1751. Queen-Bee, Drone, and working Bee. eyes, which the bee has placed in a tri- B But there is one obfervation, which I do not find he has made, which may have determined the garden bees to make almost all their cells imperfect hexagons. The obfervation is this; that these opaque eyes on each Gde of the head, confift of many lens's, each of which is a perfect hexagon; and the whole eye, when C viewed in a microfcope, appears exactly like a honeycomb Now, as the eyes compofed of thefe hexagonal lens's, are in full view to the other bees, does it not feem that Providence has directed them fo as to be a pattern fet before them, for the bees to follow in forming their combs ? Is it not alfo reafonable to believe, from D the difproportion of the convexity betwixt the three fmooth transparent eyes, and the lens's of the dark rough eyes, that they are appointed for different purposes ? Why may it not be thought that the lens's are great magnifiers, to view things nigh at hand, and by many reflexions to convey light into the dark hives, where light is ftill neceffary; and that the 3 E other eyes are to obferve objects at a great diftance, fo as to conduct them abroad to fields at a distance, and back again to their hives? F I agree with M. Reaumur in the form and ufe of the fang or tromp of the working bee, and of the ufe of the mouth within the teeth of the bee; fo that it does not fuck, but laps or licks with its rough fang or tromp, like a dog. But I have never obferved the bee nipping or breaking open the apices of flowers, to Jet out the farina, when it it not fully blown or open; but have often with pleasure obferved the bee gathering the farina upon its fang, by licking it off the apices, and laying it upon the first pair G of legs, which convey it to the fecond .pair, and there lodge it upon the pallet of the third pair, with furprising brifknefs; fo that, by the time the fecond pair has lodged it upon the third pair, Appendix, 1751. 591 the bee has gathered more, and lodged it on the fore legs; fo that all are in conftant motion. From the curious obfervations made by M. Reaumur, upon the structure and behaviour of the queen or mother bee, the drone or male bee, and the working or mule bee, which is of neither fex; from the queen bee's being fo exceeding prolifick, as to lay from 30 to 40,000 eggs of working bees in a feafon; befides the eggs of Soo male bees, and of 8 or 10 queen or mother bees; and from the coldness of the male bee, who fo long refifts the careffes of the queen or female bee; and alfo from the indefatigable labour and economy of the working bee, to nourish the young bees, make up the combs, and lay in ftores of farina and honey for winter; I think very good reasons may be given why the queen fhould have a feraglio of fome hundreds of male bees; and why the working bee should deftroy the males, when no longer neceffary to impregnate the eggs of the mother bee. It is evident, from the economy of the garden bee, that Providence has appointed that they should fhare their store with mankind, by making them fo induftrious in every climate, as to provide, in tolerable feafons, a ftore of honey and wax, double of what is neceffary for their fubfiftence during the winter, and of combs for the queen's laying her eggs in fpring, before new work can be made. From the vast number of eggs which the queen lays in a feafon, it is abfolutely neceffary that the fhould have a great ftore of male fperm, to impregnate her eggs; and as the eggs are not fenfibly large in her body for 6 months after her coition with the males, who die, or are killed, in Auguft, and he does not begin to lay from that time till February or March; it is therefore neceffary that fhe fhould have a great ftore of male fperm within her, to impregnate all the eggs the lays from that time, until June or July, when young drones or males are hatch'd, who are not defigned for her ufe, but for the young queens, who go off with the fwarms, or for the young queen who fucceeds the old one in the old hive; fince the drones are great feeders, and no workers, and are of no ufe, but to give a fufficient ftore of sperm to the mother bee; as the working bees have fo many enemies to deprive them of their ftore, they cannot be maintained during the winter, even if their life should laft fo long; and as it is probable exch male has but one act of coition with the queen, as they are fo cold, and take fo 4 F much 592 Remainder of the Account of AMELIA. much careffing before they act, and, by M. Reaumur's obfervation, die foon after the act is over, when, probably, the whole ftore of (perm is exhaufted in that act, as foon as the queen has got as much fperm lodged in the proper refervoir, as is fufficient to impregnate all her future eggs, the males are no longer of ufe and if those who have acted, die, thofe who have not, being of no further use, are killed by the working bee, out of œconomy to fave their winter ftore, when, probably, by nature they could live but few days more; as we find the filkworm moth dies foon after the eggs are laid, as well males as females. It seems therefore neceffary that the queen fhould breed to many males, as, by one act of her eggs, and that the working bee fhould difpatch them, as foon as that is over, and a ftore is lodged. App. may be ftupefied; and the bees in the empty hive being put on a table, the combs may be taken out and felected at leifure, without hazard; and afterwards the empty hive may be turned up, and their old hive fet over them, fo that they will go up without feruple into their A former hive, and repair their work, by making new combs: And if the queen had not quitted the old hive, as is often the cafe, then they would return to their queen, and the fociety would not be loft, as is fometimes the cafe, in driving into an empty hive. B There are two veffels defcribed by Swammerdam in the mother bee, cne of which is placed betwixt the two lobes of the ovarium, which he fuppofes to be a bladder to contain air; the other is a fpherical veffel, feated clofe by the common duct, in which the eggs fall from the lobes of the ovarium, which he fupposes is to ocze cut a juice to moiften the eggs in their paffage. I take one of thefe, but most probably the last, to be the refervoir and repofitory of the male D fperm, wherein it is lodged from the act of coition, until the eggs are inlarged, and país thro' the adjoining duct from two Jobes of the ovarium. E F Since the prefervation and increase of bees are evidently beneficial to the pub lick, I approve very much of M. Reaumur's inftructions in driving bees from a full hive into an empty one, in cafe it can be done time enough to have new work, fufficient for the queen to lay her eggs in in the fpring; fince they can be fed at very little expence, if care be taken to keep them in a middle state of flupefaction, neither too hot nor cold, during the winter: But I approve much more of his caftrating or sharing the combs with the bees, by taking the combs bcft stored with honey, and leaving those wherein are the nympha and bee bread; but think, in taking the combs, a fafer and eafier way may be taken, than he directs: His method is to ftupefy the bees with smoke, to oblige them to croud together in the crown of the hive, and then turn- G ing up the hive, and cutting out the combs filled with honey. Now I think, that turning up the full hive, and fetting an empty hive upon it, and driving the bees into it, is preferable to oking For then a very few bees will emain in the full hive; and thofe few Conclufion of the Account of the NovEL of: B EFORE the ferjeant returned with the bad news to Mr. Booth, he was informed of it by the bailiff, who had been that morning with the colonel, and upon the colonel's refuting, he began to treat his prifoner with infolence, on which Mr. Booth collar'd him, and gave him fuch a fhove, as frightned him. On this he prefently called up two or three of his followers, and was just going to carry him to Newgate, when the ferjeant entered ; and foon after, Dr. Harrifon himself, with an attorney, and the houfe keeper procured by the ferjeant, who joined with the doctor in a bail bond, and Mr. Booth was difcharged for the ferjeant having met Dr. Harrifon in the ftreet, he carried him to fee Amelia, from whom he foon learnt the falfhood of all he had heard, and upon that he not only got her husband discharg ed, but afterwards paid all the debts he then owed. Prefently after Mr. Booth returned, and while Dr. Harrison was with him at his lodgings, col. James entered, and tho' the colonel's vifit was defigned to Amelia, without knowing any thing of her huf band's return before he entered the house, yet he with much gaiety went directly_up to Booth, embraced him, and expreffed great fatisfaction at finding him there, then made an apology for not attending him in the morning, and declared he intended it in the afternoon; and the doctor and he being made acquainted, he invited him and Mr. Booth, and his lady, to dine with him next day, which both the doctor and Booth promifed; but as Amelia was now convinced of the colonel's villainous defign, the feemed a little difpleafed with the promife her husband had made, tho' fhe durft not refuse going, or tell him the reafon of her being difpleafed, for fear of its producing a duel. Accordingly they all dined there that day, and next morning Mr. Booth, at the colonel's defire, went to wait on him, when the colone! told him, that there was a com. 1751. Account of the NovEL of AMELIA. company then vacant in America, which he would not only procure for him, but would lend him money to pay all his debts, on a hond not to be paid till he was colonel of a regiment; but all this on condition, that he should leave his wife and children behind him, and if he pleafed, they should be welcome to flay with his A wife till his return, which fhould be as foon as he could get him provided for at home. B This propofal Mr. Booth with great uneafinels communicated to Amelia for her approbation; but the infifted upon going with him wherever he went; and Dr. Harriton coming in, he joined with Mr. Booth in folliciting her confent, fo that at laft the found herself obliged to make a confident of the doctor, and having fent for him, communicated her fecret reafon to him, by informing him of col. James's criminal plot against her virtue, whereupon the defired his advice; but the doctor, after highly commending her conduct, faid he would take time to think of it. C Next day Mrs. James paid a morning vifit to Amelia, and carried her and Mr. Booth to lady Betty Castleton's morning rout, where Booth met with his old acquaintance capt. Trent, and Amelia was addreffed by her former lover, the noble lord, with as much freedom, as if he thought that she knew nothing to his advantage; but as D he found her very much upon the referve, he foon left her, and the prevailed on her husband to return home, after he had loft five guineas at cards. VOL. IV. Col. James having prefented two malquerade tickets to Mr. Booth, and made a party for himself and Mrs. James, Mr. Booth and Mrs. Booth to go together, Mr. E Booth infifted upon his Amelia's going; and accordingly, as Mr. Booth thought, they all went together from his lodgings. At the masquerade they foon separated, and a domino accofted the fuppofed Amelia, carried her to the further end, and they fat down together, whom the foon difcovered to be her old lover the peer, F who prefently began to make vehement love, but applied more to her avarice and ambition than to any fofter paffion. In a little time col. James came up, and pretended to know her, but the pofitively infifted the knew nothing of him, which made him think he was miftaken; fo that he went about for a long time in search of Amelia without finding her. As to Mr. G Booth, he was foon picked up by a lady in the drefs of a fhepherdefs, who at laft difcovered herself to be Mifs Mathews; and he had no way to prevent her exposing both him and herself but by promising to 593 make her a vifit. The colonel foon after At this masquerade col. James dropt by 594 Account of the NOVEL of A MELIA. Whilft they were together, Amelia received a moft paffionate love-letter from the noble lord, in which he talked of their having been together, and of her having follicited him for a commiffion to her friend, which was inclosed. This furprised Amelia, as the knew nothing of the matter; but Mrs. Atkinson, upon feeing that the A commiffion was for her husband, began to rejoice, and faid, Madam, as I was accoited by the peer, as foon as I went into the masquerade, and found that he took me for you, I encouraged a little his addreffes, which were very warm and full of promifes of what he would do; and as a teftimony of the fincerity of his promifes, I follicited him for a commiffion for At-B kinfon, which he promifed, and which you now fee he has performed. Amelia thought her character might fuffer by this means, and therefore began to find fault with what Mrs. Atkinfon had done; on which the latter, now proud of being an officer's wife, flew into a paffion, and was fcolding at Amelia, when Atkinson came C in and Booth returned from the tavern ; upon this Atkinson carried his wife out of the room, and pacified her a little; but Booth declared he would ftay no longer in that houfe, and accordingly left it next morning. After Mr. Booth had fettled his family in their new lodging, he in his walks met D a brave old lieutenant, then retired on halfpay, who had never got higher in the army, because he had nothing but his meit to recommend him ; and from this Jieutenant he learned the whole history of capt. Trent, which was, that he had facrificed his own wife to the noble lord, that he was now a fort of procurefs for his lordship, and that the at his expence E kept an affembly for that very purpose. Mr. Booth having fent his excufe for not fupping with capt. Trent that evening, the captain, notwithstanding his promife, fent him a dunning letter next morning, which laid him under a neceffity of opening the whole fecret of his misfortune to his dear Amelia, who, without the least hesitation, and with alacrity, offered to pawn all the little trinkets he had left, and even her wearing apparel, to raise the money, which the accordingly did, while he was gone to an appointment with one belonging to the war-office, who pretended he could get hum a commiffion, and upon his return, fhe brought him the money he wanted, with which he joyfully went to pay Trent, G but found him not at home; and in his return, meeting the old lieutenant beforementioned, was over-perfuaded by him, to give that money to his friend at the War. .office, who, he affured him, could App. do much, but would do nothing without the money in hand. This Mr. Booth complied with, and the lieutenant was to go to Mr. Trent, to make an excuse, and to obtain forbearance; but Trent was no where to be found. Whilft Mr. Booth was gone in fearch of their fervant wench, who had marched off that morning, and carried most of the things her miftrefs had left along with her, Mrs. Atkinfon came in, looking like a woman distracted, and told her, that Mr. Atkinson's concern at their quarrel had thrown him into a fever, which was fo violent, that the phyficians had given him over, and that he begged to speak with her before he died. At the fame time the told her, that the had been with the noble lord, and had explained to him the whole affair of the masquerade; fo that her character was not now in any danger on that' account. Amelia went directly with her, and Mr. Atkinson, after every one was withdrawn, told her, that it was he that had stolen her little picture, which fhe had miffed before her husband went to Gibraltar: That it was not on account of the value of it, but that he might have her lovely image always in view; and as he could not die in peace while he had it in his poffeffion, he then restored. it to her. Mr. Booth, by chance, met with the damfel he went in fearch of, and got all his his wife's things restored; but as he was returning home, he met with Mifs Mathews in her chair, who as foon as the faw him, bolted out, and would part with him upon no condition, but that of his promifing to fup> with her that night; for, fays he, tho' I have failed in my first attempt, if you do not, I will take care not to fail in my fecond, to communicate your ufage of me to your wife. Upon this Mr. Booth defired her to explain herfelf, and the freely told him, he had wrote to his wife a full account of their affair, but was now glad it had miscarried. As he was afraid of nothing fo much as of his wife's hearing of this affair, he was obliged to promife to fup with her, and refolved to keep his promife; but with a determined purpose, not to answer the fair lady's expectations, whatever might be the event. Before his return to his lodgings, Amelia having recovered her picture, which was fet in gold with fome fmall diamonds round it, and raifed nine guineas upon it, he had provided a fupper for him, which he little expected, as he had left her without fo much as one filling; but with grief he told her, that he could not up with her, being engaged about buft nefs 1751. Account of the NOVEL of A MELIA. nefs of the utmost importance, which the Altho' this was a misfortune, yet in her prefent circumstances, it was a comfort, as it fhewed her, that he neither was with Mifs Mathews, nor could keep any appointment with col. James the next morning. But our readers will now be B 595 to her the whole affair between him and Having fo far fucceeded, the doctor went next to Mr. Booth, and while he was waiting for another person, whom curious to know how Mr. Booth came D his attorney Murphy was to bring, in to be arrested; therefore we fhall tell them, that all the kindness he had received at first from capt. Trent, proceeded from the latter's being employed as a pimp by the noble lord fo often before mentioned (we with the author had given him a name, for there are fo many of the fame character that it could not have been identi fied.) For this purpose his lordship had E given the captain a bank bill of rool, to invite Mr. Booth and his lady to his house; but upon Booth's fending his excufe, and Mrs. Atkinson's unfolding the fecret of the masquerade, it was found, that nothing would do but bringing the husband into the utmoft diftrefs; upon which capt. Trent took out a writ, and em. F ployed bailiffs. At the fame time col. James having heard that Mifs Mathews fpoke to Booth at the masquerade, he grew jealous, and ordered one of his fetters to watch her lodgings, to fee if Booth ever went there: This fetter was likewife employed by Trent, and knew the bailiffs he had employed; fo upon feeing Booth go in, he run to the bailiffs, and G had them waiting for him against he came order to ftand bail with him, the bailiff came in and told him, that a prifoner above ftairs, who had been dangerously wounded that morning, by refifting the arreft, defired to fpeak with him, and, he believed, it was to pray by him: As the doctor never refufed fuch a call, let the perfon be never fo poor, he went prefently up to fee the fick man, who began with informing him that his name was Robinfon, that he formerly lived in the fame town with the doctor; and lived with Murphy, who was then a practising attorney in that town, and that he had been acceffary to Mrs. Booth's undoing, for which he would now make the utmost reparation in his power. Mrs. Booth's undoing! How, by what means, cries the doctor? The other then told him, that Mrs. Harris, fome time before the died, having taken a dislike to her daughter Betty, made her will, by which she gave Betty but 10ool, and left all the rest of her great fortune to Mrs. Booth, to which Murphy, himself, and another perfon now dead, were witneffes; but that after the old gentlewoman was dead, Murphy, at Betty's defire, fecreted this will and forged a new will, by which all was given to Betty except a legacy of 10l. to Mrs. Booth, |