222 LIME and LIME-ASHES, &c. let it lie unufed for four or five years, virtue of it fhould be enfeebled. Athes. Under this head we mean to fpeak only of the wood-afhes taken from chimneys, forges and ovens, and thofe of coal, earth and turf. These afhes are particularly excellent for peafe, vetches and other fuch pulfe; they are scattered cr own when the plant hath rifen about a inch from the furface of the earth; but as their falt, being very sharp, would in dry weather infallibly prejudice the tende vegetables, they are not used until the farmer can depend upon immediate rain to diffolve and foften their acrimony. Soap-water and foap-afhes. Thefe, according to fome farmers, are the most precious of all forts of manure; efpecially foap-fuds, to which may be joined lyewater. What conftitutes the great virtue of this manure is, that befides the vegetable falts and oils, that enter the compofition of foap, it likewife contains the falts and oils of the animal reign, that refided in the linen, which it cleaned and whitened; and thefe laft perfectly foften the acrimony of the firft. This water ought to be carefully referved for gardens, where it will produce admirable effects. As for the afhes taken from foap houfes, May neglected in Touraine, and the expert farmer who finds fuch a mine, will not fail to make his advantage of it. Lime and lime-afhes. The property of lime fpread upon the ground, is to deftroy noxious weeds, drive away infects, fertilize the earth and keep it clean. The feafon for using it, is when the land is ready to receive the feed: But it would be dangerous to make use of pure lime unflaked: Its extreme heat would dry the earth too much, and do it more harm than good; befides, a great quantity would be required to cover ground of any confiderable extent, and the expence of purchafing, or even of carriage, would render this manure very coftly. When the farmer has refolved to fatten the land with lime, he orders it to be brought into the field, or near it, if there is a convenient place; there it is laid in one heap, covered with leaves or chopped ftraw, two feet high. The top of this heap is opened for pouring in a quantity of water fufficient to flake it, and the ftraw and leaves are watered on the outfide. The trouble of this operation is faved by the falling of rain, and this may be waited for, if the lime hath been conveyed in good time. As foon as the lime begins to be heated, the hole above is ftopped, in order to oblige the fmoak to attach itself to the wet itraw and leaves, Dand whenever this fmpak penetrates, ftraw must be carefully thrown upon it to concentrate it. When the lime is fuppofed to yield no more fmoke, the covering is pierced on all fides; then that which was too dry, totally confumes, and the reft is converted into a kind of grofs athes. Thus the heap of lime is at least E tripled, its dangerous heat tempered, and the whole rendered more advantageous to the ground on which it is fpread. Lime-athes do not require this preparation; but may be fcattered just as they are gathered, with this caution, which is common to all ashes, namely, to spread them equally and pretty thick. If the farmer, in the first year after having Fprepared his grounds in this manner, Shells. Some spots of earth are filled G with fhells, which are for the most part brittle, and crumble into white powder, which is an excellent manure, and fome authors pretend that it renders land fruitful for thirty years. Thefe fhells are not does not reap fuch an abundant harvest as he had reafon to expect, he ought not to lofe his patience; the fecond year will pay with interest what the first could not afford. When we fay it is proper to prepare intirely for the feed, the ground upon which the lime is to be thrown, we ought to affign the reafon for this precaution, left fome perfon thinking to improve upon our leffons, fhould lofe his expence and the fruit of his labour; it must be con fidered, therefore, that by fcattering the Hime and labouring afterwards, the fajd 1.me 1754. Obfervations on the Courfe of Exchange. lime will be turned under ground, and its virtue ftill defcending, can no longer act upon the furface of the earth, which will therefore, continue to be covered with noxious weeds and infects; and the intention was to clean and meliorate this very furface. Wherefore, it is evident, that the ground ought to be entirely laboured, before the lime be applied, that we may be affured it will remain upon the furface, and there produce the good effects we have reafon to expect from its quality. We will add, that no part of the lime may be loft, the place where it was flaked ought to be scraped off, and thefe fcrapings impregnated with the lime, ufed as the lime itself. [To be concluded in our next.] From the fame Book we shall likewife give the following Table, viz. A TABLE fpewing in French Money of Accompt, the Money of Exchange of different Cities in Europe, reckoning the Mark of Silver, or 8 French Ounces, at 50 Livres, the prefent Current Value. The price of the mark of filver 7 at Paris being The florin of Amfterdam Florin of Antwerp Rixdollar of Cologne Rixdollar of Hamburg The Liege crown liv. 50 2 45 223 exchange England lofes fomething above 183 livres French, or fomething above 71. 75. fterling, at the prefent courfe of exchange, upon every 1ool. remitted by bills of exchange from London to Paris. This is a demonftrative proof that we are lofers by our trade with France, but is not a proof how much that lofs may A amount to; for let us be never so great lofers by that trade, the courfe of exchange can never rife much above the value of the trouble and risk of carrying gold and silver in foreign coin, or in ingots from London to Paris; because when it does, the remitter here will fend gold or filver to Paris, or will fend to his B correfpondent at Paris a bill upon his correfpondent at Lisbon, and thereby bring the money due to him at Lisbon to Paris, in order to have an advantage by giving bills of exchange upon his correfpondent at Paris to thofe in London that have occafion for fuch bills. For example, if the value of the trouble and risk of fending Cgold or filver from London to Paris amounts to but 51. per cent. the courfe of exchange can never rife much above what it is at prefent, because those who take that trouble upon them are fure of getting 21. 75. per cent. free profit, by drawing for it afterwards; which muft fhew, that tho' the courfe of exchange be not 7. per cent. against us, yet the balance of our trade with France may be 50l. per cent. against us: That is to fay, for every 1ool. worth of goods we import from France we must pay 50l. in gold and filver, over and above the price paid there for the goods we fend thither. And as we have hardly any thing from France that is abfolutely neceffary, either for the E fupport of life,or for the carrying on of any of our manufactures, we may judge how dearly this nation pays for the fupport of our luxurious fools at home, and our travelling fools abroad. 5 11 ID 5 II I II I II I 3 14 Rixdollar of Leipfic Crufada of Lisbon Piaftre of Leghorn The London pound sterling Pistole of Madrid Ducat of Meffina Ducaton of Milan Ducat of Naples 6 Eftempe ecu of Rome Rixdollar of Stockholm Ducat of Venice 6159 9 38 5 11 1 5111 F 4 27 From this table we may fee how much the current courfe of exchange between London and Paris always runs in favour of France; for as the pound fterling is by this table worth 24 livres, 13 fols, 9 deniers, for 1ool. paid at London we ought to receive at Paris 2468 livres, 15 G fols, whereas, according to the prefent courfe of exchange, which is about 31 d. fterling for a crown or 3 livres French, we receive but 2285 livres and a little more than 14 fols French, fo that by this From the fame table the curious may by calculation fee, whether we are gainers or lofers by our trade with any of the cities therein mentioned. For example, the florin of Amfterdam, bank money, is by this table equal to 528 French deniers, and by the fame table one farthing EngJifh is equal to a little more than 6 French demers; therefore fuch a florin is equal to 85 farthings, or 21 d. 1 farthing English, confequently for every pound fterling we fend to Holland, we ought to receive 11 florins and near 3 ftivers, bank money, whereas by the prefent course of exchange we receive but 10 florins, 11 ftivers, fo that our exchange with Holland is against us as well as that with France. But then there are two circumftances 224 A Description of the Cape of GOOD HOPE. ftances not depending upon trade which, A Defcription of the Cape of Good Hope : T May tain, who looks to the preservation of the peace, and the administration of justice in his jurifdiction; and in time of war, has the command under the chief of his nation, of the troops furnished out by his kraal. As to their religion, they believe there is a God, who made all things; but worship the moon as an inferior divinity, and adore a certain infect, or kind of fly; and have many odd, ridiculous and fantastical customs among them: Notwithstanding all which, there is at this time the strictest alliance and the closest friendship between the Dutch and the feveral Hottentot nations. HE first European who difcovered this famous Cape was Bartholomew B Dias, a Portuguese admiral: This was in the year 1493, in the reign of K. John II. of Portugal. Dias gave it the name of Capo dos totos los Tormentos, from the boifterous winds that are almost continually roaring there; which K. John thought fit to change into Capo del Buonne Esperan co, or The Cape of Good Hope, because there was now good hope of making profperous voyages to the Eaft-Indies. Dias, however, did not land at the Cape, nor Vafco de Gama, who went out next with the command of the Portuguese India fleet, tho' he failed by it: But Rio d'Infante, the Portuguese admiral, was the first who went ashore there in his voyage to India, in 1498. The Portuguese endeavoured to D make a fettlement at the Cape, but failed in their attempt. The Dutch were more politick and fuccefsful, and at laft made a very noble fettlement there for the benefit of their Eaft-India company, where they built a fine town, called the CapeTown, fituate in the Table- Valley, which has a most excellent and beautiful garden E belonging to it: And their civil government here inftituted is wife and admirable. There are alfo many fine gardens belonging to the inhabitants, as well as All that called the company's garden. nations who now trade to the Eaft-Indies always fail by this Cape. It is the most fouthern point of all Africa, and is fituate in 34° 12′ fouth latitude, and 37° 55' longitude from the meridian drawn over the Pike of Teneriffe. The nations about the Cape are called Hottentots, the laziest and filthiest people in the world, both in their diet and garb; yet they live long, and have few difThey befmear tempers among them. The country about the Cape is for the moft part full of rocks and mountains, which for a long time after the discovery, being only viewed at a distance, were thought to be barren: But the truth is, their fpacious tops are covered with rich meadow, every where enamelled with various flowers of uncommon beauty and fragrancy, and abounding with delicious fprings running in a variety of streams into the valleys. Thete mountains, in clear weather, are feen at the distance of 15 leagues at fea. On the fkirts of them, and here and there between them, are groves of excellent timber trees. The plains and valleys are all lovely meadowlands, where nature appears in fuch a profusion of charms as to ravish the eye of the beholder. The foil is rich, and bears every fort of grain, the vine, and every kind of fruit-trees. Not a root of the many thousands that the Dutch have transplanted thither from Europe, has failed. The country abounds with falt, and here and there are feveral natural hot baths, which have been found very useful in many cafes. The region about the Cape is, indeed, fubject to boisterous winds, which blow generally from the S.E. and N. W. and have certain feafons for reigning in one or the other quarter. They frequently blow a hurricane, and not only endanger the shipping, but tear and thatter the whole country. Yet, on the other hand, thefe rude winds are of excellent Fufe; for as they purge the air, and keep it in a very brifk agitation, they contribute not a little to the health of the inhabitants, who, when thefe winds lie ftill for a week or ten days together, complain generally of the head-ach and other diforders, which vanifh when they blow again. The three hills which form the Table-valley, are the Wind-hill, vulgarly called the Devil's-hill, on one fide, the Lyon-hill on the other, and the Tablehill in the middle, which is the highest of the three, it being computed to be 1857 feet high, and on the top, which their bodies all over with greafe and fat; G appears |