pier, the arch it had fupported fill hung in the air. It came alfo into my head, that this curate might be a defcendent of the ancient Cimbri: and thus I was pleafed, (except as to the demolition, which I did not approve from my refpe&t for antiquity,) that in the viciflitudes of human affairs the conquerors and the conquered are often brought to a level. I confidered, that as Marius had revenged the honour of Rome, and deftroyed the glory of the Cimbri, one of the defcendants of thefe Cimbri had demolished the honour of Marius; and that the young girls of the village might probably affemble on a holiday, to dance under the fhadow of this triumphal arch, without caring a rush for him that built, or him that maimed it. Ruins, in which nature contends with the art of man, infpire us with a tender melancholy. She fhews us the vanity of our labours, and the permanency of hers. As fhe excels at the very time when he is deftroying, the commands the chinks in our monuments to produce the yellow wall-flower, the graffes, the wild cherry, and the rofe. I know nothing more fublime than the antique towers that our ancestors built on the tops of hills, that they might defcry their enemies from far; out of which are often feen large trees waving their high heads above the battlements. The effect of a ruin is heightened when it fuggefts fome moral fentiment; for instance, if we confider that thefe degraded towers were once the refort and protection of tyrants and banditti. When I view the high walls of fuch a ruin, when I look down into its dungeon, when I gaze on its narrow windows, and reflect on the rudeness and brutality of its ancient tenants, I think I fee the carcafe, or the skeleton, of fome ravenous wild beaft. But no monuments are fo interefting as those of human mortality, cfpeially the tombs of our friends. It is remarkable, that all rude people, and even the greater part of thofe that are citizens, have made the tombs of their ancestors the centre of their devotion, and an effential part of their religion. From thefe must be excepted thofe countries where parents make themfelves hated of their chil dren by a harsh and cruel education, I mean thofe in the western and fouthern parts of Europe. Every where elfe this religious melancholy is predominant. In China, tombs are one of the principal embellishments of the fuburbs in cities, and of the hills in the country. They are the ftrongeft tics that bind favage nations to their country. When Europeans propofe to fuch people a change of their refidence, "How, fay they, 'fhall we "defire the bones of our fathers to "rife and follow us into a foreign "land?" They always confider the queftion as unanfwerable, and the dif ficulty unfurmountable. The tombs have enriched the poetry of Young and of Gefner with images the most fublime. Our voluptuaries, who fome times make the appearance of returning to the fentiments of Nature, conftruct fictitious monuments in their gardens. They are not indeed thofe of their relations. Whence then can this tafte for funereal melancholy come to vifit fuch in the midst of their pleasures? Is it not because fomething exifts after we are gone? If a tomb fuggefted no idea but of that which it ought to contain, that is, a carcafe, the fight of it would instantly fhock their imagination, fo much do they in general abhor to be re minded of death. To this phyfical idea, therefore, there must be joined fome fentiment of morality. The luxurious melancholy that refults from it, fprings, like all other agreeable fenfations, from the harmony of two oppofite principles, the fenfe of the fhortnefs of life, and that of immortality, which unite at the view of the houfe appointed for all living. tomb Anecdotes refpecting the Game of Chefs. somb is a monument fituated on the confines of both worlds. It prefents us at once with the end of the vain inquietudes of life, and the image of eternal reft: then it excites in us the warmest fentiment of a happy immortality, rendered probable in proportion to the innocence of his life whofe tomb we contemplate. It is this which commands our veneration. And this is fo true, that, though there be no difference between the afhes of Nero and thofe of Socrates, yet no one would harbour thofe of the Emperor, though cafed in a golden urn; and no one would refufe to thofe of the philofopher the most honourable place in his apartment, though wrapt in a veffel of clay. It is then from this intellectual reverence for virtue, that the tombs of great men infpire us with fuch veneration. It is the fame fentiment that make us look on the tombs of the innocent, the amiable, and the virtuous, with fo much regret. To recommend them to our regard, there is no occafion for marble, or bronze, or gilding. The more fimple they are, the more energy they give to the fentiment of melancholy. It is chiefly in the country that the impreffion is the ftrongeft. Their grief acquires a peculiar fublimity; it rifes with the old yews of the cemetery; it expands with the view of the plains and the mountains around; it affociates itlelf with all the appearances of nature, with the blush of Aurora, the murmuring of the winds, the fetting of the fun, and the darkness of night. But no ruins excite in us fuch exalted fentiments as thofe of Nature. They fhew us this great prica of the earth in which we are incloted fübject itself to diffolution, and weaken our attachment to prejudices and paffions, as we difengage our attention from a fhort, or a frivolous theatrical entertainment. When Lifbon was overthrown by an earthquake, its inhabitants, rufhing from their houfes, embraced one another in the ftreets, great and fmall, friends and foes, inquifitors and Jews, known and unknown; and they diftributed cloathes, and food to fuch as had none, without diftinction. The first effect of misfortune, fays a celebrated writer, is to harden the heart, and the fecond is to break it. But I have obferved, that the first thoughts of a man in diftrefs are directed to the Deity, the fecond bring him back to his phyfical neceffities. This laft is the confequence of reflection, but the moral and fublime fentiment almost always takes inftant poffeffion of the heart at the fight of uncommon devaftation. Anecdotes refpecting the Game of Chefs. By R. Twifs, Efq THE game of Chefs is fuppofed to have been invented in India, in the fixth century. The Perfians taught it to the Arabians, who introduced it into Spain; and it was brought into England during the reign of William the Conqueror. In 1783, Mr de Kempelen, an Hungarian, was in London, where he remained near a year with an automaton chefs-player. He gave me a French pamphlet, which had just been printed at Bafle, containing its defcription, with three engravings: although it has been fo recently exhibited, it may not be thought fuperfluous to give the following fhort account of it: It is a figure as large as life, in a Turkish drefs, fitting behind a table with doors, of three feet and an half in length, two in depth, and two and an half in height. The chair on which which it fits is fixed to the table, which runs on four wheels: the automaton leans its right arm on the tab ble, and in its left hand holds a pipe; with this hand it plays, after the pipe is removed. A chefs-board, of eighteen inches, is fixed before it: this table, or rather cupboard, contains wheels, levers, cylinders, and other pieces of mechanism; all which are publickly displayed: the veftments of the automaton are then lifted over its head, and the body is feen full of fimilar wheels and levers. There is a little door in its thigh, which is likewife opened; and with this, and the table alfo open, and the automaton uncovered, the whole is wheeled about the room the doors are then fhut, and the automaton is ready to play, and it always takes the first move. At every motion the wheels are heard; the image moves its head, and looks over every part of the chefsboard; when it checks the queen, it fhakes its head twice, and thrice in giving check to the king. It likewife shakes its head when a falfe move is made, replaces the piece, and makes its own move, by which means the the adverfary lofes one. Mr de Kempelen remarked to me, that the moft furprifing circumftance attending his automaton was, that it had been exhibited at Prefburg, Vienna, Paris, and London, to thoufands, many of whom were mathematicians and chefs-players, and yet the fecret by which he governed the motion of its arm was never difcovered. He prided himself solely on the conftruction of the mechanical powers, by which the arm could perform ten or twelve moves; it then required to be wound like a watch, after which it was capable of continuing the fame number of motions. up The automaton could not play unlefs Mr de Kempelen or his fubftitute was near it, to direct its moves. A fmall fquare box, during the game, was frequently confulted by the exhibitor; and herein confifted the fecret, which he told me he could in a moment com municate. He who could beat Mr de Kempelen, was, of course, certain of conquering the automaton. It was made in 1769. His own account of it was, "C'eft une bagatelle qui n'est pas fans merite du cote du mecanisme, mais les effets n'en paroiffent fi merveilleux que par la hardieffe de l'idee, & par l'heureux choix des moyens. employes pour faire illufion." The ftrongest and beft-armed loadftone was allowed to be placed on the machine by any of the fpectators. Keyfler, in his account of Turin, in 1749, fays: "The late Father Sacchieri of Turin, was a remarkable inftance of the ftrength of human understanding, particularly that faculty of the foul we term Memory." He could play at Chefs with three different perfons at the fame time, even without feeing any one of the Chefs-boards. He required no more than that his fubftitute fhould tell himwhat piece his antagonist had moved and Sacchieri could direct what ftep was to be taken on his fide, holding at the fame time converfation with the company prefent. If any difpute arofe about the place where any piece fhould be, he could tell every move that had been made, not only by himfelf, but by his antagonist, from the beginning of the game; and, in this manner, incontestably decide the proper place of the piece. This uncommon dexterity at the game of Chess appears to me almoft the greatest inflance that can be produced of a furprifing memory." The following account, however, was published lately in the London news-papers: "The celebrated Mr Philidor, whofe unrivalled excellence at the game of Chefs has been long diftin guifhed, invited the members of the Chefs-club, and the amateurs in gemeral of that arduous amufement, to be Anecdotes refpecting the Game of Chefs. be prefent at a fpectacle of the moft curious kind, it was to difplay a very wonderful faculty of the human mind, which faculty, however, is perhaps exclufively at prefent his own. "In confequence of this invitation, thirty gentlemen and three ladies at tended Mr Philidor at Parflo's, in St James's-ftreet, where, in their prefence, with his eyes clofed, he contended with two gentlemen at the fame time, who had each a Chefsboard, and who may perhaps be deemed amongst the first players in Europe ext himfelf. *. "Count Bruhl was his adverfary at one board, and Mr Bowdler at the other, and to each he allowed the first move. "Mr Philidor's reprefentatives were Mrs Wilmot of Bloomsburyfquare, and a gentleman of the name of Cooper. "The games commenced at ten minutes after two o'clock, and lafted exactly one hour and forty minutes. "The manner in which thefe games were played was alternately as to each move. Count Bruhl began, and mentioned aloud the move he had made. Mr Philidor then directed his reprefentative, and fo proceeded to the conclufion of both games. "The game with the Count was drawn, and Mr Bowdler was fuccefsful with the other, owing to the quickness with which the earlier moves in both games were made, and to the extreme fimilarity in the fitu ation of the pieces towards the commencement: for if the games had lefs refembled each other, Mr Philidor would have preferved a more diftin&t recollection. "The idea of the intellectual labour that was paffing in the mind of Mr Philidor fuggefted a painful perception to the fpectator, which, how 309 erea, was quite unneceffary, as he feldom paufed half a minute, and feemed to undergo little mental fatigue, being fomewhat jocofe thro the whole, and uttering occafionally many pleafantries that diverted the company. The whole paffed in the French language. "When the intrinfic difficulty of the game is confidered, as well as the great fkill of his adverfaries, who, of courfe, conducted it with the most fubtle complications, this exertion feems abfolutely miraculous, and cer tainly deferves to be recorded as a proof, at once interefting and aftonish. ing, of the power of human intelligence." In the 376th Number of the Craftfman, Lord Harvey fays, " Chefs is the only game, perhaps, which is play ed at for nothing; and yet warms the blood and brain as much as if the gamefters were contending for the deepeft ftakes. No perfon cafily for gives himself who lofes, though to a fuperior player. No perfon is ever known to flatter at this game, by underplaying himfelf. It is certain, this play is an excrcife of the under ftanding. It is a contention, who has the moft folid brain; who can lay the deepest and wifeft defigns. It is, therefore, rarely known, that a perfon of great vivacity and quicknefs, or one of very flow parts, is mafter of this game." Dr Hyde fays, "Don John of Auftria had a chamber in which was a checqucred pavement of black and white marble: upon this, living men moved under his direction, according to the laws of Chefs.” "The fame thing is told of a Duke of Weimar, who, in fquares of white and black marble, played at Chefs with real foldiers." D 304 On the locomotive Faculty of the Oyfter. By the Abbe Dicquemare*. ASSING one day along the feafhore, I obferved an Oyfter lying in a shallow place, and ejecting with confiderable force a quantity of water. It immediately occurred to me, that, if this happened at a fufficient depth, the refiftance of the water would have forced the Oyster from its place. To be fatisfied of this, I took feveral middle - fized Oyfters with a light fhell, and placed them on a fmooth horizontal furface, in a fufficient quantity of pure fea-water. Some hours elapfed, and the night came on before any thing remarkable appeared; but next day I found one of the Oyfters in a place and fituation different from that in which I had left it; and as nothing could have difcompofed it, I could not doubt but that it had moved by its own powers. I continued, however, to attend my charge; but, as if they meant to conceal their fecret, the Oyfters always operated in my abfence. At laft, as I was exploring the coaft of lower Normandy, I perceived in an Oyster bed one of them changing place pretty quickly. On my return, therefore, to Havre, I made new difpofitions to difcover the means by which the motions of Oysters are performed, and I fucceeded. This animal ejects the water by that part of the fhell which is diametrically oppofite to the hinge, it can alfo throw it out at the fides, at each extremity of the hinge, or even from the whole opening at once. For this purpofe, it can vary the action of its internal mechanifm; but the foft parts are not the only organs that perform this function; in certain cafes the thells affift in forcing out the water. When an Oyfter thus fuddenly, forcibly, and repeatedly fquirts forth a quantity of water, it repulfes thofe of its enemies that endeavour to innuate themfelves within the fhells while they are open: but this is ef fectual only against its weakeft fees; for there are fome fo formidable by their ftrength or their addrefs, that a great number of ayfters perifh in this way. The animal, therefore, endeavours with all its force to repell them; it does more, it retreats backwards, or ftarts afide in a lateral direction. All of them, however, are not placed in circumftances favourable for these mo tions. They are often fituated in the crevices of rocks, between flones, or among other oyfters, fome in fand, and fome in mud; fo that their ftrength, or powers of motion, are ex erted in vain. It is probable, however, that they have the faculty of operating their own relief from thefe circumitances, and that they may be accidentally affifted by other bodies. It muft, however, be acknowledged, that the means of relief cannot be numerous or confiderable in fuch as are attached to other oyfters, to a body heavier than themfelves, or to a rock; but fuch fituations are the moft uncommon in the oyster beds that I am acquainted with on the French coafts in the Channel. Per haps, indeed, a very angular or heavy fhell may be fufficient to render an Oyiter immoveable. This is undoubt edly the cafe with fuch of them as have been obliged by worms, or other more forinidable enemies, fo to in creafe their fhells as to make them thick and unwieldy. But we do not know whether thefe animals, in unfavourable cir cumftances, may not be able to fupply thofe manoeuvres that I have men. tioned by others that I have not as yet been able to observe. An Oyster that has never been attached, may fix itfelf by any part of the margin of either of its valves, and that margin will become the middle, or nearly fo, Journal de Phyfique. |