1801.] 
very curious and myferious fpring, that 
flows outward to the river (thatruns near 
it) for one half of the year, and inward 
from the river during the other half; and 
this change always ‘taking place on Old 
Mi: idfamimer day :” whatever were the 
reports he had gleaned of this phenomenon 
from the ** pallid and miferable-logking. 
old women and children” that he met wit 
at the factories, it is ridiculous and abfurd : 
—-true, it is a curious fpring ; Car not 
for its ** difrefpedt to the aét ‘of parlia- 
ment that altered the ftyle of Midfummer- 
day, without effecting any compliance 
with its ufual cuftom of changing a cure 
rent at Old Midfummer ;” ir is remark- 
able only for its clearnefs and never-failing 
ftream. 
From this, he rambles back to ** Vales 
Farm-houfe,” formerly the manor-houle, 
where ftill are the ruins of a Roman Ca- 
tholic chapel. This admits of fome 
~ doubt, as we find in it a large (and I {up- 
ofe once comfortable) fire-place. It ap- 
pears more likely to have been, a large 
hall, which oft had enecrly rung ad 
many a burft of laughter ; and where 
mirth, in lively mood, had driven forrow 
to the fhades in the vale beneath. | 
s¢ Having explored this dale to its up- 
per extremity,” he returned to contemplate 
its finuous appendages towards Elz; and 
paffing, I fear, too haitily, over its roman- 
tic Beanie: and {lightly noticing rocks, 
water, and ruined buildings, he vifits 
again the town of Frome, where he {peaks ° 
of its factories. Among .other objects 
worthy.of his obfervation was the large 
cafk, which is not at the fign of the Bell, 
-as he writes, but at the Spread Eagle :— 
for the information of his readers, he 
might have faid, it contains 170 hogs- 
heads. He SPP EARS. more intere(ted in de- 
feribing the meeting-houfes than the 
church, which only is «§ Spacious and 
weat:’ no town in the weit of Eng- 
land has a more beautiful church than 
Frome. 
«« After dinner, he.walked to Leagleat, 
in Wiltfhhire,”? about four miles from 
Frome. It is (and perhaps was at that 
time) unfortunate; that after a hearty 
meal, the fenfes are grown too dull and 
taftelefs for any .intereft of the mind; 
every object has inconfiftencies; and, in- 
ftead of epal judgments an hafty improper 
decifion fatisfies the underftanding. —‘s A 
leavy, dull, and. taftelefs incumbrance,”’ 
are terms in which he defcribes the man- 
fion of Longleat; the park is but <‘* fo 
fo; and the canal, ‘* anafty ftagnant 
pool,” *He had almoft rebuked himfelf 
Pedeftrian Tour Correfied—~ Morveau's Eudiometer. ‘805 
for this tempelt of exclamation, by reflect- 
ing, that a great perfonage (the King, I 
believe) had thought this place ‘* a very 
fine thing.”’ Perhaps my conjectures 
might be ‘grounded on fubftantial founda- 
tions, if 1 fuppofe that this tourift {peaks 
in thefe or fimilar terms of every nol ble-. 
man’s houfe he meets with; and. that, 
living in an age of reafon, thete habita- 
tions of the rich are to him eye} lores. 
Correcinefs, Mr. Editor, in iocal de- 
fcription is of no fmall importance; and 
itis with regret that I feel the necefliry of 
thus addreffing you, a® the Editor of the 
Monthly Magazine, with the above obfer- 
vations. With every deference to the 
author of thefe excurfions now before us, 
I would much rather we had no ramblers 
at all, than fuch whofe information is fo 
oppofite to the necefiary rules of defcrip- 
tive writivg. Asa lover of the {clences, 
I confider this as one, not of the Jeaft in- 
difference ; and, knowing your work tobe 
Open to every party, I conlider myfelf at 
liberty to beg an infertion of this pa- 
eae t 
Frome, OG, 16, 1801. 
EE \ 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
N the Encylopaedia Britannica, the Eu- 
diometer of Guyton de 'Morveau is 
Rtrongly recommended. In that initrument, 
the purity of the atmofpheric air is afcer- 
tained by means of fulphuret of potais, 
which is faid to pallets the property of 
abforbing oxygen. . I have made ule of an 
eudiometer conftruéted on this-principle ; 
but, though the directions given in the 
Supplement to the Encyclopeedia Britanni- 
ca, under the article Eudiometer, were ex- 
actly attended to, no abforption of oxygen 
whatever took place. The fulphuret of 
potafs was the beft I could procure, and 
was hot when put into the retort; I have 
repeatedly tried the experiment, and uni- 
formly failed of fuccefs in every inftance. 
if any of your readers have fucceeded bet- 
ter than mylelf, I fhould be obliged to 
them to inform me, through the medium 
of your interefling publication, whether 
they adopted any precautions not men- 
tioned in the Encyclopzedia, or whether 
they can account for my want of fuccefs. 
I fhould not. have troubled you with thefe 
inguiries, if I had not known that others, 
as well as myfelf, have failed in their at- 
tempts to perform this experiment, whom 
you will cblige by inferting this letter, as 
well as 
Your's, &c. 
For 
