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with excellent sweet grass." It was in this very neighbourhood that Dr. Richardson first became acquainted with the Fiorin, in consequence of having purchased a small farm on the little peninsula of Portrush; which is situated a few miles to the southwest of the Giants' Causeway, and projects in the form of a cliff about half a mile into the Northern ocean. This farm, Dr. R says, has long been famous for the verdure, abundance, and excellence of its pasture; and it has been repeatedly observed, that the tallow, and the butter made from the milk of the cattle fed there, surpassed, both in quantity and quality, those of any other farm in the country. The grass of this pasture consists almost entirely of Fiorin. During three and twenty years, Dr. R. made comparative experiments on the excellence of the Portrush pasturage, and that of some glebe which he possesses in the county of Tyrone; and though he had always good grass on the latter, and the glebe itself was in a very rich country, yet he invariably observed, that the same cow gave above a third more milk, and of a far supe riour quality, when fed on the Portrush, than on the Tyrone pasturage. This, he says, is the more remarkable, because the greater part of the Portrush meadow is composed of a very shallow soil, rarely three inches deep, covering a solid basaltick rock; and much burnt up in summer. In like manner, the Fiorin is distinguished by its high verdure on the cliff's and steeps facing the Northern ocean, particularly about the Giants' Causeway; occasionally forcing its roots into the crevices of the rock, and even into the diminutive intervals between the pillars of the causeway.

The present occasion does not require a minute statement of the observations and experiments made on this grass by Dr. Richardson. And, indeed, since he himself is "almost afraid of entering into a detail of its

extraordinary qualities, entertaining faint hopes of obtaining credit or even attention, our readers will not be surprised if we make our selection with great caution; nor must he be offended with us if we doubt the reasonableness of those expectations, in which, too incautiously perhaps, for his future fame, he indulges. Thus, when he describes the Fiorin, not only as superiour to most, if not all other grasses, and better fitted to every separate use to which grass can be applied; thriving almost equally in soils of the most contrary descriptions; the richest, the poorest, the deepest, and the shallowest, the tops of mountains, and the bottoms of valleys; bearing greater extremes of wet and of drought than any other grass, or, perhaps, vegetable; growing with full vigour under the shade of trees, and equally grateful to cattle when mowed from this situation, as from the open field; and, lastly, as being perfectly insensible to the highest degree of cold, since he saw the vegetation of its tenderest shoots uninterrupted by one of the bitterest frosts he remembers, and their lively green preserved equally, whether they were above the surface or buried under the snow; when, we say, he describes all these extraordinary and opposite qualities as existing in his favourite grass, who can choose but smile at his fond partiality? On the report of his experiments, we are fully disposed to rely with confidence; though even here we dare not anticipate the same degree of success, from the general cultivation of this grass which he met with in the particular instances mentioned by him. The extent of that success may be judged of, by the following statement.

In November, 1806, Dr. Richardson planted a piece of ground with Fiorin; of which, having obtained a. number of distinct plants, he commenced by laying one down, and slightly covering the root with earth: he then stretched its string in a line, laying a little loose earth upon it here

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and there, merely for the purpose of being housed at the end of three holding it down. Where the string weeks, it was suffered to remain unended, another root was laid dowil, der the open air for more than two and its string was stretched in contie months; and, on the 4th of March, it nuation of the former line, and so on was still fresh and fragrant, and retainto the end of the piece of ground. At ed the healthy green in its strings: and two feet distance he made a similar through the whole of the winter, tow, parallel to the former; and thus there was not a single string that continued till the whole piece of showed the least tendency to rot or ground was planted. The strings decay. soon showed symptoms of vegetation; Of the first crop, which was housed and in the following July, the inter- on Dec. 28, several strings were set mediate spaces were so completely in a hot house on the same day: these occupied by new strings, that it was soon began to put forth fresh sprouts. difficult to find out the original drills. Other strings, taken from the same The succeeding autumn was wet and hay, were planted on the 18th of Jasevere, and the grass was, in conse- nuary, and the 5th of February folquence, flattened down; but, though lowing. These also, soon began to vematted like a crop of vetches, the getate from every point. The same under part was very thick, and ex- experiment was repeated on Feb. 27, clusively composed of long strings, March 18, and April 8, on strings taevery one of which was in bigh ve- ken both from the hay that was getation, from the root 10 the ex- housed, and from that which remaintreme point.

ed in the field; and the success was A portion of this meadow was the same in every instance. mowed, on December 7, 1807, and, This retentive faculty of the princontrary to Dr. Richardson's expec- ciple of vegetable life, so conspicuous tations, after so wet and severe a sea- in the Fiorin, Dr. Richardson thinks son, the sward, instead of sinking, may be explained by its peculiar nawas so raised up by the length and ture in not producing pavicles till the coarseness of the strings, that in half second year; for, he argues, that as an hour it was dry. It was then made all vegetables appear to advance in a up in small heaps, which were after- state of progressive improvement, wards turned over every other day, until they arrive at the period of in order to expose the damp side to flowering and producing their seed, the wind. At the end of eight days after which the powers of vegetation these heaps were opened for half an seem to abate; and as most grasses hour; and then made into larger put forth their seed in the same year heaps, four feet high each, these in which they were sown, it hence were opened three or four times du- happens, that grasses in general will ring a fortnight, and were housed at not support the inclemency of the the end of three weeks; reckoning succeeding winter: but the Fiorin not from the time when the grass was putting forth its panicles till the secut, during which the weather was cond year, and consequently, not singularly unfavourable, attended having attained its point of perfection with great deluges of rain, succeeded till that time, the strings improve by an extraordinary heavy fall of progressively through the whole of snow, which was followed by close The first year; whence it follows, that damps.

it is even advantageous to defer the Another portion of the same mea. mowing of Fiorin till winter. dow was mowed on Dec. 26; and the Another great advantage attending process of making the hay was con- the cultivation of Fiorin is this, that ducted in the same manner as in the whereas grass seed cannot be sown preceding instance: but, instead of with prudence earlier than the mid

dle of March, or later than the middle of September, at which seasons the farmer is necessarily very much engaged in other employments, the Fiorin strings may be planted at any time: and, according to Dr. Richardson, a crop may be obtained from this grass more cheaply and more expe. ditiously than from any other.

But it is unnecessary to dwell lon. ger on the excellencies of this grass. Enough has been said, we conceive, to direct the attention of the agricultural reader to a subject, which, unless the author of the present memoir has greatly deceived himself, must be considered of the highest importance.

FROM THE BRITISH CRITICK.

Compendium of the Laws and Constitution of England. By William Enfield, M. A: 12mo. pp. 374. 48. 6d. 1809.

THIS compendium may be properly characterized as a clear and well digested abridgment of Black stone's Commentaries, and may be a very convenient manual to those who have not sufficient leisure to peruse the original. We have not observed that any material point of law is omitted, or misrepresented. By leaving out the declamatory and discursive passages, which, though en

tertaining and instructive, are not necessary to a right understanding of the subject, the compiler has brought the whole system of English law into a narrow compass, and has given us the substance of an expensive work, at a very inconsiderable price. We do not hesitate to recommend this publication as one of the most useful of the kind, which have come under our notice.

FROM THE BRITISH CRITICK.

Tales of Instruction and Amusement. Written for the Use of young Persons. By Miss Mitchell, Author of Rational Amusement, Faithful Contract, and Moral Tales. Octavo pp. 252. 1807.

INDEED these are, in a high degree, "Tales of Instruction and Amusement;" and we strongly recommend them to the use of young persons. It appears, from an affectionate dedication to Miss and Miss M. A. Harrison, that the author was employed in conducting their education, during the early part of it; and we find, with great satisfaction, this lesson continually inculcated, that religion and virtue, must ever be the basis of solid happiness We cannot afford room for one of these tales, though they are far from being long or tedious; but a few lines, from the dedication, will sufficiently recom mend the whole book.

"You are now entering on a more extensive plan of education: you are mixing with a larger society: but do not in the publick seminary, forget the private friend. Let those precepts it has always been my ardent desire to inculcate, still live in your remembrance. Let them warn you, that however desirable musick, drawing, and those elegant accomplishments, befitting your rank, may be, they are still but secondary considerations; which, though they may render you agreeable, can never, without higher acquirements, make you beloved. They may impart pleasure, but can never bestow happiness." p. 6.

SPIRIT OF THE MAGAZINES.

BIOGRAPHICAL ANECDOTES OF THE LATE MARSHAL SOUWOROW.

THE following are extracts from a historical account of the celebrated field marshal count Souworow Rymniski, prince Italiski, lately published in the French language, by M. Guillaumanches-Duboscage, lieutenant colonel of Kinbourne dragoons, and staff officer in the army of field marshal Souworow, in the years 1794, 1795, and 1796.

Souworow was born at Moscow, in 1730, of a family originally Swedish, enjoying but a very small property. He entered the army in 1742, as a private soldier; and was forced to remain undistinguished during many years, in inferiour situations. In the course of this time, feeling the superiority of his own mental powers, and the insufficiency of those of his chiefs, whose faults he could see and point out, he resolved, in order to raise himself above their command, to affect that singularity of character, which afterwards, through habit, became in him a second nature; and stamped both his mind and his person, with characteristicks exclusively his own. In this he succeeded completely. In a short time he attracted notice, and the dawn of his talents pierced through the obscurity of the lower stations, to which he had been confined for the first five years. After the year 1749, his rise was sufficiently rapid, and ten years afterwards, being then twenty nine years of age, he was made lieutenant colonel. However, in pursuance of his adopted system, the more he advanced in rank, the more he affected to be whimsical This line

of conduct obtained, at length, such a preponderance over his mind, that he found obedience of every description became absolutely impossible; and that, in the end, he would even have refused to command the armies of his sovereign, had she attempted to trace a plan for his campaign, or to bind him to such or such operations, in preference to any other. "When my sovereign does me the honour to intrust me with the command of her armies," would he say, "she believes me capable of leading them to victory; and how can she judge better than an old soldier, like me, who is on the spot, of the best course to that object? In consequence, when she sends me orders contrary to her true interest, I suppose that they have been suggested to her by courtiers, her enemies; and I act in the manner which appears to me to be most conducive to her glory."

In many circumstances, the genius of Souworow, overstepping the nar row limits of the orders he had received, led him boldly on to certain victory. Of this the following are in

stances:

In the campaign of 1771, in which he served as major general, he received information that the marshal of Lithuania was forming an army of Poles, at Stalowitz. He immediately gave notice of it to Boutourlin, commander in chief of the Russian army, a very cautious and indolent man; requesting at the same time an order for attacking them. Boutourlin, knowing that Souworow had only a few hun

dred men under him, expressly forbad him to undertake any thing. But Souworow, who, that very instant, had learned that the Polish confederates had defeated the Petersburgh regiment, that their numbers were daily increasing, and already exceed ed five thousand, judged that he could not delay for one moment, the destruction of a nucleus, already too considerable. He hastily collected his little army, amounting to one thousand men only, and marched in quest of the enemy. In four days he marched upwards of fifty leagues, fell unexpectedly upon the Poles, in the middle of the night, defeated and dispersed them, and took Stalowitz, with twelve pieces of cannon. The day after he followed up his victory, and destroyed whatever had escaped from the first battle. He then hastened to transmit to Boutourlin the details of this daring expedition, by writing to him:"As a soldier I have disobeyed; I must be punished; and I send you my sword-But, as a Russian, I have done my duty, in destroying the confederate forces, which we could not have withstood had they been allowed sufficient time in which to collect." Boutourlin was wonder-struck. Not knowing in what manner to act towards Souworow, he determined to write to the empress for orders. On the receipt of his letter, Catherine wrote to the victorious general: "Marshal Boutourlin, as your chief, must put you under an arrest, to punish the want of subordination in the soldier; as your sovereign, I reserve to myself the pleasure of recompensing the zeal of the faithful subject, who, by a splendid action, has so well served his country." She sent him the order of St. Alexander.

In 1790, the empress had given express orders to take Ismaïloff; the siege of that place having been twice raised. Potemkin, who commanded the Russian army, fearing to disobey Catherine for the third time, communicated his orders to Souworow, promosing to him, at the same time, to

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renew the siege, and to take the command of it. Notwithstanding the dangers attending an expedition which had already miscarried twice, Sou worow, always relying with confidence on his own resources, accepted the proposal by saying simply: "It is the empress's wish: she must be obeyed." He immediately assembled his troops, and after four days of forced marches, arrived under the walls of Ismaïloff; several days were spent in preparing fascines, ladders, and all the instruments necessary for an assault. In the meantime, he got a fort constructed in a remote place, to exercise his soldiers in scaling walls; and, the better to deceive the enemy, he caused a trench to be opened within thirty or forty fathoms of the place; as if he meant to proceed by a regu lar siege. "Every thing was prepared for the assault," says the author, "the orders were given, the columns were beginning their march, in the middle of the night, when an officer arrived with despatches from prince Potemkin. Souworow guessed that those despatches contained an order to retreat, or some secret snare. The fact was, that Potemkin could not but shudder at the uncertainty of such an enterprise; when, considering the inclemency of the season, the fortifications of Ismaïloff, mounting 232 guns, and defended by 43,000 men; his anxiety was considerably increased by the knowledge he had, that one half of that army was composed of Janissaries, commanded by seven Pacha's; while Souworow, to overcome so great difficulties, had only 28,000 men, the half of whom were cossacks Wishing, therefore, to throw the whole blame and the whole shame of the miscarriage on that geperal, he had written to him, not to risk the assault, unless he was certain of taking the place.

"Souworow guessing the contents of the letter, ordered his aide-decamp to get a horse ready for him, at his tent door, in such a situation as to bar the entrance. He recommended

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