bay, if the process of bending the plank by fire be adopted. | interest, pray insert them in your excellent publication. Some time ago taking a ride on the banks of the Run, I discovered, several herds of those curious animals, amounting to sixty or seventy, and wishing to have a nearer view, I gallopped towards them, and although mounted on a horse of proved speed, I never could approach nearer than 20 yards, and they did not appear to be at their speed,-A dog which accompanied The Malabar teak timber is very justly considered superior in quality to the timber brought from Rangoon and Java, in consequence of its being all hill timber, whereas the timber brought from Java and Rangoou is from a low, flat country; but if the timber merchants at Rangoon were encouraged to supply hill timber, which might be obtained in any quantity, Limagine it would be found little inferior to theme was close at their heels, when they teak from the forests of Malabar. Raja- turned and pursued him with an angry mundry hill teak, from the East side of the snorting noise. Ghauts, in the territories of the Nizam, This Ass which is by the natives called may also be procured in any quantity, and Khur, (the Persian appellation of that anias the river Godavery affords a ready and ma!), is considerably longer than in its expeditious mode of conveying it to Co- tame state-the body is of an ash colour, ringa, it may be brought to Calcutta, at which gradually fading, becomes a dirty as little expence, as the tinber of Malabar white under the belly. The ears and incurs in its passage to Bombay. It was shoulder stripe resemble, as far as I could formerly usual in the construction of ship-judge, those of the common kind; but its ping at Bombay, to fill up the dead wood head seemed much longer, and its limbs abaft with masonry, a practice which more roughly and strongly formed. The had frequently preserved ships from foun-natives of this country describe the Khur dering, and which cannot be too strongly as excessively watchful,-so that it is recommended by Your Obedient Servant, caught with difficulty.-It breeds on the Calcutta, March 29, 1814. MERCATOR. banks of the Run, and on the salt islands in the centre of that tract.—It brouzes ou the saline and stunted vegetation found in the desert, and in Nov. and Dec. advances into the country in herds of hundreds, to the utter destruction of the grain fields. This animal is accordingly caught in pits; and is found to be fierce and untameable. They bite and kick in the most dangerous manner, accompanied by the angry snort ON THE WILD ASS OF INDIA, AND PERSIA. voice. Their flesh is esteemed good food, by some of the lowest castes of natives, who lie in wait for them near the drinking places. I must not omit to notice a singu The Wild Ass is a creature so seldom seen by scientific men, and so little known among us, that every opportunity of describing it, or of becoming acquainted with its manners, should be embraced. In geueral, it inhabits desert plains, and salting, which appears to be their only marshes of great extent. For the most part it is found in Persia, and on the wilds bordering on that Empire; from which apparently, those described in the annexedlar idea which is entertained in the councommunication have wandered, although they may now breed, as the writer describes. A male and female of this species were brought to Petersburgh by Professor Gmelin, an account of which was published by Professor Pallas, and may be seen in Rozier's Journal de Physique, 1782: or in Taylor's Scripture Illustrated, on Job xxxix. 5. with figures. try regarding this ass, which is, that the told that an entire male is seldom or never E CATARACT OF TEQUENDAMA, IN SPANISH AMERICA. The following description of one of the wonders of nature is taken from Mr. Walton's Translation of M. Beaujour's “Sketch of the United States of America." The scenery it describes is too sublime to need any apology for presenting it to our readers. It is an addition by Mr. W. At Confessedly sublime and majestic as are the falls of Niagara, they nevertheless do not exceed that of Tequendama, situated on the river Santa Fe de Bogotá, capital of the kingdom of New Granada, about five miles to the west of that city, stands this stupendous production of nature. To it the road leads through a tall and thick forest. The traveller, at a great distance, hears the dash and roar of its precipitated waters, his imagination is already wound up to the highest pitch of curiosity, and, as he emerges from the verdant gloom, this sublime cataract, at once rushes on his sight, and fills him with wonder and amazement. By barometrical and thermometrical observations, the height was found to be 1,050 feet, or more than the actual mea surement; and it is experienced, that the lower atmosphere, or that which surrounds the basin, is more vapourous and heated. than the higher climate of the river. This is also confirmed by the species of trees. which grow on the margins of each.Paints, the chinchona, and several tropical plants, grow below, but are not found above; some birds, also, peculiar to warmer climates, are noticed below, such as the guacamayos aud others, which are never seen to ascend. aid, to give a finish to this magnificent scene, and confer on it a stamp of grandeur, unequalled in any other part of the globe. The surrounding picturesque scenery, interspersed with overhanging woods and Here, indeed, he beholds a prodigy of groves, studded with immense piles of nature. The compressed waters of the ri-Shining granite, placed as it were by the ver of Santa Fé, descend with impetuosity, and of nature, to confine the impetuosity bursting through a variety of large gleus and break the force of the waters, added which are crowned with sightly and lofty to the birds of prey which inhabit and flit trees, and after rapidly flowing over and round the crags above, together with the amidst craggy rocks, at length rush over melodious notes and variegated plumage of the great Fall of Tequendama. As the ri-those which assemble in the forests below, ver approaches, it is streightened into a species of canal, and its immense vole of water issues in the shape of an extended arch, falling into a beautiful basin below, of more than a league in circumference.This basin is rippled to the extremest margin, by the force of the cataract, in continued agitated undulations, and covered with froth and spray. Generally, in an afternoon, when the sun can no longer illumine from the overhanging and interven ing forests, this basin is scarcely visible, owing to the watery particles which flit in the air, and form a resplendent iris in seve ral parts, producing, particularly at midday, a most brilliant effect. A geometrical plan, views, elevations, and measurements of this unique curiosity, were, for the first time, sent over to the King of Spain, in 1790. The spout or precipitated volume of water, does not at once fall into the basin before described, but previously falls on three steps of bright massive granite, causing in its fall, three distinct strokes, and as many graduated bodies of agitated froth and rising vapour, and producing a treble roar impossible to describe. The dimensions of these grades or steps are as follow:- I have here been induced to wander from my rigid duty of translator, in subjoining the above description, from a wish to correct the idea prevalent amongst ourselves, as well as the French, since the time of Charlevoix, that the Falls of Niagara are the most interesting and sublime of any in the known world. I am also happy in being able to render this piece of justice to the sister continent of the south, with whose scenery and sublime works of creation, we are hitherto little acquainted. This short outline, added to the following scale of contrasts between the most remarkable waterfalls of other parts of the world, will enable M. Beaujour, as well as my fellow countrymen, to judge whether the Fall of Tequendama, does not greatly excel that of Niagara, and whether it does not amply deserve the Roman inscription of Nulli cedo. The water-fall of Cohoez, near Albany Feet. 50 44 5) ON THE CALCULATED INEXHAUSTIBILITY OF THE COAL MINES OF BRITAIN, by counties of Northumberland and Durham, as existing circumstances will admit. second positions on which my estimate is I shall, therefore adopt, as the first and founded, these stated by Dr. Thompson, "that the quantity of coals contained in the Newcastle formation alone, extends in A conviction of the importance of coal to length from N. to S. 23 miles, and that its the welfare of Britain, induced us to give average breadth is 8 miles, making a sur-› a place to an article that was in public cir-face of rather more than 180 square miles, culation, and authenticated by the position-that the average thickness of the or 557,568,000 square yards.' The third different strata in this extensive coal formation is SO feet, is I apprehend, for reasons given in the sequel, totally inadmissible: on the contrary, it appears to me that the average of the different strata of working coal pits in the above formation, instead of being thirty feet is probably not more than three of cubic yards of coal is exactly the same as feet, and consequently, that the quantity that of the superficial, viz. 557,568,000 instead of being, as Dr. T. makes it, ten times as much! The position" that each cubic yard contains a chaldron, or $6 bushels and measure) of coals," is probably accu rate, but very different is the following, "that each chaldron of coals weighs 14 tons" !! and also the succeeding calculations founded on this palpable error, are manifestly fallacious. It is a fact well known to every one who has even the most superficial knowledge of the coal trade, that the average weight of a chaldron, or 36 bushels of land measured coals, is not 14 tons, but 14 name of a respectable gentleman, every way qualified to investigate the subject. From the same motive, we lose no time in communicating to the public an examination of the Dr's. estimates. We, who know how constantly the press commits mistakes, which are not discovered till too late to be corrected, suppose something of the kind has occurred in this case, but wherever it rests the error demands inquiry. Had Dr. Thompson in view the Newcastle chaldron, which is double the London chaldron? or any other measurement, local, but not ge neral? To the Editor of the Literary Panorama. Sir, I am induced by a perusal of Dr. Thompson's statement of the inexhaustibility of British Coal Mines, in your last num-fóns, though owing to the state of dryness, ber, to present to you, and to the numerous readers of your very respectable miscellany of entertainment and information, the following remarks on this subject of national importance. I doubt not but it was the intention of the respectable writer, to convey accurate information to the Public, I trust he will do me the justice to believe that the following strictures are dictated by no mean and illiberal spirit of hypercriticism. My only wish is to concur with Dr. Thompson, in presenting to your readers, as clear and accurate ideas on the probable supply, consumption, and duration of Coal Mines in the If we are not mistaken an error of transcription, or of the press, produced no small confusion in the House of Commons, and occasioned Sir Home Popham much vexation. It was the price of a smoke sail to his ship in India, charged in his accounts £75. when it should have stood, £7. 5. meaning seven pounds five shillings, which corresponded to the price at which it was charged in rupees, in another column of the same documents. or moisture, the different qualities of coals -or other adventitious circumstancesthere may be occasional variations of 2 or 3 cwt. per chaldron. The Dr's. conclusion, therefore, from this erroneous principle, that twenty eight millions of tons of coals would be annually raised from this formation, is so far from being correct, that not one tenth part of that quantity would be annually raised.. Probably the similarity of appearance in the figures of 14 tons and 14 tons might be the cause of this egregious error, which however it is worthy of remark, would be nearly countervailed by that respecting the average depth of the strata of coal, being estimated at ten yard's instead of one as above stated. The estima tion of one third for waste, in working of coal, I apprehend to be greatly over rated, perhaps one sixth would be nearer the truth. Be this as it may, the result of the Drs. estimate and calculations must be no less erroneous than the principles on whichthey appear to be founded. Apprehending,therefore,that I am at once co-operating with the intentions of your' respectable correspondents, and rendering an acceptable service to your publication | proach the period of exhaustion, after the and its readers, I shall briefly state, what lapse of more than two centuries, the kingappears to me a more accurate estimate of dom of Great Britain, and perhaps even the probable supply, consumption, and the immediate vicinity of the present coal duration of the coal formation, including formation in Northumberland and Durham, the number of cubic yards, or chaldrons of may contain still more extensive and excoals before mentioned, viz. 557,568,000. haustless repositories. Sincerely wishing the success of your rapidly improving Panorama, may entitle you to adopt the glorious motto of the immortal Nelson- Palmam qui meruit ferat." I remain Sir, Your constant reader, March 16th, 1915. ON THE EGYPTIAN STYLE OF With a Plate. The style of Architecture adopted in has gradually changed from the Gothic to the Roman, and from the Roman to the Greek; very recently, several attempts have been made to familiarize the Egyptian style among us. It has not, however, been employed in any of our public edifices; or in such as might by their authority sanction its establishment. We know that the Chinese style was at one time the rage; and nothing but Pagodas with their dragons and bells, were seen in the grounds of gentlemen, and zigzag cross-bars, with finely patterned involutions, decorated every pallisade in town and country. My reasons for estimating the average depth of the different strata at one yard only instead of ten, are these-Having had occasion upwards of forty years ago, to reside a few weeks at Newcastle, I was induced by the curiosity natural to youth, not only to visit several coal mines, in that neighbourhood, but to descend to the bottom of one about twenty fathoms in depth, where I had a complete view of the whole process of working and raising the coals from the mire. The stratum or stam (as it is technically called) of coal, was about six feet in thickness, which the proprietor of the mine who accompanied myself and friends on this occasion, assured me was to his certain knowledge, the highest in the whole country; he added, that the least which were worked, were about 15 or 18 inches, and that the general average might be about three feet. Such was the informa-modern times, among our men of Virtu, tion which I then received from a very respectable and opulent proprietor, living in the centre of the coal formation; and on this I have formed my estimate. What variations may have occurred since, I am unable to conjecture; though probably they | are not considerable. I shall therefore take 557,568,000 for the aggregate number of ubic yards, or chaldrons, in the above stated coal formation, in the adjoining Counties of Northumberland and Durham, from which deducting one sixth or 94,594,666 for waste in working, there will remain 462,978,324 chaldrons, or cubic yards, which at an annual consumption of two millions according to Dr. T's. estimate, (which I apprehend not only to be underrated, but that the consumption is rapidly increasing, for reasons too obvious to mention), would constitute a supply for upwards of 231 years. In addition to this ample depot, it is to be considered, that it very frequently happens, when a seam or stratum of coals at a certain depth, (20 or 30 fathoms) is worked out, another, often more productive, is found, by going lower, and this operation is greatly facilitated by the wonderful improvements made since I was at Newcastle (and daily making) in that noble invention, by which, even at that period of its infancy, the superfluoys water was effectually drained off from various pits, though with much more labor and expence than at present. But eyen supposing these ample supplies to ap True it is, nevertheless, that the remains of Egyptian Architecture by their solidity, by their magnitude, by their simplicity of parts, and by their antiquity, now operating strongly in their favour, produce wonderful impressions on the eye and the mind. We have annexed a plate of one of the most striking examples, now standing; partly to exhibit this ancient style of art, and partly to enable our readers and correspondents in India, to compare this with any specimen which they may consider as resembling it in that country. There is every reason to believe that the arts of India travelled to Egypt; and if it could be proved that the Egyptian style of art is of Hindoo origin, and transferred to its western seat, that discovery may enable us to date constructions, the history of which is now lost in the lapse of ages. It would confirm also the notion of a common origin |