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240 
in which there are references to some 
Acts of Parliament now almost forgotten, 
and to ancient usages which might help a 
magistrate whose decision may be soli- 
cited. As [have not the book by me, I 
cannot say whether he can find there a 
case exactly in point. If not, it will per- 
haps be dificult for him to obtain a pro- 
per satisfaction. 
From his letter ke appears to have a 
valuable garden, &c. on the nerth side of 
his neighbour's apiary, separated from it, 
as we may suppose, by a high wall, whieh 
prevents his seeing the hives: and the 
bees on guard at the entrances must also 
be unable to see him, on account of the 
same medium. In such a case I say, 
from long practice and experience, that 
his neighbour's bees will not disturb him, 
unless they are provoked in a very extra- 
ordinary manner, and no man who keeps 
bees for his amusement and profit ,as Ido, 
will ever disturb them desiguedly, or per- 
mit them to be so disturbed as to annoy 
any person who does not present himself 
in the sphere of their entrance, which 
cannot be the case with Oxontensis, un- 
less his wall be an improper one. If it 
be, let him make it higher. 
I allow that once during, a practice of 
more than twenty years, by a mistake in 
deprivation, I irritated the bees of one co- 
Jony, so that I couid not enter the garden 
with impunity, for several days; and that 
haymakers were attacked by them on the 
day of deprivation only, at the distance 
of even a hundred yards: but no person, 
after that day, was annoy ed by them who 
did not appear in the garden. In short, 
the bees that attacked the people in 
the field were not gathering, but seeking 
me. 
The fact is, that bees when gathering, 
will annoy no person, out of the sphere of 
their entrance, which does not extend be- 
hind a norch wall, however near to the 
hive. You may beat them away from 
flower to flower, and they will notattempt 
to revenge your conduct, where you and 
they have an equal right. The bees of 
different hives will fall upon a spoonful of 
honey, and struggle one with another to 
obtain the greatest quantity, and you may 
push them away with a hair-pin, and will 
receive no injury. 
I conclude, therefore, that the neighbour 
of Oxoniensis acted against his own inter- 
est, and with a skill which few cam exer- 
cise; or that he had some misfortune in 
depriving, which le will take care to 
avoid in future; or that the bees were 
swarmikg, in which care they are some- 
4 
/ 
Innocuousness of Bees. Adveniuré of 
fOct. t; 
times, though seldom troublesome to suck 
as do not approach them. Against these 
cases there is perhaps no- law. . And if 
there were, it will be too difficult for Ox- 
oniensis, without the aid of the owner, 
to prove that he was stung by his neigh- 
bour’s bees, and not by those of some 
other person; as he must mark the bee 
that stings hima, and watch, with a witness, 
its entrance into the hive. Here an Eng- 
lish jury will perhaps set the question at 
rest. 
I do not pretend to be an adept in the 
natural history of flowers or fruits, but am 
of opinion that bees do more good than 
harm amongst them, . One of the garden- 
ers of Lord C. told me, “ he was confident 
the cucumbers would set well, when he 
perceived the bees busy upon them, as 
they mixed the male and female farina.” 
The particle of honey, sometimes found in 
the cups of flowers, was perhaps designed 
by nature, not to nourish that flower, but 
those insects which, by their kind offices, 
forward its propagation, as when that ho- 
ney is taken away, even by rain, the 
flower still prospers. 
Your’s, &c. 
Aprarius oF Devon, 
se 
Lo the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
T is recorded, to the honour of ourna- 
tion, that an Englishman was the first 
to discover the immortal author of Dor 
Quixotte, and the few particulars that - 
could be collected relative to his birth 
and family. In turning over the second 
volume of Ginés Peres’ Civil Wars of Gra- 
nada, which is no romantic performance 
like the first volume, but a true history of 
the rebellion of the Moors of the Alpujarra. 
mountains, that broke out seventy-seven - 
years after the subjugation of Granada 
by Ferdinand and Isabella, I found an ad- 
venture mentioned of two gentlemen of 
the name of Cervantes, one of whom was 
probably the father of Michael Cervantes, 
of whom we are speaking; their lives be- 
ing in some particulars remarkably paral- 
lel. Hoping it may amuse your readers I ~ 
have ventured to send a relation of it. 
“The Marquis of Los Velez, marvelling 
at the silence of the enemy and hearing 
of the rout of Alvaro de Flores, and that 
the Marquis of Mondejar had left the ar- 
my, was in suspence how to act; whe- 
ther to continue his march, or to retreat 
from Verja; havingno orders from court, ~ 
or from Don John of Austria, who was then ‘ 
in Granada, attending, as generalissimg, ; 
to the conduct of the ‘war, the protr action 
whereol 
