The youth still wand'ring o'er the desert heath, And his expiring Cynthia to fold; The tears in ftreamlets 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 faid, and groan'd, and died amid the cold. Intelligence refpe&ting 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 thefe 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 thefe feems to bid fo 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 seem to be certainly known here, are, that the feed is diftributed by means of fmall 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 discovered 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 such perfection, as to perform the operation required, others have improved fo much upon it fince, as to have rendered it a much more perfect inftrument; and in the improved state it now ftands, it is perhaps the moft ufeful invention that has been made refpecting agriculture in our time. The Romans, and all ancient nations that we know of, performed this operation of agriculture by means of oxen, which were driven about upon the threshing floor till the grain was feparated from the ftraw. To this practice the infpired 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 whofe wisdom we revere, it can only be confidered as a very aukward invention at the best. In modern times, an implement called a flail, has been very univerfally adopted, and is fo generally known, as to require no particular defcription here. This implement is ufed 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 most 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 efs fevercly, 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 horfe, 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 perfon to fhake 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 shall 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 course 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 distinct idea of the manner in which this machine produces its effects, would require the affiftance 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 these 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 respect of buildings, where a quantity of threshing is required, nearly equal to what would keep it going, would be at least four times greater in moft places than the price of the machine. Remarks on fome English Plays, from Mifcellanies in Profe and Verfe, continued. Much ado about Nothing, a Comedy. THERE is not, on the British theatre, a more entertaining play than this; and I always thought Benedict was Garrick's masterpiece, but ́grossly injured by Garrick's alterations. The curious and judicious reader, who has a true tafte for Shakespeare's genuine works, will be, in fome measure, amufed, and ftill more offended, with the modern alterations and additions which I have pretty exactly traced out on the mar gin of the text *. The reader will, with me, abhor the ftage-managers, who have vilely perverted, and never once reformed, or improved our divine author. In Act IV. Scene 3. Beatrice, fpeaking of Clodio's treachery, cries out. Beat. Is he not approved in the height a villain, that hath flander'd, fcern'd, difhonoured my kinfwoman! O, that I were a man! what! bear her in hand untill they come to take hands, and then with public accufation, uncover'd flander, unmitigated rancour—O God, that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market-place. Bene. Nay, but Beatrice. Beat. Sweet Hero! she is wronged, she is flandered, she is undone. Bene Beat Beat. Princes and counts! furely a princely testimony, a goodly count comfect, a fweet gallant, furely! O that I were a man for his fake! or that I had any friend would be a man for my fake! Ur. Bene. Hear me, Beatrice. Beat. Talk with a man out at a window?a proper faying! 1 Here the judicious editor, inftead of feeing the beauty of the break in the name of Beatrice, has altered it for that eloquent monyfyllable BUT ¶. By this fample, you may judge of the havock made among Shakefpear's other plays, and in your own library, preferve the original author. look on it as one evidence of degeneracy in fenfe and good tafte, that these deteftable alterations have been fuffered, and are still allowed on the ftage. A judicious critic, yet to come, may retrench fome parts of Shakespeare. The greatnefs and force of his imagination sometimes fly into obfcurity, perhaps from defect of our fight. But it is impoffible both to alter and amend him. There is, in page 34th of this play, a curious alteration of the text, where the critic makes the clown laugh moft improperly. Vide Shakespeare's advice to players in Hamlet"Let thofe that play the clown, fpeak no more than is fet down for "them. For there be of them that will themfelves laugh, to fet on fome quantity of barren Spectators to laugh too: though, in the mean time, "fome neceffary queftion of the play be then to be confidered. That's " villainous, and fhews a moft pitiful ambition in the fool that uses it." This can only be feen on the marked plays Vide Bell's edition, printed in 1774, Vol. II. p. 336,"reulgated from the prompt books" of the two Theatres Royal in London, |