fand reproaches for having acquiefced in propofals of fo fingular a nature. What, faid he, can you, Sciocco, decide fo freely, and without my concurrence? Come, anfwer me, do you know that man or his miftrefs?—It is, indeed, a preuy function he lays on us; but-It is a matter of marriage, replied Carlo. Sciocco was running on, but Alexis took no notice of his foolifh arguments; he was thinking in what light he fhould confider an adventure, which gave rife to his fufpicions, and foreboded nothing good. Sophia, after much begging and intreating, fung the following air, and accompanied it on the harpsichord : Of a fwain fadly moaning his doom, Since I've liv'd to expire in thy arms! When Sophia had done, the receiver chid her again. What means this fong, mifs? you fing none but languifhing ditties-I do not like it-I love gay, merry, and pleasant airs---Come, come, thefe gentlemen will change all that- -Will you be attentive to them, Sophia? Will you follow their advice?I love you, you know it well While Alexis made thefe reflections," and Sciocco continued his arguments, the receiver-general entered the apartment. Come, gentlemen, faid he, let us go-let us fee the infenfible Sophia, and may I be indebted to you for the conqueft of her heart; my gratitude fhall be boundlefs-But mind, I leave you the little coffer, which you will deliver to her, if the perfifts in her cruelty But let us not mention it before the time is come-I defire either her hatred or her hand. But, fir, faid Alexis, why don't you keep the coffer at your own houfe?-you can give it us in due time I hope, therefore, you will make as well as now.-1 infift on your having it here, replied the receiver-I intend going upon a journey which will laft five weeks; of courfe, I fhall not be able to give it you-My friends, I think it is as fafe in your hands as in my own. . Alexis would not venture any farther queflions. They all three left the houfe, and entered a ipacious ftreet, where the dwelling was fituated. A governefs made her appearance, and conducted them to the parlour, where the fair Sophia was amufing herfelf with performing on the harpfichord. Sophia, faid the receiver, you know that I must go to Paris; my bufinefs will detain me there for fome time-As I don't with you to be without occupation, I beg you would be docile to the leffons which thefe gentlemen will give you; I fincerely hope to perceive, after my return, that they have operated fome change in me fome trifling amends for the pains -Ab, Sophia! why not add to this title another more facred and dearer ftilla title which would accomplish my every with Sophia remained dumb ftill; but that filence, and a motion of her head, proved plainly how far fhe was from granting him that title. Alexis and Sciocco were quite loft in amazement; the receiver almoft put himfelf in a paffion, and all three retired. You fee, faid the latter, how the hates me. It is because you treat her a little too rudely, replied Sciocco. Nay, rudely! that little fly creature has taken a liking to a giddy young park, by Sophia made no reply; Is it thus whom I have been nearly knocked down you mind what I fay? cried the receiv- a hundred times. Have you a rival !— er-Come, hold up your head, and Indeed I have! he formerly had the thank thele gentlemen-What, are impudence to vifit her, but fince I threa you. tened tened Sophia to fend her to a convent, if he would renew his addreffes, he has kept out of the way-I doubt not, however, of their meeting privately, and keeping up a correfpondence, in fpite of the vigilance of the governefs, who is much devoted to my intereft. Since the has a lover, anfwered Sciocco-were I in your place, and did find him with her, I would give him a found drubbing. This is juft what I mean to do-But let us change the converfation-You promife, gentlemen, to ufe your best efforts in my behalf, and to foften her heart, if poffible. We certainly fhall, answered Alexis; but it feems to me an arduous tafk. What of that? if it be impoffible to bring her about, I am determined to abandon her---The money which is in the little coffer will help her to take fome refolution, and I will do my beft to forget her. Sciocco fpent the day in convincing his friend that he ought to confider the whole of the matter as highly advantageous to himself; but Alexis would not believe him. Next morning the receiver came to fetch, and inftal them in his office. In the afternoon they gave a leffon to Sophia, which he took with great careleffnefs, and feeming tokens of difguft. A few days after, Alexis perceived that the young lady had caft fome fentimental glances upon him; he thought it a favourable opportunity to gain her confidence, and to turn the converfation upon the receiver. Sophia, who had thus diftinguished our hero from his companion, fqueezed his hand, whifpering in his ear, Did you but know him, fir, as I do! he is a very dangerous man! Thefe expreffions alarmed poor Alexis---he perceived that the difcreet Sophia dared not come to an explanation before Sciocco, and changed the fubject of their difcourfe. The day following, while Sciocco was amufing himfelf with finging, and preluding on Sophia's harpfichord, Alexis took her in private-Mifs, faid be, what you told me the other day, gives me fome unea finefs-is it poffible the receiver is a deceitful and wicked ?Wicked, Sir! ay, that he better than I!-How would I blefs the fuccouring hand that would free me from his tyranny!-I have more confidence in you than in your friendCome to-night alone; the governess, who is much attached to me, will let you in-Come, I pray; I will tell you all; you fhall know what the man who fends you hither is capable of; and when you are perfuaded of his treachery and blacknefs, you will repent having known him. This difcourfe alarmed Alexis to the highest degree; he was all compliance. At night, wifhing to get rid of Sciocco, he feigned indifpofition, and a want of reft. Carlo withed him a good night, and retired to his own apartment. But Alexis, inftead of going to bed, put on a cloak, ran haftily down the private ftairs, and repaired immediately to Sophia, of whom he expected fuch elucidations as would enable him to take proper meafures of conduct with the receiver. The governefs was waiting for him at the door. Sophia and he locked themfelves up in a room, where the perfidious pupil made a thousand falfe reports to her young mafter, to injure the character of her protector. To explain this, it is neceffary to add, that Sophia, whofe difpofition was the moft falfe and ungrateful, detefted the man who had always treated her with fatherly regard and affection, and to whofe generofity the owed numberless obligations; carried her perverfenefs to a ftill higher degree of cenfure, and, affifted by a fet of mercenary domeftics, gave daily proofs of the moft fcandalous and revolting conduct. She had been in love with a young fpark, but Alexis had now made a more lively impreffion upon her heart. She hoped by tracing a touching picture of her own fituation, and of the pretended vice of her protector, to foften our hero, and engage him fo far as to elope with her. Vehilft Clara's lover, locked up with Sophia, liftened, with the moft blind and implicit credulity, to the lies of the latter, the receiver, who had paffed by chance through the ftreet in which his miftrefs lived, had feen a young man enter, muffled in a long cloak. He doubted not but her ancient gallant had returned I returned rage and jealoufy overpower- obtain a complete victory over his will.. ed his fenfes. Hah! hah! faid he, is Alexis, however, took his leave, quite it thus I am duped and that deceitful moved at what had been told. governefs, whom I confidered as my touteft adherent!--Well, I fwear to take vengeance upon the young fpark who has offended me so often; and as to Sophia, fhe fhall hear of me to-mor TOW. The receiver, perfuaded that his rival would ftay all night at Sophia's, went quickly to Sciocco. Where is your friend He is afleep; he is not well. -Ifhould be glad to fpeak to him this moment."Tis impotlible; he has retired to his bed chamber; he is afleep, Well, my dear Seiocco, I can't help it, you must come along with me, and help me to give a found drubbing to my in folent rival, who has juft got accefs to Sophia, that treacherous Sophia! To be fure, fignor, I am forry my mafter cannot be of the party; it would not be worth while to awake him for that; we fhall do the bufincfs full as well without him;-depend upon me: I will ferve you with the moft fcrupulous fidelity. The receiver and Sciocco, taking each a good cudgel, lay in ambufcade oppofite Sophia's door, determined to wait all night, if required, till the pretended rival fhould leave the houfe, and fall into their hands. Sophia, who had all this while frightened Alexis refpecting her protector, conjured him to fave her, to take her with him, and to deliver her from a man whom the hated more than death. It was in vain for Alexis to oppofe her arguments, Sophia would hear no reafon. Alas! my friend, faid fe, that man is capable of ruining me, and even you, if he finds it his intereft -It is a great misfortune for you to have known him, and I am ftill more to be pitied, if I am constrained to live with him -Oh! help me, generous youth-I don't care where I fly, fo I get rid of my tyrant! Alexis was fo much embarraffed that he knew not how to act. He promised to think maturely of it, and to give her a decifive anfwer next day, at the ufual hour of her lefn. Sophia, before he went away, howed herself fo kind to him, as to Well perfuaded that the receiver must be a man of the blackeft character, he took the refolution to return the mysterious coffer, which he received the morning before.-Who knows, faid he to himfelf, whether this coffer does not contain papers, jewels, and other arti cles which might very likely undo me, "if found in my poffeffion. Amidft thefe reflections, he went down ftairs, left the houfe, and that the fireet door after him. He had fcarcely walked three or four yards, when the two companions faily forth from their ambufcade, fall upon him, and give him the most confummate drubbing; before ever he had time to look about him. Alexis turned round, and perceived the receiver and Sciocco-What becomes of him at that fight!-he dares not open his mouth-and receives, quite mute, all the blows, which Sciocco deals. on him in a moft mafterly manner. Had it not been for the interference of two ftrangers, who put the aggreffors to flight, Alexis would have fallen on the fpot. Alexis, quite fore, and feverely bruifed, returned thanks to his deliverers, and crept to his lodgings: went up the private ftairs, and betook himself to reft. WH By the Abbe Spallanzani. I. HOEVER is acquainted with na tural history cannot be ignorant, that the three principal fyftems refpecting the generation of animals, the fyftem of the ovarits, that of the vermiculifts, and that founded upon the two liquors, have been transferred, with the neceffary modifications, to plants. Some think, that the embryos pre-exist in the ovarium, others that they are transported thither in the impregnating powder, and others believe, that they are generated in the ovarium, by the combination of two fecundating principles, the one 224 On the Generation of Plants. one furnished by the piftil, the other by the ftamina. My chief purpose being to inveftigate the generation of certain plants, I con ceive there can be no better way to arrive at truth, than to fix my attention Chiefly upon the ovarium. That I might have the greater chance of furprifing na ture in her operations, I determined to examine this organ at three different periods; before fecundation, at the time it takes place, and after it has been effected; or, what amounts to the fame thing, after the afperfion of the pollen. I was therefore obliged to examine the flowers while they were yet clofed, when they were in full bloffom, for that is the feafon of impregnation, and after the petals had dropped. I begin with the fpecies denominated by Linnæus and others, Spartium junceum, rushy-twigged broom. line in length. If the pod be examined II. From the nature of this plant, as well ture. In flowers a little further advanced effential were expanded not only from the extreme minutenefs of the only difference confifted in an in 1 diffufe itfelf in a cloud through the air the tender; after this membrane is removed, the body appears bare, and without any other teguments; it is of a bright green colour, and may eafily be divided by the point of a needle into two portions, in which are manifeftly recognized the two lobes; with these we may easily perceive the plantule exceedingly fmall, and attached to the lower part. The lobes, together with the membrane, are afterwards defended by a hulk or skin, which forms the outfide of the feed. they were of a greenish colour and uniform fubftance, which was fpungy and full of moisture. Yet I could diftinguith the lobes and plantule in the ripe feeds contained in thofe pods, which had ac quired a black colour, and were grown dry. It was therefore unneceffary to infer, that the two lobes and the plantule are either generated, or rendered vifible during the ripening of the feeds. Hence, in order to discover the generation or the appearance of thefe parts, I was obliged to continue my obfervations till The reader will eafily guess what, af Phad gained fome fatisfaction upon this terwards happened to the pods as they curious and interesting point. grew riper. The lobes and the plantule were only more and more developed, and by degrees acquired greater firmness. And in this manner did the feeds of the broom arrive at maturity. 2 I began with the ovaria or pods, from which the flowers had fallen fome time. In ten days afterwards there was no difference. On the eleventh fome new appearances began to take place in the V. The foregoing obfervation fhew, feeds. They were no longer round, but 1. That the feeds of this fpecies exift in refembled an heart, of which the bafis the ovarium many days before fecundawas attached to the pod by an appendix, tion. 2. That they remain for fome and towards the apex, when gently com-time folid, and then a cavity, containpreffed, there appeared a whitith point in motion. When the heart was cut open longitudinally and the infide in fpected, this white point proved to be a ofmall cavity, inclofing a drop of liquor, which had been made to move by the preffure of the fingers. Twenty-one days after, the pods were ftripped of their flowers, the cavity, which at first appeared at the apex was enlarged, and extended much farther to wards the bafe; it was full of a tranfparent liquor, with which the spungy fubftance of the feeds was almoft moist. On the twenty-fifth day the cavity was more enlarged, and fill full of liquor; it moreover contained a very fmall femitranfparent body, of a yellowish colour, gelatinous, and fixed by its two oppofite ends to the fides of the cavity. In a month the feed was much enlarged, and its fhape is changed from a heart to a kidney; the little body contained in the cavity is increafed in bulk, is become lefs tranfparent and gelatinous, but there appears no fign of organization. On the fortieth day the cavity, now grown larger, is quite filled with the body, which deferves to be more particularly examined- It is furrounded by a thin membrane, fomewhat vifcid and Hib. Mag. Sept. 1792. ing a liquid, is formed in them. 3. That after fecundation a body begins to appear within the cavity, fixed by two points to the fides; and when in procefs of time it has attained a larger fize, it proves to be the two lobes inclofing the plantule. 4. That the ripe feed confifts. of two lobes adhering to the plantule, and furrounded by a thin membrane, which is itself covered with a husk or cuticle. Thefe deductions illuftrate the generation of the plant in queftion. We learn, that the embryos do not appear ull after the falling of the flowers, and confequently not till after fecundation, though the feeds, or, to speak more properly, the integuments of the feeds may be feen long before. VI. Having analyfed the fructification of this fpecies of broom, I proceeded to that of the common bean, vicia faba. I began with thofe which had the fmalleft bloffoms. They appear externally of a green colour, and likewife internally, if the tender petals be unravelled; here and there, indeed, the green approaches to a white. The ftamina are vifible; the antheræ, infiead of pollen, exhibit a vifcid gelatinous fubftance. The piftil is of a white and green colour; towards the apex it is vilFf lous, |