the hypothecs of the ■variable winds beirfg the caufe 
of thefe variations of the height of the mercury ■, for 
in the places above-named, there is always an eafy gale 
of wind, blowing nearly upon the fame point, viz. 
E. N. E. at Barbadoes, and E. S. E. at St. Helena ; 
fo that there being no contrary currents of the air to 
exhauft or accumulate it, the atmofphere continues 
much in the fame ftate. 
Mr. Patrick gives us the following rules and obfer- 
vations for the rifing and falling of the mercury, in 
order to foreknow the weather by the barometer. 
1. It has been obferved, that the motion of the mer- 
cury does not exceed three inches in its rifing or fall- 
ing in the barometer of the common form. 
2. That its leaft alterations are to be minded, in or- 
der to the right finding of the weather by it. 
3. The rifing of the mercury prefages in general fair 
weather, and its falling, foul, as rain, (now, high 
winds, and ftorms. 
4. In very hot weather, the falling of the mercury 
forefhews thunder. 
5. In winter, the rifing of the mercury prefages froft ; 
and in frofty weather, if the mercury falls three or 
four degrees, there will certainly follow a thaw ; but 
if the mercury rifes in a continued froft, it will cer- 
tainly fnow. 
6. When foul weather happens foon after the falling 
of the mercury, you may expeCt but little of it ■, and 
you may judge the fame, when the weather proves 
fair flaortly after the mercury has rifen. 
7. When the mercury rifes much and high in foul 
weather, and continues fo for two or three days before 
the foul weather is over, you may expecft a continu- 
ance of fair weather to follow. 
8. When the mercury falls much and low in fair 
weather, and continues fo for two or three days be- 
fore the rain comes, then you may expeCt a great deal 
of wet, and probably high winds. 
9. The unfettled motion of the mercury denotes un- 
certain and changeable weather. 
10. You are not fo ftridtly to mind the words engraven 
on the plates, though for the moft part they will 
agree with them, as the rifing and falling of the mer- 
cury *, for if it ftands at much rain, and rifes up to 
changeable, it prefages fair weather, although not 
to continue fo long as it would have done, if the 
mercury were higher, and fo on the contrary. 
Thefe rules and obfervations are fufficient to inftrudt 
perfons who are unacquainted with this inftrument, 
how to make their obfervations ; and with conftantly 
remarking what alterations happen in the weather on 
the variations of the mercury, a perfon may nearly 
predidt the great alterations of the weather a day or 
two before they happen, which is frequently of great 
- ufe to the gardener and farmer, but particularly to 
the latter, who may begin to mow his grafs when he 
finds there is a profpedt of fair weather, or poftpone 
it a few days until he forefeps a likelihood of fuch. 
The fame alfo may be of great moment in reaping 
his corn, as alfo in fowing his grain, and moft of his 
other bufinefs. Therefore the ufe of this inftrument 
fhould be more generally known by the practical far- 
mer and gardener. 
BART RAMI A. See Triumfetta. 
B A S E L L A, or climbing Nightfhade from Malabar. 
The Characters are, 
1 ’The flower hath no empalement •, it is /hoped like a 
pitcher , fieflhy at the bafe and fuelling , but clofled toward 
the brim , where it is divided into fix parts, two of which 
are larger than the others. It hath five awl-Jhaped 
fliamina , which are equal , flaftened to the petal , crowned 
with roundijh fummits. flhe globular gerrnen , which is 
fituated in the center , fupports three fender fiylcs , crowned 
by oblong fiigma. Rhe pet ad of the flower remains , and 
inclofes a roundijh fi.efjy berry , including one round feed. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the third fedftion 
of Linnaeus’s fifth clafs, entitled Pentandria T rigynia, 
the flower having five ftarnina and three ftyles. 
The Species are, 
x. Basella (Rubra) folks pianis, pedunculis fimplici- 
* : 
" bus. Lin. Sp. 59a. Bafella with plain leaves and -finrpU 
foot-ftalks. Cufcuta folks fubcordatis. Hort. Clink 
39. Climbing Nightfhade. 
•2. Basella (Alba) folks ovatis undatis, pedunculis fini» 
plicibus folio longioribus. Lin. Sp. 390. Bafella with 
oval waved leaves , and foot-folks longer than the leaf.. 
Bafella Siniea, folks & cauiibus viridibus minus fuc- 
culentibus fruCtu minore. JuiT. 
The firft fort has thick, ftrong, fucculent ftalks and 
leaves, which are of a deep purple colour. The 
plant requires to be fupported, for it will climb to the 
height of eight or ten feet, when the plants are kept 
in a ftove or glafs-cafe, and produce a great number 
of fide branches : but if they 1 are expofed to the open 
air, they will not grow fo large, nor will they perftdt 
their feeds, except it be in very warm feafons when 
they are placed in the bark-ftove, they will often live 
through the winter, and produce great quantities of 
flowers and feeds. The flowers of this plant have 
no great beauty, but the plant is preferved for the odd- 
appearance of the ftalks and leaves. 
The feeds of the fecond fort I received from Dr<- 
Juffieu of Paris, from whence I have obtained two 
varieties •, one of which hath purple ftalks and leaves, 
and the other hath leaves variegated with white ; but 
both of them retain their fmall ftalks, and oblong 
flaccid leaves, fmaller flowers and fruit, in which 
they effentially differ from the firft. 
Thefe plants are propagated by feeds, which mould 
be fown in a hot-bed in the fpring ; and when the 
plants are fit to remove, they fhould be each planted 
into a feparate pot filled with rich earth, and plunged 
into the tan-bed, where they muft be treated in the ' 
fame manner as other tender exotics. They may alfo 
be propagated by cuttings, which fhould be laid to 
dry a day or two after they are taken from the plants, 
before they are planted, that the wound may heal, 
otherwife they will rot. Thefe cuttings muft be plant- 
ed into pots filled with light frefh earth, and plunged 
into a moderate hot-bed of tanners bark, where they 
will take root in a fortnight or three weeks time, when 
they fhould be treated in the fame manner as the feed- 
ling plants. But as thefe rife fo eafily from feeds, it 
is feldom they are propagated any other way, becaufe 
they are plants of fhort duration. Thefe flower from 
June to autumn, and the feeds ripen in September 
and December. 
Thefe plants will climb to a confiderable height, and 
fend forth a great number of branches, fo that they 
fhould have a place near the back of the ftove, where 
they may be trained up to a trellife, or fattened to the 
back of the ftove, otherwife they will twift them- 
felves about whatever plants ftand near them, and 
be very injurious to the other plants ; whereas, when 
they are regularly trained to a trellife, they will have 
a good effect in adding to the variety. - 
From the berries of the firft fort, I have feen a beau- 
tiful colour drawn, but when ufed for painting, did 
not continue very long, but changed to a pale colour - 3 
though I believe there might be a method invented, 
■whereby this beautiful colour might be fixed, fo as to 
become very ufeful ; for I have been affured, that 
the juice of thefe berries has been ufed for flaming 
of callicoes in India. 
BASILIC U M, or BASIL. See Ocymum. 
BASONS or fountains, &c. which ferve either for 
the ornament or ufe of gardens, are made in divers 
forms, fome round, feme oblong or oval, others 
fquare, oCtangular, &c. but their moft common form 
is circular ; and, if the, ground will permit, the larger 
they are the better; and when they exceed in fize, 
they are called pieces of water, canals, fifh ponds, 
pools, and refervoirs. 
In making thefe, care ought to be taken to avoid 
both the extremes, and not to make them either too 
big or too little, that a water work may not take 
up the beft part of a fmall fpot of ground 5 nor to 
make too little a bafon in a large fpot. This muft 
entirely on the judgment of the defigner of 
the garden. 
I i Some- 
