7801.) 
this volcano, that it is preparing itfelf for 
fome new eruption ; but it 1s probable that 
amidft the folitude of the Mariannes. this 
grand operation of nature will pafs on un- 
feen and unheeded by man. 
The lower parts of the ifland are, for 
the moft part, covered with trees of a dark 
luxuriant foliage: none feem to be more 
lofty than the talleft of the cocoa-nuts, 
They in general grow fo far alunder that 
there is no difficulty in paffing between 
them, and their clofed foliage above per- 
fe€tly excludes the rays of the fun. The 
ground 1s a moift black foil, ftrewed over 
with leaves and. other decaying {mall ve- 
getation, foft and cooling to the foot in 
the heat of the day. Neither grafs nor 
underwood grow in thefe places. 
Some few open {pots, without trees or 
fhrubs of any kind, produce a thick coat 
of long grafs ; but the foil is hard and 
ftoney. Other open places of a larger ex- 
tent grow clole patches of a kind of {mall 
fugar-cane. 
The moft plentiful, as well as the beft, 
production of the ifland is cocoa-nuts ; 
they are in uncommon abundance, and 
grow in clumps chiefly near the fhores 
clofe down to the beaches. Trees fome- 
what refembling the pines about Port jack- 
fon, in New Holland, are very numerous: 
they bear a {mall cone, and grow tall and 
ftraight to the height of thirty or forty 
feet. i 
A valuable fupply of the fruit) of the 
papau tree might be gathered: about the 
middle of Auguft, The flavour of thofe 
we plucked in the latter end of July was 
extremely fine, and their Gze was large, 
One bread-fruit-tree was met with, and 
a fmall unripe fruit was taken from it ; and 
alfo two {mall banana-trees, whofe fruit 
was fmall and unripe. 
There are feveral kinds of ftone-fruits, 
whofe tafte may probably be agreeable 
when they are ripe. 
The melléra or bread-tree of the Nico- 
bar Iflands is very common. 
We faw no quadrupeds, ‘except green- 
tailed lizards. Land crabs run about in 
great numbers. They are very large, will 
weigh two or two pounds and a_ half. 
They flocked round our fire at night, and 
{peedily afforded us a good fupper. __, 
Five years ago, the Rev. Mr. Howel, 
commander of the brig Wafhington, put a 
Sandwich-Ifland boar and two fows on 
fhore in the bay where we landed ; but we 
could find no traces of them, unlefs we 
were deceived in what we took to be the 
fcratchings of land-crabs. If they have 
Studies of the Univerfity of Cambridge. 
115 
perithed, it muft have been for want of 
water. 
Large partridges are numerous under 
the fhades, and are eafily thot. Quails 
were found in the open grafly places. We 
faw alfo owls, thrufhes, bullfinches, pi- 
geons, and heard delightful notes from a 
bird which we did not fee. 
There are few mofquitoes, or other 
troublefome flies. 
The latitude of Alamagan is 18° 05’ 
north, its longitude by lunars brought on 
146° 47’ eaft. The variation of the com- 
pafs is 41° eaft. The tide rifes fome- 
where about from five to feven feet, but 
the time of its flowing at the full and 
change was not obferved. 
ee 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIRs 
HE attempt of the Univerfity of Ox- 
ford to revive the dying embers of 
{cience in that celebrated feminary will, I 
am perfuaded, meet with the approbation 
of your readers ;, and before we enter 
more minutely into the nature of the new 
plan, they will be pleafed to have the op- 
portunity of contrafting it with that which 
has for {ome years been purfued with great 
advantage at the fifter univerfity. At 
Cambridge, the courfe of ftudy, before a 
young man takes his firft degree, occupies 
about three years and a quarter; as the 
general time of commencing it js in the 
Ostober term, and on the fecond Monday 
in January all who have refided ten\ terms 
in the univerfity may, if they are permit- 
ted by their refpective colleges, enter the 
fenate-houfe to undergo an examination 
for their degree of bachelorin arts, The 
courfe of ftudy adopted in Cambridge \s 
very judicious, and calculated to form the 
mind both for fcience and tafte. It may 
be confidered under the three heads of na-* 
tural philofophy, moral philofopky, and > 
the belles-lettres. 
A fuperficial knowledge: of natural phi- 
lofophy, the {mattering attained by fkim- 
ming over a variety of books or attending 
a valt variety of leétures, are held in no 
eftimation at Cambridge. The Platonic 
maxim is no where fo carefully obferved, 
wdesg ayewpelpnlos ercilw ; and though a five- 
years fiience is not prefcribed, the two 
years and a quarter which muft precede 
the appearance of a young manin a public 
exercife before the univerfity, are well em- 
ployed in laying down the foundations of 
{cience. In his firft year, the lectures 
under this bead are from Euclid, of whofe 
Q 2 fix 
