eafily; and watched this fhell for upwards of three hours, going into the house at intervals to warm myfelf. The last time I went in was about half an hour after twelve, when, after a few minutes, I heard a fort of hiffing found, upon which running out, the plug was gone, and a cylinder of ice fhot up, exceeding any of the former, being 6 inches high. Plug loft. Dec. 24. A fimilar plug to the laft. I watched this with more fuccefs; for although abfent at intervals; yet at half paft four in the afternoon (therm. at 6o) I faw the plug fuddenly forced out by the column of ice, accompanied by the hiffing noise; and obferving its fall, I found it at 62 feet from the fhell. The icy cylinder was 4 inches high, and the fuze-axis of the shell I found lay nearly at an angle of 80° with the horizon, 31. Concluding from the foregoing experiments, that no plug peakily, faxed as to ronds not a tree of the common kind: it puts out numerous fide-branches, with a denfe foliage from the very bottom of the trunk; which furnishes an opportunity of obtaining a plenty of layers, and facilitates the propagation of the tree, as it does not perfect its feeds in any quantity under fix or feven years; when it becomes fo plentifully loaded, that a fingle tree is fufficient almost for a colony. The cinnamon seems to delight in a loose, moist foil, and to require a fouthern afpect; the trees, thus planted, flourishing better than *The birds appear to be very fond of gate this tree in the fame way they do ma that in a fhort time it will grow fpontane The month of May is the time for ta. Jan. 2, 1785.-Being colder than 31st December, in order to haften the effect, I put a mixture of common falt and fal ammoniac to the water, and tied a long pack-thread, with a piece of red rag at its end, to the fuze, in order to find where it fell in the fnow. This plug made its efcape, like the reft; for at half past fix it was flown, and a cylinder of 8 inches of ice standing over the fuze-hole. The plug was loft; for the red rag appeared no where on the furface of the fnow. 4-Tried a plug made with fprings, in the manner of a fearcher, only very fhort and ftrong. Added the freezing mixture. The fhell gave a fudden crack at a quarter after nine, and instantly shot from its furface two thin plates of ice, resembling fins, about 2 inches in the highest parts. On examining the fhell I found it burft, and the plug forced up about half an inch; and, on breaking the fhell, the fprings were confiderably bent, fo as not to have recovered their first fituation. 9.-Repeated the last experiment, with a fimilar plug and the freezing mixture. It was thrown out, as before, and the projecting icy cylinder was 34 inches high. Similar experiments were afterwards made with all the lefler fhells; yet, though one or more of each fort were actually burst, more plugs were projected than produced that effect. As foon as the fnow began to difappear from the furface, I fearched carefully for the plugs, and found fix of them; which, being all marked with notches ofter the first experiment, I eafily formed from them the foregoing table. Such was the refult of thefe experiments, 77 n, and not fo 1. s (from layuick growth, 's the heighth feet, is very fhed with nu a fit fize for, eeds, however, oming up, and all progress for n bark, accordtrials I have rom the fmall an inch diamebs not being fo and not yielding ng a cinnamon. s, or those that ed a cineritious of fap and mucile aroma. or inner bark, that namon, from which barks must be care-` y separated, or they ur of the cinnamon. h dexterity, and to from the wood, rectice; but there may 1 easier method than have made use of; at of a common prunThe bark being thus e fmaller pieces are to thin the larger; which, to the fun or the air, oil up, and require no. paration. eafon, I apprehend, is the e for taking the bark † ; found the cinnamon not after long or heavy rains. es, and will, probably, propaevery where over the island; fa without cultivation. Remarks on the preceding Extract, by Cha. Hutton, LL. D. From thefe ingenious experiments, we may draw feveral conclufions. As, First, We hence obferve the amazing force of the expanfion of the ice, or the water, in the act of freezing; which is fufficient to overcome perhaps any refiftance whatever; and the confequence feems to be, either that the water will freeze, and, by expanding, burft the containing body, be it ever fo thick and ftrong; or else, if the refiftance of the containing body exceed the expanfive force of the ice, or of water in the act of freezing, then, by preventing the expanfion, it will prevent the freezing, and the water will remain fluid, whatever the degree of cold may be. The amazing force of congelation is also obvious from the dif tance to which the iron plugs were projected. For, if we confider the very fmall time that the force of expanfion acts on the plug in pushing it out, and that the plug, of 2 lb. weight, was projected with a velocity of more than 20 feet in a fecond of time, and thrown to the diftance of 415 feet by this force; fo acting, the intenfity of the force will appear to be truly aftonishing. 2dly, We may hence form an eftimate of the quantity which the water expands by freezing. For the longeft cylinder of ice was ob ferved to be 8 inches without the hole; to this add 1, the thickness of the metal, or length of the hole, and the fum, or 10 inches, is the whole length of the cylinder of ice, the diameter of which is 17 inches; and hence its folid content is 1.72 X 10 X.7854 cubic inches. But the diameter of the spherical cavity, filled with water, is 9' inches; and therefore 9.13 XX. 7854 is the content of the water in cubic inches. Hence then the content of the water is to the increase by expan fion, as of 9.13 to 10 times 1.72, or as 502.4 to 28.9, or as 174 to So that the water, in this in10. ftance, expanded in freezing, by a quantity which is between the 17th and 18th part of itself. 3 37.5 34.5 C. H. zz reet. Unknown. 39.25 62 39.25 387 could not find it, as there 23.-I had a eafily i an equal, if not fuperior quality to any imported from India. The various and important ufes to which the several parts of the plant are applied, make it an invaluable acquifition to the West India colonies; and there can be no impediment, except an impolitic prohibition, to its becoming an article of general cultivation, and of the moft lucrative commerce. None of the botanical writers whom I have had an opportunity of confulting, fay much of the cultivation or propagation of the cinnamon; and we have hardly had time to make fufficient obfervations on the fubject of either; but, for the information of the public, to whom it is a matter of fome importance, I fhall venture the few remarks which my own fhort experience enables me to offer. The cinnamon plant, though (according to the account of travellers) it grows to the height of twenty or thirty feet, is, properly fpeaking, an arborefcent one, and not a tree of the common kind: it puts out numerous fide-branches, with a denfe foliage from the very bottom of the trunk; which furnishes an opportunity of obtaining a plenty of layers, and facilitates the propagation of the tree, as it does not perfect its feeds in any quantity under fix or feven years; when it becomes fo plentifully loaded, that a fingle tree is fufficient almoft for a colony. The cinnamon seems to delight in a loose, moift foil, and to require a fouthern afpect; the trees, thus planted, flourishing better than others growing in loam, and not fo well exposed to the fun. When healthy, it is (from layers) of a pretty quick growth, reaching in eight years the heighth of fifteen or twenty feet, is very spreading, and furnished with numerous branches, of a fit fize for decortication. The feeds, however, are a long time in coming up, and the plants make fmall progrefs for the first year or two *. The best cinnamon bark, according to the different trials I have made, is taken from the fmall branches, of about an inch diameter, the larger limbs not being fo eafily decorticated, and not yielding fo good, or fo ftrong a cinnamon. The fmaller twigs, or thofe that have not acquired a cineritious bark, are too full of fap and mucilage, and have little aroma. It is the liber, or inner bark, that conftitutes the cinnamon, from which the two external barks must be care-` fully and entirely feparated, or they vitiate the flavour of the cinnamon. To do this with dexterity, and to raife the bark from the wood, requires fome practice; but there may perhaps be an easier method than that which I have made ufe of; which was that of a common pruning-knife. The bark being thus feparated, the fmaller pieces are to be placed within the larger; which, by expofure to the fun or the air, prefently coil up, and require no further preparation. A dry feason, I apprehend, is the proper one for taking the bark †; as I have found the cinnamon not fo ftrong after long or heavy rains. *The birds appear to be very fond of the berries, and will, probably, propagate this tree in the fame way they do many others every where over the island; fo that in a fhort time it will grow fpontaneously, or without cultivation. The month of May is the time for taking it in Ceyton. Cinnamon |