the actual pofition of places, on the currents, nor even on the coafts and their foundings. They have never given particulars of that nature; they fcarcely ever improve by practice: and their vellels are allo very ill conftructed and badly provided. The five principal rivers which pour their waters into the Euxine maft neceffarily produce currents, the force and direction of which it would be highly advantageous to know. Thefe rivers convey into prodigious quantity of fand; which, being diffufed in all the creeks and bites of the fhores that are most diftant from their mouths, is drifted by the winds fo as fometimes to form a fort of downs. It has already been remarked that the coaft of the Euxine is generally fteep, and formed of layers of rock frequently inclined, and intermixed with ftrata of clay or gravel, covered at top by a good black mould, fometimes ftoney, but extremely well adapted to cultivation. No fand is found any where but at the mouths of the rivers; and the fores even of the Dniepr and of the Duieftr, on the margin of the fea, are compofed of ftrong land which refifts the pickaxe: whence it may be inferred that the fands which they convey come from a greater diftance, and that thofe which are lodged in the creeks are carried thither by force of the currents. It has likewife been obferved that the fleep fhores being inceffantly worn by the violence of the waves, the winds, and the currents, the figure of the coaft is changed; which alfo produces an alteration in the fand-banks. The deftruction of a cape is fometimes fuffis cient to choak up a creek, which VOL. XLII. before afforded a fafe anchorage for fhips. The commerce of the Euxine is capable of being rendered more beneficial both to Turkey and to European nations, if it were carried on by more able mariners and more intelligent merchants: but the flownefs of the navigation caufes the expense of freight to be exceffive; and the unfkilfulness of the merchants, who are alfo deftitute of fpacious warehoufes for their goods, ftill farther enhances the price by retarding the departure of the velfels. It is partly for this reafon that the Turks prefer fmall craft to larger fhips for coafting this fea; loading them indifferently with all goods which offer, without any regard to their ftowage. No public work is executed for the benefit of commerce; and the bad condition of the roads contiguous to the feveral maritime towns, with the want of commodious quays or wharfs for fhipping or unfhipping the cargoes, always occafion additional expenfes and prejudicial delays. The principal exports from this country are, grain (ufually restricted to Conftantinople), wool, timber, tar, hemp, wax, honey, lea ther, cotton, and copper. The articles which might be carried thither are cloths, coffee, fugar, and gold and filver lace: but for this purpofe, factories fhould be establish ed at all the fea-ports, protected by the Turkish government, to fecure them from the plunder of the pahas and other fubaltern authorities. un THE lands comprehended any for the food of man, they grow are fituated about the 28th degree of north latitude. The moft confiderable is Teneriffe, and next to it in extent is the great Canary. The rainy fealon fets in about the end of November, and continues with intervals, until the month of March. This period correfponds to winter, though it never fnows, except on the mountains, especially the Peak. During the fummer months, not a drop of rain falls near the coaft, where the fky is then invariably clear, and the heat moft intenfe. Yet at Laguna, a village feated on the brow of the mountain, and only a league diftant from Santa Cruz, they have frequent fogs and rain. The clouds melt and diffolve away as they approach the fea. There are no rivers in Teneriffe, but only mountain torrents, called in Spanith barrancos; which, in winter, (weep away much ufeful foil. The traces of volcanic fire every where frike the eye. The neighbourhood of Santa Cruz confifts of favage mountains piled together, and bearing herbs only fit for goats to browie, with many of the prickly euphorbia. Higher up the country, the foil is richer, better cultivated, and abundantly productive. It is a fort of clay refting on calcined rock, which in every diftrict occurs at a certain depth. Little attention is paid in thefe islands to the important article of manure. Marle and fea-weed are totally neglected, and animal dung is only laid on the adjoining fields of maize or potatoes; to which it 1. carried directly from the fiables. ley and maize, potatoes, French beans, and ticks, called garbanes. As provender for cattle, they raile a few lupines, peafe, lentils, beans and a fmall quantity of oats. Flax, anifeed, and coriander, are almoft the only productions cultivated for the arts. Archil and fumach grow fpontaneoufly. The archil, which is efteemed of fuperior quality, is gathered by the peafants on the naked rocks. Kali, termed in Spanifh vidriera,* grows along the feafore, and might afford as good foda as that of Alicant. The natives ufe only the feeds, which are feparated from the plant by washing, and, being flightly roafted, are ground, to make a fort of gefe. The cotton fhrub and the fugar cane alfo thrive in the Canaries, yet are much neglected. Wheat and barley have heen cultivated in Teneriffe from the remotest times: but rye, maize, ticks, and potatoes, have been introduced more recently, and in fucceffion. Only 30 or 40 years have pafled fince potatoes were firft planted there, though at prefent they confiitute almoft the chief food of the inhabitants. With refpect to the rotation of crops, and the change of feed, the people fhew extreme ignorance or neglect. Some attention is directed to irrigation, fo necellary in hot climates. Wheat and barley are town in November and December, and ufually reaped in April and May. The corn is carelefly raked to gether, and carried home in facks, on the backs of affes, mules, or camels. It is then trodden out by cattle, and the grain is feparated • From vitrum, glafs; being used in that manufacture. from from the chaff, by exposing it to the wind. Sometimes (though rarely) fwarms of a large fort of locuft or grafshopper, called in Spanish langofta, come from Barbary, and will fpread inftant devaftation among the fields of corn. The peasantry, armed with sticks and befoms, kill them, or chase them away: but they depofit their eggs, and therefore the young locufts in the year following are collected and burnt. The lands are not rented in the Canaries. The landlord furnishes the feed and implements of hufbandry, and receives one half of the produce, befides a certain quantity of wheat for each head of cattle which he, lends to the tenants. Bread is eaten only by the richer inhabitants. The bulk of the people live much on gofio, which is only parched grain ground by a little hand-mill, of which every cottage poffefles one. The Cañarian carries to the field his gofio in his bag; and, as hunger prompts, he rolls it into little balls with water, and makes his miferable meal, Thofe who afpire to better fare eat falt fish and potatoes. The poor inhabitants of Palma and Gomere are fometimes reduced to the neceffity of making cakes of the roots of the pteris aquilina, or male fern, which they dig in the mountains. Lupines are a choice food for cattle, but they are previously foaked in water, and boiled, with the addition of falt. A large quantity of wine is exported from Teneriffe, yet the vineyards are not managed with either fkill or attention. The prefs confifts of a long beam or lever, to the extremity of which a heavy flone can be attached by means of a fcrew. The farmers, however, well understand the mode of clarifying their wines, and fortifying them with brandy. On the fuccefsful Cultivation of the true Rhubarb in England, by Mr. Thomas Jones. From the Tranfactions of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce. Sir, Tnes this communication, will HE certificate which accompa inform the fociety that I have planted, in the year 1799, 4053 plants of the rheum palmatum, or true rhubarb; I once more, therefore, prefent myfelf as a claimant. Each time I have made my appearance in this character, I have pledged myfelf to future and more confiderable exertions; for every diftinction with which they have honoured me, has been viewed in no other light, than that of a powerful incentive to perfeverance; and I need not add, how much gratification it will afford me, if the fociety, by their decifion on the prefent occafion, continue to me their good opinion. The period I have devoted to the cultivation of this valuable drug has now become of a fafficient length to prove experimentally the truth or falfehood of my theories. Happy am I in reflecting, and happier ftill in communicating to the fociety, that fince I laft had the pleafure of addreffing them, I have additional reafon for fatisfaction. In my former papers (fee Tranfactions of the Society, vol. xi. xv. and xvi.) having been, perhaps, more than fufficiently minute in deferibing my fyftem of cultivation, I fhall now only notice the nature of Bb 2 the the foil and afpect the former of which is a rich fandy loom, and the afpect inclining to the eaft and fouth and, as the public are in complete poffeflion of the opinions upon which it is founded, there is no occafion to repeat every particular point in the prefent inftance. I fhall therefore content myfelf with merely mentioning fome, and enlarging upon others, as neceffity may require. Conceiving it to be good policy for a man to avail himself of every advantage that is prefented, I have recommended fpring as well as autumnal fowing, and the plants of each, when arrived at a proper fize, to be placed in the nurserybed, at its oppofite feafon. I perfevere in this practice, left the fummer, in proving too dry, fhould be equally detrimental as too wet a winter but as draining the feedbeds may be fo easily effected, and the fafety of the plants neceffarily enfured; fo now, without on any account neglecting the former, I principally depend on the latter lowing for a fucceffion: befides, it is attended with the leaft trouble and experte; and if throughout the operation is well attended to, fuccefs is nearly reduced to a certainty. Again, I have fomewhere obferved, that a proper mode of cultivation would greatly facilitate the eure of this root; in other words, good management will enfure its welfare till its arrival to a proper age: and that this has ever appeared to me of the most abfolute neceffity, I have never failed to reprefent. By nothing elle can it acquire that degree of woodinefs, in which I fufpect the principal fecret of its cure confifts. Age, teo, is necellary to give the plant its proper growth; otherwife, when it undergoes the operation, its pieces will be diminutive, infignificant, and unprofitable. Above all, it is entirely indebted to age for its medical virtues; and I firmly believe, that to this, more than to foil or fituation, it is owing that Turkey has been confidered fuperior to the English rhubarb. In this place permit me to introduce an opinion that I have for fome time entertained, viz. that thole parts of the root are of the finest quality that are the fartheft removed from the feed. This difference is easily difcoverable from its earlieft ftages; and fo affured am I of the fact, that, but for want of a fupply of offsets, and one or two other confiderations, I fhould be almoft tempted to abandon my prefent, in favour of this mode of cultivation. But though, in this respect, the rhubarb is evidently fuperior, yet it fhould be recollected that the other is lefs precarious, and its growth and produce much more confiderable. Although, according to every public teftimony, of which mention will prefently be made, I have reafon to believe my progrefs has been more confiderable than that of my contemporaries, if there are any, yet I have no conception that we have arrived at the ne plus ultra. Let us rather hope that every fue ceeding year will be productive of a degree of improvement propor tionate to the advantages of increafed experience. As we are lo much indebted, therefore, to the age of our plants, let me caution all who have, or may engage in this undertaking, never to yield to impatience; for, with a few perfons, the prejudices against the English rhubarb are many, and deepły rooted; rooted; and to this fource moft of them may be traced. Nor is this very wonderful; for to entertain high expectations of rhubarb prematurely taken up, is no lefs extravagant, than to fuppofe the capacity of a child equal to that of an adult; yet hitherto our market is a stranger to any other than fuch a commodity. Another caufe may, I conceive, arife (notwithstanding the length of time fince the introduction of the palmated, or true, fort into this kingdom, and all that has been written on the fubject,) from the little or no care that feems to have been taken in selecting and planting it. As a proof of this, it is not many days fince I faw a confiderable quantity, and neither the purchafer nor planter knew it to be the rhapontic. In juftice, however, to medical gentlemen in general, but in particular to those I have confulted upon this fubject, I have found thern better informed, and liberal to the greatest degree. They entered at once into the views of the fociety, and their affurances of co-operation have been fully realifed. That I never expected to introduce it into general practice without oppofition, is evident from my laft papers in 1798; for I there remarked, that very probably, before this could be effected, certain difficulties must be overcome, the principal of which I apprehended to be an almoft univerfal prepoffeffion in favour of foreign commodities. Moderation on the part of the cultivator in the regulation of his prices, and an unwearied attention to its quality, are the only means likely to produce a counteraction. To great attention to thefe points I attribute all my fuccefs, Mere recommendation ought ever in fuch a bufinefs as this, to be placed out of the queftion. If the article will not bear the tests of examination and trial, it should not be indebted to any thing else. Whenever I have fubmitted any fpecimens to public examination, at an hofpital or elsewhere, my confiant language has been," I have no wifh but that they may rife or fall according to their own intrinfic merit or demerit; and, if worthy of approbation, by this mean induce their general adoption. That this being, no doubt, the ultimate object of the fociety of arts, who have thought proper to honour me with feveral diftinctions, I feel myself impelled to forward it to the utmoft, and not remain contented with its mere cultivation." I have proceeded to ftate the great expenfe this country incurs by fo large an importation, and on this account urged its general adoption, in order to leffen the expenfe, on the score of duty. That although I am influenced by fuch motives, and many others, yet my own individual inte reft I have at the fame time fairly acknowledged to be among the number; and I have concluded with exprefling a hope, that while pleading the general, as well as my own particular caufe, perhaps the benefit of their inftitution be the neceflary confequence of introducing a valuable and efficacious medicine, at a comparatively trifling expenfe. I have never yet made this appeal in vain; and the fociety will, I dare fay, receive with much fatisfaction the intelligence that rhubarb of English growth is now uled at Guy's (I mention the hofpitals in the order of its introduction,) St Thomas's, and Bb3 may St. |