1811.] 
difficulty, succeeded, in gaining a com. 
munication with the Ras Willed Selasse, 
the viceroy of Tigré. He concerted mea- 
sures with the Ras to meet his people at 
Massowah, where-he arrived in February, 
and found the chieftain Debile, and 
Pearce, an Englishman, who had been 
‘left in Abyssinia with a view of acquiring 
the native languages. Mr. Salt soon 
‘after set out for Antalow, where he ar- 
rived after a month’s journey ; the chief 
‘difficulty attending which was, the con- 
veyance of two curricle guns through so 
mountainous a country. At Antalow, 
Mr. Salt found the Ras, with whom he 
continued till May, when, having suc- 
ceeded in the principal objects of his 
mission, he returned to the sea-coast, 
visiting Axum in his way, and reached 
Mocha in the early part of June. 
FRANCE. 
The following decree, levelled at the 
principal articles of colonial produce, and 
dated Palace of the Thuilleries, March 25, 
1811, has been issued by Bonaparte :-— 
Upon the report of the commission ap- 
pointed to examine the means proper to 
naturalize on the continent of our 
empire sugar, indigo, cotton, and 
divers other productions of the two In- 
dies. Upon the presentation made to us 
of a considerable quantity of beet root 
sugar refined, crystallized, and possessing 
all the qualities and properties of cane 
sugar. Upon the presentation also made 
to us at the Council of Commerce, of a 
great quantity of indigo extracted from 
woad, which our southern departments 
produce in abundance, and which indigo 
possesses all the properties of the indigo of 
the twoIndies, Having reason to expect 
that, by means of these two important dis- 
coveries, our empire will shortly be relieved 
from a drain of one hundred millions, 
hitherto necessary for supplying the con- 
sumption of sugar and indigo ; we have 
decreed and decree as follows: 1. Plan- 
tations of beet root proper for the fabri- 
cation of sugar shall be formed in our 
empire to the extent of 32,000 hectares, 
2. Our minister of the interior shall dis. 
tribute the 32,000 hectares among the 
départments of our empire, taking into 
consideration those departments where 
the culture of tobaccomay be established, 
and those which, from the nature of the 
soil, may be more favourable to the cul- 
ture of the beet root. 38. Oar prefects 
shall take measures that the number of 
hectares allotted to their respective de- 
partments, sball be in full cultivation 
this year, or next at the latest. 4. A 
egrtain number of hectares shall be laid 
Literary and Philosophical Intelligence. 
401 
out in our empire, in plantations of woad 
proper for the fabrication of indigo, and 
in proportion to the quantity necessary 
for our manufactures. 5. Our minister 
of the interior shall distribute the above 
number among the departments of the 
empire, taking into particular consider- 
ation the departments beyond the Alps, 
and those of the south, where this branch 
of cultivation formerly made great pro- 
gress. 6. Our prefects shall take mea- 
sures that the quantity of lrectares allotted 
to their departments shal] be in full cul- 
tivation next year at tie latest. 7. The 
cominission shall, before the 4th of May, 
fix upon the places most convenient for 
the establishment of six experimental 
schools for giving instruction in the ma. 
nufacture of beet-root sugar, conforms: 
ably to the process of the chemists, 8. 
The commission shall also by the same 
period fix upon the piaces most conves~ 
nient for the establishment of four ex 
perimental sclwools for giving instruction. 
as to the extraction of indigo from woad, 
according to the processes approved by ~ 
the cominittee. 9. Our minister of the 
interior shall make known to the pres 
fects in what places these schools shalt 
be formed, and to which the pupils des- 
tined for this manufacture should be sent, 
The proprietors and farmers who may 
wish to attend the course of lectures ia 
the experimental schools shall be ad= 
mitted. 10. Messrs. Barruel and Isq 
nard, who have brought to perfection the 
processes for extracting sugar from beet. 
root, shall be especially charged with 
the direction of two of the six ‘experi 
mental schools. 11. Our minister of 
the interior shall, in consequence, direct 
the sum necessary for the formation of 
the said establishments to be paid to 
them; which sum shall be charged upon - 
the fund of one millien, placed in the 
budget of the year 1814, at the disposal 
of the said minister for the encourage. 
ment of the manulacture of beet-root su- 
gar, and woad indigo. 12. From the tst of 
January, 1813, and upon ihe report to 
be made by our minister of the interior, 
the sugar and indigo of the two Indies, 
shali be prohibited, and be considered 
a merchandize of English manufacture, 
or proceeding from English commerce, 
The following simple method has been’ 
discovered for detecting the falsification 
of Spanish wines, whicl? is said to ex~ 
tend to the greater part of those con- 
sumed at Paris. Take a vial containing 
four or five spoonfuls, fill it with the 
wine to be examined, then, stopping the 
mouth of the vial by placing the thumb 
a 
