their mouths, and breathing, like Chimeras, smoke and flame from morning to night. The number of workmen, including colliers, employed in the different mines around Holywell, are about feven hundred.

Perilous as the bufinefs of mining appears to be, one naturally expects to hear of frequent accidents among the workmen. Habit, however, renders them fo expert, that serious cafualties feldom occur. Some hairbreadth 'fcapes,' indeed, are on record, which, had they not been told us by those whofe veracity is unqueftionable, we fhould not have very haftily given credit to. Of these the following are most remarkable:

A few years fince, a workman fell down the shafts of a mine in the neighbourhood of Holywell, nearly one hundred and twenty feet deep, and was fo little incommoded by the fudden defcent, as to exclaim to his companions above, who were anticipating his immediate death, Ecod, I've broke my clogs*.

་

A coachman of Mr Pennant, alfo, fell down a coal pit, with fimilar good fortune.

Thefe, however, were nothing, when compared to the adventure of a man now living at Whiteford, near Holywell, who, when a lad, had tumbled into one of thefe mines, of three hundred feet, and escaped alive.

Not more than two or three years fince, the roof of a neighbouring mine gave way fo fuddenly, that a poor workman, not having time to cfcape, was inftantly overwhelmed

with the foundering earth. Standing fortunately at this time under a mais of rock, he efcaped being immediately crushed to death; but as there were many thousand tons of earth above him, the melancholy profpect of certain deftruction, by means the most lingering and terrible, ftill prefented itself to him. When the accident happened, he had half a pound of candles in his hand, and upon this, and the trickling water that distilled through the cracks of the rock, he fubfifted nine days, until his faithful companions, who, with an anxious folicitude that does honour to humanity, worked inceffantly (fpell and fpell) for nine days and as many nights, at length reached, and liberated him from the horrible prison in which he was immured.

A fingular inftance of providential prefervation occurred alfo in a coalmine at Moftyn park, a few miles from the scene of the laft wonder. As twelve men were following their employment in the dark receffes of the mountain, the water fuddenly burst in, and in a few minutes must have overwhelmed them all. The rope, however, by which the bucket is drawn up, happened to be hanging down at this critical moment, and the whole party clinging to it, hallooed luftily to their companions above to pull them up. Their cries were heard, and the people immediately wound up the rope, which brought them fafely to the top, though it had that very day been condemned as too old and unfafe to be longer used.

IN IN the course of laft month was found dead in his bed at the Carpenter's Arms, a public houfe in the parish of Wick, Gloucefterfhire, about fix miles from Bath, James White, Efq. a gentleman well known in the literary world. He was educated at the

univerfity of Dublin, and was efteemed an admirable fcholar, and poffeffed of brilliant parts. His conduct for four or five years past has been mark. ed by great wildnefs and eccentricity. He is faid to have conceived an ardent affection for a young lady, who,

he

he supposed, was as warmly attached to him; but (as he imagined) fome plot had been contrived to wean her regard, and to fruftrate all his future profpects in life. He attributed the failure of his application for patronage and employment from the great to the machinations of thofe plotters and contrivers, and even fuppofed their influence upon the London bookfellers prevented his literary talents being more amply rewarded. The winters of 1797 and 1798 he paffed in the neighbourhood of Bath, and many perfons noticed in the pump-room, the treets, or vicinity of the city, a thin, pale, emaciated man (between 30 and 40), with a wild, yet penetrating look, dreffed in a light coat of Bath coating. His means of fubfiftence were very fcanty, and he obliged the cravings of nature to keep within their limits: he has been known to debar himself of animal food for months, and to have given life a bare fubfiftence by a biscuit, a piece of bread, or a cold potatoe, and a glass of water. able to pay his lodgings, and too proud to afk relief, he would many nights wander about the fields, or feek repofe beneath a hay ftack; almoft exhaufted, he once took refuge in an inn at Bath, where his extraordinary conduct, and his refufing every futenance, alarmed the mistress, and impelled her to apply to the magiftrates; they humanely ordered him to be put under the care of the parish officers. Instead of appreciating thefe precautionary means as he ought to have done, he, in letters to fome perfons in Bath, complained of "the undue interference of magifterial authority, and this unconftitu. tional infringement of the liberty of the subject!" When his mind was more compofed, and his health partly recovered, he behaved with more moderation, and, though apparently fenfible of the good intended him, he trongly fufpected that his imaginary

Un

hoft of enemies had again been plotting. It was about this time that he published his "Letters to Lord Camden on the State of Ireland ;" the elegance and strength of his language, the fhrewdness of his remarks, and the perfpecuity of his arguments, were generally admired. A small fubfcription was privately raised for his relief; and, though given to him with a degree of delicacy, he could fcarcely be prevailed upon to take it but as a loan. He then left Bath, nor had the writer of this account heard of him till he learned that the Coroner's inqueft had been called to determine on his premature death. This unhappy gentleman had respectable relatives refiding in Bath; but who poffeffed no influence over his paffions, nor means of controuling his conduct.

The following is as accurate a List of his Works, as we have been able to obtain :

(1.) The Orations of Marcus Tullius Cicero againft Caius Cornelius Verres, tranflated, with Annotations, 4to. 1787.

(2.) Conway Caftle; Verfes to the Memory of the late Earl of Chatham; and The Moon, a Simile, 4to. 1789.

(3.) Earl Strongbow; or, The History of Richard de Clare and the beautiful Gerelda, 2 vols. 12mo. 1789.

(4.) The Adventures of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, 3 vols. 12mo. 1790.

(5.) The Adventures of King Richard Cœur de Lion. To which is added, The Death of Lord Falkland, a Poem, 3 vols. 12mo. 1791.

(6.) The Hiftory of the Revolution of France, tranflated from the French of M. Rabaut De Saint Etienne, 8vo. 1792.

(7.) Speeches of M. De Mirabeau the elder, pronounced in the National Affembly of France. To which is prefixed, A Sketch of his Life and

Charas

Character, tranflated from the French,

2 vols. 8vo. 1792.

(8.) The Letters to Lord Camden, already mentioned.

"SEVENTEEN years ago I went

(fays this benevolent Clergyman) to refide at Brampton, a popu lous village near Chefterfield. I had not been there many months before a putrid fever broke out among us. Finding by far the greater number of my parishioners too poor to afford themselves medical affiftance, I undertook, by the help of fuch books on the subject of medicine as were in my poffeffion, to prescribe for them. I early attended a boy about fourteen years of age, who was attacked by the fever. He had not been ill ma ny days before the fymptoms were unequivocally putrid. I then administered bark, wine, and fuch other remedies as my books directed.—My exertions were, however, of no avail; his disorder grew every day more un tractable and malignant, fo that I was in hourly expectation of his diffolution. Being under the neceffity of taking a journey, before I fet off I went to fee him, as I thought for the last time, and I prepared his parents for the event of his death, which I confidered as inevitable, and recon ciled them in the best manner I was able, to a lofs which I knew they would feel feverely. While i was in converfation on this diftreffing fub. ject with his mother, 1 obferved, in a fmall corner of the room, a tub of wort working. The fight brought to my recollection an experiment I had fomewhere met with, "of a piece of putrid meat being made fweet by being fufpended over a tub of wort in the act of fermentation." The idea flashed into my mind, that

the

yeaft might correct the putrid

nature of this disease, and I instantly gave him two large spoonfuls. I then told the mother, if the found her fon better, to repeat this dose every three hours. I then fet out for my jour ney; upon my return. after a few days, I anxiously enquired after the boy, and was informed he was recovered. I could not reprefs my curiofity, though I was greatly fatigued with my journey, and night was come on; I went directly to where he lived, which was three miles off, in a wild part of the moors. boy himself opened the door, looked furprisingly well, and told me he felt better from the moment he took the yeaft.

The

"After I left Brampton, I lived in Leicestershire. My parishioners being there few and opulent, I dropped the medical character entirely, and would not prefcribe for my own family. One of my domeftics falling ill, accordingly the apothecary was fent for. His complaint a violent fever, which in its progress became putrid. Having great reliance,, and defervedly, on the apothecary's pene. tration and judgment, the man was left folely to his management. His diorder, however, kept daily gaining ground, till at length the apothe cary confidered him in very great danger. At last, finding every effort to be of fervice to him baffled, he told me he confidered it to be a loft cafe, and that in his opinion the man could not furvive twenty-f -four hours. On the apothecary thus giving him up, I determined to try the effects of yealt.

EDITOR.

yeaft. I gave him two large fpoonfuls, and in 15 minutes from taking the yeaft, his pulfe, though ftill feeble, began to get compofed and full. He, in 32 minutes from his taking it, was able to get up from his bed and walk in his room. At the expiration of the fecond hour I gave him a bafon of fago, with a good deal of lemon, wine, and ginger in it; he ate it with an appetite; in another hour I repeated the yealt; an hour afterwards I gave the bark as before; at the next hour he had food; next had another dofe of yeaft; and then went to bed; it was nine o'clock; he told me he had a good night, and was recovered. I, how ever repeated the medicine, and he was foon able to go about his bufinefs as ufual.

About a year after this, as I was riding paft a detached farm-house, at the outskirts of the village, I observed a farmer's daughter ftanding at the door, apparently in great affliction. On enquiring into the caufe of her diftrefs, he told me her father was

dying: I difmounted, and went into the houfe to fee him; I found him in the last stage of a putrid fever. His tongue was black, his pulfe was fcarcely perceptible, and he lay ftretched out like a corpfe in a ftate of drowfy infenfibility. I immediately procured fome yeait, which I diluted with water, and poured down his throat; I then left him with little hopes of recovery; I returned, however, in about two hours, and found him fenfible and able to converse; I then gave him a dofe of bark; he afterwards took, at a proper interval, fome refreshment. I ftaid with him till he repeated the yeaft, and then left him, with directions how to proceed; I called upon him the next morning at nine o'clock; I found him apparently well, and walking in his garden. He was an old man, upwards of 70.

"I have fince adminiftered the yeast

to above 50 persons labouring under putrid fevers; and what is fingular✈ (continues this benevolent man,) I have not loft a patient*.

T

Imagin

EDITOR.

were

Imagining from this that we should put a higher value on thofe which might be found, while we prefent; thefe artful practitioners brought with them fome pearls, which they dexterously introduced into several of the fhells in opening them.

They appeared to be well exercifed in this petty fort of impofition, which, however, I detected in a manner that aftonished and perplexed them, and that deserves to be mentioned, as it depended upon a memorable fact with regard to one of the caufes which contribute to the formation of pearls.

I defired them to open the mufcles before my fellow-travellers, whilft I went to amufe myself with fishing fome of them; but they were to inform me when they discovered any pearls. I was foon called and fhewn a very fine pearl, perfectly round, and of a good colour. I looked at the fhell and the pearl, and then told them, that the latter was not found in the muscle fhewed me. The fishers affured me that it was, and appealed to the teftimony of my companions, who confirmed their affertion. I af fured the latter, however, that they were deceived, and begged them to watch more narrowly the next time. I retired a few steps, and a minute or two after I heard one exclaim, we have found another. I went up, and on examining the mufcle, I pronounced that the pearl had, for that time alfo, been flipped into the fhell. The pearl was beautiful; but the price which they demanded for it was fix times its value.

The fifhers exhibited the utmost degree of aftonishment; for, as I was at fome diftance from them, it was clear that I could not have observed their motions; my fellow-travellers who attentively watched them, were themfelves deceived, or at most entertained only a vague fufpicion; fo well skilled were thefe men in an art

which procured them a few additional fhillings from travellers.

My art was fo fupernatural in their eftimation, that they confeffed the impofition, and frankly fhewed us fome other pearls which they had in reserve for the fame purpose. They were very anxious to learn my fecret, which would fave them the pains of frequently opening a vaft number of fhells to no purpose, for they feldom found above one or two pearls in a week. But as they knew no other language than the Earfe, and not even fo much as a word of English, I could explain myself only by figns and geftures; and, though my inftructions were not very difficult, I doubt whether they were completely intelligible in a conversation of this fort.

My fecret confifted merely in examining attentively the outfide of the mufcles, and when neither of the parts had any cavity or perforation, but prefented a furface fmooth and free from callofities, I could pronounce, without any apprehenfion of being deceived, that there was no pearl in fuch a fhell. If, on the contrary, the shell was pierced with auger-worms, and indented by other worms of the fame kind, there were always found pearls more or less valuable, or, at least the embryons of pearls.

This obfervation, which I have found invariably true hitherto, was the result of some enquiries, in which I had been engaged a long time be fore, refpecting the formation of that beautiful animal product. Buffon introduces the information, which I communicated to him upon this fubject, in his article upon pearls, page 125, vol. iv. of the Natural Hiftory of Minerals. At that time I discovered that the pearl fish is attacked by two claffes of enemies. One is a very small auger-worm, which penetrates into the infide, near the edge of the valve, by working longitudinal paffage

between