AGRICULTURAL REPORT FOR MARCH, 1797. The long continuance of dry weather has, in the prefent feafon, highly favoured the exertions of the Farmers. The feed was never got in better, nor earlier. The BEANS, PEAS, and OATS, are all in the ground; and the fallows, for the enfuing fammer, and for TURNIPS, have been ploughed, in great perfection." The fevere froits, which were mentioned in our laft Report, as having much affected the appearance of the wheat, has fince materially, if not irrecoverably, injured it. So alarming a change, in fo fhort a period, has feldom been experienced, in that fort of grain. The injury has been felt generally as well in North as in South Britain; and particularly on light and poor foils: in North Britain, the ice was frequently, in a fingle night, half an inch thick. The fame effects of the prevalence of Easterly winds have been felt, though not in fo great a degree, by the fown graffes, which, in most places, appear very dead and unpromifing. The failure of the turnips, and the backwardness of the grafs, added to the fcarcity of a circulating medium, have had confiderable effect on the prices of lean cattle and thecp, which have fallen from 20 to 30 per cent. Sheep ftock are poor, and the ewes, in confequence, will be short of milk for the lambs. Fat cattle, however, till keep their prices. In Smithfield market, BEEF fetches from 3s. 4d. to 4s. 2d. per ftone; and MUTTON, from 4s. to 5s. The price of HORSES, at fome of the late fairs, has rather increased; arifing probably from the demand for the provifional cavalry. PIGS, for feeding, continue very high; the price of BACON is, however, reduced. WooL has fallen above 2s. per tod. Hops-Kent, in bags, fell from 41. 10s. to 61. 6s. ; in pockets, 51. to 71. 78. WHEAT, by the last official return, averages throughout England and Wales, at 49s. per quarter. BARLEY 24s. 9d. ΤΟ CORRESPONDENTS. ACKNOWLEDGING, as we do, with pride and pleasure, that we are indebted for fome of the most valuable materials of our Mifcellany, to the favours of our numerous Correfpondents, we truft, we fhall obtain the credit of being neither indifferent, nor inattentive, to their communications; and bowever dilatory we may appear, in the infertion of approved pieces; ar faftidious in the rejection of fuch as do not fuit our purpofe; we hope, that a few reflections will fuffice, to fhow, that we have, and can have, nothing elfe in view, but the intereft of our Readers, and the credit of our Work. Let it be confidered, that we are not only obliged to confult the intrinfic value of the pieces fent us, but their length, their novelty, and their fuitablenefs to a Mifcellany of this kind, which cannot enter, with great depth and minuteness, into any fubject, and fcarcely at all into fome. Let it be confi dered, that to each Monthly Publication, much variety is neceflary; and that the tedioufnels of dwelling too long upon any one topic, is, by all means, to be avoided that certain fubjects are of a temporary nature, and, therefore, claim precedence, in point of time, over others, that are of all feafons--that fome would involve long, and, perhaps, angry controverfy-and that, in general, the feelings of a writer, with refpect to the importance of his fubject, and his manner of treating it, cannot exactly correfpond with thofe of an indifferent reader. We perceive, that fome of our correfpondents think themselves neglected, by our not giving explicit notice, whether their communications are approved, or rejected; together with the causes of delay, or rejection. Were they to fee the vaft accumulation of papers around us, they would, perhaps, excuse us a task, which we cannot conceive of much importance; befides, that with refpect to many pieces, our determination is not foon made, and finally depends upon circumftances. which we cannot at once forefee. If a writer, not deficient in effential requifites, not violating common decorums, not running into tedious prolixity, favours us with his thoughts on an admiffible fubject, our first idea is, to give them infertion; though the time when, may often be a matter of doubt; and it may happen, that a multiplicity of other communications may cause a long adjournment. On the whole, what we have to request is, that to the favour already done us, by the preference of our Mifcellany, as a vehicle for their productions, our friends would add, that of a candid and patient reliance on our judgment and good intentions, in making our felection. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, AS Mr. CRACKNELL, who has fur nifhed feveral Numbers of your Mifcellany with Lifts of Diffenting Congregations, does not, by any intimation he has dropt, appear to be acquainted with the circumstances from whence the formation of thofe lifts originated, nor with the authority on which they reft; it may be acceptable to that gentleman, and to many of your readers, to be made acquainted with the hiftory of the rife of the accounts he has promifed to detail to you. I have, in my poffeffion, a MS. fimilar to that from whence he copies. Both Mr. Robinfon and myself. I conceive, owed our books to the obliging communications of the fame gentleman, as we both, I know, contributed materials towards the formation of those lifts. When fome diffenting minifters of London fet on foot, in the year 1772, an application to parliament, for relief, in the matter of fubfcription, and wifhed to be joined by their brethren in the country in the profecution of this object, they foon found, that the proteftant diffenters knew little of one another; and that thofe of one part of the kingdom, and even in the metropolis, were very little acquainted with the number, or ftate, of the focieties in other parts. It fuggefted itself to the rev. Jofiah Thompson, a refpectable minister of the Baptift denomination, then refident in London, and now at Clapham, to open a correfpondence with fome of the brethren in different counties; to obtain as accurate an account, as could be procured, of the congregations and minifters, in their refpective neighbourhoods. As the ground-work of his enquiries, and MONTHLY MAG. NO. XVI. of the information he folicited, he fent lifts of the congregations, in all the counties of England, taken by Mr. Neal, in the year 1715, or 1716. Among others, to whom he applied, with fuccefs, were Mr. Robinfon and myself. I inftituted the like enquiries through the county of Somerfet, and that of Devon; and, by means of the minif ters of the respective cong: egations, cr of fome particular correfpondents, who entered, with fpirit, into Mr. Thompfon's defign, especially the late Mr. Badcock, then at Barnstaple, in Devon, I had the pleasure of tranfmitting fome ample communications to him. Mr. Thompson bestowed on his purfuit, fome years of induftrious application, and carried on, with a view to it, an extensive correfpondence. From fome places, he received no return to his enquiries, except county lifts. From others, he collected not only thefe, but narratives of the origin, and revolutions of focieties; and fome curious particulars: of thefe, I have been able, in feveral inftance, to avail myfelf, in my new edition of Mr. Neal's " Hiftory of the Puritans " When he had obtained materials for the purpose, he drew out a complete view of the number of congregations in every county. He had thefe lifts tranf. cribed, in an alphabetical order, and was fo obliging as to fend copies of them, bound in ruled books, with red forrels, to feveral friends, whom he conceived he fhould gratify, or whofe attention to his enquiries he fhould repay, by fuch communications. I was favoured with one of thefe books, in the year 1774 ; and I have no doubt, that the MS. parchafed by Mr. CRACKNELL, was a like prefent to Mr. Robinson. My copy exhibits, in one column, the number of all the diffenting congrega K k tions AS your Mifcellany appears to be open to literary communications, in general, I make no apology for troubling you with the following remarks on a chronological paper which appeared in the Magazine, for January: were I find it difficult to believe, that before Jemfhid, king of Perfia, men wholly unacquainted with the year of twelve months, because the moft ignorant barbarians must have noticed the regular fucceffion of the feafons. Homer, who, according to moft chronologers, flourished about the year 900 before Chrift, and, therefore, could not have derived his knowledge of the period in question from the Perfian, frequently mentions it, and in fuch terms, as to leave no room for fuppofing him to mean any other period for computing time: Αλλ' ὅτε δὴ μῆνες τε και ημέραι εξετελούντο Ov. L. 293. But your correfpondent is fo much attached to his hypothefis, that the plaineft and moft connected parts of ancient hiftory are made to give way to it. Thus the Pentateuch, in which the computation by twelve months is familiarly ufed, being compiled under Solomon, that prince, it feems, maft therefore have been pofterior to the year 888. Admitting, that the return from the captivity is the earliest date of fcripture history which can be fatisfactorily afcertained, it does not appear to be, by any means, proved that this event is antedated in the received fyftem. From the first chapter of Ezra it appears, that an edict was iffued for the building of Jerufalem, in the first year of Cyrus, King of Perfia; and, in the fucceeding chapters, we have a detail of the num [April, bers of thofe who left Babylon for that purpofe, together with an account of their proceedings; from which it appears, the foundations of the temple were then laid, the altar erected, and focial worfhip re-established. Then follows_an account of the vexations and hindrances fuftained by the fettlers, during the reigns of feveral fucceeding kings of Perfia, till the completion and dedication of the temple, in the fixth year of Darius Hyftafpes. It was long after this that Ezra led up a new colony, which, on its arrival at Jerufalem, found the place inhabited, and the temple built (chap. viii. 32, &c.) I fuppofe it is with a view of obviating the objection arifing from this portion of history, that your correspondent confounds the Corefh, faid to have been governor of Babylon, under Artaxerxes, with the Cyrus mentioned by Ifaiah and Ezra. But, befides that it is improbable a mere governor of Babylon fhould, in a public inftrument, ftyle himself "King of Perfia," and be alfo fo ftyled by his cotemporaries, it is evident, prima facie, from the whole of the hiftory, that the Cyrus of the Jews was not a fubject of Artaxerxes Longimanus, but his predeceffor in the empire, at a confiderable interval. From the particular account given by Ezra (chap. ii.) and Nehemiah (chap. vii. and xii.) of thofe who returned to Jerufalem in the time of Cyrus, it is evident, the colony then led up by Zerubbabel, was, beyond compare, more numerous than any fubfequent one. It may, therefore, reasonably be fuppofed, the Jews would reckon their return from that time. Accordingly, Jofephus informs us (Ant. Lib. xi. c. 1) the feventy years' captivity terminated in the first year of Cyrus. Now the first year of Cyrus correfponds with 536 before Chrift; confequently, the captivity muft have commenced 606. About that time we find Nebuchadnezzar, having defeated the king of Egypt near the Euphrates (Jerem. xlvi. 2) and driven him back to his own dominions (2 Kings, xxiv. 7) carried Jehoiakim to Babylon, with three thoufand of the principal Jews (Jof. Ant. x. 8); and, fhortly after, Jehoiachin with upwards of 10,000 more, the flower of the youth of Jerufalem, fhared the fame fate (Jof. x. 9). If, therefore, according to Falconer's Chronological Tables, we allow 375 years between the death of Solomon, and 1797-1 Aftronomical Difficulty folved. and the captivity of Jehoiachin, the former event will be found to have taken place 975 years before Chrift. As to the captivity beginning from the expedition of Cambyfes, it is a fuppofition too wild to need a ferious reply; fince it is without a fingle paffage in any ancient hiftorian to countenance it. Cambyfes died in Syria on his return from Egypt (Herod. B. 3) and, confequently, could not poffibly conduct the Jews to Babylon, had he taken any of them captive; which it does not appear he ever did. I am afraid to extend thefe remarks any farther, left I should take up too much room in your pages. Witney, March 20. W. F. It may, P.S. Perhaps it may hardly be worth while to make a remark on the communication of Cambrobrittanicus (p. 18) becaufe, when he has gone a little farther in the ftudy of aftronomy, he will undoubtedly difcover his error. however, induce him to think twice before he attempts, in future, to controvert a received doctrine. I find that the fquare of the aphelion distance has, to the fquare of the perihelion diftance, not the ratio of 10 to 8, but of 10 to 9356; and, therefore, by inverting the the terms, the heat received by the earth into its perihelion, will be to that received in its aphelion, as 10 to 9356, inftead of as 10 to 8; but, from the nature of the ellipfis, the equinoctial points are connected by a double ordinate to the axis, paffing through that focus in which is the fun; the connecting line will, therefore, divide the elipfis into two unequal parts, of which the largest will be that towards the aphelion; and, as the times are proportional to the areas defcribed, it follows, that the fun will be longer north of the equator, than fouth of it. This is accordingly found to be the cafe by eight days. For the fame reason, the earth will move fwifteft in its perihelion and floweft in its aphelion, and the velocity of its motion, at the two diftances, will be inverfely as the diftances; that is, velocities will be directly as the proportions of heat. Now the quantity of a continually emitted fluid, received on any furface, may be confidered as the quantity received in an indefinitely fmall time, multiplied by the duration of the emiffion; and, therefore (from the preceding) the temperatures of lat. 23° 28 North, and the fame lat. South, will be equal; becaufe the fun remains longer in the former, than in the latter. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, YOUR correfpondent, A. S. who is pleafed with fo much candour to fuggeft envy, and other malignant paffions, as the motives of a little harmless critical pleafantry, in my former letter, may be affured, that I am, in no respect, a competitor of the friend whofe part he (or fhe) fo warmly takes; and that I had no other intention, than to exprefs my fentiments on a literary topic,open, I conceive, to general difcuffion. I do not feel it neceffary, therefore, to make any apology, with regard to defign; and a few plain words will fuffice, by way of reply to fome particulars urged against me, perhaps with more acrimony than force. Your correfpondent's logic must be of a peculiar kind, if he can take it for a good argument, that becaufe Mifs S. began with a declaration, that her tranflations were intended to be diffufe, the fault of diffufenefs, if any, is thereby done away. If the charge of want of fidelity had been brought against her, the juftification would have been to the purpofe; but where her pieces were alluded to as fpecimens of that kind of amplification which was the object of cenfure, the only queftion in point is, whether they are really examples of that fault? Your correfpondent has certainly brought no proof that they are not; and I am under no obligation to yield my opinion to his. But why (fays he) felect Mifs S. as an inftance, rather than Pope, and a hundred others? I might fimply answer, Why not? I fhall, however, add, that Pope is not an example of diffufenefs-that no English writer exhibits greater powers of compreffionand that his tranflation of Homer, however faulty it may be in exuberance of ornament, is by no means enfeebled by amplification. Nothing was farther from my intentions, than to injure the fair fame of Mifs S. whofe poetical powers, in feveral refpeéts, I fincerely admire; though I am ftill of opinion, that 1 had fufficient ground for referring to her Horatian tranflations, as triking examples of the fault I meant to expofe; and to fay, that "they are eminently fuperior to those of all preceding tranflators," appears to me the groffeft partiality. As to the three columns taken up by my letter, you, Mr. Editor, have the beft right to determine, whether they were employed to your fatisfaction, and to thofe of your readers. 2 K 2 I can THE following letter was fent to a young lady, five or fix years ago. If it will contribute to entertain the readers of your Magazine, it is much at your fervice: "YOUNG as you are, my dear Flora, you cannot but have noticed the eagernefs with which queftions, relative to civil liberty, have been difcuffed in every fociety. To break the fhackles of oppreffion, and affert the native rights of man, is efteemed by many, among the noblest efforts of heroic virtue; but vain is the poffeffion of political liberty, if there exifts a tyrant of our own creation; who, without law, or reafon, or even external force, exercifes over us the most defpotic authority; whofe jurifdiction is extended over every part of private and domeftic life; controuls our pleafures, fashions our garb, cramps our motions, fills our lives with vain cares and reftlefs anxiety. The worst flavery is that which we voluntarily impofe upon ourselves; and no chains are fo cumbrous and gal ling, as those which we are pleafed to wear by way of grace and ornament.Mufing upon this idea, gave rife to the following dream or vision: "Methought I was in a country, of the strangest and most fingular appear ance I had ever behold: the rivers were forced into jet d'eaus, and wasted in artificial water-works; the lakes were fashioned by the hand of art; the roads were fanded with fpar and gold duft; the trees all bore the marks of the thears, they were bent and twifted into the most whimsical forms, and connected together by feftoons of ribband and filk fringe; the wild flowers were tranfplanted into vafes of fine china, and painted with artificial white and red.-The difpofition of the ground was full of fancy, but grotefque and unnatural, in the higheft degree; it was all highly cultivated, and bore the marks of wonderful industry; [April, but among its various productions, I could hardly difcern one that was of any ufe. My attention, however, was foon called off from the fcenes of inanimate life, by the view of the inhabitants, whofe form and appearance was fo very prepofterous, and, indeed, fo unlike any thing human, that I fancied myself traniported to the country of the Anthopophagi, and men whofe heads do grow beneath their shoulders: for the heads of many of these people were fwelled to an astonishing fize, and feemed to be placed in the middle of their bodies; of fome, the ears were diftended, till they hung upon the fhoulders; and of others, the fhoulders were raised, till they met the ears: there was not one free from fome deformity, or monstrous fwelling, in one part or other-either it was before, or behind, or about the hips, or the arms were puffed up to an unusual thickness, or the throat was increased to the fame fize with the poor objects lately exhibited under the name of the Monftrous Craws; fome had no necks-others had necks that reached almost to their waifts; the bodies of fome were bloated up to fuch a fize, that they could fcarcely enter à pair of folding doors; and others had fuddenly fprouted up to fuch a difproportionate height, that they could not fit upright in their loftieft carriages.Many fhocked me with the appearance of being nearly cut in two, like a wafp; and I was alarmed at the fight of a few, in whofe faces, otherwife very fair and healthy, I difcovered an eruption of black fpots, which I feared was the fatal fign of fome peftilential diforder. The fight of thefe various and uncouth deformities infpired me with much pity; which, however, was foon changed into difguft, when I perceived, with great furprize, that every one of thefe unfortunate men and women was exceedingly proud of his own peculiar deformity, and endeavoured to attract my notice to it as much as poffible. A lady, in particular, who had a fwelling under her throat, larger than any goitre in the Valais, and which, I am fure, by its enormous projection, prevented her from fecing the path the walked in, brufhed by me, with an air of the greateft felf-complacency, and afked me, if the was not a charming creature-But, by this time, I found myfelf furrounded by an immenfe crowd, who were all preffing along in one direction and I perceived that I was drawn |