NEW ENOT.AND FARMER. 



99 



From the tJampshire Gazelle, 



AGRICULTURE OF MEXICO. 

 The iigricultiirisls of Mexico nre lnili;in«, 

 finir!ii-e--consi(ler;ilily behind lhosi> of K.nrope 

 and the United Stiiles. The soil and clim:Ur 

 are so fine thut but little labor is necessary, nnd 

 not niiiih use is made of manure, which remains 

 in the outskirts of the cities unemployed. Irri- 

 gation, or watering lands, has been used from 

 the earliest period. The plough is very simple, 

 and is drawn hy oxen fa-tened to it by tlie horns. 

 The Indians use the triangular spade with great 1 

 deKteritv. They raise very fine wheal, which] 

 is trodden out by mnles. Barley is given to | 

 horses in a green stale, but is not in much re- 

 quest. Indian corn forms the supply of bread 

 for the great mass of the people, it is fiist I 

 soaked in water, and then ground by hand into 

 paste between two stones, and baked on a stone I 

 over the fire. From Blr B.'a description, the I 

 bread is similar to what is called Jolinny cakcl 

 in the United States. Immense fields of a small, 

 black bean are cultivated, and form a part of ev- 

 ery meal. Potatoes are not in common use, and i 

 jire small and ill tasted. — The banana furnishes! 

 aliment for many of the inhabitants, and is sold 

 in the market both fresh and dried. The great 

 American Aloe, from which the drink called i 

 pulque is made, is very largely cultivated. Pul- 1 

 que is in universal request, and formerly the | 

 duties on this article, in the cities of Mexico, I 

 Puebla and Tolluca, amounted to mose than ; 

 SOO.OOO dollars a year. The plants are set about 

 six feet asunder, and blossom in about ten years. 

 AVhen the plant begins to throw up its long 

 flower stem, the owner cuts out the leaves 

 which form its centre, and hollows it into the 

 shape of a bowl. The sap collects in the bowl, 

 nnd is emptied several times a day. The liqu- 

 or undergoes a slight fermentation, and is im- 

 mediately fit for drinking. Pulque brandy is 

 distilled from this liquor. The Indians form 

 (he roofs of their houses of the leaves, and fen- 

 ces, ropes, thread, cloth and paper are made 

 from other parts of the plant. Sugar is made 

 by the Indians in most parts of Mexico, and is 

 sold very low. A spirit resembling whiskey is 

 obtained from the cane in large quantities. 

 Cofiee is grown, though not generally. When 

 Mr B. was in Mexico, an English gentleman was 

 about purchasing a hacienda or farm, with the 

 intention of cultivating coffee on a large scale. 

 Cotton is produced abundantly. One kind is of 

 a fine cinnamon color, like that of which nan- 

 keen is made. The Indians extract the seed 

 by hand, having no machine for that purpose. 

 They make from the cotton great quantities of 

 coarse calico. There is great consumption of 

 chocolate in Mexico. The cocoa from which 

 it is made is imported from Gaulamala, and is 

 ■ground by hand between two stones by females. 

 The well known drug, jalap, is produced in the 

 neigl.bourhood of Xalapa, from whence it has 

 its name, the Spaniards sounding X and J alike. 

 Above 200,000 pounds are annually exported to 

 Europe. Excellent tobacco is prouuced in many 

 parts of Mexico, and Indigo is found in various 

 places. 



Precious Relicl.—A copy of Columbus' letter to the 

 Kino; ol Sp.'iin, on the discovery of .■imerica, consisting 

 of three leaves, was lately sold in London for thirty- 

 four guineas. 



From Ihc Boston Ttlegrapk. 



INCREASED VELOCITY OF MILLS, &c. 

 In the " Minutes of Conversationes at Dr. 

 Mitcheirs," published in the New-York Mi- 

 nerva, it is stated that saw-mills cut much 

 more timber at night than they do in the same 

 time by day-light, with the same head of wa- 

 ter, and without alteration in the machinery : 

 grist-mills convert more grain into meal by 

 night than hy day ; rafts float nearly a third 

 fa.ster, and vessels make greater progress dur- 

 ing the coldness and darkness of the night. 

 These yihenomena are attempted to he ex- 

 plained by supposing that the weight and den- 

 sity of water is increased when the influence 

 of the sun is withdrawn or diminished, and 

 that it consequently acts with augmented pow- 

 er on the buckets of a mill wheel, and gives 

 more buoyancy to floating bodies. 



Wlien we first read the above, we supposed the 

 new theory to be, that the quantity of water flowing 

 in a particular river is less during the day [if warm] 

 than during the night, [if cold,] and to this we were 

 ready to give our assent. Evaporation, as well as 

 the wants of man and beast, tax every river more or 

 less during the day, and very little during the night. 



But it seems " the irtiiiht and density of the water 

 is increased when the influence of the snn is with- 

 drawn." This again must be admitted, to a certain 

 extent, from the known expansion of fluids by the ap- 

 plication of heat. But the increase of weight and 

 density from this source is, after all. so very little, that 

 as to all practical purposes it is nothing at all. Pos- 

 silijy a water-wheel might in consequence gain one 

 revolution during a night ! 



This, however, cannot be the pith of the theory. 

 For rafts, it is said, *^ float nearly a third faster, and 

 vessels make greater progress. '^ Now the temperature 

 of the ocean, we venture to say, does not vary two 

 degrees nf Fahrenheit, from noon to midnight — of 

 course this cannot be the cause of the increased ve- 

 locity. And besides, from the expression, " coldness 

 and darkness of the night," it appears, that, in the 

 view of Dr. Mitchell, Ihe agency of light is concerned 

 in producing this strange phenomenon. 



Darkness, then, (if we do not misunderstand the 

 language,) is supposed to increase the weight and 

 density of water : — llfat is, l'g;ht diminishes its weight 

 and density! What is this but assuming one error to 

 prove another? For our own part, we believe neither. 

 We regard the notion that more boar'^s are sawn, 

 more corn ground, more headway gained in the night 

 than in the day time, as a mere aberration of fancy, 

 'nd even were it true, we should resort to'almost any 

 mode of explaining it, rathfT than ascribe it, either 

 wholly or in part, to the influence of light. 



Mr. Lancaster. — A gentleman recently from Ca- 

 raccas informs us that Mr. Lancaster, the ci bbrated 

 founder of the system of school instruction which 

 bears bis name, is now at that pt.ire tailoring to es- 

 tablish a school on the principles whirb have, else- 

 where, proved so successfid. He is paid hy the Co- 

 lombian government a salary of $2000 ]ier year. He 

 is accompanied by his daughter, and her husband, 

 Mr. .tones. It was supposed that, after accomplish- 

 ing the oliject which he had in view at Caraccas, he 

 would proceed to Bogota. He had been at the for- 

 mer place about three months at the time the gentle- 

 man who gave us this information sailed. 



The present number of public schools at Caraccas 

 is about a dozen. The average number of scholars 

 attending them would not exceed 20. The people 

 are deplorably ignorant, and seem entirely indifferent 

 to any improvement in the education of their chil- 

 dren. 



Bazuar.— In returning to our lodgings, we 

 went into the bazaar in the Soho Square. This 

 is a very extensive suite of rooms, on two 

 floors, (being formed by throwing several 

 houses into one) in which are collected almost 

 every kind of article, which Ihe arts of Lon- 

 don, Birmingham, Sheflield, Manchester, &c. 

 can produce, in Ihe way of ingenuity, delicacy, 

 and taste. They are tastefully exposed to the 

 view and examination of visitors tor the pur- 

 pose of sale. Each article has its price attach- 

 ed to it, from which there is no abatement.— 

 About 200 females are in constant attendance t'j 

 wait on visitors, and receive their money. No 

 person is solicited to buy* nor is any thing said 

 to enhance Ihe value of the goods. This is ;t 

 new kind of establishment, of which there are 

 at present, but two in London. The term, as 

 well as Ihe plan, has been im|)orted from India. 

 A new bazaar is building, I am informed, by 

 Lord George Cavendish, which for splendour 

 and convenience, will surpass any thing of the 

 kind in Europe. In Ihe evening, these shops 

 are all lighted with gas, and present a most 

 beantiful appearance. One side of Soho 

 Square is frequently crowded with the carriages 

 of ladies, and people of fashion, who are vis- 

 iting the bazaar. — Griscoiri's Year in Europe. 



Fish. — Dr McCriLocK, who published an interest- 

 ing paper on the herring, has furnished another still 

 more so " On the possibility of changing the residence 

 of certain fishes from salt water to fresh' 



VARIATIONS OF OUR LANGUAGE. 



Specimen of the first English Translation of Ihe 

 Scriptures made by Dr. Wickliffe, 13G0. — .Matt. viii. 

 23 — 27. And whanoe he was gone up into a littil 

 schip, his disciples sueden him, and lo a great storying 

 was maed in the see, so that the schip was bilid with 

 waives, but he slept : and his disciples caraen to him, 

 and residen him ; and seiden. Lord save us : we per- 

 ischen. And Ihsus seiden to him, what ben ye ol lit- 

 til feilh a.gast' thanne he roos, and cominandide to 

 the wyndes and the see, and a great pesiblenesse was 

 maad. And men woudriden and seiden, what mancr 

 man is he this, for the wyndes and the see obeischeii 

 to him. 



Hai/ti. — Emigration to Hayti (says the National 

 Advocate) is progressing with unexanipled rapidity ; 

 it is not a mere experiment, but vessel after vessel 13 

 despatched. It is expected that the ship Concordia 

 will sail this day, with 160 colored persons of both 

 sf xc s. The Post says, that " six vessels at Philadel- 

 phia, one at Port Elizabeth, one at .■Alexandria, and 

 S''veral others at Baltimore, are on the eve of sailing 

 for the same destination. It is calculated that be- 

 tween 3 and 4000 of these persons will leave the 

 United Slates within a few days, and that every fort- 

 night additional numbers will be shipped off under 

 the direction of President Beyer's agent, who pays the * 

 expense of their transmission, by authority of the 

 Haytien government. One hundred of those about 

 to sail from this port, are from the State of New-.Ier- 

 sey, and there can be no doubt that the great adx'an- 

 tages held out, will induce the mass of this part ol our 

 population to withdraw from the country." 



Cape Cod Canal. — Agreeably to the resolution pas- 

 sed at the last st ssion of Congress, arrangements have 

 been made to ascertain the practicability of connect- 

 ing Barnstable and Buzzard's Bays hy a Canal. 

 Cajit. Trevett, commander of the U. S Revenue Cut- 

 ter .S'enrc/i, has received orders to be at the disposal 

 of the Board of Engineers, and assist in taking the 

 soundings of the Bays. The great importance of such 

 a Canal may be inferred from the fact that nearly 

 COOO voyages are made around Cape Cod annually, 

 which might be made with much more ease and safe- 

 ty through the contemplated Canal. 



