YOUNo’s TRAVELS IN FRANCE.

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The caufe of this phoenomenon has been fought in almoft everything but the real facLI am furprifed the fire is not applied to fome ufe. It would boil a confiderable copperconftantlv, without the expence of a farthing. If 1 had it at Bradfield, 1 would burnbrick or lime, and boil or bake potatoes for bullocks and hogs at the fame time. Whvnot build a houfe on the fpot ? and let the kitchen-chimncy furround the flame? therewould be no danger in living in Inch a houfe, certainly as long as the flame continuedto burn. It is true the idea of a mine of inflammable air, jult under a houfe, wouldfometimes, perhaps, alarm one’s female vifitors : they would be afraid of a magazineof vital air uniting with it, and at one explofion blowing up the ceconomical edifice.On the whole, the idea is rather too volcanic for Bradfield : Italy has things betterworth importing than burning mountains. The King of Poland ’s brother, the pri-mate, flopping at Pietra Mala a day for illnefs (the 25th or 26th November), the wea-ther was fo fevere that it froze his Cyprus wine; milk was as hard as (lone, and burflall the veffels that contained it. On whatever account Englifhmen may travel toTufcany, let not a warm winter be among their inducements.—Sleep at that hideous

hole Loiano , which would be too bad for hogs accuflomed to a clean ffye.-2 6

miles.

The 4th. The paflfage of the Appenines has been a cold and comfortlefs journey tome, and would have beep much worfe, if I had not taken refuge in walking. Thehills are almoft covered with fnow: and the road, in many defcents, a fheet of ice.At the St. Marco, at Bologna, they brought me, according to cuftom, the book towrite my name for the commandant, and there I fee Lady Erne and fua Jiglia , and Mr*Hervey, October 14. Had my ftars been lucky enough to have given me more of thefockty of that cultivated family, during my flay in Italy , it would have fmoothed fomeof my difficulties. I miffed Lord Briflol at Nice, and again at Padua . He has travel-led, and lived in Italy , till he knows it as well as Derry ; and, unfortunately for thefociety of Suffolk , ten times better than Ickworth. Call on Mr. Taylor, and find, toray great concern, two of his children very ill. Abbate Amoretti, who left Florence afew days ago, is here to my comfort, and we fhall continue together till we come toParma. This is indeed fortunate, for one can hardly wifh for a better fellow-traveller.-20 miles.

The jth. Vifit the Inflitute, which has acquired a greater reputation than it merits.Whoever has read any thing about modern Italy , knows what it contains. I .neverview mufeums of natural hiftory, and cabinets of machines for experimental philofophy,but with a fpecies of difgufl. I hate expence, and time thrown away for vanity andfhew more than utility. A well arranged laboratory, clean, and every thing in order,,in a holy-day drefs, is detefiable ; but I found a combination of many pleafures in thediforderly dirty laboratories of Meffrs. de Morveau and la Vofier. There is a face ofbufinefs ; there is evidently work going forwards; and if fo, there is ufe. Why movehere, and at Florence, through rooms well garnifhed with pneumatical mflruments thatare never ufed ? Why are not experiments going forward ? If the profeffors havenot time or inclination for thofe experiments, which it is their duty to nuke, let others,who are willing, convert fuch machines to ufe. Half thele implements grow good fornothing from reft; and, before they are ufed, demand to be new arranged. You fhewme abum ance of tools, but fay not a word of the difcoveries that have been made bythem. A prince, who is at the expence of making fuch great collections of machines,fhould always order a feries of experiments to be carrying on by their means. If I were-Grand Duke of Tufcany, I fhould fay, “ You, Mr. Fontana, have invented an eudio-meter ; I defire that you will carry on a feries of trials to afcertain every circumftance

which