vive, although nothing seems at present to indicate such a change." the minister of finance, to the king of Holland, has been published, pro bono publico.-It appears that the damage sustained by flax while growing during excessive draughts, may be prevented, even in extensive lands, by an easy and very simple method. The fine crop of flax growing on the Louisa Polder belonging to the national domains of the Zwaluwe, has recently, in the course of two days, suffered so much by caterpillars, that scarcely any thing remain By such evidence as is before us, it is difficult to determine the truth or error of the foregoing statement: if it be true, we should inchine to enquire in what ratio the circulating mediunt at present moves among the public, compared with times when trade was free and brisk. It is very possible that the great merchants not making payments so frequently as heretofore, those whom they employed cannot spend so freely, and this abstinence, or with-ed but the stalks of the plant. At the public holding, descends to the lower ranks, who, finding themselves unable to purchase foreign commodities, are obliged to be content with the productions of their own country, and to render these subservient to the same enjoyments as those they formerly derived from articles brought from abroad. HOLLAND. Aerial Ascension.-Account of the twelfth aerial voyage of M. Augustin, undertaken in the presence of H. M. the king of Holland, at Amsterdam, May 9, 1808. M. Augustin ascended at 12 minutes past 2 o'clock p. m. the weather being cloudy. At first the wind carried bin towards the lake of Haarlem; but, his balloon having at the height of about 12,000 feet, taken another direction, he came, at 9 min. past 3 o'clock, directly over the road that leads from Abkoude to Utrecht. Here he descended a little, and became visible to all in that neighbourhood, the people at the time, making a great many siguals being however desirous of continuing his voyage, he proceeded further. At half past 3, he found himself suddenly enveloped in total darkness: at this time he heard the small balloons, that were fastened to the larger one, sometimes clattering against each other, and then again they separated from each other, as far as their situation allowed he was, himself, nearly overcome with cold and fear; but having recovered the use of his faculties, by smelling to some strong volatile salts, he threw out a bag of ballast, and there by rose again into a lighter region, where he found himself, as well as the balloon, entire ly covered with snow. This phenomenon, M. Augustin attributes to the gilt stars, gilt ornaments, and letters (attached to the balloon) which had attracted a great quantity of electric vapours; and thereby had exposed him to the greatest danger. A short time after this, M. Augustin descended in the turf grounds in the neighbourhood of Thien-Hoven, from whence his balloon was conveyed to Brenke-leveen.-M. Augustin calculates the greatest height of his elevation at 20,532 feet, and the distance he had travelled at about 65 miles. Simple Contrivance to prevent the Destrucs tion of Flax by the Caterpillar.-The following Report, made a short time ago by sale of the produce, the difference from former sales, was as 75 to 200. Equal mischief was sustained by 80 aires of flax in the polder Kwisgeld; in the domain of Neerbuart. The treasurer of the said domain, Mr. J. J. Hetterschy, having been informed of this, used the following method to prevent the mischief becoming so general as that which had, been sustained by the Louisa Polder. He ordered sixteen men to walk twice a day along the furrows, with a rope fastened to two poles; so as to cause the rope to drag over the plants, whereby the insects were thrown off the plants, twice a day. This had the good effect of preserving the flax, by being repeated for four succeeding days; in some places, it had the desired effect, when only continued for three days. A procedure, not unlike this in its principles, with respect to the fly that consumes turnips, may be seen in Panorama, Vol. II. p. 74. HUNGARY. Tockay Vineyards destroyed.-A tremendous storm accompanied by hail, and the bursting of a cloud, on June 20, entirely destroyed the greater part of the celebrated vineyards of Tockay.-The hailstones were as large as nuts, and the bursting of the cloud was so violent that stones of 100 cwt.† were thrown from the vineyards into the village of Tockay. By this accident seven their lives; with a great number of cattle, men, and a boy of 12 years old, have lost horses, and wine. The damage caused to the vineyards, whereof several have been totally destroyed, is incalculable. The whole village was so entirely fillel with stones, hat the labour of hundreds of people was required to clear them away. almost every thing that opposed its fury. The windows and doors of the most substantial houses were violently displaced: the ca nal forced its banks: the sea rose far above its usual height: the surf beat with amazing violence over the ramparts of the fort; the sentry boxes were thrown in all directions: the boats from the canal drove to the edge of the Mount road, and the government bridge. At length the wind shifted to the Southward, when a new course opened to the hurricane, and new destruction followed, those trees and dwellings that had experienced some shelter before, being now exposed to ruin. Most of the houses of the European inhabitants are injured-not a tree in the neighbourhood has escaped-they are torn up by the roots, or split in the middle,-cattle, and some of their drivers, are killed,--the houses in the Black Town, and St. Thomé, and the neigh bouring villages, are unroofed,-the mud houses of the natives are levelled to the ground.-Many villages on the banks of tanks and rivers are completely swept away, and it is feared most of their inhabitants have perished. Many thousand lives have been lost in this dreadful hurricane. It was felt at sea; and at the Mount. A brig in the roads, and a pariah vessel were stranded. run on board the Piedmontaise, and that part of her crew, resisted, by order, or at least, by encouragement of Capt. Larkins, whose property in this ship, was very great, the loss of which the explain deplored with bitter lamentations and tears, and avenged his loss by falsity and slander. This letter of Moreau was answered in the Cakutta Telegraph, Dec. 31, 1807, by the third offcer of the Warren Hastings, (who signs, G. D.) who declares, that after the colours were struck, no one belonging to that vessel appeared in arms that Moreau struck the captain with his poignard, and would have struck him repeatedly, had not his own crew, woke attended him, possessed more discretion than himself: adding, that Mr. Bristow, midship. man, was poignarded through the hand, and arm, by Moreau's orders, while getting some clean linen out of his trunk: Mr. Hood, also. The officers of the Warren Hastings, all followed the example of the captain and took off their side arms. The Piedmontaise was taken March 8, 1808, by the St. Fiorenzo, after three days' chace and fighting. Different reports are in circulation as to the manner of Moreau's death: some say, he was wounded in the action, and thrown overboard-by his own command, as others add: some say, that finding he must surrender, after a desperate struggle, he shot himself, and then was thrown overboard; while others think he threw himself overboard. Be this as it might, the fact is certain, that this ferocious Frenchman expecting contempt and misery, exposure and abhorrence, has added himself to the instances of punishment befalling the guilty, and of the short reign allotted to tyranny and barbarity, however it may be suffered to triumph for a time. Inquisition at Goa. The wreck of the Fairlie brig, burnt in the roads about seven years ago, was thrown up on the beach: and this, with what has been observed on the upper circle of masonry that secured the aperture of a well, about 15 feet deep, sunk at the Observatory gardens, which has been shoved from its parallelism with the earth by several degrees," had led to the supposition, that an earthquake auganented the evil. There was neither thunder nor lightning during the storm. The sea, it appears, has long been gradually advancing on Madras; and it is thought, that on this On the 6th February arrived at Bombay the occasion it has made a considerable and even Rev. Dr. Buchanan, in a paramar from alarming encroachment. Late accounts, how- Goa, where he had been making some inquiever, mention its complete retirement: but, ry into the present state of the Inquisition at this occurrence may impart some notion of that place. Dr. Buchanan has relinquished the causes that have, at various ages, buried his intention of going home by a route over parts of this coast beneath the overwhelming land, and proceeds to England by the present deep; of which tradition has preserved the fleet in the Hon. Company's ship Charlton. memory; as of the seven Pagodas, &c. It appears that the Inquisition at Goa, forCharacter and Death of the French Cap-merly so well known for its sanguinary pro tain Moreau.-In Panorama, Vol. III. p. ceedings, is still in operation, and that it exer 408, we reported the inhuman conduct of cises its authority, under circumstances which Moreau, second captain of the Piedmontaise, demand the immediate interference of the French frigate, to Capt. Larkins of the War- British Government. It had been supposed ren Hastings, Indianan, after she had struck that the power of the Inquisition at Goa had this appeared to the British Admiral Pellew, declined with that of the parent Inquisition in to be so atrocious, that in public orders to his Portugal. But this is not the case, Circumsquadron, he described Moreau as unworthy stances, in India and Europe, during, of British humanity, if ever he fell under last two centuries have not been the same. A British power. Moreau published a justifi-progressive civilization has enlightened Europe, cation of his conduct in the Isle of France and nearly abolished its spiritual Inquisitions. Gazette, in which he asserts, that after the But India remains in the darkness and bondage Warren Hastings struck, she was purposely of ignorance. The inquisition at Goa extends e its controul in a greater or less degree to the lars shall have fallen in, the whole temple extreme boundary of Hindostan, and mate- will be overwhelmed in the ruin of the superrially affects the honour and character of the incumbent mountain. If I may offer an opiBritish Government, and of the Christian nion on the means of preservation which are Faith, which that Government professes. practicable, I would suggest, That the Goa is properly a city of Churches, containing dilapidated pillars be rebuilt entire of hewn in its province a Republic of Priests, who stone, in three blocks, of granite of the have departed far from the primary discipline mountain, after the original model; the of even their own Church. Dr. Buchanan's decayed bases of the columns still standing to visit has, it seems, excited some alarm among be strongly cased with the same stone; and thea; for, they are fully sensible that their the broken limbs and features of the figures to conduct in many particulars, in doctrine and be restored after the authority of the drawings! practice, would be condemned by a General and descriptions of the earliest travellers. Council called by the Pope himself. There are The year of the repair, and the motive of the in the Archiepiscopal Province of Goa, near- undertaking, to be inscribed in deep characly three thousand Priests, occupying upwards ters on the wall of the cavern. The solid of two hundred and fifty Chapels and Churches. stone floor to be cleared of rubbish (in some This is the hierarchy which holds in chains places it is two feet deep), that the continuity the Christian Church in the East, and whose of the rock, with the bases of the columns, power is silently increasing under the tranquil may appear. The modern wall, inclosing Government of the English, whose apathy or the front, to be taken down, to throw more. neglect suffers the Romish superstition to con- light on the body of the place, and a railing firm its dominion with unceasing activity in substituted at a greater distance. The figures every province of Hindostan. This is the to be frequently cleaned and dried with a cloth, Indian community which looks out with which will have the effect of giving them as anxiety for the arrival of Buonaparte," the kind of enamel, and preserving their surface great restorer of the Catholic Church." Dr.from the corroding effect of the moisture. Buchanan's Letter to the Archbishop of Goa, Means to be devised for preserving the cave Metropolitan of the East, will be published, from inundation during the annual rains. if it be deemed expedient. In that letter,Steps to be cut in the rock, for easy descent 10 written on the spot, in the Convent of the the cavern of cold water. The jungle in front Augustinians at Goa, he adverts to the facts of the cave, and about its edges, to be cleared, he had witnessed, and to the information he and the aperture of the mountain, on each: had received from the Inquisitors themselves; side, enlarged, to give more air and light. and he urges the Archbishop to recommend The road up the hill to be widened, and cut to the Court of Portugal to refrain from in steps in the rock; as is usual in the ascent usurping any longer a spiritual power in the to other religious places in Hindostan. At British States; and to endeavour to repair the present, the access to the Elephanta is very injury done to Christianity through the crimes difficult, being through nearly a mile of steep and long duration of the Inquisition, by the and painful road. The old Elephant himself, immediate abolition of that tribunal. The on the side of the hill, to be renewed, and a Archbishop is requested to exert his own young elephant placed on his back, agreeably authority in reforming the abuses in the Col- to the first drawings. These drawings I leges at Goa, for the education of the Priest- send you from Europe, if you cannot procure. hood, and in causing his Priests to begin the them in India. And, lasily, an appropriate study of the Holy Scriptures, and to cease building to be erected on the beach, at the. from mixing the pure faith with Indian super- entrance of the valley, for the accommodation stitions, and from preaching a corrupt Chris- of visitors. Here may be deposited, for the tianity to the subjects of the British Govern- immediate reference of travellers, volumes which contain the notices and opnious of the learned concerning Elephanta. ment. can those Cave of Elephanta at Bombay. Copy of a Letter from the Rev. Dr. Bucha-This building might be occupied by the milinun, to W. T. Money, Esq. Bombay. Dear Sir-In the hope that you will prosecute your purpose of directing the attention of government and of the public to the present state of the Temple of the Elephanta, and to the means of its preservation, I beg leave to offer my contribution in aid of that Jaudable design. When I visited the Ele phanta, last week, and compared it with the accounts of former travellers, I perceived that the cavern and figures, were in a state of pro gressive and rapid dilapidation; and it seems to me probable, that wheh a few more pil tary guard which the Bombay Government has recently stationed on the island, to preserve the cavern from further injury. Other improvements will suggest themselves to you on the spot. To preserve to future ages this grand monument of antient sculpture, perhaps the most antient in the world, and to. exhibit it to mankind in somewhat of its pristine beauty, is a noble undertaking, and, worthy the countenance of every man, who loves to embellish science and human life. The temple of Elephanta is perhaps a grander eff. rt of the ingenuity of man than the 4 pyramids of Egypt. If the expense of the ITALY. Uncommon Meteor.-Ferentino, June 15. May 21, about 3 o'clock in the morning at the rising of the moon, the atmosphere of "this town and its vicinity became suddenly extremely dark, for a few moments; after which certain fiery meteors, violently agitated, appeared on the adjacent mountains, which, on their approaching each other, formed two distinct globes of fire, when with the velocity of a cannon ball they darted from east to south, and with a tremendous noise united, and afterawards burst, making a still more dreadful explosion, which was heard all over the adjacent country. These singular phenomena have very inuch excited the curiosity of the naturalists, and have struck with dreadful panic the timid and superstitious inhabitants; but we have not heard of their having done the least damage in the country. -Utrecht Courant, July 4, 1808. The peculiar circumstance of the union of these bodies will not fail to excite notice. This appearance deserved correct, and even scrutinizing, examination. SPAIN. Passed through several cities before we reached the capital: at Burgos there is so beautiful a gothic cathedral, that in its internal effect, I am compelled to give it the preferenee either to Lincoln or York.-Madrid, from having been one of the dirtiest capitals in Europe, is since it has been paved, become one of the cleanest; it is not very large, nor can it boast many superb buildings, yet I think it by no means a disagreeable city. The new palace indeed justly merits to be considered as magnificent; it is both lofty and large, and within most nobly adorned, with rich marbles and granites, the produce of Spain.— This and other palaces here, contain several very fine pictures; the public walks, or pa rade, are pleasant and noble, decorated with fine fountains, and shaded by ample plantations of trees, to each of which is conducted a separate rill of water; so that they preserve their verdure under the summer skies of Spain. Whilst we were in this city, there happened to be a bull fight; the field of contest is in the arena of a large amphitheatre, capable of containing several thousands of people; the bulls are attacked by men on horseback with spears, and by others on foot, with darts; fourteen, I think, of these noble animals were slaughtered that day, and five or six horses, (by their bellies being ripped up), were also sacrificed to this wanton cruelty-The Spaniards are, including both sexes, immoderately fond of this exhibition; it evinces to me that the nation is not yet perfectly civilized.--The Escurial, which is many miles distant from Madrid, is a vast pile, the cost of which must have been prodigious, but the style of its architecture is so thoroughly bad, that neither the parts nor the whole produce any interesting effect.-Pursued our way from Madrid through the supposed Don Quixote's scenes of prowess; looked over Toboso, but could not distinguish any known descendants of Dulcinea. Reached Valentia; the tract from which city to Barcelona, along the coast of the Mediterranean, is so delightfully rich in luxuriant vegetation, that we might almost fancy that a line of land had been taken up between the tropics, and laid down there.After enjoying, day after day, the delightful shores of the Mediterranean, we re-crossed the Pyreneans; towards their eastern extremities; at a great distance from their western ·Character of some of the Provinces of Spain. The following acquires interest from the consideration of the present state of the kingdom of Spain. It is extracted from a letter of the late Mr. Thomas Collinson, of Southgate -At Bayonne, the extreme frontier city of France towards Spain, we had our carriage which we took with us from England, fitted for mules, 300 of which we employed (viz. 14 each day) to draw us to Madrid. The defiles of the Pyrenees took us two days and an half. A stupendous chain of mountains, parallel with which, before we penetrated them, we travelled near threescore miles, all the way astonished at the grandeur and sub-pass, which we took from Bayonne : here we limity of this heaven-built wall:-The surface of Spain, for the greatest part of the way to Madrid, is, for want of rivers or brooks, rather sterile, not that it is literally destitute of vegetation, so far from it, that for leagues 12 together it is covered with plants, but none of them afford food fitted to sustain man, horse, or mule; yet, being almost all aromatic plants, they are grateful to the traveller, for, from being trampled on by the mules, the whole atmosphere is filled with their fragrance, دمای descended to the first frontier city in France, towards Spain, in this direction, named Perpignan; from hence took the road to Narbonne; and afterwards continued our route throughout the whole extent of the southern coast of France, till we crossed the Var, to Nice in Italy. The whole of this tract is a very interesting one.-Barcelona to Spain, and Marseilles and Toulon, &c. to France, are most valuable ports, as being most conve niently situated for the Levant trade. OBSERVANDA INTERNA. Imperial Parliament-On Saturday the 20th, both houses met pro forma, agreeably to the prorogation in July; and were, as a matter of course, further prorogued to Tuesday the 1st of November. It is noticed as a very long prorogation. The commissioners on the woolsack were, the Lord -Chancellor, Lord Walsingham, and Lord Hawkesbury the lower house of parliament was represented by John Henry Legge, Esq., chief assistant, and the usual officers of the house. No idea in this circle seemed to be entertained of parliament's sitting down for business on this side Christmas. On our return through Westminster Hail into Palace Yard, we perceived the workmen had began pulling down the old buildings on the bank of the names, on which is to rise a decorative row of trees, for the omament of this part of the metropolis. Grand Dinner, to the Spanish D puties, by the Merchants and Bankers of London, at the City of London Tavern, on Thursday, August 6th, 1808. his sumptuous Feast, indicative of the sympathy wie england feels in the glorious cause of Spain, was ended by a company of Noblemen and Gentlemen, comprehending a very large proportion of the merc tile wealth of the British metropolis. No former casion, within our memory, was equally distingu shed by the respectability and opulence of the company. It was not a party meeting, for men of all parties are equally ardent and zealous in the cause which has aroused the people of Spain. And we saw, therefore, embodied the principals of all the great companies, of the first mercantile, and banking~houses, together with several Ministers of the Country, Statesman no; in place, Foreign Ministers, and ot distinguished characters-all eager to testify to the illustrious Deputies from Spain, the interest winch they felt in the deliverance of their country. flowers, China figures, vases, &c. &c. The * An explanation has since been very properly given to the public; The Toast given at the dinner at the London Tavern, on Thursday, by Sir F. Baring, viz. "The President of the United States of America," has given much disgust toIn the almost the whole of our merchants. previous arrangement of the toasts by the committee, it appears that this was objected to by most of the gentlemen who composed the committee, and that, after much discussion, it was agreed to leave it entirely to the discretion of Sir The company did not sit down to dinner till 7 o'clock There were six tables length-ways, and one cross-table in the large room, at which 328 Noblemen and Gentlemen sat down; and in the adjoining room there were 72, making toge-Francis, which, of course, makes it the act and ther 400 persons; and it is not exaggeration to 1 say, that their united property was not less than fifteen millions of money. The decoration of the head table was splendid. The parterre, or sand work, represented, in one place, Britannia offering her assistance to Spain, in another, Fame supporting a medallion, on which were inscribed the Names of the different Provinces of Spain, who have stood the foremost in resisting the common enemy in another, the figure of Time crowning the Spanish Patriots' Flag with Laurel; in another, the figure of Hope leaning on the Rock of Justice; in other parts, the Arms and Standards of Spain intermixed with those of England, with different mottos, such as Vencer, o morir!— Success to the Spanish Heroes, &c. &c. The ornaments stood from seven to eight feet high, pourtraying in one part the Battle of the Nile, with the blowing up of L'Orient, in another, Trophies of Flags, &c. &c.; at the top of all, the Royal Standards of England and Spain: the whole finished with garlands and bouquets of deed of Sir Francis." Audi alteram partem.-In justice to Sir Francis Baring, we insert the following letter: Sir, If the dissatisfaction which followed the toast I gave at the public dinner last week, by many supposed to have been "The President of the United States," but actually "The President, and United States of America," had been confined to the company present, I should have considered any blame that might have attached to me ful y removed by the general approbation expressed afterwards at my conduct; but as it has excited much observation, I must request your indul. gence to insert a few lines in justification of my. self. I have always considered it to be the duty of a Chairman to act with impartiality and propriety, and not to introduce any toast at a public dinner in a clandestine manner. To prove that I had no such intention, the toasts were printed, with a translation for the information of the visi tors, and distributed at the table at which Isat, although I believe they were only partially circu |