vour to subvert the faith of the Christian, and who cast their foul reproaches at its defenders, ought to be openly denounced by the steady friends of truth. Complaisance under such circumstances, is treason against the best interests of mankind.

Suppose it could be shown,which it cannot, that the widely spread and astonishing effects attributed by Professor Buckland to a general, simultaneous deluge, might, in all their circumstances, be accounted for by partial successive floods; would this invalidate, or even weaken the Professor's inference? To have any weight against the combined force of testimony and inference, it must, in addition to this, be established, that a general deluge would be inconsistent with the facts;-that, at least in parts, the phenomena are inexplicable by the cause assigned.

It is puerile trifling to tell us that partial floods can produce, pro tanto, effects exactly similar to those of a general one. Of those partial alleged inundations, one at least must be shown to have occurred at every place; and the effects ascribed to them, must carry unequivocal indications that they were successive. To suffer the imagination widely to wander over immense durations of time, and arbitrarily to assume a long succession in the operation of causes, when the effects to be accounted for, exhibit no distinctions of date, but, on the contrary, every indication of contemporaneous production, is in itself unreasonable; but to do this, in preference to admitting a well attested and simultaneous cause, is not the part of rational deduction, but of unlicensed theory and inveterate prejudice. (To be continued.)

Chronometers.-The publick are aware that the Lords of the Admiralty give annual premiums to the three artists whose chronometers perform with the least variation from mean time within prescribed limits. In December terminated the ninth annual trial of skill of the numerous artists employed in the construction of chronometers. The prizes were awarded to the following makers:-Mr. Cotterell, Oxford street; Mr. Frodsham, jun., Change alley; Mr. Webster, Cornhill. The actual error, on any of their rates, during the year, did not amount to one second of time, a degree of accuracy unprecedented in three chronometers in former trials. So perfectly were they adjusted, that either would have enabled a mariner to navigate a vessel round the world with less than one mile error in longitude at the close of such voyage.-Repertory of Patent Inventions for June.

Thermometers.-There are three kinds of thermometers. Fahrenheit's, commonly used in England and the United States; Reaumur's, which is used in France and most parts of continental Europe, except Russia and Sweden, where that of Celsius, or the Centigrade, is most in favour. In Fahrenheit's thermometer the range beCh. Adv.-VOL. X.

tween the freezing and boiling points is divided into 180 degrees-the former being marked 320, and the latter 212°, zero or 0° being placed 32 degrees below the freezing point.

Reaumur's thermometer divides the space between the freezing and boiling points of water into 80°, and places the zero 0° at the freezing point.

Celsius's thermometer divides the range between the boiling and freezing points of water in 100°, and on this account is the most convenient and intelligible.

To reduce the degrees indicated by Fahrenheit, to corresponding degrees on Reaumur's thermometer, subtract 32 from the degree given, multiply the remainder by 4, and divide the sum by 9.

To reduce Reaumur to Fahrenheit, multiply the degree given by 9, divide the sum by 4, and add 32.

To reduce the Centigrade to Fahrenheit, multiply the degree given by 9-and divide the sum by 5, and add 32.

To reduce Fahrenheit to Centigrade, subtract 32 from the degree given, multiply the remainder by 5, and divide the sum by 9.

Discovery of a new Comet.-About 11 o'clock in the night of the 19th July, M. 3 F

Gambart, Director of the Observatory at Marseilles, discovered a new comet. It is very small, and without a train, and is invisible to the naked eye. Its position in its right ascension is about 250 degrees, and in its northern declination 26 degrees. This comet was observed at Paris, on Wednesday, when its right ascension was 242 degrees, and its declination only 13 degrees. Galignani's Messenger.

A spring has lately been discovered in Hamilton County, Florida. It is a boiling spring, the boil of which is fifteen feet across; it then runs off through a channel varying from twelve to fifteen feet wide, and about forty feet long, the water is then drawn under a rock, with tremendous force; it is then thirty feet to the river where it breaks out again; the banks that confine the water are of solid rock, and very clear; the water is almost even with the top; the spring is said by some to discharge from fifteen to twenty hogsheads in a minute; the suck is thought to be of great depth, from the circumstance of a man dropping his shoe accidentally in-it was about five minutes before it came out into the river. It is said to perform some wonderful cures. A person went there that had lost the use of his arm, another of both his legs, one woman that was blind and had been blind for several years, a man with the dropsy, and one with the white swelling, and they were all cured, and came away as sound as ever they were in their lives. There is thrown out by the force of the water, oyster shells, little stones, sharks' teeth, and the claw or toe nail of some animal which is said to be three inches long. Another instance of the benefit of this water might be noticed. An old man went to the spring, troubled with the rheumatism in both legs, half bent, being drawn with the pains, and his finger joints about twice as large as natural-he could not raise his hands to his head when he left home-he staid there ten days only, getting to the spring by being carried down by the people. He said that he was much better, and felt as young as though he was but twenty-five.

The King Bird, or, Bee Catcher.Mr. Editor-I have kept bees for several years, and have always observed that the king bird was remarkably busy in the vicinity of my bees, from about the 1st of June, till the middle of September, and that too, in the afternoon, in fair weather. Having heard it argued by some, that this bird caught and devoured bees, and by others that they did not, I determined this season to satisfy myself whether they did or not. I therefore killed a number of them, and upon examination, found their gizzards, (I could not discover that they had any crop,) filled with bees, some nearly entire, and some in fragments, and

upon further examination, found that the bees were all drones. I am, therefore, satisfied that they do not meddle with the working bees, unless through mistake. The question naturally arises, is the swarm injured by their preying upon the drones? W.H.

N. Almond, July 18, 1832.

Phenomenon in Rain Water.-A correspondent in the following communication, takes notice of certain unusual properties recently observable in rain water.—Miner's Journal.

Sir-I have remarked, and I find others have also, during the last two or three weeks, a circumstance, which, as it may have some connexion with the sickness which has been lately scourging a great part of the country, is deserving of notice. It is this: Rain water which has been caught in a large and perfectly clean cask, after standing but a few minutes has be come, both in appearance and to the feel, of a slimy, jelly-like quality-very unpleasant to use, even for the purpose of washing one's hands. I have repeatedly let the water off, and on the cask being filled again after another shower, the same thing has taken place. Can this be accounted for on any other supposition than that clouds of minute insects, too small to be observed by the naked eye, and floating in the atmosphere, have been washed down by the heavy rains we have had? Probably if these rains have been general, as a consequence we shall hear of a rapid decrease in the numbers of the sick. It does not appear to me that the spread of the Asiatick pestilence to this part of the world can be accounted for on any other ground-nor can we imagine how the crew and passengers of a vessel leaving a port in England perfectly healthy, and continuing so for seven or eight days at sea, should suddenly be attacked by the disease, excepting we allow they fell in with the stream of pestilential air which was then on its way across the vast expanse of water to us. J. P.

Pottsville, Aug. 21, 1832.

Mayville, Monday, Aug. 20, 1832. Messrs. Editors-In these times, when a dire pestilence is devastating our large cities and villages, carrying thousands of our fellow-creatures to their graves, it is natural that all our superstitious notions should be roused, and that we should more particularly observe any phenomenon that may occur. But aside from all superstition or excitement, the phenomenon that occurred in this village on Sunday morn ing last, is perfectly unaccountable to all who observed it, and all with whom I have conversed on the subject. On Saturday night we had a heavy fall of rain which continued until late on Sunday morning. Immediately after the rain had subsided,

there was observed on the fences, door sills, and door steps of houses facing the southwest, and also on boards and boxes, &c., lying in yards, and on logs and trees in the woods near this village, a mucilagi. nous matter of a light colour, not sopy, but of liver jelly, apparently having fallen in large drops, and spread from the size of a five cent piece, to that of a fifty cent piece, and from the sixteenth of an inch to the eighth of an inch thick. As this slime or matter began to dry or congeal, there was observed to be suspended in it specks of a darkish colour, resembling in substance, curdles in sap or wine; and some persons who examined it, imagined that they could discover live insects in these specks.

The matter when nearly dry assumed a yellow and greenish tinge. What natural cause has produced this matter, or from whence has it come? Has our atmosphere disgorged itself of that something, which, during the past season, has benumbed our faculties, damped our spirits,

and sent death and consternation into our populous cities? Or is it a venomous matter that has been thrown upon our earth, that will prove to be the seeds of pestilence and death? The former we trust and hope is the fact, for we have to-day a beautiful clear sky, and a bland and buoyant atmosphere; it appears as if a veil had been removed from the heavens, and all nature rejoicing in grateful thanksgiving to the Great First Cause.

I have made the above imperfect sketch, hoping that through the medium of your paper, it may meet the eye of some of the learned, who will explain to us the cause and nature of this unusual occurrence.

MAYVILLE.

Artificial Hands.-The Salem, Massachusetts, Gazette, mentions that Mr. Increase Hill, an ingenious artizan in that town, has just finished a pair of artificial hands, which in their admirable adaptation to the multifarious uses of those important members, are said to surpass any thing of the kind ever before seen in this quarter. The unfortunate young man to whose necessities they are destined to adminis ter, came from the country, and has already tested their efficiency in various ordinary manipulations, such as writing, cutting food, &c.

It is a fact worth noticing, that every man who carries a watch on a sunny day, has a ready, and efficient means for obtaining fire, when the sun is near his me. ridian altitude. If the crystal of the watch be opened and filled with water, it forms a plano-convex lens, by which the solar rays are reduced to a focus, which being thrown on any dark coloured combustible body, will cause it to take fire-Salem Register.

Portland, Aug. 27, 1832.

Snow on the 26th of August.-The White Mountains were yesterday covered with snow. They were distinctly seen from the Observatory in this city, and from the appearance, the snow must have been several inches deep. The weather here for two or three days has been uncommonly cold for the season.

The difference between rising at 5 and 7 o'clock in the morning for the space of forty years, supposing a man to go to bed at the same hour at night, is nearly equivalent to an addition of ten years to a man's life.-Doddridge,

duze Society 100 Bibles and 100 Testaments; and they write:

"Our Committee, filled with gratitude towards the London Committee, have been induced to afford them a proof of it, although we confess that it falls below our wishes, and is far from equal to what we would desire to manifest on the occasion. As we obtained but very little from the distribution of the Scriptures granted to us by the Benevolent Committee of the Parent Bible Society, we have passed a humble, but affectionate vote, to offer, as a small tribute of friendship and gratitude to it, the little sum of 200 francs."

Mr. Appert, mentioned in former Reports, has likewise distributed 5,610 copies of De Sacy's Testament, in a considerable number of places, and has received 182 francs, "the humble mites," as he terms them, of poor country people. This gentleman has also made inquiries respecting copies that had been confided by him to various individuals in about twenty different places, and had received information of a satisfactory character. Supplies have also been forwarded to the Society in the Canton De Vaud, and to your agent, Dr. Pinkerton, at Frankfort.

But, in order to convey a better idea of the extraordinary demand for the Scriptures which has occurred in France during the last year, your Committee must refer you to the annexed extracts from the correspondence of Professor Kieffer, only remarking that it has given them the greatest satisfaction to learn, that the writers of the following letters are persons who for themselves value the Scriptures, and thence draw their motives to exertion.

souls who, from being hitherto sunk either in unbelief or superstition, are now beginning to feel the necessity and to enjoy the comforts of religion. Every where in these parts people are agitated, and are determined to examine for themselves; but unfortunately I am labouring under serious difficulties for various reasons. The first is, where to find depositaries who are truly inspired with a desire of making known to others Him who is the way, the truth, and the life, and who are willing to labour with that degree of zeal which the remarkable period in which we live requires; the second difficulty is one which those of the character just described, whom I employ, experience in common with myself, namely, of obtaining payment for the Scriptures issued. Several districts are extremely poor, and it is chiefly after visiting and addressing the members of the families in them, that we are obliged to furnish them with the Sacred Volume gratis. It would be painful to put a stop to this kind of distribution, which, beyond contradiction, is exceedingly useful, inasmuch as many families of the poor are anxious to obtain the Scriptures, and the exhortations addressed perusal of them beneficial." to them strongly contribute to render the

From the same:

"My short journey among the Pyrenees has confirmed me in the conviction which

I already entertained, that the present are important times, and that now is the favourable moment for abundantly distributing the Bible, leaving it to the Lord to water the precious seed thus sown.

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These multitudes have very obscure ideas, nor do they feel much de

sire to seek in the word of God that know

ledge of the way of salvation of which they stand so greatly in need. The Bible

is to them an unknown book. On this account it is that all our efforts ought to be

directed to make them acquainted with it. At no period were large distributions so greatly wanted, and the British and Foreign Bible Society has never been appeal

ed to in so remarkable a manner as at

present, by the state of religion in France, to exert all its energies in its behalf. It must naturally be expected that little can be obtained in a pecuniary point of view; our distributions ought to be of such a na

"I see more and more how wide the field is in which we are called to labour, and how much still remains to be done, in order to put the word of God into the hands of those who are desirous of possessing it. Scarcely ever was there a more propitious period than that which is now offered to the friends of the Gospel, for rallying round the cross multitudes of

those who may not feel inclined to make any sacrifice to obtain them, but whose moral character offers a sufficient guarantee that they will not keep them hidden in their possession. It is necessary,-and this it is which exhausts a great proportion of the proceeds of sales,-that enlightened colporteurs should go from cottage to cottage, from house to house, and from mansion to mansion, in order to distribute Bibles and Testaments at a very low price.

This is exactly what I am labouring to carry into effect with zeal, and what, thanks be to the Author of every good and perfect gift! I am beginning to be able to accomplish."

From the same:

"This gives you the measure of what has been for many years the religious ideas of many; the most melancholy circumstance was, that the word of God remained completely unknown, or, if spoken of, was considered as any other prayer-book or catechism, and even more undervalued; but things have a good deal changed for some time past. The immense number of copies of the New Testament which have been diffused among the lower orders have materially modified public opinion, at least in many places; men now begin to reflect, that if these are the words of Christ and his Apostles, they are to be obeyed. The moment is, then, peculiarly favourable, and we have tried to improve it. Besides the Protestants, whom we employ to sell the Scriptures in the public square, two Jews go through every street and lane, and sell the New Testa ment at low prices among the lowest orders of society. The word of God has now penetrated into places

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where it had never been heard of before. In the G-, at A-, and G, HG, Hautes and Basses Pyrennees, &c. it is pleasing to think that the inveterate opposition which had existed for so many years is now subsiding, and that the word of God is received with thankfulness and joy by Roman Catholics.

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I am convinced that before long we shall see many conversions, not only to Protestantism, but to vital Christianity: there is an emotion among the dry bones, and notwithstanding the prevalent impiety, many wish to hear of the things of Christ. It is surprising to see the earnestness with which soldiers ask for the New Testament; we met one in the military prison reading it with deep attention, though he did not suspect our approach: many have carried theirs to the galleys, where they are perhaps an odour of life to their companions in misfortune."

From the same:

"My brothers, as well as myself, consider it as a great privilege to be able to labour in different ways for extending the knowledge of Him who is the way, the truth, and the life. Moreover, in the awful times in which we live, there is no work which requires, on the part of Christians, a more active interest than the diffusion of the word of God; and it affords us the most delightful feelings to think, that we may be enabled to convey it throughout the whole of the south of France. You will always find us ready, if the Lord is pleased

to grant us his grace, to devote our time, our strength, and our influence, to this sacred work."

From the same:

"With regard to ourselves, who cannot forbear comparing the time gone by with the present, we are unable to express our lively gratitude for so remarkable a change. Assuredly God has done wonders for this country, and has directed every thing in such a manner, that his word obtains more and more free course among us. A number of villages in the most retired situations, and whither a single New Testament had perhaps never before penetrated, have been abundantly supplied with the copies. In the neighbouring fairs and markets many have been disposed of, particularly in places wholly inhabited by Roman Catholics. * The Bible, which for

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a long time had been considered as a Protestant book, begins to be looked upon by many as the revelation of God to all Christians. # We do not hesitate to declare, that we are arrived at the very period of time when you are more especially called upon to render greater sorvices than ever your labours could effect, at least in behalf of France."

Extracts of letters from friends of Mr. Frank Courtois:

"According to your advice, I have therefore deemed it requisite to join with three or four young friends, who, by means of their connexions, their experience, and their faith in God, may enable me to profit by the joint co-operation of their services and their prayers.

"As the Bible, through the medium of the Paris Bible Society, is now to be found in almost all Protestant families, it becomes, I think, our duty to direct our special attention to the dissemination of the word of God among Roman Catholics; and in order to encourage one another, and to conduct our labours with more regularity, it may perhaps be useful to form a small committee amongst us. One circumstance alone might tend to keep us back and to restrain our operations, namely, the conviction that we shall be obliged to make our distributions gratis, and without receiving any money in return. You have, however, as far as I remember, told me that it is necessary to sow before we can expect to reap. I call to mind also the observation of Dr. Carey, 'venture great things for the Lord, and you will see great things;' and the sole object of your Society is to disseminate the Bible. Besides this, it is the work of God, and his faithfulness is great! Rely, therefore, at all times on our determination to do all we can to assist you."