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viously to the funeral, had been preached by Dr. Thomas Whitehead, one of the phyficians to the London Hofpital; and, on the 13th, the different chapels of his perfuafion in London were hung with black.

It has been justly obferved of Mr. Wefley, that his labours were principally devoted to those who had no instructor; to the highways and hedges; to the miners in Cornwall, and the coalliers in Kingiwood. These unhappy creatures married and buried among themselves, and often committed murders with impunity before the methodists sprung up. By the humane and active endeavours of Mr. Wefley and his brother Charles, a fenfe of decency, morals, and religion, was introduced into the lowest claffes of mankind; the ignorant were inftructed, the wretched relieved, and the abandoned reclaimed. His perfonal influence was greater, perhaps, than that of any other private gentleman in any country. But the limits of this article will not permit us to expatiate further, at prefent, on the character of this extraordinary man.

He also extended his views to the poor negroes in the West Indies; and it is probable, that his difciples may do more towards the civilization of these poor people, than all the laws that can be made for that effect.

SIR,

To the Editor of the Bee.

ON reading the second number of the second volume of your prefent entertaining and valuable publication, wherein you give us a method of raifing early potatoes, it occured to me, that mentioning what I acci dentally discovered a few years fince, relative to that subject, might not prove unacceptable to you, especially as it might tend to fave even the little trouble which

June 29, is required by the method which you have proposed. The difcovery I allude to was, that whenever the feafon was mild, or rather warm, my stored potatoes (the champion kind), did conftantly produce new potatoes, exactly in the manner which you have fo fully and accurately defcribed, and that these potatoes have been deemed as good and palatable by thofe who have eaten them, as any others of their age and fize, the last of which is ufually from that of a pigeon's, to that of a hen's egg. But as I think this new production may probably have arifen in a great measure from the manner in which they were kept during the winter, I will take the liberty to inform you of the method I pursued for that purpofe. After having them taken up in the autumn, they are, as foon as their furface is tolerably dry, carried and put into a small house or hovel having clay walls, which are well lined with ftraw and a thatched roof; in this houfe very dry fand is always thrown upon them, which falls into and nearly fills up the interftices of them as they are brought into the houfe; after which they are covered with ftraw, to preferve them from the froft; in this heap, and thus covered, they very early in the fpring begin to fprout on the furface, and on that, as also sometimes in the more central parts, produce the bulbs above mentioned in a great abundance; and I have further remarked, that these parent potatoes, if I may fo call them, do not thereby become less proper to plant for a future crop than those which have never produced a progeny. I had this year young potatoes at my table in March; and was I to ule means whereby to make the hovel warmer, I conceive they would vegetate ftill earlier, perhaps in every part of the winter; but this I have not tried; they who prefer young to full grown potatoes may eafily do it.

The Ruta Baga plants, which Dr. Coventry found found on the first of September, after they had ripened their feed, I have reason to think, had then no buds

or fprouts growing on the crown, as he conjecnres they had, because, though I frequently faw them, I never discovered any; and I have this year obferved, that many of thofe, which were early in the laft winter eaten down by the hares, quite into the ground, had in the fpring most of the remaining pieces of the root perfectly found, though many more of these plants were under this operation totally deftroyed, than were thofe of the turnip-rooted cabbages. I am likewife inclined to think, from fome ftriking differences of the bulbs of thefe two plants, that the Ruta Baga is not merely a variety of the turnip rooted cabbage; for I obferve the Ruta Baga grows much more above the furface of the ground, is almoft globular, and with a fingle and not very large tap-root; whereas the turnip-rooted cabbages bury themselves very much in the ground, are frequently shaped like an inverted blunt cone, or not much unlike a fhort thick parfnip; and although I have for many years fown the feed produced by tranfplanted roots, I never have been able to raise them with fewer than two or three ftrong and thick roots or fangs, which occafions them to be raifed from the grouud with more difficulty and foil than is to be wished; however, if I hint my doubts on this head, it is with that diffidence, which I fhall ever entertain, when my opinion clashes with that of fo accurate an observer as your ingenious and intelligent profeffor, to whofe undertaking I have the motive of great perfonal esteem, as well as regard for the public, to wish the utmoft fuccefs. I have the honour to be, Sir, with the greatest efteem, your moft obedient humble fervant, THOS. BEEVOR,

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For the Bee.

A. Card.

THE Earl of Buchan prefents his refpectful compliments to the established clergy of the kirk of Scotland; and flatters himself they will permit him to recommend with fuccefs, the completion of the statistical account of their parishes, fo happily begun under the care his worthy countryman, Sir John Sinclair of Ulbiter.

of

In trading towns, it is hoped, a concife hiftory will be given of their occafional decline or advancement, with the proximate caufes. In univerfity towns, a short account of the foundation, mode of teaching, number of ftudents, and fucceffion of eminent profeffors and eminent scholars that have adorned these feminaries and their country. In countries of mines and minerals, it is intreated, that authentic accounts may be given of the working situations, produce and prospects.

Drybrugh Abbey,
June 16th, 1791. J

Hiftorical Fragments, continued from page 314.

Chronicles of Great Britain, chap. cxxvi.
America.

1. AND it came to pass also, that the people of Britain did evil in the fight of the Lord; and he gave them over to ftrange delufions, that they fhould believe in lies.

2. For they flattered themselves with the vain belief, that the men of their nation were all men of va

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lour, and that their armies would be invincible.Howbeit, they often gave the command of them to men of Belial; and children they appointed to rule over them.

3. They alfo vainly imagined, that they would extend their dominions over the great deeps, and over the ifles of the fea; and that the most diftant lands would yield obeifance unto them.

4. And they fent forth their fhips of war to the west, and to the east, and to the fouth, and fpread the terror of their name among the nations.

5. Their armies alfo penetrated into far countries, and destruction attended their paths.

6. And though they were fometimes wholly overpowered, and sweeped from the field like grafshoppers, yet their numbers were renewed; for the people delighted in war.

7. And their rulers fpake vain words, and they said, that if the people would fuffer themfelves to be plundered, they fhould become rich.

8. And the spirit of delufion that had overspread the land, prevailed to fuch a degree, that they believed in thefe fayings, and they answered, verily thou haft spoken wifely:

9. Nevertheless, the commanders abroad and the rulers at home fought every man his own advantage, and how he might make gain to himself.

10. And having found a defert waste of great extent in a far diftant country, they took poffeffion of it; and they faid, let us plenish it with our own people, and nourish it out of our own bowels.

11. For the king and his fervants reasoned thus: In doing this, we fhall acquire fame among the people, because of the name of our extended dominions, and we shall acquire wealth by the diftribution of such vast

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