ones from thence, strongly evince that the scene of their propagation is in the sea itself, or very near to the mouths of rivers, and that it is there that inquiries on the subject should be prosecuted. The growth of the ecl, like that of most other fish of prey, does not appear limited to any determinate natural bulk, but to be governed only by the age and abundance of food. In this country they are in. discriminately of every size, up to eight or nine pounds weight. They have generally been supposed viviparous but the immense abun. dance of the young certainly be speaks an oviparous progeny; and this is supported by analogy in the lamprey eel, which breeds com. monly enough in most of our estuaries. The tenacious vitality of the eel is well known, and is very extra. ordinary; for, after decapitation, skinning, and embowelling, the separated portions of the body will still exhibit strong movement. This is a property seemingly common to all similarly-lengthened animals, and obviously results from the comparatively small proportion of nerves which originate from the brain, and the much greater which branch off in succession from the spine into the adjacent parts; an arrangement which distributes the source of vitality along the whole frame of the animal. trembler), and by the French co lonists of Guyanne the trembling eels. These eels have the astonishing faculty of striking their prey by a discharge of electrical matter. They are found also in the small pouds or pools, inter. spersed in the vast plains lying between the Oronooko and the Apu. ra. Travellers have been obliged to abandon the old route, by Urillica, on account of the dan ger incurred in passing through those stagnating waters, where the mules, struck on a sudden by an invisible commotion, were paralyzed, and very often drowned. The fisher, too, often received an electrical shock, to which his line served as a conductor. The electrical eel is commonly about six feet long. The structure of its nervous system has been described with sufficient accuracy, but what has been said of its cellu rary reservoirs, and the composi tion of its electrical batteries, is purely imaginary. The sensation occasioned by the shock, is extremely painful, and, in the parts affected, it leaves a numbness. It resembles a sudden blow on the head more than the commotion produced by the ordinary electrical fluid. The Indians have so great a terror of this animal, and such a repugnancy to come near it, when living, that Mr. Humbold had the greatest difficulty ia prócuring some of them for making he staid several days near the Apu. experiments. For this purpose, ra, in the small village of Calabozo, having learned that there was a great number of electrical eels near this river. His landlord made every effort to procure a number for him in vain. At length Mr. Humbold 3 G Humbold resolved to go himself to the places which those eels inhabit. Mr. Humbold and his companions witnessed, amidst the abodes of the eels, a sight altogether new and extraordinary. About thirty mules and horses had been hastily brought together from the neighbouring savannahs, where they live in a wild state in so great numbers, that the -proprietor, when he is known, parts with them for about seven shillings each. The Indians, surrounding the mules and horses, drove them into the water, and prevented them from returning to land by means of harpoons, affixed to the end of long bamboos, which they pushed forward toward the animals with loud vociferation. The electrical eels, or gymnoti, roused by the noise and tumult, come up to the surface of the waters, and swimming like so many livid serpents, glide under the bellies of the mules and horses, to whom they communicate com. motions the most sudden and violent. The quadrupeds, in great agony, their hair standing on end, and their eyes rolling wildly with pain, make efforts for their escape. In less than five minutes .two of the horses were drawn un. der the water and drowned. Vic tory seemed to be declared on the side of the electrical eels. But their activity began to relax and languish. Fatigued by the repeated efforts of their nervous energy, they launched the electric fluid less frequently, and with less effect. The horses that had escaped destruction, gradually recovered their strength; and in about a quarter of an hour the cels retired from the combat in such a state of languor and exhaustion, that they were easily drawn to land by means of small harpoons attached to cords, [There be many things in the book of nature, as Shakspeare dreams not of. But, whatever may observes, that our philosophy be thought of the accuracy of the following report, it is curious, as it respects the human mind, the power of imagination, or else the strong desire to appear interesting objects in the sight of mankind.] The Mermaid seen on the coast of Reay, Manse, May 25, MADAM, TO establish the truth of what has hitherto been considered im. probable and fabulous, must be at all times a difficult task, and I have not the vanity to think that my testimony alone would be sufficient for this purpose; but when to this is added that of four others, I hope it will have some effect in remov ing the doubts of those, who may suppose that the wonderful appear ance I reported having seen in the sea on the 12th of January, was not a mermaid, but some other uncommon, though less remarkable, inhabitant of the deep. As I would willingly contribute to remove the doubt of the sceptical on this subject, I beg leave to state to you the following accounts, after pre mising that my cousin, whose name is affixed along with mine, was one of the four witnesses who beheld with me this uncommon spectacle. While she and I were walking by the sea-shore, on the 12th of January, about noon, our atten. tion was attracted by seeing three people who were on a rock at some distance, shewing signs of terror and astonishment at some. thing they saw in the water; on approaching them, we distinguished that the object of their wonder was a face resembling the human countenance, which appeared floating on the waves! at that time nothing but the face was visible; it may not be improper to observe, before I proceed farther, that the face, throat, and arms, are all I can attempt to describe, all our endeaYours to discover the appearance and position of the body being unavailing. The sea at that time ran very high, and as the waves advanced, the mermaid gently sunk under them, and afterwards reappeared. The face seemed plump and round, the eyes and nose were small, the former were of a light grey colour, and the mouth was large, and from the shape of the jaw-bone, which seemed straight, the face looked short; as to the inside of the mouth I can say nothing, not having attended to it, though sometimes open. The head was exceedingly round, the hair thick and long, of a green oily cast, and appeared troublesome to it, the waves generally throwing it down over the face, it seemed to feel the annoyance, and, as the waves retreated, with both its . hands frequently threw back the hair, and rubbed its throat, as if to remove any soiling it might have received from it. The throat was slender, smooth, and white; we did not think to observe whether it had elbows, but, from the manner in which it used its arms, I must conclude that it had. The arms were very long and slender, as were the hands and fingers, the latter were not webbed. The arms, one of them at least, was frequently extended over its head, as if to frighten a bird that hovered over it, and seemed to distress it much; when that had no effect, it sometimes turned quite round several times successively. At a little distance we observed a seal. It some times laid its right hand under its cheek, and in this position floated for some time. We saw nothing like hair or scales on any part of it, indeed the smoothness of the skin particularly caught our attention. The time it was difcernible to us was about an hour. The sun was shining clearly at the time; it was distant from us a few yards only. These are the few observations made by us during the ap. pearance of this strange pheno Eaters of Earth. [From Hum. bold's Physical View of the Equatorial Regions.] ON the banks of the Meta and the Oronooko live the Ottomaci, a hideous race, inclining to corpulency, with the gross and strongly marked features of the Tartars. For the greater part of the year they live on fish, which they kill, at the surface of the water, in rivers, with arrows. But, during the rainy season, when the rivers, overflowing their banks, inundate the plains, those savages subsist on a fat or unctuous earth, which is a species of clay mixed with oxid of iron. They collect it with great care, trying, as they gather it, what is most palatable. They form it into balls of four or five inches in diameter, and then dress it by slowly boiling or baking it. In their huts you every where see great quantities of this sort of provisions. These balls, when they are going to be used, are steeped in water, and every individual eats about a pound a day. The only thing they add to this strange kind of food, is sometimes, by way of seasoning, some small, fishes, lizards, or dried roots. The quantities which the Ottomaci consume of this unctuous earth, and the avi. dity with which they devour it, seems to prove that it does something more than merely distending and abating the keen action of the stomach, and that the power of digestion may, in some measure, transform the more subtle particles into animal substance.* Situation and Climate of the City of Marocco. [From Mr. Jackson's Account of the Empire of Marocco. THE City of Marocco is situated in a fruitful plain, abounding in grain, and all the other necessaries of life, and depastured by sheep and cattle, and horses of a superior breed, called (sift Ain Toga) the breed of Ain Toga, At a distance, the city has a beautiful and re mantic appearance, the adjacent country being interspersed with groves of the lofty palm, and the towering snow-topped mountains of Atlas, in the back-ground, seem to cool the parched and weary traveller reposing in the plains; for although none "Can hold a fire in his hand, By thinking on the frosty Caucasus," SHAKSPEARE yet, in the sultry season, the tra veller, by viewing these moun taius, experiences a sensation difficult to be described. The lily of the Compare Professor Davie's discovery that iron enters largely into the basis of the blood. In the books of the great Lord Bacon, de Augmentis Scientiarum, a variety of subjects are enumerated, the consideration of which might throw some light the valley, the fleur-de-lis, lupins, roses, jonquils, mignionet, jasmines, violets, the orange and citron flowers, and many others, grow here spontaneously; and in the months of March and April, the air in the morning is strongly perfumed with their grateful and delicious odours. The fruits are, oranges of the finest flavour, figs of various kinds, water and musk melons, apricots, peaches, and various kinds of grapes, pears, dates, plums, and pomgranates. rally calm; the neighbouring mountains of Atlas defend the plain in which it stands from the scorching Shume, or hot wind which blows from Tafilelt and Sahara, by arresting its progress, and the snow with which they are always covered, imparts a coolness to the surrounding atmosphere; in summer, however, the heat is intense, though the nights, during that pe riod, are cool: in winter the cold is very sensibly felt; but the climate is extremely healthy. The inhabi. tants, particularly the Jews, are, The air about Marocco is gene- however, affected with opthalmia. on the connection between mind and matter, among which subjects, in all nine, the second is the History of the Power and Influence of Imagination, the sensation felt on viewing the snow-topped mountains of Atlas is curious, and in physiology very important. It is for this reason that we have selected this article. The sensation was no doubt allied, and in some degree participated in, the very nature of that excited by a cooling breeze. Imaginations, or ideas, are re-sensations. Imagination, powerfully excited, runs, in some measure, back into sensation. |