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The Cold, or Colin and Cynthia, a ballad.
WHEN furly winter frown'd on all,
When hail beat hard and fnow did fall,
And cattle lingered in the fold;
When Boreas blafts fevere did fcoull,
And whiling loud with angry houl,

All ravaged o'er, and kill'd with peircing cold;

Young Colin then was called away,

His king and country to obey,

And fight for glitt'ring baneful gold :

Without a murmur or repine,

He stole away his corps to join,

And wander'd penfive through the piercing cold.

He beauteous Cynthia long had woo'd,

Nor long in vain had he pursued,

Not e'en to her his tale he told,

But left the lovely maid forlorn,
To weep, to languish and to mourn,

And wander'd penfive onward through the cold.

'Twas night; the rain in torrents pour'd, And boift'rous whirlwinds loudly roar'd.

No meteor did the darksome path unfold, The stars their twinkling heads did shrowd, The moon was hid behind a cloud;

'Twas dark, 'twas chill, 'twas piercing cold.

When Cynthia left her father's home,
After her faithless love to roam,

Ah thoughtless fair, too rafhly bold,
All night the wandered through the snow,
Through tractlefs waftes fhe did not know,
Driv'n by the wind, and stiffen'd by the cold.

-But who can tell the anguish of the maid,
When glimmering morn appear'd in fable shade,
And nought but fnow around she did behold:
A while in filent agony fhe ftood,
And bowed her head, and fhed a pearly flood,
Then laid her down to perish in the cold.

O 2

The youth still wand'ring o'er the desert heath,
Arriv'd in time to catch her dying breath,
And his expiring Cynthia to fold;

The tears in freamlets trickled from his eyes.
"Awake my lovely maid, awake, he cries,

"Thy Colin comes to fnatch thee from the cold."

At Colin's name return'd the genial breath;
She prefs'd his hand and raifed her eyes from death,
When round they on her Colin languid roll'd,
"We foon fhall meet upon a happier shore,
"When winter blafts fhall fever us no more;"

She faid, and groan'd, and died amid the cold.

"Wretch that I am; 'twas I, 'twas I
"That dealt the blow, did Colin cry,
And in his arms did pallid Cynthia fold.
"But I will not remain,-my doom
" "Tis fix'd;--my love, I come, I come;"

He fpoke, and died befide her in the cold.

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Intelligence refpeling Arts, 'c.

Drill Machine.

AMONG the mechanical improvements adopted in Britain within this short while, agriculture has come in for its fhare. About forty years ago, the ingenious Jethro Tull endeavoured to introduce the drill and horfe hoing husbandry, as a prodigious improvement in agriculture, that would be productive of the happiest effects to this country. Like every inventor of a new fyftem, he went too far; but like every invention by a man of found understanding, it was at bottom well founded in certain refpects. Since his time, many perfons, led aftray by the brilliancy of his ideas, have tried to reduce his fyftem into practice, but on the wide scale he propofed, always without effect. In confequence of these trials, however, it has been clearly proved, that the drill husbandry, in certain circumstances, can be practifed with great profit to the undertaker. But one circumftance always oppofed its progrefs; the difficulty of finding a drill machine of fuch fimple conftruction, as to be capable of ef fecting the purpose wanted with accuracy and economy. Many machines have been invented for this purpofe; but none of these feems to bid so fair for fucceeding, if we are to judge from the authenticated report of actual farmers who have employed them, as that of the Reverend Mr. Cooke of Norfolk, which has been employed on a larger scale, and continued to give fatisfaction for a longer period of time, than any one of them. By attested accounts from Mr. Boote of Atherston, he has for three years fucceffively fowed by means of this machine five hundred acres of ground on an average, each year with various forts of grain; and from that practice he thinks he has derived very high emoluments. The inventor has obtained a patent for the fole making and difpofing of this machine; but as none of them have as yet reached this country, an exact defcription of it cannot be here given : The only two circumftances refpecting it, that feem to be certainly known here, are, that the feed is diftributed by means of small laddles of a proper fize for the different

kinds of feeds, which are fixed into the axle, and by the revolution round its axis, thus divide the feeds into right proportions; and that the price of the whole completely fittedup at the place of fale in London, is ten guineas.

Threshing Machine.

ANOTHER mechanical contrivance of great confequence to British farmers has been of late difcovered in Scotland, viz. a machine for threshing grain of all forts: The original inventor of this apparatus was a Mr. Muckle, an ingenious mechanic in East Lothian. But though this gentleman brought it at first to fuch perfection, as to perform the operation required, others have improved fo much upon it fince, as to have rendered it a much more perfect instrument; and in the improved ftate it now ftands, it is perhaps the most useful invention that has been made refpecting agriculture in our time.

The Romans, and all ancient nations that we know of, performed this operation of agricultnre by means of oxen, which were driven about upon the threshing floor till the grain was feparated from the ftraw. To this practice the inspired penman alludes, when he fays, "neither fhalt thou muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn." But though this practice prevailed for many ages, among people whose wisdom we revere, it can only be confidered as a very aukward invention at the best. In modern times, an implement called a fail, has been very univerfally adopted, and is fo generally known, as to require no particular defcription here. This implement is used by the hand of man, and under proper management, is capable of performing the work with great accuracy, though it is at beft a laborious and expensive operation, and is moreover liable to abuse by the negligence or villainy of the perfon employed for that purpofe, if not very carefully looked after.

The machine in queftion, is calculated to obviate all thefe defects; and in its moft improved ftate, it does this in a very complete and fatisfactory manner. With refpect to accuracy, it can be fo fet before the operation is begun, as of neceffity to feparate every grain from the straw completely; and may be made to beat it either more or lefs feverely, as the nature of the corn, to be fubjected to

the operation requires: neither is the ftraw more broken than in ordinary threshing.

As to expedition, that may be adapted to the circumftances of the cafe, however large the farm may be. A machine to be driven by one horse, will, without difficulty, thresh from twelve to fixteen bushels of wheat in an hour, and other kinds of grain in proportion. If more is required, it is only enlarging the machinery, and augmenting the moving power in proportion to what is wanted.

As to expence, every one may calculate that for himself, from the following data: For a machine of the fize above indicated, is required to work it, one horse, where water to turn the machinery cannot be commanded, a boy to drive him, if he has not been accustomed to that work, a perfon to feed the machine, with an affiftant to bring the theaves to his hand, and one person to shake the straw with a pitch fork, and throw it by; or if it be to be made up in little bundles for any particular ufe, a greater number, as circumstances fhall require.

The greatest part of the grain that comes from the machine, has the chaff feparated from it in a confiderable degree, fo as to admit of being very easily winnowed; nor would it be difficult to make it pafs through a winnowing machine, to be turned by the fame power; but this renders the machine more complex, and of courfe the more liable to go out of order, and would require befides, a greater force to move it; fo that I should think this rather an unneceffary refinement, than an ufeful improvement.

To give a diftinct idea of the manner in which this machine produces its effects, would require the affittance of a pretty long defcription, aided by figures, which fhall be given in fome of the fubfequent numbers of this work. In the mean time, it may give fome fatisfaction to many, to know that the expence of one of thefe machines, of the fize above indicated, completely fitted up, in a condition for working, is exactly forty pounds; that the apparatus is fo fimple, and fo firmly conftructed, as to stand in need of little repair; and that it occupies of houfe room, only about fix feet by ten; fo that the faving in refpect of buildings, where a quantity of threshing is required, nearly equal to what would keep it going, would be at leaft four times greater in moft places than the price of the machine.

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