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Account of fome remarkable Infects in the Ifland of Dominica*.

HE principal and moft remarkable of the reptiles and infects in Dominica, are. fnakes, lizzards, wood-flaves, guanas, frogs, grugru worms, borer worms, centipedes, fcorpions, fpiders, fawyer flies, blacksmith flies, loggerhead flies, Spaniard flies, freemafon flies, the wood-horfe, and vegetable flies."

Some of the fnakes are fmall, and others very large and thick. Of the laft fort is that called by the French, "Tete du chien," or Dog's head fnake, from its head, which much refembles that of a dog. Some have been caught in this ifland that meafured upwards of twelve, feet in length, and as thick as a man's leg. They have long, tharp teeth; their fkins are feeled and beautifully fpotted, and they have at the end of their tails a blunt-pointed, horny fubftance, which enables them to climb the trees.

The bite of thefe fnakes is not venomous, nor is that of any kind of them in this ifland; but the tete du chien does much mifchief among the birds in the woods; and on the plant ations they fiequently deveur the fowls and other poultry. They will fwallow a full-grown fowl with its feathers, and feveral of them have been killed there with both a large fowl and an Indian coney entire in their bowels.

A remarkable circumftance, which happened in this land fome time ago, deferves to be noticed in this place. A negro retiring from work one day at noen, in ftead of going home to get his dinner, fell asleep under a fhady tree; and being milling at the tine the other negroes affembled together to finish their daily tafk, it caufed a fufpicion that fome accident had befallen him; they accordingly went in fearch of him, and found him afleep, with one of his legs up to the thick

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part of his thigh, in the jaws of a large fnake. Awakened by their noife, he was in the greateft terror; and ftruggling to get disengaged, was feverely bit by the animal; to prevent this as much as poffible, wedges were placed between its jaws, whilst they cut it to pieces; by which means only he could be released. This operation took up fome time, which, together with the length of time his leg and thigh had already been in the belly and jaws of the fake, reduced them almost to a ftate of digeftion; and it was not till a confiderable while after, that he recovered the entire use of them.

The fat of thefe foakes is esteemed an excellent remedy for the rheumatifm, or for fprains, by rubbing it mixed with ftrong rum. Their fiefh is eaten by many, particularly by the French, fome of whom are very fond of it; but it is reckoned unwholesome, and to occafion the leprofy.

The fawyer fly, fo called from its faculty of fawing afunder the branches of trees, whofe fubftance is its food, is about three inches in length when full grown, and is a very fingular infe&t. Its head has fomewhat the appearance of an elephant, it having a horny bill, like the probofcis of that animal, bending upwards from the under part, with another, pointing downwards from the upper part of its head, both of a jet black, and of a fine polifh. On the inner furface of the upper bill are raifed points like the teeth of a faw, which are used by the infect in the fame mannet. Its body is like that of a beetle, but confiderably larger, with double wings, the inner of which is like cearte gauze ; and its legs are armed at each joint with crooked, tharp nails, with the fame on each toe, like a bird.

The procefs of this infect in faw

* From "Atwood's Diary of Dominita."

ing

ing down branches of trees is really admirable, but it is hardly poffible to form an idea of the manner of doing it without a defcription. This work it performs, by encircling the branch. with its bills, the points of which it faftens well into the wood, and turning round it briskly by the ftrength of its wings, which make a loud buzzing noife, it in a fhort time faws the branch afunder. They are by many called elephant flies, from the great refemblance of their heads to that animal; they are perfectly harmlefs, and are caught only to be kept as curiofities.

The blacksmith fly, is fo called from its making a noife resembling in found the ftriking on iron. In the centre of its back is a projecting horny point, and a crevice of the fame nature on the hind part of the head, near the shoulders, which being ftruck together by a jerk of the head and body, make a tingling noife, that may be heard at a confiderable diftance; and fo elaftic is the membrane which joins the head and body together, that, if the infect is laid on its back, it will fpring to a tolerable height upwards, and fall directly on its legs. It differs very little from the beetle in fhape or fize, excepting in its elaftic powers, and making fo fingular a noife.

The fire fly is a wonderful infect, for it has a luminous quality in its head (above the eyes) under each wing, and in its tail; which, when the infect is flying, has the appearance of fo many lights of candles moving in the air: or the lights of a coach or poft-chaife in a dark night, travelling towards you at a brifk

rate.

Some of thefe flies are as big as the top-joint of a man's thumb, others are much smaller; and the latter bave that luminous quality only in their tails. They have a charming effect on the eye at night in the groves of the woods, where they are feen flying in all directions, like fo many huulaad fparkles of fire; forming an

of the grandeft fpectacles of the kind that can be conceived, in Dominica's woods "that nightly shine with infe& lamps."

The larger fort are often caught for the novelty of the light they give; if two or three of them are put into a glafs, placed in a dark room, you may fee diftinctly any object there: or by holding a book close to the glafs in which they are, you may fee plainly to read the finallest print.

There is another quality remarkable in the fire flies, which is, that feveral of them being killed and mashed together will produce the fame effect, and be as vifible in letters marked out on the walls of a dark room, as if done with artificial phosphorus; and this for a confiderable time after the flies are dead.

The loggerhead fly is a fpecies of the moth, from which it differs only in the uncommon largeness of its head,. and a fingular quality of tranfparency in its body; which latter is very remarkable, for placing this fly near to the light of a candle, you may plainly diftinguish every part of its vitals, and diftinctly count every movement of them.

The Spaniard fly and free-mafon fly are both of the wafp kind, but they differ from each other in fize, fhape, and alfo in the fubftance and curious manner of making their nefts. The firft is of the shape of a small bee, and builds its neft of a waxy matter, in the form of a small flat button full of holes, which it fufpends by a filky ligament to the cielings of houfes, or to the boughs of trees, where it has the benefit of the wind to vibrate to and fro.

The free-mafon fly is exactly of the fhape, fize, and colour of a walp, and builds its neft of mud, in the shape of orange barrels. It is curious to fee thefe little creatures at work, they fhew fo much art and industry, fome of them fetching the mud in their mouths, while others are forming their fmall cores, or filling th

up when finished with numbers of va rious coloured fmall fpiders, which they alfo bring in their mouths for food to their young when hatched. That which is further remarkable of these flies is, that it appears they qualify the fpiders, by fome means, for remaining a long time in as perfect a ftate as the first day they were immured in their cells; I have feen fpiders, fo immured for feveral weeks, as whole and perfect in fize, fhape, and colour, as when alive.

There is another fpecies of these flies, called galley wafps, which is double the fize, and of a bright lightblue colour. Thefe have very long ftings, which are plainly to be feen when they are flying, with which they wound very feverely, caufing the blood to fpout out, as from the prick of a lancet.

The fting of these flies is very painful, and perfons have been thrown into fevers by being stung feverely by them; but they are feldom offenfive, unless disturbed.

The wood horfe, called by the negroes the fairy-horfe, is a very fingu

lar infect. Its head is like that of
a grafshopper, it has two horns, con-
fiderably longer than its own body,
which is about three inches, and of
one continued thicknefs, like a large
Caterpillar. It has fix legs, which
are raifed and doubled above its body,
like the fringing legs of a grafshopper,
but they have not the fame power,
ferving it only to walk with, which it
does very
faft. It has no wings, is

of a deep green colour, and is perfect-
ly harmlefs.

The vegetable fly is a remarkable infect. It is of the appearance and fize of a fmall cockchafer, and buries itself in the ground, where it dies, and from its body fprings up a small plant, which refembles a coffee-tree plant, only its leaves are much smaller. The plant which fprings from this infect is often overlooked, from the fuppofition people have of its being no other than a coffee plant; but on examining it properly, the difference is eafily diflinguifhed, from the head, body, and feet of the infect appearing at the root, as perfectly as when alive.

Character of the Cardinal de Bernis; by M. Duclos, Hiftoriographer of France.

TH

He

HE Comte de Bernis is a man nis was courted by all companies; of quality of the old race. He there he lived fashionably; but his air was deftined to the church from his of diffipation difpleafed old Cardiinfancy, and was firft Canon and nal de Fleury, the friend of his faCount of Brioude. ther, and who had promised to take care of the fortune of the fon. fent for him, and told him frankly that he had nothing to expect while he (the Cardinal) lived. The young Abbé making a low how, replied," my Lord, I will wait" and retired. The old minifter fmiled at the anfwer, and even related it to many people, baş continued inflexible, not deeming a pleafantry a fufficient title to a benifice.

After having paffed fome of his juvenile years at St Sulpice, with as little fortune as most of the younger fons of noble families who afpire at and who attain the mitre, he entered into the chapter of Lyons, whither he went only to undergo the ceremony of admiffion, and immediately returned to Paris.

Refpe&able by birth, with an amiable figure, an open countenance, a deal of wit and chearfulness, a found judgment and steady character, Ber

As to the Abbé de Bernis, he continued to live as be used to do, with

out

out having any thing to reproach himfelf with when he confidered his fellow candidates, except being a little more gay and having lefs hypocrify. His answer to the Cardinal de Fleury was fmart, but to make it true, it was neceflary that he fhould not deceive himfelf by waiting. After the Cardinal de Fleury was dead, the fortune of the Abbé de Bernis was not ad vancing. He gave himself no trouble about it, trufting that among the great, numbers of whom were his relations, and many who courted him, there would be fome one who would farve him with effect: but it feemed to be nobody's business. Every one contented himself with faying, that certainly no man of quality ever fupported the poverty of his condition with more dignity than Bernis, for he fhow ed no fymptoms of chagrin, and behaved even with gaiety; as if fortune were a thing not worth his care.

Chance having connected him with Madame de Pompadour, the conceived for him the highest honour and efteem. The first ofe he made of fuch powerfal influence was in favour of others. He was of the French Academy, and the title of Academician was the only thing which, without actually giving him place or precedence, ferved him inftead of both. He was of ufe to fuch of his fellow academicians as he had it in his power to oblige; giving places to fome and drawing others from indigence. His friends were obliged to hint to him the neceffity of atrending at laft to himself. A proof of the moderation of his defires was the bounds he fet to his ambition. Boyer, the old Bifhop of Mirepoix, had at that time the difpofal of all be nefices, and never was man more mafter in his department than that fcarecrow of a minifter; a man without birth, of zeal without knowledge, and drawn from the cloister to be decorated with the mitre, by the intereft of a few old devotees of the Court.

Both church and state at this day feel the effects of his weakness.

Louis XV. deigned to recommend to him the Abbé de Bernis. Boyer, who could not difobey a recommendation which he knew had the effect of an order, found means to elude it. He propofed to the Abbé de Berais to take orders, and promifed foon to nominate him to a bishoprick. The Abbé replied, that not feeling in himfelf the difpofitions neceffary for fach a function, he would content himself with an abbey. Boyer refused this, and gave the king to understand that the property of the church, could only be befcowed on those who did actual duty; but he praised very much the fiacerity of the Abbé who was no hypocrite. It would feem that Boyer had never met with any but men of fuch a character, fince he was so much farprifed at the conduct of Bernis. The king being able to obtain nothing, gave the Abbé a penfion of fifteen hundred livres. This fum not being fufficient for his neceffary expences, he endeavoured to procure fome small benefices; and I am certain if he had been able to extend his fortune to the fum of fix thousand livres, he would have been content. But meeting with continual obitacles, of which I was often the witness, he refolved to make a large fortune because he could not attain a fmali one, and in this he was fuccefsiul. Few fortunes indeed have been made fo rapidly. He was named ambaffador to Venice where he became loved and refpected. Soon after he was made counfellor of State in his abfence. The Marquis de Puifieux (Brular,) then minifter of foreign affairs did not oppofe him; he did not have men of noble families, for ae was of one himself. St Contest (Barberie) having fucceeded the marquis, was not fo favourable to Bernis from another re fon, and efpecially from that fecrer hate which fools bear to men of genius. St Conteft died before the

return

return of the Abbé, and it was well for public affairs and for private fociety that he did fo. His father was a man of merit, and that was all that could be faid in favour of the fon.

The Abbé de Bernis at his return from Venice attained the highest credit in all affairs.

Among the employments that were deftined for him, the embaffy to Poland was one; but the king, advised by fome minifter, or out of his own head, would not confent to it, from an idea that that embaffy would procure a Cardinal's hat to the Abbé fooner than his majefty intended. The embaffies to Spain and Poland are confidered as of much great er importance than the other. The

hope of being a grandee in the one, and of obtaining a Cardinal's hat in the other, infpires the ambaffadors with more complaifance than is neceffary in thefe two ftates. A negociation in the heart of the kingdom procured the hat for Bernis fooner than the embaffy to Poland would have done. The contefts between the par liament and the court had never been more violent than they were when the Abbé de Bernis entered the council on the 2d of January 1757; contefts which began in the regency of the Duke of Orleans, and which conti nued long to harafs the government of France. Clement XII. (Rezzonico) raifed him to the dignity of Cardinal

Singular Cuftoms of the Inhabitants of the Island of Metelin, the ancient Lef ·bos ;-by the Earl of Charlemont*.

TH

HE women here feem to have arrogated to themfelves the department and privileges of the men. Contrary to the ufage of all other countries, the eldest daughter here inherits, and the fons, like daughters every where elfe, are portioned off with fmall dowers, or, which is ftill worse, turned out, pennylefs, to feek their fortune. If a man has two daughters, the eldest, at her marriage, is entitled to all her mother's poffeffions, which are by far the greater part of the family eftate, as the mother, keeping up her prerogative, ne ver parts with the power over any portion of what he has brought into the family, until he is forced into it by the marriage of her daughter, and the father alfo is compelled to ruin himfelf by adding whatever he may have craped together by his induftry. The fecond daughter inherits nothing, and is condemned to perpetual celibacy. She is filed a Calogria, which

fignifies properly a religious woman of nun, and is in effect menial fervant to her fifter, being employed by her in any office the may think fit to impose, frequently ferving her as waiting maid, as cook, and often in employments still more degrading, She wears a habit peculiar to her fituation which the can never change, a fort of monallic dress, coarfe, and of dark brown. One advantage, however, the enjoys over her fifter, that whereas the elder, before marriage, is never allowed to go a broad, or to fee any man, her nearest relations only excepted, the Calogria, except when employed in domeftic toil, is in this respect at perfect liberty. But when the fifter is married, the fituation of the poor Calogria becomes defperate indeed, and is rendered still more humiliating by the comparifon between her condition and that of her happy mistress. The married fifter enjoys every fort of liberty the whole family fortune is her's,

From the "Tranfactions of the Royal Irish Academy."

and

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