of suffering humanity, the unwearied | Mr. Dale himself. advocate. In his religious principles, he was warmly attached to a particular sect, but his zeal never betrayed him into enthusiasm, nor caused bigotry to take possession of his mind. His charity extended to those of other persuasions, nor did he suffer friendship to be interrupted by a variation in theological creeds. In his general character were happily combined commercial enterprise, unimpeached integrity, personal piety, active benevolence, and public spirit. Hence, within the sphere of his active operations, he was universally beloved, and viewed as a character whose virtues deserved imitation. In the higher walks of life, men of eminence sought and esteemed his acquaintance, and vied with each other in giving publicity to his fame; and among the lower orders, "when the ear heard him then it blessed him, and when the eye saw him it gave witness to him, because he delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon him, and he caused the widow's heart to sing for joy." This amiable man died at Glasgow, on the 17th of March, 1806. In life he was admired and beloved for that noble spirit of philanthropy by which he was distinguished; and in death he was regretted as the rich man's example, and the poor man's friend. At the time of his departure, many tributes of respect were paid to his memory, not so much to eulogize his virtues, as to discharge a debt due to departed worth. From one of these the following paragraphs are selected, because they give a pleasing account of his domestic establishment, and of the manner in which it advanced under his prudent management: "Mr. Dale, owner of the Cotton Mills at Lanark in Scotland, deserves well of his country; by dispensing happiness and comfort to so many of his fellow-creatures, by his attention not only to their health but their morals, by training them up to useful habits of industry, instructing them in the necessary branches of education, and instilling into their minds a knowledge of the important truths of Christianity. His little kingdom consists of neat well-built houses, forming broad, regular, and cleanly streets. Near the middle of the town stand the mills, and opposite to them the chief mansion of the place, the residence of the superintendant of the works, and occasionally of The town contains two thousand inhabitants, mostly Highlanders; all of whom, that are capable of labour, are employed by Mr. Dale, either in working at the cotton manufactory, or in repairing and keeping the mills in order. Five hundred children are entirely fed, clothed, and instructed, at the expense of this venerable philanthropist. in comfortable and neat habitations in the The rest of the children live with their parents town, and receive weekly wages for their labour. "The health and happiness depicted in the countenances of these children, shew that the proprietor of the Lanark Mills has remembered mercy in the midst of his gain; the regulations adopted here for the preservation of health, both of body and mind, are such as do honour to the goodness and discernment of Mr. Dale, and present a striking contrast to the generality of large manufactories in this kingdom, which are the schools of vice and of profligacy, the very hot-beds of disease and of contagion. It is a truth which ought to be engraven in letters of gold, to the eternal honour of the founder of New-Lanark, that, out of nearly three thousand children, working in three mills, 1797, only fourteen have died, and not one during a period of twelve years, from 1785 to hath suffered criminal punishment. "Pure and fresh air, without which life cannot exist, is administered in abundance in this manufactory, by frequently opening the winwindow, which are left open during the sumdows, and by air holes under every other mer months. The children are all washed before they go to work, and after they have finished their labour, previous to their appearance in the schools. The floors and the main hot water; and the walls and ceilings twice chinery of the mills are washed once a week a year are white-washed with unslacked lime. The children are lodged in large airy rooms. The boys and girls are kept separate from each other during rest, meal-times, and working-hours. Hence, one most material source of the corruption and profligacy which prevail in almost all other large manufactories, is here prevented from existing. "They are fed plentifully with plain and wholesome food, which consists chiefly of and barley bread, with now and then some fresh beef and barley broth, cheese, potatoes, fresh herrings, as a variety. Their breakfast and supper is, principally, oatmeal porridge, with milk in the summer, and in winter a sauce made of beer and molasses. At seven o'clock the children sup; after this there is no night-work, a pernicious and infamous practice, in use at some other manufactories, whereby immorality and debauchery are disseminated among the poor, ignorant, and unfortunate. After supper, the rooms open, and continue so till nine o'clock. The lesser children, that are not yet old enough to work, are instructed in the day-time; the elder children learn in the evening, when the daily labour is concluded. Proper masters and mistresses are employed to teach both the boys and the girls: the boys learn to read and write, and cast accounts; the girls, in addition to these inestimable acquisitions, are taught to work at the needle. Some of the children are taught church-music; and on Sunday they all, under the immediate guidance of the masters, attend a place of divine worship, and the rest of the day is occupied chiefly in receiving moral and religious instruction from these masters. "The example afforded by this distinguished manufacturer,-of philanthropy in unison with patriotism,-confirms an axiom in ethics, that virtue begets industry, and industry wealth. To promote good morals in the poor, is the most certain means of insuring wealth to the employer; and while sympathy and humanity are rewarded on one hand, gratitude and thankfulness are excited on the other; and thus a moral reciprocity is maintained between the poor and the affluent, which contributes to mental happiness, and constitutes the most durable bond of social order in the various classes of the community."-Bristed's Tour through part of the Highlands of Scotland. Since the death of Mr. Dale, the works at Lanark have been carried on by his successor and son-in-law, Robert Owen, Esq. who had married Mr. Dale's daughter. In conducting the business at these cotton mills, the same principles are retained, on which they were primarily founded; and this individuals of the community exhibit, on the whole, an, aspect which no part of this kingdom can rival. Their manner of living has already attracted much of public attention, and it will probably lead to some important changes in the condition of the poor. But whatever the event may be, the founders of these works have already immortalized their names, and, what is more pleasing, they are deserving of the fame they have acquired. GLEANINGS FROM LITERATURE, SCIENCE, &c. to a sensitive spiral spring. The lower cage being immersed in water, the weight of the body in air will first be indicated by the tension of the spring when it is placed in the upper cage; by then removing it to the lower one, its weight, in water, will be pointed out on the graduated scale. Mr. C. gives a formula for ascertaining the specific gravity from these two observations, without recurring to the usual tedious calculations. Poisonous Dose of Opium.-At a late meeting of the London Medical Society, Mr. Wray, an eminent surgeon of London, related some instances of individuals, whom he had roused from a state of stupor (occasioned by swallowing large doses of tincture of opium) by dashing, suddenly and repeated over their heads, basons-full of cold water. The effects, in all the cases, were very remarkable: the patients were able to swallow emetic draughts, stupor was so completely removed, that the which succeeded in emptying the stomach, and in obviating any bad consequences. Improvements in Pedal Harps.-Mr. Dodd, of St. Martin's-lane, has lately made some very of these elegant instruments. considerable improvements in the construction It is well known, that owing to the crooked form of the neck, where it joins the body of the harp, it is quite impossible to procure wood with its grain running in that direction which its shape regrained; and, accordingly, harps very frequentquires; the consequence is, that it ly break in that part. Mr. Dodd has completely remedied this evil, by forming the necks of his improved harps of a number of layers of wood firmly combined, and bent into the required shape. cross Corrosive Sublimate.-Dr. Taddei has discovered, that gelatine mixed with corrosive sublimate renders it innoxious. He gave 12 grains of it to two rabbits, and they did not it in the least degree; whereas a single grain exhibit any symptom of having suffered from of the sublimate, administered in its pure form, was sufficient to kill them. The injurious effects of a grain of sublimate are neutralized by 25 grains of fresh, or by 13 grains of dry, gelatine. Preservation of Grain in Granaries of Cast Iron. In order to preserve grain for any length Application of Machinery to the Calculating of of time, from those insects which habitually Mathematical Tables.-A very eminent Mathe- devour it, and which cannot exist in air bygromatician, C. Babbage, Esq. F.R.S. Lond. and metrically dry, M. Clement suggests the proEdin., &c. in a letter addressed to Sir Humphry priety of constructing granaries of cast-iron, Davy, President of the Royal Society of Lon-into which no air should enter till it has passed don, has announced to the world that he has invented various machines, by which some of the more complicated processes of arithmetical calculation may be performed with certainty and dispatch. Hence, if the sanguine expectations of the ingenious inventor be completely realized, the mathematician may, in many cases, be relieved from the dull drudgery of computation, and tables of almost every kind may be constructed with a facility and accuracy hitherto unknown, by a process purely mechanical. Specific Gravity-Mr. Creighton, in the Journal of the Royal Institution, recommenda a very useful and ingenious instrument for determining the specific gravities of solid bodies. It consists of two cages of wire, which are suspended, the one under the other, through a body of unslaked lime. He proposes also some contrivances for allowing the expanded air to escape, and for inspecting the grain when necessary. The saving of manual labour in turning over the grain is one of the advantages of the plan. New Power-An apparatus has been invented at Glasgow, for the manufactory of any mineral water requiring to be charged with carbonic acid gas, which amounts, in fact, to the development of a power hitherto unknown, but equal to that of steam. This machine is described as having neither gasometer nor air pumps, yet the strength of a boy is ascertained to be capable of compressing into any vessel from thirty to forty atmospheres of gas, in a few minutes; while to effect the same with a forcing pump would occupy the strength of In our Number of the Imperial Magazine for August last, col. 783, we inserted a letter from the Cape of Good Hope, in which the writer announced that he had seen a Mermaid. Of this natural phenomenon he gave a general description, which we copied, concluding his statement with an intimation, that this singular creature would probably be exhibited in London. Since the above account was published, the Mermaid has arrived, and, as might naturally be expected, has excited a considerable share of public attention. Among those who have visited this wonderful creature, there have been many scientific men, possessing ability to detect a fraud, and sufficient integrity to avow it, who have decided in its favour; and the general current of popular opinion flowing in the same channel, has exempted it from the charge of imposition. Some few individuals, however, affecting to have more penetration than their neighbours, have not hesitated to avow their opinion that the mermaid is an artificial composition, manufactured with much ingenuity, to deceive a credulous age. Among these, is the editor of a weekly journal, whose scepticism is in direct opposition to the evidence of his senses. He has examined it with much minuteness, but thinks it to be a well-contrived deception, formed by the extraordinary efforts of Chinese and Japanese ingenuity, containing nothing beyond the admirably put together members of various animals. Since reading the above description, we have seen and examined this Mermaid for ourselves; and feel no hesitation in declaring, that we were unable to discover the slightest evidence of imposition; and without this, we have no right to sanction insinuations either of its being an artificial composition, or an unnatural combination of animal substances, curiously united together. These remarks, however, do not imply that we think an imposition of this kind to be absolutely impossible. But so far as the Mermaid is involved in this charge, it is a point which nothing but its dissection can fully determine. Nevertheless, from the strong resemblance which it bears in every visible part to animal existence, the probabilities are, that it was once endued with life. The description which we gave in col. 783, is on the whole tolerably correct; but in the figure which accompanies these observations, the artist has availed himself of the privilege of his profession, and given a flattering likeness. As the creature actually appears, the features of the human countenance are exhibited in frightful distortion. The head is disproportionably large; and, from its union with the neck, is projected considerably forward. The face is much elevated; the lips have nearly disappeared; and the cheek-bones are extended almost equal with the point of the nose. From the extremity of the chin to the throat, the distance is very great, bearing in this part a stronger likeness to the feline or canine, than to the human species. At the commence ment of the vertebre, just behind the head, there is a singular projection, exhibiting such a mark of deformity as a dislocation might be supposed to produce. On the shoulders, on the arms, and on most of the upper parts of the body of this creature, a few scattered hairs are to be seen. The skin is of a dirty brown colour, deepest towards the nether extremity, turning into a dirty gray, as the eye wanders towards the head. In every part that may be presumed to coincide with what is human, the skin is much shrivelled, and every feature and limb exhibits signs of advanced age. One of the ears is concealed by the hand that is elevated, and the other seems to form a continuation of the wrinkles leading from the cheek, but its aperture we had no means of minutely examining. The teeth are sufficiently open to expose the cavity of the mouth, which could be traced to a considerable extent; but no tongue could be noticed as distinctly visible. Its whole length is nearly three feet; and its strange appearance excites interest, wonder, and disgust. On the whole, if this be an imposition, it is one that will perhaps stand unrivalled in the arcanum of fraud; and the spectator, though convinced of the fact, will half forgive the author of the deception in his admiration of the excellence of its execution. Literary Notices. Just Published, Charles Lorraine, or the Young Soldier, by Mrs. Sherwood, Author of Little Henry and his Bearer, with neat engravings, 18mo. boards. A new series of Tracts, by the same Author, and the Author of Margaret Whyte, Village Nurse, &c. No. 1 to 20, 1d. each, are already published, to be continued monthly. Eliza, or Traits of Character in Humble Life, with a neat engraving, 18mo. boards. Providence and Grace, an interesting Narrative, plate, 12mo. Veteran Soldier, by the same Author, plate. Gleanings and Recollections, (Moral and Religious,) to Assist the Memory of Youth. By a Parent, dedicated to his own Son, 18mo. In 12mo. and containing 152 pages of closely printed letter press, A Treatise on the utility of Leech Bleeding, in the Treatment of a great variety of Diseases, by Rees Price, M.D. Surgeon. Also, by the same Author, An Epitome of Pharmaceutical Chemistry; exhibiting the Names of the various Articles of the London Pharmacopoeia, in contrast with those with Price of Irish Stocks, October 22. Prices of Foreign Stock in London, October 26. of 1822, 89 COMMERCIAL REPORT, LIVERPOOL, 26th OCTOBER, 1822. SINCE our last, there has been a gradual, and, to all appearance, a solid improvement in the demand for foreign produce; the market seems to be relieved from the undue depression so long prevalent, and there appears little probability of any re-action taking place. The demand for Cotton does not abate, for the sales of the last week reached 11,742 packages, against an import of 7824; this week the sales are more extensive, amounting altogether to 20,037, against a supply received of 7855 bags and bales. The sales are d. 1151 1400 d. 8071 Bags of Bowed, from 6 to 9 New Orleans, 8 to 12 Tennessee & Alabama 64 to 8 d. Surats, d. from 94 8 8 to 81 7 6 & 94 Ditto by auction, at 7 to 9 7 From such an extent of business, it was reasonable to look for improvement; early in the week, rather higher prices were obtained for Uplands, New Orleans, and Alabamas, but the market closed without any actual advance on the prices realized at the end of the preceding week. On Sea Islands, however, an improvement of d. per lb. is willingly paid; and on Brazil descriptions, which have been purchased with avidity, an advance of d. to d. per lb. has been given. The unsettled state of affairs in the Brazils, has mainly contributed to this improvement. American Cottons are cheaper in proportion to quality. British Plantation Sugars have rather gone off heavily this week, at a depression of 1s. per cwt. Coffee has undergone no alteration. Of Carolina Rice, suitable for the home new crop are likely to sell at high prices. Pot and Pearl Ashes are still looking up. Montreal Pots, from 39s. 6d. to 40s. per cwt. Pearls, 44s. to 45s. Boston Pearls, 48s. Of States Pots, there are very few here at the above quotations; holders are very firm, and are anticipating a further advance. trade, the market is cleared; the early arrivals of the Logwood is but dull, as considerable arrivals are expected. Jamaica may be quoted at £7. 10s.; Honduras £8. 2s. 6d. Fustic commands better prices, Cuba £11. 11s. to £12.; Spanish £9.10s. per ton. Solid Nicaragua Wood, £58. per ton. Quercitron Bark is advancing, Philadelphia, of fair quality, sold by auction, 11s. 9d. to 13s. per cwt. Saltpetre is likewise commanding an advance. A large parcel of Bengal Indigo, amounting to 680 chests, and containing a great variety of all the different qualities, was brought forward on the 24th instant, and went off very spiritedly. The fine violet and purple, and extra fine violet, of which there were only 9 chests, brought 11s. to 11s. 2d. per lb. being barely the current prices at the Company's sale. On the good purple and violet, and violet, amounting to 100 chests, an advance on the Company's prices, of 2d. to 3d. per lb. was established, and on the middling and good middling violet, making up 200 chests more, in some instances as much as 4d. to 6d. per lb. the current prices thereof being 10s. to 10s. 10d. per lb. The advance on the violet and copper, and copper, was fully 4d. to 6d. per lb. on the good and fine, and more on the middling qualities; there were about 150 chests of these descriptions, and they brought from 9s. 9d. to 10s. 10d. per lb. Of the low Coromandel, and the RB jun. there was a large proportion, not less than 160 chests, and they went off heavily at some decline on the prices of the Company's sale, 5s. 6d. to 7s. were the prices obtained for the most inferior, and 7s. to 8s. 3d. per lb. for the best description; a few extremely lean, and quite without body, went at 4s. 4d. to 5s. 6d. per lb. Good Grabs were eagerly bought at 6d. to 8d. per lb. advance on the London Prices, and brought 9s. 10d. to 10s. 6d. per lb. Lac Dye has also sold with great animation at a considerable advance on former prices : 32 chests of Good Dark Chocolate, brought 3s. to 3s. 4. per lb. The advance is about 3d. per lb. Considerable arrivals of Turpentine have brought down prices about 1s. per cwt, and fine quality has sold at 14s. per cwt. There have been many inquiries for Tallow, but more from speculators than consumers. 43s. per cwt. is the current price. Our Corn Market, on the whole, continues to look up, and appearances favour an amendment. Dealers and speculators are freely buying Irish Wheat from 4s. 9d. to 5s. 6d. per 70lb. Several parcels of Dantzie Wheat, in bond, have been sold from 3s. to 3s. 9d. per 70lb. The crop of English Clover Seed proves good; prices are likely to range from 55s. to 65s. for Red Seed. LONDON: PRINTED AT THE CAXTON PRESS, BY H. FISHER. |