MONTHLY AGRICULTURAL REPORT. THE appearance of the wheats, rye, winter tares, kept grass, and every species of winter crop, is held universally to be equal in goodness, to that of any season within memory. The turnips last beyond expectation. Bean setting has commenced upon a very good tilth in general. Ploughing and preparing the lands for the spring sowing was the material business but the use of spring wheat does not appear to gain ground; the farmer depends more upon an autumnal crop, whenever his land is ready for wheat. Straw fodder, and particularly hay, very plentiful; cattle chiefly confined, with some exceptions, to the fold-yards. The ewes, in many parts, unsound; and store sheep in a rotting state, upon undrained grounds: the unseasonable warmth of the autumn may have, in some degree, contributed to this. The last year's crop of wheat is likely, by all accounts, particularly from the north, to turn out greater than was at first expected, and its progress to market has been much facilitated by the now-common use of the threshing-machine. This accidental piece of good fortune, ought, by no means, to render us indifferent to those radical measures in the extension of the culture of waste lands, which are absolutely and imperiously necessary. Stoppage of the corn distillery, by reducing the price of soft corn, will have a very favorable effect upon the breeding and fattening of pigs, and cattle in general. Little alteration in the cattle markets. Cows, from 181. to 301. a piece. Heavy fat pigs plenty and low-priced. Store pigs somewhat dearer. Smithfield: Beef 4s. 6d. to 5s. 6d. Mutton 4s. 6d. to 5s. 8d.-Veal 7s. to 9s.-House Lamb 15s. to 20s. per quarter -Pork 4s. 8d. to 6s. 8d.-Bacon 6s. 8d.-Irish ditto 5s. to 5s. 4d. -Skins 39s. to 60s.-Fat 4s. 10d.-Oil cake 171. 17s. per thousand.-Potatoes 40s., 60s. to 80s. per ton. Corn Exchange: Wheat from 48s. to 120s. per qr.-The quartern loaf 17d.-Barley 35s. to 45s.-Oats 25s. to 38s.-Hay 31. 10s. to 61. 16s. 6d. per load.-Clover ditto 61. 6s. to 71. -Straw 21. 2s. to 21. 14s. Middlesex, Jan. 25. METEOROLOGICAL REPORT. Observations on the State of the Weather, from the 24th of Dec., 1811, to the 24th of Jan., 1812, inclusive, Four Miles N.N.W. St. Paul's. The quantity of rain fallen since our last Report is equal to about 14 inch in depth. We of course include the snow which was caught and melted in the rain-gauge. There has been a more than usual quantity of snow this month, but it did not in any instance lie long on the ground, nor has it, that we have heard, been drifted in any part of the country. There have been twelve very brilliant days in the month, and not a smaller number exceedingly gloomy. On one day in particular, viz. the 10th, there was such a darkness in London for about three hours, viz. from eleven till two o'clock, as was scarcely ever remembered. The shops, and counting-houses of public offices, were lighted up during the greater part of the time, as if it had been six or seven in the evening. This darkness was not accompanied by any remarkable fog, or haziness, in the atmosphere, but it was of that nature which we have heard has often preceded earthquakes; fortunately, however, the darkness went off without producing any greater evil. The average height of the harometer for the month, viz. 29 52, will account for the quantity of snow fallen: and, it may be observed, that, in the night and morning previously to the dark day, there had been a heavy fall of snow. Although we have had no very severe weather to last, yet the average temperature for the whole month is only 33.66, which is lower than the temperature of the same month last year, and more than 2o lower than it was in January, 1810. The wind has blown much from the west., ERRATA, in a few Copies of the present Number. At page 14, col. 2, near the top, for changes read charges; at page 34, col. 1, for rudimeter read eudiometer; same page and col. line 11 from bottom, for had read has; at page 35, col. 2, for Lucas read Lucy. In the copies in which these errors escaped correction, the Reader is requested to alter, those words with the pen, as they destroy the sense. MONTHLY MAGAZINE. No. 224.] MARCH 1, 1812. [2 of VOL. 33. As long as those who write are ambitious of making Converts, and of giving their Opinions a Maximum of Influence and Celebrity, the most extensively circulated Miscellany will repay with the greatest Effect the Curiosity of those who read either for Amusement or Instruction.-JOHNSON. On the first of February was published, the Supplement to the Thirty-Second Volume of this Magazine, containing a Variety of uncommonly interesting and important Matter, with Indexes, &c. Our Friends and the Public are also requested to take Notice, that complete Sets, ☛r any particular Number to perfect Sets, may now be had of all the Booksellers. ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. A SIR, MONG the variety of interesting phenomena to be met with in nature, few perhaps are more surprising than those of the water-spout. It is wonderful to every one who reads a description of it, but is far more so to those who by chance are spectators of a scene so astonishing! To behold nature as it were inverted, and a column of water rising from the surface of the sea with immense velocity, and ascending to the clouds, is an appearance which can never be forgotten by those who have witnessed it! On consulting what has been written on the subject by Signior Beccaria, Dr. Franklin, and Dr. Lindsay; I find that those philosophers are divided in their opinions respecting the cause. I am induced, therefore, through the medium of your valuable publication, to lay before the admirers of the wonders of nature, an account, as accurate as the confusion of the scene would admit me to trace, of some water-spouts of which I was an eye witness in the month of September 1801, near the Island of Candia, in the Mediterranean; being then on board his Majesty's ship Minotaur. My description must fall infinitely short of the sublimity and grandeur of the scene; but still, as the phenomena are seldom seen, some of the facts cannot fail to be worthy of record. The morning was dark and gloomy, exhibiting every appearance of a thunder-storm; but no thunder was heard or lightning seen. About day-light, it being nearly calm, several water-spouts were suddenly observed, from a quarter to half a mile distance from the ship, over which hung a dark and heavy cloud, very low, and extending over the zenith. The water appeared to be drawn up MONTHLY MAG., No. 224. from the sea from some distance round on the surface, in a conical form, as ACB, or HIK, accompanied by much agitation, and by a noise such as is made by boiling water.* From C it appeared to ascend up rapidly in a spout, as C D. The diameter at C might be about 4 or 5 feet, and at the top 6 or 7 feet, where it entered the black cloud and dispersed in a horizontal direction amidst the cloud. One spout was observed to wind up in a heliacal or spiral form, as I L, and ap◄ peared, on entering the cloud at L, to bend at right angles, and proceed to some distance at M, where it also dispersed amidst the cloud. A spout was observed to break at F, and ascend up and vanish in a few se conds, leaving the cone E F G, which was carried on with a rapid motion, and accompanied by a great hissing noise for some distance, as at N O P, when it ascended up in a spout OR, and the black cloud appeared to collect itself and fall down at Q, so as to meet the ascending spout, when they ascended together. Very heavy rain fell at intervals, and the whole process, which lasted about 15 or 20 minutes, was accompanied with a hissing noise. All the spouts disappeared by breaking off at the bottom, and ascending to the clouds, having the bottom parts terminating in a point. I had not the presence of mind to note the seconds which passed during the ascension; nor, in the former case, when I saw a spout begin to rise, to note the time before it entered the cloud. I have made the drawings in a perpen. dicular direction, which was the posi tions of the spouts in general; but I observed one or two a little inclined, particularly one, which appeared to be drawn along by the black cloud above, the cloud being in a state of perturbation. Should the preceding description be the means of throwing any new light on the theory of these phenomena, I shall feel myself highly gratified in having been the organ of their publication. THOMAS TAYLOR. Flamstead House, Greenwich, To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. I SIR, AM a constant reader of your valuable Magazine ; and, as a keeper of bees for many years past, I am much induced to beg your insertion of the following easy method of taking the finest virgin honey from bees without destroying them; and I am sensible such will be found to the greatest interest and satisfaction of the bee-master, when generally adopted. But previous to my stating my method, I must give my opinion on the unsatis factory account of driving the bees from their common hive, into an empty hive, as stated in your last Magazine for December, and must warn the young beemaster in particular against such an attempt, by placing himself in danger of this operation on a hive of bees in June or July, and a kettle of scalding water below for the steam to drive the bees into an empty hive; for I think nineteen times out of twenty, he would totally fail in his object; and even if he attained it at so great a risk, it would destroy all the young brood therein, and eventually kill the whole stock, without obtaining any quantity of honey by the operation being performed, before the principal gathering season commences; and if done later, they would not be enabled to make new combs for the winter. Indeed, I could state a great many other objections to this scheme, but I think it unnecessary, as every experienced bee-master will see its inutility and impracticability. The method, I beg to state, is applicable principally on keeping the bees in two hives, or in boxes, or rears, or in placing a glass, or small hive, on the top of a common hive, with a sufficient open space for communication, which may be closed as occasions may require. At the end of the gathering season, when the additional small hive is full of honey, or at any time in the season when you wish to take it away from the body-hive, pass a sheet of tin or piece of sheet iron be tween the body-hive and small hive, to stop the communication; and, in a little time afterwards, the bees will appear much agitated in the small hive, you then slide the small hive away on another sheet of tin-(or in many cases, when there are but few bees, you let it remain in its place), and then gently lift up the small hive, and place the edge thereof on an instrument made with four, or six, trap doors, with very fine wove wire, by which the bees may come out, but can not get in again. When this is placed, put a hand-cloth round the bottom of the small hive, so as to prevent the bees coming out elsewhere than by the trap. doors, and so as to leave only the doors thereof to admit the light, and you will observe the bees coming out and taking flight to their home with great haste. Should you take away the small hive on the sheet of tin, then having placed the trap-door instrument as above, put the small hive on a stool near the mouth of the body-hive, and the bees will com out (hearing their companions in the body-hive) and walk home with haste and much eagerness, so that in three or four hours you will find the whole of the small hive entirely free of bees, and may take it quite away without the least difficulty, and having taken the honey therefrom, you may return back the empty small hive to the bees again in the same place, to be again filled. In this method of depriving the bees, it will be seen that the principal thing is the trap-door instrument, which is made of a piece of mahogany, three-fourths of an inch wide and thick, by about four or six inches long, and with four or six square notches made therein to admit a bee easily to pass one way, by putting his head and shoulders under a fine wirewove door, that rises easily and falls down after he has passed, to an angle of about forty-five degrees, If this instrument should not be understood, I shall be happy to shew one at any time to your readers, who will do me the honor to call on me to see it. Your correspondent in your last Ma gazine, also much recommends the old common straw hive, (I conceive to be used in the old manner) as the best for keeping bees. But I am decidedly of opinion, that by adding a small hive at the top with a communication to the common hive, or by having boxes made, of the same contents, either square or octagon; or by glasses put thereto, or at the top of common bives you thereby get |