mented on a good drubbing this war, if they fall in his way,) emboldens me to forward Chokablock's letter; as it is in the language of the old school, of which he is an eleve, and which falls so much in with the old fashioned ideas and lights of your correspondent

Imperial corps of Noble Cadets in St Petersburgb, May

the 12th 1793.

CHOKABLOCK'S LETTER.

ARCTICUS.

From the drum head of the capston of the Trimmer in Cronstadt

Mold.

AVAST brother (hipmate, avast running your rig on an old sailor; and pray belay all the rigmarol stories about prancing Peter's, and dancing Jacky Dobros; for I have been at sea from the height of our joly boat, and never met in my born days, half your adventures on a land cruise. Zounds Mat, your devilish fine story about Mechanfky * moorings, mother Bumboats, and God knows what, has set all the ships company a-gog, to get under way for town, with or without leave; and I believe we fhant get them to do another days work, till they have overhauled all your Petersburgh rounds.

However, to show that adventures are to be met with in Cronstadt, as well as Petersburgh, at least of the limbo kind, I fhall tip you a spell from our log book since your departure from the fhip, that will

The Mechanfky is the Covent Garden of Petersburgh.

Aug. 28. match the foundering and careening of Will Gaskin, or even honest Jack's running down the Czarina's palace officer.

Trimmer's log book, June 6th 1791, second watch.

Letter received from the boatswains-mate on fhore with six hands on leave:-dated Cronstadt guard house, ten o'clock A. M. wind at S. W. with squalls.

May our fhip mifs stays on a lee fhore, if ever I was so bambouzled and palavered with outlandish gibberish since I went to sea, as in this plaguy Rufsian bilbo, into which I have got, for the punishment of my own sins, and those of all the ships crew, I verily believe. But I shall give you a relation of the action that brought me here.

Last night we had been taking a cann of grog at the new sign of the hugging fox and bear, and got about half seas over, when in came Catim the boatswain, grinning like the fhips head, to pipe all hands on board; and we only wet his whistle before we got underway, and made right for the fhip; at least as streight as could be expected, considering that some of us rather made bad weather of it, and rolled gunnel in as we went.

Old Binacle the quarter master, kept conning us all the way, with " steady as you go boys," and now and then a thus, thus, no nearer," when we were rather steering wide, and brushing the lamp posts on either side e; however we were setting every rag to get on board, and coming on chearily in spite of a little lee-way, when as the devil

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1

327 would have it, a flaming Rufsian captain of a man of war, came right down upon us from the guard house, carrying a scarlet awning over his head, which made us all stare again, and scattered the whole squadron, to give him sea room. Some of us threw up in the wind, to look at him;

others bore

away, and whilst I was clapping hard a-port, to give him a good birth, I unfortunately ran foul of a sentry box, and overset it. The lubberly soldier made such a bawling in his tub, that the whole guard turned out, and took me, after a smart chase, just as I was weathering an unlucky apple stall that was moored right in the road; but had not I had such a heavy head sea against me, the clumsy land lubbers, fhould not have come up with

me so fast.

"Would you believe mefsmate, that instead of taking me in tow like a fair prize, who had done nothing but capsize a sentry box, in steering clear of an iron bound captain, they put me in irons and lugged me along like a pirate, as Davy Jones will lug them one day on their long voyage.

Pray send a hand afhore to get me quickly out of this Muscovite limbo, and pay my ransom, or I fhall kick the bucket with vexation in a few tides, as sure as I am a seaman and your messmate.”

BOB RATEND boatswain's mate.

There is a spell of slack jaw for you master Marlinspike, that matches your Petersburgh journal; and from as brifk a seaman as ever handed a top

A parasol.

sail in a gale of wind. The captain is gone to get him out of limbo; and we hope to see you all soon aboard again; as there seems little sea room in Russia for a British tar, without running foul of a parasol captain or a fine gentleman.

That you all were swinging in your hammocks once more on board the Trimmer is the hearty wish of your fhipmate

CHAS. CHOKABLOCK.

QUERIES.

To the Editor of the Bae.

1. HAS the discovery of America been useful or

hurtful to man?

11. If advantages have resulted from it, what are the means to increase and secure them?

III. If it has been productive of disadvantages, what are the means to remedy them?

IV. When arose, or from whence came the custom of using pipes and tobacco at burials in the island ot Great Britain?

v. What was the motto of the ancient Roman ensign of the eagle?

VI. What is the name, nature, or cause of the curious white frothy matter resembling a spittle, so often to be met with on thistles, &c. and having a small insect contained in it? J. SOMERVILLE.

Answer: this is occasioned by the puncture of a small green insect to be found in the heart of the froth.

ON THE POISONOUS NATURE OF LEAD. &'c.

NOTWITHSTANDING the many and frequent cautions given the public, with respect to the dangerous nature of copper; I have rarely observed any precautions given concerning the poisonous nature of lead, which is to be avoided more cautiously, as its poison, though perhaps slcer in its effects, may yet prove as fatal, or even more certainly so than that from the copper.

Lead enters into various compositions, and forms many of the utensils in common use; and in this country the health of its inhabitants is much more exposed from the deletericus quality of the lead, than from that of copper.

A small quantity of lead received into the habit, is capable of producing spasms and convulsions, tremors and palsies; it interrupts the secretions, retards circulation, and injures the nerves.

So virulent is the poison of this metal, that it is said that where the ore is washed and smelted, it proves fatal to dogs, cats, and fowls, which are kept near the works; -every kind of beast feeding upon the grafs over which the steam of the smelting ore passes, live but a short time. The workmen and those who dig the ore, are fhort-lived, and most commonly die paralytic-hose who work the oxyde or calx of this mineral are so subject to the colic, that the disease is known by the name of the painter's colic.

The potter also who is familiar with the preparations of lead in his glazings, rarely fails of carrying visible marks of it in his countenance, and of the complants of its deleterious effects.