nothing farther than that it contains about 100,000* inhabitants, including the flaves; that the churches are very rich in filver utenfils; and that its whole militia confits of only 500 men, of a most melancholy appearance, without uniforms, and without cannon; and of whom one-half parade with wooden muskets. Nor of the city of Chuquifaca, or La Plata, which lies at a fhort distance from Potofi, do we learn any thing farther in Helms's Journal than that it is the feat of an arch-bishop, of the ecclefiaftical tribunal for the whole kingdom of La Plata, and of an university. above a third in the process, and for every mark of pure filver they gained, deftroyed one, frequently two, marks of quickfilver. Only to compare the excellent method of amalgamation invented by Baron Born, with the barbarous procefs used by these Indians, would be an envious degradation of the former.-In the Royal Mint at Potofi, affairs were not better conducted. Every hundred weight of refined copper used for alloy in the gold and filver coin, coft the king 200 piaftres, through the grofs ignorance of the overfeers of the work, who spent a whole month in roafting and calcining it; but Helms, in 5 hours, and at lefs than one twentieth part of the expence, brought it to a greater degree of fineness.-Thefe evils the German commiffioners endeavoured as much as poffible to remove.-A miner of the name of Weber, dug two deep conduits (for freeing the mines from water) in the mountain of Potofi; Baron von Nordenflycht erected proper machinery; and Helms built amalgamation-works, and gave leffons in metallurgy. As foon, then, as the water in the pits can be got under, the mines of Potofi will be in a more flourishing condition, than ever, and that by the fkill and industry of German mineralogists. However, the total want of timber on this naked ridge. of mountains very much retards the work. From Tucuman to within fix miles of Potofi we find here and there in the valleys The rich filver ore mountain Potofi, at whofe foot the city is built, refembles a fugar-loaf, is almoft fix miles in circumference, chiefly compofed of a yellow very firm argillaceous flate, and is full of veins of ferruginous quartz, in which filverhorn-ore and more rarely brittle vitreous ore are found interfperfed. These rude ores are there called paco ores, and contain, on an average, 6 to 8 ounces of filver in every coxon, or fifty hundred weight. They fometimes likewife meet with folid filver-ore especially with greyish-brownore, each caxon of which yields 20 marks of filver. Above 300 mines or pits are worked, but all of them irregularly, and, as if it were merely for plunder; few of them therefore penetrate to a greater depth than about 70 yards. Here they were totally unacquainted with machinery for pumping out the water from the pits, or for extracting and preparing the ore, ex-fmall trees and bushes; but farther tocept a wretched pounding machine, which was put in motion by means of a plain horizontal water-wheel; and in paffing it through the fieves, at leaft 20 per cent. of ore was loft. A main conduit which had been begun in 1779, and in the courfe of nine years had, at an incredible expence, been carried on as far as 1425 Saxon ells, was even at its mouth much too high, and yet had been made to. flope one ell to every 32 ells, fo that it would not have come deep enough into hardly any of the pits to free it from water. The unwieldy hammer of twenty pound weight exhausted the ftrength of the miner, the iron a foot leng was a great deal too incommodious, and the thick tallow candles wound round with wool contaminated the air. Still greater, if poffible, was the ignorance of the workmen at the fmelting-houfes at Potofi, who by their method of amalgamation were hardly able to gain two-thirds of the filver contained in the paco-ore, loft The Governor was himself ignorant of the exact number of inhabitants or hearths. MONTHLY Mag, No, Li, wards Potofi the fides of the mountains are covered with only a thin mofs. Brufhwood and charcoal for fuel muft therefore be brought from a distance of from ten to twenty miles, and larger trees fit for building even from Tucuman, and dragged across the mountains by the hands of men. A beam 20 Hungarian inches in diameter, and 8 ells in length, costs at Potofi 2000 piaftres.-According to a lift communicated by Helms, 30 gold mines (mostly works where they wafh gold from the fand) 27 filver-mines, 7 copper-mines, 2 tin, and 7 lead-mines, are wrought in the whole kingdom of La Plata. The revenue to the king from thefe mines is faid to amount annually to 4 millions of piaftres (?): and if they poffeffed more knowledge and economy, it might very eafily be doubled. Indeed, if all the veins of ore, &c. were fought for and wrought with but moderate skill and diligence, this kingdom alone might yield every year twenty, and even thirty, millions. [To be concluded in our next.] To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. IN SIR, N addition to what has been faid of the Hundredth Pfalm, by O. GREGORY, in your last, page 609, let me add, that T. Johnson, in a " Selection of Pfalms for the Ufe of Bedford and Charlotte Chapels, accompanied with the Mufic," 1777, afcribes the 100th, or "Savoy," to Dr. Bowland, (not Dowland) as O. G. calls him. I know not whether Johnfon was affifted by Dr. Dupuis, but the latter was for many years organift, and the former many years, and till within a few weeks paft, clerk of Charlotte Chapel. I have feen this tune attributed alfo to Dr. Blow, Dr. Bull, Handel, and M. Luther; however, Dr. Miller, in his "Pfalms, 1790," afcribes it to the laft on the authority of Tallis, Blow, Handel, and Sir J. Hawkins. INGENUUS. Page 619, firft col. 1. 3, for Squires, read Nately Skewers, which is there called by the latter name, i. e. Skewers only. Sept. 19, 1799. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. Si SIR, O much has been written on the learning of Shakespear, that perhaps it is not worth while to difcufs it further, tho' I fee a late correfpondent of your's has declared his opinion that it might be proved to have been much more confiderable than the critics have allowed. Such a notion he would probably attempt to fupport, by tracing imitations in Shakespear, from authors in various languages, who were not tranflated in his time. The following imitation or co-incidence might feem striking in this view. Seneca the tragedian, in his Hercules furens," makes the hero deplore the stains he had contracted by the horrid deeds of his madness, in these bombaftic lines: Quis Tanais, aut quis Nilus, aut quis Perficâ What a resemblance is there in this no lefs bombaftic paffage of Macbeth? Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood Clean from my band? No, this my hand will rather The multitudinous fea incarnardine, It is here obfervable, that while Seneca runs out into an enumeration of fimilar particulars which enfeebles the leading thought by expanfion, Shakespear fubjoins to it a new idea which augments the extravagance of the firft. In the following fine paffages, I recognize no more than a coincidence of fenti. ment between two great geniuses. Lucretius, fpeaking of the probable origin of religious terrors among mankind, naturally adverts to the awful phenomena of a ftorm. Præterea, cui non animus formidine Divûm Contrahitur? cui non conrepunt membra pavore, Fulminis horribili cum plagâ torrida tellus Contremit, et magnum percurrunt murmura cælum ? Non popuperbi Pœnarum grave fit folvendi tempus adactum ? These very ideas are reprefented by Shakespear as occurring to Lear's unfettling mind in the ftorm. his arrivalle in the Realme of Irelande, In the prefent fituation of that unfortunate country this narrative has too many claims on the notice of the public; for the fcenes then acted, which unhappily for the prefent age cannot now be faid to be unparalleled, bear too much fimilitude to fome late tranfactions. I am yours, &c. Temple, Oct. 2, 1799. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, W cheapest that he can make, as I know by experience; butI believe it will not answer for preferving pickles: cyder, particularly fuch as has an acid tendency, placed in the fun, will become very strong vinegar in a fhort time, and will, I know, answer every purpose. In the newspapers fome years ago, there was a receipt for making a wine of cyder and honey, not unlike foreign wines ;-a J. W. friend of mine tried it. After its standing in the veffel for fome months, he found it not wine indeed, but become fuch powerful vinegar, that he was obliged to mix it with water for common ufe.-The proportion is 1lb. of honey to a gallon of cyder. that the celebrated chemift Scheele difcoIt may, perhaps, be worthy of attention vered that fix fpoonfuls of good alcohol, added to three pints of milk, and the mixture put into veffels, and corked clofe, with the precaution of giving vent from will, in the courfe of a month, produce very time to time to the gas of fermentationgood vinegar. If any of your correfpondents can fainquiries, they will oblige and affift me vour me with anfwers to the following extremely. I have been told that the common red HENEVER a very expenfive book is republished, the Editor fhould carefully inquire after every copy that might illuftrate it. This very trite obfervation I fhould not make, if I did not perceive the new edition of Count Caylus's Antient Paintings mentioned in your Supplemental Number, as going forward in Germany, was not in the fame predicament as the fecond edition of it published by Didot. Mr. D'Hennery had M. Mariette's own copy, with his manufcript notes, &c. and as that was at Paris open for infpection, when Didot publifhed, I cannot account for the reafon why he did not take advantage of it. That copy is now in the library at Mr. Johnes at Ha- archangel (lamirum purpureum); and the fod. It has this fingularity, that though by experiment to answer in the place of common willow (falix alba) were found Count Caylus had the honour and name of Peruvian bark. Of the latter, I find an that publication, it was the work of Maaccount in Dr. Withering's Botanical Arriette, except, as he himself says, where the Count made additions not to its ad-rangement-but of the former I have only vantage. It is most beautifully coloured, much gratified could I hear further partivery flight mention-and I fhould be and is the only copy that was ever taken culars of fo useful a discovery through fur papier d'Hollande. your valuable Magazine-I am also very anxious to know every particular relative to the management of nettles for making cloth. This manufacture might be of fo much advantage to the lower claffes, that' every person who wishes to benefit them, ought to encourage it. I am, &c. September 12, 1799. I am, Sir, your well wisher, To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, T is my wish to increase useful knowI Tedge by foto experiments. On reading the inquiry from R. H. in in your Magazine of Auguft, of the cheapeft mode of making vinegar; it struck me that the juice of crabs, commonly called verjuice, might, by proper management, be made into excellent vinegar.-I am myfelf too little of a chemift to propofe the means of treating it; but if it can be turned to account for this purpose by fome of our able chemists, it will be made more ufe of than it hitherto has, I believe. I alfo inform your correfpondent that the vinegar mentioned by Mr. Gregory in your Magazine for September, is the heard T. T. SIR, GENTLEMAN, who does not A fear to avow his liberal motives whenever it may be neceffary to do fo, has tranfmitted to me the following paffage by a French author, which he has taken from the fecond volume of Memoirs, hiftorical and philofophical, of Pius VI." page 103, of the French edition, with a view that it fhall not pafs wholly uncontradicted, and thereby bring an unmerited odium on the Government of the United States of America. I have often been questioned, indeed,touch. ing the religious freedom of the American people; and many well-meaning perfons feem to think (both on this fcore, and many others which appear to me to be grofsly mifreprefented), that the Americans them felves fubfcribe a tacit affent to the difcredit of their country, because their public officers who refide here have been at no pains to obviate fuch malicious mifreprefentations, as have often appeared in print. Thefe good folks feem to be little aware how much it becomes official dignity and confcious rectitude to difdain a notice of incendiary writings, the feeble efforts of which muft perif in the glare of falfehoods which they are employed to forge, and fink with the drofs of their own infignificance; and they feem to be but partially informed touching many matters of public notoriety in that country, which can derive no other advantage from my individual youcher, than what may arife from such a substitute, defigned to remedy, in fome degree, the imperfect means of diftributing the knowledge of local facts through a more elevated medium of teftimony. In confideration of fuch deficiency, I am willing to make a few remarks on the following paffage of the Memoirs of Pope Pius VI. loix fondamentales, ne reconnoiffant pas de religion dominante, mais protégeant toutes celles dont les fectateurs étoient venus fe réfugier dans fon fein. Depuis deux fiècles, l'Amèrique Septentrionale avoit été l'afyle d'un grand nombre de catholiques chaffés de différens pays par la perfécution. Tant que ces transfuges avoient été, comme leurs compatriotes adoptifs, fous la domination oppreffive de l'Angleterre, leur existence civile avoit été équivoque et précaire. Soumis enfin à un gouvernement régulier et protecteur, ils fongèrent à affurer l'exercice de leur culte, par la nomination d'un évêque. Le congrés, quoique compofé en très-grande partie de phipule d'être leur interprète auprès du pape: lofophes et de proteftans, ne fe fit pas de fcru115 lui demandèrent, en 1789, un évêque pour les catholiques de l'Amérique, feptentrionale en lui abandonnant pour toujours le droit de le nommer. Pie VI. qui n'étoit pas accoutumé à une pareille déférence de la part des puifiances catholiques elles-mêmes, accueillit cette offre, mais n'en abufa pas. Il laiffa aux membres du clergé catholique le foin de nommer leur évêque pour cette première fois, en fe réfervant feulement le droit de confirmer celui qu'ils auroient nommé. Leur choix tomba fur Jean Carrol, qui fixa fon fiège à Baltimore, et prit le titre de légat du pape. "L'autorité du faint-fiège faifoit ainfi au loin quelques conquêtes, tandis que fes pertes s'accumuloient autour de lui; et on pouvoit dire de Rome moderne, ce que Racine a dit de Rome ancienne:" "Tes plus grands ennemis, Rome, font à tes portes.' "Almost all the temporal powers feemed to have formed the plan, if not of utterly denying, at leaft of confiderably abridging, and it were no difficult tafk to enumerate the the fpiritual jurifdiction of the court of Rome : few exceptions to this rule which fome of their number have furnished. But it will be matter of no fmall furprife to find one of those exceptions beyond the ocean, in a nation young indeed in the date of her political existence, but already old in wifdom-faithfully obfervant of the principles of univerfal toleration, which formed one of the chief of her funda mental laws-acknowledging no paramount mode of worship, but affording protection to all religions, whofe profeffors had taken fefuge within her territories. During two cena confiderable number of catholics whom perturies North America had been the afylum of fecution had driven from different countries. So long as thofe refugees had, together with their adoptive countrymen, continued subject to the oppreilive yoke of England, their civil existence had been equivocal and precarious. At length breathing under a regular and protecting government, they determined to fecure the exercife of their mode of worship by the nomination of a bishop. The congrefs, although for the most part confifting of philofophers and proteftants, did not fcruple to act as as their interpreter in applying to the court of Rome. In 1789 they asked of the pontiff a bifoop for the catholics of North America, leaving to the Holy See the perpetual right of nomination Pius, who was not accustomed to fuch deference even from the catholic powers, accepted the offer, but did not make an improper ufe of it. He left to the members of the catholic clergy the task of nominating their bishop in this first instance, only referying to himfelf the privilege of confirming their choice. The perfon whom they elevated to the epifcopal chair was John Carrol, who fixed his fee at Baltimore, and affumed the title of pope's legate. The authority of the pontiff was thus making fome diftant acquifitions, while his loffes were accumulated clofe around him: and to modern Rome might have been applied what Racine faid of the ancient-" Rome! thy bitt'reft foes ftand at thy gates." It follows to notice the probable error of this French author; for I am unwilling to criminate his defign, and a love of truth forbids me to credit his affertion. The mysterious inauguration of a prelate, you know, has, in fome kind of profeffional perfuafions, made its way fo flowly and confidentially to the aid of mortals upon earth, that we poor Americans are under the neceffity of importing the difpenfation from Europe at fecond hand; and to this end it is requifite to ferry over those vehicles of imparted grace, the head and heart of the reverend Doctor. Now, if you or I, Mr. Editor, were to crofs the Atlantic Ocean upon a fimilar bufiuefs, I apprehend the nature of the election would furnish us with the credentials of our fpecific church; and in the year 1789 (when the infant government of the United States had admitted very few competent notaries) we should probably have been taught by common prudence to have demanded, as matter of common right, the public feal of the community, certifying the authenticity of the church teftimonials, to the end that his Holiness (or even Mahomet) might have honoured the identity of the miffion " with all due faith and credence." In regard to the epifcopal rights of the American people, I take them to be exceedingly clear: it is effential that they acknowledge a Supreme Being; for they would be otherwife unfitting for focial duties, and would feel themselves abfolved from the folemnity of a formal oath, which it often becomes neceflary to adminifter for the furtherance of worldly intercourse. If they only profefs a belief in God, they are certainly free to worthip him in any way they pleafe; and I think this is all that is or can be regarded by the Conftitution itself, or enforced by the laws of its fubordinate Legislature. With refpect to the specific rights of Churches, and of the religious affociates who compofe them, they neceffarily arife out of the principle propofed; and are each This of them independent of the other. perfect religious freedom has been and continues to be acted on. of its agency are neceffarily as various as the variety of collective perfuafions. But the mediums The church of England, for example, has proceeded to organization. It has annual convocations of its clergy within the limits of the feparate fovereignties of the ftates; and it imitates the civil jurifprudence in its collective delegation of a SUBORDINATE SUPREME! In this exercife of right it has conftituted more than *one bishop. His authority is influential; and his ftipend is like that of a bear: he has his paws to fuck!—He is the shepherd of a flock who hold him at their option, and at their mercy. While he is governed by this prefcription, he can do no harm and if he treads out of this circle, the civil law will take care that he ball do no wrong. The Roman Catholics poffefs the fame rights as the Church of England, and no more like that church they have created a bishop; but (fo far as I am informed) the extent of his epifcopacy needs no diocefan auxiliary; and bishop Carrol continues yet to be the pope's fole American vicegerent, holding precifely as much authority as any one bishop of the English church militant within the limits of the United States. There are certain dissenters (I have underftood) who have alfo bestowed the lawn fleeves of their profeffion upon a suitable dignitary; and if the mere motion of the spirit was to ftir up an epifcopal quaker in petticoats, I am bold to say that America acknowledges no law to controul her fpiritual influence, while fhe demeans herself orderly in the ordinary walks of social compact. What conftitutes the beauty of religious charity in America, according to my poor estimation, is the harmony which fubfifts in the practice of difcordant theories: I have often beheld with pleature a kind of pulpit hofpitality which I have feen in no other country; for it is not unfrequent in this refpect for a clergyman to invite his *Maddifon of Virginia, White of Pennfylvania, Provost of New York, &c. diffentient |