numerous the Hive cannot be worth much, because it is an Indication that the greatest Number of the Bees are old, and perhaps not healthy.

The Remedies he mentions are, to befprinkle the Bees with Urine-or with Brandy-or to fumigate them.

Before I proceed with Mr. de Reaumur to fpeak of the Disorders Bees are subject to, I think fit here to mention, that my anonymous Author advifes to befmear all the Outfide of your Hives with a kind of Mortar made of Cow-dung and Lime Two Thirds of Dung to one Third of Lime. He fays that is of great Service in Winter against Cold, and in Summer againft Infects. I judge he supposes the Hives to be Baskets, or made of Wicker-ware.

There are several Disorders incident to Bees The chief is the Flux. Mr. de Reaumur is of Opinion that that Difeafe is occafion'd by the want of unwrought Wax (0) which another Author calls their Bread. Here is a Receipt against that DiseaseB. Half a Pound of Sugar-about the fame Quantity of Honey-a Pint of good Claret, and about a Quarter of a Pound of Beanmeal. Mix them well, and lay the Mixture before your Bees on a Plate. But Mr. de Reaumur thinks that a better Remedy than this is, to get, if poffible, out of ano

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(0) Cire-brute.

ther Hive a Comb, of which the Cellula are filled with unwrought Wax, and give it to the fick Bees.

The Abbot de la Ferriere, whom Mr. de Reaumur often quotes with great Commendation, and my anonymous Author, fpeak of a Difeafe, which they call the Meazles, (k) and reprefent it as pernicious to the Bees. But Mr. de Reaumur is clearly of Opinion they are egregiously miftaken. They miftake that for wild Honey and unwholefome Food, which he affirms to be unwrought Wax, and a Material very requifite both for the Nourishment, and Work, of the Bees.

The time for cutting your Wax and Honey out of the Hives, without turning the Bees out of their Lodgings, varies according to the different Climates, and even according to the Weather you have had in the feveral Seafons of the year. If you do it in March you may leave your Bees only as much Provifion as will ferve them till the latter end of May. If late in the Year the general Rule is to take but the half of it. The Operator waits till the Bees have been driven by a fmoaking Rag introduced into the botof the Hive, and are forced down towards it, and there remain ftunn'd with the Smoak. And in the cutting he must take fpecial

(*) La Rougeole.

Care

Care not to deftroy the Combs, which cofftain Eggs. This may be known by trying a few of the Cellule. He ought at the fame time to fee whether the Moths, or Tines, have got in, and, if they have, take that Opportunity to cut away all the infefted Parts.

If the Operation is to be performed in March, the moft convenient Time in the Day for it is early in the Morning, because the Bees have been confiderably bènumb'd by the Coolness of the preceding Night.

But the best Method is, that which hath been mention'd before, viz. to make the Bees tranfmigrate from their Hive into an empty one. This is to be done, when the Fields, and Gardens, afford the Bees Plenty of Neceffaries. The only Inconveniency is the Lofs of the young ones. But one may chuse the Time when there can be but few in the Hive.

i

As to the Means of preffing the Honey out of the Combs, and forming theWax into Cakes, Mr. de Reaumur fuppofing that hardly any body is ignorant of it, dwells but very little on that Subject.

But he enlarges on the different Kinds of Honey. As the Abstract is already of a great Length, the only Obfervation I fhall relate is, that tho' Honey is generally very wholfome, yet in fome Parts of the

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World

World it may have a bad Quality-Near Trebifond there is a Sort, which may occafion ftrange Disorders-See les Voyages de Tourne fort. Vol. III. p. 76.

I

ARTICLE. II.

A Letter to the Journalist (a).

SIR,

NDEED your Journal contains many curious Things, Theological, Philofophical, and Hiftorical. I am very glad fome unknown Perfons by giving you Affiftance and Encouragement, oblige you, and the Reader. You have offer'd them a fair Opportunity of publishing ufeful Writings, which without it would probably never have appear'd. I have read with extraordinary Satisfaction the two Letters on divine Analogy, and heartily with the Author would favour you now and then with Pieces of that Importance and Excellence. -The Letter on Providence is well wrote, and deferves particular

(a) This Letter was fent me before I publish'd the fecond Part of the fecond Vol. of this Journal, but came too late to be inferted in that Part.

particular Notice. Let me tell you by the way I chufe your Side of the Queftion; but am very defirous to fee a clear and full Solution of the Difficulties urged by the modeft, and ingenious 'Author, and feveral more, that must occur upon meditating on that nice Subject. -There are alfo in the Letter on Jacob's Prophecy, &c. very good

Obfervations.

But you have given us little, or nothing, directly relating to Morality. To supply in fome Measure that Defect, here, Sir, as a Token of my Willingness to concur in your laudable Work, I fend you fome Thoughts occafion'd by a remarkable Place of Scripture, which are partly Theological, partly Moral; and if from this Sample of my Way of thinking you conceive a good Opinion of it, I will fend you from Time to Time fome other little Tracts.-The Paflage is in Math. xviii. 7. It must needs be that Offences come. I muft premife that I here take the Word Offence in the most ex-{ tenfive Sense, it can bear; fo that it includes all Sorts of wicked Deeds, whereby one Man may hurt another either in his temporal, or fpiritual, Concerns. As all evil Doings are dangerous Examples, which may fome how induce other People to do the like, or imply a Power, or Defign of feducing, or misleading, fome Body, there

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