cipline, and brought them to perfec tion. Yet, notwithstanding all this, for the first six months he could gain no friends. He had even the precaution to get himself praised in some of the Paris journals, that the colonists might see how he was respected in France.

It would appear difficult to reconcile such rigorous measures as he adopt ed, with the good he has done the colony; and still less, with the praises which certain journals bestow upon him. He revived trade and commerce, by making himself a merchant. He opened, in his own name, a mercantile concern, in which he sometimes figured as a merchant, and sometimes as an agent, to set what value he thought proper on the different articles.

In the course of his long residence at Guadaloupe, he has amassed a considerable fortune. Some say he is not worth less than eighty, or a hundred thousand pounds sterling, most part of which, it is said, he has well secured in America; dreading, perhaps, were he to place it in France, some pretext would soon be found to make him disgorge some of his illgotten wealth.

Yet, in spite of his activity, he has experienced several losses. Famine has visited the colony no less than three times during his agency. He was never disconcerted. He caused the police to be observed with the utmost severity, and kept the negroes in subjection, more by the terrour of his name, than by his prochmations.

SIR,

AS the present destructive war on the continent holds out no inducement to visit regions annually manured with human blood, I occasionally amuse myself with turning over a few foreign publications imported into this country.

That your readers, however, may not be disappointed, I think it necessary to inform them, that my taste for reading is confined chiefly to natural history, and the useful, domestick arts; insomuch that I have, for a long time, held politicks, metaphysicks, and all speculative branches of knowledge, in utter detestation.

Among the works I lately received by way of Hamburgh, I met with a very extraordinary French pamphlet, on the ingenuity of spiders; and I much doubt, whether any of your fair or unfair readers might conjecture, how this frightful little animal has, in an essential manner, contributed to the conquest of Holland, by the French! A proposition so extraordinary requires a satisfactory explanation.

It is well known that several animals, such as frogs, cats, cocks, &c. are influenced by the electricity of the atmosphere, and that they are undoubtedly sensible of the approaching changes of the weather. The spider, that gloomy companion of the afflicted and wretched in cells, is peculiarly susceptible of impressions originating from the different states of the air; and according to an account* given us by M. D'Isjonval, that insect is, perhaps, the most curious and entertaining in animated nature.

In the commotions which tock place in Holland, when the stadthol der was reinstated by the Prussian

Sur la découverte du rapport constant, entre l'apparition ou la disparition, le travail ou le non-travail le plus ou le moins d'étendue des toiles, ou des fils d'attack' des arraignées des différentes espèces. et les variations atmosphériques du bezutems á la pluie, du sec á l'humide, mais principalement du chaud au froid, et de la gelée à glace au véritable dégel, par le Citoyen Quatremere D'Isjonval, á la H.ye, 1795, chez van Cleef.

arms, M. D'Isjonval was arrested and imprisoned at Utrecht, where he spent upwards of seven years, deprived of his liberty. To amuse himself during this long confinement, he courted the acquaintance of spiders, studied their temperament and constitution, and, after a long series of accurate observations, he made the important discovery, that they were the most weather wise of all creatures. Their presentiment of approaching changes is incomparably more refined and certain, than the variations indicated by the best barometers, thermometers, and hygrometers. A weather glass points out only the probable state of the weather for the next day; but with respect to a permanent or long continued state of the atmosphere, this instrument cannot be relied upon. Spiders, however, have not only an obvious sensation of the approaching changes of the weather, similar to that manifested by a barometer, but they also indicate, with the greatest exactness, the more distant changes for a considerable length of time; nay, they foretell with precision, for a period of ten days or a fortnight, those states of the atmosphere which are of a settled nature.

M. D'Isjonval was so great a friend and admirer of spiders, that in his room, towards the end of autumn, he once counted not less than 4000 cobwebs. He informs us in the work before quoted, that most spiders, indeed, conceal themselves during winter; but a few still remain active and cheerful, even in that severe season, and continue their usual labours. These brumal spiders presage an intense degree of cold or frost, frequently no less than ten or fifteen days previous to such a change, even though they should make their appearance in very mild weather, which might still continue for several days. Thus the captive general was enabled to predict the uncommonly severe frost, which decided the fate of Holland; for though appearances did not at first answer his expectations,

the predictions were strictly verified by the event.

On Wednesday, the 16th of January, 1795, the wind changed to the northward. On Thursday it began to freeze, and the frost increased to such a degree, that the French were enabled to enter Utrecht, and to release their imprisoned countryman. But on the 20th of January, an unexpected thaw threatened to frustrate the design of the invaders, who had advanced with all their heavy artillery, accompanied by an army of one hundred thousand men, to pass the icy bridges which nature had apparently constructed for facilitating their hostile operations. In this critical situation, M. D'Isjonval, however, remained firmly and confidently attached to the prognosticks afforded him by the social spider.He, without hesitation, seized one of his meteorological assistants, confined him in a glass vessel, and delivered him over to general Van Damme, then commanding officer at Utrecht, with a request to send this creature as a hostage to general Pichegru, who had his head quarters at the Hague. And lo! the long legged messenger did not disappoint the expectations formed of his prophetick talents. The frost recommenced the next day with greater intensity than had been experienced in Holland for ages, and that ill fated country be came an easy prey to the revolutionizing republicans.

The discoverer of this extraordinary faculty in spiders further remarks, that from their appearance in autumn, he has deduced rules for ascertaining the probable degree of ve getation in meadows or pasture lands, during the following summer. In consequence of such conjectures, he informs us, that he would venture upon a mercantile speculation, to purchase large quantities of butter in the winter; as he was convinced the demand for this article would be great, and its price be considerably advanced. We do not, however, learn

from his pamphlet, whether the event has justified his expectations.

Nor does the ingenious ex-general determine, with any degree of precision, to which species of the spider he was particularly indebted for this important information. He says, indeed, that those spiders which spin their webs in a perpendicular direction, serve as the most accurate barometers; but he does not point them out by the names of the different species. It is, however, probable he alludes to the aranea redimita; yet those winter spiders which, according to his account, appear singly in that season, seem to belong to ano ther genus, and this again consists of several species.

The manner in which these untutored little artists carry on their operations, conformable to the impending changes of the atmosphere, is shortly this: If the weather is likely to become rainy, windy, or in other respects disagreeable, they fix the terminating filaments, on which the whole web is suspended, unusually short; and in this state they await the influence of a temperature which is remarkably variable. On the contrary, if the terminating filaments are made uncommonly long, we may, in proportion to their length, conclude, that the weather will be serene, and continue so at least for ten or twelve

days. But if the spiders be totally indolent, rain generally succeeds; though, on the other hand, their activity during rain is the most certain proof, that it will be only of short duration, and attended with fair and very constant weather. According to further observations, the spiders re gularly make some alteration in their webs or nets, every twenty-four hours. If these changes take place between the hours of six and seven in the evening, they indicate a clear and pleasant night.

It were much to be wished, that, from a multitude of such experimental facts, a regular system could be formed; as it may not be very diffi cult to observe the labours of spiders, according to their different species. In this manner, an atmospherical areneology could be produced; a work which might not only be useful in regulating undertakings by land and sea, but which, likewise, would be of the greatest importance in mercantile speculations. M. D'Isjonval has, ir deed, promised to furnish the publick with a calendrier araneologique; but I have not been able to learn, whether he really has fulfilled, or yet intends to fulfil, his promise.

I remain, with many good wishes for the prosperity of your excellent magazine, sir, your devoted servani, CINCINNATUS.

terrible dominion which vice exercises over those minds of which it is become absolute master. From such a display the reader might derive an increased love of goodness, justice, and integrity, and an augmented horrour of their opposite. He would be endowed with more circumspection. and especially in those circumstances which tend to seduce him into more dangerous consequences, and lead to a forgetfulness of the principles of honour.

If the life of Socivizca is devested in part of these useful requisites, it is not without interest, from the number and variety of adventures in which he engaged, and from the publication having been prohibited by the old French government.

Socivizca was born in 1725, at Simiovo, of parents who professed the Greek religion. His father occupied a farm, the proprietors of which were Turks, and treated him and his family with excessive rigour. Socivizca, being of a turbulent and ferocious disposition, was indignant at these circumstances, and frequently plotted with his brothers the means of revenge. The father, who was of a mild and pacifick turn, exhorted them to patience and resignation; advice ill suited to the impetuosity of Socivizca.

At length, chance brought the masters of the farm, who were three brothers, to lodge at the house of Socivizca's father, with a sum of eigh teen thousand sequins in their possession. The young man, addressing himself to his brothers, convinced them that they could never find a safer opportunity of avenging and enriching themselves, and by his persuasion they murdered their three guests.

They did not, after committing this crime, betake themselves to flight; and although strict inquiries were made, and even some persons were executed, no suspicion, for a time, fell on the real delinquents. However, in about a year, doubts were entertained; partly from So civizca's imprudence in displaying his real character, and partly from the quantity of money which the family were suddenly enabled to expend. They then thought it prudent to decamp, with the money they still retained. The father, who was very old, died by the way.

They stopped at Ymoschi in the territories of the republick of Venice, increased their wealth, built a house, and opened a shop, which th y sto

red with excellent and expensive merchandise. This was in 1745, when Socivizca was twenty years old.

The tranquil life of a merchant did not suit his active disposition. He returned to Montenero, attended by ten persons, who resolved to share his fate, and in the course of the summer massacred forty Turks. His fury was entirely directed against that people, and it is even averred, that he never committed an offence against the subjects of Venice, or those of Austria.

After making a great number of expeditions, in which he was joined by one of his brothers, he returned to Ymoschi, where he resided in tranquillity for nine years, employed in the trade established by his family. Yet from time to time he made excursions to assassinate some Turks.

The brother who had accompanied him in his expeditions, being unable to settle in a quiet life, joined the most furious aiducos in the country. The aiducos were formerly a band of Morlachians, who associated to oppose the Turks on the frontiers, in order to hinder them from penetrating beyond their limits; but at present the term is used merely to denote robbers on the highway. This youth formed an intimate connexion with a Morlachian of the Greek religion, and chose him for his probatime. This association was an affair of great ceremony among the Morlachians. Those who resolved to become probatimes, went together to the altar, each holding a taper in his hand, and the priest pronounced some prayers over them. Thus united, the or probutimes, bound themselves mutually to assist and serve each other. Socivizca's brother made an injudicious choice of a friend. The firobutime gave him an asylum, made him drunk, and then delivered him inte the hands of the pacha of Traunick, who put him to death with the most cruel tortures.

ends

Socivizca having learned this event. immediately repaired to his brother's