teaches all her children to pray, "From herefy and fchifm, good Lord, deliver us?" If it feem ftrange that fchifm fhould be fo great a fin, when it may be committed without departing from the faith, or the breach of what are commonly reckoned the rules of morality, let it be remembered that it is the bare act of feparating from the Church, which Chrift himself tells us caufes his name to be blafphemed, and the wicked world to fay, that the Divine Father did not fend him; and then all wonder most ceafe, and the great guilt of divifions immediately appear.

Wherefore, fince the fin of Corah, as we learn from St. Jude, may be committed under the Gospel, as well as under the Law, and we must be fenfible that, because his punishment was dreadful, his guilt muti have been great; let us all pray, and join our endeavours to our prayers, that from herefy and fchifms our good Lord may deliver us. Amen.

I

Mr. URBAN,

July 19. KNOW not whether the obfervation has been made before, but it is certain that the earth itfelf produces no plant, but only ferves as a receptacle for thofe moiftures which expand and propagate them. From this proceeds the difference of foils, tome are fo light, that the moisture evaporates in a very fhort period; while others are fo heavy that it cannot eafily penetrate its pores, and fo hard that plants cannot expand. I lately planted fome bulbous roots in different earths, and their gradual progreffion to perfection is curious. The first kind were planted in the worft foil and fituation I could find, the refult of which was, that they only produced a falk and leaves, and then withered away; the next were planted in a little better foil, and they produced pittils; others in a ftill better produced both pifils and ftamina, while a richer one produced a corolla with its apurtenances; and, laftly, thofe which were highly cultivated occafioned the ftamina to become petals. This ftrengthens the argument that a male and female are neceflary to propagate feed; for though the leaves and falk appear first, yet it is evident they are only conftituent parts, and ferve to protect the flower.

I have often thought that there appears in plants a fuperiority of fexes, for the male is always produced before

the female, particularly in the monacia and diæcia claffes of plants, where many of the male flowers are perfect (and even appear ufelefs) before the females have made their appearance. The germ may be confidered as a vagina, and the imperfect feeds lying in it as the ovaria, which being impregnated by the farina of the ftamen occafion the feeds to be perfect. The whole piftil feems to convey the effence of the farina to the ovaria, but if the figma be taken off it will fill produce us feed, but probably it does the office better than any other part, and is purpofely for this intent, but many plants are deftitute of it.

It is very pleafing to watch the motions of plants, their manner of impregnation; fome authers burst by the heat of the fun, others by the humidity of the atmosphere. The impregbe watched in many

nation

may

plants, but more particularly in the cifli and primula. Their petals are expanded but a few hours, and the males and females approach and recede from each other alternately. Many of thofe flowers which have the parts of fructification hidden by the corolla, as in the papilionaceous and ringent tribe, perform the operation by other means; thus the fumaria officinalis has its piftil bent when young, and as the flowers grow older, the crooked part grows ftraight, and pushes it way through the ftamens with its cleaver like figma. Others have the ftigma like a fpoon and curling round, fo that all the farina mutt neceflarily fall on it; indeed, there are few but are varied; and we may fee that nothing but an omnifcient God could have effected one end by fo many means.

Plants have always been obferved to clofe their petals at the approach of ftorms and night. I know no other manner of accounting for it, but that the change of the atmosphere leffens the impetus of the fap, and the petals refume their natural ftate; while in hot weather the momentum is fo ftrong that it forces the petals to fpread open; thus the large lily always expands more at mid-day than at any other time. But there are others which clofe at certain hours, as the tragopagon pratenfe (yellow goat's beard); probably when the heat becomes too exceffive, and occafions too great a perfpiration from the plant, for heat and cold oftentimes * Dr. Darwin.

produce

produce very like effects, though the caufes are different.

I obferve, that the fquare ftalk of the galium apirine always fends out its branches from the joints, and on that ide left-hand of the laft, and thus the branches grow in a kind of broken spiral line all up the stalk from right to left. The veronica officinalis has hairy ftalks only on two oppofite fides, and that alternately at each joint. Many plants of the clafs decandria have five of the flamens matured before the ethers, as in the lychnis droicis, all the Stellaria, the cacubalus behen, &c. This laft plant is often confounded with the cucubalus baccifer, and I think the generic character fhould rather be the cucubalus than the filene, as Dr. Smith has placed it. There feems to be this peculiarity in the cucubali, that the ftamina are placed alternately on the receptacle and petals, at leaft in thofe which I have examined, but I have never seen the C. vifcofus.

In the generic characters of plants, it oftentimes depends on the fruit, which in many cafes comes fo long after the flower that it is of no use; for inftance, the myrtilius and pyrus of Smith's Flora Britannica are impoflible to be feparated by their generic defcription, because the drupa and pomum cannot be diftinguifhed till a long time after the perfection of the other parts of the flower. This Flora is undoubtedly a most valuable work; there are at prefent two volumes published, which go as far as the clafs Syngenefia; and it is to be hoped that Dr. Smith will live to perfect it, for he is undoubtedly the greatest botanist in the world. It appears to me that the flowering of many plants is dated too late: perhaps it may be occafioned by the author's living more northerly than myfelf, for Berkfhire is a warm county; but I fubmit to the fuperior judgement of Dr. Smith.

Mr. URBAN,

HONECIB.

July 1.

MUSING myfelf in collecting the

lion of 1745, feems to have died at St. Omers, 1756. One writer of Cromwell's life fays the firft lord was killed at the battle of Winelby; while another fays he was killed at the fiege of Worcefter. The latter is allowed by a branch of the family defcended from an Ofwell Widdrington, who fettled and died at Tarrington, co. Hereford, 1690, and is faid to have been nearly related to the unfortunate fufferer in the royal cause.

This family was not noticed by the Heralds in their latter vifitations; but I have been able, from wills and other documents, to perfect the direct line to its becoming extinct in the reputed lord, Henry Francis, in 1778, and fhould deem myself highly obliged with any account of the collateral branches. N. N.

Mr. URBAN,

SOME

S.

July 3. OME years ago I engaged a fummer-refidence in a part of Hampfhire, called the foreft of Bere, and foon after I was got into it a large gang of Gipfies encamped within half a mile of my garden-hedge. I expreffed the apprehenfions I derived from the vicinity of fuch neighbours to the overfeer of the parish, who replied, that he dared not attempt any step for effecting their removal, left he thould fuffer in his property from their known vindictivenefs; but that, if he might advife, he would have me be liberal towards them when they begged, as it was generally understood that they forbore pillaging

dringtons, wrecked in the unfortunate caufe of the Stuarts, allow me to afk what diftant branches yet exift of that once fplendid and noble family. The lafi Baron of Blankney (attainted 1715), after long fearch, I find died in France, and was buried at Nunnington, co. York. Thomas, the reputed Lord, who is faid to have favoured the rebel

This advice I followed; and I must do my fwarthy acquaintance the juftice to fay, that I did not lofe a single thing during the fortnight they fojourned near me; infomuch, that there feemed to exift an indirect treaty of amity between me and the Gipfey-company, that each party understood without entering on any explanation. The other

inhabitants

taxes, and affeffments, and fo long as their dexterity in fraud enables them to escape detection they do pretty much as they please, and live without care. Refidence in houfes would be to them imprifonment, and they glut tonize on food that the generality of other people loath; though feeding on carrion is not entirely peculiar to them, as M. Grellman fays, the Suders do the fame; and I have been informed, that the Chinese, a people in many refpects fo elegant, do not make any objection to the flesh of animals that have died of age or difeafe. That Gipfies eat flesh in a high degree of putrefaction, I have had occular demonftration, both in the New Foreft (fee my first letter on Gipfies in vol. LXXI. p. 1068), and in the forest of Bere. În the latter foreft, I faw the company that lay within my obfervation, eagerly devouring a hog that had died of a diftemper three weeks before, and been buried in a ditch that its carcafe might not infect the herd that ranged the woods; and the fame party earnestly befought me to let them take two ducks out of my pond that had lain dead feveral days, and which coft them fome trouble to reach. They give their bantlings very pompous and romantic Chriftian names; but their furnames are fuch as are common in this country, with the exception of Curleople (mentioned in History of Selborne, p. 195), and Pelloe; the names of two of the hordes that traverse our Southern counties. The names of others that frequent the South and Eaft of England are Cooper, Lee, Bofwell, Fow ler, Stanley, and Draper; which tribes may all extend their peregrinations occafionally into the North, for any thing that I know to the contrary. Like the Arabs, they take delight in wrapping truth up in myftery, and that when there does not appear the leaft reafon for doing fo: they feem to lie from habit, and like all other wild people are funbbornly addicted to prevarication; but it is the females only who pretend to palmeftry, an art that all the Eaftern nations have more or lefs propenfity to affecting. Old Harry Bluff paffed acts for clearing his kingdom of vermin and maurauders of every kind; but, though he most happily fucceeded in extirpating the monks, nuns, and knights-templars, he never could rout either the Gipfies or the rooks, though all his fubjects

were commanded to exert themselves for the expulfion of the former, and all parifh-officers ordered to provide means for the destruction of the latter.

In the courfe of last year, a correfpondent inferted fome queries in the Ĝenntleman's Magazine relative to the latter part of Bampfylde-Moore Ca rew's life, an enquiry I with greatly to fee anfwered, as I cannot but imagine him to have been one of the most extraordinary characters that ever ex ifted; and, therefore, I with a corre& and complete account of him to be ob tained whilft there are yet living people who remember him. Few are the indivi duals who voluntarily debase themselves: the general object of man in a civi lized country is to rife above the ftation he is born in. Defcended from a family pre-eminent for virtue and for honourable ancestry, with the fairest profpects of all worldly advantages before him, that Mr. Carew fhould de grade himself from the fituation of a gentleman to that of a vagrant, fhould neglect the purfuit of a genteel education to acquire the arts of impofture, fhould render himself liable to the lofs of his perfonal liberty by cafting himself within the pale of the criminal law, and dedicate his life to vice, vulgarity, difgrace, and penury, appears a moft melancholy and uncommon inftance of inanity of mind and depravity of foul. Strange, that a man who was entitled to difplay on his paternal fhield the royal lions of England, and who was defcended on the maternal fide from the antient Welsh princes, fhould condefcend to acquire the burlefque appellation of King of the Giphies!! An octavo volume, written in a wretched ftyle and profeffing to record the exploits performed in the forepart of his life, was published before his decease; and in it are related fome anecdotes that are indifputably true; but whether as much can be faid of the other parts of the work I have great doubts, as I alfo have whether the woman mentioned in the book as his wife was really fo.

Here, Mr. Urban, it is time for me wind up iny bottom; this being my fifth epiftle concerning Gipfies; a peopie I thould not have deened worthy of being fo diffufely expatiated on, if their fingular fituation, and probable origin from Arabia, did not feemingly mark them as defcendants from th mael the wILD MAN, and apparently corroborate

corroborate the authenticity of a portion of the Old Teftament.

A SOUTHERN EAUNIST.

Mr. URBAN, June 5. HAVE juft read one of two volumes of "Nouvelle Suite des Mille & une Nuits contes Arabes, traduits par M. Galland, de l'Academie des Inferiptions & Belles Lettres, trouvés dans les Papiers de ce celebre Ecrivain, avec Figure. Paris, 1798" or, "A new Continuation of the One Thoufand and One Nights, Arabian Tales, tranflated by M. Galland, found among his Papers." The advertisement prefixed fets forth, that this continuation was nearly printed, 1790; but the revolution prevented its being finished, and the appearance of the Tales by M. Cazotte kept back thefe, which the editor affures us were given him by the heir of M. Galland on the exprefs condition that he should publish them.

Now, though I am not without my doubts of the conformity of the names of the adventurers with the Arabian, Turkish, and Indian ones, I cannot fatisfy myfelf that Philautre, Marcel, Meroe, and Felidalus, are men's names familiar to Arabian writers, much lefs Ptolemy Philadelphus and Berenice, Trajan, Aurelian, and Zenobia, or Conftantinople and Palmyra of places, which an Arabian would rather write Stamboul and Balbek; and ftill lefs would he introduce a Chinese phyfician, Spaniards, and Dutchmen, and Van Derberg as the name of the latter; and the teaching the Affilians the doctrine of a vacuum and plenum. The Caliph Haroun Alranhid mounted on the thoulders of his chief eunuch Mefraw, to look in at an upper-ftory window, is a new attitude, as well as that of perfons fitting down cross-legged on a carpet brought for the purpofe to tell their story to the Calidh. Sheik (Chek) is an officer now firft introduced; the coaft of Locotera; the city and kingdom of Anna; Loufchen, a lady of intrigue; Corund, an eunuch; Zarengé

bal, daughter of Arbagheftel, commander in chief of the legion of Nardoun, king of the evil genies; and, for a mafter-piece of forgery, the flippers of a mifer patched with as many pieces as the famous fhip of Argos.

Whether it be that the French tranflator indulges himself in greater liberties than our countrymen, certain it is, that the continuation of thefe Tales, published by Mr. Scott, and reviewed in your vol. LXX. p. 1182, bears much fronger marks of originality. I fhall, however, leave the difcuffion of this matter to our able Orientalifts, with a hope that fome one of them will favour you with his fentiments thereon. A Lover of the Arabian Nights. June 7.

Mr. URBAN,

your correfpondent G. W. O.

(p. 199) be once for all informed, that it is not the term Evangelical, which in its flrict and proper fente is perfectly confonant to the fundamental doctrines of the Gospel, that is made a fubject of ridicule, but the mifapplication and pervertion of it by a fet of felf-confti. tuted, itinerant, uneducated apofiles, who arrogate to themselves the character of the apoftolic founders, the first preachers of Gofpel truths, without the fmalleft pretenfion or qualification. Dr. Watts very properly intituled his difcourfes " Evangelical." He was a ftrict Calvinift and Independent regularly ordained minifter; though his brethren, who in the prefent day diffent from him with new lights and convictions, choose to arraign his laft moments of departing from the "faith as it is in Jefus." Men of their stamp may think themselves at liberty to change their religious opinions as often as the cameleon changes his colours; but Dr. W. was ftaunch to his convic tions. Your correfpondent W. H. Reid, p. 223, well defines what Evangelical preaching fhould be.

B.

IN fupport of your correfpondent Vera Benevolus, p. 200, allow

have heard, that in America the vacme place for an obfervation which I cine inoculation is univerfally scouted.

I wonder it did not occur to your friend P. P. that Antiquarian, p. 212, is an Antique Warian, q.d. a pedlar in antiquities.

The author of the Plurality of Worlds, reviewed in p. 236, is now announced