I 
Association against the Tricks of Felly foggers» [Oct. I, 
envelopes its origin, is not in the least 
surprising; but that any one should tor a 
moment suppose it to be spermaceti, 
mixed witlj an aromatic, excites a con¬ 
siderable degree of surprise; and yet it 
may be fairly presumed, that the enquirer 
had suuie reason for such a conjecture, 
otherwise he would not have hazarded it. 
I cannot pretend to say what effect the 
mixing of any aromatic would have upon 
spermaceti; but, if I may be allowed to 
reason from analogy, such a compound 
•would, in its chemical properties, ma. 
terially differ from a)nbergris: never, 
liow'ever, having tried the experiment, I 
refrain from speaking too confidently ; but 
at present it really appears to me, that 
a conjecture more unfortunate could 
scarcely have been made, even by the 
naturalist who calls honey “ cali sudor, 
siderum saliva Notwithstanding all 
the enquiries which have been made by 
many ingenious men, respecting the 
nature of ambergris, its origin is, I think, 
still far from being clearly ascertained. 
Pomet positively affirms, that it is no¬ 
thing more tlian honey and wax, w-ashed 
from the rocks, and changed by the joint 
influence of the sun and salt-water; and 
be strengthens this opinion by fficts 
which certainly carry considerable weight 
with them; liiis opinion has, however, 
given way to another which is now al¬ 
most universally received, and which 
acquires additional confirmation from tlie 
minute investigations and researches of 
Dr. Swediaur, who has proved, (at least 
in the opinion of many) that ambergris 
is formed in the alimentary canal of she 
Physeter IMacrocephalus. Dr. Shaw, in 
bis Natural History, is of the same opi¬ 
nion; he, indeed, frotn the manner in 
whicli he writes, seems to think that ti)e 
origin of it is now so satisfactorily a'"- 
certained, as to be placed beyond the 
reach of doubt, ‘‘ A more curious and 
valuable inirorifiction’’ says the Dr., 
speaking of the physeter macrccephaius, 
is obtained from this animal, viz. tiie 
celebrated perfume called, ambergris, 
which is found in large masses in the in¬ 
testines, being in reality no other than 
the fceces.” I scarcely dare say that I 
differ from the opinion of such a man as 
Dr. Shaw, especially on such a subject; 
yet one or tw'O circumstances restrain 
me from entirely assenting to it; if, how¬ 
ever, any of your correspondents can an¬ 
swer satisfactorily the two following 
queries, my doubts will, in a great mea¬ 
sure, be removed. 
1. Why is ambergris principally found 
in the Indian seas, and scarcely ever in: 
the northern ocean, where the physeter 
macrocephalus very much abounds; and 
has it ever been searched for in the irj- 
testines of this fish by our whalcfishers ? 
2. Does not the largeness of the 
masses on winch it is sometimes found, 
militate against the probability of its 
being the tseces of a fish? Letnery men¬ 
tions a piece weighing 182 pounds; and. 
Fourcroy says, that pieces are sometimes 
met with weighing a hundred myriogiumi* 
mes; a very correct description of this 
substance is to be found in the 10th vo¬ 
lume of the last-mentioned author's Sys¬ 
tem of Chemistry, translated by the 
philosophic Nicholson. 
Coventry, AX XXX XX 
August 24, 1811. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.. 
SIR, 
WAS much struck with the judicious 
idea of one of your intelligent corre¬ 
spondents, of establishing an association 
to protect unsuspecting or helpless per¬ 
sons against the tricks and enormities of 
petty-foggers, and against the chicanery 
^and oppressions perpetrated in the name 
and form of law. 
These evils have grown to such au 
enormous height, and have been so 
ciuelly exasperated during the present 
commercial distresses of llie country, 
that the legislature ought to establish 
a permonent committee for the pur¬ 
pose of enquiring into, and redressing, 
them. But, as this is not to be expected, 
and ns all men have suffered more or 
less from the villainies of unprincipled 
and unfeeling lawyers, I advise, that a 
few pubiic-sijirited persons send tlieir 
names to the editor of the Monthly Ma* 
gazinc, and perhaps he will communicate 
between r.hem so as to enable them to 
meet arid adopt arrangements for a fu¬ 
ture public meeting at the Crown and 
Anchor, or Free Mason’s Tavern. 
The wrongs committed on society by 
professeii thieves and swindlers, are mere 
bagatelles, compared to those committed 
every hour by pettifoggers and unprin¬ 
cipled lawyers, who devour whole fami¬ 
lies by a stroke of the pen; and yet, 
against svvindlers and other petty rogues,, 
the lawyers themselves are at the head 
of associations in every parish. 
The object of such an association as 
that proposed, is of the highest moral 
and national consequence, involving the 
ha})piness of millions who are now so 
harrassed by vipers and miscreants, as 
scarcely 
