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the Royal Society of Agriculture, at Paris, 

 January 28th, 1790. 



" On the 7th of January, about eleven o'clock 

 at night, returning to the barracks of the regi- 

 ment in which I serve, I was much surprised, in 

 passing the rooms, occupied by the soldiers of 

 my company, to perceive a considerable light in 

 one of them, at so unseasonable an hour. I 

 went to inquire the cause; but what was my 

 astonishment when I saw, by the light of seven 

 or eight luminous points, the soldiers sitting up 

 in their beds playing with these lights, and rea- 

 soning on the cause of so singular a phenome- 

 non? One of the most intelligent gave me the 

 following account of the matter. In the evening, 

 they had been preparing some potatoes for their 

 next day's soup, amongst which, having cut one 

 that appeared vegetating and spoiled, they threw 

 it into the basket with the refuse. At nine 

 o'clock they put out the lamp and went to bed. 

 But they were scarce laid down, before one of 

 the soldiers perceived a strong light in the bas- 

 ket ; and, supposing it to be a burning coal, he 

 rose to take it out. He put down his hand into 

 the basket with great caution, but finding no 

 heat, he took out the luminous object, and found 



