384 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



June S^. 18^7. 



jaisasj,T.AviEs. 



IS THIS A TIME TO BE CLOUDY AND SAD. 

 Is this a time to be cloudy and sad, 



Wlien our mother nature laughs aronnd — 

 When even the deep blue heavens look glad, i 



And gladness breathes from the blossoming ground ? 



There are notes of joy from the hang-bird and wren, 

 And the gossip of swallows through all the sky — 



The ground-squirrel gaily chirps by his den, 

 And the wilding bee hums merrily by. 



The clouds are at play in the azure space. 

 And their shadows at play on the bright green vale, 



And here they stretch to the frolic chase, 

 And there they roll on the easy gale. 



There's a dance of leaves in that aspen bower — 



There's a titter of winds in that beechen tree — 

 There's a smile on the fruit — and a smile on the flower, 

 And a laugh from the brook that runs to the sea. 



And look at the bread-faced suir, how he smiles 



On the dewy earth that smiles in his ray, 

 On the leaping waters and gay young isles- 

 Ay, look, — and he'll smile thy gloom away. Brijanl 



" Sismondi's Literature of the South of Ettrope," 

 lias recently been republished in New- York. The 

 history of the Literature of the Arabians and the 

 Troabadours, which occupies nearly half the first 

 volume, contains many interesting- passages. We 

 make the following brief extract, on the useful 

 inventions of the Arabians. 



" A great number of the inventions uiiich, at 

 the present day, add to the comforts of life, and 

 without which litoratuie could never have flour- 

 ished, are due to the Arabians. Thus, paper, 

 now so necessary to the progress of the intellect, 

 the want of which plunged Europe, from the sev- 

 enth to the tenth century, into such a stetc of 

 ignorance and barbarism, is an Arabic invention. 

 In China, indeed, from all antiquity, it had been 

 manufactured from silk ; but about the year .30 of 

 the Hegira, (A. D. G49) this invention was intro- 

 duced at Samarcand : and when that flourishing 

 city was conquered by the Arabians, in the year 

 85 of the Hegira, an Arabian, of the name of 

 Joseph Amrou, carried the process by which pa 

 per was lAade to Mecca, his native city. He em 

 ployed cotton in the manufacture ; and the first 

 paper, nearly resembling that which we now use 

 was made in the year 88 of the Hegira, (A. D. 

 706.) This invention spread with rapidity through 

 out all the dominions of the Arabians, and more 

 especially in Spain, wliere the town of Sativa, in 

 the kingdom of Valencia, now called San Felippc, 

 was renowned from the V2lh century for its beauti- 

 ful manufactures of paper. It appears that at 

 this time the Arabians had substituted, in the 

 fabrication of paper, flax, which grew abundantly 

 with them, for cotton, which v;as much mere 

 ;5parce and dear. It was not until the end of tlic 

 lotli century, that, at the instance of Alfonso X. 

 king of Castile, paper mills were established in 

 the Christian states of Spain, from whence the 

 invention passed, in the 14th century only, to 

 Trevisa and Padua. 



" Gunpowder, the discovery cf which is gene- 

 rally attributed to a German chemist, was known 

 to the Arabians at least a century before any 

 traces of it appear in the European histories. Tn 

 the 13th century it was frequently employed by 



the Moors in their wars in Spain ; and some in- ] 

 dications remain of its having been known in the 

 11th century. The compass, also, the invention 

 of which has been given allcriKitely to the Ital- 

 ians and the French in the 13th century, was al- 

 ready known to the Arabian, in the 11th. The 

 geographer of Nubia, who wrote in the 12th cen- 

 tury, speaks of it as an instrument universally em- 

 ployed. The numerals which we call Arabic, but 

 which oMglit rather to be called Indian, were un- 

 doubtedly at least communicated to us by the 

 Arabians. Without them none of the sciences in 

 which calculation is employed, could have been 

 carried to the point at which they have arrived in 

 our day, and wliich the great mathematicians and 

 astronomers among the Arabians, Tery nearly ap- 

 proached. The number of Arabic inventions, of 

 of which we enjoy the benefit without suspecting 

 it, is prodigions. But they have been introduced 

 into Europe slowly and imperceptibly ; for those 

 who imported tliem did not arrogate to themselves 

 the fame of invention, meeting as they did, in 

 every country, people who, like themselves, had 

 seen them practised in the East. It is peculiarly 

 characteristic of all the pretended discoveries of 

 the middle pges, that when the liistorians mention 

 them for the first time, they treat tliem as things 

 in general use. Neither gunpowder, nor the 

 compass, nor the Arabic numerals, nor paper, are 

 any where spol:cn of as discoveries ; and yet they 

 must have wrouglit a total change in war, naviga- 

 tion, in science and in education. It cannot be 

 doubted that the inventor, if he had lived at that 

 time, would have had sufficient vanity to claim so 

 important a discovery. Since that was not the 

 case, it may reasonably be presumed that all those 

 inrentions were slowly imported by obscure in- 

 dividuals, and not by men of genius, and that 

 they were brought from a country where they 

 were already universally known." 



JVcic Gold Mine. — A letter now before us from 

 Taxahaw, Lancaster district, dated 23d inst. states 

 that the richest Gold Mine in the Southern States 

 has lately been discovered in the neighborhood of 

 that place. Seven hands from North Carolina are 

 now employed in the mine. The prospect is highly 

 promising, and our correspondent says, " Before 

 long you will see our Lancaster farmers coming 

 to market with Gold instead of Cotton," — hope 

 some of our subscribers live near this mine. 



[Cheraw Spectator.] 



The duties secured to the Boston Custom House 

 do not do justice to the sales in the place, and vi- 

 cinity — because a considerable amount of foreii;n 

 merchandize disposed of here, is entered in the 

 ports of Maine, &c. 



The tonnage of the larger cities is no oriteritn 

 of their business — as it is very common at such 

 p'aces to charter and freight vessels. 



Operations on the Iron Mines in Nova Scotia 

 have been commenced — and a quantity of I'on 

 from tliem was brouyht in the brig George Henry, 

 which arrived on Friday last. 



Growth of Maine.. — Stages now run three times 

 a week between Paris and Portland — every two 

 hours between Hallowell and Gardiner — and 

 hourly between Augusta am! Hallo'vell. 



Berkshire has been noted for its vehemence in 

 political matters as well as for its good Butter 

 and great Cheese, but it has of late become very 

 productive of Newspapers. 



Capt. Darby desires us to mention the follow 

 extraordinary fact — that on Sable Island a vat 

 ble horse died last winter, in hia 37th year ! 



Halifax pc 



It is said that the cost of transportation fr 

 Rochester, New York to Montreal, is less th.-ir 

 New York via Canal ; but Montreal is 500 mi 

 from the sea. . 



\''e understand that Mr George Loring's hoi 

 at INIalaga shipped 40,(t00 boxes, and from 12 

 1:^,000 casks of Raisins the last season, besii 

 Grapes, x\lmondE, Wine, &c. 



Plebeian Pleasantry. — An abbe, who was ve 

 fat, coming late in the evening to a fortified ci 

 and meeting with a countryman, asked him if 

 could get in at the gate ; I believe so," said t 

 peasant, looking at him jocosely, " for I saw 

 wagon load of hay go in there this morning." 



GOLD LEAF. 



It requires three hundred thousand of su 

 gold leaves as are commonly used in gilding 

 make an inch in thickness. The tenuity of Gc 

 Leaf is so great that it is, in some measure trar 

 parent. When it is interposed between the 



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fESSI 

 ii'' »*' 

 J, to*i 

 ■a.ilii 



JOB may 

 iW 



JllliOJ ( 



and external objects, they are distinctly perceivei ilrf 



of a greenish colour. 



ieit 

 jitofs 



[ffitj 

 to I 



SINGULAR PROPERTY OF THE BAL- 

 ANCE. 



The following curious property of the Balanw m,"! 

 is mentioned by Helsdam. If a man placed in ot 

 scale, an counterpoised by a weight in the othe 

 press the beam upwards, he will thus cause tl 

 scale in ivhich he stands to preponderate. 



illitioi 



^ 



ROMAN. This elegant, full blooded horse, a bri|^ 

 bay, with black legs, mane and tail, of high spirit aif 

 good temper, will stand at the farm of Mr Stepbi( 

 Williams in Norlhborough (Ms.) at $20 'he seasoi^,^ 



be paid before the mares are taken away See Nejfl" 



England Farmer, May 25. 



BELLFOUNDER. This celebratert horse, of 

 bright Bay, with black legs, standing 15 hands high, 

 celebrated trotter, and a true descendant of the y'^iri 

 aways, will stand at Col. .Taques' stable, in Cbarlo 

 town, during the season. Charge $20, and $1,00 III 

 groom — see New Englanil Farmer. .May 4, 1826. 



J. Sf .i. Fates' Patent Hoes, 

 Constantly for sale hy French & Weld, 31 & 32 Sou'Hl 

 Market street, sole agents for vending the same. ^ 



Turnip Seed, SfC. 



Lately received at the Farmer office, 52 Noflll 



Market street, — from Scotland, a large variety tt( 



fresh Turnip Seed, comprising the following kiiidBJ 



White flat turnip. 

 Yellow Scotch garden 

 Late red top turnip. 

 Long tankaid ' 

 Yellow stone ' 



Large Norfolk 

 r White stone 

 5 Common field 

 ; Early Dutch 

 \ Yellow Malta 



Also, three pounds genuine Silver skin Onion. ^ 

 20 bushels of MILLET, of a superior qualitys 

 .30 lbs. MisGEL WcRTZEL and Sugar Bekt. 

 Sweet or Sugar corn — best for boiling ears. 

 100 lbs. Lucerne. — Flax seed — Buck Wheat. 

 Yellow Locust seed. White Mulberry do. 

 With every variety of GARDEN SEEDS. 



n, . Ai ■. m Ii puhhsh..) ev-ry t ridny, at $i.',5B 

 ptr annum, if paid in advance. , 



Gentlemen who piocure^vt responsible subssribc/t) 

 are entitled to nsLrlli. Tolum« gratis. 



N'ew subscribers can be furnished with the preted* 

 ing numbers of the current volume. 



