CAUSE OF PHOSPHORESCENCE. found that the same body, at different temperatures, attracts another body, with different intensities, it will be a proof that gravity is not a property of matter. The experiments are, therefore, to be made under different temperatures, and with COLOR OF THE NEGRO. Mr. R. M. Glover has read to the British Association a paper "On the Functions of the Rete Mucosum and Pigmentum Nigrum in the dark races, and particularly in the Negro." In glow-worms (Lampyrus,) and the infusoria, we are ignorant whence the phosphorescence proceeds, and if it be owing to electricity. M. Ehrenberg, has, however, lately experimented with different substances. If it should be found, also, the light emitted in darkness by the infusoria and that different bodies do not attract in proportion the annelides, which make the ocean luminous in to their weights, this will present another imporcertain countries, especially when its surface is tant fact, namely, that action and reaction in gravagitated by a gentle breeze. Having placed on the ity, are not, as has been supposed, equal. Indeed, object-glass of his microscope, water containing it is impossible to anticipate the result of such inthese animalculæ, he perceived that the diffuse quiries. To a discovery of the nature of attracglimmer which surrounded them was nothing tion, will, perhaps, be added that of heat, light, else than a collection of a vast number of small magnetism, electricity, &c.; and, probably, a sparks which came from every part of their bod- complete revolution in many of our scientific ies, and particularly from the bodies of the anne- ideas. lides. These sparks succeeded each other with such rapidity, and had such a resemblance to those observed in common electrical discharges, that M. Ehrenberg concludes them to be identical. He has also satisfied himself that the light emitted, is not owing to a particular secretion, but solely to a voluntary act of the animalcule; The degree of development of the rete mucoand that it shows itself as often as it is irritated sum and its pigment, determines the power of reby mechanical or chymical means, that is to say, sisting the excessive heat of the sun in tropical by agitating the water, or throwing either alco-climates, as evinced by the negro (the type, in hol or acid into it. This is an additional analogy this respect, of the dark races), the European with the torpedo, which only gives a discharge and the Albino. The modus operandi must be when it is irritated. In the animalcule, as in the discovered by an attention to both the physical torpedo, it is also observed that the discharge re- and vital properties of this peculiar organization. commences after a certain time of repose. From The doctrine at present taught on the subject, is, this similarity of effects, in the same circumstan- that the black skin absorbs more heat, but that ces, may we not infer an an identity as to the the cutis vera of the negro, is not so liable to incauses? Now, in the torpedo, it is already flammation from a high temperature as that of a known, and no one longer doubts it is electricity; European from a lower temperature: and as the and hence we must admit, that electricity is also radiation of caloric from black must be greater the cause of the phosphorescence of the infusoria than from white skins, the possessor of the forand annelides. It is sufficiently remarkable that mer must cool more readily, and enjoy greater the luminous or other phenomena which depend alternations of heat and cold. The former part upon electricity are so much the stronger in pro- of this doctrine is founded on the experiments portion as the animals are smaller; and it would and deductions of Sir Everard Home, as detailed appear that this profusion of the eléctric fluid, in his paper in the Philosophical Transactions. which is emitted only by beings of an inferior or A number of experiments detailed in the paper der, is destined to discharge other functions, in on the vescicatory powers of differently colored beings of higher order. substances, under the concentrated rays of the sun, contradicted the deductions of Sir E. Home, and hence arose the necessity of looking to the vital properties of the skin of the negro, and the mode in which it is likely to be affected by the radiating and absorbing power of the pigment with which he is provided. Blumenbach and Winterbottom state, that the negro perspires more readily and freely than the European; and Davy says: "In the inhabitants of the tropics, the exhalent arteries of the skin seem unusually expanded, and the whole apparatus peculiar to this secretion unusually developed; and I believe that the blood itself is less viscid, more fluid, and flows more readily through the vessels, so as to promote perspiration, and by that means, contrib uting to the cooling of the surface. And being cooled itself, it contributes again, when it flows back upon the heart, to the reduction of the tem perature of the internal parts." Were the inhab itant of the tropics not possessed of this peculiar organization, his system could not respond to the stimulus of heat, by a determination of fluid toward the surface. Doubtless, the excessive ab THE CAVENDISH EXPERIMENT. About three years ago, a committee was appointed by the Royal Astronomical Society, for the purpose of following up the celebrated experiment of Cavendish, for determining the mean density of the earth. Inadequate funds and other circumstances have, however, from time to time, occasioned delay. At length, her Majesty's Government, having been satisfied of the importance of the subject, have granted five hundred pounds toward defraying the expenses; and the apparatus has been erected at the house of Mr. Francis Bailey. These experiments will probably determine whether that governing principle, attraction of gravity, which retains the planets in their orbits, and binds all bodies together, be or be not impressed by the Deity on matter; or whether it be, as Newton supposed, the operation of an extremely subtle fluid pervading all space, which, by its unequal pressure on opposite sides of the particles of matter, causes that tendency called attraction, cohesion, &c. If it should be what larger than the red, and without any spot in the centre. These last are much more numerous than they have been supposed; they are spheri cal or elliptic, in greater or less number, accor sorption of heat by his skin, is useful in promoting this effect; but in the system qualified to respond to the stimulus of heat, and not in the organization of the skin alone, must an explanation be sought of the capability of the negro to with-ding to circumstances and the health of the anistand the heat of the tropical regions. CRITERION OF DEATH, It is known that physiologists have not hitherto agreed as to any certain test by which the event of death is rendered certain: or, in other words, no recognised distinction exists between the hu man body immediately before and immediately after death. A correspondent of the French Academy has intimated that he has found that the blood taken from the body after death is distinguished from the blood before death by its being non-coagulable. MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION OF BLOOD. M. Donne has informed the French Academy that he has observed three kinds of particles in blood, sanguineous particles properly so called, circular, flattened, and with an obscure point in the centre; small globules, attributed to chyle; and white globules, spherical, a little rough, some mals. M. Donne concludes that the alterations which the blood undergoes in the sick, do not depend on the difference in proportion of the elements only. The globules are also the seat of organic modifications, which microscopic observations alone can discover. BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOES. BARBADOES is the most considerable of the Caribbee Islands, and was one of the earliest oecupied by emigrants from England. It is twenty. one miles in length and fourteen in breadth, nearly every acre being in a state of cultivation, though the soil is by no means rich, nor of a uni form character, in some places being scanty and slight, in others wet and swampy, dry, coarse, or clayey. There are many wells of good water As the vessel nears the the harbor of Bridgetown, the capital of Barbadoes, she is visited by canoes and boats laden with milk, yams, plantains, pomegranates, pineapples, and other island luxuries, which may be purchased at a low price, three cents being the charge for a juicy pineapple. The harbour is generally very lively, full of vessels, and echoing to the voices of the native watermen, conducting boats laden with sugar to the ships destined for England and other places of export: these ships receive the produce of the whole country at Bridgetown, small sloops or schooners, called droghers, being employed to carry the sugar from the different parts of the coast to this harbour. in the island, besides two rivers and several reser- | caught, as their wings (or fins) are useless when voirs for rain; the latter, however, are not so they are not moistened by the water. well supplied as the inhabitants would wish; and this is supposed to be owing in a great measure to the absence of any trees, those which formerly covered the island having been cut down by the planters and superseded by the sugar-cane. The climate, though warm, is as temperate as that of any other place within the tropics, the thermometer ranging from seventy-two degrees to eighty-eight degrees, Fahr., and is deemed healthy for those accustomed to it, as well as for those Europeans who are cautious and regular in their habits on their first arrival. Owing to the deficiency in tall trees and thickly wooded uplands, the country being flat, Barbadoes does not present so attractive an appearance from the sea as others of the Caribbees; but the coast is suf- The town, as seen from the bay, appears of ficiently picturesque to appear delightful to voya- considerable extent, as it stretches along the gers who have been thirty or forty days at sea. shore for a distance of more than two miles, but The approach to land after a sea voyage, during the houses do not extend backward farther than which nothing but the monotony of sky and water half a mile. Even these limits show it to be what has claimed the wanderer's attention, is one of we should call a large town; and the clusters of the most pleasing of sensations; every little in- palm and cocoa-nut trees, which are seen here dication of the expected haven-the visits of and there rising among the houses, give it a very native birds, the floating plants and weeds, the pretty, and interesting appearance. The sur fragrance of the air (perceived long before the rounding country, however, though agreeable, is land)-is hailed with delight; and when at last, deficient in those gently sloping hills or mountainthe dark line on the horizon denoting its prox-ous elevations which form so desirable a backimity is beheld, it is welcomed as one of the dearest objects in existence. With sentiments like these we approach Barbadoes; and it is not the less pleasing to reflect that the people we shall meet on our arrival, though living in a foreign land, and partaking somewhat of a foreign character, are fellowcountrymen of our own, descended from the same ancestors. For some days previous to the arrival of the vessel, the bright-colored dolphin will have been observed sporting and rolling in the water, and sparkling in the sunbeams; the voracious shark then appears, with his huge and ponderous jaws; and next we behold those fairy-like creatures, the flying-fish, whose silver scales and snowy wings, glittering in the sun as they rise from the water only to drop into it again, appear so pure and delicate, that we would fain believe them to be long to spirits of a brighter world. Moore, in one of his prettiest pieces, has compared them to the soul 'rising into light and heaven,' but failing in its attempt to leave the gross parts of mortality: "Oh, virtue! when thy clime I seek, The flying-fish often leap on to the deck of the vessel in their flight, and may then easily be ground to a scene viewed from the sea. The general rendezvous for all the stores of the island, Bridgetown maintains the first rank among the towns of Barbadoes. The streets are clean and neat; the roads are good, and covered with a soft white sand; and the houses pretty and comfortable, though they pretend not to any elegance or architectural beauties. Most of the houses consist of but one floor, and that on the ground; but some have rooms above these, and a few are two stories in height. Generally speaking they are built of wood, supported by pillars of brick or stone, and have, commonly, covered balconies in front. The houses principally consist of shops or stores, where, as in most West Indian towns, the merchants do not confine themselves to the sale of one particular article, but trade in everything, so that they may all be said to be in opposition to one another. There is a lower class of stores occupied by hucksters; persons, for the most part black or mulatto, who gain their livelihood by purchasing goods in small quantities from the merchants, and retailing them to the negroes in still smaller por. tions, for which they charge in a higher degree, though the sums are not so large; and by this means they make proportionately a greater profit, or a greater per centage, than the higher class of storekeepers. There are several places of worship in Bridgetown besides a cathedral, and a church superior to it in architectural elegance; yet the black population, which far surpasses the white in number, does not appear to derive much benefit from the opportunities thus afforded for religious observances; it is true, crimes of great magnitude are of rare occurrence, but every one cries out against the little pilferings of the negroes, which appear to be inherent in their nature, and in the success of which they absolutely glory. Business is suspended at an early hour in Bridgetown, the stores being generally closed by four or five in the evening, after which time the Barbadians indulge in festive entertainments, or in a quiet walk by moonlight. The blacks, however, and indeed many of the white inhabitants, have some curious ideas respecting the unhealthy or mischievous effects of the moon's rays, and while they promenade in the open air carry umbrellas and parasols to shield them from its light. If a moonlight walk has any pernicious influence on the health or spirits, it is probably owing to the heavy dews which fall at night in this climate. In the daytime the Barbadians drive about in a horse and gig, one of which almost every one possesses, though four-wheeled carriages are uncommon in these the ladies go shopping or paying visits, the vehicle being generally driven by a black servant, but sometimes it is conducted by the owner, when the servant hangs on behind in an inconvenient manner. No one thinks of going out either in his gig or on horseback without being attended by a boy, who, when the latter method is chosen, has to run by the side of the horse, occasionally assisting himself, when the pace is swift, by holding by the tail. The government offices and other public buildings, as well as the residences of the principal inhabitants or official personages, are much superior in taste and elegance to the generality of the buildings, and the interiors are commodious and well furnished. There is a public library, well stocked, but with not many useful books; commercial rooms well conducted, and several good hotels for the reception of new comers, where however good prices must be given for good accommodation, which, by such means, may be easily procured. Education is not in a very flourishing condition in Barbadoes; but Bridgetown contains several schools for the gratuitous instruction of the poorer classes, the expenses of which are defrayed by the government, and the arrangements superintended by the bishop. There is also, about twelve miles from the town, a college, founded at the commencement of the last century by General Codrington, for general education in the liberal arts and for the propagation of moral and religious instruction among the slaves. Penuy Magazine. THE OLD MAN'S COUNSEL.-BRYANT. Seed-time and harvest, the vernal shower Who veils his glory with the elements. One such I knew long since; a white haired man, From what he saw, his quaint moralities. Danced on their stalks; the shad bush, white with flowers Brightened the glens; the new leaved butternut Gave a balsamic fragrance. In the fields I saw the pulses of the gentle wind On the young grass. My heart was touched with joy At so much beauty, flushing every hour The thoughtful ancient, standing at my side, Long since that white haired ancient slept, but still, Is at my side, his voice is in my ear. Democratic Review. COTINGA AMPELIS. Cotinga Ampelis. THE Cotinga is a genus of American birds, belonging to the fly-catching tribe of the dentirostral division of Cuvier's great order Passeres, and ranged between the fly-catchers properly so call ed and the bee-eaters. These birds were ranged by the elder ornithologists, along with many others, in a very extensive genus, but they have been since subdivided. The Cotingas, properly so called, all inhabit the rich and humid forests of America. They are conspicuous for the rich colors of their plumage, in which purple and blue are the prevailing teints. great number of species. The birds which compose it are all of a wild and retiring character, shy and silent, having nothing in their conduct or their sounds at all corresponding to the brightness of their covering. They are found only at those parts of America which have a strictly tropical climate, and even in these, they are confined to moist and shady situations which abound with insects, though they are also understood to live, in part, upon soft and sugary fruits. They are not, however, so destructive to plantations as many other birds that have the same mode of feeding; but though they are retiring, and also The characters are:-the bill of mean length, a confined within geographical limits, they are not little depressed, higher than wide, three cornered absolutely stationary; yet, the only object of at its base, flattened at its point, moderately hard; their little voyage is, to arrive in certain places upper mandible convex, with a ridge on the cul- at the epoch in which the fruits they subsist on men, and notched toward the point, which is are mature. In Guiana, the spots in which they curved; the inferior mandible a little flattened on most delight, in those seasons when they are seen the under side; nostrils at the sides of the base, near habitations, are humid places. It is an error round, half closed with membrane and by some to suppose that they are destructive to the rice silky feathers; feet of mean size, three toes to grounds. From the peculiar conformation and the front, one behind; the two outside, in front, absence of solidity in their bill, it is impossible united to the second; and the hind toe the same that they can be granivorous birds. According length as the outer one; wings rather short, the to Sonnini, the inhabitants do not eat their flesh, first quill shorter than the second, which is the longest in the wing. As restricted by Cuvier, the genus Cotinga is a very peculiar one, and does not contain a very and if the stuffed specimens often arrive in Eu rope in a bad state, this is not the reason; it is rather, because the feathers not being very adhe rent, the tender skin requires a degree of care in |