To the Authors of the BRITISH MAGAZINE. On flaining Elm-Boards of a Mahogany Colour, and a Hint towards attempt» ing to flain the Wood whilft growing. GENTLEMEN, A SI am very fond of mahoganyfurniture, I bave entered on fome experiments for colouring wood, fo as to look like it. I took two pieces, one of elm and another of plane, both of which I ftained well with aqua fortis. I then took two drams of powdered dragon's blood, one dram of powdered alkanet root, and half a dram of aloes; from all which I extracted a tincture, with half a pint of fpirits of wine: this tincture I laid over the wood with a fponge for two or three times, and it gave it the colour of a piece of fine old mahogany. I fhould not have troubled you with this letter, had it not been with a view of exciting fome of your correfpondents, whofe peculiar province this is, to communicate their methods of doing it to the public; A Lotion for ftrengthening the Gums, TA AKE Spanish wine, and the diftilled water of briar-leaves, of each a pint; of cinnamon half an ounce; cloves, and the peel of Seville oranges, of each two drams; gum lac, and burnt alum, of each a dram: reduce all to fine powder. Add two ounces of virgin-honey, and put all into a glass bottle, which you must place over hot afhes; digeft for four days. The fifth day you must pass the liquor with strong expreffion thro' a thick piece of linen, and then preferve the liquor in a bottle well corked, and had I not alfo intended to propofe it to the ingenious, who have leifure and opportunity to make the experiment, whether wood may not be more fuccessfully and durably coloured when growing than af terward. I have seen the bones of feveral animals very fuccessfully coloured by feeding them with madder roots; and fince the circulatory vefiels of trees are much larger than those of the bones of animals, and fince trees fuck their nourishment from the ground by iuhalent tubes, analogous to the mouths of animals, may they not be fed in like manner with juices impregnated with red, which would communicate an uniform colour over the whole wood? Edinburgh, I am, Sir, your's, &c. Nov. 7, 1764. W. A. S. and for correcting a fetid Breath. When you want to strengthen your gums, take a spoonful of this liquor, pour it into a glass, and use one half of it to rinfe your mouth. Keep it for fome moments before you spit it out, and afterwards take the other half, and keep in your mouth a longer or a fhorter time, according as your gums want to be strengthened, You must rub them at the fame time with your finger, and afterwards wash your mouth with warm water. You may repeat the fame operation morning and evening whilft it is neceffary. Mr. Hayden's Correspondence will be always agreeable.----The reft of our Correfpondents Favours fall be duly bonoured in our next Number, in which will be given the Index to this Volume. Poetical Essays for DECEMBER, 1764. MIAEAITM. To Mifs MARIA LLEBIWT. COULD I the Mules' aid command Try to express my thought in rhyme; That hung below, and kept his feat. ΦΙΛΟΓΥΝΑΙΚΟΣ. VERSES to a YOUNG LADY. ་ PRITHEE, Chloe, why affect Thus to treat with fuch neglect The harmless pleasure of a kifs, Pregnant with fuch ftore of blifs? Callous always will you prove To the pleafing joys of love? Know, the ruthlefs hand of Time Soon will rob you of your prime į Soon will leave you unadorn'd: Then, dear nymph, în time be warn'd, For when wrinkled o'er with years, Opprefs'd with age, worn out with cares, You recollect your youthful days, Bleft with affluence and eafe, When difdainful you lejected Pleasures ne'er by age expected; Believe, unpity'd you'll deplore The lofs of joys you fcorn'd before. With fighs and tears you'll then repent The precious moments now mifpent: In vain you'll murmur and complain; And with for youth and love again.— Then be happy' while you may, Youth will quickly glide away, Beauty wither and decay. Seize at once th'aufpicious hour, Kindly on your poet show'r Store of foft, transporting bliffes, Melting, love-infpiring kiffes, Softeft, fweetest beft of Miffes. DECEMBER. ODE. 73 power, Have mercy, winter!-for we own thy All evils here contaminate the mind, [hower; Thy flooding deluge, and thy drenching Yes we acknowledge what thy prowess Defcription of Italy and Switzerland. From COULD nature's bounty fatisfy the breaft, found, When commerce proudly flourish'd thro And fenfual blifs is all this nation knows. vain, [true, And even in penance planning fins anew. But, more unsteady than the fouthern gale, The fports of children fatisfy the child; controul, She leaves at laft, or feebly mans the foul; Defac'd by time and tottering in decay, er pile, Exults, and owns his cottage with a smile. And force a churlish foil for fcanty bread; No vernal blooms their torpid rocks array, Tho' grave, yet trifling, zealous, yet un But meteors glare, and ftormy glooms in velt. Yet Yet ftill, even here, content can spread a charm, Redress the clime, and all its rage difarm. Tho' poor the peasant's hut, his feasts tho' fmall, He fees his little lot, the lot of all ; Breafts the keen air, and carrols as he goes; veys CHLOE ROMPING. CHLOE, averfe to prudish airs, Pert, frisky, young, and gay; Tho' constantly she said her pray'rs, Would fometimes romp and play. Why not? the goddeffes above, As faucy poets how, Thro' space etherial thither, And ages all evince, That woman fondly mad hath ran Thus whilft at balls, with air genteel, Each flowing form we fee; Hence routs and drums a romp I call,' A midnight masquerade. Receives the general stamp; 'Tis hence, before the is a wife, She fometimes loves to romp. Too deep it wounds our hearts. Or prefs the chair with eafy grace, Or leaning on your fnowy arms, Just hum a fonnet o'er ; When thus you frisk it so, O'er rofy cheeks to flow : While thus you better heedless darte, At random thrown they pierce all hearts, Sol's chariot thus, which in due place, Set all the world on fire. SONG from the New Opera called The CAPRICIOUS LOVERS. FOR various purpofe serves the fan, As thus a decent blind, All paffions will the fan disclose, All modes of female ait, 'Tis Folly's fceptre first defign'd, FOREIGN TH E 15th of January next is fixed for the ceremony of the marriage of the King of the Romans with the princess Jofephina of Bavaria. There will not be any triumphal arches or illuminations; all poffible ce-onomy being, as we are told from Vienna, to be obferved on the occafion. Letters from Warfaw advife, that the coronation of the king, on the 25th of laft month, was performed in the parochial church, and began about nine in the morning. The king confirmed the pacta conventa by a new oath, and by waving his fword in the air. His majesty then afcended the throne with the crown on his head, and holding the fcept e and globe. His drefs was crimfon velvet, bordered with ermine. Te deum was fung under a difcharge of cannon, and the crown and Lithuanian standards were difplayed. Af- his majeThe next ter service the king returned to the caftle, under a grand canopy, and received the compliments; and when dinner was ferved up, the king was ed at a table alone, and was waited on by the great officers. When dinner was over, fty retired to his apartment. night there was a grand fupper, and alfo a masquerade ball. On this occafion prince Repnin, the Ruffian ambatfador, prince Czarterinski, general of Podolia, and count Poniatowski, his majefly's brother, were invested with the enfigns of the order of the Black Eagle. The letter which the emprefs of Ruffia has wrote to the prince primate, and which was prefented to him by prince Repnin, ambalfador extraordinary from her imperial majefty, is as follows: Monfieur the prince primate, "It was reafonable that I fhould learn, with much fatisfaction, the election, as free as unanimous, of count Poniatowski to the crown of Poland, which your highnefs acquaints me with, by your letter of the 7th of September. It is an event the moft happy that could happen to your country; and I congratulate you the more fincerely thereupon, as nobody can be more zealous for its welfare than you are. You have fhewn it by your indefatigable cares, and by your conftant attention to fecond December, 1764. "Sir, and Brother, It is with much fatisfaction, that I have learned, by a private letter, the agreeable news, that your majefty has been elected king and peffifor of the throne of Poland. This election, made with fo much tranquility, and fo unanimoudy, will one day enrich the annals of that kingdom; and your fubjects have the greatest reafon to promise themfelves every thing from their fovereign, who, in his own private travels, having feen the different courts of Europe, and known them all, will the better know how of course to govern his fubje&ts as becomes a king, to watch over their prefervation, and defend their laws and their liberries. "The pleafure I feel in recalling to my remembrance the efteem which I conceived for you on my own part, increases that which I now feel in felicitating your majetty on your advancement to the throne; and I embrace this opportunity with much ardou, to affure your majefty of the fincere friendship with which I am, |