employs for this purpose, to wit, vegetation.-See by what induction he proves his opinion.

It was natural to imagine, that, fince the change of common air is necessary to vegetable, as well as to animal life, both plants and animals rendered it foul in the fame manner, fo as to become unfit for further life and vegetation. But when, with that expectation, the doctor had put a fprig of mint, in a growing and vigorous ftate, under an inverted glafs jar, ftanding in water, he was agreeably difappointed to find, that this plant not only continued to live, though in a languishing way, for two months, but that the confined air was fo little corrupted by what had iffued from the mint, that it would neither extinguish a candle, nor kill a small animal which he conveyed into it. What further evinced the falutary nature of the effluvia of vegetables, he found, that air, vitiated by a candle left in it till it burnt out, was perfectly restored to its quality of fupporting flame, after another fprig of mint had for fome time vegetated in it. And, to fhew that the aromatic vapour of that plant had no fhare in restoring this purity to the air, he obferved, that vegetables of an offenfive fmell, and even fuch as fcarce had any fmell at all, but were of a quick growth, proved the very best for this purpose. Nay more, the virtue of growing vegetables was found to be an antidote to the baneful quality of air corrupted by animal respiration and putrefaction.

"We have faid, that neither candles will burn, nor animals live, beyond a certain time, in a given quantity of air; yet the caufe of either fo fpeedy a death or extinc

tion was unknown, nor was any method difcovered for rendering that empoifoned air fit again for refpiration. Some provifion, how ever, there must be in nature for this purpose, as well as for that of fupporting flame; without fuch, the whole atmosphere would in time become unfit for animal life, and the race of men, as well as beafts, would die of a peftilential diftemper. Yet we have reason to believe, that, in our days, the air is not lefs proper for breathing in, than it was above two thousand years ago, that is, as far as we go back in natural hiftory. Now, for this important end, the doctor has fuggefted, to the divine as well as to the philofopher, two grand refources of nature: the vegetable creation again is one, and the fea and other great bodies of water are the other.

"As to the former, having found that plants wonderfully thrive in putrid air, he began to attempt, by means of growing vegetables, to purify air that had been injured by animal refpiration and putrefaction; nor was he lefs fuccefsful than before. These plants were fure to recover the air to a degree of fitness for breathing in it, and that in proportion to their vigour, and the care he took to remove the rotten leaves and branches, which remaining would have marred the operation.

"And with regard to the fecond refource of nature, namely, the ocean, and other waters, Doctor Priestley having obferved that both the air corrupted by the breath of animals, and that vitiated by other putrid matter, was, in a good measure, fweetened by the feptic part infufing itself into water, he concluded, that the fea, the great L 3

Takes

lakes and rivers, which cover fo large a proportion of the globe, must be highly useful, by abforbing what is putrid, for the further purification of the atmosphere: thus beftowing what would be noxious to man and other animals, upon the formation of marine and other aquatic plants, or upon other purposes yet unknown.

From these discoveries we are affured that no vegetable grows in vain; but that, from the oak of the foreft to the grass of the field, every individual plant is ferviceable to mankind; if not always diftinguished by fome private virtue, yet making a part of the whole which cleanfes and purifies our atmofphere. In this the fragrant rofe and deadly night-fhade co-operate: nor is the herbage nor the woods that flourish in the moft remote and unpeopled regions unprofitable to us, nor we to them, confidering how conftantly the winds convey to them our vitiated air, for our relief, and for their nourishment. And if ever these falutary gales rife to florms and hurricanes, let us ftill trace and revere the ways of a beneficent Being, who, not fortuitoufly, but with defign, not in wrath, but in mercy, thus fhakes the waters and the air together, to bury in the deep those putrid and peftilential effluvia, which the vegetables upon the face of the earth had been infufficient to confume."

The prefident's address to Dr. Priestley, on delivering him the medal before-mentioned, does the doctor honour.

"Dr. PRIESTLEY,

It is now time, that, in the name and by the authority of the Royal Society of London, inftituted for the

improvement of natural knowledge, I prefent you with this medal, the palm and laurel of this community, as a faithful and unfading teftimony of their regard, and of the juft fenfe they have of your merit, and of the perfevering induftry with which you have promoted the views, and thereby the honour of this fociety. And, in their behalf, I must earnestly request you to continue those liberal and valuable enquiries, whether by further prosecuting this subject, probably not yet exhaufted, or by investigating the nature of fome other of the fubtile fluids of the universe. You will remember, that fire, the great inftrument of the chymifts, is but little known, even to themselves; and that it remains a query, what was by the moft celebrated of philofophers propofed as fuch, whether there be not a certain fluid (he calls it ather the cause of gravity, the caufe of the various at tractions, and of the animal and vital motions. Thefe, Sir, are indeed large demands; but the Royal Society have hitherto been fortunate in their pneumatic researches. And were it otherwise, they have much to hope from men of your talents and application, and whose past labours have been crowned with fo much fuccefs."

A Narrative of the extraordinary Adventures of four Ruffian Sailors, who were caft away on the Defert Island of Eaft-Spitzbergen.

SOME of our readers may perhaps

confider this recital in the fame kind of light they do the hiftory of Robinjon Crufoe: the truth of thefe adventures is however sufficiently authenticated.

thenticated. When these unfortunate failors firft arrived at Archangel, they were examined apart by Mr. Klinfladt, Chief Auditor of the Admiralty of that city, who minuted down all the particulars, which exactly correfponded with each account. Mr. Le Roy, Profeffor of Hiftory in the Imperial Academy, fome time after, fent for two of the men, viz. Alexis Himkof, and Himkof, his Godfon, to Petersburgh, from whofe mouths he took the following narrative, which also agreed with Mr. Klinftadt's minutes. The original was published in the German language, at Petersburgh, in the year 1769, and tranfmitted from thence to the ingenious Mr. Banks, who, with feveral other members of the Royal Society, were fo well pleafed with the account that they directed a tranflation of it to be made into English.

IN

'N the year 1743, one Jeremiah Okladmkorf, a merchant of Mefen, a town in the province of Jugovia, and in the government of Archangel, fitted out a veffel, carrying fourteen men; fhe was deftined for Spitzbergen, to be employed in the whale or feal-fishery. For eight fucceffive days after they had failed, the wind was fair; but on the ninth it changed, fo that instead of getting to the Weft of Spitzbergen, the ufual place of rendezvous for the Dutch fhips, and thofe of other nations, annually employed in the whale fishery, they were driven Eastward of thofe iflands; and, after fome days, they found themselves at a fmall diftance from one of them, called Eaft-Spitzbergen; by the Ruffians, Maloy Broun; that is, Little Broun (Spitzbergen, properly fo called, being known to them by

the name of Bolfchoy Broun, that is, Great Broun). Having approached this ifland within almoft three Werfts, or two English miles, their veffel was fuddenly furrounded by ice, and they found themselves in an extremely dangerous, fituation.

In this alarming state a council was held; when the mate, Alexis Himkof, informed them that he recollected to have heard, that fome of the people of Mefen, fome time before, having formed a refolution of wintering upon this island, had accordingly carried from that city. timber proper for building a hut, and had actually erected one at fome diftance from the fhore.

This information induced the

whole company to refolve on wintering there, if the hut, as they hoped, ftill exifted; for they clearly perceived the imminent danger they were in, and that they muft inevitably perish if they continued in the fhip. They dispatched therefore four of their crew, in search of the hut, or any other fuccour they could. meet with. Thefe were Alexis Himkof, the mate; Iwan Himkof, his godfon; Stephen Scharapof, and Feodor Weregin.

As the fhore on which they were to land was uninhabited, it was neceffary that they fhould make fome provifion for their expedition. They had almoft two miles to travel over loofe ridges of ice, which being raised by the waves, and driven against each other by the wind, rendered the way equally difficult and dangerous; prudence therefore forbad their loading them. felves too much, left, being overburthened, they might fink in between the pieces of ice and perish.

Having thus maturely confidered the nature of their undertaking, they provided themselves with a mufket, and powder-horn contain ing twelve charges of powder, with as many balls, an axe, a fmall kettle, a bag with about twenty pounds of flower, a knife, a tinder box and tinder, a bladder filled with tobacoo, and every man his wooden pipe. Thus accoutred, these four failors quickly arrived on the ifland, little fufpecting the misfortunes that would befall them.

They began with exploring the country; and foon difcovered the hut they were in search of, about an English mile and a half from the fhere. It was thirty-fix feet in length, eighteen feet in heighth, and as many in breadth. It contained a small anti-chamber, about twelve feet broad, which had two doors, the one to fhut it up from the outer air, the other to form a communication with the inner foom; this contributed greatly to keep the larger room warm, when once heated. In the large room was an earthen stove, conftracted in the Ruffian manner; that is, a kind of oven without a chimney, which ferves occafionally either for baking, for heating the room, or, as is cuftomary amongst the Ruffian peasants, in very cold weather, for a place to fleep upon.

The reader must not be furprised at my mentioning a room without a chimney; for the houfes inhabited by the lower clafs of people în Ruffia are feldom built otherwife. When a fire is kindled in one of thele ftoves, the room, as may well be fuppofed, is filled with fmoke; to give vent to which, the door and three or four windows are opened. These windows are each a foot

in heighth, and about fix inches wide: they are cutoutofthe beams whereof the houfe is built; and by means of a fliding-board, they may, when occafion requires it, be fhut very clofe. When therefore a fire is made in the ftove, the smoke defcends no lower than the windows, through which, or through the door it finds a vent, according to the direction of the wind; and perfons may continue in the room, without feeling any great inconveniency from it. The reader will readily conjecture that the upper part of fuch a place, between the windows and the ceiling, muft be as black as ebony; but, from the windows down to the floor, the wood is perfectly clean, and retains its natural colour.

They rejoiced greatly at having discovered the hut, which had however fuffered much from the weather, it having now been built a confiderable time: our adventurers however contrived to pass the night in it. Early next morning they haftened to the fhore, impatient to inform their comrades of their fuccefs; and alfo to procure from their veffel fuch provifions, ammunition, and other neceffaries, as might better enable them to winter on the island.

I leave my readers to figure to themselves the aftonishment and agony of mind thefe poor people muft have felt, when, on reaching the place of their landing, they faw nothing but an open fea, free from the ice, which, but a day before, had covered the Ocean. A violent ftorm, which had arifen during the night, had certainly been the caufe of this difaftrous event. But they could not tell whether the ice which had before hemmed in the veffel, agitated by

the

the violence of the waves, had been driven against her, and thattered her to pieces; or whether the had been carried by the current into the Main; a circumstance, which frequently happens in those feas. Whatever accident had befallen the fhip, they faw her no more; and as no tidings were ever afterwards received of her, it is most probable that fhe funk, and that all on board of her perished.

This melancholy event deprive ing the unhappy wretches of all hope of ever being able to quit the island, they returned to the hut from whence they had come, full of horror and defpair.

Their first attention was employ ed, as may easily be imagined, in devifing means of providing fubfift. ence, and for repairing their hut. The twelve charges of powderwhich they had brought with them, foon procured them as many raindeer; the island, fortunately for them, abounding in these animals.

I have before obferved, that the hut which the failors were fo fortunate as to find, had sustained some damage, and it was this: there were cracks in many places between the boards of the building, which freely admitted the air. This inconveniency was however eafily remedied, as they had an axe, and the beams were ftill found (for wood in those cold climates continues through a length of years unimpaired by worms or decay) fo it was eafy for them to make the boards join again very tolerably; befides, mofs growing in great abundance all over the island, there was more than fufficient to ftop up the crevices, which wooden houses muft always be liable to. Repairs of this kind cost the unhappy men

the lefs trouble, as they were Ruffians; for all Ruffian peasants are known to be good carpenters: they build their own houses, and are very exgert in handling the axe.

The intenfe cold which makes thofe climates habitable to fo few fpecies of animals, renders them equally unfit for the production of vegetables. No fpecies of tree, or even fhrub, is found on any of the iflands of Spitzbergen; a circumftance of the most alarming nature to our failors. Without fire it was impoffible to refift the rigour of the climate; and without wood, how was that fire to be produced, or fupported? Providence, however, has fo ordered it, that in this particular, the fea fupplies the defects of the land. In wandering along the beach, they collected plenty of wood, which had been driven afhore by the waves; and which at first confifted of the wrecks of fhips, and afterwards of whole trees with their roots, the produce of fome more hofpitable, but to them unknown climate, which the overflowing of rivers, or other accidents, had fent into the Ocean. This will not appear incredible to thofe who have perufed the journals of the feveral navigators who have been forced to winter in Nova Zembla, or any other country in a ftill more northern latitude.

Nothing proved of more effential fervice to thefe unfortunate men, during the first year of their exile, than fome boards they found upon the beach, having a long iron hook, fome nails of about five or fix inches long, and proportionably thick, and other bits of old iron fixed in them; the melancholy relicks of some veffels caft away in those remote parts. Thefe were thrown afhore by the