191 
Natural History, ’--‘Botany. 
Islands, a piece of wood lacing held fast on the ground, ano- 
ther short piece, about a foot and a half long, of the thickness 
of a thumb, even, as if turned, and with the end bluntly 
rounded off, is held perpendicularly over it, and put in motion 
between the palm of the hand, like the mill used for making 
chocolate. The motion is at first slow, but is accumulated, and 
the pressure increased, when the dust produced by the friction 
collects round the bores, and begins to be ignited. This dust 
is the tinder which takes fire. The women of Eap are said to 
be uncommonly clever at this process. In Badack and the 
Sandwich Islands, they hold on the under piece of wood ano- 
ther piece a span long, with a blunt point, at an angle of about 
thirty degrees, the point of the angle being turned from the 
person employed. They hold the piece of wood with both 
hands, the thumbs below, the fingers above, so that it may 
press firmly and equally, and thus move it backwards and for- 
wards in a straight line, about two or three inches long. 
When the dust that collects in the groove, produced by the 
point of the stick, begins to be heated, the pressure and the 
rapidity of the motion are increased. It is to be observed, 
that in both methods two pieces of the same kind of wood are 
used ; for which purpose, some of equally fine grains, not too 
hard, and not too soft, are the best. Both methods require 
practice, dexterity, and patience. The process of the Aleu- 
tians, is the first of these methods, improved by mechanism. 
They manage the upright stick in the same manner as the 
gimlet or borer, which they employ in their work. They hold 
and draw the string, which is twice wound round it, with 
both hands, the upper end turning in a piece of wood, which 
they hold with their mouth. In this way, I have seen a 
piece of fir turned on another piece of fir, produce fire in a 
few seconds ; whereas, in general, a much longer time is re- 
quired. The Aleutians also make fire by taking two stones, 
with sulphur rubbed on them, which they strike together over 
dry moss strewed with sulphur. — Kotzebue’s Voyage^ voL iii,. 
p. 259. 
27. Earthquake at Inver ary. —An earthquake was distinctly 
felt at Inverary on the morning of the 22d October. Several 
persons in the town felt the shock, and others heard a sound 
