Eafily. Hifperfe vapours. noxious? marfby. convicted? Lanat faftened. farriers? 4 ftructions in its paffage, which eafily change the direction of the wind, and often totally destroy its effects. 29. f, therefore, impute the diftant effects of the poifon, in a great measure, to the conftant gentle winds in the parts, which have not power enough to difperfe the poisonous particles. If high winds were more frequent and durable there, they would certainly weaken very much, and even deftroy the noxious effluvia of the poifon; but without them, the air remains infected and pregnant with thefe, poifoncus vapours.. 30. I am more convinced of this, as the worthy ecclefiaftic affured me, that a dead calm is always attended with the greatest danger, as there is a continual perfpiration. iffuing from the tree, which is feen to rife and spread in the air like the putiid steam. of a marthy cavern. Experiments made with the Gum of the UPAS TREE. 31. In the year 1776, in the month of February, I was prefent at the execution of thirteen of the Emperor's concubines, at SouraCharta, who were convicted cfinfidelity to the Emperor's bed. It was in the forenoon about. eleven o'clock, when the fair criminals were led into an open fpace, within the walls of the Emperor's palace. There the judge paffed. fentence upon them by which they were doom.. ed to death by a lancet, poifoned with Upas. 32. Thirteen polts, cach above five feet: high, were then erected. To thefe the delin.. quents were faltened, and their breafts ftripped naked. In this fituation they remained a fort time in continual prayers, attended by feveral priefts, until a fignal was given by the judge to the executioner; on which the latter produced an inftrument, much like the fpring lancet ufed by farriers for bleeding horfes. 33. With this inftrument, it being poifoned Wretcher. with the Gum of the Upas, the unhappy wretches were lanced in the middle of their: breafts, and the operation was performed up-on them all in less than two minutes. 34. My aftonithment was railed to the highest degree, when I beheld the fudden ef fects of that poifon; for in about five minutes agories? after they were lanced they were taken with a tremor, attended with a fubfultus ten• · dinum, after which they died in the greatet agonies, crying out to God for mercy.. 35. In fixteen minutes by my watch, which I held in my hand, all the criminals were no more. Some hours after their death, I obferved their bodies full of livid fpots, much watch.. like thofe of the Petechie, their faces fwelled, their colour changed to a kind of blue, their : eyes looked yellow, &c. 36.. This account, I flatter myfelf, will fat-isfy the curiofity of my readers, and the few facts which I have related will be confidered pernicious as a certain proof of the existence of this per- nicious tree, and its penetrating effects.. 37. If it be asked why we have not yet any more fatisfactory accounts of this tree, I can only antwer, that the object of most travellers to that part of the world confifts more in com mercial purfuits than in the ftudy of Natural Hitory and the advancement of Sciences. commercial? purfuits 38. Befides, Java is fo univerfally reputed an unhealthy Iiland, the rich travellers feldom make any long day in it; and others. want money, and generally are too ignorant of the language to travel, in order to make rejearches. enquiries. In future, thofe who vifit this I and will now probably be induced to make it an object of their refearches, and will fur. ailh us with a fuller description of this tree. Thoughts Induced cautions Thoughts on Spring. ! WITH what rapture do my long- Gaze on the fwelling bud that first proclaims Breeze. 1. bfight? embryo? Southern. creeps. thicket. tenant? adorous? vaunted. venerate? drreft? wren. profufion? bough Cautious and fearful left the biting breeze head Late rode the tempeft in deftructive sway, How calm, how peaceful now! the fouthern breeze, Awaking vegetation into life, Creeps through the thicket, and with odorous Prompts every The tree to bloffom, and the ripen'd fruit The 1.THE I. The Lion. HE influence of climate upon man- Torrid? kind is very fmall; he is found to fubfit in all parts of the earth, as well under the frozen poles, as beneath the torrid zone; but in animals, the climate may be confidered as congenial, and a kind of fecond nature. 2. They almoft all have their particular latitudes, beyond which they are unable to fubfift; either perifhing with a moderate cold, or dying for want of a frozen air, even in a temperate climate. The rein-deer is never feen to depart from the icy fields of the north; and on the contrary, the lion degenerates, when taken from beneath the line. The whole earth is the native country of man; but all inferior animals have each their own peculiar diftricts. zone? congenial? fulfift? rein-deer. degenerates? 3. Most terrestrial animals are found larger, terreftrial? fiercer, and ironger, in the warm than in the cold or temperate climates. They are alfo more courageous and enterprifing. All their courageous? difpofitions feeming to partake of the ardour of their native foil.. The lion, produced un der the burning fun of Africa, is, of all others, ardour?s the most terrible, the most undaunted. 4. Such, however, of thefe, as are bred in a more temperate climate, or towards the tops temperate ? of cold and lofty mountains, are far more gentle, or, to fpeak more properly, far lefs dangerous than thofe bred in the torrid val- vallies. lies beneath. 5. In the vast deferts of Zaara, in the burning fands that lie between Mauritania, and Negroland, in the uninhabited countries that lie. lie to the north of Cafraria, and, in general, in all the deferts of Africa, where man has not fixed his habitation, the lions are found in great numbers, and preferve their natural courage and force.. Intrepid? 6. Accustomed to measure their strength with every anin al they neet, the habit of conquering renders them intrepid and terible. Having never experienced the dangerapprehenfions? ous arts and combinations of man, they have no apprehenfions from his power. They boldly face him, and feem to brave the force of his arms. reprefs? daunted? caravan? Morocco. India. shaftife? compofure? 7. Wounds rather ferve to provoke their rage than reprefs their ardour. They are hot daunted even with the oppofition of numbers; a fingle lion of the defert often attacks an entire carravan; and, after an obftinate combat, when he finds himself overpowered, instead of flying, he continues to combat, retreating, and itill facing the enemy till he dies. 8. On the contrary, the lions which inhabit the peopled countries of Morocco or India, having become acquainted with human power, and experienced man's iuperiority, have loft all their courage, fo as to be leared away with a fhout; and feldom attack any but the unrefifting flocks or herds, which even women and children are fufficient to protect. 9. This alteration in the lion's difpofition fufficiently thows that he might eafily be tamed, and admit of a certain degree of educa tion. "In fact, nothing is more common than for the keepers of wild beats to play with this animal, to pull out his tongue, and even to chaftife him without a caufe. He feems to bear it all with the utmost compofure; and we very rarely have inftances of impertinent? his revenging thefe unprovoked fallies of impertinent cruelty. prevail. io. As his paffions are ftreng, and his ap petites vehement, one ought not to prefume that the impreffions of education will always prevail; fo that it would be dangerous in fuch circumstances to fuffer him to remain too long |
