1803. CommtmicatiG7t of the Baron Alinichaufenl 403 



the living dct'rs bach : * This, I flioultl confider as one of thofe 

 fingular kind of manifeftations, rcferved extlufively to myfclf ; 

 nor would I, by any means, inculcite a correfponding pradtice, 

 as a feahhle improvement in the art of railing fruit-trees. 



Even to myfelf, the extraordinary phxiiomena, witnefled, 

 have not always appeared uniform and confident, as may be 

 feen at large, in the book of my adventures. 



I woilld, by no means, propofe my experiences as a rule of 

 praAice, excepting in cafes, whetr not only the refults have^ to 

 fNvftlft proved always the fame upon repetition ; but wherey alfo, my 

 refults are fipportcd by the general analogy of the ufual courfe of na^ 

 iuye. 



Under thefe limitations, I (hill lay before you a {^v^ of my 

 experiments, which I conceive may conduce to utility in regard 

 to agricultural economics. Like other great inventors, I find 

 I am in conftant danger of being robbed of my due fame by 

 plagiaries; and it is probable, that in the courfe of correfpond- 

 ence, I may vindicate to myfelf, many experiments pretended 

 to have been made by various correfpondents of ycurs; but 

 which, in fadi, never were made, but by me the Baron Muii- 

 chaufen. 



I. Talicotiafi Experiment. 

 All your readers who have read Hudibras, mufl be acquaint- 

 ed with the experiment, upon which is founded the celebrity of 

 Talicotlus. 



'The learned TalicotiuSy fr^m 



The brawny part of porter'' s bum^ 



Cut fupplemental nofes^ which 



Lajhd the date of parent breach : 



But, when the date of k?iock was out^ 



Off drop' t the fupplemental fnout. 



That 



* Left fiich of our readers as may not have heard of Baron Mun- 

 chanfen, fliould be apt to conjeftnre that we have obtained a correfpond- 

 ent from the lunar regions, we think it proper to obferve, that abou^ 

 twelve or thirteen years ago, a book was publiHied under the title of 

 the Travels of Baron Munchaufen, evidently intended to ridicule thofe 

 ftories of wonder, which travellers in diitant and unknown countries, 

 often attempt to palm upon their readers ; the Baron's wonders arc fa 

 iuperlative in magnitude, as to make every thing clfe of the kind ap- 

 pear like pigmies. We apprehend the intention of our prefent corref- 

 pondent is of the fame nature, that is, to ridicnle wonders in farmino-, 

 and that abufe of analogical reafonLng, from wliich wonderful conclu* 

 fions are often fpecioufly inferred, or aflerted direclly as fa<S8, tiiongh 

 not warranted by the fair verification of acftual experiment. But th^ 

 i^aroii ftall be aliuwed to fpeak for himfelf. J{. 



