the revenues of the republic in fuch a manner, that none but itself fhould be in a capacity to relieve the people, than it would be, if by augmenting the falaries of their officers, which they are well able to do, they should become, after the example of many great ftates, rich citizens in a poor republic. But it is time to finifh this long digreffion, and to apply myself to fatisfy, Sir, your curiofity: I will begin by laying before you the nature of the magazines for

corn.

The people of Berne have two forts, one fubject to great variations, the other always the fame.

There are of the first fort many in the capital, and in many other parts of the canton, which are filled, more or lefs, according as the abundance of the harveft, and goodness of the grain, furnish an opportunity; for, befides the fixed revenue which the ftate hath in fee-farm rents, it hath a great quantity of tithes, which are of a very cafual, and very different produce. When there are feveral fruitful years in fucceffion, the granaries of this fort in the capital become full; but in other parts, if there is an appearance, towards Faker, of a good harvest, the corn is fold which is in the cattles of the different bailiwicks, after having paid the feveral falaries to which they are made liable; and the bailiffs, who have a certain revenue made good to them, account for the furplus to the chamber of economy at Berne. The magazines of this capital, on the contrary, are never opened, and fold but in dear times; and then care is taken not to fell to any family more than is fufficient for

its fupply, and always below the market price.

As to the magazines of the fecond fort, they are called the provision, and were established in purfuance of a convention called the dissentional, which the whole Helvetic body hath entered into for the common defence of Switzerland in cafe of an attack from a foreign enemy. This treaty, regulating the number of troops and artillery which each canton is bound to furnifh, obliges them, at the fame time, to have always ready, and in ftore, provifion and ammunition in proportion to their contingent. There are of these magazines of provifion, as well at Berne as in all the caftles where the bailiffs refide: they are never either diminished or increased, only care is taken to keep them always in good order, and to fubftitute good corn in the place of that which decays. A bailiff, who fhould difapply this provifion, would be depofed and from time to time the deputies of Berne, without giving notice of their intention, vifit these magazines, and caufe the corn to be measured over. Although there is fix times more corn in these magazines than the contingent, which Berne furnishes by the diffentional, requires, they have never taken out, in times of peace, more than one fourth part in an exceeding fcarcity; and they have had great care to refill them without delay.

This is, Sir, in abridgment, an account of the magazines for the provifion of corn in the canton of Berne. Several fhort crops within fifteen years having caufed the common people to fuffer by the high price which they were obliged to give for their bread, and the

corn which the goverment caufed to be purchased in Burgundy and Suabia, and refold to a great lofs, having given but little relief to the mifery of the poor, there is at prefent a project under confideration at Berne, which, if it is brought to pass, will, in all probability, prevent the fubjects of this ftate from paying very dear for their bread for the time to come; which is this: it is proposed to build, in those parts of the canton which are most fruitful in corn, large granaries, and at fuch times when the abundance of the harveft fhall have caused the value of a certain measure of corn to fall below a certain price, to buy up, on account of the government, all that fhall be left for sale in the markets, after private perfons have done buying, to the end that the owner or farmer may be always fure of having a certain price for his corn, and not be under a neceffity of being at the expence and trouble of laying up what he may have left in the town-hall, or carrying it home again, or else felling it at too low a price to foreigners in the neighbourhood, of whom the fubjects of Berne are often afterwards obliged to buy it again at an exorbitant rate. The government, on the contrary, will fell their corn again to their fubjects as foon as ever the price fhall have rifen to a certain degree; and by this management they will prevent both the too high, and too low price of

this commodity, both of which are inconveniences, in their confe quences hurtful enough to deserve the care of a fovereign to prevent, who hath nothing more at heart than to procure, as much as can depend on his care and forefight, the happiness of the people which Providence hath fubmitted to his government.

As to wine, the ftate of Berne having a great quantity of wine, as tithes and quit-rents, in the feveral vineyards in the canton, had formerly a great deal in ftore, both at Berne and elsewhere, of which they made use, in short years, both to pay the falaries in wine, which are annexed to a number of employments, and to fupply the poor citizens therewith at a moderate price, obferving the fame precaution as when they fell corn at a low price; but the falaries in wine have by little and little increased to fuch a degree, that at this day there is fo little left to be laid up, that after two fucceeding fhort years, the ftate finds itself under a neceffity of paying a great part of the falaries in money, which were appointed to be paid in wines, in order to keep it in their power to fupply the tradefmen and other poor citizens of Berne therewith at

An Account of the progress of Grain from the Market to the Mouth; made by an accurate trial near Kettering, and exhibited before four of his majesty's justices of the peace for the county of Northampton, August 3, 1757.

A bufhel of it Weight of the Loaves Weight when baked. half made into

Surplus When When

unbaked.

A Bufhel

Bought

by the

by the above market ftandard the measure. measure. ftandard.

into into Bran. meal. Flour.

Four twelve

Four twelve

lb. oz. peuny loaves,

7

of

at

Flour 22 8each at

4 penny loaves, each at

6 9

lb. oz. lb. oz. lb. oz. lb. oz. lb.

oz. lb.

Wheat, Kettering,

8

58

12 45

1 12

6 Salt

0 4

Odd weight 4

4

Odd weight

3

Encouragement for planting Palmtrees in high latitudes.

TH

HIS wonderful tree, which affords fuch plenty of fruit, and contributes fo largely to the fuftenance of the inhabitants in many parts of the globe, is propagated either from young fhoots taken from the roots of full grown trees, or from the ftone of the fruit. The former method is chiefly used in the kingdoms of Algiers and Tunis; and thofe that are well tranfplanted, and fufficiently watered for four or five days (which is the only culture they require) will yield fruit in fix or feven years.

The palm-tree is in its greatest vigour when about 30 years old, and continues in full ftrength near 70 years longer, bearing yearly in Algiers and Tunis, during this interval of time, 15 or 20 clufters of dates, each weighing 15 or 20 pounds. The firft is oval, about 3 inches long, and 2 wide, having fomething of the taste of gingerbread. After 100 years growth, they begin gradually to moulder and pine away, and perifh about the latter end of their fecond century.

The palm-trees are found alfo at St. Helena, Madagascar, Earbadoes, where the inhabitants make honey, wine, and fugar from them. And among the feveral vegetable fubftances which afford oil, fo necellary for maintaining life, and promoting manufactories, I know none, fays Sir Hans Sloane, but. the fruit of this and the olive-tree, whofe pulps are ufeful for thefe purposes.

Dr. Pococke informs us, that

the palm-tree is the most extraordinary tree in Egypt; the boughs are of a grain like cane. When the tree grows large, a great number of fibres fhoot out from the boughs on each fide, croffing one another in fuch a manner as to form a fort of clofe net-work; this they fpin with the hand, and with it make cords of all fizes, which are moftly used in Egypt. They also make a bruth for cloaths. Of the leaves they make mattreffes, bafkets, and brooms; and of the branches all forts of cage-work, fquare bafkets for packing, and which ferve for many uses instead of boxes, &c.

These trees are male and female, but the fruit of the female will be dry and infipid without a previous communication with the male; the trees will even frequently caft the fruit; nor will it ever ripen to perfection without fuch congrefs.

There are feveral ways of fœcundating this tree: fome plant males near the females, that the prolific duft of the male may be conveyed by the air to the female; others tie clufters, of the male flowers to the females. Dr. Shaw fays, that in Algiers and Tunis (at which places the male trees are fcarce) they ufed the parts of generation of this plant, and in a manner fome. what analogous to animal propagation: and this way one male tree is fufficient to impregnate 500 female trees. But the most ancient and frequent practice was, to take a whole cluster of the male tree, when in flower, and sprinkle the farina, or duft of it, over feveral clufters of the female.

The following extract of a letter from Berlin, is a demonftrative proof of the probability of

this useful and curious tree's fucceeding in high latitudes.

"There is a great palm tree in the garden of the Royal Academy; it has flowered and produced fruit thefe thirty years; but the fruit never ripened, and when planted did not vegetate. The palm-tree you know, is one of thofe in which the male and female parts of generation are found upon different plants. We having therefore no male plant, the flowers of our female were never impregnated by the farina of the male. There is a male plant of this kind at Leipfic, twenty German miles from Berlin. We procured from thence, in April 1749, a branch of male flowers, and fufpended it over those of our female; and the experiment fucceeded fo well that our palm-tree produced more than 100 perfect ripe fruit; from which we have already eleven young palmtrees. This experiment was repeated last year, and our palmtree bore above 2000 ripe fruit." This relation is very curious, on account of the male and female palm-trees flourishing fo compleatly, even under all poffible difadvantages, in fuch high latitudes as Leipfic and Berlin.

John Bauhin describes and figures the whole fructification of a palm-tree, which he himself faw growing at Montpelier, and which produced branches both of male and female flowers, bearing dates and Mr. Ray, many years after, tells us, that he himfelf faw, at Montpellier, this very remarkable tree mentioned by John Bauhin.

But further to difplay the curious manner and impenetrable fecrecy of the works of the Most

;

High in the vegetable world, and to engage reflecting minds to confider the nice diftinction in plants, notwithstanding the near affinity of the fpecies; it will not be amifs to obferve, that even though the female tree of one fpecies may be fœcundated by the male of another, and the fruit grow to maturity and perfection, yet the ftones are rendered incapable of vegetation by an imperceptible barrier, an inviolable law of the divine Author. The following remarkable instance will difplay that wonderful ceconomy in nature to preferve the different genuses of plants diftinct and feparate.

A French author tells us, that being at Martinico he faw growing near the place where they anchored

a palm-tree bearing dates, though the only one of its kind which was in that neighbourhood; but he imagines this tree to have been impregnated by the farina fœcundans of the male cocoa-tree, which is a fort of palm, and which grew in abundance near the tree that bore dates. At the fame time he adds, that the ftones of the dates did not vegetate.

For further information concerning this, and fome other very remarkable plants, I would recommend to the reader's perufal a very curious botanical memoir, published in the 47th volume of the Philosophical Transactions, page 169.

Ifhall conclude with obferving, that perhaps no tree is more frequently mentioned by the inspired writers than the palm-tree, or applied, by way of fimilitude, &c. to more noble purposes.

A-Z-.

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