perhaps the most useful and prof- fuel. REMEDY FOR THE ASTHMA. An eminent divine, (fays a London paper) prefents us with the following receipt, which he fays is more valuable than gold, and which he affures us has given wonderful relief to numberlefs perfons who were fadly afflicted with pains in their bowels, colds, and althmatick diforders, and even to many who were bordering on a confumption. Take a handful of feverfew, rofemary tops and linfeed, bruife the feed, and boil all together in three pints of water till half reduced, strain it off, and add as much citron, Narbonne honey, as the ftomach will bear, take two table fpoonfuls night and morning. If a child, one fpoonful is fufficient; if a long standing asthmatick complaint, with difficulty in breathing, take the honey on toafted bread every morning with new or warm milk, or tea made of rolemary, or fage; it will cure them it perfevered in. ASTRONOMY. The Aftrologers alarmed Eu rope in 1186, by announcing a conjunction of all the planets, which was to occafion extraordinary ravage. I have spoken of this in my aftronomy: but being defirous to know whether this rare and fingular phenomenon really took place that year, C. Flauguergue, affociate of the Inftitute, a zealous aftronomer undertook to make the neceffary calculations, and found, indeed, that on the 15th of September, 1186, all the planets were comprehended between 6 figns, and 6 figns 10 degrees of longitude. This is not exactly a conjunction, but many thousands of years perhaps must elapfe before there will be fuch an approximation towards a conjunction. (Signed) DE LALANDE. HUDSON, June 21. miles Curiofity. This city is supplied with water from a fountain about diftant, by means of an aqueduct. For feveral weeks, pipes in the lower end of Warren street had been almoft completely dry, whilft in every other part of the city the water run with its usual force. This led to an examination of the main conduit pipe (formed of logs) when it was difcovered,that the roots of a willow tree, had found their way through the joints of a private pipe, and from thence had proceeded to the main pipe, where they had grown and increafed to fuch an immenfe number of fine fibres, that the bore of the main log, for about 20 feet, was entirely filled up. On farther examination, it was alfo found, that the private pipe, from whence the roots had proceeded, was full of roots for the fame or a greater diftance,making in the whole about 40 feet. The feparate roots were to clofely and firmly matted together, as to form a mass almost folid Wind. 8 29,5 30 NW 830 27 w Weather. Cloudy morning. Fair and clear after if of the A.M. Fair. 229,936 Ss.30 34 N W 1030 31 SE 230 42 18 38 Variable. 10 30 The mean ftate of the thermometer this month by the foregoing obfervations is 43,25. THE MONTHLY ANTHOLOGY. NOVEMBER, 1804. FOR THE ANTHOLOGY. miration will increase at every view, and our baffled reafon will be compelled to feek a folution of its difficulties in fome principle, anteriour to water, air, fire, oxygen, or light. THE BOTANIST, NO. IV. Felix, qui potuit rerum cognofcere caufas. VIRGIL Bleft is the fage, who, learn'd in Nature's NATURAL things, which are common, are difregarded, because they are common; while rare and monftrous productions are gazed at with idle curiofity and ftupid admiration. What is more common, than a feed or grain Yet how few give themfelves the exertion of inquiring, what a feed really is? If a feed or grain answer the whole purpofe, for which the farmer fuppofes it was created, of fattening cattle, and feeding his family, he neither fearches its curious ftructure, nor inquires into its phyfiology. There are however few little things in nature, more truly furprising, than a feed. It is a fyftem, or complete whole, wrought up into a narrow com The ancients, who viewed Nature with keener eyes and more concentrated attention, than the moderns, were of opinion, that every thing, even the great globe itfelf, fprang from an egg, which egg, their poets fay, was hatched by Nox, night, obfcurity, or fomething behind a dark veil; which they could not fee through.* Some, lefs diffident, than the ancients, imagine, they have penetrated this veil and illumined the obfcurity by faying, that FIRE is the primary caufe of the developement of a feed. But what do we mean by fire? Is it here any thing more, than a mere word, denoting the laft term of our analytical refults? The moderns "who, ere the morn of time, On wings outstretch'd, o'er chaos hung fublime; Warm'd into life the burfting egg of NIGHT, pafs, retaining a living principle. And gave young Nature to admiring If we contemplate clofely the vegetative life in a feed, our ad Light!" Darwin's Temple of Nature. have been able to diffect light, analyze air, and decompofe water; but have not yet detected the ESSENCE of fire. When therefore we attempt to investigate the primary motion in feeds and other organized bodies, we fhould not ftop at the vifible effects; but push forward to the invisible caufe. When we speak of the motive powers of magnetism or electricity, we fhould ftrive to raise our minds beyond thefe vifible effects to the cause of them. They may not always remain concealed. From this digreffion we turn again to the path, whence we mufingly wandered; which path is to lead us through the riches of the vegetable kingdom to a full view of that facred temple, which chriftian philofophy con fecrates to the PARENT of UNIVERSAL NATURE !* We left the infantile plant, ftruggling for life, and extending its lacteals to imbibe nutriment from its mother earth; while its plumula, or little ftem and leaf, were afpiring to drink their vital air, which foon changes it from a yellowish white colour to a beautiful green. That leaves do not acquire their green colour, until they enjoy the light of the fun, is known to every one, who has noticed plants, growing in dark cellars, or covered over with boards. This operation renders plants lefs acrid, and is ufually performed on endive and cellery, and is called bleaching or etiolation. We fhall refume this fubject, when we fpeak of the leaves. We must now treat, In fuch an intenfe view of things we must exclude the word fpontaneity from the Book of NATURE. We must not grant it even to fire, which conftitutes fluidity.t If proud fcience be humbled by fpeculations of this fort, the agriculturalift may have his pride indulged by confiderations of another kind; by reflecting, that he is in fome degree a partaker in the power and privileges of the CREATOR, who has enabled him to rear from a few organized particles a field of vegetables, a variegated garden, or a foreft of ftately trees. Man alone, fays OF THE ANATOMY OF A VEGETABLE; the chemist Chaptal, poffeffes the rare advantage of knowing a part of the laws of nature, of preparing events, of predicting refults, of producing effects at pleasure, of removing whatever is noxious, of appropriating whatever is beneficial, of compofing fubftances, which nature herfelf never forms; in this point of view, himself a creator, he appears to partake with the SUPREME BEING in the most eminent of his prerogatives! See Harris' Philos. Arrang. Part 1ft. A BEING THE EXAMINATION OF In cutting the trunk of a tree |