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THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



TEA. 



A concspoiK'.cnt of tlif Nl-.v York Transcript 

 dcprcc:itcs tin- excessive use of lea, as calculated 

 to prove greatly injurious to llic nervous system. 

 He states that fie is a dentist, and that in the course 

 of liis practice, he has invarialdy found that the tea- 

 drinkers have the weakest, niest irritable and sen- 

 sitive nerves. He says : 



In many cases, 1 liave been obliged to discon- 

 tinue my operations, owing to the extreme delicacy 

 and irritability of tlic nervous system. This led ine 

 to make some o.T;periments, the result of whicli I 

 now present to the public. 



I took a pound of _voung liyson tea, and after 

 steepmg it in soft water, boded it down to half a 

 pint ; this I iipplied to such nerves in the teeth as 

 r.equired to be destroyed, in order to prevent sensi- 

 bility in that part, and thus enable me to operate 

 on the tooth without pain to the i)aticnt. 



The experiment was completely succes3ful,prov- 

 ing clearly to my mind the poisonous qualities of 

 tea; as heretofore, many dentists have been in the 

 practice of using arsenic for the same purpose, 

 which determined me to try its effects on animal 

 life. 



I then procured a rabbit of about three months old, 

 and kept it without food a sutUcient length of time 

 to leave the stomach empty, then gave it ten drops 

 of the decoction, holding its bead in a position to 

 cause the fluid to enter The stomach. The animal 

 appeared to be somewhat e.\hdirated for the space 

 of three or fjur minutes, tlien laid down on its 

 side and began moaning as if in great distress, and 

 in aliout ten minutes from the time of my adminis- 

 tering the dose, its struggles ended in death, the 

 limbs being distorted and very stiff. 



I also tried the effects of this poison on a young 

 cat, of the same age, after makmg another decoc- 

 tion similar fb the first, but rather more powert^ul, 

 as I boiled it dnwn to a gill, which resulted in the 

 same way, but in a shorter time, as the anim?l 

 ceased to breatlie in less than three minutes, altho' 

 the dose was not as large as 1 gave the rabbit, being 

 but eight drops. 



The Wife of La I'ayette. 



Extract of a letter written by La Fayette, in the 

 year 1803, after the death of his wife, to M. Latour 

 IVIabeurg, translated from one of the last volumes 

 of the memoirs of La Fayette, lately published in 

 France. 



"During thirty-four years of a union in which 

 her tenderness, her goodness, her elevation, her 

 delicacy, the generosity of her soul, charmed, em- 

 bellished, did lienor to my life, I was so accustom- 

 ed to all that she was to me, that I did not distin- 

 guish her from my own existence. She was four- 

 teen years old, and I was sixteen when her heart 

 amalga.aated itself with all which could interest 

 me. I thought I loved her, that I could not do 

 without her, but it was only when I had lost her 

 that I was able to discover what remains to me, for 

 the close of a life which had been so diversified, 

 and for which nevertheless there remains no lon^^er 

 cither happines.5 or even content. Though she was 

 attached to me, I may say so, by the most passion- 

 ate sentiment, I never perceived in her the slight- 

 est shade of authoritativenessfr/'c.nVcnrfJof discon- 

 tent, never any thing wliich did not leave ine the 

 entire freedom in all my undertakings. And if I 

 go back to the days of our youtli, I find in her 

 traits of an une.\ampled delicacy and generosity. 

 You saw her, always associated, heart and soul, in 

 all my sentiments, my politic-il wishes, enjoying 

 every thing which might confer honor on ine, still 

 more as she would say, what made me to be v.holly 

 known, and more than all glorying in those occa- 

 sions when biie saw me sacrifice glory to a senti- 

 laent of goodness. Her aunt, Madame Tesse,said 

 to me yesterday, " I never could have imagined 

 that one could be such a fanatic for your opinions, 

 and yet so free from party spirit." Indeed her attach- 

 ment to our doctrines never for a moment abated 

 her indulgence, her compassion, her good will for 

 persons of another party. She never was soured 

 by the violent hatred of wliich I was the object: the 

 ill treatment and injurious conduct toward me, 

 were regarded by her as follies indifferent to her, 

 from the point from which she looked at them, and 

 where her good opinion chose to place me. 



Hers was a most entire devotion. I may say that 

 during thirty-four years, I never suffered for a mo- 

 ment the sliadow of a restraint, that all her habits 

 were, without affectation, subordinate to my con- 

 venience, that I had the satisfaction to see my most 

 sceptical friends as constantly received, as well be- 

 loved, as much esteemed, anil their virtues as com- 

 pletely acknowledged, as if there had been no dif- 

 ference of religious opinion, that she never express- 

 ed any otlier sentiment than that of hope, that in 



continuing to reflect, with the uprightness of heart 

 which she knew belonged to me, I should finally 

 be convinced. It was with this feeling she left me 

 her last regards, begging me to read for the love of 

 her, some books, which I shall certainly examine 

 again with new interest, and calling lier religion, to 

 make me love it better, pertc'ct freedom. Slie often 

 expressed to me the thouglit tliat she should go to 

 Heaven, and dare I add that this idea was not suffi- 

 cient to reconcile her to quitting me. She often said 

 to me, life is short, full of trouble, ma}' we meet 

 again in God. iMay wq pass eternity together. She 

 wished me, she wished us all the peace of the Lord. 

 Sometimes she was heard praying in her bed. One 

 of her last nights tliere was sometliing celestial in 

 the manner in which she recited twice in succes- 

 sion with a firm voice, a passage of scripture ap- 

 plicable to her situation, the same passage which 

 she recited to her daughter on perceiving the spires 

 of Olmut!!. Shall I speak to you of tlie pleasure, 

 ever renewed, which an entire confidence in her 

 gave me, which was never exacted, which was re- 

 ceived at the end of three months as at the first 

 dav, which v.as justified by a discretion proof a- 

 gamst all things, by an admirable understanding 

 of all my feelings, my wants, and the wishes of 

 my heart. All this was mingled with a sentiment so 

 tender, and opinion so exalti-d, a worsliip, if I dar- 

 ed so speak, so sweet and flattering, more especial- 

 ly gratifying, as coming from tlie most perfectly 

 natural and sincere person who ever lived." 



Dr. Franklin's Moral Code. 



The following list of moral virtues was drawn 

 up by Dr. Franklin, for the regulation of bis life : 



Temperance. Eat not to fulness; drink not to 

 elevation. 



Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others 

 or yourself; avoid trifling conversation. 



Order. Let all your things have their places ; 

 let each part of your business have its time. 



Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought ; 

 perform without fail what you resolve. 



Frvgalitij. Make no expense, but to do good to 

 others or yourself; that is, waste nothing. 



Inilustrij. Lose no ti-me ; be always employed in 

 something useful ; cut off all unnecessary actions. 



Sinceriti/. Use no hurtful deceit; think inno- 

 cently and justly ; and if you speak, speak accord- 

 ingly. 



Jtislice. Wrong none by doing injuries, oromit- 

 ting the benefits that arc your duty. 



Moderation. Avoid extremes ; forbear resenting 

 injuries. 



Cleanliness. Suffer no uncleanliness in body, 

 clothes, or habitation. 



Traiiquilliti/. Be not disturbed about trifles, or 

 at accidents common or unavoidal^le. 



Humility. Imitate Jesus Christ. 



Bitnminous Wood. 



Wc perceive bv a communication in a recent 

 number of Sllliman's Journal, that a large depos- 

 ite of bituminous wood has been discovered at T'ort 

 Hudson, on the Mississippi river. The village is 

 situated on a bluff sixty or seventy feet high. Tills 

 bluft" reposes, as the whole country does, on a thick 

 bed of blue aluminous clay, which forms the bed 

 of most of our water courses, and wears very grad- 

 ually by the action of the water. The upper sur- 

 face of the clay at that place is considerably below 

 the high water mark. 



"The bluff has been long falling in from being 

 undermined by springs, which run out above the 

 blue clay, and by the action of tlie current of the 

 Mississippi; but the blue clay does not wear away 

 near so fast, and f'or this reason it extends some 

 distance beyond the base of the bluff. It seems 

 th.at upon this shelf tlie Mississippi has made a 

 considerable deposite, of the common kind, con- 

 taining a great many fragments, and sometimes en- 

 tire logs ; after this deposite took place a consid- 

 erable mass of e.arth must have fallen, covering the 

 tbrmer one. The remarkably low water, together 

 with the removal of the superincumbent earth 

 form a neiv landing. 



The smaller logs are often entirely bltuminated 

 and changed into a glossy black coal, in which no 

 trace of fibre can be perceived, still the formation 

 must be vi'ry recent, for in the most psrfectly bitu- 

 minized pieces there are frequent marks of the axe, 

 looking as though it were done but yesterday. The 

 limbs are very much flattened, but olhenvise tlieir 

 external appearance is the same as usual in the spe- 

 cies, which can easily be determined, being oak, 

 walnut, hickory, &c. The larger logs and fragments 

 have undergone the transformation m various de- 

 grees, some being of a soft and spongy texture. 

 Many are in a state of perfect coal at one end, or 

 one side, and have undergone no change except 

 softening at the otlier." 



Statistics of London. 



In the reign of Henry II, London contained 40,- 

 000 inhabitants; in that of William III, the num- 

 ber was 671,000 ; Georce ill, 676,000 ; ditto, 1801, 

 1,007,000; ditto, 1811, T,304, 000 ; George IV, 1691, 

 1,.574,000; WllHam IV, 1831, 1,860,000. Of this 

 population there were v.'ithin the bills of mort'lity, 

 in 1821, 660,578 men, and 768,007 women, being 

 o8 women to 33 men. Of this number, according 

 to the census, 88,851 families were agriculturists, 

 190,'-!02 mechanics, and 116,834 of other profes- 

 sions. Allowing four persons to each family, there 

 were 80O,(;00 persons of the industrious class, and 

 464,000 without any particular useful profession. 

 In 1836, amonn-st this great population tliere were 

 60 bankers, 1,680 atock brokers, 300 physicians, 

 580 chemists, 1,180 surgeons, 131 notaries, 1,150 

 lawvers, 1,560 merchants, 3,480 commercial agents, 

 2,100 bakers, 1,800 butchers, 200 brewers, 4,300 

 public house keepers, 3,000 tailors, 2,800 shoemak- 

 ers, 3<J0 hatters, 200 curriers, 520 architects, build- 

 ers, &c. But the number of persons attached to 

 each of these professions is about ten times that of 

 the masters- There are )6,.502 shoemakers, with- 

 out including the apprentices; 14,552 tailors, 1!',- 

 625 carpenters and joiners; in all, 450 sorts of bu- 

 siness. In 1836, there were 207 hotels, 447 tav- 

 erns, 557 coffee houses, 507 public houses and beer 

 shops, 8,650 gin places, and 16,833 various shops. 

 From 1744 to 1800, during the period of 56 years, 

 the deaths in Loudon exceeded the riumber of births 

 by 267,000, being on an average annually a loss of 

 4,800 persons ; whilst from 1801 to 1830, during a 

 space of 30 years, the births exceeded the deaths 

 by 102,975, or, oii an average, 3,600 per annum. 



The Lady of the first Governor of Vcrjnont — .'hi 

 authentic anecdote. — Thomas Chittenden, the first 

 Governor of Vermont, who was a pla:n farmer, a- 

 like remarkable for strong nallve powers of mind, 

 and the republican simplicity with which he con- 

 ducted every thing in his public duties, and in his 

 domestic establishment, was once visited by a party 

 of travelling fashionables from one of our cities. 

 Wlicn the hour of dinner arrived, Mrs. Chittenden, 

 to the astonishment of her lady guests, went out 

 and blew a tin horn for the workmen, who soon ar- 

 rived, when to the still gre;i;..'V surprise, and even 

 horror of these fair cits, the whole company, gov- 

 ernor, his lady, guests, worl-imen and all, were in- 

 vited to sit down to the substantial meal which had 

 been jirovided for the occasion. After the dinner 

 was over and the ladies wi-re left by themselves, 

 one of the guests thought she would gently take 

 Mrs. Chittenden to task for this monstrous viola- 

 tion of the rules of city gentility, to which she had 

 been, as she thought, so uncourteously made a Vic- 

 tim. 



"You do not generally sit down to the same table 

 with your workmen I suppose, Mrs. Chittenden.'" 

 she commenced. 



"Wh}'," replied the governor's ludy whose quick 

 wit instantly appreciated the drift of the other, 

 "why I am almost ashamed to say, we generally 

 have, but I intend soon to amend in this particu- 

 lar. I was telling the governor this morning, that 

 it was an absolute shame that the Avorkmen, who 

 did all the hard labor,should fare no better than we, 

 who sit so much of the time in the house, earning 

 little or nothing, and I am delermiEed, hereafter, 

 to set two tables — the first and best for tlie work- 

 men, and the last and poorest for the governor and 

 myself." — Green Mountain Emjtorimn. 



Quarries nuder the City of Paris. 



Tlie ascertained extent of the quarries under the 

 surface of Paris, is 674,800 metres, or about two 

 hundrea acres, viz; under the public roads or streets 

 1&2,850, and under the other parts of the city 401^- 

 950; but it is probabli,' they extend to a much 

 greater superficies. Judging by variations esT the 

 surface, by the fissures which have taken place, 

 and by those which are still occasionally occurring, 

 it mav be presumed that these excavations occupy 

 about one-sixth of the sub-surface of the capital. 

 The galleries which have been traced under the 

 public ways are in length upwards of twenty-five 

 thousand metres ; but this is small in proportion to 

 the length of those which are under otlier parts of 

 the surface. The quarters under which the princi- 

 pal portion of these quarries lie, are the Faubourgs 

 St. Marcel, St. Jacques, St. Germain, and Chail- 

 lot. 



The quantity of stone which has been t'urnished 

 by those quarries for building may be estimated at 

 11,000,000 cubic metres; one-fifth of which has 

 probably been cut into rectangular piecs, and the 

 rest used as rough stones. All these collected into 

 one mass would form a cube of upwards of 220 

 t metres siptare on each face, and of more than three 



