annihilating, and can make no pause between less and nothing. If mankind are really so extremely happy, as they would prove by their practices, why not modify gently? Is there no remedy for a plethora, but bleeding to death? These are questions which I could wish to recommend to the serious attention of our new doctors; for, although I have proved my position as an historical fact derived from the practice of the said doctors, I have, not bestowed, nor do not mean to bestow, more approbation upon it than can be fairly inferred from the general tenor of this letter. I am, sir, yours,

EUTYCHES.

To the Editor of Recreations in Agriculture, &c.

DEAR SIR,

I AM a young person who wishes much for information; and as I know of no better means of obtaining it than through your agreeable and useful Recreations, &c. I take the liberty of engrofsing a few moments of your precious time, and hope that you will either give this letter a place in your publication, or favour me yourself with answers to my questions.

Do you, Mr. Editor, who have thought so much and so well on advantageous discoveries and experiments for mankind, think that the manufacture of nettles into cloth can ever become beneficial to Great Britain and Ireland? May it not be the means of lefsening the quantities of that troublesome weed, and giving the poor a habit of industry? By increasing country businefs, shall we not decrease the number

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of idlers and dependants on charity, who abound sơ much in every parish? In England particularly, the soil of which is not so favourable to the growth of flax, as that of Ireland, may not the making of nettle cloth, if generally introduced, open new resources, of comfort and cleanliness to the most indigent, and consequently security to the most wealthy? For, I believe, we may look upon it as certain, that the more we promote the comforts of the poor, the more also shall we promote their honesty. You will oblige me extremely by informing me whether the nettle of which chintz is made in India, is a different species of urtica from that which is so common in these kingdoms; and also if you can supply me with an account of the process of the nettle manufacture. I attempted it last year; but failed, either from ignorance or the neglect of those whom I employed, to the great disappointment of many of my poorer neighbours, who had flattered themselves with hopes of profit from this apparently unprofitable plant.

I have been greatly entertained by your account of the different species of polypus tribe; but find your account of the manner of the propagation of the sea anemone very different from observations I made some time ago, when living near the sea.. I found numbers of this extraordinary animal sticking on all the rocks which were wet when the tide was in. The kind that I commonly found was of a deep red colour, and round the edge of the opening from whence the tentacula proceeded was a row of bright blue tubercles. I kept two of these in my room as long as I remained there, taking care to give them fresh sea water, and

some young shell fish; although somewhat hurt in taking them off the rock to which they were fastened, they continued in good health during my possession of them. After I had had them a few days, one of them, brought forth a young one, which was about the size of the head of a large pin, but was formed exactly like the old ones; and every day for some time that old one produced another, so that soon my stock was increased to nine or ten. This seems to be a different mode of propagation from what you have mentioned; and, although you may be already acquainted with it, you will not think me impertinent, I am sure, for communicating it.

I hope you will soon favour me with an answer to my queries through your Recreations, of which I am a constant reader. The encouragement of such a man as you are, Mr. Editor, will be of great service to your humble servant, JUVENIS.

In answer to the above queries, I beg leave to state that a very good cloth can be made of nettles, which pofsefses one quality that renders it valuable for some purposes. This, like most other useful discoveries, was made by accident. Some poor women, fishermen's wives near Leith in Scotland, gathered some nettles, steeped them in water like flax, dressed it, and spun it into coarse yarn, of which a kind of canvas was made. As their husbands were in the practice of dredging oysters, and sending them to Glasgow in canvas bags, some bags for this purpose were made of the nettle canvas, which was found to answer the purpose much better than that made from hemp, as it was much longer before it rotted. It should be

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steeped and dressed in the same way as flax, but it
requires to lie longer in water before it be fit to be
dressed. It is harder to the touch than cloth made of
hemp or flax.

That a useful filament may be obtained from the
common nettle is thus established beyond a doubt;
yet I doubt much if it ever can be made to answer
the views of the benevolent writer. The nettle, were
it to be cultivated for use, would be found to be very
difficult to rear. Unless it be upon a very rich soil,
it is a dwarfish plant; it would therefore be more dif-
ficult to obtain it in quantities than either flax or hemp;
and the steeping of it requires a degree of attention
and accuracy that I am afraid the description of per-
sons he refers to could never be prevailed upon to be-
stow. I know of no cloth that is made in India of
nettles. Chintz is made of cotton wool.

Varieties of the sea anemone, as well as of the polypus, admit of being propagated different ways, by slips, cuttings, and seeds.

[The signature above has been altered from a Youthful Inquirer to Juvenis, because a former correspondent had adopted the signature a Young Inquirer. It is the wish of the Editor that no signature that has been formerly occupied may be afsumed by any of his correspondents.]

To the Editor of Recreations in Agriculture, &c.

SIR,

New Inn, 6th Dec. 1800. I SHALL be much obliged to you if you will inform me, through the medium of your en

common custom practised in this and other parts of the kingdom, of placing the poker transversely over the fire when almost extinguished, in order to assist in making it burn; and whether it is any particular. property in the iron that causes that effect, or, whether any other thing, for instance a piece of wood, placed in the same manner, would answer the same purpose. I should not have presumed to trouble you with this question; but, having inquired of several persons, without obtaining any satisfactory information, and not having in my possession any book which explains the properties of metals, I am induced to trespass on your well-known indulgence for an answer. Perhaps this request may cause a smile, on account of the apparent unimportance of the subject; but if it be considered, that there is scarcely any custom whatever (adhered to at this time) that had not its foun-dation in good sense, or in peculiar usefulness, it will not, I think, appear so very trifling; and I submit the question to your consideration, in order that the practice, if useful, may be more generally known.

Having been a constant reader of your work from its first publication, and having perused it with great pleasure, and I hope with some profit, I beg leave to congratulate you on the great succefs which I understand it has experienced. The communications of your correspondent Timothy Hairbrain have given me great satisfaction; I much regret, therefore, the discontinuance of his observations, and am particularly sorry that the conclusion of the elegant and well-told tale of the Recluse has not been inserted according to your promise.

I take the liberty of sending you the inclosed letter,