596 
_|) FOREIGN. "~~ 
40) epggNORTH AMERICANS 9 soi 
The method taken, by the. North Ameri. 
cang-to, preserye theinlog-built, houses from 
danap is;as,,simple, as, itis, infallible: they 
cover; the.foundations, (in-low.and swampy 
soils).with sheet lead, to the height of one 
or, two feet above the ground, and they 
them build above this, which should cover 
all.the thickness of the wall. By this 
method no moisture can possibly penetrate 
above, the lead, and the foundations of the 
houses only are exposed to humidity. 
Conflagration.—At the scattered and 
thinly inhabited, forest-town of Miramichi, 
in, New, Brunswick, North America, the 
woods have: taken. fire from some (it is 
hoped),aecidental. cause. Those occupied 
in felling timber, within their precincts, haye 
been consumed; the flames have seized 
their dwellings, and eyen the ships in the 
harbour,., which have, been burnt. to the 
water’s-edge;, the fury of the flames has 
been‘such, that half naked sufferers, both 
on-land ‘and water, have with difficulty es- 
caped—only, to witness and recount the 
scenes, of misery, and. devastation, with 
which an. almost unknown extent of coun- 
try is,enveloped. 
' A Steam Boat of Sheet Iron, intended 
for a passage-boat from Columbia, on the 
Susquehanna, to..Northumberland, is-con- 
structing at New York. . The boat has 
sixty feet keel, nine feet beam, and is three 
feet high... She is, composed. entirely of 
;sheet,,jron, riveted with iron, and her 
ribs,are, strips of sheet iron, which, by 
thei peculiar form, are said to possess thrice 
the strength of, the same weight of iron in 
the square or flat form. The whole.weight 
of-iron in the boat, with the wood-work, 
decks, cabin, and steam-engine, will be but 
fiye,ton.|,\ The whole cost of the boat and 
steam-engine will, be three thousand dol- 
lars. 
——— 
SOUTH AMERICA. 
' Except during the season of Lent, searce- 
‘ly an evening passes in South American 
cities without some social tertulia or dance, 
where a stranger is welcomed with marked 
hospitality and attention. It is usual for 
the lady of the house to present him with 
a flower when he enters—a favour which 
is much enhanced by the grace with which 
‘jtis bestowed; but at these tertulias there 
is noJavish expense as in England. It is 
seldom that any thing beyond cold spring 
‘water ‘and sugar are produced. But, in 
Rar alnoet 2 custom of Javish expenditure 
‘has almost altogether put an end to social 
intércourse. ; 
“The ‘saya’ and manto are the principal 
* peculiarities’ of ‘the’ female dress in Lima. 
‘he latter is made of black silk ; and being 
Attached to the Waist, is brought over'the 
-pea®, afd held by the hand ‘in front, so as 
: 40 suffer one: éye only, exeept on “special 
Sipplementary Varieties. 
occasions, to be visible. The formter is'a 
_sort ‘of outer garment)" madectof a-Athick 
elastic stuff, and fitted sorélose tonthe per- . 
son, as to. exhibit hesshapeincmenndr 
which would be ‘considered! mdehedte; elses 
where; a certain degreesof waddings veri 
ig used to “heighten the effect; aind show off 
the beautifully slender waist! tormord ad- 
vantage. it off of absaband yd, moo 
The Republic of! Celumbia comprizes 
New’ Grenada, ‘consisting? ofsithesgovérn- 
ments’ of the! ‘Cordilleras,° from! Guayaquil 
to Manilla; Casanare, and San Juanydehes 
Llanos ; and Caraceas; ja" seen ear 
taining Cumana, !Barcelona, ' Cataccas, Va- 
rinas: and Guyanial),! 2s bas. enon 
The inhabit&nts' of! the\Andes:may;con 
the same day; pass’ froma héativiolent ds 
that of «the ‘burning elimdte (of). Central 
Africa, to the extreme! icold ofthe >frezén. 
regions of Lapland; and “yeti rum no: Tisk, 
because the change is gradual. This ‘Re- 
public is supposed; by Barow deELambeldt, 
to contain 29,952" square! leagues Itchas 
two archbishoprics, ‘7. :es.of /Caraceas and 
Santa Fé.” Theirsuffragansare—Popayan, 
Carthagena, Santa Martha; Merida) Guiana, 
Antioguia, ‘Quito, Cuenca;|. Mayas‘! and 
Panama. é rita! 
» The river De la Plata'is flooded periodi- 
cally, and, like the Nile, inundates: and 
fertilizes the adjacent country; when the 
Indians, leaving their country, and betak- 
ing them to their canoes, float: hitherand 
thither till the waters retire.’ In) April 
1793, a violent wind up-heaved’ this: im- 
mense mass. of water to a distance of/10 
leagues, immersing the whole country, 
while the bed of the river was dried up in 
such a manner, that it might be, walked 
upon dry-shed. Foundered and sunken 
vessels again saw the light, and among 
others, thus brought to day, was) an! Eng- 
lish vessel, which had been lost: m!I762. 
Many people descended into ‘this bed, 
visited and despoiled the vessels)thus' laid 
dry, and returned with their pockets «filled 
with money and. precious: articles; which, 
more than 30 years, had beens yo! } S05 
«* In the deep bosom of the o¢ean. buried?) » 
This phenomenon lasted three days;"when 
the wind abated, and ‘the waters rdlled 
back into their natural channeh"ieud oc? 
nigh 2 Oteesgidaiow oildug jo 
' ) eUFRANOES D9GKTOMR Od} 
Slave-Trade—On a “inoderatevealtula- 
tion, the number of vessels ‘of Nantes alone 
engaged in the slave-trade\‘is*noWdss than 
eighty; and the ‘ship‘ownets inepease! the 
number of their accomplices) ‘by:makimy the 
ship-builders and the: workmen themselves 
—the carpenter, the 'sailemakery the arépe- 
maker, the smith-owners of ‘siia}lshares 
in the illegal andinfimous wdventaré. 1An 
eye-witness of the highest exeditgiwvh@has 
just visited Natites;"ieports, from his own 
observationy/no Jes even slave ves- 
sels in readiness oxprepatation \ anf btates, 
as a fact’ beyond question] that. ifeeenohad 
sailed 
ASB 
