Delaware gazette and peninsula advertiser. [volume], May 31, 1817, Image 2

About Delaware gazette and peninsula advertiser. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1814-1820

Image provided by: University of Delaware Library, Newark, DE

                
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THE LOCUSTS.
on
It having been mentioned in some
ofthe southern papers, that the locusts
were expected to make their appear
ance in the United States this sum
mer, the following account of the na
ture and ravages of that famous de
stroyer of the vegetable kingdom in
Africa, extracted from cupluiu Riley's
Narrative, will ho read with new in
teoest.
N. V. E. Pont.
The largest African locust is a
bout four inches in length, and one
inch in diameter : lie has the most
voracious appet ite of any insect in the
world, and devours grass, grain, the
' leaves of trees, and every green tiling,
with indiscriminate and merciless
avidity. They go forth by hands or
flights, anil each flight is said to have
a king, which directs its movements
with great regularity. Locusts can
fly Only whèn their wings are perfect
ly dry ; and when tiiey rise, they
always fly off before the wind, and lill
the air like an immense cloud of thick
smoke :—when the leader alights up
on the ground, all the flight follow Itis
example as fast as possible—They
are at'times so numerous, tlr.it they
may tie said to cover the wholo fare
of the country; they then devour
every spear of grass and grain, even
seating it into the ground, dislodging
it root and branch, cutting off all the
leaves from the shrubs and trees, and
sometimes all the kirk from tender
«
to
trees in a whole province, and that too
in a very short space of time.
The present African locusts are of
are men
as one ot the
pi igues sent upon the land of Egypt,
by the Almighty: they have always
been considered in the countries where
they usually commit ravages as a
scourge from heaven, and as a punish
ment for the sins of the people. The
locust has been described, as Icing
produeeil by some unknown physical
cause, different from the ordinary
mode of animal production: this is a
mistake; when 1 was at Mogadore,
Mr. Wiltshire told me that the. lo
eusts were produced hv a very well
known and natural cause; that the
female, a little before the flights dis
appear for the season, thrusts her
hinder parts i. to the surface of the
ground up to her wings, first having
found a suitable spot of earth for that
purpose: here she forms a cell in
shape like that made by the bee, hut
from one to three inches in depth,
ami one to ttfo iiibii«^ in uihiiicu i .
Having maile the sides of the cell
strong by means of a glutinous mat
ter, whi h she has the power of pro
duoiiig, she deposits her eggs, which
are blackish, and so small, as scarcely
to he distinguishable with the naked
eye: each cell is filled full, and con
tains an
she tiicn seats n over cart
tile same kind of glut: noie
v.hietf the m
and oiering
leaves it io he liati-i
of the sun in due time, whieii general
ly happen* in the iiionth of January :
s in one cell alone produce a
host, of lo-usis, air.otmting lo near a
million. ! opem d and examined se
tnd near a garden, two
miles from Meg*.fore, and was much
si t'orised to sec the t
the s ne gf.VV"'"*
tio-ieii in the Birne,
U 11...
:
use
lolly with
matter ut
s farme I.
■artli, she
air. hv the lient
;dr of tii
it ov'er
with
t
ver.d cells i
lie thick to
gether in one mass, like the spawn of
fishes. 1 took up some of it on the
tip of a sharp-pointed penknife, and
separating and counting Uie eggs, by
means of a micros* ope, as accurately
as possible, I enumerated seven hund
red and forty-one; admitting that
every egg would produce a locust,and
that tlu* number contained in the small
portion ou ihi* point ofthe penknife
was the one thousandth part, of the
whole mass, (whit h is a low estimate,)
it proves that a single locust could
produce in one season, even T she
fills hut one cell, upwards of half a
million of her species.
Vilien the locust is hatched, lie
crawls out of the earth a little worm,
of a light brown color, and the whole
cell of them ace said to hatch about
the nano time. This host of worms
creep forth from the ground, and
commence '' *ic march, all going one
course, g
or we»*
• ts the north
mg green
' leaving
of dexn
so rapid -
week
.still* -
slout
their
effort.
. he.,.!.
I insert,
i a short
nipt fly in ..
t ry mg.
(stance
mg and skip
thin
he!
OG
at a
ping like grasshoppers for two or
three days ; next they set offin a body
the tw ig, and fly from five miles to
one hundred, without stopping, just
as the country seems to please their
taste, and they then go on as I have
before described.
Dry warm seasons are favorable to
the breeding of locusts, and a very
wet eoid oue is sure to destroy them
in the empire of Morocco, until the
flights come again from otliet parts.
I do not know precisely the months
in which the female locust makes her
deposit of eggs, only that it is in the
latter part of the summer, or first of
the fall months. The old locusts
having done their share of mischief,
are either driven oft'by the winds in
die a nat ural death ;
m
on
to the sea, or
thus making room fur anew and more
When all have dis
hungry swarm,
qipeircd in the Moorish empire, a
few flights are seen to come from the
borders of the desart, or from the
coasts of Egypt; which again lay
waste the whole country, until they
are in their turn destroyed by frequent
rains and cold damps, or strong gales
from the land, which sweep them into
It is said at Mogadore,
the ocean,
and believed by (lie Moors, Christians
and Jews, that the Bereheries inhab
iting the Atlas mountains, have the
power to destroy every flight oflo
•■iists that comes from (he south and
from the east, and thus ward oft' (his
dreadful scourge from all the conti
iries north and west of this stupendous
ridge, merely by building large fires
on those parts ofthe ridge over which
the locusts are known always to pass,
and in the season when they are likely
to appear, which is at a definite period
within a certain number of days, n
The Allas bein -
of
the
a
a
the
her
the
in
i .
almost every year,
high, and the peaks covered with
snow, these insects become chilled in
passing over them, when seeing the
lires, they are attracted by the glare,
and plunge into the flames. I do not
know what degree of credit ought to
lie attached to this opinion, hut it is
certain that the. Moorish Sultan used
t.o pay a considerable sum of money
yearly to certain inhabitants of the
sides of the Atlas in order to keep the
locusts out of his dominions. The
Moors and Jews further affirm, that
during the time in which the Suit
paid the aforesaid yearly stipend
punctually, not a locust was to he
seen in his dominions north and west
of the Atlas, hilt that about six years
ago the emperor refused to pay the
stipulated sum, because no locusts
troubled liis country, and thought he
had been imposed upon; and it so
happened that ihu very same yeartli**
, a b ..:.. ui,iiu ilielr appearance,
and have continued to lay waste the
in
country ever since.
•
1
'
country ever since.
Locusts are esteemed very good
food by tiie Moors, Arabs and J, v>-.
ill Barbar» who eat. h large nollilu :*
of them in their
:.(! tl
season
them, while jumping alive, into a pan
of boiling Argali oii : here they liis
and fry until their win
affi am! tlic.ir bullies are sufficiently
cooked, when they are poured out ami
I have seen many thousand
ire burned
mien.
•ooked in this maimer, and have had
the curiosity to taste them: they re
sembled in consistence and flavor tic
yolks of hard boiled hens'eggs. Af
ter my arrival at Tangier, on convers
ing with our consul general, Mr.
Simpson, respecting the locusts, lie
confirmed the circumstance of what I
had before heard and observed myself
in Barbary concerning them. This
ravenous imeet had actually caused a
famine in that part of the country, so
that Mr. .Simpson and the other
Christian Consul at Tangier were o
hligeyl to send to Gibraltar, and buy
American Hour for the ordinary con
sumption of their families; inferior
Ameiiean flour was then selling at
rangier for St5 per barrel, although
heinre the scarcity occasioned by the
locust, the fine B.irhary wheat used
to he sold lor one dollar and a hall
per barrel.
" Mr. Simpson further stated, that
in the year 1814, (to the best of my
recollection as to the lime) being with
hi» family at his house on Mount.
>i ashinglon, near Gape Spartet ; and
where the locust covered the whole
face of the ground at night, when lit*
arose the next morning, lie could not
perceive a single one, and observed to
itis lady, that all the locust which had
remained with them fora long time,
and destroyed most of the herbage a
bout the country, had disappeared; In
Wondered at first what hud become of
lliem ; bul after the fog in the strait
was dissipated, looking at a vessel
thro* bis glass, that was passing out,
In* observed that tin* whole surface of
tin* water was covered with sonn thing
that appeared like a reddish scum,
■•'id on reflection, it struck him, that
fnc lo, ust had attempted at night to
ingrate across the straits into Spain,
ly ing before the wind, which was fair.
* ind blowing from the southward; hut
in the fog,
>r cheeked on their passage by con
-
-
a
that they were either h
as
trat y winds, which generally prevail
the strait at night (particularly in
the sumtnei* time,) in the middle ol
the Strait: and were thus forced hj
fatigue and the humidity of the at
mosphere, to settle upon the surface
of the water, from whence they could
not rise, anil were conseijuently* all
drowned.
That two days afterwards, a vessel
arrived at Tangier Irma Gibraltar,
the captain of which confirmed his
conjectured, by assuring him that vast
numbers of dead locusts had been dri
ven ashore on the rock of Gibraltar,
and along the coast of Spain, from
Algesiras to Tarilfa, a distance of
nearly twenty miles, and that there
stilt great numbers of their ear
eases floating in the straits, near the
Spanish shore. I was also informed
that several years ago, nearly all the
locusts in the empire, which were at
that lime very numerous, ami had
carried
a
;
m
■
were
a
laid waste the country, were
off in one night and drowned in the
Atlantic ocean; that their dead car
casses a few days
driven by winds and currents on shore,
all along the western coast, extending
from near Gape Spartul to beyond
Mogadore forming, in many places,
immense piles on the sand beach : that
the stench arising IVon* their remains,
was intolerable, and was supposed to
have produced the plague which broke
out about that time in various parts
of the Moorish dominions. I have
thus faithfully embodied wliat infor
mation I could obtain regarding the
locust, from living authority, which
deem indubitable, and to which 1 have
afterwards were
n
-
i
added such facts and circumstances ai
fell under my own observation, uuas
sisted by books ; and I trust the whoh
will he found essentially correct.
Ido not profess to he a naturalist, ii
cannot he expected that 1 should un
dertake to give a description of his
interior formation, Xc.
A
in
From lute English papers received til
the offre of the New-Fork Daily
Advertiser,
London, April 20.
A variety of foreign and domestic
intelligence will he found in nur co
lumns of this day. \Vt* cannot say,
however, that there is any part of it,
of any peculiar importance to the pub
lic. Perhaps the address of Mr. Mun
roe, upon his inauguration as Presi
dent of the United Wtates, deserves
more persual. ft e have never given
much credit to persons speaking in
augural orations; they .<«•«> too stuillc.i,
tatet the vuu.uuw-r
t.sv-ape ; they are like showy Bir
mingham goods—entercly made for
sale. If we could believe all that is
put forward in this, address, we should
Lunik the Amerieaii* the fir»t ...
>*i the world : we should think f!
Vlentors governed, and that every
itild ofthe United States was anotliei
I'eleiu.u bus ! But we are not so ea
• >!' belief. We have too often bo
disappointed and deceived by sud.
address ; and we have too long known
how flourishing and courtly nations
look in print, whilst poverty and op
pression are their mclunchoiy portion,
ml
pression are their mclunchoiy portion,
in reality.
With aii the distrust, however,
which an acquaintance with tin
quackery of polities, and the knavery
of statesmen must inspire, we sti!
can catch through the wilderness a
gleam of light., that helps us pn .
in our road to ascertain the truth.
The American government scene
desirous to preserve a strict line d
amity with foreign powers ; at tin
same time, that they take all thus,
necessary precautions which - may se
cure them from aggiession. Their
revenue would appear to lie in a very
flourishing condition ; but then the
expenses of their government are
comparatively nothing. We know not
how it is, that a republican govern
ment can keep their states secure,
and afford protection to their people,
whilst, taxes arc unoppressive, and
liberty ol person and of creed is un
restrained iu its exercise. We cannot
imagine why monarchal government
should he so particularly expensive :
especially, as we have never seen that
their people are more happy or more
free than those who live under a re
public. We are friends to monar
ciiial government, we think, if pro
perly balanced and administered, it
could secure every desirable blessing
we might eovet. We rather think
tepnGlics are uusuited tc enlarged
dominions ; or where nations arrive
at a certain point of elevation, either
commercial, or military, or agricul
1ural. Indeed, in Greek and Roman
history, we have frequent instances of
(his truth : and we think, before many
'ears elapse, that America will add
another—to the examples which could
he cited. The population is not yet
sufficiently dense in America, to have
I hose divisions occur in property and
in interests, which operate in other
countries : and, of necessity, almost
impel them into a inonarcliiul, if not
despotic form or government. But
as soon as America becomes a nation
—as soon as lier people bear that pro
portion to their soil, which those of
other countries bear to theirs—as
national taste is formed,
soon as a
anil as conflicting interests begin to
assume their proper appearances—it
will be found that America will be
monarelii.il, if not perhaps a
come a
military and despotic government
We cannot say that our wishes second
observations upon this point. On
the contrary, we should wish, for the
improvement ofthe world, that A liter
should remain a republic ; because,
eceleris paribus, if the least expensive
government possess in it equal cle
ments of duration, and aft'ord equal
protection of person and of properly
as a more expensive ; the advantages
are with the republican form o l go
vernimmt, and should therefore be
preferred.
America' possesses many advanta
ges denied to other countries ; and if
she act a prudent part towards her
brethren of the south, her commerce
must improve, and her navy acquire
a permanence which may alter, in
the process of time, the situations ol
many European states. No man can
contemplate the situation of America
without feelings of superior exulta
tion. In this country, unhappily, we
look upon the Americans as the lees
of society ; and vainly think that the
abuse of Jonathan w ill secure a pre
eminence to John Bull, i he public
should be disabused of this erroneous
notion. We should watch the pro
gress of other states minutely ; where
we see their virtues, to copy them ;
and where we meet their vices—to
correct those''of a similar nature in
our
lea
ourselves.
The following is one of the many
stories which now occupies the gos
sips of Baris :—" A person, w ho was
apothecary to Bonaparte, it seems, at
t'ne. desire of the ex-emperor, after
his return from Waterloo, prepared
hnn a poison, active, subtle, and in
evitable. This lie wore - onecsiled in
his sleeve, and tasted it afterwards at
M ilniaison. But the courage of he
roes sometimes vaeilitates, and it is
certain tliai Bonaparte did not swal
low the whole portion.
Mameluke, who witnessed tue trans
action, believed his master poisoned,
and ran precipitately to the Due de
Vicenza, (Caulineonrt,) to whom he
imjiartcd his fears. The Due coldly
replied.—" Laissez le faire,' leave
him to himself! hut an instent after
entered into the presence of hi* fallen
mast.ee num
the. internal stiferings lie was exposed
to, apprehend he had taken too
much, and under this idea depressed,
hut not without coolness and self
command, took leave of those who
surrounded him,"
His faithful
1
a
.
:
it
of
Royal Longevity.
There are now living sixteen So
vereigus in Europe, who are of or a
bove threescore ye t,- of age ! The
British King is the oldest, having al
most completed his 79(h year.—The
Duke of Anliault Dessau is 77 years
old.—The Pope
Hesse 74—Henry XII of Kniss 70 :
the King of.Sweden 69 ; ,the Langrave
of Ilcsse-Homhurg 00 ; the King oi
Saxony 67 ; the King of the- Two Si
i ilies 66 ; the King of Sardinia 66 :
the King of France 62; the Ring of
Bavaria Ot ; the Duke of Guleiihurg
ot ; the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg
Schwerin 60 ; the Grand Duke of
Hesse 60; and the Grand Duke of
Saxe-Weimar 60.
It may amuse, the reader to learn
t he ages of the other Potentates of the
old world :—
The King ol Portugal is 50 years
of age ; the Emperor of Austria AO;
the King of Denmark -19; the King
of Prussia 47 ; the King of the Ne
therlands 45 ; the Emperor of Russia
40 ; the King of Wurtemburg 36 ; the
King of Spain 33 ; the Sultan Ma
homet 32; the Duke of Saxc-Uohourg
31 ; and the Duchess of Parma (late
Empress of France) 26. The latter
has renounced her title of Empress.
A Proclamation before us begins :—
" We, Maria Louisa, Imperial Pria
cess and Archduchess of Austria, by
the Grace of Gad, Dm-hrs* of Par
ma, Placentia, Guastellu," Xc. &e.
Slea,n Printing Engine.
We have seen further accounts of
the new printing engine introduced
into England. It is wrought by
steam, and with the aid of two or
three hoys, can perfect nearly a thou
sand sheets per hour. A comparison
is made between the coasts of press
work. with the oid and new press—
and the result is, that " three hoys
in one hour, at a cost of 6d sterling,
are enabled by this new application of
steam, to perform the labor of two
men for 8 hours, at a cost of eight,
shilling. Such are the present capa
bilities of this engine ; but as there
is no limit to its required powers,
and the size of Uniform is uo ohsta
i'he Elector ol
ole to its perfect performance, it i
proposed to take impressions on dun
l>le demy, in which case three boj .
it 6d will in one hour perform f,c
labor of twenty two men at sixte
shillings, la its general analogy, (hi,
press is not unlike the rolling
of copper plate printers."
eu
pfe-s
[Norfolk Herald.
j, ave copied the following
South America.
From the N. T. Unity Advertiser,
May 26.
INTERESTING.
By the arrival yesterday afternoon
ofthe sehr. Major Croghan, we ban.
received Curracoa papers to the Hb
inst. From one of these
papers w
interesting
document.
Capture of Barcelona.
We have received a Uaraccas
zette of the 16th instant, and haver;:
traded from it the following ollicial
account of the capture of Barcelona
by the Royalists on the 8th.
Extract from thr Caraccas GazilU
of the itith of April, 1817.
CARÂGCAS.
G a
Attack and reduction of Barcelona
by the 1st division under Don Juan de
Aidania, colonel ofthe dragoons.
Report of the Commander.
Wishing to accomplish what 1 had
the honour of communicating to your
excellency from Piruiu in my dispatch
hearing date 2d of April, instnm, i
ordered the army on the 3d to com
mence its march, and on the 4i!i. io
the morning, I arrived at the mouth
of Caicara, where I was joined hymn
expedition from Cuiniina.—At 7 o'
clock uftheJHh, I formed my columns
to take possession of Barcelona, after
which the army entered the town with
that martial and warlike appearance
the true patrimony of valor and vic
tory.
1 already had ordered colonel Don
Manuel Baus», commander of the
column of light infantry, marching at
the head ofthe army, to remove every
obstacle in his way. until getting pos
session of the most immediate lionso
to the fortification, and to shut the,
entrance of the streets with parapets,
in order to encompass the enemy in
liis entrenchment, pud at the arrival
ofthe artillery, to occupy the batter
ing redoubt, whereof the construction
had been intrusted by me, to the ne
livlty and vat«*- „rivon lxiigenn* Ara
» » captain of the regiment of Bar
liastro, and.to Don Juan Calvet bre
vet lieutenant of that of Granada.
The light infantry performed their
duty to my entire satisfaction, and de
stroyed some wretches win; ;.J . mod
iiemsclves in the street. I had plae
(1 a reserve on the great square, and
he rest ofthe army, look upa proper
talion in front of the building, forti
ded by the cm my.
Having thus the whole of the city
at my disposal, and the enemy being
narrowly shut up in his forlilieatioc,
1 resolved to take possession of the
rest as soon as possible, and therefore
ordered the artillery at the mouth of
the river to he brought lip, in which
maiiieuvre I was assisted by the cou
rage of Don Jose Maria V lotion, a
captain in the navy and oinmander
of the royal squadron. On the 7th,
at day-break, I already had two pieces
mounted, opposite to the left part of
the fortified house, and at noon of the
same day, I placed another piece, to
the right of the house, w herewith, and
the two pieces already placed at a
distance of a thousand paces from the
enemy, and commanded by Don Fran
cisco Maya, lieutenant of the artille
ry, such destructive lire was made,
that at two o'clock part of t he fron
tispiece had given away. This batte
ry was defended by 12 artillerists,
whereof 1U were wounded. I imme
diately commanded a strong column,
grenadiers and light infantry to com
mence the attack, which I entrusted
lo the well known bravery ofthe lieu
tenant eoionel of the regiment of the
Union, Col. Don Joaquin Urreiztieta.
and the rest of the corps of B irbas
tro, under major Don Vicento B.inza,
to remain as a reserve to he employed
at the proper moment, while the
mounted dragoons, and the yeoman
cavalry undo;' Don Josef Navas, com
mander of a squadron, placed them
selves on the burying ground, which
partly is situated in front of the
breach, with intention to destroy the
enemy in ease (as it was to be pre
sumed) he would endeavor to'mnke
Ins escape by that side. After these
dispositions, the col. of the corps of
Barhastro, Don Juan Gin:, second in
command ofthe army, to whose skill
and good advices I for the greatest
part ascribe the good success of my
attempt, and lieutenant colonel Don
Vlanuel Bousa,chief ad-iuterini ofthe
stall'remained with me, to observe the
motions of the enemy, to tiie left of
tile, assault, and lo execute such or
ders, as I might find proper to issue.
: