fchall, Wm. Smith, W. Godfchall, jun. Efqs.Meffis. Gregory and Ruffel.

3ij mercury were taken from the ciftern formerly mentioned, and in a fimilar manner, and rubbed up with a few drops of vit. ether, in a small mortar, as in Experiment VI.

A bare grain of white powder was projected, and afterwards rubbed up with it. The mercury, which before the addition of the powder had been very bright and fluid, was now perceived by the company to be dull, and run heavily: it was poured out into a fmall glafs veffel, and after ftanding for about 45 minutes, was put into a cloth to be ftrained. It now poured fo fluggishly, that the latter portions of it feemed in a ftate intermediate between fuidity and folidity, or to use a term lefs fcientific, but, like many other vulgar ones, very defcriptive, poured grouty.

Great part of the fuperfluous mercury being ftrained off, a mass fimilar to an amalgam was left in the cloth; and the remaining mercury which could not be preffed out, being driven off by fire from a portion (about a fourth) of the whole mafs, a globule of white metal, which had all the appear ance of filver, remained, and was kept in a white heat for about two minutes, before the blowpipe.

On the fame day and before the fame refpectable company, half an ounce of mercury revivified from cinnabar, brought by the Rev. Mr. Anderfon, was by him placed in a fmall round English crucible, taken from among a number of VOL. XXV.

others in the laboratory, by Lord Palmerfton, on a flux compofed of a fmall piece of charcoal and a peace of borax, both taken cafually by fome of the company from large quantities, and pounded in a mortar previously infpected by those present.

This flux being preffed down in the crucible with a small pestle, alfo examined, the mercury was poured into the depreffion by one of the fpectators, and on it half a grain, bare weight, of the red powder was put by Lord Palmerfton. The crucible being then covered with a lid taken in the fame manner as the crucible from among many others, and fhown round to the company, was placed in the furnace, furrounded by lighted charcoal.

One or more of the company, particularly the Lords King and Palmerfton, were during the whole time of the experiment close to the furnace and operator; and, as requested by him, gave the closest attention to every part of the procefs.

When the crucible had acquired a full red heat, the cover was removed, and feveral of the company faw the mercury in a tranquil state, neither evaporating nor boiling: in which ftate it continued even when the mercury itfelf was completely ignited.

The cover being replaced, the fire was gradually raifed to a white heat the crucible being continued in this heat for thirty minutes, was taken out, cooled, and broke..

A globule of metal was found. at bottom, neatly fufed, and exactly fitting the concavity of the divided fcoriæ. This globule fell

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Some Account of the Snakes of North America, and of the Humming Bird. From the letters by J. Hector St. John, an American Far

mer.

WH

HY would you prefcribe this talk? you know that what we take up ourselves feems always lighter than what is impofed on us by others. You infift on my faying fomething about our nakes; and in relating what I know concerning them, were it not for two fingularities, the one of which I faw, and the other I received from an eye-witnefs, I fhould have but very little to ob. ferve. The fouthern provinces are the countries where nature has formed the greatest variety of alligators, inakes, ferpents; and fcorpions, from the fmalleft fize up to the pine barren, the largest fpecies known here. We have but two whose stings are mortal, which deferve to be mentioned. As for the black one, it is remarkable for nothing but its industry, agility, beauty, and the art. of enticing birds by the power of its eyes. I admire it much, and never kill it, though its formidable length and appearance often get the better of the philofophy of fome people, particularly of Europeans. The most dangerous one is the Pilot, or Copper-head; for the poifon of which no remedy has yet been discovered. It bears the first name because it always precedes the rattle-fnake; that is, quits its ftate of torpidity in the fpring a week before the other. It bears the fecond name on account of its head being adorned with many copper-coloured fpots. It lurks in rocks near the water,

and is extremely active and dangerous. Let man beware of it! I have heard only of one perfon who was ftung by a copper-head in this country. The poor wretch inftantly fwelled in a most dreadful manner; a multitude of spots of different hues alternately appeared and vanifhed, on different parts of his body: his eyes were filled with madness and rage, he caft them on all present with the most vindictive looks: he thrust out his tongue as the fnakes do: he hiffed through his teeth with inconceivable ftrength, and became an object of terror to a'l byeftanders. To the lividnefs of a corpfe he united the defperate force of a maniac; they hardly were able to faften him, so as to guard themselves from his attacks; when, in the fpace of two hours, death relieved the poor wretch from his struggles, and the spectators from their apprehenfions. The poifon of the rattle-fnake is not mortal in fo fhort a space; and hence there is more time to procure relief. We are acquainted with feveral antidotes, with which almoft every family is provided. They are extremely inactive, and if not touched, are perfectly inof fenfive. I once faw, as I was travelling, a great cliff which was full of them; I handled several, and they appeared to be dead; they were all entwined together, and thus they remain until the return of the fun. I found them out, by following the track of fome wild hogs which had fed on them; and even the Indians often regale on them. When they find them afleep, they put a small forked ftick over their necks, which they keep immoveably fixed on the

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ground; giving the fnake a piece of leather to bite and this they pull back feveral times with great force, until they obferve their two poisonous fangs torn out. Then they cut off the head, fkin the body, and cook it as we do eels; and their flesh is extremely fweet and white. I once faw a tamed one, as gentle as you can conceive a reptile to be: it took to the water and fwam whenever it pleased; and when the boys to whom it belonged called it back, their fummons was readily obeyed. It had been deprived of its fangs by the preceding method; they often ftroked it with a foft brush; and this friction feemed to caufe the most pleafing fenfations, for it would turn on its back to enjoy it, as a cat does before the fire. One of this fpecies was the caufe, fome years ago, of a moft deplorable accident which I fhall relate to you, as I had it from the widow and mother of the victims. A Dutch farmer in the Miniɓnk went to mowing with his negroes, in his boots, a precaution ufed to prevent being fung. Inadvertently he trod on a fnake, which immediately flew at his legs and as it drew back, in order to renew its blow, one of his negroes cut it in two with his fcythe. They profecuted their work, and returned home at night the farmer pulled off his boots and went to bed; and was soon after attacked with a ftrange fickness at his ftomach; he fwelled, and before a phyfician could be fent for, died. The fudden death of this man did not caufe much enquiry; the neigh bourhood wondered, as is ufual in fuch cases; and without any

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further examination the corpfe was buried. A few days after, the fon put on his father's boots, and went to the meadow; at night he pulled them off, went to bed, and was attacked with the fame fymptoms about the fame time, and died in the morning. A little before he expired the doctor came, but was not able to affign what could be the cause of so fingular a diforder; however, rather than appear wholly at a lofs before the country people, he pronounced both father and fon to have been bewitched. Some weeks after, the widow fold all the moveables for the benefit of the younger dren; and the farm was leafed. One of the neighbours, who bought the boots, prefently put them on, and was attacked in the fame manner as the other two had been; but this man's wife being alarmed by what had happened in the former family, difpatched one of her negroes for an eminent phyfician, who fortunately having heard fomething of the dreadful affair, gueffed at the caufe, applied oil, &c. and recovered the man. The boots which had been fo fatal, were then carefully examined; and he found that the two fangs of the fnake had been left in the leather, after being wrenched out of their fockets by the ftrength with which the fnake had drawn back its head. The bladders which contained the poifon, and several of the fmall nerves were ftill fresh, and adhered to the boot. The unfortunate father and fon had been poifoned by pulling off thefe boots, in which action they imperceptibly fcratched their legs with the points of the fangs,

through

through the hollow of which fome of this aftonifhing poifon was conveyed. You have no doubt heard of their rattles, if you have not feen them; the only obfervation I wish to make is, that the rattling is loud and diftinct when they are angry; and, on the contrary, when pleafed, it founds like a diftant trepidation, in which nothing diftinct is heard. In the back fettlements they are now become very fcarce; for where ever they are met with, open war is declared against them; fo that in a few years there will be none left but on our mountains. The black snake, on the contrary, always diverts me, because it excites no idea of danger. Their fwift nefs is aftonishing; they will fometimes equal that of an horfe; at other times they will climb up trees in quest of our tree-toads; or glide on the ground at full length. On fome occafions they prefent themselves half in the reptile ftate, half erect; their eyes and their heads in the erect pofture, appear to great advantage: the former difplay a fire which I have admired, and it is by thefe they are enabled to fafcinate birds and fquirrels. When they have fixed their eyes on an animal, they become immoveable; only turning their head fometimes to the right and fometimes to the left, but ftill with their fight invariably directed to the object. The diftracted victim, inftead of flying its enemy, teems to be arrefted by fome invincible power; it fcreams; now approaches, and then recedes; and after skipping about with unaccountable agitation, finally rushes into the jaws of the fnake, and is fwallowed,

as foon as it is covered with a flime or glue, to make it flide eafily down the throat of the devourer.

One anecdote I muft relate, the circumftances of which are as true as they are fingular. One of my conftant walks, when I am at leifure, is in my lowlands, where I have the pleasure of seeing my cattle, horfes, and colts. Exuberant grafs replenishes all my fields, the beft reprefentative of our wealth; in the middle of that track I have cut a ditch eight feet wide, the banks of which nature adorns every spring with the wild falendine, and other flowering weeds, which on these luxuriant grounds fhoot up to a great height. Over this ditch I have erected a bridge, capable of bearing a loaded waggon; on each fide I carefully fow every year fome grains of hemp, which rife to the height of fifteen feet, fo ftrong, and fo full of limbs as to resemble young trees: I once afcended one of them four feet above the ground. These produce natural arbours, rendered often ftill more compact by the affiftance of an annual creeping plant which we call a vine, that never fails to entwine itfelf among the branches, and always produces a very defirable thade: From this fimple grove I have amufed myself an hundred times in observing the great number of humming birds with which our country abounds; the wild bloffoms everywhere & ttract the attention of there by le, which like bees fubfift by fuccion, From this retreat I diftinctly watch thein in al. their various af titudes; but their flight is fo rapid, that you cannot disting "h the motion of their wings. H 3

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