183 the velocity of motion it thus acquires will be in proportion to the quantum of that diminution of weight; so that where many drums are alternately stopped, or put in motion at once, the irregularity thus occasioned in the movements of the machinery must be much greater than where the stoppages are few; but in this case the stoppage is of one only at a time, which cannot occasion any sensible variation. 4. As in this case the spindle, as well as the drum itself, is stopped, and as that can be done in a moment by the child at the place, instead of requiring, as before, that they should run to a distance to do it, the danger of accidents by twisting in the clothes of the persons employed, as well as that of breaking the parts of the machinery, is greatly diminished. On all these accounts this improvement must be deemed a very efsential one by every person engaged in the cotton spinning business by machinery; and it is with pleasure I add, that the contrivance by which it is effected is so simple, as to be in no danger of going out of order, and the expence of thus constructing a machine will be at first smaller, and will require lefs to keep it in repair, than those of the present construction. When on this subject, I beg leave to suggest the propriety of every owner of cotton works, or extensive machinery of any sort, adopting a uniform in regard to the fashion of the drefs of those employed; viz. for boys a close jacket without tails, with tight sleeves, and breeches or close trowsers, without any strings or loose laps about them of any sort. The sleeves, and upper part of the girl's drefs, fhould be all made without flaps or strings of any sort, and quite tight. It is more difficult to contrive petticoats that are in no danger of entanglement; but these ought always to be made of thick stuff, to reach as April 3. low down the leg only as is necessary for decency, and to be as strait as fhall not incommode the person in walking. In all cases the hair fhould be kept quite short. LITERARY OLLA No. vi. For the Bee. Ecce super vacuis (quid enim fuit utile rasci?) The last and valedictory letter of Foulisius Eremitus, to Ascanius Trimontanus. THUS I mark the day that was once counted the 15th, but now the 26th, of the month of March, not without a tacit reproof to some folk that commonly omit to date their letters. I look upon the date of a friendly epistle as containing half the substance of its contents. I take pleasure in knowing the exact day when a friend bestowed some thought upon me, which he has testified by his writing to me. My thoughts are now taken up about my future hermitage, about which I have made some slight beginnings, deferring the finishing it for a month or two longer, till I get some cash for a quarry, out of which I am to take the stones for its erection. Some new fancies about it have entered into my brain, that will make it exceed every thing I have either seen or read of. But before I go about to endeavour to entertain you about it, I must first endeavour to rectify your Philosophership's opinion about a matter of this kind, as you told me that it was only once to look at it, and no more; all farther thoughts of such a thing expired with that single view." Be pleased Ascanius to observe, "That when a person who has any imagination, and who has read about any thing of that kind, sees a well contrived hermitage, it immediately recalls to his mind Mo: tserrat, and whatever else of that nature he has met with in Spenser, Tafso, Ariosto, and whatever else old Bards have sung "Of fairies and enchantments drear, "Where more is meant than meets the ear." To me my hermitage recalls several I have seen, with little chapels and small vineyards, and it recalls a hermit in Germany, who was a most accomplished pimp. These are the thoughts such things ought to produce in you, Ascanius; and I hope that what I have now written on the point, will open to you a new source of pleasure and reflection. You must remember a narrow precipitous passage in my bank, by which it was thought improper for a fhort sighted philosopher to pafs with spurs. I have amended it; but in such a way that its rusticity does not hinder it from affording as great facility for descent or ascent as any monarch can find in his spacious marble stair case. I chose two young trees entwisted with ivy, which I have planted as two posts to my door; which make a passage so simple, that Lycurgus himself could not have found fault with it, as being too much laboured. On the side. opposite to the door, near the top of the wall, is to be a window, not of the usual form, but lying flat lengthwise, and instead of glafs it fhall have an ox's bladder, which will exclude the wind, and all external objects, but admit a dim religious light. As the wall is to be formed of clay, it fhall be stuck thick with wallflower, and other rock plants, and frora the very first afsume the air of an old building. In the middle of the area of the cell, the ground fhall be raised about the height of an ordinary grave, on which is to lie a flat stone, of due dimension to serve as a seat and table for the hermit, and the following inscription at the one VOL. XIV. A A end, super hoe quiesco, and at the other, requeiscam. To unfeeling philosophical minds, this will be but a fleeting sight; but to those who are endowed with more fancy, and more acute feelings, it will present ideas of a very serious nature. Such objects might have reformed Don Quixote from his chivalry, and have really persuaded him to follow his squire's advice, to turn hermit. You will probably guefs on whom I was thinking when I made a rustic stair case, for the accomodation of those who wear that courtly instrument, the spur; and that I had quite different sentiments towards the object of my thoughts, from what Brutus and Cafsius had, about eighteen hundred years ago, on the day of which this is the anniversary. To all the objects above mentioned, I think only of adding a human skull; and if the skull were that of a female that had once been handsome, in case the old hermit's pafsions fhould stir,, they might be reprefsed, by seeing what beauty must become, and what must be the termination of all human enjoyments. While I am writing this letter, I have received the disagreeable, but not unexpected account of the death of my worthy friend Amadies, for whom I have entertained the greatest esteem, and most constant regard, these three and forty years. By testimonies, from different hands, it is confirmed, that my correspondence was one of his greatest pleasures in life, and my letters one of the first entertainments he produced to his learned friends. Now, therefore, I am of lefs consequence to any person in the world, and can follow him to the next with the lefs reluctance. My hermitage will be a proper prepare myself for the journey. place to think on, and When you come this way, you may do worse than take a view of it, and a leave of me. It may be now justly told me, tempus est abire tibi; yet I find that I have not been quite useless in the creation, of which I can give a strong instance. I once got some seeds from the famous old cedars of Mount Libanus, and on one of the trees sprung from them, a wood pigeon is now hatching her young, and I am very careful that she may not be disturbed in that pious office. This careful mother is probably the first that ever took up her domicil on a Scottish cedar. The tree is situated near the rudest part of my banks, well sketched in a line that lately met my eye in a modern poem, Too sweetly wild for chance, too greatly bold for art. Ta view rural scenes, Ascanius, and to refer to descriptions of their peculiarities in the best writers, adds a new beauty to the fields, and obviates the satiety of pofsefsion, or of frequent enjoyment. "Methinks I know, charm'd with the scenes I love, INDEX INDICATORIUS. Farewell! Continued from p. 152. 7. B. sends a few lines intended as an enlargement of verse 2d of psalm cxxi. Perhaps nothing has tended so much to weaken the general respect for the sublime beauties of the Holy Scriptures as poetical versions of them. The Psalms, in particular, have certainly suffered very much in this way. To a pious mind every thing that conveys sentiments of piety will appear beautiful; but when a publication is to be submitted to readers of such various descriptions as this Miscellany, perhaps no kind of writings should be scrutinized with so much care as those of a pious tendency, lest they should occasionally give rise to jests and scoffing at holy things, among those |