ties was carried off. The liquor being strained through a woolen cloth, each of them was boiled to the thickness of a syrup, which was put in a glass, and set eight months in a warm place, when little crystallisations of sugar appeared, which were with difficulty separable from the fluid. For this purpose each syrup was evaporated by a gentle fire, till they became dry, and this mass was digested with alkoholized spiritus vini to ebullition. The fluid still hot was instantly poured through a linen cloth, whereon the mucilaginous parts remained, but on the cooling of the spirituous solution, a true sugar, of a yellow colour, crystallised in small grains. The alkohol being drawn from the remaining fluid, by distillation, another portion of sugar was got by gentle evaporation; and altogether, two ounces from the syrup of the young stalks, and one ounce and a half from that of the spikes. By these experiments it is sufficiently shewn, that from the young fresh stalks, as well as from the spikes, of India-corn, a true sugar can be extracted; but as its separation from the gummons and other particles mixed with it is combined with such difficulties, and the gain so inconsiderable, that a pound of raw sugar from this plant would cost one rixdollar, or above three shillings, appears that no profit or economy will arise from the fabrication of this sugar. Experiments for obtaining Sugar from the Siberia Cow-Parsnep. The Russian cow-parsnep (Heracleum Sphondylium Lin; Heracleum sibiricum) has been long known, as a plant containing a great deal of saccharine matter, in which respect, according to Steller (in his travels to Kamtchatka, in German) it deserves the next place to the sugarcane, and the natives call it the sweet herb or Ratsh. According to Gmelin (Flora Sibirica, s. 1. p. 214) it does not differ from our common cow-parsnep, but others think it a particular species, to which they give the name of Sphondylium Penaces. The inhabitants of Kamtchatka gather the stalks of this plant in June, and having stripped off the leaves, they shave off the outer skin with muscle shells, and dry them in the sun, and afterwards they are chewed for the sake of sucking out the saccharine matter. In drying the surface of the stalks, it is covered with a white saccharine powder, which they separate by shaking them in a leather bag; but forty pounds of them afford only a quarter of a pound of this powdersugar, which therefore is considered as a great rarity. Besides this the stalks and roots of the plants are employed for obtaining a sort of brandy. I was supplied with some fresh plants of the Heracleum sibiricum for my experiments, but finding that the stalks were by no means so rich in sugar, as it is related of those plants growing in Sibiria, I tried the roots, of which I got four pounds, whose taste is sweetish, like that of parsneps. Having freed them from the outer skin they were dried, but no saccharine crust appeared on the surface. They were therefore ground; and being mixed with water the juice was pressed, which tasted sweetish, but a little acrid. Being boiled with the white of eggs, and clarified, it was thickened to the consistence of a syrup, of which six ounces were got, wherein after a space of three months, a brown grainy sugar had crystallized, which however was not quite free from a disagreeable flavour. Though it is shown by these experiments, that sugar may be obtained from that plant, yet the preparation of the sugar is too expensive, for making use of it in economy. It is however probable, that the soil has a great influence upon the plant, and that therefore those growing in Siberia are richer in sugar. Experiments to obtain Sugar from the Must of Wine. It might be presumed from the taste of must obtained from ripe grapes, that a considerable quantity of saccharine matter is contained in it, though involved by mucilage. To try whether a true sugar could be extracted from it, some experiments were uudertaken. Eight Berlin quarts of must, from ripe sweet grapes, were seethed with the white of eggs, clarified and filtered. The fluid being evaporated, gave three pounds of an agreeable but acidu lous syrup. To take away this free acid, the syrup was dissolved again in limewater, and so much of it added, till no acid was perceived by reagents. The fluid being again clarified and evaporated, a very agreeable syrup was obtained, from which it was by no means possible to exhibit crystallised sugar, However, this syrup would, at the high price of must, not be very profitable. REMARKABLE OCCURRENCES. Hanover, (Vt.) Dec. 2. A remarkable bird was last Saturday killed by Henry Nevens, of this town. It was upwards of three feet in height.....though it weighed but twelve pounds, it was judged sufficiently stout, and bold enough to have attempted and even destroyed the lives of calves, sheep, and lambs. Its wings extended, measured seven feet, eight inches; and its claws were two and one-fourth inches in length. This fowl is supposed to be of the eagle species; but few of this size are rarely met with in this part of the country. What is remarkable, Mr. Nevens shot him flying, sitting on his horse. Reading, Penn. Dec. 3. In the night of Monday and Tuesday, the 29th ult. the barn and stables of Mr. Waters Dewees, at Birdsborough, with ten of his best horses, and a quantity of grain and hay, were entirely consumed by fire, and so violent were the flames that nothing of this valuable property could possibly be saved, only the riding horse of Mr. Dewees, who escaped much burned, and will hardly ever be fit for use. The worst of the horses was worth fifty pounds ....Nobody knows how the fire broke out. Boston, Dec. 5. Two highway robberies have been committed in the vicinity of this town, within these few days. On Tuesday evening about 7 o'clock, Mr. John Winship, returning home from market, was attacked by three persons on the Medford and Menotomy road, opposite the Ten-Hills farm, in Charlestown, robbed of between twenty and thirty dollars in silver, and severely wounded. On Friday evening, on the same road and near the same spot, a Mr. Batley, of Charlestown, on his return from a journey to the upper parts of the country, was assailed by seven persons, two of whom entered his chaise, and presenting pistols at his breast, demanded his money, and took all he had about him, then threw him on the ground, searched for his pocked-book and watch; and not finding either, bade him get into his chaise and go back to Medford..... After proceeding about forty rods, thinking the robbers had dispersed, he attempted to get to Charlestown; but on arriving at the spot where he had before been robbed, he was again assailed by the robbers, and obliged to return to Medford, where he continued all night. The robbers were armed with musquets and pistols. Raleigh, N. C. Dec. 6. A bed of gold ore has been lately discovered in Cabarrus county, in this state, in a creek running through the land of Mr John Reed, a native of Hesse Cassel, in Germany, which promises to be a source of great riches to the proprietor. The metal was first found by two or three children of Mr. Reed, who were fishing. They brought a few pieces home to their father, as a curiosity, ignorant of its value. On examination, the ore was found not only to be gold, but gold of a very pure quality. Since this discovery, these little boys have picked up daily from one hundred to one hundred and twenty penny-weights (worth upwards of twenty pounds sterling) but the proprietor has lately found a lump of the ore twenty-eight pounds weight, which it is supposed, when fluxed will yield twenty-seven pounds of pure gold, and is worth upwards of five thousand six hundred dollars! These facts are assured to us by one of the members of our general assembly from Cabarras, now in this city, who has in his possession two specimens of this precious metal, one as it is found and the other as purified. Staunton, Vir. Dec. 9. A melancholy accident happened on Thursday, the 1st instant, in this country. The kitchen of Mr. Coiner was consumed by fire, and with it two of his children, one about two and the other about four years of age together with a negro child. Mrs. Coiner and the children being at home by themselves, she, while cleaning the house, told them to go to the kitchen, a few minutes after having occasion to go there herself, discovered it enveloped in flames, supposed to have originated by the children in playing with the fire, dropping some coals in a quantity of flax contiguous to the door, which prevented her from entering, she immediately ran to a hole in the wall where she beheld her tender offspring with uplifted hands, supplicating assistance; her exertions to rescue them were in vain; on taking hold of their arms they slipped from her grasp, the skin remaining in her hands; she made a second effort, and got the head of one through the crevice, but being VOL. I....NO. v. unable to get it farther, it was consumed together with the others, in sight of its agonized parent. Their bones were gathered up on the following day and decently interred. Alexandria, December 12. Flour inspected in the town of Alexandria, for the quarter ending the 11th December, 1803: 10,485 barrels 1,938 half barrels 119 barrels Indian meal. Philadelphia, December 13. About two o'clock in the afternoon, a fire broke out in an unfinished three story brick house, situated on the south side of Sansom-street, near Seventh-street. Although the citizens immediately repaired to the place, and used every effort in their power to stop its progress, it was not subdued until it had destroyed the house in which it originated, and seven other new brick buildings of the same size, adjoining it. The burning shingles were carried by the force of the wind, in a southwesterly direction, several squares from the place, and they would probably have occasioned other conflagrations had not the houses been previously wet by a seasonable rain. These buildings were nearly tenantable, but fortunately neither of them were occupied by a family. We understand that they were the property of industrious carpenters and bricklayers....some of whom, it is said, are not in a situation to bear so heavy a loss. None of the houses were insured. ing the last forty-eight hours. It commenced before day on Tuesday, accompanied with violent rain. Our harbour crowded with shipping and coasting craft, was exposed, especially on the Hudson side of the town, to all its rage. The following vessels were either dashed to pieces against the wharves and adjoining vessels, or sunk. In the North river near the hay-scales, a schooner belonging to Mr. John Hetfieid, of Staten-island, laden with hay; and a sloop, name unknown: near the corporation dock, a sloop laden with wood and marketing: off the battery a sloop laden with pork, beef, cheese, &c. in the East river, near the Exchange-slip, a schooner belonging to Mr. Cornwell, owner of the mills at Red hook, laden with flower; and a schooner belonging to Mr. Reynolds. Exclusive of the above, which have been completely wrecked, a vast number have sustained more or less injury, and the total damage cannot be rated at less than twenty thousand dollars. December 17. The lovers of the fine arts will be gratified to learn, that a very ingenious painter from Italy, has taken his residence in this state, which we hope soon to see enriched with his productions. Mr.Zuchotti some time since arrived and took lodging in Roxbury, where he remained unnoticed and unknown, till a gentleman gave him his permission to ornament a room which he was finishing. The superior beauty and elegance of this performance caught the eye of a watchmaker of taste who was fitting up a shop in Boston; Mr. Z. was engaged to embellish it; when this second work was finished, his genius was suffered no longer to remain in obscurity; for, from the liberal citizens of Boston, he had immediate applications for work, the completion of which will take more than two years. Carlisle, Penn. Dec. 14. On Saturday morning last, a fire broke out in the dwelling-house of John Steele, esq. about one mile from this borough, and before any assistance could reach the place was burnt to the ground. All his furniture, together with a large quantity of grain, which was in the upper story of the house, were entirely consumed. Haverhill, Dec. 20. On Saturday last, a barn in Andover, containing twenty head of cattle, a horse chaise, and a quantity of grain, hav, &c. belonging to Mr. Nathanial Gage, was entirely consumed by fire. It is supposed this accident was occasioned by a negro boy, who carried fire in a mug, into the barn, to warm his hands while foddering the cattle. On Sunday night, the 18th December, Mr. Phineas Moody, of Somers, (Con.) who had for some time previous been in a low, melancholy state of mind, was led to the horrid purpose of murdering his family and himself. After the family were asleep, he procured an axe with which he in the first place killed his wife and infant child, about twelve months old. His wife was badly cut in several places; her arm, on which probably the child lay, was cut almost entirely off, likely by the blow which dispatched the infant. He then went up into a chamber where a niece of his slept, about eight years of age, whom he mangled in a shocking manner. She had several gashes of the axe in different parts of her face, neck, and breast; three of her fingers cut entirely off, and others partly. He then returned to the room where his wife was, and left the axe, went into a lower room, and cut his throat from ear to ear. He was about 40 years of age. The next morning the deed was discovered by a little lad who went to the house with an errand, who spread the alarm........... The scene was enough to "harrow up the soul" of a stoic. A jury of inquest was immediately summoned who brought in a verdict of.... Wilful Murder! New-Bedford, Dec. 28. On the 16th instant, the deputymarshal, agreeable to previous notice, proceeded to sell by public auction, at twelve o'clock, on that day, a quantity of rum and molasses, which had been justly forfeited by law, for an attempt to evade the payment of the duties. At the commencement of the sale, a mob collected to the number of one hundred and fifty or two hundred, with an evident determination to abuse any person who should over bid the original owners....two or three respectable individuals from the country, saw proper, notwithstanding these "squally appearances," to make higher bids; they were shamefully abused, and one of them, after an unsuccessful attempt had been made to throw him into the dock, was beaten in a most shocking manner, and it was only by the most spirited exertions of his friends, that he was rescued from the hands of the ruffians, in so mangled and exhausted a situation that his life was at first despaired of. We forbear adding more at present, we regret that a cause should exist for saying so much, and sincerely hope, for the honour of that ancient town, that the instigators of so daring an outrage on the laws of civilized society, will receive the punishment which their conduct merits. Late in the fall of the year 1798, as I went down the Ohio in company with three or four others, we lodged one night at a house on the bank of the river opposite to the upper end of a small island, about thirteen miles above Marietta. In the morning our landlord asked us if we would go over to the island to see the big tree. I had several years before heard of a remarkably large tree somewhere on the Ohio, but had not recollected where, neither had I much curiosity to see it.... however, the company being very desirous to go, I went with them.... the island is supposed to contain about ten or twelve acres of land, lying low, just above high water. I thought it one of the finest or richest pieces of land I had ever seen. At a few perches from the shore our conductor brought us to the stump of a large tree, indeed. The stump was about twelve or fifteen feet high, and being hollow, there was a kind of door cut in one side, where I went in, the shell was about two or three inches thick and the cavity nearly circular. We had the curiosity to measure the diameter on the ground inside, and found it upwards of eighteen feet, and as high as we could reach up, it was about thirteen and an half feet on the outside, on the ground the circumference was about sixty feet, but not quite so much higher up, though it kept its thickness remarkably. The tree had two large branches or limbs, which were broken down, and had fallen in opposite directions. One of these limbs, at the distance of twenty steps, or about sixty feet from the root of the tree, we all supposed to be six feet in diameter, the other I did not so particularly attend to, but one of the young men in company told me he stood upright in the hollow, in this end of it, as it lay near the root of the stump. These branches had separated from each other, perhaps fifteen or twenty feet high." Cabarrus County, N. Carolina. The gold mind in Cabarras, has of late drawn the attention of a number of our citizens very much. Indeed it has so far engaged the minds of many, that it has become the common theme in almost every company. The fact is, it has lately produced wonders. Besides a variety of less magnitude, there was, found just below the surface of the about three weeks ago, one lump earth, that weighed twenty-eight pounds, steellyard weight. This, at the common calculation, will be worth about seven thousand dollars. it is well worthy of notice. So that from its present appearance Fredericksburg, Vir. Dec.29. On Monday last, Mr. William Thornton and Mr. Francis Conwa |