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 Gauges, 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 fkirts, covered the foot of the trees; and the ivy tend's which reached from one trunk to another, preented on all sides only a leafy rampart, within which there appeared some green caveras, but without any outlet. Meanwhile the reispouts having opened a passage with their sabres, all the doctor's suite éntered with himself in his palanquin. There they thought them. selves 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 froin 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 faito 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 necessary to bathe ourselves nine times in the Ganges, and to cause 37 éurselves 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 fhelter yourself in my hut, you will do me very great honour." Brother replied the Englishman, I gladly accept your hospi tality.' 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 shells, 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 su→ gar, 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 shall 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,' Sept. 4The paria came and seated himself on the same mat with his guest; and they both began to eat. Meanwhile the doctor enjoyed some pleasure in being in a place of security in the midst of the tempest. The hut was undisturbed by the tempest. Besides its being situated in the narrowest part of the vale, it was built under a var, or banian fig tree, whose branches, which strike out roots at their extremeties where they touch the ground, form so many arches which support the principal trunk. The foliage of this tree was so thick, that not a drop of rain passed through it; and although the hurricane resounded with terrible bellowing blasts of wind, intermixed with claps of thun der, the smoke of the fire which ascended through the middle of the roof, and the flame of the lamp, were not even disturbed. The doctor adinired still more the tranquillity of the Indian, and of his spouse. Their child, black and smooth as ebony, was asleep in its cradle, its mother rocked the cradle with her foot, and amused herself with making for it a necklace of Angola pease, red and black. The father cast alternately the glance of affection upon each. In short, even the house dog shared the common happinefs, lying beside the cat before the fire; he half opened from time to time his eyes and looked up to his master with complacency. To be continued. A VIEW OF THE PROGRESS OF THE TWO BANKS OF SCOT LAND, CONSTITUTED BY ACT OF PARLIAMENT. CONSTITUTED THE original Capital of that bank which was instituted A. D. 1693 was 100,000l. divided into shares of 10ool. Scots, or 831. 65. 8d. Sterling. In the year 1773, they were allowed by act of Parliament to increase their capital to 200,cool. In the year 178, they were allowed a farther increase of 100,cool. and last, year (1792) they obtained an act allowing them to double their capital, making it in all 60,000l. At each of these enlargements, the stock-holders had the privilege of subscribing, at par, their proportion of the increased capital. The bank of Scotland divides 8 per cent. annually, upon their subscribed stock; and the current prices of a fhare (831. 6s. 8d,) before the late enlargement of Capital in 1792, with the privilege of subscribing an equal sum into the increased stock, was 250l. The royal bank. Has run nearly the same course, and differing only in the immediate appropriation of profits. Their mode has been to apply a certain proportion of their profits to an annual dividend, and to let the remainder run up to accumulated stock, This bank was incorporated by royal charter in 1727, upon a capital of 111,000l. subscribed from the stock, and by the partners of the equivalent company. They have since had several renewals of their charter, with aditional powers and privileges, In the year 1783, they were allowed to increase their capital to 300,00cl. and they completed that sum from their accumulated fund, without making any call upon the proprietors. Upon the last renewal in 1788, they were empowered to increase their capital to 6c0,000l.; and, towards that enlargement, the accumulated fund was already able to afford 100,0 ol.; the remainder of the subscription was made up by the partners. The annual dividend upon the subscribed stock of the royal bank is now 5 per cent.; and the price of a share (of 100l.) from 2381. to 2431. CONSUMPTION OF MILK IN LONDON. From a general view of the agriculture &c. of the county of Middlesex publifhed by the new board of agriculture. Though the yielding of a great quantity of milk, is naturally the principal quality wished for by the London cow-keepers in the cows they purchase, yet so indifferently have they as yet succeeded in attaining that object, that though it is well known that cows in Scotland, of the true Dutch breed, yield at the rate of 16 Scotch pints, or English gallons per day, and sometimes more, yet in the neighbour. hood of London, they seldom give more than 6 gallons, even in the height of the season; indeed 5 gallons in summer and 4 in winter, is a high enough average. L The account of each cow will then stand as follows: On the supposition that there are 6oco cows necefsary for the supply of London and its suburbs, there are consequently 9,852,000 gallons of milk sold there in a year, or at an average, about 27,04' gallons daily; for which the cow-keepers get .246,300l.; and as the retailers get 15. per gallon, it costs the inhabitants of London 492,600l. per annum, or about 1350l per day, to be supplied with milk and cream. The butter consumed there comes at a greater dis tance, particularly from Epping, Cambridge, &c. A CARD. Edinburgh Sept. 1. 1793 Jaques A-la-Greque hereby presents his compliments to Anti-Satur nus, and after exprefsing approbation of his piece on the poison of lead c. with all which opinions he intirely coincides; would be glad to have an explanation of the last paragraph but two, vol. xvi. p ̧ 332, the meaning of which he is altogether at a lofs to under. stand. [The meaning seems to be that the Bachanalians ought to avoid the poison of lead, est should cut them off sooner even than the poisonous liquor itself they so greedily swallow; which would soon produce that effect.] E dit. He would also be m ch obliged to the author of the hints on the study of natura is or, addressed to a young ady, if he would fhew by what means he came to know that "The art of printing, that choice blessing to society, was discovered by a goldsmith's fhopman trying experiments with stamping with shoe black, on wet paper from some of his master's puncheons. TO CORRESPONDENTS. THE Communication by an observer is received and shall be attended to. Philomanthes wishes to see some mathematical questions inserted in the Bee. It is with much concern the Editor observes that the study of mathematics is so much on the decline in this country at present, as to make it probable that comp ying with this request would prove disagreeable to a great majority of his readers. He knows nothing that indi cates so much an approaching decline of useful knowledge in Britain as this does, and he would be glad to see a neat disquisition by an able hand tending to explain the cause of this alarming neglect of the funda mental principles of all true knowledge in mechanics. May it not in part be ascribed to quackery in the mode of teaching it? * The engraver not having been able to get the plate ready that Should have accompanied this number it is delayed till the next, rather than to give it uow in an imperfect state. |