BITE OF THE RATTLESxNAKE, &c.

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lent kind. Nine-tenths of the effects attributed to poison or ven-om in this country, are really other diseases, and proceed fromquite different causes.

We cannot, however, make the same observation with regard topoisonous vegetables. These abound everywhere, and prove oftenfatal to the ignorant and unwary. This indeed is chiefly owing tocarelessness. Children ought early to be cautioned against eatingany kind of fruit, roots, or berries, which they do not know ; andall poisonous plants to which they can have access, ought, as faras possible, to be destroyed. This would not be so difficult a taskas some people imagine.

Poisonous plants have no doubt their use, and they ought to bepropagated in proper places ; but, as they often prove destructiveto cattle, they should be rooted out of all pasture grounds. Theyought likewise, for the safety of the human species, to be destroy-ed in the neighbourhood of all towns and villages ; which, by thebye, are the places where they most commonly abound. I haveseen the poisonous hemlock, henbane, wolfsbane, and deadly-night-shade, all growing within the environs of a small town, where,though several persons, within the memory of those living in it,had lost their lives by one or other of these plants, yet no method,that I could hear of, had ever been taken to root them out ; thoughthis might be done at a very trifling expence.

Seldom a year passes, but we have accounts of several personspoisoned by eating hemlock-roots instead of parsnips, or somekinds of fungus which they had gathered for mushrooms. Theseexamples ought to put people upon their guard with respect to theformer, and to put the latter out of use. Mushrooms may be adelicate dish ; but they are a dangerous one, as they are generallygathered by persons who do not know one kind of fungus fromanother, and take every thing for a mushroom which has that ap-pearance.

We might here mention many other plants and animals of apoisonous nature, which are found in foreign countries ; but, asour observations are chiefly intended for this island, we shall passthem over. It may not, however, be amiss to observe, for thebenefit of such of our countrymen as go to America, that an effec-tual remedy is now said to be found for the bite of the rattlesnake.The prescription is as follows: — Take of the herbs plantain andhorehound, in summer, roots and branches together, a sufficientquantity : bruise them in a mortar, and squeeze out the juice ; ofwhich give, as soon as possible, one large spoonful : if the patientbe swelled, you must force it down his throat. This generallywill cure ; but, if he finds no relief in an hour after, you may giveanother spoonful, which never fails. — If the roots are dried, theymust be moistened with a little water. To the wound may be ap-plied a leaf of good tobacco moistened with rum.

We give this upon the faith of Dr. Brookes, who says it was theinvention of a negro ; for the discovery of which he had his free-dom purchased, and a hundred pounds per annum settled upon himduring life, by the General Assembly of Carolina.

It is possible there may be in nature specific remedies for everykind of.poison; but as we have very little faith in any of those