504 
of trees at that feafon, I was Bicone at 
what I took for the hoar-frof upon the 
trunks and branches, in the middle of fo 
fine a day 5 but upon examination, was 
foon convinced, by the tafle and appear- 
ance of the cryftals, of its being the 
zairon muriatum, ot common falt, and 
which 1 alfo perceived were depofited only 
on the fides OF the, tunks and branches 
facing the wid, and upon the gates, 
Ryles, rails, &c. ihe ving the fame afpedt. 
i pointed out the circumftance to feveral 
ef.my friends, who hed never witnefied 
# betore, nor cdusd account for it; and [I 
gathered fome branches ef hawtho mm, on 
Which the cryftallization was very per- 
ceptible, and preierved them a ccnfider- 
able time. As from the particulars 
above-mentioned I had reafeon to con 
fider the falt was brought and dépofited 
from the atmofphere ;—I would afk; is it 
poffible that the violent and continued ac- 
tron of the wind ‘in the fame dire€tion upon 
the ceean cculd raife the fpray or par- 
ticles of water in fuch a manner as to 
convey and depofit them fo far inland; 
the difiiance from the occan being at leaii 
ene hundred miles ?—And as there isreafon 
to believe the famie occurrence frequently 
prevails, muft i¢ not greatly affect ve- 
getation ? CHIRURGUs. 
“Burton oa Trent, Auguft 16, 1799- 

SCME GENERAL PARTICULARS CON- 
CERNING THE CHINESE. 
By ANDRE’ .EVERARD VAN BrRAamM 
- Houckeceesr, late Chief iz the Direc- 
tion of the Dutch Eaf? India Company in 
China, and the fecond Perfoni inthe Ens- 
_baffy tothe Court of the E Emperor of China.* 
‘HE Chinefe are fuperior te Euro- 
Ji. peans in feveral branches of know- 
ledge, oy in agriculture. Th 
conitrution of their bridges and. their 
dykes are excellent, the latter are equal to 
thofe of Holland. 
Their archite&ure in the palaces of 
Pekin and Yuen- -ming -yuen is noble, me2- 
jeftic and regular, in which ornament and 
elegance are di! played without fuperfinity 
and vain oftentation. ‘The Chinefe are 
unacquainted with the five orders of ar- 
chitecture made ufe of in Europe; yet the 
Jaft vifitors to that nation affure us that 
there are none of the temples or imperial 
edifices which would not be viewed in 
Europe with admiration. They poffeis 
alfo a Bey, extraordinary and warivalled 
fkill in the art of diving under water for 
the recovery of treafures at the bottom, 
without the aid of any machine; of this 
* ‘Thete articles have never beiore been 
publithed. : 
2 
The Chinefe and Chinefe Games by Van Braam. 
[ Sept. 
the following is a fufficient proof. In 
June 1772, the Dutch Eaft India Com- 
pany had the misfortune to lofe one of 
their fhips, called the kynfourg, upon the 
coaft cf China in a hurricane. This fhip 
funk while at anchor in twelve fathoms 
water, in the ifle of Meru. There were 
only eight men faved, who, after being at 
fea upon raits for twenty-four hours, were 
thrown upon the fhore. 
This thip richly laden, had, among other 
thin gs, more than th irty chefts of money. . 
All : hopes of recovermg the cargo were 
relinquifhed ; when fome Chineie came 
and propoied to ‘undertake recovering the 
money on condition of havimg one third 
for their trouble, and making 1 no demand 
if they fhould not fucceed. Their pro- 
poial was agreed to, and they began to 
attempt it In 177 33 but not being fufi- 
ciently acquainted with the conti iruction 
of the Dutch ihips, they did not iucceed. 
But in the fame year having been con- 
du€ted on board ancther vefiel of the Com- 
pany for the purpofe of ftudyi ing the par- 
ficular form and confiruétion of the thip, 
and the manner of placing the chefis m 
fimilar cafes, they recommenced. their la- 
bours in 1774, and brought to the factory 
of the Company every ~cheft of money 
which had been loft; befides the filver 
buckles, knives, forks and {poons belong- 
ing to the officers. They had been ob- 
lised to break up two decks in order to 
come at the chefts. ‘They next under- 
took the recovery of other parts of the 
cargo, and would have fucceeded but for 
the great fwell which had taken place in 
the “bales of Indian cotton on board, 
through which the divers found it impof- 
fible to penetrate to the merchandize 
under it. The money reftored was di- 
vided into three parts, of which the Chi- 
nefe Government had one, the Dutch Com. 
pany another,.and the divers the other. 
This fact of the ‘recovery of money 
from a veflel under fuch circumfances, 
has been regarded as a proof of {kill of 
which Europe does not afford an example. 

THE GAMES AND PUBLIC AMUSEMENTS 
OF THE CHINESE. By ihe Same. 
“THE firt and moft efteemed game 
among the Chinefe is called Ouay-k. It 
is a kind of war- -game, the objeét of which 
is to inveft and conquer a country. They 
play with {mall ftones flat and circular of 
two colours, commonly black and white, 
to the number of eighty of each colour, 
placed upon a paper chefs board, the 
coloured compartments of which crofs 
each other. This game is fo difficult that 
no 10 perfon has been found who could play 
ae 
me te 
