33* Animal Ele&ne'ily. 



more prodiiiSive than the northern, and why might not the 

 Cape be the centre of a trade which in future may become 

 very extenfive ? But without the afliftance of the camel it 

 could never be attempted. The prefent period is the more 

 favourable for putting this propofal in execution, as the Cape 

 is now in the poffeffion of Great Britain ; and even if it fliould 

 be given up at the next peace, the Britifh government would 

 by this fervice to the colony raife a monument worthy of 

 its dignity : the expence of tranfporting a few camels from 

 Mogador would be very trifling." — ^We agree in opinion with 

 Profeffbr Heeren, and think his propofal well worth atten- 

 tion. 



ANIMAL ELECTRICITY. 



Dr. Chladni, well known by his difcoveries in regard to 

 found, has lately announced the following observation on 

 animal eleftricity, which we here give in his own words: 



" It might be conjeftured, when eleftricity manifefts itfelf 

 in animals, that it would be equally difliifcd throughout the 

 whole body on account of the condu6ling power of the in- 

 terior parts ; vet we are taught by experience, that the oppo- 

 fite kinds of eleftricitv take place in the torpedo as well as 

 in cats, though in a Icfs degree ; and perhaps the cafe is the 

 fame in other animals. Some years ago I remarked that a 

 cat which had been rendered eleftric by ftroking with the 

 dry hand, efpecially when lying near the fire on dry days in 

 winter, exhibited oppofite kinds of eledricity ; and that the 

 principal feat of the one was in the head, and of the other 

 in the back, about two inches from the tail. This pheno- 

 menon appeared above all when the animal was upon a chair 

 fluffed with hair, and covered with a woollen cloth, by which 

 it was completely infulated. When the head, and in par- 

 ticular the tip of the nofe, or of one of the ears, was touched 

 by the finger, there appeared a fmall ele£tric fpark; the cafe 

 was the fame when the extremity of the ba-k was touched; 

 and in this manner fparks could be drawn alternately from, 

 the anterior and pofterior parts of the body in the fame man-. 



ner 



