1308.] 
effect of national music on the Swiss when 
engaged in foreign warfare, far from his 
native mountains; one air in particular, 
which, if he was employed in detence of 
his country, would no doubt excite hira to 
noble daring, has been known to. occa- 
sion an incurable longing for a return to 
his country; such a sympathy mught be 
directed to better and more patriotic 
purposes than that of hiring him to fight 
the battles of others. The effect of the 
bagpipes in rallying Frazer's regiment at 
Quebec, in the victory gained by Wolfe 
over the French, has been recorded in 
the history of that battle; and the in- 
spiring airs of the wounded piper, in the 
glorious victory of Vimiera, is a fact too 
recent to require repetition, : 
Pennant derives the Irish pipes from a 
period of very remote antiquity, and the 
observation, ofthat most indefatigable 
antiguary is confirmed by the early tes- 
timony of Anstides Quintilianus. The 
compass of the Highland bagpipes is con- 
fined to nine notes, while that of the 
Trish extends to more than two octaves. 
The modesty of our blind mechanic, as 
I have said before, has prevented him 
from enlarging on several points which» 
we shall here beg leave to notice, illus- 
trative of his ingenuity as an improver of 
this instrument. In this respect, indeed, 
he deserves the character of a discoyerer, 
as his addition to the Irish pipes will do 
away many of their imperfections, and he 
has had the great merit of adapting them 
with simplicity, for the management of 
the instrument is nearly as easy as for- 
merly. To the chanter he has added 
keys, by which some flats and sharps, 
not capable of being before expressed 
on the instrument, are now produced 
with ease. He has also added E in alt. 
being one note above the original com- 
pass of the instrument. Two additional 
notes are given by him to the organ-stop, 
and some of its notes are capable of being 
varied from naturals to sharps, according 
to the key on which the tune is played. 
_ The basses, or dronés, as they are com- 
monly called, formerly only in correct 
tune when playing on some particular 
eys, are now constructed so that their 
notes can be varied as the key vanes on 
which the tune is played. ; 
There is also another alteration worthy 
of notice; by the addition of two large 
keys, managed with the wrist, a part of 
the basses, or all of them, can be stop- 
ped and opened at pleasure. 
In short, this blind mechanic is as yet 
unequalled, for elegance of workmanship 
Montu1ix Mac., No. 178. 
The Art of discovering Ships at a great Distance. 
427. 
and perfection of scale, iu one of our fie 
yourite national instruments. From a 
rude block of ebouy, a fragment of an 
elephant’s tooth, and ‘a piece of silver, 
having first formed his lathe and bis tools, 
he shapes and bores the complicated 
tubes, graduates the ventages, adapts the 
keys, and forms an instrument of perfect 
external finish and beauty “that dis- 
courses most eloquent music,” capable 
of expressing the finest movements of 
melody, but by no means deficient in 
harmony; and all this by the exquisite 
sensibility of the touch, for he is stone~ 
blind, and quite incapable of distinguish= 
ing the black colour of ebony from the 
white of ivory. Under poverty, there- 
fore, and physical privation of the most 
overwhelming ‘kind, he has gradually 
brought his, mechanical powers to this 
pitch of comparative perfection |—What 
an incentiye to perseverance under diffix 
culties much less insuperable! © It is 
hoped that the readers of this article will 
be induced to inquire into the actual au- 
thenticity of the statement, and be led to 
encourage such extraurdinary application 
and ingenuity. : 
Belfast, October, 1808. M.M., » 
ee ee 
For the Monthly Magazine, 
On nauscopy, or the arr of discovering 
SHIPS at a great DISTANCE from LAND. 
iy groped is the art of discovering 
the approach of ships, or the 
neighbourhood of lands, at a considerabl 
distance. Ng 
This knowledge is not derived either 
from the undulation of waves}or from 
the subtilty of sight; but merely from 
observation of the horizon, which disco- 
vers signs indicating the proximity of 
large objects. On the approximation of 
a ship towards the land, or towards_an- 
other ship, there appears, im the atmo~ 
sphere, a meteor of a particular nature, 
which, with a little attention, is visible to 
any person. 
M. Bottineau, (a native of the Tsland 
of Bourbon,) laid this discovery before 
M. de Castries, in 1784. The minister 
sent him back to the Island to continue 
his observations there under the inspecs 
tion and superintendance of the goverte 
ment. 
M. Bottineau engaged, that not a sins 
gle ship should arrive at the Island with- 
out his having sent information of it 
several days before. ; 
An exact register of his communicae 
tions was kept iu_the secretary’s office. 
3I All 
