ra 
Fao 
“= 
moir, which proves its author to bea phi- 
lofopher familiarized with the explanation 
ef the grand phenomena of nature. It is 
for men of {cience and enlightened mini({- 
‘ters to decide how far the meihods he pro- 
pofes are practicable in the country, and 
compatible with the fafety of the inhabi-’ 
tants and with the principles of good ad- 
miniftration. 
Memoir, that at fome future period one of 
the moft affictive calainities will be ba- 
nifhed from the earth, are teeta by the 
melancholy i idea of the accidents that may 
be accafioned by the inconfider mploy- 
ment of moft of the preiervaiive expedienis 
propofed by M. Denze. Be this as it 
may, I thought it might be intereiting to 
enter into this analylis, before’ I gave the 
details of the procets employed -in the e/- 
devant Maconnzis to prevent forms, fince 
3#t is the molt extenfive work tiiat has yet 
been written on this fubjeé&. 
It was at Vaurenard that this proc 
was fir practifed about thirty-five yea%s 
2go. The Marquis de Chevriers, for- 
merly a a naval officer, having retired to his 
eftate at Vaurenard, and feveral times wir- 
neffed the ravages occafioned by the Selly 
secollegied that he had feen at fea the ex 
plofion of artillery employed with fuccets 
to difperfe formy clouds, and re!ulved to 
try the effet of a fimilar ‘method to pre- 
vent hail. For this purpofe he mace ule 
ef fire-arms, which were difcharged on 
the hills at the approach of ftorms 3 and 
his experiments being attended with the 
happieft. refults, he continued ‘till his 
deat h,, which tock place at the beginnme 
ot the Revolu'icn, to preferve his lands 
from the ravages of hail, while at the 
fame time the neighbouring villages fre- 
guently fuftained very great injury. He 
annually confumed two or three hundred 
weight of mive-powder, with which he 
was fupplied foe the magazine of Ma- 
con. 
The inhabitants ef the communes jn 
wich Isy the poficffions of the Ma:quis 
ae Chevriers, caatinded by many years 
_ experience of the excellence of this prac- 
tice, continued to emplcy it. Their ex- 
ample was imitated by the contiguous 
communes, and {preading farther and far- 
ther, it is now adopted in the communes 
mio nx 
Alor 
ve Vaurencrd, Iger, Azé, Romenéche,: 
i ulnat, le Torrins, Pouiliy, Fleury, Saint 
hati: le Viviers, les Boutreaux, and te- 
aa oth-:s. Fhe fize of the pieces, their 
charge, end the number of times they are 
fired, vary accerding to local and cther 
circumfiances. The commune of Fleury 
takes a 
makes ule of @ mortar which 
Lesters from Switzerland, on the late Revolutions 
The hopes created by this , 
[July 
pound of powder for each charge. tis 
generally difcharged on the heights, before. 
the clouds have had time to accumulate in 
great number, and the explotions are re- 
peated till the itormy clouds are torally’ 
difperfed. According to-the report of the 
keeper of the Magazine at Macon, the an- 
nual coniumpticn for this purpofe i is from 
eicht to tea hundred weight of mine- powe 
der. ; 
The extenfion of this 
thefe few edie and the tuccefs which has 
confantly companied it, make it defir- 
able that its oft fhouid not ke confined to. 
the communes where it has been adapred, 
but that it may be diffufed wherever the 
fcourge which it obviates extends its ra- 
vages, Ttis the duty of the fcientifie f- 
cieties, which, in this circumfance, may 
adduce in fup- ‘ort of theory the experience 
of many years, 10 endeavour to propagate 
5 practice thar is not excenfive, nor at- 
tended with inconve Yencics, and the exe- 
cution of which, from its fimplicii v,. 18 
adapted to the capacity of all the inbabi- 
tanis of the country. 
=e 
proce fS within 
Far the Monthly Mogaxine. 
LETTERS c# the) PRESENP STATE of; 
WiFZERLAND, addrefjed dy @ TRA-. 
_VELLER thet COUNERY #0 ais 
FRIEND 72 LONDON. 
{ Continued from p. 3 oe of sur laf Number.} 
urich, Faly 1805. 
ROM Bafle to se ich there are two 
+. interefting roads, either by Baden or 
Schaffaaufen,. 
12 
~ 
Preferring the ‘latter, I” 
chofe taiher to walk at my “leifare than be’ 
cragged along in a cart (which fornis the - 
diligence to Zurich, ») at an uneafy and 1 
recul wW pece. 
On my way to Schaffhoufen F pafied 
through the h: ttle didri& of Fricktha My for- 
mer 7 belon ging to the houfe of Astin: 
but attached to the canton ef Argau fince 
the Bias of Luneviile. The charagter of 
its imhab tants, number, according 
to the lat calculation, amounted to 17,760 
refembies that of the Swils, being an ac- 
ive, laborious, patient, and” faithaal 
people. They are lefs chesrful and ani- 
mated than the peafiniry qt the acjacent 
countries, prel ira bly ow ing to the dittreffis © 
=% ean 
Voir 
and troubles they have experienced from ’ 
iate revolu-— 
nilitary inroads, dur ing the 
tionzry conteit. “Fhey have always dif- 
tinguiihed theméelves by their fleady at-’ 
tachment to their fovereign, and have Fe~s 
la@lantly yielded to’ the necefity cf ex- 
changing his government for that of aX 
Swifs canton. They were taxed fo Fete 
