individual concerning whom I shall make a few observations, though his fame is less known out of France, was still more serviceable to his emperor,-this was the Abbé Geoffroy, one of the directors of the public opinion in France, and who would have been the only one, had not the government, apprehensive lest he should turn his influence against itself, contracted the sphere of his operation. This man, who died a few mouths since at Paris, had indeed done much for the system lately prevailing in France, and half of the marshals put together had not contributed so much to the consolidation of Napoleon's power as Geoffroy. And by what means? By the knack which he possessed of perverting all that raises man above himself, that preserves him undaunted by the violence of despotism and unseduced by its bribes, and of turning every honourable sentiment into a subject of rid.cule and derision.

In this art Geoffry was truly inimitable. Was it intended, for instance, to render the French people indifferent to the oppressions of every kind that were heaped upon it, he took the field against the English, and demonstrated that our government was the most despotic, the condition of our people the most miserable of any on the face of the earth, and that the whole state-machine was rapidly hastening to its dissolution. He adduced in proof of these positions, that the British nation desired nothing so ardently as peace, and that its government, on the contrary, rather than conclude one, was bent on reducing it to the brink of despair. For the rest he was of opinion, that our nation could not possibly be opulent and flourishing, because we consider Shakspeare as a great dramatist; that we must be a cruel people because we put to death one of our kings upon the stage, as Dun

* Geoffroy was formerly professor in the College des Quatre Nations, and editor of the journal entitled L'année littéraire, of which the son of Freron, the well-known antagonist of Voltaire, was the proprietor. Geoffroy tro exactly in the steps of his predecessor, and was incessantly directing his shafts against Voltaire, the modern French Philosophy, and the Anglomania. The above-mentioned journal was dropped in the first years of the revolution, and during the whole reign of terror Geoffroy kept himself concealed. It was not till after the 18th of Brumaire that he again came forward, and took a part in the editing of the Journal des Debats, and afterwards of the Journal de Empire.

113

can in Macbeth, whereas the French prefer doing it in reality; that the most abject poverty must prevail in England, because Lord Wellington and his officers, instead of collecting wealth daring their campaigns, were obliged to draw upon their private fortunes; that commerce was totally suspended in England, as was evident from the great number of seamen which the country was able to furnish for the naval service; and that the arts and sciences were equally at a stand, as every reader might convince himself by the perusal of the Bibliotheque Britannique, which contained not one single riddle or charade!!!

Of late years, however, Geoffroy's sphere was confined to the theatrical articles in the Journal de l'Empire, but there he had the finest opportunity for the full display of his talent. This consisted in the concealment, the perversion, and the direct contradiction of truth-three points in which this writer was an extraordinary proficient. Respecting his unmerited praise or censure of actors, I shall say nothing, since that art is equally well understood among ourselves: but it was in the manner in which he treated the dramatic writers that his genius shone peculiarly resplend ent. The government might suppress as many verses as it pleased in the pieces of Corneille, Racine, and Voltaire, breathing high notions of independence, and attachment to civil liberty; it might even put into the mouths of such characters as Brutus the most abject flattery in the style of Fontanes: Geoffroy took no notice of the circumstance, or at least said nothing about it, or detended it when the violation of all propriety was too glaring, and the matter had become a topic of general remark, with princi ples as noble as though he had been one of the judges of Cremutius Cordus. In general, however, he attacked all dramatic performances in which the finest feelings were not carefully suppressed, and passed sentence of condemnation upon them-if for no other reason-because a people have no right to think any thing but what the government is pleased to tell them through its hireling scribblers. On this account he was so inveterate against Shakspeare and Schiller, and often prophesied to his countrymen the speedy consummation of all things, whenever they should begin to discover beauties in such monsters. The former was, moreover, guilty of being an Englishman-for this had become a crime since Britain determined to retain her

114

Cork Jackets Instinct of a Wild Duck.

old-fashioned opinions; and to the latter was attached the disgrace of being a German, a disgrace which, however others may consider it, was of no small magnitude in the eyes of the French. The poor Germans, indeed, were often denied even the possession of sound reason; and when M. Geoffroy was particnlarly gracious, he could take it into his head to assure his countrymen, that "Germany had once produced a poet who was not so very bad, namely Gessner; and hence it might be seen that no nation ought to be absolutely despaired

of."

This great man, whose office it was to fill the heads of the French with vapours, died without enjoying the satisfaction of witnessing the entry of Shakspeare's and Schiller's countrymen into Paris. Vandamme is more fortunate, and with some little imagination he has abundant portunity of delineating that event on the walls of his prison at Moscow.* Paris, July 17, 1814.

op

VIATOR.

INUTILITY of CORK JACKETS in CERTAIN

SITUATIONS.

To the Editor of the New Monthly Magazine.
SIR,

IT has surprised me not a little, to sce by the newspapers, that some of our most watchful guardians of the public money, have been of late very importu nate with government to bestow high rewards on the revivers of old and extremely simple inventions. Nothing can be more common than the principle of cork jackets; and yet, one or two of our patriotic senators have shewn themselves so ignorant, as not to know that the application of this material or the preservation of men's lives, when in danger of being drowned, was made above sixty years ago, and that it has been modified for the same purpose several times since. But whatever may be the utility of the invention in rivers, or in comparatively smooth water near the shore, pray of what benefit would such mahines be to the crew of a ship when she founders, in the Atlantic or Indian ocean, where the utmost they could do would be to prolong a wretched exist ence, with the accumulated torture of dying by inches, for the want of food and water, under the scorching heat of

The public prints have just stated, that so far from being disposed to divert himself in this manner, Vandamme has with his own hand put an end to his life, to avoid the prolongation of the punishment due to his enor

mities.-EDITOR,

[Sept. 1,

a vertical sun, and exposed to the ra
vages of the monsters of the deep?
I am Sir, &c.

Aug. 2, 1814.

AN OLD MARINER.

REMARKABLE INSTINCT of a WILD DUCK.

To the Editor of the New Monthly Magazine.
SIR,

THE late Mr. Pilkington, author of
the History of Derbyshire, was, one
afternoon, walking in a path leading
through a coppice not much frequented,
and passing some brambles, the roots of
which were cloathed with long grass, he
espied a wild duck, with several young
ones by her side. He was almost close
to her before the parent perceived the
danger, when she instantly uttered a
loud note of alarm, and bounded almost
close to his feet; then, with another
jerk, threw herself a little forward, out
of the reach of his hand, as he stretched
it forth to take up what he supposed an
easy prey. Another hop and flutter
threw her to a greater distance; while
he pursued, supposing her to have both
a leg and wing broken. He marked the
bush with his eye, where he saw the
young ones, concluding that he could
take them at his leisure, after having
secured the dam, the pursuit of which
he briskly continued, while the bird per-
severed in counterfeiting lameness, and
inability of flight, throwing herself for
ward to a distance proportioned to his
speed but sufficient to elude his grasp,
yet near enough to encourage his hopes.
At length chagrined, and increasing his
pace, he began to run, while the bird, on
his nearer approach, alternately rose a
little on wing, and tumbled upon the
ground, thus keeping up his attention till
she led him more than half a furlong from
the spot where he first perceived her.
Rising now suddenly above his head, she
winged her flight, as in triumph, to a
marsh, at the distance of nearly a quarter
of a mile, in which there was a large
pond, where she alighted secure.
appointed in obtaining her, he consoled
himself by considering that he could
certainly take the young ones, and re
traced his steps to the bush, for that
purpose. He examined the spot with
care, turning back the grass in every di
rection for some distance around, and
even beat about the contiguous brush-
wood, but in vain;-no ducklings were
to be seen, nor could his utmost search
discover them.
Nature had taught
them, when the parent gave the note
of alarm, to provide for their safety, by
escape and concealment,

Dis

S.P.X.

18141

Mr. Broad's Trap for taking Rats.

115

MR. BROAD'S METHOD of EXTIRPATING the compound used, nor usually, with RATS and MICE.

To the Editor of the New Monthly Magazine.
SIR,

AS the harvest is approaching, I conceive that I shall be rendering an acceptable service to many of your agricultural readers, by putting them in possession of a method for most effectually destroying the vermin which frequently make such havoc among the produce of the toil of the industrious husbandman. This method of attracting rats, and taking them alive, and also of exterminating barn and field mice, was disCovered by Mr. BROAD, a farmer of Thruxton, in Herefordshire, who has taken from 500 to 1000 rats on the premises of farmers near Hereford in the space of three days, and received several thousand pounds from the Herefordshire and other agricultural soc eties, the Board of Agriculture, the Board of Admiralty, &c. for disclosing it to the public. The following is the substance of the pamphlet in which he has fulfilled this engagement, and which was charged five guineas to the subscribers.

sufficient cause, very fond of the company of their congeners, the rats. The bridge, upon which the rats tread to occasion the falling of the doors, should be made of tin, or very thin iron plate, about six inches wide, and four broad, so as to extend nearly across the inside of the trap; and the neck of the bridge should be made of a light slender bar of iron about two and a half inches long, so as to extend about two thirds of an inch beyond the external surface of the side of the trap, for the purpose of setting it.

The first object to which attention must be paid, is the construction of proper traps. One kind only has been used by the author with success; and that alone he ventures to recommend; though it does not appear improbable that great improvement in the kind of tra might be made. flis trap differs little from the common box-trap, in structure; but it will be found advantageous, and indeed necessary, to attend to the dimensions and length recommended: for if it be either longer, or more narrow, the rats will not enter it so fieely, and if it be shorter, the danger of their escape, after having entered, and of their being struck by the falling doors, will be increased; and a ra which escapes after receiving a blow from a falling door, will not probably, for some hours at least, approach the trap again. The length of the trap recommended is two feet, its width eight inches, and its depth aine inches, inside measure; and the wire grate, which is intended to attract the rats taken to the light, and prevent their injuring other parts of the trap with their teeth, should be four inches wide. This grate must be made of iron wire; for the old rats soon destroy either brass or copper; and the meshes of the net-work must be small enough to prevent the escape of the smallest mouse; or these animals will sometimes be found troublesome, though they are not very strongly attracted by

A thin plate of iron or tin, should be nailed upon the inside of the aperture through which the neck of the bridge passes, or the rats will soon spoil the trap by enlarging that passage. The end of the bridge opposite to the neck must be suspended about half an inch from the bottom, or floor, of the trap, by a single loop of iron wire, attached to a hook fixed in the side of the trap; by which means the bridge, being very loosely suspended, will move with the slightest pressure upon either side of it, and the trap will be made to strike by the weight of a small moose.

The traps hitherto used have been made of elm, or birch, or polar boards, which are without scent; and how far the strong scent of deal might prove injurious, the author cannot decide; but be wishes such wood only to be used as has already been proved eligible: Whatever boards are chosen should be well seasoned, or they will be subject to warp; and the doors in consequence will not fall perfectly.-When the traps are set, the falling doors must be raised six inches from the floor; for if not raised so high, the rats will be sometimes found cautious in entering them.

The traps being prepared, the most proper and convenient places for setting them in, must be sought. The e ́are either close to their holes, whe e every animal is least timid, or where they are known to come regularly for food, and not where a rat has been accidentally seen. Wherever they pass often, the boards, or stones, will be discoloured by their feet; and such marks will generally indicate proper places for the traps. The number of these should be proportionate to the number of convenient and proper places for setting them, and to the supposed number of rats; but it will be most advantageous to set a considerable number of engines at work at once; so that much destruction may be made in a short time; for though, wherever pro

Marmer of baiting Mr. Broad's Rat-Traps.

per attention is paid, every rat will be taken, st ll, when their number is for a long time slowly diminishing, the survivors grow suspicious, and it will soinetimes require, in taking a hundred rats, more trouble to destroy the last five than the preceding ninety-five. With proper attention, however, there are few situa tions in which more than half a dozen traps will be wanted.

1814.]

Mr. Broad's Method of baiting Rat-traps.

where they can be watched, they will be seen to move about it with much apparent pleasure.

After three portions of the prepared malt have been put into the traps, and eaten in as many successive days, the rats will have acquired sufficient confidence to enter the traps without distrust, and catching may then commence: but the traps must be previously baited again, and the straw, if wanted, be renewed; and every thing must be made to appear, as nearly as possible, in the same situation as before the traps were set. In baiting them, the hand of the person who has been preparing the malt, and which will, of course, be strongly scented, must alone be introduced into the traps.

The morning is generally the best time to commence catching, as the rats may be most conveniently taken out daring the day; but if they have been harassed, and are in consequence shy, few, or perhaps none, will enter the traps till the approach of night. Where they are not accustomed to much noise, they are alarmed by it; but in great towns, where they are used to noise of every kind, they are quite regardless of it.

To take the rats from the traps, a long and rather slender bag, made of some thin material, which will admit a moderate quantity of light, must be provided; and into this the rats will be easily driven from the traps, by introducing a slender stick through the wire grate at one end of the trap, and raising the door at the other end, to which the bag is applied. During this, or any other operation, the hand must not, on any account be introduced into the traps, unless it be previously scented, or no further success must be expected: even the part of the little stick which is introduced through the grate of the door, ought never to be touched with an unprepared hand.

Should the trap contain more than one rat, (and it will often contain five or six, or more,) and all do not enter the bag at once, it will be necessary to let down the door, and drive those that have come out to the end of the bag, and then prevent their return by tying a string round the bag near the end to which they have been driven. The remainder may be made to enter the other division of the bag, and may afterwards be admitted to their former companions; and if the string be replaced, leaving the rats confined sufficient space, all that are taken out at the same time from five NEW MONTHLY Mac.—No. 8

117

or six traps may be secured in the same bng. Particular care must be taken not to hurt them in taking them from the traps; for their cries never fail to excite terror and distrust in all in the vicinity, and will generally prevent any more being taken within the succeeding twentyfour hours; it will therefore be proper to take the rats to some distance to destroy them. The greatest degree of precaution should also be used not to suffer a rat to escape after being taken, for animals have generally powers of conveying their apprehensions of danger to each other, though they do not seem at all capable of informing each other of the nature of the enemy or danger apprehended. It is, however, well known, that the author has, to shew his skill, marked and released a rat before respectable evidence, and retaken it almost immediately; but this is what he cannot always do, and what never ought to be attempted.

The traps will require to have a small quantity of prepared malt thrown in to them each day, and it will be necessary to renew the scented straw once in five or six days. It is always advantageous to take out the rats as soon as possible after the traps have struck; and, therefore, when the rats are numerous, and have entered the traps freely, it will not be eligible to let them remain set, when they are left for the night; because few rats only can be taken by the traps during the night, when they are not attended, and the remainder come more boldly into the traps the next day, if they have had full liberty to enter during the preceding night with impunity, than if, during the same period, they have seen one of their companions labouring in vain to break through the bars of his prison. But when the number remaining is small, and the destruction of a few rats comparatively important, the traps may remain set during the night; and it will not unfrequently happen that a rat, having been struck by the falling doors, or otherwise rendered suspicious, will not approach the trap till late in the night, when all is quiet.

If there be any cats about the house or buildings where it is proposed to take the rats by the preceding means, those should be previously confined or taken away; for they will otherwise often approach, and sometimes enter the traps; and when one is taken, it communicates a scent to the trap, which will render it wholly useless, till it has been exposed some time to the air, and rescented. VOL. II.

R