ART. VIII. Philofophical Tranfactions of the Royal Society, Part II. of Vol. LXXVII. for 1787, continued. See Rev. for laft Month. PHYSIOLOGICAL PAPERS. An Experiment to determine the Effect of extirpating one Ovarium upon the Number of Young produced. By John Hunter, F.R.S. MRi rium extirpated, would, in confequence of fuch operation, produce only half the number of young it would otherways have produced. In order to afcertain this point, he chofe two female pigs, and one male, of the fame colour and fize, and from the fame farrow. He removed one ovarium from one of the females, the other he fuffered to remain perfect. They both farrowed together, twice a year, for four years; when the imperfect one ceafed breeding, but the perfect one continued two years longer, and brought forth in that time five farrows, making in all thirteen farrows, and producing 162 pigs: the imperfect one had only eight farrows and 76 pigs. The dates and number in each farrow are given with great precifion; and the Author concludes, that the extirpation of an ovarium causes the animal to produce only half the number of young. The conclufion is juft, with respect to this particular cafe, but it cannot be deemed fufficient to eftablifh a general propofition. Might there not, poffibly, have been the fame difference between two perfect lows? Perhaps, fifty experiments would be requifite to determine the fact: at leaft a doubt muft remain, until it be confirmed by more than one fpecial cafe. MEDICA L. A remarkable Cafe of numerous Births, with Obfervations. By Maxwell Garthshore, M. D. F. R. S. This is the history of a cafe of five children at a birth. It is curious, and well related. The fymptoms, during the whole courfe of the pregnancy, have been accurately attended to, and the circumstances of the delivery are particularly noticed. The hiftory, however, is not the moft material part of this paper: the ingenious obfervations on the cafe, form a valuable addition, which, together with the parallel cafes adduced, greatly enriches the article. NATURAL HISTORY, BOTANY, &c. Obfervations tending to fhew that the Wolf, Jackall, and Dog, are all of the fame Species. By John Hunter, F. R. S. This paper contains accounts of experiments made in order to afcertain whether the offspring of a wolf and dog, and a jackall and dog, be capable of producing a progeny; this capacity being, in Mr. Hunter's opinion, a characteristic mark that the animals, in which it obtains, are of the fame fpecies. The first inftance which the author gives, is the offspring of a Pomeranian bitch and a he wolf; the fecond is that of a female jackall jackall and a spaniel. The first cafe feems doubtful; the wolf and bitch were the property of Mr. Brookes; but he could not be certain that no dog had commerce with the bitch. One of the female puppies of this litter had whelps only once, and these bred again frequently. The fecond cafe is taken from the authority of Captain Mears, who brought a female jackall from the Eaft Indies; on his arrival in England the jackall enticed the fpaniel into the boat, and the animal produced fix young, one female of which brought forth five. From thefe circumftances Mr. Hunter concludes, that the wolf, jackall, and dog, are of the fame fpecies; and his labours in the investigating and afcertaining the fact were recompenfed by prefenting him with the Copley medal. Obfervations on the Structure and Oeconomy of Whales. By the Same. No fubject in natural hiftory is fo little inveftigated as the ceconomy of aquatic animals. Their ftructure is eafily examined, because the parts of the dead animal can be brought under the eye of the naturalift and anatomift; but their œconomy can only be afcertained by a careful attention of living animals, -and the difficulty of obferving fuch as inhabit deep waters is a great obftacle to the enquiry. The animals which Mr. Hunter has defcribed in this paper are the Delphinus Phocana, or Porpoife, two Grampi, the Delphinus Delphis, or Bottle-nofe whale, the Balana roftrata of Fabricius, the Balana myfticeta, or whalebone whale, the Phyfeter macrocephalus, or fpermaceti whale, and the Monodon Monoceros, or narwhale. To follow the Author through the whole of these anatomical obfervations would, we fear, be tedious to our Readers. The defcriptions appear fometimes obfcure; and, though accompanied with plates, they are, nevertheless, difficult to comprehend. Moft of them, however, are fufficiently intelligible. In some inftances Mr. Hunter has, in our opinion, been too brief, and in others too minutely tedious. In defcribing the general ftructure of the heart, for example, he is quite filent as to the foramen ovale, which, moft probably, remains open, fo that the circulation may be carried on independent of the lungs and the breathing; on the contrary, he is prolix in defcribing the extreme ramifications of the arteries. His description of the whalebone forms a curious part of the paper; it is minute, and illuftrated with a neat, and, we believe, an accurate engraving. In a word, Mr. Hunter has, by this communication, greatly. elucidated an obfcure part of natural history, and given much information concerning an order of animals which few naturalifts, it should feem, have had opportunities of inveftigating. Botanical Botanical Defcription of the Benjamin Tree of Sumatra. By Jonas Dryander, M. A. &c. Botanists cannot render a more material fervice to the healing art, than in determining and defcribing the plants which afford valuable and efficacious medicines. All the writers on the materia medica have mistaken the tree whence the Benzoin is extracted; and, what is extraordinary, although the drug comes from the Eaft Indies, moft modern authors have thought it to be collected from a fpecies of laurel, a native of Virginia. LINNÉ first detected the error; but he fubftituted another in its place; the Terminalia Benzoin was miftaken, by that great man, for the Benjamin tree, probably through the fimilarity of its French name, Bienjoint, to the officinal, Benzoin. Mr. Dryander rectifies the mistake, and gives a description of the Benjamin tree, which is evidently a fpecies of the Linnean Styrax. Cloranthus, a new Genus of Plants, defcribed. By Olof Swartz, M.D. The plant here defcribed is a native of China. It has been long fince introduced into England, and cultivated in Kew garden. The defcription admits not of abridgment. [The PHILOSOPHICAL Papers in our next.] ART. IX. A Narrative of the official Conduct of Valentine Morris, Efq. late Captain-General, Governor in Chief, &c. &c. of the Island of St. Vincent's and its Dependencies. Written by himself. 8vo. 6s. Boards. Hooper, &c. 1787. ROM the time of its being ceded to Great Britain, in 1763, F till till 1776, St. Vincent had been an appendage to the Island of Grenada, and the Lieutenant-Governor was under the command of the Governor of Grenada. In 1772 Mr. Morris was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of St. Vincent. His conduc in the discharge of that office having been approved by his Majefty, the inland was made a feparate government, and Mr. Morris received a commiffion, dated March 11, 1776, appointing him Captain-General, Commander in Chief, &c. of the Iland of St. Vincent's and its dependencies. During the time of his being Lieutenant-Governor, he had frequently acquainted the Governor of Grenada, of the very defencelefs ftate of his ifland. There appears to have been a fhameful and dangerous deficiency of every article of ammunition; many batteries and forts were without guns; there were not fix gun-carriages in the island fufficient to bear the weight of a gun, much lefs to permit it to be fired; and all the powder and balls, if collected together, not fufficient for a fupply of two hours, in cafe of neceffity. The recruits that had from time to time been fent to the island were unarmed, fo that in pofts confifting of 20 or 30 men, only three firelocks were to be found fit for fervice; and the recruits were the refuse of the gaols and streets of London, most of them fuperannuated, or difabled from bearing arms, having been discharged from other regiments for fuch difabilities. The fortifications, and other buildings belonging to government, were almost in a state of ruin, and Mr. Morris had orders, from home, to put the island into a state of defence. The neceffary expences incurred in repairing the old and erecting new buildings have not yet been paid. Mr. Morris fent his bills to the treafury, and although they were allowed, yet they remain ftill unpaid; and he has been obliged to fell his eftates to fatisfy the demands of the creditors of government. Thefe facts depend not on Mr. Morris's bare affertions; they are confirmed by the original letters which paffed between him and the Secretaries of State and Lords of the Treafury; they evidently fhew the propriety of the Governor's conduct, and the ill treatment which he has received. There is no reading this narrative without indignation. It will make a prudent man extremely cautious how he accepts of employments, which may be fraught with fuch ruinous confequences to his own intereft. As a writer, Mr. Morris thus fpeaks of himself: I make no pretenfions to thofe brilliant talents and abilities which fometimes elevate their poffeffors to the highest pinnacles of political life; but I will justify the appointment of my Sovereign, by not only boldly afferting, but, I hope, clearly proving, that I was equal to the fervice in which he was gracioufly pleafed to employ me; and that my local knowledge of the feat of my duty, the refult of private circumftances, and an inquifitive mind, was known and verified. But although I freely acknowledge a fuperiority of talents in other men-in zealous fidelity, perfevering induftry, vigilant attention, anxious difintereftednefs, and, which is fo painful, but often-, times fo effential to the conduct of public affairs, fubmiffive patience, I will own no fuperior. I ferved my country with the most ardent zeal; and had I been in the leaft fupported, nay, had I not been. moft fhamefully neglected, I should have ferved it with the beft effects. Without any vanity which the candid interpreters of human actions would not approve, I am bold to declare, that had I watched my own interefts with a fhadow of the enthusiasm that I manifefted for those of my country, I fhould now have been elevated by profperity to the pride of defiance, inftead of being debafed by adverfity to the humility of juftification.' We are not to confider this work merely as the melancholy ftory of a fuffering individual; but as a collection of hiftorical materials, well worthy of the public attention: as a detail of the caufes,' fays our Author, which loft to my country a very valuable poffeffion;' but by which lofs, it feems, no particular perfon was fo great a fufferer, in any proportion, as the unfor tunate tunate Governor; whofe conduct appears to have merited a better fate, and a more worthy recompence. Amidst the many calamitous circumftances attending Mr. M.'s unfortunate government, thousands of our readers will, no doubt, join us in lamenting, with him, the alienation of his delightful and very valuable eftate of Piercefield, so often celebrated in our Review, and by every traveller of tafte who has taken Chepstow in his, tour. Hear how pathetically he deplores this part of his great loss. I must add another mortifying item to this painful catalogue, My valuable, beautiful, and well known eftate of Piercefield, in Monmouthshire, defcending to me from my father, the child of my fancy, and for many years the fubject of my creative attention, was alfo to be forced from me. This eftate, fituated in a county and neighbourhood, which the most diffident modefty will allow me to fay, I had, in my private capacity as a country gentleman, affiduously ferved, and confiderably benefited;-this place, where I had for many years lived in profperity, refpect, and credit, and where, after a right discharge of the duties of public life, I had fondly hoped to have paffed in tranquillity the years that might remain, and have breathed my laft;-this place was at length forced to fale for 26,100l. for which, at former periods, the different fums of 46,000l. 47,000l. 48,000l. and once of 52,000l. had been offered. An event which would have been effectually prevented, had I received only an inconfiderable part of what was then, and ftill is, due to me from government.' He concludes, with equal pathos, in the following very affecting terms: · My Sovereign and my country are welcome to the faithful fervices I have, in fulfilling the duties of my public ftation, performed; yet may the injuftice I have received, and the fatal confequences of it from the unfeeling, infenfible state of all political, public character, with the official formal delays arifing from temporary neceffities, end with me. I have known profperity, with the honours and comforts of it; I have fuffered adverfity, with its fad train of neglects and mortifications; I have, however, with becoming fortitude, learned the leffon of refignation, and fhall, while I live, endeavour to practife the duties of it. May furviving friendship fympathize in my misfortunes! May the truths I now publish refcue my character from undeferved obloquy! May my country refpect that conduct ever dictated by the most earnest wish to ferve it! And may my fufferings, and the cause of them, ferve as beacons to warn others from letting the warmth of their public zeal overheat their judgment, and make them infenfible to the cooler dictates of private prudence! May they thus efcape that fatal wreck, not barely of their fortunes, but also of their hope, health, character, and happiness, I have unhappily incurred. Felix quem faciunt aliena pericula cautum,' ART. |