wherever it comes from. No imperfections of humanity can difcredit a noble cause; and it would be madnefs to reject Christianity, for inftance, either because Peter denied Chrift, or Judas betrayed him. It will be hard to meet with a more edifying or more confolatory lecture on religion than the death-bed of Julia. Her character is evidently intended as a model in this refpect. By that then we should judge of its author, and not by fretful doubts and petulant expreffions, the fad fruits of unjust perfecution, and of good intentions mifconftrued. Nor would it be difficult to produce, from the works of Rouffeau, a vast majority of paffages directly in fupport of Chriftianity itself, compared with what are fuppofed to be hoftile to it. It is notorious that he incurred the ridicule of Voltaire, for exalting the character and death of Jefus above that of Socrates. But he was infidious, and he difbelieved miracles,' fay his opponents. If he believed Chriftianity without the affiftance of miraeles to fupport his faith, is it a proof of his infidelity? If he was infidious, that is his own concern. I have nothing to do with hidden meanings or myftical explanations of any book, certainly not of the writings of fo ingenuous and perfpicuous an author as Rouffeau. Unfortunately for him, the whole tenour of thofe writings has been too hoftile to the prevailing opinions, or at least to the darling in terefts of thofe in authority among whom he lived; for Scribes and Pharifees are never wanting to deprefs every attempt at improving or inftructing the world, and the greateft herefy and moft unpardonable of. fence is always that of being in the right. For this caufe, having had the honour of feeling the vengeance of all ranks of tyrants and bigots, from a king or bishop of France to a paltry magiftrate of Berne, or a Swifs paftor, he was obliged to take refuge in England. Here he was received with open arms, being justly confidered as the martyr of that fpirit of investigation and liberty which is the basis of our conftitution, and on which alone our reformed religion depends. He was careffed and entertained by the best and most accomplished people, and experienced in a particular manner the bounty of our prefent amiable fovereign. One cannot but lament, that one of the most eminent, and I believe virtuous, public characters of that day, fhould of late have vainly enough attempted to compliment the fame fovereign, by telling him he came to the crown in contempt of his people, fhould have held up a Meffalina for public veneration, and become the calumniator of Rouffeau! Yet It is, indeed, true, that a certain morbid degree of fenfibility and delicacy, added to the inequalities of a temper broken down by perfecution and ill health, made Rouffeau often receive apparently well-meant attentions with a very bad grace. from most of the complaints of this kind which I have heard from the parties immediately concerned, I very much fufpect he was not unfrequently in the right. But, fuppofing him to have been to blame in all these inftances, they occurred pofterior to his most celebrated publications. Was it not very unjust, therefore, for those who had patronized and extolled him for thofe publications, to vent their animofity against them for any thing in his conduct afterward? Far be it from me, however, to attempt a full juftification of his writings. I only contend for the generally good intention of their author. The works themselves must be judg, ed by impartial pofterity. I merely offer my own fentiments; but I offer them freely, fcorning to difguife my opinion, either because infidels have preffed Rouffeau into their fervice, or because the uncandid and the the dishonest have traduced him falfely, not daring to declare the real cause of their averfion-his virtuous Lincerity. HENRY IV. of FRANCE. The affemblies of the Academies of Sciences at Paris,' were held on Wednesdays and Saturdays at the Louvre, in apartments granted to that illustrious body by Louis XIV. their founder. One of these rooms was the bed-chamber of Henry IV. In place of the bed, railed off, stands the bust of that Prince. Here his bleeding body was left for many hours in abfolute neglect; fo much did the intrigues concerning the regency occupy every one about the court, Ainfi,' fays Mezerai, il n'y avoit qu'un móment entre les adorations et l'oubli.' ACADEMY of SCIENCES at PARIS. An Englishman wonders the name of the Academy should be proftituted to give a fanction to particular kinds of rouge, Nothing is more common than to fee at a perfumer's, Rouge approuvée par l'Academie des Sciences.' But it must be confidered that this article is used by moft women, even of worth and character, in Paris; and the innocence of its compofition is therefore an object of public importance. YOUNG'S NARCISSA, Speaking of the Botanical garden at Montpelier, Dr Smith fays, Mr Bannal, whofe family for feveral generations has had the care of this garden, fhewed us the fpot where the celebrated author of the NightThoughts interred his daughter-in law with his own hands. It is in a low retired part of the garden (deftined for plants that require much fhade) under an arch. Mr Bannal's father was prefent, and by his friendfhip the ashes of poor Narciffa obtained this afylum, which, I am forry to hear, has been violated fince I was there. The intendant of the province, in the intention of erecting a monument here, had the precite place of interment fought for. The bones were found, but the convulfions of the late revolution occurring just at the time, the monument was never executed, and feveral of the bones were difperfed, being preserved by many people as a kind of relic. A few years ago two Italian abbés vifited this place, and left with the gardener a Latin infcription, which they requested to have placed over the grave; but this was neglected. Young is of all our poets one of the moft admired abroad, efpecially in Italy. My fellow-traveller was often welcomed with enthusiasm, on account of the fimilarity of his name to that of this favourite author. ORIGIN of the UNIVERSITY of LEYDEN. I cannot take leave of Leyden without mentioning that glorious period of its hiftory the ever-memora ble fiege it fuftained when Holland was about to shake off the Spanish yoke: an event upon which its inhabitants ftill dwell with pleafure; and in relating the particulars of which, I have feveral times feen the glow of a generous enthusiasm illuminate the most inanimate countenance.—It is fcarcely neceffary to enter into the detail of an event which fo many hiftorians have delighted to relate. The people having been reduced to eat the leaves of trees, as well as horfes, dogs, leather, and every other animal fubftance within their reach, a peftilence carried off more than half the inhabitants. In this dreadful exigency the befiegers calling on the townsmen to furrender, the latter appeared on the walls, and declared they would each of them first cut off his left arm for provifion, and fight with his right. The governor wrote to the Prince of Orange, that without help from him, or from heaven. they could not refift two days longer. At this crifis, providentially furely, Bb 2 the the wind changed, and blew in fuch a direction, that the Spanish army, fearing a flood, made a precipitate retreat. They were no fooner gone than the wind returned to the fame point as before, the waters retired, and there was an easy access to the town for the people with provifions, who flocked in on every fide: The churches were crowded with famished wretches, who, just saved from the jaws of death, one moment greedily devoured the welcome food, and another with fobs and inarticulate exclamations returned heaven thanks for their deliverance; infomuch that no regular fervice could be performed. And here a new diftrefs occurred. Many of the poor creatures, too eager in gratifying their craving appetites, fell down dead on the fpot, fo that the magiftrates were obliged for fome time to regulate the quantity of food for each perfon. The day after this fignal deliverance, the prince of Orange went to Leyden to exprefs his admiration of the inhabitants behaviour. What an interview must that have been! He gave them their option, whether to be for a time exempt from certain taxes, or to have an univerfity founded in their town. They wifely chose the latter, and have derived much profit from it. Such is the origin of the univerfity of Leyden. May it long continue the feat of freedom, and the nursery of every fentiment most favourable to the interefts of humanity! ON THE MANUFACTURE OF INDIGO AT AMBORE. [FROM THE TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETY, VOL. 3.] Prefent the Society with a fhort mange, and cocoa-nut, plantations? description of the procefs obferved in the culture and manufacture of indigo in this part of India. The Ambore diftrict is comprised within a range of furrounding hills, of a moderate height: the river Pallar, declining from its apparent foutherly direction, enters this district about three miles from the eastward, washes the Ambore Pettah, a fmall neat village, diftant three miles to the fouthward of the fort of that name, fituated in a beautiful valley; the kirts of the hills covered with the Palmeira and Date trees, from the produce of which a confiderable quantity of coarfe Sugar is made. This tract is fertilized by numerous rills of water conducted from the river along the margin of the heights and throughout the intermediate extent; this element being conveyed in these artificial canals (three feet deep), affording a pure and crystal current. of excellent water for the fupply of the rice fields, tobacco, the higheft fituated lands affording three three fourths full is agitated with a fplit bamboo extended to a circle, of a diameter from thirteen to twenty inches, the hoop twifted with a fort of coarfe ftraw, with which the manufacturer proceeds to beat or agitate the extract, until a granulation of the fecula takes place, the operation continuing nearly for the space of three fourths of an hour; a precipitant compofed of red earth and water, in the quantity of four quart bottles, is poured into the jar, which after mixture is allowed to ftand the whole night, and in the morning the fuperincumbent fluid is drawn off through three or four apertures practifed in the fide of the jar in a vertical direction, the lowest reaching to within five inches of the bottom, fufficient to retain the fecula, which is carried to the houfes and dried in bags. This is the whole of the process recurred to in this part, which I think, if adopted in Bengal, might in no fmall degree fuperfede the neceffity of raifing great and expenfive buildings; in a word, fave the expenditure of fo much money in dead ftock, before they can make any Indigo in the European method; to which I have to add, that Indigo thus obtained poffeffes a very fine quality. As I think thefe obfervations may be useful to the manufactures in Bengal, I could wish to fee them printed in the Tranfactions of the Afiatic Society. Ambore, 2d April, 1791. EXTRACT OF A TREATISE ON THE MANUFACTURE OF INDIGO AT AMBORE. BY MR DE COSSIGNY. [FROM THE TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETY, VOL. 3.] THIS experiment (the Indian procefs) infallibly fhows, that Indigo may be produced by different methods, and how much it is to be régreted that the European artifts fhould remain conftantly wedded to their method or routine, without having yet made the neceffary inquiries towards attaining perfection. Many travellers on the coaft of Coromandel having been ftruck with the apparent fimplicity of the means ufed by the Indians in preparing Indigo, from having seen their artists employed in the open air with only earthen jars, and from not having duly examined and weighed the extent of their process, apprehend that it is effected by easier means than with the large vats of mafonry and the machinery employed by Europeans; but they have been greatly mistaken, the whole appearing a delufive conclufion from the following obfervation, viz. that one man can, in the European method of manufacture, bring to iffue one vat containing fifty bundles of plant, which, according to their nature and quality, may afford from ten to thirty pounds of Indigo; whereas, by the Indian procefs, one employed during the fame time would probably only produce one pound of Indigo: the European method is therefore the most fimple, as well as every art where machinery is used for manual labour *. AN ACCOUNT OF THE ANCIENT BURYING-GROUND OF THE INNOCENTS, AT PARIS. SOME years ago the Burying ground of the Innocents at Paris, which had for centuries been the receptacle of a great part of the dead of ** Experience alone must decide between the oppofite opinions of Colonel Mar tip and Mr De Coffigny. of that city, was removed by order of Government, and in its ftead was erected an elegant Square and Marketplace. The appearances which this immenfe mafs of human bodies prefented on being opened into, were fo new, curious, and interefting, that we are of opinion the following account of them will gratify curiofity. It is partly a Tranflation, and partly an Analysis of a Memoir published by the celebrated M. Fourcroy on that occafion. PHILOSOPHY, he obferves, aided the efforts of Administration relative to the cemetery of the Innocents. It watched over the health of those employed in this occupation. Defirous folely of fulfilling this object, their labours were unexpectedly aggrandized by the variety of new facts which prefented themselves to their obfervation. These facts, while they aftonished the obferver, and threw much light on the nature and component parts of animal bodies, required to be attended to and purfued with a degree of zeal and activity worthy of fuch difcoveries. Confidering the filence of former obfervers, we could not be aware of the fingular refults of the decompofition of animal matter buried in immenfe maffes in the ground, Nor was it poffible to foretel the contents of a foil loaded for ages with bodies in every stage of putrefaction, although it was not difficult to foresee that it would differ from that of common church-yards, where every body has its own peculiar bed of earth, and where nature can eafily and readily feparate their various elements. The calculations of Naturalifts with refpect to the entire diffolution of bodies, which, according to fome obfervations, did not extend beyond fix years, were not indeed applicable to the cemetery of a great city, where fucceffive generations of inhabitants had been buried during three ages. Nothing, however, gave reafon to fuppofe that the decompofition of a dead body might be extended beyond the period of forty years; nor did any thing lead to fufpect that peculi ar variety which Nature teftifies between the deftruction of bodies buried in large quantities in fubterraneous cavities, and those infulated individually in furrounding earth. In fhort, it was impoffible to know the state of a ftratum of earth many yards in thicknefs, conftantly expofed to putrid exhalations or rather faturated with animal effluvia; and what influence fuch a foil might have on fresh bodies laid in it. Such was the object of our inquiries, and the source of the discoveries refulting from our labour. We found the bodies buried in this foil in three different states, anfwering to the time they had remained, the place which they occupied, and their pofition relative to each other, The most ancient presented only fome fragments of bones lying irregularly in the ground, where they muit have been frequently removed by the digging neceffary in fo vaft a cemetery. It was principally with refpect to the foft parts that we had occafion to observe some peculiarities which arrested our attention, In fome of the bodies, always those which were infulated, the muscles, the tendons, and the aponeuroses, were dry, hard, brittle, of a greyish colour, fimilar to what have been termed mummies, found in fomc cavities where fimilar changes have taken place, as in the Catacombs at Rome, and the Cavern belonging to the Cordeliers at Thoulouse, The third and most extraordinary ftate of these foft parts was found in the bodies which filled the common graves. This name was given to excavations of about thirty feet deep, and twenty in diameter, dug in the cemetery of the Innocents, in which were placed in tiers the bodies of the poor, inclofed in their coffins. The neceffity which they were under |