as

*****

is fcarcely an exception of any who do not look on it as a great misfortune not to be able to join the ton. 1 could eafily perceive the confequences of this way of thinking, as well in the larger focieties as in the evening ftreet parties. Such profligate manners I never expected to find in a city fo famed for its police The indecent Allemain dance, which is feldom feen in reputable company, feemed here to be the favourite dance. The vulgar only dance minuets, and the nobility fometimes country dances. Allemain was the cry, and the fiddle nofooner ftruck than a general joy brightened every countenance-all feemed to be infpired with new life. The beaux feized the belles, and whirled them about in the most wanton manner, until one pair after another, heated and breathlefs, retreated, perhaps to breathe fresh air, and to cool themfelves.

You are not to fuppofe, my friend, that this is done without the knowledge of parents, as you know young folks will have their parties of pleafure. Here people are fuperior to fuch low prejudices. Mamma knows enough of the world to banish the bafhfulness of her timid daughters by her own example; though, thanks to the infallible rules of their education, the hopeful daughter generally gives her little trouble on this account. It is well worth obferving how the mother's heart fwells with joy when, being asked whofe that dear child is who dances fo charmingly? fhe can anfwer, It is my fon, or my daughter. Under the pretence that children ought to know the world gradually, that we mult permit them to fee the diverfions of Shrovetide, for which they have fo long teized us. the mother confents to make one of the party.

An unexpected bow from a podered gentleman in laced clothes interrupted my reflections. Wonder

Ι

ing who could know me in this place, after making a profound counterbow, I viewed him more attentively, and beheld my frifeur, with a partner no lefs gay, who, as he informed me next morning, was a tailor's daughter.

;

You will, perhaps, from this account, form a high opinion of the opulence and trade of **** but I muft affure you, that I found the most numerous and best part of the profeffional gentlemen and tradesmen in very neceffitous circumftances; that the alms-houses and hospitals were filled with reduced and worndown citizens; and that I have more than once been asked for alms by dif treffed houfekeepers. To enable you in fome measure to judge of the forcible fprings of this ruinous luxury, I muft obferve, that during Shrovetide the Loan-office is kept fo bufy, that it is with great difficulty all can get their business difpatched. This year in particular, it is faid, the mortgages amount to fome thousands more than the usual fum.

my

I had long searched in vain for aunt of fifty, and my fifter-in-law, whofe age is no less. At length they were fo gracious as to present themfelves to me, blooming as rofes, calling the daughters to me likewise. In pure friendly country fimplicity I called them Girls; but had you feen how the mother and daughters changed countenance! with what folicitude they looked to see if any one had been witness to my rudenefs, and how their looks reproved my mistake! a woman in *****, who can diftinguifh herfelf by her drefs a little above the common class, will be contented with nothing less than Madam. I had refolved to have fome converfation with my aunt, of whom I had formerly entertained a very favourable opinion, in order to difcover her fentiments; for I confefs I had fome diftant views of one of the ladies; but this was not to be accomplished.

joyed my fhare of it? when I am told of other wives who brought their husbands nothing, and are inferior to mine in birth and réputation, who, nevertheless, make a more brilliant figure, and enjoy greater pleasures? What, my friend, could you fay to this?"-I faw the hopelefs condition of my weak friend, and with a look of compaflion diverted the converfation to other fubjects.

My reflections on this rage fordancing were further confirmed, when next morning I vifited one of the principal Phyficians of the city. Amongst other natural curiofities in the poffeffion of my worthy friend,. I found a collection of human embryos, placed in regular gradation according to their fizes. On my expreffing my astonishment at their numbers, he affured me that the Carnivals had furnished most of them.

accomplished. If I attempted a word on any other fubject than the ball and dress, I was immediately interrupted by fome infignificant queftion, as," My coufin found the roads bad, I fuppofe? You are not fond of dancing, Sir" &c. This indeed was enough for me. In the mean time, a column was formed, mother and daughters fkipped away, after giving me a critical glance from head to foot, and a hint to go into an adjoining room, where I should find the gentlemen either at play or taking a repaft; and there indeed I found them. My old friend fat immerfed in profound thought in one corner of the room. As foon as he faw me he Sprang up, rejoicing to meet me. The rest of the company were too much engaged in their amufements to obferve us. I conducted my friend filently out, in order to converfe with him at leifure. How do you do, my dear friend? faid I; for aught I fee, you are very happy, and fwimming in pleasures. "Melancholy plea fures," faid he; "they have coft me the fweat of my youth, and will, probably, the tears of my old age. I was this day, at the earnest entreaties of my wife, obliged to take up the last remains of the price of my houfe to pay for thefe pleafures. How unhappy am I in a wife!" But are you not the mafter in your own family? "To be fure I am," said he; "and I have often reprefented to her the confequences of fuch a life, and endeavoured to prevail on her to forfake it. This generally terminated in vexation; and by force, my friend, a man rarely carries his point; befides, you know my good nature. If at any time I wasfuccefsful enough to make an impreffion on my wife by reasoning with her, her friends and relations foon undid all, and rendered my labour vain. What can I fay, when I am told; that I have been made happy in fpending my eftate? that, if it be fpent, I have en

66

This," "faid he, "of three months, I received a few hours fince, from a lady who mifcarried, in confequence of laft night's ball, and fhe is now fo ill, that I apprehend her life is in danger. Not a Carnival paffes," continued he," without the lofs of hu man lives, and many contract incurable diforders of the lungs from the violent exertions of dancing. An unhappy prejudice contributes not alittle. to this mifchief; I mean the ambition of tiring each other. We have fair Heroines, who boast of setting down two or three gentlemen fucceffively; and as it is thought difgraceful to be outdone, they will rather submit to the moft pernicious confequences. I was myfelf," continued he, "wite nefs to a cafe, where a lady, in the midft of an Allemaine, burst a blood veffel, and died on the fpot."-He related many other unhappy, cafes, which it would be too tedious to repeat.

My letter is already grown to an unreasonable length. I have given you my fimple thoughts on the fafhionable pleafüres of the prefent

times,

nothing is more my averfion than ruinous and indecent prejudices and cuftoms. You know that with respect to amusements I am not a rigid

IA AM now writing from Zirnitz, a fmall village in Carniola, where I am just arrived from vifiting the lake of Zirnitz, which is mentioned in the Philofophical Tranfactions as à most surprising phænomenon, and of which many marvellous accounts are daily related by travel lers, who do not fufficiently inveftigate the causes of things, and mistake a fimple operation of nature for a fupernatural event. Of this place, which is fometimes a lake and fometimes dry land, it has been faid that corn is fowed upon it immediately as the waters have left it; that game of all forts are spawned in the mud, as of old crocodiles were engendered from the depofition of the Nile; and that the fudden retreat of the waters from a place which they totally covered, is little fhort of a miracle. I fhall endeavour, in the following relation, to give a plain and fimple account of this wondrous

lake.

"The lake of Zirnitz fills great part of a broad vale, feated between rifing hills, which are richly and beautifully wooded; when the water is at the greatest height, it is Leven miles long and four broad, and occupies a circumference of at leaft twenty miles. It is partly fupplied by a few fprings, which rife near a neighbouring village; but the great er part is furnished by the rains which defcend from the bordering hills, or filter through the ground and crevices of the rocks. Thefe collected waters, which force their way through fubterraneous paffages, have worn in their courfe deep channels

in different parts of the vale, and at length lofe themselves in numerous caverns formed in the rocks. When ever the quantity of water fupplied is not more than fufficient to fill the fubterraneous paffages, the whole vale remains dry; and even fometimes thefe channels are quite dry, if the seafon has been without ram, and if the water has not been furnifhed by the feveral inlets. But whenever the quantity is fo large, that the fubterraneous paffages are full, or, in other words, when the influx is fuperior to the outgoings, then the waters overflow the vale, and form a lake more or lefs large in proportion to the quantity of water retained.'

This is the general theory of this extraordinary lake. It was quite dry when I faw it, only one of the channels was provided with a small ftream, which had been furnished by yesterday's rain, and we traced the current till it loft itself in one of the fubterraneous hollows. It is faid there is a noted ftone, commonly called the Fisher's-ftone, which is of fimilar ufe to the Nilescope-pillar at Grand Cairo: it is a large ftone on a small elevation, and whenever it makes its appearance, the fishermen know, that in a few days the waters will retire under ground. When that happens, people fish in the pits or caverns with nets; and the rapidity with which the waters defcend allows them only time for a few hawls: fome of the pits are evacuated in thirteen hours, and fome in twelve hours When the water has retreated, notice is given to the inhabitants

of

of Zirnitz, upon which numbers affemble to look for fish among the weeds and fedge.

"We walked over the valley, now dry land, which a few weeks before was covered with water, and noticed several rifing hills fringed with wood, which are iflands when the lake is full; the largeft ifland contains feveral cottages, and a church upon a little eminence, which has a pleafing effect. We obferved feveral hollows in the rocks at the bottom of a mountain, into which the water defcends, and entered one, a natural cavern, five feet high, and eight or ten long; the entrance was fo low, that we crawled upon our hands and knees: in fome of thefe caverns, a noise is heard when it thunders, like the found of many drums.

"Towards the borders of the lake or vale are rich rifing hills; the foil is conveyed by the waters, and in

general produces only reeds and coarfe grafs, but that part which is lefs fubject to be overflowed is covered with excellent grafs, which, when the waters do not appear, is mowed for hay, or fed by cattle. There is neither corn nor millet fowed in the abfence of the lake; and the game probably breed in the iflands and borders, and come out occafionally into the valley. One circumftance is very remarkable, that the lake no fooner makes its appearance, than it is instantly frequented by fwans and ducks, and other wild fowl.

The feafon in which the lake comes or retires is quite uncertain; but it fametimes makes its appearance in twenty-four hours, and becomes dry in as short space of time. This year it was perfectly dry in the month of January; but then it was the dryeft feason in the memory of man."

A

TEA.

TEA grows on a small fhrub, the leaves of which are collected twice or thrice every year. Thofe who collect the leaves three times a-year, begin at the new moon which precedes the vernal equinox, whether it falls in the end of February, or the beginning of March. At that period most of the leaves are perfect ly green, and hardly fully expanded: but thefe fmall and tender leaves are accounted the best of all; they are fcarce and exceedingly dear.

The fecond crop, or the first for thofe who collect the leaves only twice a year, is gathered about the end of March, or the beginning of April. Part of the leaves have then attained to maturity; and though the other part have acquired only half their fize, they are both collec ted without any distinction.

The third, or the fecond for fome,

A

and last crop, is more abundant, and is collected about the end of April, or the beginning of May, when the leaves have attained to their full growth, either in fize or number. There are fome people who neglect the two first crops, and who confine themselves entirely to this; the leaves of which are selected with great care, and diftributed into claffes according to their fize and goodnefs. Tea ought to be rejected as of a bad quality, when old, and as it were withered leaves are found amongst it: which may be eafily known, by infufing a little of it in water; for then the leaves dilate, and return to their natural state.

The leaves of the tea fhrub are oblong, sharp-pointed, indented on the edges, and of a very beautiful green colour. The flower is compofed of five white petals difpofed in form of a rofe, and is fucceeded by a a 2

pod