Defcription of Mr. Thorley's new-invented Bee-Hives. the dealer with fome aftonishment, "Why, I never paid more than half the fum a piece for all the children I have got in my time:" Then turning with great compofure to his wife (who was prefent all the time) "Hand me down, fays he, the book of baftardy;" and opening it, "There, fays he; MR this will convince you that your de mands are exorbitant;" when he fhewed him, that for each child laid to his charge, he had only paid one hundred guilders. The man well convinced, accepted the one hundred guilders, half is original demand, and retired fatisfied with the bargain. Defcription of Mr. THORSLE Y's new-invented BED-HIVES. R. Thorley having, from near pannels is a pane of glass, covered with In this octangular box the bees are hived, after fwarming in the usual man.er, and there fuffered to continue till they have built their combs, and filled them with honey, which may be known from opening the door, and viewing their works through the glasspane, or by the weight of the hive. When the bee-mafter finds his laborious infects have filled their habitation, he is to place a common bee-hive of ftraw reprelented at B, made either flat at the top, or in the common form, on the octangular box, and draw out the flider, by which a communication will be opened between the box and the ftraw hive; the confequence of which will be, that those laborious infects will fill this hive, alfo, with the product of their labours. When the bee-mafter finds the trawhive is well filled, he may push in the flider, and take it away, placing anThe bottom part, marked A, is, other immediately in its room, and an octangular bee-box, made of then drawing out the flider. Thefe deal boards, about an inch in thick- indefatigable creatures will then fill nefs, the cover of which is 17 inches the new hive in the fame manner. in diameter, but the internal part By proceeding in this method, Mr. only 15 1-half, and its height ten Thorley aflared the Society, that he inches, In the middle of the cover had taken three fucceffive hives, filled of this octangular box is a hole, which with honey and wax, from one fingle may be opened or fhut at pleasure, by hive during the fame fummer; and means of a flider. In one of the that after he had laid his infects under fo Confiderations on India Affairs. fo large a contribution, the food ftill remaining in the octangular-box, was abundantly fufficient for their fupport during the winter. He added, that if this method was purfued in every part of the kingdom, inftead of that cruel method of putting the creatures to death, he was perfuaded, from long experience, that wax would be colJected in fuch plenty that candles might be made with it, and fold as cheap as thofe of tallow are at prefent. Mr. Thorley has alfo added another part to his bee-hive, which cannot fail of affording the bigheft entertainmeet to a curious and inquifitive mind. It confits of a glass receiver, reprefented at C in the print, 18 inches in height, 8 inches in diameter at the bottom, and in the greatest part 13. This receiver has a hole at the top, about an inch in diameter, through which a square piece of deal is extended to nearly the bottom of the vessel, hav 49 ing two cross bars, to which the bees fasten their combs. Into the other end of this fquare piece is fcrewed a piece of brafs, which ferves for a handle to the receiver, or glafs-hive. When the bees have filled their ftraw-hive (which must have a hole in the center, covered with a piece of tin) Mr. Thorley places the glass-receiver up→ on the top of the ftraw-hive, and draws out the piece of tin. The bees, now finding their habitation enlarged, purfue their labours with fuch alacrity, that they fill this glafs-hive likewife with their stores. And as this receptacle is wholly transparent, the curious obferver may entertain himfelf with viewing the whole progress of their works. One of the hives now depofited at the Society's rooms in the Srand, is filled with the produce of the labours of thofe infects; and the glafs-hive is fuppofed to contain near thirty pounds of honey.. CONSIDERATIONS on INDIA AFFAIRS; particularly respecting the prefent State of BENGAL and its Dependencies. By WILLIAM BOLTS, Merchant, and Alderman or Judge of the Hon. the Mayor's Court of Cal cutta. M R. BOLTS begins with obferving, That it is time the attention of the Legislature of this Kingdom fhould be awakened to the concerns of British Subjects in the East-Indies, which, notwithstanding all that has been faid or written concerning India affairs, feem to have lain neglected, as if thofe diftant individuals were not members of the fame Body Politic, or did not deferve the care of the Mother Country, while this Government as yet receives every advantage it chufes from them as Subjects. "THE affairs of the Eaft-India Company (lays this Writer) are now become an object of the utmoft importance to this nation, which it is to be feared may be involved in great difficulties whenever the Indian dominions are loft; or, what is the fame thing, whenever they are fo impoverished and ruined as to render the pofLeon of them unprofitable. BENGAL, VOL. VIII. and the dominions dependant thereon, are entirely commercial countries, which can only flourish while trade is profperous; the principles of which are invariably the fame in all climates. But when the affairs of Bengal and its dependencies get into a ruinous courfe, the affairs of the Company, which fo greatly depend on thofe provinces, must of neceffity do the fan. And nothing can be more certain, than that thofe conntries will not profper while the Company continue there the Merchant-fovereign and the Sovereignmerchant, even were it poffible, without altering their prefent conftitution, to free their affairs from the numberlefs inconveniencies arifing from the distance between the feat of government and the fubjected provinces; the mifinformation or ignorance among Proprietors and Directors, the conftantly fluctuating ftate of parties, the confequent abfurd and contradictory orders which are continually fent eut G to 50 Confiderations on India Affairs. to India, and likewife from the want of due power in the Company for controlling their fervants abroad: which power it is conceived can never be given to them, because it would be erecting imperium in imperio. Monopolies of all kinds are in their natures unavoidably pernicious; but an abfolute government of monopolifts, fuch as at prefent that of Bengal in fact is, muit of all be the most dreadful. The foil, revenues, juftice, and interior government of thofe countries are entirely in the hands of the English Eaft-India Company. The Prince, whom they call the GRAND MOGUL, being the mere inftrument of their power, fet up by them, and fupported by a penfion for the ferving of their own private purposes; the pretended NABOBS of Bengal and Bahár being the actual ftipendary fervants of the faid Company, and the DEWANNE, under which title they pretend to hold those territorial poffeffions, being a mere fiction, invented for the private purposes of the Company and their fervants; and particularly intended, if poffible, to fcreen their feizing on the fovereignty of the country, by impofing on the British nation; tho' the difguife was too flimfey to deceive either the inhabitants of Hindoftân, or other European nations who have fettlements in thofe countries. There is in Bengal no freedom in trade, though by that alone it can be made flourishing and importantly beneficial to the British ftate. All branches of the interior India commerce are, without exception, entirely monopolies of the moft cruel and ruinous natures; and fo totally corrupted, from every fpecies of abufe, as to be in the laft ftages towards annihilation. Civil juftice is eradicated, and millions are thereby left entirely at the mercy of a few men, who divide the poils of the public among themfelves; while, under fuch defpotifm, fupported by military violence, the whole interior country, where neither the laws of England reach, or the laws or customs of thofe countries are permitted to have their courfe, is no better than in : a date of nature. In this fituation, while the poor industrious natives are oppreffed beyond conception, population is decreasing, the manufactories and revenues are decaying, and Bengal, which used not many years ago to fend annually a tribute of feveral millions in hard fpecie to Dehly, is now rereduced to fo extreme a want of cir culation, that it is not improbable the Company (whofe fervants in Calcutta have alread been neceffitated, in one feafon, to draw above a million fterling on the Directors, for the exigencies of their trade and government) will foon be in want of fpecie in Bengal to pay their troops, and in England feen pleading incapacity to pay the very annual four hundred thousand pounds which is now received from them by government. The natives of Bengal, whofe miferies have of late been greatly increa fed by a calamitous famine, have long looked up to heaven and to this nation for relief; which, if much longer with-held, while they bewail the inefficacy of a conftitution fo much boafted of to them, they may be rendered defperate in the pursuit of redrefs, and made to join hand and heart with the firft power that happens to oppofe the English in thofe dominions. Let fuch who place their fecurity in the pretended degeneracy or effeminacy of the natives recollect, that they are thofe very natives who fight our Indian batties; which they have fometimes done without a single musket being fired by our European troops, to whom they have, on many occations, fhewn themselves no way inferior in perfonal courage. Perhaps it may appear tó a confiderate man, upon reflection, that it is only the exaggerated fame of what has paft which preferves the polletion of things as prefent, and that the power of the English in India may ceale to be formidable as foon as that power becomes well understood. The fame caufes will ever produce like effects in all countries; the many muft in time get the better of the few, by the fame means whereby the few got the better of the many, Let thole who despise the Afiatics farther reflect, that the moft despicable reptiles will turn when tod |