you may boldly send to the colonies, if you think it worth while, properly put up, without much fear of their being spoiled even by a long voyage, as you will probably think with me when you have read the following note on the incorruptibility, if I may use the exprefsion, of the singular species of oil contained in them. However, I fhould suppose that oily seeds fhould be best kept during such a voyage, fhut up in a glafs phial, well corked, waxed, and covered with bladder, so as to avoid as much as possible the rancidity of the oil, in spite of all I am going to relate of its powers to resist it.

First, we had information to day from Astrachan, that although the oil of the sesamum orientale, (everal fine samples of which were shown in the society,) is brought to that city in bladders, and carried through all the other hot provinces, on very long journies, by the Boucharian Tartars, who sell it; yet it always comes sweet and good; a singular quality in oil as said above, worth the attention of both the public and philosopher; as it offers to the first, a valuable article of food and commerce, and to the second, some new principle, or combination worth inquiring into. Whilst I think as hinted above, that it promises an uncommon power in the seeds to resist putrefaction, as they contain a fifth part of their bulk of that antiseptic oil, which appears a sort of paradox: I mean the term antiseptic applied to oil.

2dly, We had an account of its cultivation from general Beketoff in his large pofsefsions on the Volga, between Saratoff, and Astrachan, who is regarded as a most able and skilful econome in this empire; his remarks are as follow: The sesamum orientale succeeded well on his estate, (situated as above;) but he complains of the trouble of gathering its seeds, as they ripen unequally, and of course must be taken off the plant at different times, VOL Xvii. +

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Sept. 4. and by degrees; so that he prefers to continue his ancient practice of extracting an excellent eating oil from musstard seed, which answers particulurly well for salads, &c.

There is again, I acknowledge, something new to me in the fact of extracting an eating oil from mustard seed; and we see what the invention of man will lead to, when impelled to search for a necefsary article of food in warm climates, where the olive is wanting, but where the long fasts of the Greek church make oil an essential object of meagre diet.

I fhall now finish with observing, that although the cultivation of the sesamum may not answer the purpose of a private gentleman; especially when he is already in pofsefsion of something of the kind that answers his purpose; still if it should be found an article of profit in our islands where negroes are kept, it may there pofsibly become an object of commerce with the Spaniards and French; if the last are still religious enough to eat fish and oil in lent. A propos to lent, what do the Newfoundland fishers say to the new Gallic religion, and that which their propagande are preaching to other catholic nations? Are they not afraid that they might take the whim of eating roast beef like yourselves on meagre days and leave the poor persecuted fish in the sea, from a new refinement of philanthropy.

THE INDIAN COTTAGE,

A TALE.

Translated from the French,

For the Bee.

THIS little tale has been much admired in France; and it appeared so interesting to a respectable literary gentleman here to whom the Editor lent a copy of it, that he thought it worth his while to translate it; and with much politeness sent the translationwith the book when he returned it.. The tale entire would perhaps be deemed rather long for this Miscellany. A small part of it is therefore now submitted to the consideration of the readers. And a short abstract only is given of the introductory part of it. The story is as under.

An English philosopher, a learned doctor, and member of the Royal Society in London, is represented as being sent out by that learned body to travel all over the world in quest of truth and the art of attaining happiness. He is made succefsively to visit the different countries in Europe, and to converse with the learned bodies of men associated in each of them: but from these the answers to all his questions prove unsatisfactory. He then goes to travel through Persia ; to India, where after conversing with some brahmins apart, he resolves to visit the chief of that order in the famous temple Jaggernaut, who is represented to him as capable alone to answer all his questions. He visits that temple and converses with the chief brahmins, where, instead of what he sought, he finds only pride, vanity, and ignorance.

On his return from thence, much disappointed, he was overtaken by one of those hurricanes which in the Indies they call a typhon.

Extract.

The wind came from the sea, and caused the waters of the Ganges to flow back, dathing them in foam against the islands at its mouth. It raised from their fhores columns of sand, and from their forests clouds of leaves, which it carried in confusion across the river, and the plains, and up to the higher regions of the air. Sometimes it ingulphed itself in the bamboo alley, and although these Indian reeds were high as the tallest trees, it bent them like the grass in the

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Sept. 4 meadows. Through the eddying whirls of dust and of leaves, one saw the avenue all waving with them; one part of them laid down to right and left flat to the ground, while the other rose sighing to the gale. The doctor's people afraid of being crushed by them, or overwhelmed by the waters of the Ganges, which overflowed their banks, took their route across the plains, directing their course at a venture towards the neighbouring heights. Meanwhile night comes on, and they had travelled three hours in the most profound darknefs, not knowing whither they were going, when a flash of lightening rending the clouds and illuminating all the horizon, showed them afar upon their right the pagoda of Jaggernaut, the isles of the Ganges, and the raging sea; and close before them a little valley and a wood between two hills. They ran thither for shelter, and already the thunder was heard rolling along in most tremenduous peals, when they arrived at the entrance of the valley. It was flanked with rocks, and full of aged trees of a prodigious size. Though the tempest bent their tops with a dreadful bellowing noise, their monstrous trunks were as immoveable as the rocks that environed them. This portion of the ancient forest seemed the asylum of peaceful repose; but it was difficult to penetrate. The brambles which were entwined with each other, and crept around its skirts, covered the foot of the trees; and the ivy tendrils which reached from one trunk to another, preented on all sides only a leafy rampart, within which there appeared some green caverns, but without any outlet. Meanwhile the, reispouts having opened a passage with their sabres, all the doctor's suite entered with himself in his palanquin. There they thought themselves secure from the tempest; when the rain that fell as fast as it could pour, formed around them a thousand torrents. In this perplexity, they perceived under the trees, in the straitest part of the valley a light from a hut. The Masalchi ran thither to light his flambeau ; but he came back a little after, out of breath crying," Keep off, keep off; a paria, a paria !" Immediately the whole troop afrighted cried “A paria, a paria!' The doctor imagining that it was some ferocious animal, clapt his hand upon his pistols. "What is it you call a paria, said he to the fellow that carried his flambeau ?' "It is, replied the latter, a man that has neither faith nor law." "It is replied the chief of the reispouts, an Indian of a cast so infamous that it is lawful to kill him if he only touch one. If we enter his house, we cannot, for nine moons, set our foot in any pagoda; and to purify ourselves it will be necefsary to bathe ourselves nine times in the Ganges, and to cause

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ourselves to be as often washed by the hand of a brahmin in cow's urine." All the Indians cried out, " No we will not enter the abode of a paria." How did you know, said the doctor to his flambeau bearer, that your countryman was a paria, that is without faith or law.' 66 Because, replied the flambeau bearer, when I opened the door of his hut I saw, that along with his dog, he was lying on the same mat with his wife, and was offering her something to drink in a cow's horn." All the people attending the doctor repeated their former' refusal, "No we will not enter the abode of a paria!" Stay then here if you please,' said the Englishman: for my part all the casts of the Indies are alike to me, when I have no other concern with them but only to shelter myself from the rain.' Saying these words he descended from his palanquin; and taking under his arm his book of questions with his night gown, and in his hand his pistols and his pipe, he came away from them quite alone to the door of the hut. Scarce had he knocked, when a man of a very mild physiognomy came to open it, and immediately started back, saying, “I am only, Sir, a poor paria, and am not worthy to receive you; but if you think proper to shelter yourself in my hut, you will do me very great honour.' Brother replied the Englishman, I gladly accept your hospitality.'

Meanwhile the paria went out with a torch in his hand, a burden of dry sticks on his back, and a basket full of cocoanuts and bananas under his arm. He went towards the doctor's attendants, who were at some distance under a tree, and said to them," Since you will not do me the honour to enter my hut, here are nuts in their fhells, which you can eat without being polluted; and here is some fire to dry you and to save you from the tygers. May God preserve and bless you." He immediately returned into his hut, and said to the doctor, “ Sir, I repeat it to you, I am only a poor paria; but, as I see from your colour and dress that you are not an Indian, I hope you will feel no repugnance against the victuals that your poor servant will set before you." At the same time he laid down upon a mat, some roasted potatoes, bananas done upon the gridiron, and a pot of rice, with sugar, and milk of the cocoanut; after which he withdrew to his mat beside his wife, and his child which was asleep hard by in its cradle. Virtuous man, said the doctor, you are much better than I am, since you do good to those who despise you. If you honour me not with your presence upon the same mat, I fhall think that you take me for a bad man, and I will go out of your cottage instantly, though I should be drowned by the rain, or devoured by the tygers.'