This first fection concludes with meteorological obfervations made at Philadelphia in December, 1770, and in January, and part of February, 1771. By Thomas Coombes, Efq;

3

AGRICULTURE and AMERICAN IMPROVEMENTS, An Effay on the Cultivation of the Vine, and the making and preferv ing of Wine, fuited to the different Climates in North America. By the Hon. EDWARD ANTILL, Elq; of New Jersey.

This effay contains near 80 quarto pages, and furnishes ample inftructions for the culture of the vine, and the manufacture of its produce. The Author feems attentive to the minutest circumstances that might be conducive to the improvement of this branch of agriculture in North America; and his death, which happened foon after the communication of this effay, is juftly Jamented. His directions are delivered with that honeft and affectionate fpirit, which cannot fail to recommend them to his countrymen; and he difcovers a very extenfive aud accurate acquaintance with the fubject of which he writes. After an enumeration of the advantages attending the cultivation of vines to individuals in particular, and to the public in general, he proceeds to direct the choice of a proper foil for a vineyard, which fhould be a rich warm foil, mixed with gravel, or a fandy mould interfperfed with large ftones, or with fmall loose rocks; and the method of manuring and fencing vineyards. He then fhews the neceflity of providing a nursery, and the way of managing it to the greatest advantage. He cautions against planting too many forts of vines in the fame vineyard; and enumerates the feveral vines fuited to the different climates in North America. He gives directions with refpect to the parts of a vine proper for cuttings, and the method of planting these or young vines out of the nursery to the greatest advantage. He then teaches the proper culture of a vine for the firit, fecond, and third year, till it arrives at its bearing ftate. He next gives general directions about trimming and tranfplanting vines, and for preferving them from every kind of injury. After every inftruction neceifary to the culture of vines, he fhews how the vintage is to be gathered; how to make wine both of the white and black grapes; how to improve weak wines, and how to preserve wines when actually made. He fubjoins inftructions in order to cure grapes for raifins; and concludes with the following declaration, which we cannot forbear tranfcribing; "And now, my dear children, countrymen, and fellow-citizens, I have faithfully led you by the hand throughout this new undertaking; take my bleffing and cordial advice. along with it. Be not drunken with wine, wherein there is excefs; but be ye rather filled with the spirit of wisdom, for too much wine, like treacherous fin, ruins and deftroys the true happiness of the foul. And may the God of wisdom crown all

your

your honeft labours with fuccefs, and give you a right undera ftanding in all things.'

The two next articles are by the fame gentleman; the one is a recipe for curing figs; the other contains obfervations on the raifing and dreffing of hemp.

Obfervations concerning the Fly-Wevil, that deftroys the Wheat; with fome ufeful Difcoveries and Conclufions concerning the Propagation and Progress of that pernicious Infect, and the Methods to be used to prevent the Deftruction of the Grain by it. By CoJonel Landon Carter, of Sabine Hall, Virginia.

The defign of these obfervations is fufficiently obvious from the title of this paper. The fame fubject is farther pursued in a fubfequent article, by the Committee of Husbandry.

Obfervations on the Native SILK-WORMS of NORTH AMERICA. By Mr. Mofes Bartram.

The Author of thefe obfervations was defirous of knowing whether the wild filk-worms of North America could, with due care, be propagated to advantage. After fuccefsful trials he is perfuaded they might, in time, become no contemptible branch of commerce: They appear (fays he) to me, much eafter raised than the Italian or foreign filk-worms. I did not lofe one by fickness. They hatch fo late in the spring, that they are not subject to be hurt by the froft. Neither lightening nor thunder hurt them, as they are faid to do foreign worms. And as they lie fo long in their chryfalis ftate, the cocoons (or pods, in which they fpin themfelves up and lie concealed in winter) may be unwinded at leisure hours in the enfuing winter. One thing more in their favour is, that one of their cocoons will weigh more than four of the foreign worms; and, of confequence, it may be prefumed, will yield a proportionably greater quantity of filk.'

A Memoir on the DISTILLATION of PERSIMONS. By Mr. Ifaac Bartram.

The Author of this article, at the request of the Society, purchased half a bufhel of the fruit of this tree; caused it to be well mashed, then put the mafs into a five gallon keg, and added two gallons of water, and two pennyworth of yet, in order to promote a fermentation. He committed the whole to the fill, and drew from it near half a gallon of proof Spirit, of very agreeable flavour. The perfimon-tree, he obferves, may be rendered very beneficial to thofe who have them growing on their plantations, and is a very important object of cultivation. The tree itself is of a quick growth, and yields great quantities of fruit in a few years after it is planted. The wood is hard, has a fine clofe grain, and may be applied to many me-chanical purpofes: it burns well, and its afhes contain a very large proportion of falt. A farmer who rents fifty acres of

land

land might plant three hundred trees round his fields; thefe, on an average, would each produce two bushels of fruit, and each bufhel a gallon of spirit: fuch a farm then might be made to produce fix hundred gallons of liquor as good as rum. The expences might be allowed half the value of the liquor when diftilled, and this might be rated at two fhillings per gallon; there would, therefore, be a clear profit of thirty pounds per annum; a fum equal to the interest of a farm that would cost five. hundred pounds.

This tree difcharges a very valuable gum, and beer is made of perfimons in fome of the fouthern provinces.

The two next articles give an account of an oil, extracted from the feeds of the fun-flower: which oil, it is conjectured, may answer the like good purpose with the fallad and medicinal oil, now in use.

Mr. John Morel's Letter, with a Keg of BENE SEED.

This feed makes oil equal in quality to Florence, and some fay preferable. One hundred weight of feed will produce ninety pounds of oil; it is therefore recommended to be cultivated in Philadelphia, where the Letter-writer imagines it will grow and he gives directions for that purpose.

A Letter from Mr. Henry Holling fworth to the American Philofophical Society.

This letter lays before the Society fuch experiments as had been found effectual for destroying the wild garlic, with which that country is very much infefted, and which is very pernicious: to the grain. By fowing oats in the garlicky lands defigned for wheat, the lands may be fallowed, and fown with wheat in the afual manner, without any danger from this noxious plant.

The next article contains directions with respect to the proper time for sowing peafe, fo as to preferve the crop from being worm-eaten; viz. about the 10th of June, New Style.

A Letter from Bethlehem; with a Receipt for making CURRANT WINE.

This letter directs to plant the currant bushes round the quarters in gardens, that they may have the benefit of the dung and culture annually beftowed thereon, which will confequently: make the berries large, and the juice rich. The receipt is as follows:

• Gather your currants when full ripe, break them well in a tub or vat; prefs and measure your juice; add two-thirds water, and to each gallon of that mixture, put 3 lb. of Mufcovado fugar; ftir it well till the fugar is quite diffolved, and then tun it up. The juice fhould not be left to stand over night, as it should not ferment before mixture.'

NATURAL

NATURAL HISTORY and BOTANY.'

An eafy Method of preferving SUBJECTS in SPIRITS. By Mr. Lewis Nicola.

The Author is not fatisfied with Mr. de Reaumur's directions for this purpose; and he therefore proposes two other me thods, free from the inconveniences to which his practice is liable. The firft is as follows:

When the fubject and fpirits are put into the bottle, carefully wipe the infide of the neck and edge till quite dry; prepare fome thin putty of the confiftence of a foft ointment, and put a coat of it about a line or two thick on the fide of the bladder or leather, which is to be next to the bottle, and tie it tightly about the neck; place the bottle with the mouth downward in a fmall wooden cup, and fill it with melted tallow, or tallow mixed with wax, till all the bladder or leather cover is buried in it, and the tallow adheres to the fides of the neck; this will effectually prevent the fine parts of the fpirits from flying off. Great care must be taken to have the edge of the bottle very dry, and if rubbed with a feather dipt in oil, it will be better, and in filling the cup, to have the tallow no hotter than is barely neceflary to make it fluid. 1

The fecond method is, after the fpecimen and fpirits are put into the bottle, dry the infide of the neck and edge thoroughly, and anoint them with a feather dipt in oil; ftop the bottle with a cork well fitted and fteeped in oil till it has imbibed as much as it can contain; cover the cork and edge of the bottle with a layer of putty prepared as above directed, and tie a piece of foft leather or bladder over the whole.' Extracts of a Letter from Dr. Lorimer, of West Florida, to Hugh Williamfon, M. D.

These extracts are intended to evince the fimilarity between the eaft fide of the old continent and the eaft fide of the new, in vegetable productions, &c. and vice verfâ. At the conclu fion, Dr. Lorimer promifes a defcription of an univerfal Magnetic Needle, which fhall give the variation and dip at the fame time; and the latter, he prefumes, with more accuracy than any yet extant.

The next article contains a catalogue of fuch foreign plants as are worthy of being encouraged in our American colonies, forthe purposes of medicine, agriculture, and commerce. [From a pamphlet by John Ellis, F. R. S. Prefented by the Hon. Thomas Penn, Efq; to the American Philofophical Society, thro the hands of Samuel Powel, Efq.]

The Society has fubjoined to the forementioned catalogue, Mr. Ellis's directions for bringing over feeds and plants from diftant countries, in a ftate of vegetation: fee Review, vol. xliii. P. 217, & feq.

An

An Attempt to account for the Change of Climate, which has been obferved in the middle Colonies in North America. By Hugh Williamfon, M. D.

.1

This remarkable change of climate which has taken place in Pennsylvania, and the neighbouring colonies, in the last forty or fifty years, in refpect of the lefs cold of winter, and lefs heat of fummer, is afcribed principally to the cultivation of the country in that time.

The third and fourth fections of this volume contain a few mechanical and medical papers, together with two or three mifcellaneous articles, which our limits will not allow us to abridge, and for which we muft refer to the book itself.

As friends to mankind, in general, as well as of our nativecountry, we cannot take leave of this publication without expreffing the fatisfaction with which we view fo promifing an ap pearance of the growing profperity of our brethren and friends in the western world. The prefent collection of Philofophical Effays affords an unquestionable proof that our induftrious colo nifts are not lefs folicitous to improve in the liberal arts, than in those which are more immediately confined to the common concerns of life, the interests of trade, and the extenfion of commerce. Here we fee the fair dawning of future greatness; and may the profpect ftill open "wide and more wide," uninterrupted by idle fears, and little jealoufies of imaginary rival hip; till Science and every fpecies of ufeful knowledge, univerfally obtain, wherever the Almighty hath destined our fel low-creatures to fubfift: wherever there are rational minds to inform, wherever there are human virtues to cultivate, where ever there is human happiness to promote !

ART. II. An Enquiry into the Principles of Toleration, the Degree in which they are admitted by our Laws, and the Reasonableness of the late Application made by the Diffenters to Parliament for an Enlargement of their Religious Liberties. 8vo. 2 S. Buckland. 1772.

T would be great injuftice to the Author of this Enquiry not to acknowledge that he is an able and judicious advo cate for religious liberty, and that his performance is ftrongly marked, throughout, with candour and moderation. Though the fubject on which he writes has been often treated with great ability, yet it can never be improper, and is, at this time, peculiarly feafonable, to establish the principles of toleration, and to endeavour to engage the attention of the public to a fubject extremely interefting to every friend of Chriflianity, vir tue, and religion.

He fets out with obferving that, antecedently to the confi deration of being formed into civil focieties, there are certain