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Jan. 2 city. Its taste indeed was not as agreeable, but it was not such as to produce any disgust. In fact, we drink, in common life, in many places, and under many circumstances, and almost always at sea, a worse tasted, and probably a lefs wholesome water.

The obtaining fresh from salt water, for ages, was considered as an important desideratum for the use of navigators. The process for doing this by simple distillation is so efficacious, the erecting an extempore still with such utensils as are found on board of every fhip, is so practi cable, as to authorise the afsertion, that this desideratum is satisfied to a very useful degree. But though this has been done for upwards of thirty years, though its reality has been established by the actual experience of several vefsels which have had recourse to it, yet neither the fact nor the process is known to the mafs of seamen, to whom it would be most useful, and for whom it was principally wanted. The secretary of state is therefore of opinion, that since the subject has now been brought under observation, it should be made the occasion of dif seminating its knowledge generally and effectually among the seafaring citizens of the United States. The following is one of the many methods which might be proposed. for doing this. Let the clearance for every vessel sailing from the ports of the United States, be printed on a paper, on the back whereof shall be a printed account of the efsays which have been made for obtaining fresh from salt water, mentioning fhortly those whieh have been unsuccessful, and more fully those which have succeeded; describing the methods which have been found to answer for constructing extempore stills of such implements as are generally on board of every vefsel; with a recommendation in all cases, where they fhall have occasion to resort to this expedient for obtaining water, to publifh the re-

sult of their trial in some gazette on their return to the United States; or to communicate it for publication to the office of the secretary of state, in order that others may, by their succefs, be encouraged to make similar trials, and be benefitted by any improvements or new ideas which may occur to them in practice. TH. JEFFERSON.

A POLITICAL SQUIB.

Wit and bumour are so rare talents in the present day that the Editor grasps at any thing of that kind wherever he can find it, r on whatever subject it treats. The following piece, though it might not have ranked among the first rate productions in the days of an Arburthnot or a Swift, occupies a distinguished niche in the present day.

Ingleside December 3. 1792.

I, A. B. having verified my power to take under my con sideration whatever I please, and to resolve whatever I choose to resolve, have met with myself this 3d day of December 1792, being an organised body, elected myself preses of the meeting. Having taken the chair accordingly.

Resolved 1st, That those who have nothing to do have most time to serve the people, and that as many of the leading members of the present reform societies are of this clafs much may be expected from their exertions.

Resolved, 2dly, That those who are peevish and discontented, whether from natural temper, or disappointed ambition, being alive to their own greivances are best qualified to discover those of others; and as it is believed that several of the members of the said societies are of this description, the public may depend on their zeal and activity in fishing for causes of dissatisfaction.

Resolved, 3dly, That fools have always the highest pof sible opinion of their own wisdom, which they evince 'by perpetually giving advice and direction to others; and the great pains and expence the present reform societies have been at to inform the good people of this country

Jan. 2. what is best for them, would be a proof of their folly, did not the following Resolutions, founded on principles implicitly received by all reformers, put it in the power of any society to be wise even to infallibility.

4thly, Resolved, That it has been resolved by all patriotic societies, that, to be free, a nation or great society has only to will it; and as a small society, or even an individual, is as capable of willing as a great one, and have an equal right to do so, a small society, or even an individual may be free when ever such society or individual is pleased to will it..

5thly, Resolved, That as it as easy to will one thing as another, if our present reform societies fhall be pleased to will themselves wise, they are wise; therefore, fully › competent to direct public opinion.

6thly, Resolved, That a word to the wise is sufficient, and that a society which adopts, as fast as they are read or spoken, resolutions which the preses, without their knowledge has prepared a month before their meeting, is a wise and deliberative society.

7thly, Resolved, That an afsembly of citizens, elected and delegated by the people to make laws for the protection of the individual, and for the peace and safety of the community, have no power to make laws.

8thly, That the self-elected societies which meet in oyster cellars and dancing schools, c. in this and other towns, are competent to make laws for the government of the country.

9thly, Resolved, That this meeting fhall correspond with no other meeting or society for reform, nor admit any new member, though furnished with the ticket of other societies, but fhall continue to meet once a week, and resolve whatever it may be judged proper to be resolved, until the meeting of parliament fhall render its meetings annecefsary.

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A TABLE OF GEMS, OF THE FIRST AND SECOND ORDERS, BY ARCTICUS.

For the Bee.

INTRODUCTION.

THE taste for natural history which obtains so generally at present, has made me think of sending you a table of the first and second orders of precious stones, which I composed for the use of my own collection; and have found so convenient and useful, that it is possible others may do the same, and avoid frequent references to authors, when leisure does not invite to such research.

The plan of it is as follows:

These are given in different columns.

1st, The names of the gems, ancient and modern. 2d, Their comparative hardness, on Mr Quist's plan.

3d, Their colour.

4th, Form of crystallization, internal structure, properties, native country, with some description of the largest and most valuable gems in the pofsefsion of sovereigns, &c.

[blocks in formation]

5th, Rarity, and mode of estimating gems of the first order, with the uses the second are applied to. 6th, Specific gravity.

7th, Their component parts,or chemical analysis, in as many columns as they contain earths, metals, &c.

To render the table as useful as pofsible, every discovery, or interesting remark, made by ancient or modern authors on gems, is inserted, as far as the confined space will permit; particularly those of Pliny, Linnæus, Wallerius, Cronstadt, Bergman, Pallas, Rome de Lisle, Achard, Quist, Brunich, Kirvan, and Born; to which the author has added, the remarks he has himself made on those of Russia, during a long residence in that country; with the verbal observations, from time to time communicated to him by the learned Russian academicians; especially those of professor Laxman, inspector of the Siberian fofsils, whose office and residence in that part of the empire, (the Indies of Rufsia, with respect to minerals of all kinds) give him superior advantages, and by whose afsistance the author has been enabled to point out with exactnefs, the spot where each article is found; a subject hitherto treated very incorrectly, by even the latest writer on it, viz. Mr Brunich, professor of natural history in Copenhagen, whose work has been translated in this city, with many mistakes of the kind alluded to.

The chemical analysis

Is taken from Bergman, Kirvan, Achard, Klaproth, Crell's chemical annals, c. but always from

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