was a thing which could not be observed at Lon-minished in bulk, had its electrical tension indon, because the peculiar position of that city was creased. He then showed how, on the principle singular, and he believed unique in the tides of the of electrical induction, oppositely electrified clouds coast. He then showed that the great tidal wave resulted from the near approach of two clouds to of the Atlantic, in approaching the shores of Eng-one another, but principally from the approach of land, divided into three columns, and that two of masses of clouds to hills or mountains, to which them met exactly at the mouth of the Thames, they seemed to attach themselves, while their one of these twelve hours after the other, so that outer parts frequently sent off oppositely electri- each tide was compounded of an evening and a fied scud or cumulus. morning tide, and in consequence there was no This brought him to the formation of rain, alteration in the daily tides of that port. With which was shown to result from clouds charged the view of prosecuting the investigation of these with opposite electricities coming together, each phenomena, application had been made to the Ad-spherule of one running to a spherule or more of miralty, to direct the Coast Guard Service to the other: they suddenly coalesce by capillary make observations on the subject; and the officers attraction, form a larger sphere, and, as the case of that service had shown great alacrity and zeal may be, either descend lower in the atmosphere in the undertaking. He had received these obser- as heavier cloud, or if the spherules formed become vations from the 7th to the 23d of June last, but as large as drops, they descend as rain, with a had not yet had time to examine them fully; but velocity proportioned to their size, and the height from a cursory glance they appeared to be of great at which they had been formed. On the producvalue, and they were at present undergoing exa-tion of wind, he did not stop to trace the effect of mination by direction of the Admiralty. the sun, volcanic fires, or other sources of external Professor Stevelley, of Belfast, read a paper, heat, in disturbing the atmospheric equilibrium. attempting to connect some of the most commonly The efficacy of the formation of clouds in the known phenomena in meteorology, with well production of wind, and also the manner in established physical principles. First, as to the which a fall of rain gave rise to all its various nature and origin of clouds, and the consequences forms, were points on which he dwelt. The last which, by the laws of physics, are immediately thing treated of was the formation of hail, which consecutive upon their formation. Secondly, how he showed must be formed when, after the fall of rain is originated, and the immediate consequences some rain, a sudden and extensive vacuum being of its production. Thirdly, the origin of wind, in caused, the quantity of caloric abstracted was so the forms of the breeze, the gale, the storm, up to large as to cause the rest of the drops to freeze the sweeping tornado. He maintained that clouds into ice-balls as they formed. This principle he were assemblages of spherules of water, in oppo- said had been strangely overlooked, although, sition to the common hypothesis that they are since the days of Sir John Leslie, every person vesicles, or as it were, bladders of watery films, con- was familiar with experiments on a small scale taining moist air, having a tendency to buoy them illustrative of it. He also said that the interestup. One of his arguments was, that no physical ing mine of Chemnitz, in Hungary, afforded an law had ever been proved to exist, that would ac-experimental exhibition of the formation of hail,. count for the production of vesicular constituents on a magnificent scale. In that mine, the drainof clouds; but the well-established laws of capil-age of water is raised by an engine, in which lary attraction would account for the production common air is violently compressed in a large of minute spherules of water, at pretty regular dis-cast-iron vessel. While the air is in a state of tances, in any portion of space, which has be-high compression, a workman desires the visiter come so overloaded with vapour of water (and this to hold his hat before a cock which he turns ; indeed is nothing but steam) as to be incapable of the compressed air, as it rushes out over the surretaining it longer; it is to be remarked that the intermediate parts are then left hygrometrically drier than before. The minute size of the cloudy spherules would alone be sufficient practically to suspend them, as even gold or platina may be so subdivided as to descend with less than any as- Such were some of the more popular and least signed velocity through the resisting air; for the technical subjects discussed and elucidated at weight of a sphere diminishes as the cube of its the fourth meeting of the British Association radius is diminished; but the resistance it would held at Edinburgh. But we could do no more meet with at any assigned velocity, would only than merely skim over, or touch upon these; and diminish as the square of the same radius. Also, must leave the scientific reader, after saying that as clouds are known to be highly electrical, each the strongest expressions of approbation and spherule must have its own electrical atmosphere, admiration we have in our vocabulary are not too which, by repelling the dry air all around, (as pith much in describing its greatness and growing balls repel each other,) in effect increases the size importance as well as past achievements. The of the drop, without adding any thing to its weight. report of the third meeting has been published by The effect of the formation of clouds was then the society: that of the fourth, and of all succeedtraced; one-out of many was stated to be an aug-ing meetings, will of course follow; which, if we mentation, often to a great extent, of the electrical are to judge from that which has been done, will tension of the cloudy parts, and this was simply take their place by the side of the most curious explained on the common electrical principles, and valuable transactions that have ever been particularly the one, that an electrified body, if di-published by any public body.

face of the water within, brings out some with it, which is frozen into ice-bolts by the cold generated by the air as it expands; and these shoot through the hat, to the no small annoyance of one party, but to the infinite amusement of the other.

From the New Monthly Magazine.
TRICKS UPON TRAVELLERS.

A YANKEE TRICK.

It was a time of great bustle and expectation in the little village of L, situated "somewhere out of the world and up in the woods," in the state of Massachusetts. There was to be a special frolic in the shape of a horse-race-a horse-race, do I say? I mean a scramble of quadrupeds, for since the practice had been known there, very few of the animals that put their hoofs in would have been entitled to the name and honours of a horse at Doncaster. Four-footed animals they were for the most part, though some of them kept the fourth in reserve, and chose to go upon three-Narraganset pacers, Vermont shamblers, Berkshire blunderers, Connecticut caperers, Worcester plough-joggers, Dogtown dumpies,-in short, the tag-rag and bob-tail of the four-footed creation; not that Yankee-land is deficient in prime horse-flesh, witness the Tom Thumb the Great, or the steeds of the mail stages, if you have been in that country; or the progeny of that celebrated mare whom a flash of lightning chased all round a ten-acre lot, without being able to catch her. But horse-racing is no regular trade or common occupation in New England; nobody makes a business of rearing animals for the turf; and when an occurrence of this sort takes place, it is no very studied affair, but a frolicsome scramble among all the beasts of burden in the neighbourhood, or such as chance brings along at the moment.

|dividual, having encountered him in the northern part of Vermont, while on a trading excursion in that quarter. Job had witnessed a trial of speed which the pony exhibited there, and knew that his own Bucephalus was no match for him. It was plain that if the Canadian took a share in the race, he must win, and the catastrophe seemed inevitable, for nobody had a right to exclude him. It was a grievous thing for Job to think of having the prize snatched from before his eyes, when it had been augmented to a double value, and just at the moment when he imagined it within his grasp. Job had not all the patience of his namesake of old, as evinced by his conduct in this emergency. He did not sit down and curse the day he was born, giving up the whole concern for a bad bargain, but he sat down upon a log of wood and scratched his head. This sage manœuvre was practised for the purpose of devising by what art, stratagem, cunning device, or quizzical circumvention, he might get rid of this formidable rival. His first thought was to inveigle him into a swap, but that would require a great deal of palavering and chaffering, and must prove a long job-too long for what little time remained. He then thought of buying him off from the enterprise, giving him a bird in the hand for two in the bush; but this would cost too much, and Job was resolved to have the whole or none. His third project was to frighten or obstruct the pony by some preconcerted accident, just at the time of setting out; but this did not appear, on consideration, to be a safe proceeding. Once a year it had been customary to run a Various other tricks suggested themselves, but no race of this sort in the village of L, and the one seemed to be just the thing. Evening drew fleetest runner of this motley multitude won a on-the next morning was to bring all parties prize of some value, to which every adventurer upon the turf-and there was not a moment to be contributed a sum. On the present occasion the lost. Job had cudgeled his brain for two hours prize was considerably augmented by an offer to no purpose; he started up in a great puzzle, from an individual who had constituted himself and began to wend his way homeward. As he a society for the promotion of horse-racing, and reached the little green in front of the meetingmore than common interest was of course excited house, he heard a loud huzzaing; he looked up, at the approach of the festival. The old farmers and beheld a crowd of people following a fat ox, who had horses fit for running, gave them extra with a flag upon his horns. At this instant a quantities of corn and fewer applications of the thought struck him; he did not shout Eureka, lash, as if to be fat and fleet were the same thing. but it was because he knew no Greek. Early the Some, however, were more cautious in their pre-next morning, on that hint he acted. He clapped parations, and, among the rest, Job Hawker, a his military hat upon his head, (Job was a lieusly, calculating, guessing, questioning, bargaining, tenant,) and waited upon the Canadian. swapping, Jack-of-all-trades sort of a chap, long- "Well, I suppose, squire, you are the gentlesided and limber-tongued, with a face as grave man with the pony ?" as a deacon, but a roguish twinkle of the eye on "Yes, sir." occasion, that gave you assurance he was no greenhorn. Job's horse had beaten them all hollow the former year, and he was in full confidence of the same good fortune this time. Howbeit, he took all imaginable precautions to secure success, and put his steed only to that quantum of exercise and fodder which he judged conducive to speed.

But while he was flattering himself with the prospect of a certain victory, and as the day of trial approached, he was thrown into consternation by the arrival of a stranger, mounted on a Canadian pony, who came with the avowed intention of putting in for the prize. At the first announcement of this intelligence, Job fell into despair, for it so happened that he knew the in

"Ah, I guessed as much. Well, I suppose you are a thinkin' o' racin' to-day?”

66

Yes, if it is according to rule." "Sartin! It's all accordin' to rule, if in case you have tried to beat the beater." "Beat the beater!"

"Yes, beat the beater; you know what that is, I take it."

"No, hang me if I do."

"Well, that's a good 'un; but I guessed as much. You see the case is exactly this: I beat the last races, and you, being a new comer, must give your horse a trial with me before you can enter for the race."

Oh, if that is all, I am content; bring out your horse, and let us try as quick as you please."

Why, didn't you see him about town yester-quarter I want." day ?"

The man was thunderstruck; he had seen the ox, and this strange announcement made him believe what he had always been told, that Yankees were born devils. "I have beaten horses," thought he, "but never tried with an ox." Job kept on a grave face.

66 My ox is all saddled and bridled," said Job; are you ready?"

"I think I won't try this time," replied the man, hurrying away with a most desponding look. He ordered his pony to be got ready, paid his bill, and mounted to set off. The landlord stared.

"Why, you mean to stay and try the race today, don't you?"

No, no," replied he, shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head. "I'll run my pony against any horse, but there is no knowing what a cursed ox may do."

Job bore away the prize that year, and the stranger never came again to disturb him; but his last words are still a common saying in the town of L; and whenever a horned beast gets antic, he is specially impounded with the remark, "There is no knowing what a cursed ox may do."

A FRENCHMAN'S TRICK.

Really! now it happens to be the very part I want too!" said the other, pretending surprise. The Frenchman grinned, and shrugged his shoulders. Come," said B"let us toss a cent, and he that wins shall put his hand upon one piece, and say, "Who shall have this? while the other turns his back, and answers I or you." "Ver well."

"Here it goes then; head, I win-tail, you lose."

The former proposition was uttered, as the coin flew into the air. Aye," said the Frenchman to it, and "No," to the latter, for he had been tricked that way before. Mr. B- was caught in his own trap, for it was not a head. " "However, 'tis an equal chance yet," thought he.

"Tournez donc," said the Frenchman; and slily whipping out his penknife he chopped off the tail from the one portion of the mutton, and clapping it upon the other, cried out, as if in his usual blundering way,

"Who shall have dis wid de tail on?"

"I!" replied the other, jumping round in great glee at the supposed etourderie of his companion. "Den you take him, de fore quarter."

Mr. B- scratched his head, without saying a word, for a moment or two, till the explosion of laughter which accompanied the trick had in Monsieur Duphot was a French refugee who some degree subsided. Then, with an exceedhad fled to America in the beginning of the re-ingly foolish look, he marched away, carrying his volution, and settled himself in Boston. His fore quarter of mutton with the tail on, which judgment of the Yankees was expressed without winds this tale off. reserve--"Ils sont bons enfans, mais ils ne savant pas jouer le violon." But Monsieur Duphot had a waggish neighbour, who, if he could not SHAKSPEARE.-Some very patient and indusplay the fiddle, could play a trick, as the French- trious idler, who possesses more ingenuity than man found to his annoyance, having been April- the world will give him credit for, has amused fooled and sent on errands after pigeon's milk himself with fabricating a pretended account of more times than once by this mischief-loving fel- the "Citation and Examination of William low. He would have paid him in his own coin, Shakspeare" and others, before Sir Thomas but his bad English was sure to carry him into Lucy, on the charge of deer-stealing; supposed to some blunder in the attempt, and the jokes which have been taken down at the time by the justice's he plotted commonly exploded on his own hands. clerk. The fiction is very transparent: the affecHowever, good luck and his own wit made him tation of quaint phraseology is clumsy; the imiamends, now and then. One day, Mr. B, tations of Shakspeare's verse are unlike both in the joker aforesaid, met him in the market, where turn of thought and expression; the attempts at the Frenchman was cheapening a quarter of mut-wit are strained and feeble; and the whole is so

ton.

dull and tedious as to be unreadable.

[The following interesting narrative is translated from a letter addressed by Baron Gros, Chief Secretary to the French Legation in Mexico, to a friend at Paris.]

MEXICO, 15th May, 1834.

been abandoned by our guides, and our blindness. for several days, brought on by the reflection of the sun, and our fatigues, our sufferings, our want of courage, the loss of strength, and in fine, the painful necessity of giving up our enterprise, when we had but twelve or thirteen hundred feet to climb before arriving at the summit, the pro

This year we have met with nothing of the

The valley of Mexico is one of the most pic-mised land. turesque in the world; it is bounded on the S.S.E. by a range of mountains, from which two volca-kind; we have had a run of the most favourable. noes rise up, known by the Indian names of Izta- circumstances. We profited by the experience of ciuhatl and Popocatepetl. Their peaks, always last year, and the 20th April at thirty-seven mincovered with snow, are at sixteen and eighteen utes after two in the afternoon, I planted on the thousand English feet above the level of the sea. highest peak of the Mexican Andes a flag, which The crest of the former, the nearer to Mexico, had never floated on so high a spot before. runs from N.W. to S.E., and is irregularly rent. We had finished all our preparations in the beThe latter is a perfect cone. It somewhat re-ginning of April; we had barometers, a miner's sembles Mount Etna, but does not, like that compass, for want of a theodolite, which is too mountain, rise from a plain. The Popocatepetl heavy to be carried up to such a height, some is on the side of the platform of the Cordilleras thermometers, one of those little colipiles by Mountains. On one side, the N.W., the forests | Breuzin for heating water, a good telescope, and of firs which surround it terminate at the foot of a hygroscope. All these instruments had been the valley, and the last trees are mingled with compared with those here, belonging to General the wheat, Indian corn, and such other European D. Juan de Orlegozo, and to Professor D. Joaquim plants as grow at that height; but, towards the Velasquez de Leon, in order to enable us on our S.E. the forests continue farther down. They, return to compare the results of the experiments however, become gradually thinner, very soon made at the same hour by those gentlemen in disappear altogether, and are superseded by the Mexico, and by us whilst on our journey. I had sugar-cane, the cochineal tree, and all the rich had a tent made for shelter; and we were supplied and varied vegetation of tropical regions. A tra- with hatchets, saws, ropes, and iron-shod bamveller, by starting from the volcanic sands, a lit-boos: these latter are indispensable in expeditions tle above the boundary of vegetation, and coming down in a straight line into the valley of CuautiaAmilpas, would, in a few hours, have gone through all climates, and could gather all the plants which grow between the pole and the

equator.

It follows from this, that the snow which is on the S.E. side, must in certain cases be influenced by the breezes of warm air, which constantly rise up from the valley of Cuautia. The snow partly melts in the dry season, and whilst the north of the volcanic cone is perpetually covered with snow and ice down to the firs nearest to the top of the volcano, the lava and porphyry on the south

side are bare.

This, therefore, is the side on which to look for a passage when wishing to ascend to the summit of this mountain, the highest in North America. I tried it last year with a different result.

You know how my first attempt proved unsuccessful. M. de Gerolt and myself were overtaken by one of those tropical storms, of which in Europe you can form no idea. It became indispensable to pass the night amongst the wet firs which grow on the brink of the sands; we had but a cloth stretched with cords over a tree half thrown down, to shelter us from the rain, the hail, and the snow, and we considered ourselves fortunate in having thought of wrapping up our clothes, for a change, in the cloth which was destined to be so useful to us. You have probably not forgotten the storm over our heads, and that which rent the trees below us, and those horizontal flashes of lightning which produced so disagreeable an effect upon my travelling companion; and then our six hours' idle walk in the snow, after having

of this nature; mine was fifteen feet long, and I intended to leave it behind us on the top of the volcano. I took good care not to communicate this project to my companions; it was possible we might fail in our expedition, and I did not wish to sell the lion's skin before I had killed the lion.

On the morning of the 15th we started; we had with us three Mexican servants, and three dragoons-we each had a second horse and a mule of burthen. In two days we reached Zacualpam-Amilpas, where Mr. Egerton, an English painter, who was to be of the party, soon joined us. We had planned to remain at this place until the time should seem most opportune for making the attempt.

Whilst waiting for the so much wished-for opportunity, I spent my time in carefully examining, with the aid of a telescope, the summit of the volcano, and I made drawings, as accurately as possible, of the rocks, the ravines, and the courses of the lava which are on this side. We then searched on the paper for the direction which promised the most success, for we well knew the guides would leave us the instant we reached the perpetual snow.

At length, on the 27th; we commenced our march, and reached Ozumba at three in the afternoon. We sent for the same guides we had made use of last year. They are Indians of the village of Atlautia; which is at the very foot of the Popocatepetl: we took three. We laid in provisions for four days, and the next morning by seven o'clock we had begun, with our mules and horses, to ascend the mountain. At one o'clock we arrived at the Vaqueria, a veritable Swiss chalet, which is used as a shelter by the keepers of a numerous herd of cows, and is the last inhabited

Having finished our experiments, we made our preparations for the next day. In the night we suffered from the cold.

we started, with a fine moonlight, warmly clad, On the 29th, at three o'clock in the morning, the face and eyes sheltered with green spectacles, and a gauze of the same colour, which wrapped up the whole of our heads. Of my flag I had made a belt. We were seven: the three guides already mentioned, M. Gerolt, the Prussian consul general, Mr. Egerton, an English artist, Luciano Lopez, his Mexican servant, and myself. We each of us had a little bag containing bread and a flask of sugar and water. The Indians carried our instruments, and some provisions. We walked behind each other, taking care to tread in the same steps as the foremost guide, in order to have firmer ground. Of course each man carried his iron-shod bamboo. We advanced very slowly, and were obliged to rest at about every fifteen paces to take breath. The sugar and water was of immense service, for, the throat became parched, and a few drops of sugar and water every five minutes prevented the pain becoming unbearable. We zig-zagged and went sideways: the ascent is so steep, that it would have been dangerous, and next to impossi

spot on the mountain. At three o'clock we arrived at the point where vegetation ceases: this we did by ways which might almost be said to be beaten, for we had occasion but once to make use of our hatchets. As you are acquainted with the Alps, I have nothing to say on those admirable forests of oak, of firs, and of larch, which we passed through. They resemble each other in both hemispheres except that at the foot of these there are large flocks of guacamaias, (a large green parrot with a red head,) which are not to be met with at Chamouny or at Sallenches. There are also in the forest lions of a small species, jaguars, wolves, deer, and a great number of wild cats, but we did not see a single one of these animals. As you get higher up in the wood, the fir trees become scarcer, and of less size. Near the sands they may be said to be dwarfs, and all the branches are bent downwards, as if seeking below a less rarefied air. After these firs, for the most part lying down and nearly rotten, you meet but with some tufts of a sort of currant-tree, with black fruit and then here and there clumps of a yellow-being obliged to keep the mouth open to breathe, ish moss, which grows in a half circle in the midst of scattered pumice-stone, lava, and basalts -in short, there is no longer any vegetation, and I did not even see lichen on the rocks. One then begins to feel that one is in a sphere wherein it is not possible to live. Respiration is difficult: able, to have gone up in a straight line. certain melancholy, which is not without its By the time the sun appeared above the horiagreeableness, comes over you; but, in truth, Izon, we had reached a great height, when we obcannot exactly define the sensations I experienced when entering these deserts.

served a singular phenomenon, but such as has already been seen on the banks of the Rhine. The instant you have left the wood, about one The shadow of the whole of the volcano was third the height of the volcanic cone, you see only completely visible on the atmosphere. It was an an immense extent of purple sand, which is in immense circle of shade, through which we could some parts so extremely fine, that it is blown by see the whole country to the horizon, and which the wind into the most perfect ridges. Blocks of rose afterwards far above it, terminating by a vaporphyry, scattered here and there, break in upon pour moving from south to north, the circle dethe monotony of the scene. The top of the un-scending and becoming more and more transparent dulations in the sand is crowned with numerous as the sun rose, and in about two or three minutes little pumice-stones of a yellowish colour, which it was entirely dispersed. seem to have been heaped up by the wind. In short, from the summit of some of the volcanic rocks, masses of porphyry and black lava descend, intersecting the ridges of sand, and lose themselves in the forest. The highest part of the volcano is completely covered with snow, and this snow has a so much more brilliant effect that the sky is of a blue almost black. A few footsteps of wolves and jaguars were visible on the sands near the wood.

After having for a short time admired this sad and singular sight, we returned into the forest; the tent was pitched near to the prostrate tree where we last year passed so dreadful a night; fires were lighted, and, whilst our mosos were preparing our beds and repast, we endeavoured to get a little higher up, in order to accustom our lungs to breathe an air so little congenial to them.

We had returned by six o'clock. Fahrenheit's thermometer was at 50°. The barometer at 19.120 (English inches); water boiled at 90° of the centigrade thermometer. The humid zone of the hygroscope appeared at 36°, and disappeared at 37% of the interior thermometer, whilst the exterior marked 50°.

At nine o'clock we reached the celebrated Pico del Fraile, beyond which we could not get last year. Our names, which we then imprinted with a hammer, remained perfect, only the first letters, towards the west, were become of a clear yellow colour.

This peak is a pile of reddish circular rocks, such as is to be found on one of the crests which runs down from the summit. Its perpendicular height is from eighty to one hundred feet, the diameter is about fifty. It terminates in a point, and is distinctly visible from Mexico.

Our guides had consented to go thus far, but nothing could induce them to go farther. I do not think they were more tired than we were, but certainly they were under the influence of some superstitious fear.

Our way to the Pico was long and fatiguing, but not dangerous. We had not yet met with any snow, and it had not been necessary, as last year, to climb up with our hands. I felt less oppression than I had feared I should, and my pulse beat but 120 per minute. We were full of courage, had plenty of time before us, and the clearest sky.

We had planned to halt at the Pico del Fraile,