1.

WHE

SINGULAR ADVENTURE OF GENERAL PUTNAM. YHEN General Putnam firit moved to Pomfret, in Connecticut, in the year 1739, the country was new and much infefted with wolves. Great havec was made a mong the sheep by a fhe wolf, which with her annual whelps, had for feveral years continued in that vicinity. The young ones were commonly destroyed by the vigilence of the hunters; but the old one was too fagacious to be ensnared by them.

2. This wolf at length, became fuch an intolerable nuisance, that Mr. Patnam entered into a combination with five of his neighbors to hunt alternately until they could destroy her.→→→ Two, by rotation, were to be conftantly in purfuit. It was known, that having loft the toes from one foot, by a steeltrap, fhe made one track fhorter than the other.

3. By this veftige, the purfuers recognised, in a light fnow, the route of this pernicious animal, Having followed her to Connecticut river, and found he had returned back in a direct courfe towards Pomfert, they immediately returned, and by ten o'clock, the next morning the bloodhounds had driven her into a den, about three miles diflant from the house of Mr. Putnam:

4. The people foon collected with dogs, guns, ftraw, fire and fulphur to attack the common enemy. With this apparatus, feveral upfuccefsful efforts were made to force her from the den. The hounds came back badly wounded, and refused to return. The fmoke of blazing ftraw had no effect. Nor did the fumes of burnt brimstone, with which the cavern was filled, compel her to quit the retirment.

5. Wearied with fuch fruitlefs attempts (which had brot the time to ten o'clock at night) Mr. Putnam tried once more to make his dog enter, but in vain; he propofed to his negro man to go down into the cavern and fhoot the wolf. The negro declined, the hazardous fervice,

6. Then it was that their mafter, angry at the disappoint ment, and declaring that he was alhamed of having a coward in his family, refolved himself to deftroy the ferocious beaft, left the fhould efcape thro fome unknown fiffure of the rock.

7. His neighbors ftrongly remonstrated against the perilous enterprize; but he, knowing that wild animals were intimidated by fire, and having provided feveral trips of birch bark, the only combustible material which he could obtain, which would offord light in this deep and darkfome cave, prepared for his descent,

8. Having, accordingly, divefted himself of his coat and waistcoat, and having a long rope faftened round his legs, by which he might be pulled back, at a concerted final, he en tered, head foremoft, with a blazing torch in his hand.

9. Having groped his paffage till he came to a horizontal part of the den, the most terrifying darkness appeared in front of the dim circle of light afforded by his torch. It was filent as the house of death. None but monfters of the defert had ever before explored this folitary manfion of horror.

10. He cautiously proceeding onward, came to an afcent, which he flowly mounted on his hands and knees until he dif covered the glaring eye-balls of the wolf, who was fitting at the extremity of the cavern. Startled at the fight of fire, the guafhed her teeth and gave a fullen growl.

II. As foon as he had made the neceffary discovery, he kicked the rope as a fignal for pulling him out. The people at the mouth of the den, who had liftened with painful anxiety, hearing the growling of the wolf, and fuppofing their friend to be in the most emminent danger, drew him forth with fuch celerity, that he was ftripped of his clothes, and feverely bruifed

12. After he had adjufted his clothes, and loaded his gun with nine buck hot, holding a torch in one hand and the mufket in the other, he defcended a fecond time. When he drew nearer than before, the wolf affuming a ftill more fierce and terrible appearance, howling, rolling her eyes, fuapping her teeth, and dropping her head between her legs, was evi dently in the attitude and on the point of fpringing at him.

13. At this critical inftant, he levelled and fired at her head. Stunted with the fhock and fuffocated with the Imoke, he immediately found himself drawn out of the cave. But having refreshed himfelf and permitted the fmoke to diffipate, he went down the third time.

14. Once more he came within fight of the wolf, who ap pearing very paffive, he applied the torch to her nofe; and perceiving her dead, he took hold of her ears and then kicking the rope (ill tied round his legs) the people above, with no fmall exultation, dragged them both out together

I.

THE AGED PRISONER releafed from the Baftile.

N° O where elfe on earth, perhaps, has human mifery, by human means, been rendered fo lafting, fo com plete, or fo remedilefs, as in that difpotic prifon, the baitile. This the following case may fuffice to evince; the particulare

of which are tranflated from that elegant and energetic writer, Mr. Mercer.

2. The henious offence which merited imprifonment fur. palling torture, and rendering death a blefling, was no more than fome unguarded expreffions, implying difrefpect towards the late Gallic monarch, Louis fifteenth.

3. Upon the acceffion of Louis fixteenth to the throne, the minifters then in office, moved by humanity, began their ad. miniftration with an act of clemency and juftice, They in. spected the registers of the Baftile, and fet many prifoncis at liberty.

4. Among thofe there was an old man who had groaned in confinement for forty-feven years, between four thick and cold ftone walls. Hardened by adverfity, which firengthens both the mind and conftitution, when they are not overpowered by it, he had refifted the horror of his long imprisonment with an invincible and manly fpirit.

5. His locks, white, thin and fcattered, had almoft acquired the rigidity of iron: whilft his body, environed for fo long a time by a coffin of stone, had borrowed from it a firm and comract habit. The narrow door of his tomb, turning upon its grating hinges, opened not as ufual by halves, and an unknown voice announced his liberty and bade him depart.

6. Believing this to be a dream he hesitated; but at length rofe up and walked forth with trembling fteps, amazed at the fpace he traverfed. The ftairs of the prifon, the halls, the court feemed to him vast, immenfe, and almoft without bounds. 7. He stopped from time to time, and gazed around like a bewildered traveller. His vifion was with difficulty reconcil ed to the clear light of day. He contemplated the heavens as a new object, His eyes remained fixed, and he could not even weep.

8. Stupified with the newly acquired power of changing his pofition, his limbs like his tongue refufed, in fpite of his efforts, to perform their office, At length he got through the formidable gate.

9. When he felt the motion of the carriage, which was prepared to tranfport him to his former habitation, he screamed out, and uttered fome inarticulate founds; and as he could not bear this new movement, he was obliged to defcend. Supported by a benevolent arm, he fought ought the street where he had formerly refided; he found it, but no trace of his houfe remained; one of the public edifices occupied the fpot where it had flood.

10. He now faw nothing which brought to his recollection, either that particular quarter of the city itfelf, or the objects with which he was formerly acquainted. The houfes of his nearest neighbors, which were fresh in his memory, had affumed a new appearance,

11. In vain were his looks directed to all the objects around him; he could difcover nothing of which he had the fmalleft remembrance Terrified, he ftopped and fetched a deep figh, To him what did it import, that the city was peopled with li ving creatures? Noue of them were alive to him; he was un known to all the world, and he knew nobody; and whilft he wept, he regretted his dungeon.

/I2. At the name of the Baftile, which he often pronounced and even claimed as an afylum, and the fight of his clothes, which marked his former age, the croud gathered around him; curi ofity, blended with pity, excited their attention. The meft aged afked him many questions, but had no remembrance of the circumstances which he recapitulated.

13. At length accident brought to his way an ancient domeftic, now a fuperannuated porter, who confined to his lodge for fifteen years, had barely fufficint ftrength to open the gate, Even he did not know the mafter he had ferved: but informed him that grief and misfortunes had brought his wife to the grave thirty years before; that his children were gone abroad to dif tant climes, and that of all his relations and friends, none now remained.

14. This recital was made with the indifference which people difcover, for events long paffed and almoft forgotten. The miferable man groaned, and groaned alone. The croud around, offering only unknown features, to his view, made him feel the excefs of his calamities even more than he would have done in the dreadful folitude which he had left.

15. Overcome with forrow, he prefented himself before the minifter, to whofe humanity he owed that liberty which was now a burden to him. Bowing down, he faid, " Reftore me again to that prifon from which you have taken me. I cannot furvive the lofs of my nearelt relations; of my friends; and in one word, of a whole generation. Is it poffible in the fame mo ment to be informed of this univerfal destruction and not to wish for death?

16. "This general mortality, which to others comes flowly and by degrees, has to me been inftantaneous, the operation of a moment. Whilft fecluded from fociety, I lived with my

felf only; but here I can neither live with myfelf, not with this new race to whom my anguish and defpair appear only as a dream."

17. The minifter was melted; he caufed the old domeftic to attend this unfortunate perfon, as only he could talk to him of his family.

18. This difcourfe was the fingle confolation which he received; for he shunned intercourfe with the new race, bora fince he had been exiled from the world; and he paffed his time in the midst of Paris in the fame folitude as he had done whilft confined in a dungeon for almost half a century.

19. But the chagrin and mortification of meeting no perfon who could fay to him "We were formerly known to each other," foon put an end to his existence.

I.

Defcription of the FALLS of NIAGARA.

AMONG the many natural curiofities which this coun try affords, the cataract of Niagara is infinitely the greateft. In order to have a tolerable idea of this ftupendous fall of water, it will be neceffary to conceive that part of the country in which Lake Erie is fituated, to be elevated above that which contains Lake Ontario, about 300 feet.

2. The flope which feparates the upper and lower country is generally very fteep, and in many places almoft perpendicular. It is formed by horizontal ftrata of tone, great part of which is what we commonly call lime-ftone. The flope may be traced from the north fide of Lake Ontario, near the bay of Ter onto, round the weft end of the lake; thence its direction is generally caft, between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie; it croffes the ftraight of Niagara ; and the Chenefeco river: after which it becomes loft in the country towards the Seneca Lake.

3. It is to this flope that our country is indebted, both for the cataract of Niagara and the great falls of the Chenesece. The cataract of Niagara was formerly down at the northern fide of the flope, near to the place which is now known by the name of the Landing; but from the great length of time, added to the great quantity of water, and diftance which it falls, the folid ftone is worn away, for about feven miles, up toward Lake Erie, and a chafm is formed which no perfon ca approach without horror.

4. Down this chafm the water rufhes with a most astonishs ing velocity, after it makes the great pich. In going up G