1827.] 



Domestic find Foreign. 



415 



"over filtering's Straps, in which several 

 islands are situated, and through which 

 there is an easy passage from the north- 

 east of Asia, to the north-west of Ame- 

 rica." 



On the Ouse, or Grand River, there 

 are about 2,000 Indians stationary. To 

 the Mohawks, in the year 1784, a grant of 

 their own land was made them, six miles 

 on each side the river from its source. 

 This has since been curtailed. When the 

 subject was discussed in council, one of 

 the chiefs said " perhaps they wish that 

 we should all die we now live like frogs, 

 along the banks of the river, and it may 

 be they wish to take all the land ; then we 

 shall be driven to jump in and perish." 

 Along this river there are it seems still 

 settlements to the extent of thirty or 

 forty miles the Mohawks and Oneidas 

 are Christians; the Cayugas, Onondagas, 

 Senecas, and Delawares,are still heathens. 

 Among these, Mr. West thinks, much may 

 be done missionaries are wanted the 

 field is extensive, and, according to him, 

 the remaining four of the six nations are 

 all ripe and only waiting for the sickle. 



Popular Lectures, by W. Lempriere, 

 M.D.; 18*27. These lectures were deli- 

 vered by Dr. Lempriere the very intelli- 

 gent author of a Tour in Morocco, many 

 years ago as a member of the Isle of 

 Wight Philosophical Society, instituted 

 originally by some gentlemen of Newport, 

 for the purpose of illustrating the natural 

 history of the island. Specimens were 

 collected, and a museum establisheda 

 president was appointed, assisted by two 

 vice-presidents, treasurer, secretary, and 

 curators the full paraphernalia of mo- 

 dern institutions. Success expanded their 

 views; and they no longer confine their 

 researches to local investigations only, or 

 simply to natural history, but throw the 

 door open to every branch of science with- 

 in the compass of their members, or upon 

 which lecturers can be found, able and wil- 

 ling to assist with their knowledge and 

 talents. 



Though surely very superfluously, 

 Dr. Lempriere has thought it worth while 

 to defend these institutions, which are 

 now extending through the country 



With respect to their utility (says he) we may 

 be permitted to remark, that as it has been deemed 

 of importance to bestow the light of science on the 

 labouring classes [the reader will observe the tone 

 and the sentiments they imply] it surely is still 

 more essential that the middling ranks, upon whom 

 the welfare of society so mainly depends, should 

 also partake of its beneficent influence; and we 

 are not aware of any pursuit more calculated to 

 enlarge their minds, and to lay the foundation for 

 useful knowledge, than the contemplation of that 

 subject which the societies above alluded to have 

 principally in view namely, the works of the 

 creation, the laws by which they are regulated, 



and the practical applications of which they are 

 susceptible'. 



The volume consists of six lectures ; the 

 first on the study of natural history and 

 the sciences glancing as it goes at the 

 universe of knowledge and is neither 

 better nor worse than scores of similar 

 surveys of no manner of use but to teach 

 people to prate of what they do not them- 

 selves reflect upon, and therefore can know 

 nothing; the second on vegetable phy- 

 siology, detailing the several parts of the 

 plant, and tracing the process of germi- 

 nation and reproduction the writer not 

 pretending to discoveries, but certainly 

 exhibiting clearly and precisely the aims 

 and actual state of the science;' the third, 

 on zoology, of the same character with 

 the vegetable physiology, to which is ap- 

 pended Cuvier's and BlumenbactTs im- 

 provements, or at least modifications of 

 Linnseus's arrangement ; the fourth and 

 fifth, on animal and vegetable poisons, 

 which are by far the most attractive parts 

 of the volume not offering still any kind 

 of novelty, but embracing a view of the 

 several classes of poisons, sufficiently full 

 for all popular purposes pointing out the 

 modes of operation, and detailing the usual 

 remedies with some horrible and appal- 

 ling descriptions of hydrophobia. We knew 

 not where to refer to any more complete 

 account of poisons. The last lecture is 

 on the human faculties, mental and cor- 

 poreal, which is of somewhat even a more 

 common-place character than the rest of 

 the volume. 



The whole however presents a very 

 agreeable and readable book. The sub- 

 jects neither encumbered with techni- 

 calities, nor obscured by subtleties, are 

 thus made intelligible with the slightest 

 effort of attention to any lady or gentle- 

 man, not only of the Isle of Wight, before 

 many of whom they were preached we 

 were going to say and for the refreshing' 

 of whose memories they were especially 

 printed but of England and Ireland to 

 boot. It is but fair to furnish a specimen 

 of the singlarly equable and transparent 

 style of statement. The following ac- 

 count of the objects of botany is worth the 

 attention of the ladies who nonsensically 

 babble about botany, and mean nothing 

 in the world but an artificial mode of dis- 

 tinguishing one flower from another : 



Botany, in the common acceptation of the term* 

 has been confined to a classification and arrange- 

 ments of vegetable productions from some distin- 

 guishing feature in their external formation ; and, 

 which, according to the system of Linnaeus, has 

 been derived principally, though not altogether, 

 from the flower; the analysis of which, with the 

 stem and leaf, determines the class, order, genus, 

 species and varie'ty, to which the plant belongs. 

 And as each plant, more or less, comes under ono 

 head or the uther, such an arrangement is easily 



