neral it was from four to five feet and a half high, the ftraw uncommonly large and ftrong, and the ears from four to five inches and a half in length. No corn ever appeared more promifing. Thus it continued till the bloom appeared, about the middle of June. The weather then became wet and cold, and frequently deprived the corn of what is ufually called its bloffoms. Before the end of the month, the ears put on a fickly look, and, upon examination, it was found amazingly fmutty; more fo, indeed, than I had ever observed any before. In vain I examined the roots, the ftraw, the joints, &c. all appeared found and perfect, till I came to the ear; there the evil began, but from what cause, or by what means, not the leaft veftige could be found.

As the plants were vigorous, perfectly healthy, and found, till the bloom appeared, and then turned fickly and distempered, and at length immoderately fmutty, it feemed very clearly to follow, that it could not be owing to any imperfection in the feed, but entirely to the inclemency of the air, which by fome means or other infected the grain in its embryo- ftate, and converted the milky subftance, which conftitutes the meal or flour of the corn, into a black, fœtid, unwholesome powder, known by the name of fmut.'

Another fine crop of wheat, when in full bloom, was frequently stripped of it by the hafty fhowers that fell. Such, however, is the wonderful economy of nature, that if wheat be ftripped of its bloom by the intemperance of the weather, a fine warm day reinftates it, and the bloom becomes as fair and promifing as ever. This I have observed it to do feveral times in alternate fucceffion; but there is a limit which the return of the 'bloffoms cannot furvive, and if it happen before the embryo is duly impregnated, then the kerning or granulating fucceeds badly, and at harvest the corn proves defective and smutty.'

It is a circumftance of importance, when he tells us that he obferved,

That both fmutty and found ears were frequently produced and nourished by the fame root, and confequently were both produced from one and the fame individual feed. This circumftance alone goes very far towards proving, that the cause of the fmut does not exift originally in the feed; for if its ftamina were vitiated or corrupted, it is not poffible to conceive that it fhould produce plants found, healthy, and vigorous, for eight or nine months, and then fome ears full of corn perfectly found and good, and others nothing but fmut balls.

Not fully fatisfied with this, I purfued my intention, and spent much time in examining the fmutty ears; I foon discovered it was no very uncommon thing for the fame ear to contain both found and fmutty corn.

In fome ears the tops were moftly fmutty, and the bottoms found; in others the tops were found and the bottoms fmutty; but more generally, one fide of the ear was all fmut, and the other moftly found. One of the last ears I examined contained forty

fmut

fmut-balls, twenty-one corns that were perfectly found and good, and five corns that had one end fmutty and the other found.

From this ftate of facts it is hardly poffible to refift the conviction that the fmut is caufed by the inclemency of the atmosphere, and that conftantly and invariably in the feafon of its blowing.

To fum up the whole of this matter then, it feems as certain, as demonftration can render it, that the fmut is not owing to any defect or imperfection in the feed, but entirely to fome corrupt vi tiating principle of the atmosphere, in the blowing feason, which blights and deftroys the grain in fome fhape or another, according to the time it has been blowing, when it is firuck with the blight. Thofe ears which are totally deprived of their blowings at the beginning of the feafon, before the corn in its embryo ftate is duly impregnated with the farina fecundans, or male duft, becomes abortive, and are abfolutely without any corn at all. Thofe that are further advanced, and have the embryo formed ready for impregnation, if in that flate they are deprived of the fecundating principle, either wholly or in part, the milky matter, which conftitutes the fubftance of the grain, for want of the vivifying principle, is wholly, or in a certain proportional part, converted into a ball of black ftinking powder, or fmut. Sometimes, even after the corn is well formed and filled with the milky juice, fufficiently impregnated with the male principle, it is ftruck with the blight, which, though it comes too late to prevent the perfection of the vivifying principle, and thereby render it unfit for feed, yet it is little more than two rinds, it being in a manner ftarved, the mealy fubftance of which the flour confifts being almost entirely wanting.

From all this it very clearly appears, that all the boasted steeps prepared for preventing the fmut are chimerical, and void of all reafonable foundation whatever. In warm dry healthy fummers the fmut is feldom if ever found, though the land be fown with feed that is smutty, and without any preparation at all. I would however recommend washing the feed in fair water a day or two before fowing. By this means the light imperfect corns, chaff, and feeds of weeds, if any, are feparated from the feed corn, fwim at top, are easily skimmed off, and the remainder rendered much more clean and perfect.

The writer has now feveral experiments, in profecution, by which the above obfervations may probably be fatisfactorily confirmed, which he hopes to have the honour of communicating in due time. He does not prefume to claim the promised premium, being fenfible he has not performed the literal conditions, which he apprehends no Power is by any means equal to but THAT only which "rides in the whirlwind, and directs the storm." The Power which is competent to the prevention of the fmut in wheat, is equally fo to the prefervation of the bloom of the fruits of the orchard, the hop-garden, from the maggot in peas, the black dolphin in beans, the fly in turnips, and the caterpillar in all the cabbage tribes, whole devaftation at this very time has laid the whole country waste.'

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Smutty

Smutty wheat, he informs us, may be perfectly cleaned for fale by two wafhings, and being moderately kiln-dried; by which operation, the evil attending a fmutty crop is not fo intolerable as it is generally represented.

[To be concluded in our next.]

N.

ART. XII. An Abridgment of the Public Statutes in Force and Uk relative to Scotland, from the Union in the fifth Year of Queen Anne, to the 27th Geo. III. inclufive. By John Swinton, Efq. Advocate. 2 Vols. 4to. 11. 12s. Boards. Dilly.

AJUDICIOUS abridgment of the ftatutes that concern fo large

a part of the united kingdom, as Scotland forms, cannot but be interefting, in England, not only to many persons in the profeffion of the law, but to thofe engaged in its numerous departments of the revenue, or in various branches of manufactures and commerce.

The prefent work is a confiderable enlargement of one that was published about the year 1755, by a relation of Mr. Swinton, and which has long fince been out of print. The reasons that led to that undertaking were ftated, by the editor, with modefty and judgment. He obferves, in a preface which is properly retained, and prefixed to the prefent work,

The public ftatutes of this united kingdom, have fwelled to fo great a bulk, that it has become a work of fome time and labour, to find out the feveral acts, and parts of acts, which regard one fubject. And even when this is done, the multitude of fynonimous 'words, the many relative members in each fentence, the repetitions of circumstances, of exceptions, and conditions, make the ftyle fo verbose, and fo complicated, that a perfon who is not daily practifed in that fort of language, is in danger of lofing fight of the principal propofition. Thefe inconveniences are felt in England, but are ftill more felt here in Scotland. The people in this part of the united kingdom, have been accustomed to a concise style in the acts of their parliaments, and are with more difficulty reconciled to a ftyle fo very full of words as that which prevails in the ftatutes of late years. Thefe confiderations, joined to the general advantages of an alphabetical abridgement in any fcience, induced me to undertake fuch an abridgement of the public British statutes, fo far as they regard Scotland. I have found the labour of great benefit to myfelf; and I am in hopes the work may be useful to others. I fhall be happy, if my attempt towards the removal of the inconveniences above mentioned, might contribute to make more gene. rally known among my countrymen, the many important and beneficial alterations which of late years have been introduced into our faws.'

As

As many statutes have been repealed, or varied, fince the publication of the former abridgement, and as the statutes of thirty-three years have been added, no apology feemed neceffary to Mr. Swinton, for undertaking a new work on the fame plan, incorporating the former, fo far as the ftatutes remain in force. He has thought it expedient to add feveral heads which were omitted in the former publication, particularly the Duties of Cuftoms and Excife, which are extended to Scotland by the act of Union, and likewife a clafs of acts, which, excepting their titles, have been generally omitted in the editions given us of the public ftatutes, viz. the turnpike, bridge, and harbour acts. His reasons for fo doing are deferving of attention; the most material of which is, that juftices of peace and commiffioners of land-tax, might have at hand what concerns the roads of their refpective counties, and also have an opportunity of comparing them with the regulations of other counties; which, he thinks, may, in time, lead to fome uniform general law for the ftatute services of the whole kingdom of Scotland.

It is fomewhat remarkable that the former abridgement did not contain the English ftatutes concerning High Treafon; though, by the 7 Anne, cap. 21, they were exprefsly extended to Scotland.

Through fome unavoidable delays, this work has long escaped its merited place in our journal.

ART. XIII.

T.

Letters written in France, in the Summer 1790, to a Friend in England; containing various Anecdotes relative to the French Revolution; and Memoirs of Monf. and Madame Du F. By Helen Maria Williams. 12mo. PP. 223. 35.

fewed. Cadell.

MISS

ISS WILLIAMS has been a fuccefsful candidate, both in verfe and profe, for the public favour; and we are perfuaded that she will continue to merit applaufe, while juft thinking, and eafy, though correct, expreffion, fhall be deemed commendable qualities in a writer.

In these letters, fhe relates whatever fhe thought worthy of obfervation in her late tour in France. She arrived at Paris on the day preceding the ever memorable federation; the fplendid ceremonial of which the relates with that rapturous feeling which fo powerfully ftruck every spectator, from this country, with whom we have converfed, fince that great event took place: fhe ftyles it the most fublime spectacle which, perhaps, was ever reprefented on the theatre of this earth!"

Gg3

The

The triumph of human kind!-It was, fhe adds, Man afferting the nobleft privileges of his nature; and it required but the common feelings of humanity to become in that moment a citizen of the world. For myfelf, I acknowlege that my heart caught with Enthufiafm the general fympathy; my eyes were filled with tears; and I fhall never forget the fenfations of that day, "while memory holds her feat in my bofom."

On every occafion, this amiable letter-writer warmly expreffes her abhorrence of defpotifin, and nobly exults in the triumph of liberty over this horrible fcourge of mankind. She frequently takes notice of the rancorous (fhall we call it? or envious,) difpofition which, fince this most extraordinary event, many of our countrymen have manifefted toward the people of France, as if they poffeffed not the fame right to the bleffing of a free and equitable government, which other nations claim, and which we happily enjoy. Why,' fays this patriotic lady, fhould they not be fuffered to make an experiment in politics?'

I have always been told, that the improvement of every science depends upon experiment. But I now hear that, inftead of their new attempt to form the great machine of fociety upon a fimple principle of general amity, upon the FEDERATION of its members, they ought to have repaired the feudal wheels and fprings, by which their ancestors directed its movements. Yet if mankind had always obferved this retrograde motion, it would furely have led them to few acquifitions in virtue, or in knowledge; and we might even have been worshipping the idols of paganifm at this moment. To forbid, under the pains and penalties of reproach, all attempts of the human mind to advance to greater perfection, seems to be profcribing every art and science. And we cannot much wonder that the French, having received fo fmall a legacy of public happiness from their forefathers, and being fenfible of the poverty of their own patrimony, fhould try new methods of tranfmitting a richer inheritance to their pofterity.'

To give variety to her letters, Mifs Williams has introduced the affecting story of Monf. Du F—, and his family, with whom she was perfonally acquainted. If any thing were wanting to increase our deteftation of tyrannical government, that purpose would have been effectually anfwered by this little hif tory of the private diftrefs, and unnatural cruelty, which these virtuous and innocent victims endured;-and to the horrors of which they never could have been expofed in a FREE

COUNTRY.

G.

ART.