* 
694 
will be no neceflity of covering them with 
guick-lime. 
I wifh you would explain to the agri- 
culturalifts, that they are miftaken in 
fuppofing lime to operate by promoting 
putrefaction in manures. ‘The chief ac- 
tion of that earth is to faturate acids, and 
in fo doing to form middle falts. When 
the feptic acid is thus attra&ted and com- 
bined, it forms an excellent fertilizer of 
foil ; but can no longer exereife, as before, 
its diforganizing power on the materials of 
the dung-heap. In this manner, the lime 
around our country-houfes on Long-Ifland 
aflifted in blunting the acidity which with. 
cut its aid might have injured the poplars, 
willows and eglantines you and I lately 
planted in their neighbourhood. 
Ufe your influence, my dear girl, for 
mine I fear is not of confequence enough, 
with the officers of police and magiftrates 
of cities, to obtain an order for paving 
the ftreets of towns, and their fide-walk, 
with ime-fione, or fome convenient calca- 
reous material, inttead of the flicious fiones 
and bricks now generally in ule. You may 
urge to them the neceffity of having fome- 
thing to abforb the pernicious and pefti- 
lential acid of fepton ; fo apt to be gene- 
rated during hot fummers in the Atlantic 
cities of North America ; and affure them 
that fuch foul places as Lifbon and Kilkenny 
are inftruétive examples of the extraordi- 
nary falubrity af calcareous materials for 
ftreets and buildings. You may inform 
chem that the calcareous bottoms of Cur- 
racea. and of Grande-Terre in Guade- 
loupe act moft powerfully in preferving 
health, by abforbing the feptic acid pro- 
duced in thefe tropical iflands. And con- 
vince them, if you can, that if /azd_/tone 
and brick muft enter into the compofition 
of the dwelling houfes in New-York, that 
they ought not only to be cemented and 
plaiftered within with szortar of lime, but 
be rough-ca/f? on the outfide with a compof- 
tion of the fame kind. Proclaim it aloud 
to all the people, that calcareous earth is 
plentitully afforded by a benevolent provi- 
dence, to preferve man from the miafinata, 
as they are called, of peftilence, and if he 
neglects to employ it in the houles and ci- 
ties which he builds, and confiruéts them 
of other and improper materials, he muft 
expect to fuffer in this, as in other cafes 
where he treats the manifeftations of the dt- 
vine will with contempt. Where the fur- 
face of the earth is paved naturally with 
calcareous earth, peitilential difeates are 
mild or rare; what then do reafon and ex- 
perience prompt to be done for guarding 
againfh thelr ravages, but to protect the 
Dr. Miichill s third Letter on Albalies, 
[O&ober, 
fettlements of men with an artificial paves 
ment of a fimilar material ? 
. Tell the phyficians how kwme-water has 
cured dyfenieries and ulcers, by moderating 
and blunting thofe corrofive fluids which, 
in both cafes, has been formed by a com- 
bination of fepton with oxygene,.and €i- 
ther produced the reipeétive diforders ori- 
ginally, or perpetuated and made them 
worfe. Thus you may explain to them 
how crabs-eyes, prepared chalk, leangated 
coral, and other things cf the fame kind 
work their good effects when internally 
adminiftered.. - te 
It is -very honorable to the fair /ex, 
that they have long underftood the prac- 
tice of combating peftilence by calcareous 
earth, within there domeftiic precinéts.. 
When they can perfuade che men (for I 
believe that after all the ladies mui con- 
vince them) to employ zarble, lime frone, 
or fome other. fimilar material for their 
houfes and pavements, and chaikto envelope 
the bodies of ihe dead, they will have ac- 
complithed fome of the mof important 
improvements. in civilized fociety. Re- 
joice with me that the lady who can effect 
thefe wholefome reculations fhail have, noe 
merely a ftatue of marble, like APOLLO 
who flew Python, and HERCULES that 
killed Hydra, erected to. her honour ; but, 
what is of far greater value, fhall feel the 
confcioufnefs of having employed {cience 
fuccefsfully in the cawle of benevolence. 
And rejoice alfo that thefe things, which 
have been hid from the wie aud prudent, 
have been revealed unto babes :-—Do thefe 
things; for I “can have no doubt, you | 
fully participate my joy on another fub- 
ject, which is getting to the end of this 
uncommon fort ofan epiftle; though i 
cannot finifh it without declaring to you 
with what fentiments of tendernels and 
attachment I am yours, " 
SaMuUEL L. MiTCHILL. 
Nezw-York, Fuly 17th, ¥799- 
ee 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
ERMIT me, through the medium of 
your valuable publication, to re- 
gueft an anfiver to the following queries: 
Which are the moft approved German and 
Spanifh Grammars and Dictionaries; 
and what elementary books are beft calcu- 
lated for the perufal of the Englith ftudent? 
Perhaps fome gentleman of literary ex- 
perience will favour me with the required 
information. Iam, Sir, 
Your humble fervant, 
SUDITONE. 
Oa 
Sune 6, 1799s 
