The culture of tobacco, we are told, was introduced into this vale during the late war, and was carried on to a confiderable extent about the year 1782; but the laws prohibiting the culture of this plant having, fince that period, been put into ftrict execution, it is now entirely banifhed from the diftrict. Till these laws be repealed it is vain to enter into any fpeculations here relative to the culture of tobacco.

Our author enters into fome details on the culture of perennial plants as food for cattle, under the article cultivated graffes; and endeavours to fhew that it is, in every cafe, advantageous to the farmer to fow the ground, that he intends to convert into perennial leys, with grafs feeds rather than to allow it to lie waste without sowing. The plants he chiefly recommends for this purpose are rye-grafs, red and white clover, trefoil, and ribgrafs. The practice of the country on this head affords nothing to inform the experienced reader; and our author has not here entered fo fully into the fubject as fome of his precurfors in this walk of agriculture have done. Many of the most useful plants and graffes for pafture are here entirely overlooked. He strongly recommends faintfoin for perennial leys, on foils that are fitted to produce it; that is, on fuch as have a fubfoil that is not too moift, and which is abundantly impregnated with calcareous matter. The remark, that faintfoin flourishes only on a foil impregnated with much calcareous matter, we have formerly met with; but Mr. Marshall is, we think, the first who has proved this fact by experimental analysis.

The management of natural grafs in this diftrict is not fuch as to be held up as a pattern for others; and our author juftly reprehends many particulars respecting it. With a view to give an idea of the nature of the herbage growing on the fields, Mr. Marshall gives a lift of the plants he found, in their different paftures. As it is probable he may be inclined to follow the fame mode in future, which has a neat scientifical appearance in a book, we shall beg leave here to enter our caveat against it, as affording only a vague and unfatisfactory kind of information. To enumerate all the plants that are to be found in a grafs field is nothing, unless the proportion that each class bears to the others be alfo afcertained. Two fields might, for example, contain alike, meadow grafs, white clover, millefolium, bent grafs, docks, ragweed, and daify; but if the proportions were as under, viz.

the value of these two fields would be extremely diffimilar, al-' though the botanist found precifely the fame plants in each. We therefore beg leave to recommend to the ingenious author, if he means in future to enumerate the plants found growing on particular fields, to give at the fame time fome idea of the propor tions in which they severally are found, or the reader may be induced to form a very erroneous opinion of the fubject treated. This obfervation will apply to several of the following fections

of this work.

Lime, as a manure to grafs land, our author remarks is not held in eftimation in this diftrict, though it be much approved of as a dreffing for plowed land. Nor does he feem as yet to have had an opportunity of obferving the practice with regard to this manure where it is used to a great extent on grafs land; he is therefore, in fome degree, embarraffed on this head. Lime, we have good reason to believe, on every dry, firm foil will meliorate grafs land; but, if it be used alone, the quantity must be very great before its effects are very manifeft; and its operation will be flow. If, however, it be previously mixed with a confiderable proportion of good vegetable mould, and thoroughly incorporated with it for fome time, this dreffing, fpread upon the furface early in the fpring, will quickly produce a sensible melioration of the sward. The farmers of this vale seem not to be acquainted with this important fecret for the improvement of grafs land.

The following fact deferves to be generally known, as leading to fome curious fpeculations on the fubject of manures. We quote it entire as a specimen of the author's style and manner of writing:

A remarkable incident occurs this year (1787) near Pickering. Part of the common has been, I believe, time immemorial in ufe as a whitening-ground, provincially" bleaching-green." The foil, drift fand, left by a brook which frequently overflows thefe greens; the fubfoil gravel, left in all probability by the brook in shifting its channel from time to time. Nevertheless, fuch was the fuperficial appearance of this valley while it was ufed as a whitening ground, that the commiffioners under the inclofure valued the land (last fummer, a dry feafon) at forty to fifty fhillings rent an acre. But this year, the bleaching being difcontinued, it has turned out not worth

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fifty

fifty pence an acre; notwithstanding the uncommon power which ves getation has this year every where else manifested *.

The parts where the webs have ufually lain are evident to common obfervation; scarcely a blade of grafs has this year fhewn itself upon them; even the fedges, and other paluftrean weeds, which attempt to grow, are not able to hide the dead looking fand among which they are rooted. The foil, naturally weak, is at prefent evidently exhaufted. But query, How has this exhaustion been effected? By the lime which has been used in bleaching? or, by the watering which it has heretofore conftantly had through the fummer? or, by the warmth of the webs? which, acting as a gardener's frame, has induced the foil to exert itself beyond its natural strength. The effect is well afcertained; but, evident and interefting as it is, it appears to me difficult to be accounted for fatisfactorily,”

Perhaps the author, in this inftance, has been rather in too much hafte to draw general conclufions. We fhould think that little reliance could be had upon the phenomena of one feason. It is pretty generally believed that fome manures produce apparent fterility at firft, though real fertility in the end. The facts fhould be obferved for a longer time before any important inferences can be made. Neither have the circumftances refpecting this fingular piece of ground been marked with all the precifion that the peculiarity would require. It would feem, though it is not exprefsly faid fo, that the webbs had always occupied the fame fpot year after year. The allies of courfe would be conftantly walked upon, and receive an annual acquifition of manure from the fhoes, &c. of the people employed in the work, befides a long-continued, moderate preffure that the place of the webbs would not obtain. The place where the webbs lay, by being conftantly kept moift and fhaded from the fun, must have become filled with plants, whofe healthiefs, perhaps existence, depended upon that continued moisture and fhade: if fo, no fooner would there webbs be withdrawn than the plants must become languid and die, while the plants in the allies would continue vigorous and healthy as before. We fee no reason, therefore, from what is here narrated, to conclude that the foil has been effentially impoverished by the treatment it has met with; poffibly in time the fubftances with which it has been impregnated may greatly promote the growth of other plants that are fitted to bear the fun and open air, after they have had time to estab ish themselves in it. Nothing is fo dangerous in agriculture as hafty

༤༧ནཾ།

* A ftriking evidence this of the caution requifite to be used by frangers in eftimating the value of land. Note of the Author. Query, Would thofe who had been in ufe to view the land in the fate of a whitening ground for years before have valued it in another manner? Rev.

conclufion

conclufions from temporary appearances; and we hope to be excufed for taking this opportunity of recommending caution and perfeverance as the only fure road to real knowledge in agriculture.

We regret that it is not in our power to take notice of many other particulars in this performance that we think deserve to be generally known, but for which we muft refer the curious reader to the wor itself, which, though not in every refpect unexceptionable, is however, upon the whole, a very valuable performance. We cannot, however, deny ourselves the fatisfaction of registering one more fact that feems to be a difcovery of this district, as it may not only be of ufe in rural economy, but also tends to enlarge our knowledge in the walk of natural hiftory.

It is but of late that the experiments of Dr. Prieftley demonftrated, what we believe was never fufpected before, that mice can be preferved in health for any length of time, even upon dry food, without water; it has been long pretty generally known that sheep and rabbits can be kept in good health upon their usual growing food, without having accefs to water; but we never till now heard that horfes poffeffed the fame faculty, We are affured, however, by our author, Vol. II. p. 179, that "it is generally "understood here that horfes at grafs do not require water. They "are frequently kept for months together in dry upland pastures "without water, and without any apparent inconveniency."

To this work, like the former on the rural economy of Norfolk, is fubjoined a table of prices of the most common forts of Jabour and neceflaries in this diftrict; and a lift of provincial words, which feems to be very full and complete; and an index, He has not here, however, chofen to give his minutes feparately, as he did in that work, What is the reafon of this deviation we are not told.

Mr. Marshall is an agreeable writer, his ftyle eafy, his language, for the most part, plain and intelligible, rather than critically correct. He not unfrequently, however, introduces new terms, for the fake of brevity and perfpicuity: the motive is good; but it is doubtful if he at all times attains his purpose, Such innovations fhould be attempted with caution, On the whole, he feems, in every part of his work, ferioufly to intend to inform and inftruct his reader, and never to lofe fight of this principle either through vanity or views of felf-intereft. His natural talents are confiderable; his artificial acquirements great; his knowledge of agriculture already tolerably extenfive, and daily becoming more fo; his views feemingly the moft unexceptionable; and his application intenfe. What man that confiders these things can refrain from wishing him fuccefs in the yfeful career he has fo happily begun ?

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This

This work is illuftrated by two maps, one of the whole County of Yorkshire, the other of the vale of Pickering alone. These maps have the appearance of being accurate.

ART. X. Characteriflic Anecdotes and miscellaneous authentic Papers, tending to illuftrate the Character of Frederic the Third, late King of Pruffia; with explanatory Notes and Obfervations. By B. H. Latrobe, 8vo, 6s. Stockdale. London, 1788.

MR. Latrobe, who refided fome years in Berlin, informs us

that these Anecdotes are chiefly selected from a German publication, with a view to enable the reader to form some judgment of the perfonal character of the late King of Pruffia.

They are preceded by a very fhort sketch of his life, and begin with fome remarkable decrees and official letters of the late king; and at the end of the work there are a few letters from the King of Pruffia to fome of his friends; with an accurate statement of the cafe of Arnold the miller, which was fo much talked of all over Europe a little before his death, on account of the hafty fteps, as it appears fince, which his Pruffian majefty adopted in degrading and imprifoning the judges who gave fentence in that cause,

Many of the anecdotes are new; but there are fome which have already found their way into most of the public papers. They in general do honour both to the head and heart of the late king, and fhew him to have rendered himfelf, what every good monarch ought to do, as the father, rather than the king of his people:

There is among the anecdotes a paper of the late King of Pruffia's, containing fome remarks upon hunting, which, we think, will not prove unentertaining to our readers, they being strongly characteristic of a noble and feeling mind:

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The chace,' fays he, is one of the moft fenfual of pleasures, by which the powers of the body are ftrongly exerted, but thofe of the mind remain unemployed. It confifts in a violent exertion of defire in the purfuit, and the indulgence of a cruel paffion in the death of the game. It is an exercife which makes the limbs ftrong, active, and pliable; but leaves the head without improvement. I am convinced that man is more cruel and fayage than any beaft of prey. We exercise the dominion given us over thefe our wretched fellowcreatures in the moft tyrannical manner. If we pretend to any fuperiority over the beafts, it ought certainly to confift in reafon; but we commonly find that the moft paffionate lovers of the chace renounce this privilege, and converfe only with their dogs, their horfes, and other irrational animals. This renders them wild and unfeeling; and it is highly probable they cannot be very merciful to