exclaimed, that they were accuftomed to it, and did not by any means think it offentive: fo that, deferted by the fupport which had expected from female delicacy, I had no alternative but a precipitate retreat, to fave me from intolerable ficknefs and difgrace. In return for the feaft which I had thus fhared, I fent an invitation foon afterwards to the master of the family, who was fhown into my wife's tea-room, while dinner was placing upon the table. The carpet in this chamber, fir, is a coftly and curious one, ornamented with flowers of a gay and perifhable colour: but regardless of the evident intereft which the whole family took in its prefervation, (for it is never uncovered, except upon gala days), my guest had no fooner feated himself, than he began to fquirt the dingy juices of a effects of that drug operate only upon thofe who use it; whereas our fau ing, chewing, and fmoaking, are grievance to every man who nauie ates the fumes of tobacco, to every housewife who has a regard for her furniture, and to every noftril that is not rendered callous to this piquant weed: in fhort, I confess, fir, that" I wish this country to enjoy the profit, but to abftain from the ufe of tobacco: or, as there are certainly thofe amongft us who hate, as well as thofe who like it, I would propofe that every perfon who is about to indulge in his pipe, would for the future, withdraw from company, (unless every man in it was of a fimilar humour) as he would upon any other unfeemly occafion. BENVOLIO. well-chewed quid indifcriminately An account of three volcanes in the about him. Poor Molly! I obferved that fhe turned pale; and ringing the bell more violently than ufual, the petulantly ordered the fer vant to halten dinner. As a ftranger, this gentleman was feated of courfe at the upper end of the table but the courtely was an unlucky one for in the act of receiving a plate of foup, an enormous pinch of Scotch fnutf escaped from his fingers into the tureen, and a few grains friking on my wife's olfactory nerve, the was feized with a fit of fneezing, that tormented her for the refl of the day. At length, our guest retired, but not before he had depofited the relics of his exhausted quids in every corner of the room. Thefe are but a fmall proportion of the inconveniences arifing from the extravagant ufe of tobacco, and I cannot admit that any man has a greater right to indulge himfelf in the practice of this, than of any other nuifance. We are altonished at the Turkish confumption of opium ; but it fhould be remembered that the moon.- -By William Herfchel, L. Li D. F. R.S. Communicated to the royal Jociety of London. IT will be necellary to fay a few words by way of introduction to the account I have to give of fon appearances upon the moon, which I perceived the 19th and 20th of Apr jaft. The phenomena of nature, especially those that fall under the infpection of the aftronomer, are be viewed, not only with the ful attention to facts, as they recur, but with the eye of reafon and experence. In this we are, however, not allowed to depart from plain appearances; though their origin and byfication fhould be indicated by the molt characterifing features. This when we fee on the furface of use. moon, a great number of elevations, from half a mile to a mile and an half in height, we are strictly enti to call them mountains; but where we attend to their particular, in which many of them refeme the craters of volcanos, and thence argue, that they owe their orig -the fame caufe which has modelled many of those, we may be faid to fee by analogy, or with the eye of reafon. Now, in this latter cafe, thougn it may be convenient, in fpeaking of phenomena, to ufe expreffions that can only be juftified by reafoning on the facts themselves, it will certa nly be the fafelt way not to neglect a full defcription of them, that it may appear to others how far we have been authorised to ufe the mental eye. This being premised, I may fafely proceed to give my obfervations. April 19, 1787, 10h. 36m. fidereal time. I perceived three volcanos in different places of the dark part of the new moon, Two of them are either nearly extinct, or otherwise in a flate of going to break out; which may, perhaps, be decided next lunation. The third fhows an actual eruption of fire, or luminous matter. I meafured the diftance of the erater from the northern limb of the moon, and found it 3 deg. 57 min. 3 fec. Its light is much brighter than the nucleus of the comet, which M. Mcfhain discovered at Paris the tenth of this month. April 20, 1787, 10h. 2m. fidereal time. at The volcano burns with greater violence than last night. I believe its diameter cannot be lefs than 3 m. by comparing it with that of the Georgian planet. As Jupiter was near at hand, I turned the telescope to his fatellite, and eftimated the diameter of the burning part of the volcano to be equal to leaft twice that of the fatellite. Hence we may compute that the fhining or burning matter muft be above three miles in diameter. It is of an irregular round figure, and very fharply defined on the edges. The other two volcanos are much farther towards the centre of the inoon; and resemble large pretty faint nebulæ, that are gradually Vol. II. No. V. much brighter in the middle: bus no well-defined luminous spot can be difcerned in them. These three fpots are plainly to be diftinguished from the reft of the marks of the moon for the reflexion of the fun's rays from the earth, is, in its prefent fituation, fufficiently bright, with a ten feet reflector, to show the moon's fpots, even the darkelt of them; nor did I perceive any fimilar phenomena laft lunation, though I then viewed the fame places with the fame inftrument. The appearance of what I have called the actual fire or eruption of a volcano, exactly refembled a fmall piece of burning charcoal, when it is covered with a very thin coat of white afhes, which frequently adhere to it, when it has been fome time ignited: and it had a degree of brightness, about as ftrong, [as that ] with which fuch a coal would be feen to glow in faint day-light. All the adjacent parts of the volcanic mountain feemed faintly illuminated by the eruption: and were gradually more obfcure as they lay at a greater distance from the crater. mag This eruption refembled much that which I faw on the fourth of May, 1783; an account of which, with many particulars relating to the volcanic mountains in the moon, I fhall take an opportunity of communicating to this fociety. It differed, however, confiderably, in nitude and brightness: for the volcano of the year 1783, though much brighter than that which is now burning, was not nearly fo large in the dimenfions of its eruption. The former, feen in the telefcope, resembled a flar of the fourth magnitude, as it appears to the natural eye. This, on the contrary, fhows a vifible difk of luminous matter, very different from the fparkling brightnefs of flar-1 ght. K WILLIAM HERSCHEL. Obfervations on the numb fish, or torporificeel, communicated to the American philofophical fociety.-By Henry Collins Flagg, efquire. I DO myself the pleasure, though late, I confefs, to comply with my promife of communicating fome obfervations on the numb fish, or torporific eel, which I think a more proper name. Thefe obfervations are contained in two letters I bad the honour to write to the rev. dr. Stiles, a member of your philofophical fociety, from Rio Effequebo. Please to accept the following extracts. The apparent difference between the torporific cel and that ufually caught in your harbour, is, the former is flatter on the back and head, the upper part of which is perforated with feveral holes, and has on each fide, behind, a fmall fin, which fome fay is elevated or depreffed as the fish is pleafed or not ; the body I think is larger in proportion to the length, and it has a broad. fin connected, to the belly and continued to the tail. I have feen this fifh four feet long. The fenfation occafioned by touching it, appeared to me exactly fimilar to an electric fhock. I have as yet been able to procure only one of thefe eels, and that was injured by lying too long dry before it came to me. The following are the remarks I made the little time it lived. I received the fish from a negro in a wicker basket, and laying it on the ground, felt a confiderable fhock, as I did too when I turned the fish out of the basket into a tub of water. The fhock is greater, if the fish NOTES. *Thefe holes do not penetrate to the mouth, nor could I discover the ufe of them. But I was not fuffici ently exact in my diffection of the head, or I think I might have found the termination of thefe ducis. + This is true. is enraged; but whether repeated touches will exhauft this ftrange pow. er, as frequently-repeated bites do the viperine and fome other poifons for a time, I believe no experiment has yet determinedt. If a perfon hold his finger in the water, feveral inches diftant from the fish, and another touch it, a fhock equally fevere is felt by him who does not touch it. The fame thing happens if the fi If a number of perfons join hands, exerts itself without being touched. and one touch the eel, they are all equally fhocked, unless there fhould happen to be one of the number incapable of being affected by the eel, which is the cafe of a very worthy lady of my acquaintance, who can handle this fifh at will.' I am informed, fome Indians and negroes fiftance of any means to counteratt can do the fame; whether by the af the power of the eel, I know not; the conftitution of the lady. The but am perfuaded it is fomething in eel I had obtained, got out of the tub, turned it, for the repeated fhocks I and it was with fome difficulty I rereceived throught a piece of deal which I attempted to lift it, made board eighteen inches long, with my arms ache very much, and for a confiderable time. I think the numb nefs occafioned by touching this eel, continues longer than that from an electric fhock of the fame degree of force; and I have been affured by a perfon of good fenfe and veracity, that a negro fellow formerly being bantered by his companions for ha fear of this cel, determined to give a proof of his refolution, and attemp NOTES. I am fince convinced they do. This lady, when I became a quainted with her, was far gone in a hectic fever. And I did not think to enquire if he could treat the fil with fo much familiarity while perfect fate of health. was d to grafp it with both hands. The nhappy confequence was, a conruned paralyfis of both arms. I ear this fellow is ftill living in the land of St. Chriftopher's; if fo, I in obtain more fatisfaction, for I ive my doubts of the negro's hoHy. But very certain it is, that any perfons have been knocked wn by the feverity of the fhock. he languid ftate in which I found e eel the morning after it ken, gave me an opportunity of ferving, that though I could perive no fhock by touching it on or ar the tail; yet, applying my finr near the belly, the torporific wer was very confiderable, notthilanding the fish was now almost ad. This I repeated feveral times, a remark of fome confequence, in ifting us to determine whether, or w far, the emiflion of torporific rticles depends on the exertion of y mufcular forcet; upon which inciple, mr. Reaumur accounts for I have not ventured as yet to ve any opinion of the range prorty by which this fifh becomes the nductor of the electric fluid. But at the emiffion of it depends upon e exertion of mufcular force, may, think, be concluded from hence; at, as has already been determined, peated exertions will exhauft its wer to fhock, for a time, and bere it can again exert its influence, a eh quantity of fire must be collect1; nor do I think the experiment I ade on the dying eel invalidates is opinion; for to the best of my collection, it ceafed to fhock for >me time before its death. the benumbing power of the torpedo. I much doubt, if the most acute eye can difcern any motion in the cel at the time it fhocks. I have been fo particular in taking notice of the basket and deal-board, because it has been afferted, that the eel fhocks only by immediate contact, through metal or very hard wood. This eel is. frequently eaten by the negroes, and reckoned very delicious. Its common food is fhrimps, or any small fish. I have lately made another experi❤ ment upon the torporific cel. It was fuggefted to me by the very great fimilarity between the effects of a fhock from the ect and an electric machine. I held an iron rod between two pieces of glafs, and touched the eel with it, but could not perceive the leaft fhock. I held the rod in a filk handkerchief with the fame effect. I repeated thefe experiments on two eels with equal fuccefs. I think this experiment demonftrates that the electric and torporific particles are the fame. I have tried the effects of this fith upon the needle of a compass, but perceived no influence. I have not, however, done with the cel, and hereafter will repeat all the old and make new experiments upon it §. This fifh raifes its head every few minutes above the water, to refpire. I have feen negroes take hold of it, at firft very cautiously, receiving NOTES. I am informed the motion is perceptible, though I confefs I could not diftinguith it. § I had not been long in South America, when I made my obfervations; foon after which, the necellary avocations of my profellion, toge ther with that relaxation of the mantal powers generally confequent upon the laffitude of body incident to the inhabitants of warm climates, indifpofed ne to the farther profecution of experiments I am now mortified at not having made. A many light fhocks, but prefently have grasped it hard, and taken it out of the water. There is a kind of light wood through which the eel cannot shock, Mrs. Behn, in her Oroonoko, gives a defcription of this fifh, which the calls the numb eel, and fays it is taken in the river Surinam. From the above experiments, partial as they are, I leave you, fir, to judge, how far the torporific and electric fluids are alike. I am, with the greateft refpect and afleem, your most humble fervant, HENRY COLLINS FLAGG. South Carolina, October 8, 1782. Extract of a letter from his excellency Thomas Jefferfon, efq. minifter plenipotentiary at Paris, to the reverend prefident Stiles, of Yale College, dated Paris, September 1, 1786. I Return you my thanks for the communications relative to the western country. When we reflect how long we have inhabited thofe parts of America, which lie between the Alleghany and the ocean-that no monument has ever been found in them, which indicated the ufe of iron among its aboriginal inhabitants-that they were as far advanced in arts, at least, as the inhabitants on the other fide of the Alleghany-a good degree of infidelity may be excufed as to the new difcoveries, which fuppofe regular fortifications of brick work to have been in use among the Indians, on the waters of the Ohio. Intrenchments of earth they might indeed make; but brick is more difficult. The art of making it may have preceded the use of iron; but it would fuppofe a greater degree of industry than men in the bunter flate ufually poffefs. I fhould like to know, whether general Parfons himself faw actual bricks among the remains of fortification. I fup pose the fettlement of our continent. is of the molt remote antiquity; the fimilitude between its inhabitants and those of the eastern parts of Afia, renders it probable that ours are defcended from them, or they from ours. The latter is my opinion, founded on this fingle fat. Among the red inhabitants of Afia there are but a few languages radically diffe rent: but among Led our Indians, the number of languages is infi nite, which are fo radically different as to exhibit at prefent no ap pearance of their having been deriv ed from a common fource. The time neceffary for the generation of fo many languages must be immenfe. A countryman of yours, a mr. yard, who was with capt. Cooke on his laft voyage, propofes to go to Kamfchatka, crofs from thence to the weltern fide of America, and penetrate through the continent to our fide of it, or to go to Kentucke, and thence penetrate weftwardly to be fouth fea. He went from hence lately to London, where, if he found a paffage to Kamfchatka, or the we tern coaft of America, he would avail himself of it: otherwife he pro pofed to return to our fide of Ant rica to attempt that route. I think him well calculated for fuch an enter prize, and wifh he may undertake ta Another countryman of your's, Trumbull, has paid us a vifit here. and brought with him two piduc, which are the admiration of corno feurs. His natural talents for this art feem almost unparalleled. For these twelve months paft, little new and excellent has appeared either is literature, or the arts. An abe Rochon has applied the metal called platina to the telescope, inflead the mixed metal of which the fpec were formerly compofed; it is in ceptible of ruft, as gold is, and se thinks its reflective power equal to that of the mixed metal. He has obferved a very curious effect of |