which, without great violence to the sense of the original, we may translate, Much less to see than to be seen they come. Scarcely had I entered the area of entertainment, when a quick, confused succession of discordant sounds, fully engaged my sense of hearing. Proceeding hastily to take my seat upon the benches laid out for public accommodation, the same sounds still smote in painful vibrations on the ear. Adjusted in my seat, I turned my eyes to the quarter whence the noise proceeded. Thus guided by the optic and auditory nerves, my doubts, as to the cause and source of the most unaccountable part of the sound, were relieved. What I had rashly concluded to be the tones of a barbarous instrument, proved, to my utter astonishment, to arise from the vocal exertions of five living animal subjects, but which, without much closer examination, I can on no account pretend to. determine to which of the Genera in the Systema Nature they are to be referred. As I was unable, then, to make a nearer approach to the vociferating figures, I must, however painful, be content for the present, to leave the question, as to their genus, species, and variety, to be determined by future observation. But whether they prove to be non-descript," or species novi generis, I had the satisfaction to find that I could not doubt for an instant as to their proper class. That they belonged to the Mammalia was tolerably perceptible, nay demonstrable, even at some little distance. As to the Order also, I had no room for he sitation; for although I am slow in' trusting appearances, and in the admission of facts; and, although I had no opportunity closely to inspect the great ordinal characters, the teeth, nor even the nails (indeed I should have thought it hazardous to go within reach of either, without previous inquiry) yet the clearly defined Mammæ pectorales binæ, the pedes manu que duo, will, I am confident, justify me in haring ranked them at once, among the Primates. Further than this I cannot yet presume to carry my arrangement. All I can now do, is to submit to you the few notes made on the spot; and, as systematic terminology does not easy admit of translation, I give them in the general language of science. Altitudine, pedum quatuor vix ultra. Actio. Motus pedum, brachiorum, manumque, Simiarum imitantes." Caput, vultus, et forma oris, generis humani ad instar Capillus abundans, caballinus, niger, et nitans veluti speculum. Oculi concinni, natantes, scintillantes petulci, pulcherrimi. Color, cutis totæ faciei et colli, fuscus, fuliginosus, furidus; et, uno in exemplare, variegatus versicolobrius, sicut in specie vegetabli, botanice, Swietenia, vulgo Mahogany diçta :-Facie carente, in toto, coloribus omnibus rosarum et litiarum, qui feliciter commixti, apud nostrates, mille creant delicias. Vox.-Magna vocis facultate gaudent. Sonos emittunt nec loquentes nec cantantes, et omnino quales mihi nunquam anethac contigit audire. Labia rubra, complanata, proportione apta. Dentes firmi, equales, bene conformati, (ut mihi videntur, nam procul in presentia scribo) attamen (horribili visu!) ruberrimi quasi sanguine recento imbuti. Ex ore subinde liquorem éjeci observavi apprime rubrum, et suppeditantem, nihil dubio, pige mentum utilissimum, vel colorem animalem usui adaptatum, et, forsitan, magna cum utilitate, apud tinctores Europæos. Mamma, hemispherica, prominentes, orbiculata, assurgentes, firmæ ? Aspectu hand ingratæ. An cauda? Heu! me miserum ! Omnibus his quinque exemplaribus involatis industis, scelestis indusiis, occasio et potestas videndi, puris naturacorpus naturale, nudumı, “ libus," denegati sunt. PARTICULARS OF THE AFRICAN TRADE AT The following remarks on the trade in the Floop country, on the South side of the Cam bia, were written by the late Mr. George Ross, who, not long before his death, resi ded a few weeks at Barrowfatt (or Berefet) in: that river. They were committed to paper merely for his own private use; but contain information which be beneficial to any Allow me to premise that the individuals, one who is commencing a trade in that country. the subjects of my observation, were fantastically dressed, and in such way as to in-They were alluded to in the important crease their resemblance to the hunian figure, intelligence we gave (Panorama, Vol. IV.' which greatly limited my field of observation, p. 1201 to 1210.) from Sierra Leone relative as will be forthwith perceptible. to various particulars on the African coast, as well as to the manner in which the natives view the Abolition of the Slave Trade, as to Classis. Mammalia. Ordo. Primates. Gengs? may Animal erectum. Staturâ et magnitudine, the way in which their pursuits are now likeSimite varietatis majoris. ly to be directed in consequence thereof, Barrowfatt, August 22, 1801. Vintain and Barrowfatt are, I believe, the only marts of the trade of the Floop country, and Vintain the capital. Wax is to be had here; sometimes in abundance. The most plentiful season for wax is, I take it, May and June. It is absolutely in vain to specify the articles you should have to pay for wax in particular: this is a poor country and ignorant: by poor I mean a poverty of commerce; for of eatables they seem to be in no want: but there has neither been so much, nor such a variety of trade here, as to have marked out the particular goods to be paid on particular produce. The wax is laid down, say a cake; you weigh it, and with a kind of borer pierce it, to see whether it be tolerably clean; you then ask the owner (the "Master")'what money ti, e. goods) he wants for it, having first informed him what money you have. If he is a khowing fellow, he will ask you first to say how many bars you will give, which you may not refuse and a knowing fellow, after you have agreed upon the number of bars, will screw you up to the. number of bars of each article, till ten to one but he has made a dear cake of it; his object being to get as many as possible of the dearest bars (the dearest and the most in de The natives have wants; wants let us call them, be they real or only ideal: and, if you. are suited to meet those wants, you are properly assorted to command their trade. Take with this; however, that certain local cir-mand are all one, as I said before). cumstances are to be attended to. For instance, according as they reside nearer to or farther from Barrowfatt; if you then come upon then when they are busy planting or reaping their crops, you may have to wait till they have done; for they set much value by their crops; and according to the present ecoDomy of the country, it is no one man's work to bring a cake of wax to market. As another instance, let me observe, that the season of the year, as well as certain adventitious circumstances, such as the breaking out of wars &c. &c. have a particular effect as well on rour trade as your assortment. When the rains are set in, iron is in great demand. The blacksmiths then do the chief of their work; indeed it is at that time they have most of it to do, say hoes, ploughs, (or substitutes for them) &c. and it is a matter well known, and of which advantage might very fairly be taken, that these people are not troubled with over much forecast. Wars enhance greatly the value of powder, guns, Aints, cutlasses, &c. Deaths abounding rake the value of powder, that being the article with which they speak aloud the praises of their deceased friends. Many such remarks might be offered, which it would be greatly the interest of a trader residing on the In other trades 1 am aware there is such a thing as rounds; or, on paying a certain number of bars, to pay so many of this and so many of the oilier sort; but that not being the case here, I have not hesitated upon telling the number of bars I would give, to desire he would next say what articles he wanted, and how many of each sort he would take. I have absolutely refused answering him, when he has stopped, upon mentioning the first article he wanted, to hear whether I would give the number he mentioned; but told him to proceed to the end of his list, and then I would make my remarks. coast to attend to. I use indiscriminately the phrases rise in value and rise in demand;" for any article rising in demand is exactly the same as rise in value witness at present an iron bar being deemed an equivalent for a gun and even for a piece of bait, and one sixth part of an iron bar asked and thankfully taken in lieu of a bar of powderd owed a man who went to VinLain for men Wax when brought to Barrowfat. is purchased in the following manner. In the first place, you must fix in your mind the number of bars on an average that It is a little strange though, that, with one of those knowing fellows, at this Iron. time, so glad was he to get a half bar of iron on a cake of 35lbs. that he readily passed it for a bar.. The articles to be paid for the was being agreed upon, before you begin, to pay you may as well inform yourself (in case they should not mention it to you) whether any lodging money is to be paid on it. This is a very common demand in this river. It had its rise no doubt from every man who brings trade to tlie river side, having a particular house, in which he lodged his trade until he disposed of it. This adging was paid for by a kind of tax, or per cen1age, on the article so lodged: it is a source of great and grievous imposition on the poor bringers I have myself seen one bar for lodging des tained on a cake of three bars: that is, the owner received two bars, the lodging-master one: and I have been told that out of 200 bars paid upon slaves, 80 have been retained on the same account. But to the point-inform yourself I say when any lodging is to be paid. I have not stickled at even demanding to know the article that was to be claimed for lodging; for, not having the most conscientious linguist in the world, I got bit twice by the lodging-naster coming on me the day following for a bar, that, had I known it when buying the wax, I should have made it a particular matter of consideration. They will tell you it is quite irregular to ask what the lodging is to be, until the wax be gone but I can see only two ways of doing business, by open honesty or love cun- | ning. the latter, alas! is the but too prevalent system on this ill-fated coast. Cotton is to be had here in certain seasons in, great plenty. It is fine, but short ; they bring it with the seed, and I have seen a basket about the size of a bushel given twice full for a bottle of powder. This, of course, is not the proper season for it. I should think it will be most plentiful from December or January to May or June. Rice, excellent in, quality, may be had cheap : the same quantity of rice in the husk, as of cotton, is bought for a bottle of powder, worth about two shillings sterling. I measured the quantity of clean rice, got out of one of those bottle-of-powder-worths, and found it made 35 heaped quarts, (about 70lbs.) They seldom bring this article down unless it is sent for. If, therefore, you want to supply yourself expeditiously, you had best hire a canoe and employ an honest native to go to the Floop towns and make trade for you; giving him a little of such money as he will point out to you. This method is perhaps generally a good one-I mean in regard to other articles as well as rice, not even excepting wax. But rice; corn of the three different sorts; cloth; honey; cotton; stock, such as bullocks; goats, hogs, and fowls; yams and plantain, also Gaboo and Fororo; are to be had most expeditiously in this manner: and, should you be fortunate enough to meet with an honest intelligent tradesman, most advantageously too. Gaboo and Fororo. I have seen them and have samples, but am at a loss to describe them. Say that the former resembles the kernel of an almond, the latter an over-grown pea; both of a brownish colour; they are brought down by the Mandingoes to the Floop country to purchase corn. I have given the Joliff names of both, the former is by the Mandingoes called Sanda qura. The Floops give those articles in exchange for cowries, count for count. They are in no esteem here; but they may be sold at Goree or Senegal at 20 of the former, or 14 strings of the latter, for a dollar, which I am informed is the stated price of them there| about. These are all the articles I recollect at present that are to be had here of any note, except slaves and stock, both of which are in tolerable plenty. When iron is scarce, as at present, a bar of iron is a good price for a nice little fat bullock: I have bought two goats for a quarter of a bar of iron; a miler goat and kid for a bottle of powder ; a nice roasting pig for a cloth piece of an iron bar; and six fowls for the same. Plena [a.native woman residing at Barrowfatt] has, for the ten strings of an eightpenny bunch of red garnets, bought me ten fowls and the country soap and butter are very cheap.-I should like to know the manner they make their soap, for I find it rises with salt water. Gold I have omitted, as not belonging pro- ** perly to the Floop side, either by birth or residence: there is some to be had on the Gillifrey-side, and a greater abundance up the River. The same of ivory. It is now evening and we have got candlelight. This rainy day has been so dismally dark, that I had to guess at writing the above, though done about two o'clock in the afternoon. I have sat down now to specify the articles of trade most in demand for the purchase of the above, but I see my paper is nearly exIpended. I must therefore for the present be Honey. I have not had the good luck to meet with any to buy, but I have seen some very good indeed and by the accounts hear, it is to be bought very cheap. : Before I come to Gambia again I must know how to make honey-wine. I ought to recollect it from a social and humane motive a.ell as from interest. Certon cloths, white, but rather coarse ; their pice is commonly a piece of an iron bar, about four or five inches long. An iron bar of the usual length may be cut into 20 or 21 cloth-pieces. I have done it. Mahogany trees are here in great abundance. Indigo (Mandingo name Carro) may be had very cheap; but I know not how to cure it. | excused. The following occur to me now, and I set them down, as they occur, as the first our the list, viz. iron, amber, cowries, arrangoes, tobacco, cutlasses, gun-powder, coral, and mock coral, Dutch knives, rum, blue burdoe beads and black points, Indeed I could at present command the trade of Barrowfall, were there any thing in it worth commanding, with only a good supply of iron, powder, rum, tobacco, arrangoes, cowries, Dutch knives, and a few smallish beads. This last is a choice assortment, and the articles ranked in their proper places. AN ACCOUNT OF A REMARKABLE SHOWER OF RICA BY PROFESSORS SILLIMAN AND [This relation was first communicated in and well defined, like that of the sun seen through a mist. It rose from the north, and proceeded in a direction nearly perpendicular to the horizon, but inclining, by a very small angle, to the west, and deviating a little from the plane of a great circle, but in pretty large curves, sometimes on one side of the plane, and sometimes on the other, but never making an angle with it of more than four or five degrees. It appeared about one half or twoYale College, December 26, 1807.-As im-thirds the diameter of the full moon. This deperfect and erroneous accounts of the late scription of its apparent magnitude is vague, but phenomenon at Weston are finding their it was impossible to ascertain what angle it subway into circulation, we take the liberty of tended. Its progress was not so rapid as that inclosing for publication the result of an in- of common meteors and shooting stars. When vestigation into the circumstances and evidence it passed behind the thinner clouds, it ap❤ of the event referred to, which we have made peared brighter than before and when it on the ground where it happened. That we passed the spors of clear sky it flashed with a may not interrupt our narration by repeating vivid light, yet not so intense as the lightthe observation wherever it is applicable, we ning in a thunder-storm, but rather like what may remark, once for all, that we visited and is commonly called heat lightning. Its surcarefully examined every spot where the stones face was apparently convex. had been ascertained to have fallen, and seve ral places where they had been only suspected without any discovery; that we obtained specimens of every stone-conversed with all the principal original witnesses; spent several days in the investigation; and were, at the time, the only persons who had explored the whole ground. BENJAMIN SILLIMAN. Where it was not too much obscured by thick clouds, a conical train of paler light was seen to attend it, waving, and in length about 10 or 12 diameters of the body. In the clear sky a brisk scintillation was observed about the body of the meteor, like that of a burning firebrand carried against the wind. It disappeared about 15 degrees short of the zenith, and about the same number of degrees west of the meridian. It, did not vanish instantaneously, but grew, pretty rapidly, fainter and fainter, as a red-hot cannon ball would do, if cooling in the dark, only with much more rapidity.er The meteor, which has so recently excited alarm in many, and astonishment in all, first made its apppearance in Weston, about a quarter or half past six o'clock, A. M. on Monday, the 14th instant (Dec. 1807). The morning was somewhat cloudy, the clouds were dispersed in unequal masses, being in some places thick and opaque; in others light, fleecy, and partially transparent; while spots of unclouded sky appeared here and there among them. Along the northern part of the horizon, a space of 10 or 15 degrees was perfectly clear. The day had merely dawned, and there was little or no light, except from the moon, which was just setting. Judge Wheeler, to whose intelligence and observation, apparently uninfluenced by feat or imagination, we are indebted for the substance of this part of our account, was passing through the inclosure adjoining his house, with his face to the north, and his eyes on the ground, when a sudden flash, occasioned by the transition of a luminous body across the northern margin of clear sky, illuminated every object, and caused him to look up. He immediately discovered a globe The accounts of others corresponded subof fire, just then passing behind the first stantially with this. Time was differently cloud, which was very dark, and obscured, estimated by different people, but the varia although it did not entirely hide the meteor.tion was not material. Some augmented the In this situation its appearance was distinct, number of loud reports, and terror and ima- * There was no peculiar smell in the atmo sphere, nor were any luminous masses seen to separate from the body. The whole period between its first appearance and total extiņc=! tion was estimated at about 30 seconds. About 30 or 40 seconds after this, threes loud and distinct reports, like those of a fourpounder, near at hand, were heard. Theyo succeeded each other with as much rapidity as was consistent with distinctness, and, altog gether, did not occupy three seconds. Then followed a rapid succession of reports less loud, and running into each other, so as to produce a continued rumbling, like that of a cannon! ball rolling over a floor, sometimes louder and at other times fainter; some compared it to the noise of a waggon, running rapidly down a long and stony hill; or to a volley of musquetry, protracted into what is called, in military language, a running fire. This noise continued about as long as the body was in rising, and died away, apparently in the direction from which the meteor came. gination seem, in various instances, to have magnified every circumstance of this phie nomenon. The only thing which seemed of any importance beyond this statement was derived from Mr. Elihu Staples, who said, that when the meteor disappeared, there were apparently three successive efforts or leaps of the tire-ball, which grew more dim at every throe, and disappeared with the last. 2. The masses projected at the second explosion seem to have fallen pripoipally at and in the vicinity of Mr, Willian Prince's, in Weston, distant about five miles, in a southerly direction, from Mr. Burr's. Mr. Prince and family were still in bed, when they heard a noise like the fall, of a very heavy body, immediately after the explosions. They formed various unsatisfactory conjectures, concern ing the cause; nor did even a fresh hole made, through the turf in the door-yard, about twen ception of the cause or induce any other inquiry than why a new post-hole should have been dug where there was no use for it: so far were this family from conceiving of the possibility of such an event as stones falling from the clouds. They had indeed formod ́a) vague conjecture that the hole might have been made by lightning, but would probably have paid no further attention to the circumistance, had they not heard, in the course of the day, that stones had fallen that morning in other parts of the town. This induced them, towards evening, to search the hole in the yard, where they found a stone buried in the loose earth which had fallen upon it. It was two feet from the surface: the hole was about twelve inches in dimmėtor; and as the earth was soft and nearly free from stones; the mass had sustained little injury, only a few small fragments having been detached by the shock. The weight of this stone was about thirty-five pounds. From the descriptions which we have heard, it must have beển ̧ a noble specimen, and men of science will not cease to deplore that so rare a treasure should have been immediately broken in pieces. All that remained unbrokeų of this noble mass, was a piece of twelve pounds. weight, since purchased by Isaac Bronson, Esq. of Greenfield, with the liberal view of presenting it to some public institution. A number of masses of stone fell in several places, principally within the town of Westy-five feet from the house, lead to any conton. The places which had been well ascer tained at the period of our investigation, were six. The most remote were about 9 or 10 miles distant from each other, in a line differing little from the course of the meteor. It is therefore probable that the successive masses fell in this order, the most northerly first, and the most southerly last. We think we are able to point out three principal places where stones have fallen, corresponding with the three loud cannon-like reports, and with the three leaps of the meteor observed by Mr. Staples. There were sine circunstances common to all the cases. There was in every instance, immediately after the explosions had ceased, a loud whizzing or roaring noise in the air, observed at all the places, and, so far as was ascertained, at the moment of the fall. It excited in some the idea of a tornado; in others, of a large cannon-shot in rapid motion; and it filled all with astonishment and apprehension of some impending catastrophe. In every instance immediately after this was heard a sudden and abrupt noise, like that of a ponderous body striking the ground in its fall. Excepting one, the stones were more or less broken. The most important circumstances of the particular cases were as follow: 1. The most northerly fall was within the limits of Huntington, on the border of Weston, about 40 or 50 rods east of the great road from Bridgeport to Newtown, in a cross road, and contiguous to the house of Mr. Merwin Burr. Mr. Burr was standing in the road, in front of his house, when the stone fell. The noise produced by its collision with a rock of granite, on which it struck, was very loud. Mr. Burr was within 50 feet, and immediately searched for the body, but, it being still dark, he did not find it till half an hour after. By the fall, some of it was reduced to powder, and the rest of it was broken into very small fragments, 'which were thrown around to the distance of 20 or 30 feet. The granite rock was stained at the place of contact with a deep lead colour. The largest fragment which remained did not exceed the size of a goose egg, and this Mr. Burr found to be still warm to his hand. There was reason to conclude front all the circumstances, that this stone must have weighed about iwenty or tumaky-five pounds Six days after, another mass was discovered; half a mile north-west from Mr. Prince's. The search was induced by the confident per suasion of the neighbours that they heard it fall near the spot where it was actually found! buried in the earth, weighing from seven to ten pounds. It was found by Gideon Hall and Isaac Fairchild. It was in small fragments, t having fallen on a globular detached mass of gneiss rock, which it split in two, and by which it was itself shivered to pieces. The same men informed us that they suspected another stone had fallen in the vicinity,. as the report had been distinctly heard, and could be referred to a particular region somewhat to the east. Returning to the place, after an excursion of a few hours to another part of the town, we were gratified to find the conjecture verified, by the actual discovery of a mass of thirteen pounds weight,, which had fallen half a mile to the north-east |