten very fine, then mingle it with your earth, for one of the richest compofts. But let this be noted, that, as the effect of this dung is fudden, fo it lafts not long, and therefore muft the oftener be renewed. The flesh of carrion and dead animals, being (as I think my lord Bacon tells us) prepared already by fo many curious elaborations of its juices, is highly effectual; but it should be very well confumed and ventilated, till it have quite loft its intolerable fmell, and therefore never applied too crude *. • Blood is excellent almoft with any foil where fruit is planted, especially the mural. To improve the blood of the grape, it is of great advantage, being fomewhas diluted, and poured about the roots. It has been affuredly reported by divers eyewitneffes, that after the battle of Badnam Fields, in Devonfhire, (where the late lord Hopton obtained a fignal victory) the carnage being great, the blood of the flain did fo fertilize the fields, where corn had been fown a little before, that the year following produced fo extraordinary a crop, as most of the wheat-ftalks bare two, three, four, yea to feven, and fome The offal of the fhambles, when mixed with earth and fresh horfe dung, makes a compost of the richest quality; but this cannot be obtained in large quantities. Some years ago, I recommended a compoft, the bafis of which was the offal of whales flesh, after the oil had been taken from it. This, compounded with horfe dung and earth, is now much used by the farmers who live in the neighbourhood of fea ports where fhips are fitted out for the Greenland feas. The manner of preparing this rich kind of manure is defcribed in the Georgical Effays, p. 385.' even to fourteen ears; a thing almoft incredible. The owner of the land feeing his ground fo miferable trodden by the horse and foldiers after the conflict, intended to refow it, as believing all his former labour loft; but, being diffuaded from his purpofe, (perhaps to make the experiment) it happened as you have heard *. Urine, for being highly fpirituous and fharp, had need be well corrected; and then, being mingled with other compofts to allay its acrimonious falt, it hardly has its equal. Hair, horn-fhavings, bones, fkins, leather, &c. are deeply to be buried, and fo as not to touch, but lie about the roots: thefe, with rags, coarfe wool, and pitch-marks, improve the earth, as being full of volatile falts, drawing and retaining the dews. Fifh is likewife fpread to great advantage of grounds, where it is to be had in plenty; and for being quickly confumed, may fooneft be applied †. We come now to vegetables. The marc and preffings of the grape make a good compoft, and fo do lees of wine mingled with mould. This is of fingular comfort to the roots of orange-trees and cafe-plants; and if you fift a little brick duft with it, and bury it near the roots of rosemary, the plant will thrive wonderfully: it may be a laudable compoft for moist grounds, where that vegetable grows fo unwillingly. The leaves of trees are profitable for their own fruit, and natural, being well rotted, and not mufty: the peach leaf, hurtful to cattle, is excellent for the tree from which it falls; and the walnut leaf, noxious to the grafs, is helpful to the tree. Duck-weed, the flime and fpongy ouze of ftagnant waters, mixed with proper mould, make a kind bed for aquatics. Saw duft, rotten-wood, found in the hollow of decayed trees, under the stacks, and where trees grow thick together, as in great and old woods, but especially that which is taken out of an inveterate willow-tree, is preferable to any other for the raifing of feedlings of choice plants, mixed as it should be with a little loam, lime rubbish, and mould, as we have taught. Blood, mixed with faw duft, makes a very good hand-dreffing to be fown upon wheat in the fpring. It equals foot, and does not come to half the price.' In all towns upon the fea-coaft, the refufe of fish may be obtained upon moderate terms. It is matter of furprize that this hint of our excellent author, given in the year 1675, fhould have operated fo little that at this time (1778) the use of refufe fish is hardly known. The fea, with generous bounty, throws at the feet of the husbandman her richest treafures, and invites him to partake with freedom; but he, dull mortal! instead of embracing the proffered riches, drives his team to fome diftant town to pur chafe, at a high rate, what the watery element offers without a price.' K 3 This This and the rest being well ventilated, is of great effect to loosen and mellow ground, as tenacious of moisture. • Wood-ashes, rich and impregnate with falts, are fit for wet ground without mixture, and in pafture excellent, not fifted on over thick.' Dr. A. Hunter, to whom the public is indebted for the republication of Mr. Evelyn's admired treatife, has enriched it with many pertinent and uteful notes. Anatomical Dialogues; or, a Breviary of Anatomy. Wherein all the Parts of the Human Body are concisely and accurately defcribed, and their Ufes explained; by which the Young Practitioner may attain a right Method of treating Diseases, as far as it depends on Anatomy. Chiefly compiled for the Ufe of the Young Gentlemen in the Navy or Army. 12mo. 35. Boards. Robinson. Confidering the unattractive nature of anatomical fyftems, they doubtless stand in need of every circumstance that can recommend them to the attention of the medical student. The form of dialogue, therefore, by treating thofe subjects in a new, and confequently a more interefting manner, may prove particularly useful, efpecially, when, at the fame time, the fcience is with judgment abridged. Thefe advantages appear to be confpicuous in the volume before us, which is well calculated for facilitating the ftudy of anatomy, as well as for af fifting the memory, when any fudden occafion may call for fuch a recourse. As our medical readers will probably not be displeased to fee a specimen, we shall prefent them with the dialogue concerning the eye. Q. What are the parts of the eye not yet described ? A. The bony focket, muscles, cartilages, and ligaments of the external parts of the eye are already fpoken of in dialogue the firft. The internal parts not yet mentioned are the glandu læ febaceæ, caruncula lachrymalis, glandulae lachrymalis, puncta lachrymalia, orbit; the coats or tunics, viz. tunica albuginea, adnata, or conjunctiva; tunica fclerotica; tunica cornea; tunica choroides; tunica uvea, (which contains the iris and pupilla) to which may be added the retina. The humours of the eye, viz. the aqueous, vitreous, and cryftalline, to which may be added the extreme thin and fine vafcular membrane called tunica arachnoides, and the veffels and nerves of the eye. Q. What are the glandulæ febacee? A. The glandulæ febaceæ are fituated in the interior fur face of the eye-lids: they ferve for the fecretion of an oleaginous Huid, which is of great ufe in preventing the attrition of the eye-lids, from their continual motion. Q. What is the caruncula lachrymalis ? A. The A. The caruncula lachrymalis is a little eminence fituated in the larger angle, or canthus major of the eye, ferving to direct the tears to the puncta lachrymalia, and, according to fome anatomifts, they help to keep them open when the eyes are shut. Q. What is the glandula lachrymalis? A. The glandula lachrymalis is feated in the upper and outer part of the orbits, with its excretory ducts under the upper eyelid. This gland feparates the matter of the tears, which, by the continual motion of this lid, furnishes at all times water enough to wash off dirt, and to keep the external furface of the eye moift, without which the cornea would dry and wrinkle by the continual action of the external air. As the tears fall off the cornea, they are ftopped by the edge of the under eye-lid, along which they run till they fall into the puncta lachrymalia. Q. What are the puncta lachrymalia? A. The puncta lachrymalia are two fmall holes in the inner corner, or great canthus of the eye, one in each eye-lid; they are fituated at the extremities of the tarfi or cartilages, and lead to a small membranous bag or lachrymal fac, which is feated in this corner upon the os lachrymale; from the bottom of which there goes a fmall pipe or nafal canal, which pierces this bone in the nofe opening under the upper lamina of the os fpongiofum. It moiftens the inner membrane of the noftrils, by the fuperfluous humour of the lachrymal gland. Sometimes the acrimony of this humour caufes fneezing, which we may hinder by preffing the angle of the eye, and fo ftop its running. Between these two puncta there is a caruncle (as above mentioned) that ferves to keep the holes open when the eyes are shut. Q. What is the orbit of the eye? A. The orbit of the eye is that cavity in which the eye is contained, and is in all the vacant places filled with loose fat, which is a proper medium for the eye to reft in, and serves as a focket for its motion. The proper parts of the eye, which form its globe, eye-ball, or bulb, are its coats or tunics, the humours, and the veffels. Q. What is the tonica albuginea? A. The tunica albuginea, adnata, or conjunctiva, is the first membrane or coat of the eye-ball; it is a smooth membrane which covers fo much of the eye, as is called the white, and being reflected all round, lines the two eye-lids. Being thus returned from the eye to the infide of the eye-lids, it effectually hinders any extraneous bodies from getting behind the eye into the orbit, and smooths the parts it covers, which makes the fric tion lefs between the eye and the eye-lids. It is full of fmall veins and arteries, which appear tig'in an opthalmia or inflammation of the eyes. Q. What is the tunica fclerotica? A. The tunica fclerotica is a thick, hard, and smooth coat, extended from the cornea to the optic nerve; it is opake behind, but tranfparent before, where it makes the third coat called cor K 4 nea, |