•244 



NE^\ ENGLAND FARMER, 



Feb. 16,1831. 



FXTRACTS FROM MR. SEDGWICK'S ADDRESS, i ble, or even weed, in all China. A dead nettle is | mg, according to your best judgment, to the loives 



I converted into cloth — paper is made from the straw 1 nut even excepting the servants : but, on takin 

 office — the cup of the acorn dyes black— the leaves leave, this order is completely reversed ; the saint. 



Theodore Sedgwick, Esq. has lately delivered an 

 Address before the Berkshire Agricultural Society, 

 of which he is President. It is replete with good 

 sense, and the soundest maxims of Political Econo- 

 my. We make the following e.vtracts -.—Mass. Jour. 

 'It is observed by foreigners, that we are a pro- 

 fuse people. They are most familiar with our cities, 

 and there observe our extravagance in equipage, 

 dress, and at our tables. They are astonished by 

 this profusion, and do not understand it. In Europe, 

 people of the same relative fortunes, would be fright- 

 ened at the thought of living as we live. And that 

 we live like a wise people nobody can contend.— 

 Take city and country together, was ever so much 

 bankruptcy heard of in any country ? and for wiiat ? 

 Elsewhere men fail, because they have lost a house, 

 or a ship, or been unfortunate in some other way. — 

 Here, four out of five "/ai7 for their expenses." It 

 may be thought that a public speaker, in a plain, 

 economical state of society, is pushed hard for a 

 topic, when he thinks Mt to warn his neighbors 

 against extravagance. Simple and economical as wo 

 have been allowed to be, it is certain that New En- 

 gland can never prosper when our people have ceas- 

 ed to possess this character. Besides, there is no 

 use in mincing the matter. Things are out of pro- 

 portion through the whole country. Our children 

 begin with a degree of expense, with which we with 

 large families end. Their dress, houses and furniture 

 must be the same with ours ; and this too in a coun- 

 try, in which the partibility of estate requires a con- 

 stant struggle to enable families to maintain their 

 ground. We all strive in the most servile (and may 

 I not say vulgar ?) manner to be alike, and to appear 

 one as well as another. The exterior, what is vis- 

 ible, indicates little or nothing as to the wealth of 

 people. The middle classes follow hard upon the 

 heels of the rich, and are as much held in slavery by 

 the fashion, as if there were a cliain about their 

 necks. The young men and women who are just en- 

 tering life, the day laborers, and the poor, following, 

 of course, so high an example, catch the contagion ; 

 and tho latter, especially, become sensual, vain, and 

 expensive, run into crime, and end in the State Pri- 

 son. Our villages which should glory in pure man- 

 ners, ape the very silliest fashions of the cities. — 

 What is worst of all, we have been taught, and mul- 

 titudes do actually believe, that this folly is necesa- 

 ry to the prosperity of society. That is, " all trades 

 must live," and to make them live, they begin by de- 

 struction. They do most conscientiously believe, 

 that in this way, merchants, mechanics, and shop- 

 keepers prosper, and grow rich.' 



' Massachusetts has a larger population, for its 

 territory, than any other State. Our population, es- 

 pecially, makes our riches. We must retain this 

 population, or grow poor. It cannot be retained 

 without a constantly growing enterprize, skill, in- 

 dustry and frugality. We have not the same advan- 

 tages of soil and climate that many other States 

 have. Availing ourselves of other circumstances, 

 ■we must hold out to our people the solid advan- 

 tages, and real charms, of an older, but still progres- 

 sive society. Those improvements, therefore, which 

 are for the good of a majority ; which naturally be- 

 long to the public to take care of; which demand 

 public encouragement in order to be successfully 

 commenced, must be 'fostered by tho Stale, in some 

 way or other. This is tho true policy ; and a self- 

 ish, local and private interest must not. and will not, 

 be suffered to stand in its way. Everything possi- 

 ble must be done to bring our resources to light, 



of a certain description of ash, answer, in part, the 

 purposes of the mulberry, for the silk worm. In this 

 way, the occupations of people are infinitely diver- 

 sified. For instance, in every village as large as 

 Pittsfield, and perhaps smaller, there ought to be 

 regular gardening, as an occupation. In this way, 

 the mechanic gets better fruits and vegetables, and 

 for a less price. It is the natural advantage of the 

 division of labor. In living so much as our laboring 



tion is first tendered to the servants, then to the chi 

 dren, and, last of all, vto the mistress and master • 

 the family.' 



The following is a description of the Great Geyser, 

 Jetting Pool, near Mount Kra'ila : 



' Nearly about the centre of the pool, is the ape 

 ture whence the vast body of water, sulphur, at 

 bluish black bolus is thrown up, and which is equ 



people do upon beef, pork^ and potatoes, they con- ' i'J diameter to the column of water ejected by tl 

 suit neither health or economy. 'I'hey do not seem_ t.^i-eat Geyser at^its strongest eruptions. The heigl 

 to understand that animal food is by far the dearest." " "" "'■ ' 



ICELAND. 

 A short lime ago we noliced among our literary items, 



of the jets varied greatly ; rising, on the first propu 

 sions of the liquid, to about twelve feet, and eontii 

 uing to ascend, as it were, by leaps, till they gainc 

 the highest point of elevation, which wag upwards < 

 thirty feet, when they again abated much more ri 



an abridgment of a very interes.lng book about Iceland, jjiy j,^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^-j ^^^^^ ^,^^ sB,„,iing hi 

 lately published by Perkins & Marvin, of this city. We g^^gg,)^ ^^^^ situation of the aperture was renden 

 now offer a few extracts from if. — .Mass. Juurnal. visible only by a gentle ebullition, which distinguis'. 



'Their predominant character is that of unsuspect- 1"' 't from the general surface of the pool. Durit 

 in<r frankness, pious contentment, and a steady live- ;'"y stay, which was upwards of an hour, the eru 

 lim-ss of temperament, combined with a strength of it'o"^ took place every five minutes and lasted abo 

 intellect and acuteness of mmd seldom to be met .'J^'f minutes and a halt. I was always apprised 

 with in other parts of the world. They have also j'l'e approach ot an eruption by a small jetter th 

 been noted for the almo.st unconquerable attachment ''™'''' *^°"'' ^'""^ "-"^ ^^'''■'' P™'',^' ''"'^ '° ^''^ """^y 

 which they feel to their native island. With all their N>c great one, and was evidently connected with 

 privations, and exposed, as they are, to numerous l^s there was a continual bubbling in a direct In 

 dangers from the operation of physical causes, they 



ive under the practical influence of one of their 

 common proverbs : " Iceland is the best land on 

 which the sun shines." ' 



'The Icelandic is justly regarded as the standard 

 of the grand northern dialect of the Gothic language. 

 The remoteness of the island, and the little inter- 

 course which its inhabitants have maintained with 

 the rest of the world, have effectually secured the 

 purity and originality of this ancient language ; and 

 It is a curious fact, that while our ablest antiquaries 

 are often puzzled, in endeavoring to decipher certain 

 words and phrases in writings which date the origii 

 only a few centuries back, there is not a peasant, n«r 

 indeed scarcely a servant girl in Iceland, who is rot 

 capable of reading wiJi ease the most ancient doiu 

 ments extant on the island. 



'The early and successful application of the tee- 

 landers to the study of the sciences, forms a perfect 

 anomaly in the history of literature. At a pmod 

 when the darkest gloi m was spread over the li\iro- 

 pean horizon, the inhabitants of this comparat.vely 

 barren island, near the north pole, were cultivating 

 the arts of poetry and history ; and laying up s:ores 

 of knowledge, which were not merely to supply pos- 

 terity with data respecting the domestic and politi- 

 cal affairs of their native country, but were also des- 

 tined to furnish very ample and satisfactory informa 

 tion on a great multiplicity of important points con- 

 nected with the history of other nations.' 



'The form and ceremonies of the Icelandic churcli 

 are strictly Lutheran. The total number of parishes 

 in Iceland amounts to 181. The clergy are all na 

 lives of the island, and are maintained partly by cul 

 tivating small glebes attached to the churches, anc' 

 partly from certain tithes raised among the peasants 

 The provision made for their support is exceedingly 

 scanty. The richest living on the island does ncl 

 produce 200 rix-dollars ; twenty and thirty rix-do- 

 lars are the whole of the stipend annexed to many tf 

 the parishes ; and there are some in which it is evei 

 as low as five.' 



' Both at meeting and parting, an aft'ectionate kis 

 on the mouth, without distinction of rank, age, o 

 sex, is the only mode of salutation known in Iceland 



This Society should look through the remotest parts except somelimes in the immediate vicinity of flu 

 of the County, to see if there be not some new oc- factories, where the common Icelander salutes a for- 

 cupalioii, or trade, just springing up, which demands eigner whom he regards as his superior, by placing 

 encouragement, and this for the purpose, too, of ex- i his right hand on his mouth or left breast, and Ihei 

 citing an interest in the Society, through every part making a deep bow. When you visit a family ii 

 of the County. Iceland, you must salute them according to their ag( 



Travellers say, that there is not a useless vegeta- 1 and rank, beginning with the highest, and descend 



between tliem. None of its jets exceeded twel' 

 feet, and generally they were about five. Anothi 

 bubbling channel ran a little way to the northwe 

 of the principal opening, but did not terminate in 

 jetter like the former. While the eruption contii 

 ued, a number of fine silver waves wore throw 

 round to the sides of the pool, which was lined wil 

 a dark blue bolus, left there on the subsidence oft! 

 waves. At the foot of the bank on which we stoo 

 were numerous small holes, whence a quantity ■ 

 steam was unremittingly making its escape with 

 loud hissing noise ; and on the west side cf the po 

 was a gentle declivity, where the water ran out,ai 

 was conveyed through a long winding gulley to tl 

 foot of the mountain. The soil around the marg 

 was so extremely soft, that it was not without ima 

 nent danger I endeavored to thrust my thcrrnomet 

 into the liquid, in order to ascertain the degree 

 its heat ; an attempt which proved fruitless, as tl 

 glass got obscured by the sulphureous exhalation 



The leprosy prevails in Iceland ; owing to ra 

 cid food, want of cleanliness, and clothes kept w 

 by the universal employment of fishing. It is tl 

 most horrible distemper incident to man. 



' In its primary stage.s, its symptoms are inconsii 

 erable, and very ambiguous. A small reddish spc 

 scarcely larger than the point of a needle, breaksoi 

 at first about the forehead, nose, corner of the eye 

 and the lips; and, in proportion as it increases, othi 

 pustules make their appearance on the breast, arm 

 arm-pits, &c, wliich generally dry up in one plac 

 and break out in another without pain, till tho dl 

 ease has considerably ad.vanced, when they cover a 

 most the whole body, give the skin a scabrous aj 

 pearance, stiffen it, and terminate sometimes i 

 shining scales, which fall off like dust, sometimes i 

 malignant tumors and swellings. The patient, intli 

 mean time, labors under lassitude of body, iMin'stlii 

 sia, and lowness of spirits. When the nmlulybi 

 comes inveterate, the breath, which before was dii 

 agreeable, now gets intolerably fcetid ; a strong UK 

 tious matter is perspired ; the hair, already change 

 in color, falls off; the voice grows hoarse ami nasil 

 and the face becomes terribly deformed. The loo 

 is wild and haggard ; the pallid red color of the bod 

 is only relieved by the most disgusting ulcer. 

 which, becoming deeper, putrid, and virulent, ni 

 only affect the bones and joints, but, as they sprea 

 over the skin, deep ravines are formed, which giv 

 it an elephantine appearance, whence the name eK 

 phantiasis. The fingers get quite stiff' and crookei 

 and the nails and other parts of the body fall off b 

 degrees. During the night, the patient is haraasc 



