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Answers to Queries in No. 3.

not prevent it from opening, because only part of the bottom opens, and furrounds the box, does not prevent it from opening, because only part of the bottom opens, and care is taken not to give the ribbon a fecond turn round the box, which by croffing the firit, might impede the introduction of the dove.

We fhall not here defcribe the conftruction of fuch a box, first, becaufe it would require many words to explain the fimple effects of a groove, and fecondly, because there is no cabinetmaker of any ingenuity who does not, of his own, or of the invention of

others, know many things of this kind,

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In order to make this trick appear more furprifing to thofe who fufpect the fmuggling of the ring, you may do it two ways; that is to fay, when you have employed the artifice we have pointed out,-you may cause a second piftol to be charged by one of the company, which you firft take to pieces, to fhew that there is no means of fmugling the ring out of the barrel-in this fecond piftol, you put a ring furnished you by one of the company who is in confederacy, and has already supplied your confederate with a fimilar one to put in the dove's bill in cafe of need.

THE QUERIST. N° V,

SOLUTION TO QUERY 1. IN NO. 3, QUERY
BY BEN. ROW.

IN the darker ages of the world, there were but few writers; and when one of thofe writers had promulged an opinion of almost any kind, the world in general was apt to believe it, without giving themfelves the trouble to enquire into the truth or fallacy thereof.

Give me leave, Sir, to think, that the question before us is of fuch a nature; and that the lion is no more afraid at the fight of a cock, than he is at the fight of a goofe. But Pliny tells us (and all our moderns from him) that he trembles at his very crowing.

It brings to my mind a question put to a club of connoiffeurs, i. e. "What is the reason that a bowl of water is no heavier, after a live fifh is put into it than it was before?" This paradox gravelled the whole company, and they were about to give for anfwer

that they did not know," when one of the fages propofed making the experiment, and lo! the mafs of water was heavier than it was before by the whole weight of the fish!

I am inclined, fir, to think, that the fear of a lion at the fight of a cock, would be a fimilar experiment.

II. ANSWERED BY THE SAME.

The fpiral twisting of thofe plants, mentioned in the query, weft by south, (and which they never deviate from) I believe is a property implanted by the great Author of nature, which eludes our moft inquifitive refearches; but their inclination to find their way through holes, &c. I thus elucidate.

The fun, the great fountain of light and life, has a powerful attraction over the trees of the foreft and the herbs of the field; this very property of the plants creeping through the chafms and fifures of walls abundantly confirms it, for by whatfoever means they are debarred of the folar rays, they endeavour to avoid that difficulty, and to infinuate themfelves into the chearing rays of his enlivening beams.

Many flowers open their petals at fun-rife, and close them again” at funfet; fome follow the fun in his diurnal courfe throughout the day, and meet him again in the morning, as the fun flower; and when the fun is withdrawn from our parallel, they mutually incline their heads towards the fouth, and there fix.

LIGHT is impregnated with this inherent property of attraction; as

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many felf-evident truths might be brought forward to demonftrate it, let one fuffice; potatoes, ftrewed over a cellar, and there fuffered to sprout, notwithstanding the flap or opening is directly facing the north, will all approach in a direction fo as to gain the light.

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I account for the fenfation of cold at fun-rife and fun-fet, in the following manner. First, when bodies depart out of a warmer air into a colder, they seem to experience a greater degree of cold than there really is, I fay feem, for it is not fo in fact; this is the exact cafe with us at fun-fet, by the fun's withdrawing himself from us and leaving us in a colder medium; and it is farther exemplified at every commencing of a froit, for the cold at that time being thirty-two, or freezing point, feems to pinch as much as it does after a long continuance, at twenty or twelve degrees below freezing.

In the morning, when the fun has been abfent the whole night, it really is colder than at any other time in the twenty-four hours, as the thermometers plainly indicate; and therefore no wonder we should perceive it colder then efpecially if Sol's refulgent rays diffipates the concretion, and give the air a genial warmth.

ANSWER TO QUERY IV. BY R. DAVENPORT.

Vinegar, however fine and pure it may appear, always contains a vifcid oily faponaceous part, which is what fubjects it to rope, and which in diftillation clogs and keeps down the lighter

parts, and lets the heavier, which are more eafily feparable from it, arise. This oily part itfelf, though much lighter than what diftils, requires a greater heat to bring it over; for olive oil, though much lighter than

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water, will not distil without a very ftrong fire. If the fire is raised too haftily in the diftillation of vinegar, fome of the oily parts will arife and render the product empyrumatic,

ANSWER TO QUERY V. BY R. DAVENPORT AND T. H.

Ipecacuanha is an inodorous fubftance, compounded of refinous and gummy faline parts; the first part being a ftrong irritating emetic, the gummy faline being entirely free from that quality, and only mitigating the operation of the refin. Now as the refinous part, which is the emetic, does not arife in diftillation, it does not give over any of its qualities: the infufion of it, containing only about half the refinous part, does not operate fo powerfully as when taken in fubftance.

H. T.'s anfwer, we beg leave to append by way of note to this correfpondent's ingenious folution.

*The emetic quality of ipecacuanha, and fome other plants, are deftroyed by the heat necessary for evaporation, confequently nothing of that quality is to be found in the diftilled

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Great Bodily Strength.

ACCOUNT OF TOPHAM, THE STRONG MAN.

WE learn from private accounts, well attested, that Thomas Topham, a man who kept a public houfe at Iflington, performed furprifing feats of ftrength: as breaking a broomstick, of the first magnitude, by ftriking it againft his bare arm; lifting two hogfheads of water; heaving his horfe over the turnpike-gate; carrying the beam of a houfe, as a foldier his firelock, &c. But, however Belief might flagger, fhe foon recovered herself when this fecond Sampfon appeared at Derby, as a performer in public, at a fhilling each. Upon application to Alderman Cooper, for leave to exhibit, the magiftrate was furprised at the feats he propofed; and, as his appearance was like that of other men, he requested him to ftrip, that he might examine whether he was made like them; but he was found to be extremely mufcular. What were hollows under the arms and hams of others, were filled up with ligaments in him.

He appeared near five feet ten, turned of thirty, well-made, but nothing fingular; he walked with a small limp. He had formerly laid a wager, the ufual decider of difputes, that three horfes could not draw him from a poft, which he fhould clafp with his feet; but the driver giving them a fudden lath, turned them afide, and the unexpected jerk had broke his thigh.

The performances of this wonderful man, in whom were united the strength of twelve, were rolling up a pewter difh of feven pounds, as a man rolls ap a fheet of paper.-Holding a pewter quart at arm's length, and fqueezing the fides together like an egg-fhell, ifting two hundred weight with his little finger, and moving it gently over his head. The bodies he touched feemed to have loft their powers of gravitation. He alfo broke a rope, faftened to the floor that would fuftain

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twenty hundred weight, lifted an table fix feet long with his teeth, though half an hundred weight was hung to the extremity; a piece of lea ther was fixed to one end for his teeth to hold, two of the feet ftood upon his knees, and he raised the end with the weight higher than that in his mouth

he took Mr. Chambers, vicar of All Saints, who weighed 27 ftone, and raised him with one hand, his head being laid on one chair, and his feet ou another, four people, 14 ftone each, fat upon his body, which he heaved at pleasure he ftruck a round bar of iron, one inch diameter, against his naked arm, and at one ftroke bent it like a bow. Weakness and feeling feemed fled together.

Being a master of mufic, he entertained the company with Mad Tom. I heard him fing a folo to the organ in St. Werburgh's Church, then the only one in Derby; but though he might perform with judgment, yet the voice, more terrible than fweet, fcarcely feemed human. Though of a pacific temper, and with the appearance of a gentleman, yet he was liable to the infults of the rude. The hoftler at the Virgin's Inn, where he refided, having given him difguft, he took one of the kitchen-fpits from the mantle-piece, and bent it round his neck like a handkerchief; but as he did not chufe to tuck the end in the hoftler's bofom, the cumbrous ornament excited the laugh of the company, till he condefcended to untye his iron cravat. Had he not abounded with good-nature, the men might have been in fear for the fafety of their perfons, and the women for that of their pewter fhelves, as he could inftantly roll up both. One blow with his fift would for ever have filenced thofe herces of the bear-garden, Johnfon and Mendoza.

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TAKE the fkin off the forehead of a hyæna, a beast so called, which may be had at the furrier's fhops, boil it in the urine of a young ftone colt, and fmoak it over the burnt hoof of a cow, two or three times, till it is dry, and fo carry it about you; and fo long as you do this, wherever you come in the night, the dogs will not only be filent, but run away from you as faft as they can : for if once the fcent is got to their noftris, they will lie and tremble, from the great averfion they have to it, and avoid the bearer of this compofition, not being able to open at

you.

TO DRAW CATS TOGETHER,
FASCINATE THEM.

то PREVENT OR TAKE VERMIN THAT COME TO DESTROY POUL TRY OR CONEY WARRENS.

YOU must take a piece of a wolf's fkin, the hair on, the breadth of the palm of your hand, or fomewhat more, prick a great many holes in it with a bedkin, in the three corners, but leave the middle entire, fcrape the middle part on the fleshy fide, fo that it may be smooth enough to write on, then write thefe characters 2 3 4 7 5 this done, write the guardian

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AGAI name underneath them, viz. Azineros, then burn the wool of a fox's tail, with fome featherfew, and the feed of henbane, lay the powder on the charafters, that it may cover them pretty well, then fold the corners, and ftitch them up clofe with the powder in AND it, and this done, fprinkle it with the juice of hyfop, and hang it up with a couple of horfe hairs drawn out of the middle of the tail of a live ftone horse, and hang it up in your hen-house, dove cot; or for a warren, on a pole, or a tree, as near as you can in the middle of the coney burrows, and the vermin will either fear to approach, fcenting it at a diftance, or being come near it, will continue fnuffing, and endeavouring to get at it, then you may come and destroy them with a gun, crofs-bow, or otherways, as you find moft practicable: instead of a wolf's fkin, you may ufe a badger's, if the other cannot be had.

IN the new moon, gather the herb Nepe, and dry it in the heat of the fun, when it is temperately hot: gather vervain in the hour, and only expofe it to the air while is under the earth. Hang thefe together in a net in a convenient place, and when one of them has fcented it, her cry will foon call thofe about her that are within hearing, and they will rant and run about, leaping and capering to get at the net, which must be hung or placed fo that they cannot cafily accomplish it; for they will certainly tear it to pieces. Near Bristol there is a field that goes by the appellation of the Field of Cats, from a large number of thefe animals being drawn together there by this contrivance.

SPIDERS EATEN WITHOUT INCON

VENIENCY.

MARCELLUS Donatus, Hift. Mer dic. Mirab. Lib. 6, relates that Alber

tus

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tus Magnus was very confident of having feen a young woman of Cologn, who, as long as fhe lived, had eaten fpiders without the least accident. Dr. Simon Scholzius, the author of this obfervation, fays that he knew a young Scotchman, a student at Leyden, who frequently hunted for spiders in all the corners of the apartments, eat them up greedily, and affured him that nothing could be more delicious food to him. This young man, however, enjoyed a pretty good state of health; his face was only a little pale, and there was ufually fome fwelling about his eyes.

Borellus, Cent. III. Obf. 19, has obferved that there is no danger in eating fpiders. There was a fool at Padua that eat both spiders and fcorpions without finding the leaft inconveniency thereby; and Offredus had feen at Orleans a beggar, who befides fpiders eat the most loathfome infects, without any fenfible alteration in his health.

It is a noted empirical remedy, and faid to be a never failing one for the ague, to make ufe of an electuary of bruifed fpiders and honey.

Some Hints of the principal Means by which Rat-catchers are able, in three or four day's time, or fometimes lefs, to clear a house, and even the out-buildings of the greatest part of the Rats fiequenting it.

THE first step taken is to allure the rats all together to one proper place, before they attempt to deftroy them; for there is fuch an inftinctive caution in these animals, accompanied with a furprifing fagacity in difcovering any caufe of danger, that, if any of them be hurt or purfued, in an unufual manner, the reft take the alarm, and become fo fhy and wary, that they elude all the devices and ftratagems of their purfuers for fome time after. This place, where the rats are to be affembled, fhould be fome clofet, or fmail room, into which all the openings, but one or two, may be fecured; and this place fhould be, as near as may

be, in the middle of the houfe or buildings.

The means ufed to allure them to one place are various; one of those moft eafily and efficacioufly practifed is the trailing fome piece of their moft favourite food, which fhould be of the kind that has the ftrongeft fcent, fuch as toafted cheese, or broiled red herring, from the holes or entrances to their recefies in every part of the house, or contiguous buildings, whence it is intended to allure them. At the extremities, and in different parts of the courfe of this trailed tract, fmall quan tities of meal, or any other kind of their food, fhould be laid, to bring the greater number into the tracts, and to encourage them to purfue it to the centre place, where they are intended to be taken; at that place, where time admits of it, a more plentiful repaft is laid for them, and the trailing repeated for two or three nights.

Belides this trailing and way-baiting, fome of the most expert of the ratcatchers have a fhorter, and perhaps more effectual method of bringing them together; which is, by calling them, by making fuch a kind of whistling noife as refembles their own call; and by this mcans, with the afliftance of the way-baits, they call thein out of their holes, and lead them to the repast prepared for them at the place defigned for taking them. But this I apprehend much more difficult to be practifed than the art of trailing; for the learning the exact notes, or cries, of any kind of beafts, or birds, fo as to deceive them, is a peculiar talent, which I have feldom feen attained to in other cafes; though I have known fome few perfons who could call together a great number of cats; and there is now one man in London, who can bring nightingales, when they are within hearing, about him, and even allure them to perch on his hand, fo as to be taken.

(To be concluded in our next.)

ACCOUNT

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