my experiments on a full sized cat. About twenty minutes after being stung or bitten she was evidently sick, and I began to conclude that the reports respecting the deleterious power of the worm were correct, but, on enquiry, it appeared that the cat had been at times affected nearly in the same way, when there was no reason to suspect the worm as the cause; at any rate, she recovered.

Two pups were procured, and subjected to the same experiment. At the time I was engaged with the smallest one, the worm was so highly irritated, that it ejected a considerable quantity of fluid matter. Suspecting that this might be the poisonous principle, I immediately inoculated the pup in four places, but without effect; and in neither instance was there a fatal result. If there was any variation from their natural habits, it was a disposition to sleep, which might possibly have been occasioned by the fatigue following the efforts they made to disengage themselves from the confinement which was imposed on them.

In the afternoon I went to the Pennsylvania hospital, and obtained five of the worms, which were taken from the trees in the yard. A kitten, about one third grown, was procured, and in the presence of my medical friends, Dr. Thomas Bryant, and Samuel Hopkins, toge ther with William Johnson, steward of that institution, all of whom very obligingly assisted me in the greater part of the experiments, the kitten was repeatedly bitten about the nose and mouth, but no ill effects ensued, except momentary pain at the time of receiving the bite.

This morning, the experiments were renewed at the hospital. Two young kittens, of different litters, were repeatedly bitten about the nose and mouth. The crying of one of the kittens afforded an opportunity for the worm to pass within the mouth, and probably to sting or bite the tongue, for the little creature slavered considerably, and appeared for some time to be labouring under

VOL. VI. NO. XXXIV.

symptoms of local pain; but after a while they subsided, and the result, in both instances, was the same as yesterday.

A fine half grown pup, who was the subject of yesterday's experiment, was treated as follows: the roof of the mouth was scarified in several places, and an incision, about three quarters of an inch in length, was made in the tongue. Immediately after this, a worm was introduced into the mouth, and the jaws closed for one minute. On permitting him to open them, it was discovered that he had swallowed the worm. He appeared to labour under some slight indisposition for more than an hour, but he eventually recovered, and became very lively.

Another small pup, of a different litter, was the subject of the following experiment. I made an incision through the skin, about three quarters of an inch long, and carefully dissected it on each side, so as to form a superficial yet gaping wound. A fresh worm was applied to the part, and very soon ejected a greenish coloured fluid, which filled the wound. In addition to this, the little animal was several times bitten in the incised part; but the result was equally favourable. The mouth of the same pup was scarified in several places, and one of the worms being cut in half, the divided part with the head was immediately introduced into it, and kept there for two minutes; at the expiration of that time the portion of worm was taken out, and no injury resulted.

Another young kitten was confined for a short time in a small vessel containing six of the worms, without receiving any injury.

I have now simply related the facts that have come under my observation, with a hope that they may throw some light on a subject which has lately excited considerable attention, and awakened the serious apprehensions of many citizens.And although I have no doubt that the cat mentioned in the gazette of yesterday actually died in the presence of the persons alluded to, yet

whether her death was occasioned by the sting or bite of the worm, is a circumstance that is at least doubtful.

I have compared several of the worms used in the experiments with those left at the Museum, and find them to be of exactly the same kind. JOS. PARRISH.

Philadelphia, 7th mo. 2d.

We

In opposition to the above plain and authentic statements in favour of the poplar, we have nothing to produce but vague and anonymous rumours. That these rumours are entirely groundless would be no violent supposition, but this supposition is not absolutely necessary. find no difficulty in admitting that they may possibly be true. Persons stung or bitten by this worm may have actually died in consequence, and still the venomousness of this worm would not inevitably follow: because there are numerous instances on record of persons dying in consequence of the scratch of a pin, or the sting of a wasp, a bee, or even a musquito. Such instances, instead of proving any deadly poison in the pin or the insect, only prove that the human constitution may sometimes be in such a state that the slightest puncture may totally destroy it. Many worms are known to be injurious somewhat in the same way with the poplar worm. Even the silk worm, if held in the hand for a very short time, will cause a severe and sometimes dangerous inflammation.

The poplar is a native of Thrace and Asia Minor, and has been for ages naturalized in the southern and middle parts of Europe. All its good and bad qualities have probably been ascertained in these countries for a long time past. Can nobody procure for us the results of European observations on this tree? Nowhere indeed has it been so lately introduced, or been equally popuJar, as in the United States. Nowhere does it occupy so much of the streets and avenues of towns and tities. Nowhere, therefore, have

its good and bad qualities been of so much importance, or equally deserving attention; but unless we suppose that transplantation to a new soil and new climate has endowed it with new properties, all the knowledge of it that our safety and convenience require cannot fail to be procured from Spain, France, and Italy. Is there any account of the agricultural, economical, or medicinal properties of this tree to be found in books? If there is, the studious ought to explore it: and, as lovers of their country, they are bound to make their discoveries as public as possible.

For the Literary Magazine.

ANECDOTES OF THE LION.

By the Sieur Frejus.

IT is true there be very many lions in Mauritania; but that the Arabs take pains to breed them, and feed them amongst their flocks, is a perfect mockery. If it sometimes happens that an Arab finds a lion's den in which there are some young ones newly whelped, he presently carries them to the christians, to see if they will buy them. Thus I had two brought me, a male and female, which I brought up for two or three years so tame, that they went up and down our warehouse amongst our antelopes and such other creatures. The male lion was so familiar, though a large one, that he often came and lay with me, and once did me very good service; for in a moonshine night some Arabs came up into my chamber, with a design to have robbed me; but as soon as they saw a lion lying by me, they ran away, crying out one to another, Endon seba-"There is a lion." This Mr. Amabrique told me, who accidentally was out of his chamber, and seeing my door open, and hearing the Arabs say this, he came in, wakened me, and told me what hap

pened. This male lion was very tame, but the lioness was mischievous, and she once hurt a little Moor, and complaint was presently made to the governor, who took them away from me, and put them between four walls; but not long after there fell great rains, which flung down the walls, which were only made of mud, and in the night time the lions got out, went into a stable which was open, over against the king's palace, and being almost famished they made a great slaughter among the horses and mules. This made so great a noise, that the whole town was alarmed, every one ran to his arms, and thus my poor lions were killed.

Once as we were hunting the wild-boar, we were all surprised that our horses made a stand on the sudden, and the dogs crept under our horses' legs. We presently cried out one to the other, "Certainly there is a lion hereabouts ;" and in truth we were not a little affrighted to see one pass by us, within fifteen or twenty paces of us. He stopped to view us, and seeing we stirred not, he walked on very stately. He was higher than any of our horses, and marched with a most majestic gravity, swinging about in a terrible manner his great tufted tail. We knew the nature of a lion is not to suffer any either to fly from him or to attack him, for whoever doth so, in three leaps he most assuredly seizes upon him: wherefore we durst not venture to shoot at him, and to fly from him was impossible, for the most courageous horses tremble like a leaf at the sight of a lion.

Mr. Caliron, of Montpelier, and Mr. Vanlybergen, of Rouen, who both loved hunting very well, being informed that there was a pond where lions and wild-boars came in the night to drink, they agreed to go there and build a hut in the day, and wait in it all night, and kill these creatures as fast as they came to drink. This design succeeded so well, that they destroyed fourteen lions and wild-boars, and flayed the

largest, bringing away their skins with them.

The following story was related to me in that country by very credi ble persons.

About the year 1614 or 1615, two christian slaves at Morocco resolving to make their escape, agreed to do it by night, and to travel all the night, and in the day-time to hide themselves in the tops of the trees, that they may not be discovered by the Arabs, who would certainly have brought them back into slavery. They knew that the sea-coast lay from them just north, and that in eight or ten days they might get thither, and that it would not be very difficult for them to carry or find out provisions for so short a time. According to their design they escaped by night, and having travelled till day-break, they then climbed up a tree, where they passed the day much troubled and afflicted to see the Arabs pass frequently by them; besides, as soon as it was known in Morocco that two slaves were run away, presently several horsemen went out in search of them. But when night came, the two slaves continued on their journey till the next morning, and then seeking out for a tree to hide themselves, they were astonished to see a great lion just by them, which walked when they walked, and stood still when they stood still. Observing which, they concluded that this was a safe-conduct sent them by Providence, and then they took courage, and travelled in the day time, in company with the lion. When the horsemen who went in pursuit of them overtook them, and would have seized on them, the lion interposed himself, which made the horsemen stand still, who, being struck with admiration, let them pass on. The like did several others; for every day these poor fu gitives met with some or other who attempted to seize them, till at last they reached the sea-side in safety, where the lion left them, and they went into the town of Masagan. There the two poor slaves related

this miracle, which was confirmed at Morocco by the Arabs who returned from pursuing them, and the news of this was dispersed every where as a great and constant truth.

I was told the following story by my intimate friend, Paul Le Bel, called Tager Paulo (Tager signifying a merchant), in whose place I remained when he went away from Morocco.

About the year 1615, the whole town of Morocco went out to see two terrible fierce creatures, a lion and a wild-boar, which lay wounded in a tuft of reeds, hard by the gate of the city, and died, the one presently after the other. The lion was rent up with the tusks of the wild-boar, and the boar torn in pieces with the teeth and claws of the lion. They had fought all the night in the tuft of reeds, which they had beaten down and trampled on, which all the christians, Moors, and Jews, went to see; for in those countries the wild-boars are most furious creatures, especially in brimming-time, which is about March.

For the Literary Magazine.

THE GLEANER.

NO. III.

MARRIAGE is one of those things in which caution, admonition, and foresight are most useful and most necessary. More light is thrown upon this subject by experience than on any other; but we dictates of one man's experience is not only seldom of any advantage to others, but very rarely of any use to himself. Those who are entering on the state, listen with a fatal and unconquerable incredulity to those whose experience qualifies them most to counsel or forewarn them; and those who have opportunities of gathering wisdom from their own experience, are generally found to 2ct, when they have the power of

acting, with as much blindness and temerity as ever.

I have sometimes, though rarely, observed in young people some instances of prudence; but this pru dence I never saw exerted, except on the article of fortune or money. Such persons allow its full force to the objection that arises from their own poverty, or that of the selected object; but, unhappily, this kind of caution is usually coupled with a mean and sordid spirit, and, though it guards its possessor from making a bad choice in one respect, yet he is, on that account, only the more liable to make a bad choice in other respects of much more consequence. The wife or husband finally preferred may be rich enough, but their character or temper may, in some respect, be so modified that even wealth shall be found insufficient to secure happiness. Beside, this pecuniary prudence is continually liable to disappointment and mistake. In a commercial country like ours, the evidences of property are so fallacious, its duration, even when real, is exposed to so many accidents, as to set all prudential calculations at defiance. Where women have married for wealth, the chances are a thousand to one in favour of immediate or ultimate disappointment. When men marry women for the same consideration, they expose themselves to peculiar hazards and mortifications. A female's expectations are generally founded on the wealth of parents and relations. Their prospects are therefore altogether uncertain as to time, and miserably precarious in all other respects, since appearances are just as likely to delude the observer in this case as in the other, since all depends upon the whims and caprices, as well as the good fortune and good conduct, of the kinsman, and since the interval between the acquisition of a wife and the gaining her fortune is sure to be replete with every evil most intolerable to a proud, independent, generous, or irritable spirit.

On the subject of marriage in general I never met with more reasonableness and good sense than in the following remarks of a comparatively old author.

The pleasantest part of a man's life is generally that which passes in courtship, provided his passion be sincere, and the party beloved kind with discretion. Love, desire, hope, all the pleasing motions of the soul rise in the pursuit.

It is easier for an artful man, who is not in love, to persuade his mistress he has a passion for her, and to succeed in his pursuit,, than for one who loves with the greatest violence. True love has ten thousand griefs, impatiences, and resentments, that render a man unamiable in the eyes of the person whose affection he solicits; besides, it sinks his figure, gives him fears, apprehensions, and poorness of spirit, and often makes him appear ridiculous where he has the strongest mind to recommend himself.

Those marriages generally abound most with love and constancy that are preceded by a long courtship. The passion should be allowed to strike root and gather strength, before marriage be grafted on it. A long course of hopes and expectations fixes the image in our minds, and habituates us to a fondness of the person beloved.

There is nothing of so great importance to us as the good qualities of one to whom we join ourselves for life; they do not only make our present state agreeable, but often determine our happiness to all eternity. Where the choice is left to friends, the chief point under consideration is fortune. Where the parties chuse for themselves, their thoughts turn most on the person. They have both reason. The first aim at procuring many conveniences and pleasures of life to the party whose interest they espouse; and, at the same time, may reasonably hope that the prosperity of their friend will turn to their own credit and advantage. The others are preparing for themselves a perpe

tual feast. A good person not only raises but continues love, and breeds a secret pleasure and complacency in the beholder when the first ardours of desire are extinguished. It puts the wife or husband in countenance both among friends and strangers, and generally fills the family with a healthy and beautiful race of children.

I should prefer a woman that is agreeable in my own eye, and not deformed in that of the world, to a celebrated beauty. If you marry one remarkably beautiful, you must have a violent passion for her, or you have not the proper taste of her charms; and if you have such a passion for her, it will probably be embittered with numberless fears and jealousies.

Good nature and evenness of temper will give you an easy companion for life; virtue and good sense, an agreeable friend; love and constancy, a good wife or husband. Where we meet one person with all these accomplishments, we find a hundred without any one of them. The world, notwithstanding, is more intent on table, train, and equipage, and all the showy parts of life; we love rather to dazzle the multitude than consult our proper interests. It is one of the most unaccountable propensities of human nature that makes us take greater pains to appear easy and happy to others than really to make ourselves so. Of all disparities, that in humour makes the most unhappy marriage, yet it scarcely enters our thoughts at the time of contracting it. Several that are in this respect unequally yoked, and uneasy for life, with a person of a certain character, might have been pleased and happy with a person of a contrary one, notwithstanding they are both perhaps equally virtuous and laudable in their kind.

Before marriage we cannot be too inquisitive and wary as to the faults of the person beloved, nor after it too dim-sighted and negligent on that head. However perfect and accomplished the person appear to you at a distance, you will find many