31 S 0/i> Vegetation. 



of the Carolina were accustomed to jump overboa:'(J',' t 

 merely state this fact, to distinguish a casual from an un- 

 avoidable case, and to show that all dangers are not dcath^ 

 no more than it should he conceived necessary that travel-i 

 lers should be always killed in the Sierra Movena, or in 

 Cumberland Mountain in America, because such accidents 

 Bave been frequent antecedent to the period when civiliza- 

 tion conquered the wilderness. 



Not being acquainted whh the natural history of fishes, 

 I can only merely state another f.ict concerning sharks. 

 In the harbour of Charleston, in South Carolina, I was 

 astonished to see a boy fall from a ship's bowsprit into the 

 ■water, without injury, where two or three sharks were play- 

 ing about the ship a few minutes before; but I was still 

 more so, at seeing two sharks playing about in the surf 

 where a-parcel of children were bathing in- shallow water, 

 ■who seemed to be noways concerned for their safety. On 

 expressing my anxietv, and warning the children of their, 

 apparent danger, some of the inhabitants who stood on the 

 beach laughed, and assured me that those two sharks were' 

 old playmates of the children, who were well acquainted 

 ■with them : for that they had long frequented the place, 

 and were not of a ravenous species ; and that if one of the 

 dangerous kind came in the way I should soon see the chil- 

 dren scamper, as they were perfectly acquainted with the 

 (fifFerence between the two.- If you deem these facts worth, 

 public notice, you are at liberty to publish them, on the' 

 authority of. Sir, your humble servant, 



BeccHiber 3, 1803. 'VVlLLIAM TaTHAM, 



LIX. On Veaetation ; extracted froiji C. Hassenfeatz'sj 

 Faper on iliat Subject. By G. J. Wright, E^q. 



SIR, To Mr. Tilloch, 



JL HE fragment T enclose for your insertion is extracte<f 

 from a memoir of Cit. Hassenfratz on vegetation *, a paper 

 of some import, and frequently quoted by philosophical 

 men, though not, that I have been able to find, inserted \i\ 

 aay English publication. Imagining the subject of cxper'i-' 

 ment of so respectable a philosopher would not be regarded 

 as' superfluous by your readers, I have in mv leisure hours 

 (^md. owing to the want of original matter, through the te-^ 



■ • '* AmrakidcCbbmc, tome xiii. and xiv- 



diousncci 



