sionally, till about the middle of November, by which time they all produce heads from ten to thirty inches in circumference. As they are not hardy enough to bear more than three or four degrees of frost, remove them at that time into a shed which will keep out ten degrees of frost, taking care to retain as much mould about their roots as possible, and to ' remove all their decayed leaves. In the shed they are planted in mould, keeping a space of about one inch between each head. In this state they are frequently looked over with care, their dead leaves removed, and those heads cnt for present use which show any disposition to decay. When severe frost occurs, the plants are covered with dry short hay. By this management three dishes of cauliflowers have been sent to the table every week during the autumn and winter, until Fe bruary.-St. James's Chronicle.

On the Waste of Life.-In the last volume of Dr. Franklin's Memoirs is the following article on “the Waste of Life." We are persuaded its perusal must produce wholesome reflection in the minds even of the most dissolute :

"Amergus was a gentleman of good estate: he was bred to no business, and could not contrive how to waste his hours agreeably; he had no relish for the proper works of life, nor any taste for the improvements of the mind; he spent generally ten hours of the four-and-twenty in bed, he dozed away two or three more on his couch, and as many more were dissolved in good liquor every evening, if he met with company of his own humour. Thus he made a shift to wear off ten years of his life since the paternal estate fell into his hands. One evening, as he was musing alone, his thoughts happened to take a most unusual turn, for they cast a glance backward, and he began to reflect on his manner of life. He bethought to himself, what a number of beings have been made a sacrifice of to support his carcass, and how much corn and wine had been mingled with these offerings; and he sat himself to compute what he had devoured since he came to the age of a man.

"About a dozen feathered creatures, small and great, have, one week with another,' said he, given up their lives to prolong mine; which, in ten years, amounts to at least six thousand. Fifty sheep have been sacrificed in a year, with half a hecatomb of black cattle, that I might have the choicest parts offered weekly upon my table. Thus a thousand beasts, out of the flock and herd, have been slain in ten years time to feed me, besides what the forest has supplied me with. Many hundreds of fishes have, in all their varieties, been robbed of life for my repast-and, of the smallest fry some

thousands. A measure of corn would hardly suffice me with fine flour for a month's provision; and this amounts to about six score bushels; and many hogsheads of wine, and other liquors, have passed through this body of mine-this wretched strainer of meat and drink! And what have I done, all this time, for God or man? What a vast profusion of good things, upon a useless life, and a worthless liver! There is not the meanest creature among all those which I have devoured, but what has answered the end of its creation better than I. It was made to support human nature, and it hath done so. Every crab and oyster I have eat, and every grain of corn I have devoured, hath filled up its place in the rank of beings with more propriety than I have done. Oh! shameful waste of life and time.'

"In short, he carried on his moral reflections with so just and severe a force of reason, as constrained him to change his whole course of life, to break off his follies at once, and to apply himself to gain some useful knowledge, when he was more than thirty years of age. He lived many following years with the character of a worthy man and an excellent Christian. He died with a peaceful conscience, and the tears of his country were dropped upon his tomb. Those who knew the whole series of his life, were amazed at the mighty change; they beheld him as a wonder of reformation; while he himself confessed and adored the divine power and mercy that bad transformed him from a brute to a man.

"But this was a single instance, and we may almost venture to write 'miracle' upon it. Are there not numbers in this degenerate age whose lives have run to utter waste, without the least tendency to usefulness?”—St. James's Chronicle.

Small Pox. The small pox is spreading in an alarming manner in several provinces in the north of France. It is remarkable that in 1820, only 42 persons died of the small pox in Paris; in 1821, 112 died; and in 1822 the number increased to 1136, It appears that Vaccination, that truly valuable discovery, is beginning to be neglected in France, which accounts for the increased loss. In the Netherlands, things are in a very different state: the magistrates doing all they can to encourage Vaccination.-St. James's Chronicle.

Richard Martin, Esq. M.P., one morning on walking into the Market accompanied by a friend, to enter into a treaty of amity and peace betwixt himself and the bullock drivers of the metropolis, he told them that he wished to be considered their friend, and not their enemy, and if they shewed kindness to the animals committed to their care, he would be ready, not only to say, but to prove himself their essential friend.

He was happy, he said, to find a creditable change in their conduct towards the cattle; and he appealed to them individually, whether he had not got several beasts upon their legs, when fallen down, who formerly would have been beaten with sticks and pikes to get them up. A drover asked what would be done with those who brought calves and milch cows to market? Mr. Martin said, their conduct was most barbarous in keeping the calf from the cow, while the milk was streaming from the cow's udder, in every direction, wetting the face of the calf, whilst it was prevented from opening its mouth to receive one drop of the nourishment which was thus wasted. He further said that he hoped they would use that tenderness to their beasts which would entitle them to the name of Britons; "for," said Mr. M., " torturing a beast committed to your care, is like assassinating a prisoner taken in battle; now I take my leave of you." The assembled drovers then gave Mr. M. several hearty and cordial cheers, and the worthy Member then retired from the multitudinous and noisy crowd.-London Paper.

Lately a man, named John Ovenden, was taken before George Bury, Esq. one of the Magistrates of Maidstone, and fined in the penalty of twenty shillings, for wantonly and cruelly beating a horse belonging to his master, Mr. J. Springett of Linton.

A Caution to Servants.-A short time since, a man called in the evening about nine o'clock, at No. 9, Noble-street, Cheapside, and inquired of the maid-servant who opened the door,if a person of the name of Hall was there? Being answered “yes.” he desired her to give a note to Mr. Hall, which he gave her, and said he would wait for an auswer. She imprudently went up stairs, leaving the man in the hall, to deliver the letter, and, Mr. Hall being engaged in conversation, the girl went down to the man to tell him to wait, but he was gone. The letter purporting to come from Mrs. Hall, contained a curious "round about story," about Dr. Taylor being called in to attend Mrs. B, who was much worse, and required to see her husband immediately. Mr. Hall naturally hastened home; but finding all his family in good health, suspected some witless friend had played him a trick, and there, for the present, it ended. After supper, the gentlemen, on taking their departure missed their hats; and searching all over the house and finding two gone, this occurrence of the letter then assumed a serious appearance, and doubts were entertained of the extent of the robbery; but on further search they saw that two hats were all that were missing. Itappears there were three robbers concerned, who would most probably have stripped

the lower part of the house of all the moveables, had they not been foiled by the entrance of the porter, to whom they said "Your master is in fits, and we are going for the doctor;" upon which they very quietly walked away. Servants cannot be too cautious, in leaving strangers, bringing letters, &c. in the interior of the house, while they go up stairs to deliver them.-St. James's Chronicle.

"The Chinese have a method of hatching the spawn of fish, and thus protecting it from those accidents which ordinarily destroy so large a portion of it. The fishermen collect, with care, on the margin and surface of the water all those gelatinous masses which contain the spawn of fish. After they have found a sufficient quantity, they fill with it the shell of a fresh hen's egg, which they have previously emptied, stop up the hole, and put it under a sitting fowl. At the expiration of a certain number of days they break the shell in water warmed by the sun. The young fry are presently hatched, and are kept in pure fresh water till they are large enough to be thrown into the pond with the old fish. The spawn for this purpose forms an important branch of the trade in China.

Nightshade.-Last harvest two poor women and five children, who were gleaning in a field near Landwith Major, in this county (Glamorgan), ate the berries of the nightshade, or solānum, and were made so very ill as to be incapable of walking home. Towards the close of night, some persons went in search of them, and found them lying on the ground unable to move or speak, having their eyes wide open. They were taken home in a cart, and Mr. Thomas Davis, of Cowbridge, the surgeon, was sent for, who on his arrival administered the usual remedies with success to the children, but the old women are still very ill.-The Cambrian.

Lieut. Davey, R. N. proposes a method of conveying a line to the shore from a stranded vessel, by a sort of buoy with a reel upon it, capable of holding 500 yards of deep sea line, and a sail of strong canvas, made and fixed to a diagonal staff precisely like a parachute. This may be kept constantly hanging over the stern or quarter of the vessel, and, when wanted, needs only to be dropped into the water, and it will be propelled by the wind to the shore. He has no hesitation in saying it would also take a man on shore, and were he placed in such a situation, he, would not for a moment scruple to try the experiment. He adds, that "A reel attached to anything that would swim, of whatever shape, would go directly on shore in a gale of wind without any sail."-St. James's Chronicle.

"Professor Lapostole, of Amiens, has discovered, that straw possesses the quality of serving as a conductor to lightning. Repeated experiments have convinced him that straws united together, serve equally well as iron rods now fixed upon buildings for the former purpose, at the same time that they are not attended with similar inconvenience. In consequence of this discovery, the common buildings may be secured from the effects of lightning in the most economical manner."

To determine whether the heat given out during the slacking of lime was sufficient to fire gunpowder, a small quantity of it was put into a glass tube, closed at one end; the tube was then placed in slacking lime, and frequently removed, that it might acquire the exact temperature of the lime. Some minutes elapsed without any other effect being perceived than the volatilization of some of the sulphur of the powder, and it seemed as if no combustion would take place, but a loud explosion soon followed, without, however, breaking the tube.-Mechanics' Magazine.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

We have the communication of E. A.; T-a.; F. S. E. An Extract from the Dean of Rochester's Lectures; G. H. ; Esther; I. M. C.; Remarks on Saving Banks; M ; E.L.M.; and A constant Reader.

We are much obliged to E. R. for his very able Papers ; but a regular discussion of such questions, does not quite come within the plan of our Work. There is, in the Papers alluded to, nothing which could fairly provoke dispute :-but yet, as they are on points which have produced much controversy, we would rather pursue the plan on which we set out, of avoiding any chance of such warfare. It neither suits the size of our work, nor our own dispositions.

P.'s remarks, too, would open a door to much disputation. We return our thanks to Cato.'

We beg to inform several of our correspondents, that Notices of Works in the Press makes no part of our plan.