army which are in good order, and which would come upon the flanks or the rear of the victor. "It was in the flight, that the greatest part of the men were killed in former times; and the slaughter was chiefly effected by the expedition of the cavalry. But now, their pursuit is quickly checked; because a cannon ball is thrown to a much greater distance than an ancient mifsile weapon; and with force enough to kill many men at once, though defended by the strongest thields, and by coats of mail made of iron. "The cavalry, in their pursuit, must go through a country that is open, or that has narrow passes, or that is full of trees. In the first case, the cannon balls reach to a great distance, and, bounding from place to place, produce havock, and confusion. In the second case, light-field-pieces are placed in the narrow passes, where every ball is effective in a powerful manner, by acting upon a deep column. In the third case, iron balls knock splinters from the trees, by which the men and horses are destroyed, or thrown into disorder. And, in every case, when the cavalry come near, they are large marks for constant showers of casefhot, from guns which can be defended for a long time, and by a and by a few men, in such situations ; while, in the mean time, the vanquished troops will have got far to the rear, and have had time to recover their order, and their courage. "Thus the inventions which were thought to be the most destructive in war, have saved many lives, and produced much humanity. And, thus, every improvement in field pieces, will not only give victory to the army which first uses it; but, after the improvement is generally known, it will diminish the carnage in battles." The above words, it is well known, were printed in an essay which was presented to the Duke of Richmond in the year 1788; and many copies of it were presented to the friends of the author-That, 66 every improvement in field pieces will give vic"tory to the army which first uses it," has been lately proved, by the armies of France, to the conviction of Europe. That" after the improvement is "generally known, it may diminish the carnage in "battles," must be the prayer of every lover of the human kind, in every age, and in every country. Praying sincerely that it may be so, I am respectfully, Sir, Your most obedient Servant SIR, A RIDER. To the Editor of the Bee. YOUR Correspondent Th. R. from Sutherland states a fact well known in the natural history of testaceous animals, but from the similarity of fhape I suppose he has mistaken the species of thell fish found in the stone, which I am apt to think was not a muscle as described by him, but a pholas, the history of which at considerable length he will find in La Conchyliologie de Mr D'Argenville, and figured in plate 26 fig. K. of part first, and plate 7 fig. S. of part second. It is also described in Pennant's zoology vol. 4. p. 77, and called by him pholas parvus, and a figure given. plate XL. fig. 13. Shells of this species are frequently met with in Scotland, and are found in great quantities at Toulon in Provence, and at Ancona in Italy, where they are found in the hardest stones, but most commonly in marble, which is broken with large hammers to come at the fih, which is reckoned a great delicacy. It would not suit your miscellany to enter more at large into the history of this curious fish; I fhall therefore, only farther observe that I have often found stones that had been preforated by pholades, deprived of their first inhabitant, whose place was supplied by other fhell fish, such as oysters, muscles, &c. probably forced from their native beds by storms, when very young, and by a hea vy swell of the sea driven into the deserted habitation of the pholas, where they continue to encrease in size till they completely fill the original excavation. The pholas is also described by Rondelet lib. 1. p. 49. Lister hist. anim. Angliæ, p. 172. drovandus de testaceis lib. 3. Auctarium Balfourianı c. c. By the by mentioning this last author brings to my remembrance what Mr D'Argenville says when giving a history of the most famous cabinets of nat. hist. in Europe, which you fhall have in his own words. Al "Le fameux cabinet d'André Balfourianus medecin, se voit dans la bibliotheque publique de la ville d'Edinbourg capitale d'Ecofse; c'est une composé de tout ce qu'on peut voir de plus râre en chaque genre, á en juger par le livre imprimé que nous en avons, sur tout depuis qu'on y a joint le cabinet de Robert Sibbaldus medecin, qui en a fait present á la ville, à condition de le rendre publique." Can you tell, Mr Editor, where this famous collec tion is now kept; I should like to have a peep at it. Z. By inserting the following ode in the Bee, you will oblige your most obedient servant, ODE TO AURORA. FAIR Smiling goddess of the dawn, Shoots with increasing speed to dark Cimmerian cave: Lo, startled by thy hostile beam, Night's terrors fly the heavenly gleam; The gloom of ignorance profound, Dimm'd by thy roseate lustre, fly The nightly squadrons of the sky; Bursts from the golden wave Hyperion's flaming ray. Wak'd by thy smile creative, glows The lark, the songster of the plains, Mounts from her lowly nest, and trills her matin lay. Pleas'd the industrious peasant eyes Thy blush, and to his labour hies; And wak'st the vigour of the soul. A. A. Venus, sometimes the morning, and sometimes the evening star. About the time of her greatest elongation from the sun, the is so bright as to continue visible, when to the west of him, till he rise; and to a fharp eye even when he is far above the horizon. VOL. Xvii. On sleep-chain'd health thou steal'st amain: But slowly fhines thy lingering ray To him, that on the bed of pain At even laments the night, at morn bewails the day. And slow's thy welcome to the wight Or where the Oby † sleeps in chains: Till o'er th' illumin'd arctic wave Thy saffron robe he spies, and hails the vernal year. When Chaos held his throne of old And o'er creation's varied scene Dispers'd its orient hues, and bade all nature bloom. And sweet thy face, when first it glow'd Or sweeter still, with pure delight When soft eyed cherubs hail'd thy ray; And, spoiling death, the lord of might Victorious burst the tomb, and sought the realms of day. Well may the muse, with rapturous voice, Oft from Parnafsus' flowery swell, Enchanted as by magic spell, She views thy kindling form divine And borrows oft, to grace her line, The roses of thy cheek, and radiance of thine eye. Peterhead, May, 1793. A. A. *Concerning the blest innocence of the Laplanders, see Linnæuss preface to his Flora Lapponica. A river of Siberia. The farther correspondence of this writer will prove very de ceptable. |