horses, which is only attempted by the natives for catching them alive, especially the young ones, is attended with difficulty and danger; and must not be attempted without due precautions.

I

EFFECT OF CROSSING DIFFERENT BREEDS OF SHEEP.
SIR,
To the Editor of the Bee.

SEND you enclosed a sample of wool, which I have just now clipped from a ewe fheep, which was one year old last April, bred of a ewe I bought of Mr John M'Donnald of Burrodale near Fort William, and got by a tup of the Leicestershire breed. The ewe was a little narrow backed creature with horns,-her face and legs black, not above eight pounds a quarter when fat, and cost me only 7s. Her fleece which did not weigh above two pounds, was mostly hair of a brown or grey colour, not worth above 4d. a pound. She had two of these lambs at a birth, and as she could not make them fat, I kept them to try what improvement the cross with a Leicestershire tup would make; and indeed it has exceeded my most sanguine expectation. As to their wool you can judge of it by the sample; and their form I think very good. They have a streight flat back,—are without horns,-mottled faces and legs, and seem very hardy and much inclined to feed. They being almost fit for the butcher now, although they have had but poor keeping. When thoroughly fat, they will weigh fifteen or sixteen pounds a quarter.

If you think, Mr Editor, the aboye information will be of any service, either to the members of the

society instituted for the improvemeut of British wool in Scotland, or to the stock farmers, you are at liberty to make what use you think proper of Yours, &c.

it.

Ancroft, near Berwick upon Tweed,

Sept. 7. 1793.

JOHN NISBET.

P. S. They are in my possession, and may be seen by any person that will call upon me. J. N. **Along with this letter was sent a specimen of very pretty wool, perfectly free from hairs of any sort, and fine and soft. The points of it had a slight brownish tinge, probably contracted from the soil on which it had been pastured; for the roots of the wool were of a very fine white. The specimen will be kept at the Bee office for the sake of any person who may wish to see it. This is one strong instance of the benefits that may accrue from judiciously crossing different breeds. Edit.

READING MEMORANDUMS.

NOTHING can support the soul in all its distresses but a confidence in the Supreme Being; nor can a steady and effectual magnanimity flow from any other source, nor this confidence be otherwise acquired than by prayer and meditation, and acting from a conscientiousnefs of the divine favour.

DE VIRO CLARO ATQUE ERUDITO

GEORGIO STUART, L.L.D.

LITERARUM HUMANIORUM IN ACADEMIA EDINENSI PROFESSORE

NUPER DEFUNCTO.

Doleant Musæ !

Corruit ingens columna linguæ Latinæ ;
Occidit vir magnus in republicâ literarum :
Quo quis flebilior? seu consilium respicias,
Sive scientiam, sive amicitiam,
Sive leporis atque facetias,

Sive animum liberum atque rectum.
Multa multis benefecit, præcipue juventuti
Studiosæ atque egenæ; quorum multos
Gratuitò erudivit, atque ad vitæ conditionem
Haud pœnitendam evexit.

Mores hominum acriter inspexit,
Et feliciter depinxit.

Quid magis elegans, quid veritati magis consentaneum,
Quam quas exprimere solebat imagines virorum clarorum?
Quis auctores Latinos animosius digniusve explicavit ?
Quis antiquitates Romanas clarius illustravit?
Quis elegantias felicius elicuit,

Aut difficultates discufsit?

Opus contexuit magni laboris atque pretii,
Supplementum scilicet atque additamentum
Thesauri viri clarifsimi Roberti Ainsworth,
Quod, summo cum literarum detrimento,

Cautione et timiditate bibliopolarum, eheu! est interiturum.
Modicas industriâ atque curâ comparavit opes;
Quibus in villâ suâ prope Mufselburgum,
Viginti fere annos, nec turpem nec injucundam transegit

Senectutem.

Novem superfuit liberis; in eis filio,
Insigni literarum ornamento:

Nec non amantifsimæ uxori,

Quicum annos LI conjunctifsime vixerat.

Decefsit tandem decimo quarto kalendas Julias, MDCCXCIII;
Anno ætatis suæ octogesimo,

Omnes animi dotes integerrime retinens,
Magnumque sui desiderium apud omnes suos
Relinquens.

INDEX INDICATORIUS.

I. S. sends a poem in Scottish verse which is intended to fhow that there is nothing incongruous in the measure there adopted for serious disquisitions. It is greatly too long for this miscellany, besides being more of a metaphysical cast than is suitable to its plan; a few of the stanzas are selected as a specimen of it.

Kind night has gi'en the eard a soakin',
The sun will soon set her a smokia',

On Arthurs seat the fkies are rokin'

Like Sauney's bonnet,

What wad ye think my muse but [without] jokin

An' now that I hae reach'd your height
Sweet hill! nae thing presents my sight
I' the country round, if I mind right,

That's no been sung;
Cumming has round ye wing'd his flight
Nor can be dung.

Auld Reekie's bard † ah! o'er soon set,
Has sung the Firth o' Forth sae neat ;.
Its warse than mad to imitate

Sic matchlefs strains;

We fhort syne tried to crown the fleet

Ah! what remains?

Poor Scotia too maun hae her share,
For sic is his paternal care

Wha governs here an' every where,

Nor aught misguides,

Frae meanest worm, to that grand sphere

That time divides.

The bard then entering into a metaphysical disquisition about the lowest stages of organization, he proceeds.

The poet proceeds to give many go od moral advices, and religious opinions, which our limits prevent us from specifying. He concludes with the following stanza.

Adiew, my scrap o' rough Scots rhyme,

I dare na say that ye're sublime,
Or that ye hae sae well kept time

As I intendit,

But wha thinks droll'ry is your crime,

VOL. xvii.

May try to mend it.