quantities of animal and vegetable fubftances to putrify, and give out this mephitis, which, not being difperfed by the winds, fits the atmofphere to continue this disease whenever it begins, or perhaps begets the disease itself. Growing vegetables are, during the day-time, found to purify the atmofphere, efpecially in the fun (fee Ingenhauzen's Experiments); by giving out empyreal air in great quantities during the nighttime, perhaps they abforb it, as many tender people cannot fleep with them in their bed-rooms. We have had inftances of whole islands becoming uninhabitable, from the cutting down of the wood. The Dutch, who wanted to enhance the price of cloves in the Eaft Indies, cut down all the clove-trees in the ifland of Ternati, and the place became almost uninhabitable from its unhealthiness. From the fame principle plagues have followed after great battles, and where the flain have remained unburied. The plague is never known to continue long, but under fome particular conftitution of the atmosphere; and this must have been the cafe when it rofe in the kingdom of Cathay as from the ground, in the form of a mineral exhalation, and continued its horrible defolation through all Europe. The porters who were employed in opening the bale goods in the Lazaretta at Marfeilles were killed by the infection of the plague as from a stroke of lightning. The plague terminates like the fmallpox, the matter being thrown out upon the fkin; while in other fevers it is thrown out in large phlegmons in various parts of the body. We have no way of accounting for why the fmall-pox fhould often be endemic, and of a more malignant nature at one time than at other times, unlefs by fuppofing the conftitution of the air to have the pow. er of altering the habit of body, fo as to render it more liable to receive the infection, and confequently lefs able to throw it off; therefore, children fhould be inoculated on the first appearance of the difeafe, or before their conftitutions have fuffered from the state of the atmosphere. The azote, under fome particular modification, may be the caufe of hydrophobia in dogs: they are ever fond of eating, and haunting about places where there are animal fubftances in a state of putrefaction. Dogs are found to perfpire little or not at all by the fkin; therefore the difeafe, not being able to terminate itself that way, is carried to the salivary glands, and inflames them to fuch a degree of irritability, that when the animal, parched up with thirst, attempts to drink, by the irritation of the water it is thrown into violent convulfions: and, from the remembrance of the acute pain, it ever after turns from it with horror: hence the disease takes its name. The animal, as if actuated by nature, fets out a running, and generally continues till it drops down dead, before the difeafe is thrown off by the glands or other evacuation. If the fting of the tarantula was ever cured by mufic, it was certainly by the mufic exciting the perfon to get up and dance till he was covered with fweat. Under the fame principle, fome modification of this futance may conftitute the venereal virus. This fubject being fufficiently known, might affift us in finding out by experiment fome remedy in na ture ture, which, by combining with or decompofing this fubftance in whatever ftate or combination it should find it in, would thereby render it lefs deftructive to life. We know that vinegar taken into the ftomach after opium, in a great measure deftrovs its effects: the vitriolic acid. mixed with the poifon of ferpents renders it much lefs dangerous (fee Fontana) the thieves vinegar was found infallible in preventing the plague to certain perfons who used it at Marfeilles, and thereby were enabled to go about and plunder the houfes of the inhabitants; but were pardoned on difcovering by what means they avoided the infection: it was therefore called Thieves Vinegar. Vinegar is found to be a preventative to the infection in all fevers; and is much ufed in hofpitals and the holds of fhips, where there is danger of the infection fpreading. When the habit is emaciated, after long voyages, bad food, or breathing confined air, vegetable acids are found the only certain remedy we know of; and a very few days on fhore, after a long voyage, never fails to reftore the fhip's crew to their priftine vigour. Acids themfelves, as a topical application, may be employed where perfons have been ftung by venomous animals. It is common in the country for perfons who have been ftung by bees, wafps, or even nettles, to rub the parts immediately with the leaves of forrel or other acid vegetable; and I have known vinegar applied to gonorrhea and chancres with good effect. In the hot countries, where people are daily bit by ferpents and other poisonous infects, they rub the part immediately with fome acid vegetables; but the most effectual remedy feems to be fucking the part with their mouths, as the poifon only is dangerous when carried into the circulating fyftem: the Marii and Pfylli, brought to Rome from Africa, were famous for this kind of remedy. It is a curious remark, that ferpents infpire, but are not feen to expire; perhaps the phlogifticated air which fhould be thrown out by the trahea, ferves in them to form the poifon in those which are mortal from the bite; and may ferve to form that horrible fator in thofe which are not poisonous by the bite: and to this we may afcribe that fafcinating power fo curioufly defcribed by travellers, and which ferves the animal to take its prey, or to defend itself. The devoted animal, as affected by fome convulfive ftupor, unable to extri cate itself, grows weaker and weaker, till it at laft drops into the extended jaws of its deftroyer. Putrefaction is the immediate and common effect of the bite of the more dreadful ferpents: the perfon dies in moft violent convulfions, fucceeded by a total lofs of irritability. Mr. Williams, in a very ingenious paper in the Afiatic Researches, recommends (as in cafes of fufpended animation before mentioned) every ftimulus that can roufe nature to ftruggle with the difeafe; and that volatile alkali was a most efficacious application. According to Wolfe and Mead, it helps to throw off the effects of laurel water, and is efficacious even in hydrophobia. Mr. Bruce and Savary, in their accounts of Egypt, defcribe a common practice of charming ferpents, which is by rubbing their naked arms and bofoms with fome fort of vegetable; and, to the aftonifh. ment ment of travellers, they apply them to their skin in every manner with impunity, and make a living by the practice. (See Account of the Ceraftes of Linnæus, Edinburgh Encyclopedia, the bite of which is attended with immediate putrefaction). The poisonous wind, called Samiel by Chardin, which is inftantaneous death, immediately produces putrefaction in the animal; and much resembles fome tymptoms of the yellow fever, which evidently fhewed the effect of this fubftance when taken into the system. From the expence, the tedioufnefs, and difficulties arifing from the great nicety required in chemical experiments, and from the prefent infancy of that fcience, this fubject would take much labour and patience fairly to investigate: from the collateral inferences, from the difficulties in working againft old and popular prejudices, few people would undertake fo great a labour: but it certainly would be a great step towards the claffing difeafes, and rendering the cure more fimple; for no fcience will ever make any great progrefs in the world, but in proportion as it is rendered lefs intricate. A few years ago, chemistry was fcarce known; but by the labour of the late ingenious French chemifts, in forming a bafis for the ftudy of that fcience, it is now become eafy, fafhionable, and delightful. Proceedings of the African Affociation. The public will perufe with much fatisfaction the continuance of the proceedings of this refpectable Affociation. We have been favoured by one of the fubfcribers with the following interefting fub ftance of a quarto pamphlet, HEN the laft memoir of the W Proceedings of this Aociation came from the prefs, the progrefs In the Major's letter to Dr. Laid- Of the Major's fubfequent progrefs there is no certain account. The latest intelligence received, immediately from himfelf, was dated ix weeks after the date of the laft the 1ft of September, 1791, about letter from the King of Bambouk's capital. This advice came in the following very fhort note to Dr. Laidley, on the Gambia River:-"Major Houghton's compliments to Dr. Laidley; is in good health. OR On his way to Tombuctoo, robbed of all his goods by Fenda Bucar's fon." This note being written with a pencil, the name of the place from whence it was dated was nearly obliterated. It appeared to Dr. Laidley to be Simbing; but no fuch place can be traced on any exifting map, or in any part of the intelligence communicated to the Affociation. Major Rennel has therefore fuggefted that, if it could be fuppofed a part of the initial had been defaced, the name might have been written Timbing; in which cafe, it would nearly anfwer to the Timbi of D'Anville, placed about eight journies fhort of Tombuctoo. That Major Houghton was with in a fhort diftance of Tombuctoo, there is, indeed, no room to doubt; and it was with inexpreffible concern that the next communication from the Gambia brought advice of his death. It was reported, at first among the traders on the river, that he had been murdered, by means of the King of Bambara; but Dr. Laidley writes, that this report was afterwards contradicted. Subfequent accounts, however, confirmed the circumftance of his death; but neither the place nor the time of his deceafe were afcertained with precision. The natives report, that he died a natural death; and, by their defcription, it appears that the complaint which proved fatal to him was a dyfentery. They added, that his remains lay under a tree in the wilderness. It would feem, from various information, that this unfortunate gentleman, notwithstanding the hofpitable reception he had met with from the King of Bambouk, was no favourite of the natives in general It was stated, on a former occafion, that he derived an affurance of fafcty from his poverty; but, unhappily, he had no fuch fecurity. Con trary to all the fuggeftions of prudence, and the remonftrance of his friends in England, the Major had encumbered himself with an affortment of bale goods, confifting of lin ens, fcarlet cloth, cutlery, beads, amber, and other merchandife, which prefented to the ignorant negroes fuch temptations as favage virtue could not refift. He complains, in all his letters, of the pilfering difpofition of the natives; and it appears that he was involved in perpetual contefts with them on that account. Circumstances of this nature, without doubt, deprived him of those kindneffes and attentions which might have contributed to his prefervation. Dr. Laidley offered rewards for the recovery of his books and papers, but without effect. In deploring the melancholy iffue of this unhappy expedition, it muft, however, be obferved, that the mifcarriage of Major Houghton furnishes no proof that the difficulties of proceeding to Tombuctoo, by way ofthe Gambia, are infuperable: on the contrary, there is reason to believe that a traveller of good temper and conciliating manners, who has nothing with him to tempt their rapacity, may expect every affiftance from the natives, and the fulleft protection from their chiefs, All doubts, indeed, on this head, are obviated by a letter of Major Hougton himself, referred to in page 6 of the laft memoir; which, befides acknowledging, in the most explicit terms, his hofpitable reception by all ranks of people, contains fo many curious and important particulars, that it is thought neceflary to lay before the Society, in a poftfcript to this account, the material parts of its contents, in the Major's own words. As foon as the Committee were convinced that the intelligence of Major Houghton's death was but too well founded, they took the firft opportunity that prefented itfelf of engaging another perfon to go the fame route. Mr. Mungo Park, a native of Scotland, a young man of no mean talents, who had been educated in the medical line, and was lately returned from a voyage to India, offered himself for this fervice; and the committee, finding him fufficiently inftructed in the use of Hadley's quadrant to make the necessary obfervations, geographer enough to trace out his path in the wilderness, and not unacquainted with natural history, accepted his offer. He fet out accordingly in May, 1795, and foon afterwards arrived at the Gambia, when Dr. Laidley, to whofe good offices the Affociation are under the greatest obligations, received him more as a fon than a ftranger and it is to be lamented that the river Gambia having been for more than a year blocked up by French privateers, many letters from him and the Doctor, of which notice has been obtained through various channels, have mifcarried; in particular, the difpatches by a veffel called the Endeavour, which was captured on her paffage home; but the crew making their efcape in the long-boat in the night, have given advice that there were letters on board to the Affociation, both from Mr. Park and Dr. Laidley. In another cafe, it is known that the difpatches were thrown overboard. The only letters of confeVOL. XXXIX. quence which the Committee have received, are, one from Mr. Park, dated Pifania, 1ft December, 1795; and two from Dr. Laidley to Mr. James Willis (the intended conful to Senegambia) communicated by him to the Committee, the one dated the 23d of May, and the other the 1ft of Auguft, 1796. From thefe communications the fubfcribers will perceive, that well-grounded hopes may be entertained that the views of the Affociation will, in a great degree, be fpeedily accomplished. Should Mr. Park have happily efcaped the dangers incident to the undertaking and the climate, his return may be daily expected; and the knowledge he muft have acquired cannot but be highly interefting and important. The following are Copies of thofe Letters. 'Pifania, Dec. 1, 1795. 'Gentlemen, 'YOU need not be surprised at my long ftay in Gambia, for, I affure you that this is the firft opportunity that has prefented itself fince my arrival; and it happens very fortunately for me, as I am now greatly recovered from a long and painful fickness, that confined me to the house, or bed, during the greater part of the rains. 'As Mr. Willis is not yet arrived, I must have loft the travellingfeafon for this year, had not Dr. Laidley, who has, on every occafion, feconded the laudable defigns of the Affociation, given me every affiftance in his power, and provided me with two attendants, an horse, two affes, and every thing neceffary for the journey. One of my attendants is a refident of the place; he 1peaks good C G English; |