- feldom complete. 
‘defcribed, is more than a femi-circle, but 
non’s being occafioned by lightning; as 
does the not mere permanency, or decreafe, 
or dying out of fuch marks, but the an- 
nual increafe of fize which may be fre- 
quently noticed in fome; and the fact that 
fairy-rings originate in fmall patches, mi- 
litates ftrongly againft fuch a theory. 
It is urged on the above hypothefis, 
thet in the rings formed by lightning the 
turf is thereby calcined—but it mult oc- 
cur toevery one that where Jightning falls 
fo powerfully as to calcine turf, fome effect 
will be perceptible on the fubftrata of foil, 
or giavel, &c. tor even quartz, has been 
vitrified by lightning; but that no fimilar 
effect in any degree is to be difcovered. 
under fairy-iings, ether recent or old, has 
“been aicortained by- accurate . examina- 
tion, 
Inflead of troubling you with any fur- 
ther obfervatisns of my own in refutation 
of the above theory, permit me to clofe 
with a quotation frum the accurate bota- 
“nical work of the late Dr. Withering, in 
which,atter de(cribing the agaricus orcades 
the author explains the phenomenon of 
fairy rings in a more fatista€tory manner 
than has ‘been cone by any other writer. 
‘tT am fatisfied that the rare and brown; 
or highly-cloathed and verdant circles, in 
pafture helds, called fairy-rings, are caufed 
by the growth of this agaric. We have 
many of them in Edghbaftcn Park, on the 
fide of a field floping to the South Weft, 
of various izes ; but-the largeft, which is 
18 tect in diameier, and about as many 
Inches broad in the periphery, where the 
agarics grow, has exifted for fome years 
on the fl pe of an adjoining pafture-field, 
facing the fouth. The foilis there on a 
gravelly bottom. ‘Tie larger circles are 
The large one juft now 
this phenomenon-is not iriétly limited to 
a ciuctlar figure. Where the ring is 
brown and almoft bare, upon digging up 
the foil, to the depth of about two inches, 
the {pawn of the fungus will be found of 
agreyifh, white colour ; but where the 
grails has again grown green and rank, I 
never fuund any cf the {pawn exifting. A 
fimi'ar mode of growth takes place in 
‘fome of the cruftaceous lichens, particu- 
larly in the L. cenirifugus, (p. 218, vol.4, 
Edit 4.) which foreads trum a center to 
the circumference, and gradually decays 
in the middle; an obfervation made by 
-Linnzus, and which is equally applicable 
-to the general tendency of growth in the 
agaricus orcades.”’ 
! Your’s, &c. 
~ Feo, 23; 1803. mina 4 
G. 
Letiers of an American Traveller in France. 
“viage through the floughs ; but as foon as 
[April 1, 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
ORIGINAL LETTERS Of aa AMERICAN 
TRAVELLER, 10 his FRIEND in LON- 
DON, containing @ CIRCUMSTANTIAL 
ACCOUNT of alate TOUR from BOUR- 
DEAUX 10 PARIS, /rom p. 1346 
LETTER V. | 
FTER having made a ftay of fix 
weeks in Bourdeaux, I refolved 
upon viliting Paris. Having applied for 
and obtaired my paffport, 1 proceeded to 
make inquiries about the different modes of 
travelling. The diftance from Bourdeaux 
to Paris is about one hundred anid fifty 
leagues, which is only fifty leagues fhort 
of the entire length of France. ‘The com- 
mon diligence makes the journey in fix 
days, travels very little in the might, and 
allows its paffengers fufficient time for 
fleep and refrefhment. The courier, 
which carries the poft, goes from Bour- 
deaux to Paris in little more than four 
days. ‘This carriage admits but one paf- 
fenger who is more hurried than a tra- 
veller, would wifh to bein a country fo 
worthy of obfervation as France. It is fe 
unufual to travel pott here, that their poft- 
carriages, or cabriolets, are horrid ma- 
chines, and uniafe conveyances. The 
inns on the road are fo little a¢cuftomed 
to be vifited by perfons travelling poft, 
that they are nct prepared to recetvethem, 
Every inn has its table @’bote, and its re- 
gular hour for dinner and fupper : thofe 
travellers who come at this regular hour 
are fure of meeting good entertainment, 
at a moderate price ; but thofe who do not 
come at the regular hour can hardly set 
any thing to eat. So, that, all cifcum- . 
frances being confidered, it is beft to con- 
tent onefelf with the accommodation of the 
diligences, which,being almoit the univer- 
fal mode of travelling in France, are put 
under very good regulations. . 
While I was looking out for a convey- 
ance to Paris, I was not a little furprifed 
_at reading, in an advertifement refpecting 
one of thete diligences, As ah yy 
*s On ne met pas des baeufs 8 ce voiture.” 
Des beufs! Oxen toa deligence, gave me 
a very ftrange notion of French travelling. 
But, upon making inquiries refpeéting 
that circumftance, I was informed; that 
parts of the road had been, in winter, in 
fuch a wretched condition, that, in thofe 
bad fpots, they preferred oxen to horfes, 
as having more dead, ftrength, and being 
confequently better able to pull the car- 
- 
