right arm, and the heel of my right foot, and then bring them down, and strike the heel gently on the floor, at the same time lifting up my left arm and heel; and thus continue an alternate moving up and down my arms and heels, so long as I see fit; which produces reciprocal contractions and relaxations of the muscles of the arms, chest, side, back, belly, thighs, legs, and feet, and likewise of all the muscles connected with them while the exercise is continued.

I make the motions moderate as to quickness, and always count them; when both heels have struck on the floor, I say one, when they do so again I say two, and so on.

I make an hundred of these motions in about four minutes, in which time I frequently find all the pores over the surface of my body opened, and a very sensible perspiration produced.

I seldom exceed the number of two hundred at one exercise; some persons indeed require more; but I advise every one to have done when they begin to sweat.

The exercise may be repeated five or six times a day, or oftener, and takes up but little time.

It is an universal exercise; and the motions produced by it in all the muscles, and vessels of the body, and in all their contained fluids, are a most proper means to preserve the natural tenuity of the blood, and to destroy many morbid cohesions. It conduces much to an easy respiration, and to prevent asthmas, and other difficulties of breathing. It manifestly promotes the discharge by insensible perspira tion, that copious and important evacuation from the body, as well as the other excretions from the blood. It affords great relief against that lowness of spirits, and those gloomy imaginations with which many are afflicted, and in general will be found beneficial in all those disorders which are called nervous.

It will be of singular advantage to those young ladies, who, about ten or twelve years of age, become pale in their countenances, and short breathed; weak and infirm persons may thus obtain the benefits of exercise, without tiring themselves; and those who are advanced in life, may preserve, or recover in some measure, that agility of their limbs, which by age and indolence is often lost.

Persons afflicted with the gout, when they can stand on their feet a few minutes together, may take the benefit of this exercise daily; and they who cannot stand, may have the pulleys so fixed, as to use them sitting, which will be of considerable service.

It may be used also by the blind, and in hospitals, where it will hasten the recovery of the sick; likewise in prisons. I am a sincere well-wisher to all people,

1759, Oct.

And, Sir, your very humble servant,

MR. URBAN,

THEOPHILUS LOBB.

Bagnio-court, Nov. 22.

1 APPREHEND it may be acceptable, if I add a few things relative to that sort of muscular exercise recommended in my letter of Oct. 23, and therefore must observe, that, as it is of importance rightly to order the quantity in the dose of every medicine, and the times of repeating it, for obtaining the salutary end intended, so it is of some moment nearly to determine the number of motions to be made in each muscular exercise, and how often they should be daily performed; but these must be varied according to the age and other circumstances of the people.

As a mean quantity for sedentary persons, which may be increased or diminished, as the different cases may require, I propose, that each exercise should consist of 200 motions of the right arm and heel upwards and downwards, and of as many of those on the left side of the body, all which will take up about seven minutes, and propose that this exercise be daily performed eight times, which will take up no more than 56 minutes, or one hour.

If any choose to spend a quarter of an hour at a time, by performing two exercises together, and to perform the whole at four times they may do so. Persons may perform more or fewer of these exercises in a day, as they shall find most conducive to their health. It should be remembered, that lifting up and down the heel is one essential part of the exercise.

I may now observe, that the great easiness of this sort of exercise shews that a prudent use of it may prove very beneficial to persons after their recovery from fevers, espe cially after the small pox, the distemper being often terminated many days before the patients can be fit to go abroad; but they may begin the use of our muscular exercise very soon after the disease is come to its period, as the apparatus for it may be put up in any sick chamber, and as they may begin it with no greater number of motions, in an exercise, than they find easy to themselves, and may gradually in crease the number of them.

This course is very proper to maintain in sufficient

quantity the discharge by the insensible perspiration, to promote a due distribution of the nutritious parts of the aliments they take, and to hasten the recovery of their strength.

Persons, whose feet and legs are swelled, and pit in the evenings, and the swelling of which goes down in the morning, may find great advantage from a sufficient use of our muscular exercise, as the frequent contractions and relaxations of the muscles and vessels of the parts affected, produced by it, will propel their contained fluids onward in the way of circulation, and strengthen the vessels to more vigorous contractions, and thereby prevent that slow return of the blood and lymph, through the sanguine and lymphatic veins, which occasioned the feet and legs to swell.

Our exercise, on the same account, may also be recommended to those who have a bloated habit of body, or are in danger of falling into a dropsy.

But, in such cases, exercise is only an external help. The advice of a physician to direct remedies for altering. and mending the blood, and removing the cause of the morbid symptoms, is necessary..

1759, Nov.

I am, &c.

THE. LOBB.

XXX. Construction of an Electrical Harpsichord.

ON a rod of iron, insulated on silk strings, are hung small bells of different sizes for the different notes: there must be two bells, which are unisons to each note; the one suspended by a wire, and the other by silk; a metal ball suspended by silk between each two unison bells, serves for a hammer. From the bell suspended by silk descends a wire, the end of which is fastened by another silk line, and terminates in a ring to receive a small iron lever, which rests on an insulated iron rod. Matters being thus disposed, upon turning the glass globe, the bell suspended by the wire is electrified by the rod or conductor which supports it; and the other bell suspended by the silk, is electrified by the other iron rod on which rests the little lever. By pressing down a key, I raise this lever, and cause it to touch another uninsulated rod; at which instant the hammer moves, and strikes the two bells so quick, that only one undulous sound is produced,

imitating, in some measure, the tremulous sound of a great organ pipe. As soon as the lever drops on the electrified rod, the hammer stops: thus each touch anwsering to a lever, and each lever to its bell, any tune may be played as on a harpsichord or organ.

This kind of harpsichord has an advantage in common with the organ, which the common ones have not, of preserving the sound of a note in its full even force as long as the key is kept down. We have heard of an ocular harpsichord this is so in some sort, as well as an acoustic one; for when played on in the dark, the eye is agreeably entertained as well as the ear, by the brilliant sparks which flash out like stars at every touch.

1759, Oct.

XXXI. Rustic Philosophy.

Matre Dea monstrante viam

MR. URBAN,

VIRG.

THE countryman, let him live at never so great a distance, has his ways of philosophising for the common uses of life, as well as you speculative gentlemen in town. It is true his methods of proceeding are but rude and unpolished, such as mother nature suggests, but nevertheless, they are such as he is well satisfied with, and what in many cases prove very useful to him; however, they serve greatly to pleasure and amuse him in all. Thus he estimates the quantity of rain that has fallen in the night by the height of his pond in his yard, his server, as it is called in some places; a word either abbreviated from the Fr. reservoir, or denominated so from its use in serving the family. His compass is the smoke of his chimney; but his barometer, besides certain, natural inferences that he makes from the sporting of his sheep, or the flying of the martins and swallows, is more artificial, for he has either a black line graduated on the wall of his house, with a long string stretched across it, or a Florence flask with the mouth downward in a phial of water. The chronometer is an hour-glass, which he regulates once in two or three days by a line which the shadow of his door-post never fails to touch, at such an hour, when the sun shines. He has a method also of

making a guess at the lengthening or shortening of the days, concerning which he has a saying, that I believe is very general all over England,

At new year's tide,

They are lengthen'd a cock's stride.

Every body knows the meaning of this saying, to wit, that it intends to express the lengthening of the days in a small, but perceptible degree; but very few, I imagine, are aware of the ground and occasion of it; which is the less to be wondered at, since there is something uncommon, and seemingly improper, in applying long measure, inches and feet, to time. But the countryman knows what he says, and, as I take it, borrows his idea from hence: at the winter solstice, he observes where the shadow of the upper lintel of his door falls at 12 o'clock, and makes a mark. At new year's day, the sun being higher, when at the meridian, he finds the shadow is come nearer the door by four or five inches, which for rhyme's sake he calls a cock's stride, and so by that he expresses the sensible increase of the day. Whereupon, Sir, you will please to observe, that before the style was altered, which was long after this saying came into use, the distance of time was greater by eleven days between the solstice and new year's day, than it is now; and consequently, the difference, as to the sun's altitude, or the length of the days at those two times, would be more perceptible than it is now.

Yours, &c.

1759, Jan.

P. GEMSEGE.

XXXII. Anecdote of two Officers who fell before Quebec.

MR. URBAN,

THE following story, which may be depended on as au thentic, seems worthy to be transmitted to posterity in your useful Magazine.

In the first unsuccessful attack on the enemy's intrenchments near Quebec, July 31, Capt. Ochterlony, and Ensign Peyton, both of the Royal Americans, were left wounded at a little distance from each other, on the field of battle; the captain mortally, but the ensign having only