646 
Thus we ‘have seen, on the:road from 
Patito. to» Puerto-Cabello, |'all ) these 
trees full of incisions, ‘made by ithe 
travellers, who seek them with anxiety. 
It: would be sufficient, it appears! to! us, 
that.this milk could be: used as:an ali- 
ment, to value it, and) invite ‘to the 
cultivation of the trees which furnish 
it; but Nature -has' been pleased: to 
make it still more precious and useful : 
for;:besides containing so nutricious ‘a 
constituent. a8 -fibrin, it also contains, 
insabundance, an exquisite kind of wax, 
which maybe extracted with great fa- 
cility..This vegetable milk possesses 
all the physical properties ‘of the milk 
of animals; only it-is a little thicker ; 
and it: mixes: easily with water. 
On the, Mines of Mexico. Communi- 
cated. to the Idinburgh. Philosophical 
Journal,.by ,a..Gentleman. intimately 
_ connected with Mexico. 
ov. Al BEGINNING, im the: application of 
English machinery, im Spanish » Ame- 
rica, «was | made: several. years ago, 
steam-engines having been ‘sent out to 
the «mines of Potosi -and Peru, and 
found to answer extremely well, until 
their operation was: suspended by the 
political disorders. of the country. At 
nt. there are, in London, no less 
than three associations formed, “‘ for 
aiding in working the mines of Mexico.” 
One of these originated in a proposal 
of Don Lucas. Alaman, a well-known 
public character in Mexico ; who having, 
when in Europe, resided chiefly at Pa- 
ris; .was'desirous that the first proposal 
for a mining company should be issued 
in the. French capital, But our south- 
ern; neighbours, whatever may be their 
prowess in, the field, or their fame in 
theory, discover very little enterprize 
inmercantile speculation... The attempt 
having failed at Paris, was renewed, 
under better-auspices, in London, and a 
capital of £240,000 was speedily sub- 
scribed, the company taking the name 
of “ The United’ Mexican Association.” 
. Posterior in point of time, but nearly 
equal.in, amount of capital, is the Com- 
pany called Real del Monte, from the 
district containing their mines, which is 
situated about sixty miles north of the 
city, of Mexico... This Company:is com. 
posed; chiéfly;.of proprietors of: Englisly 
mines, and is less open to the: publiciat 
large, than the third-and greatest of the 
three;ithe-Anglo-Mexican, whose. capi- 
taluiso@ million «sterling...» Most»of) the 
mineé, taken: up,by this:Company*4regin 
Guanaxuato, a district of great metallic 
Extracts from:Philosophical and Scientific Journals. 
wealth, "but! of 'which® the“ nafiie. Wad 
hardly: known in Europe; ‘until the ape 
pearance, fourteen. yearsago, Of Him’ 
boldt’s -well “known work?® ‘Coiitfacts! 
of partnership, in ‘several ‘of ‘the nifines’ 
in that district, were ‘made! in 'Mexieds 
by individuals, and ‘transferred ‘ih’ bon* 
don to 'this Association! The ‘humber 
of mines, great and ‘small, is' computed 
at no less than’3,000)0"9"02 10 Is92 989 
Mexico, different’ from thé ! uncilté 
vated provinces ‘of! the’ United! ‘Statés? 
being ‘in general ‘bare°of timiber} how} it’ 
may be ‘asked, can isteata “bé ‘called “in 
to aid the labours? of the miner? * Ty 
the geological structtre of the ‘mining 
districts suchas to “afford a hope of 
finding peat, ‘coal, ‘or‘any mineral com’ 
bustible 2) Failing these; is' the climate 
such as to favour the’ growth of parti- 
cular kinds of wood, which, when cul 
tivated with an almost unlimited’ com: 
mand of territorial surface, might sup- 
ply the requisite fuel’? On these points’ 
information is, we understand, ‘at pré- 
sent, very anxiously expected. - sia 
Extracts from a Memoir? concerning’ 
the Chinese. By Joun FRANCI8 DAVIS, 
Esq., F.r.s., M.R.a.s. [Transactions of 
the Royal Asiatic Sotiety: Vol. I- 
Part. I.] ee 
Tue only ‘direct and positive testi- 
mony that we seem to’ possess, out of 
China, relating to the first’ origin of the 
Chinese nation, exists in ‘the Institutes 
of Menu: and T cannot help thinking 
that the observations. of Sir W. Jones 
on the passage in question are deserv’ 
ing of great attention. It is there writ- 
ten, that “ many families of the. mili- 
tary class, having’ gradually’ abandoned 
the ordinances of the Veda, and the 
company of Brahmens, lived in a staté 
of degradation, as the Chinas and some 
other nations.’ Thegreat antiquity of 
the laws of Menu. isin favour -of:.the 
authenticity of the above: testimony 
for at theperiodat which Sir: WJ ones 
supposes them to have :beenowritten; 
(above one thousand:years BiC.); there 
can be no doubt ‘whatever. but ithe 
Chinese nation was yet in. its<infaneys 
and that it could lay no:claim'to the 
character of an extensive, united, and’ 
powerful empire,. until) many centuries 
after that date: as I shallsattempt ito 
shew, — I content-myself with noticing 
in.this,place the. statement, of-one sof 
their, own. histories,* \that, twelveshun~ 
if 
“* Sce Morrison’s' Chinese-Chronology'? 
p. 52. 
