It never can be possible, that the brave and hish minded Spaniards, will throw themselves into the hands of their most inveterate and ancient enemies, for the purpose of reinstating, their legitimate oppressors. The crimes, sacriliges, burnings, plunders and massacres, committed on the peaceable and inoffensiveSaniards, in the new world, by the English pirates, from Drake to Anson, have so justly impressed the Spanish mind, that no apparent, or avowed friendship, on the part of England, could reconcile a Spaniard to an alliance with men, they consider, to be the most profane, and avaricious of the whole human race, with this strong and insurmount able dislike, they also are convinced, that England pos-esses, no physical force adequate, to to stand a single campaign on Terra, Firma with a French army, if the former injuries and insults, by England on Spain could have been partly obliterated, bythe lapse of time. The destruction of the two Spanish irigates, in the midst of peace, and while a Spanish ambassador resided in London, must awaken the most serious dislike and suspicion of English sincerity. The shameful hostiliy, which the English marauders evinced in all their expeditions, against the catholic faith, by the most wanton and indecent acts of sacrilege, committed on catholic churches, and the persecution which the Spaniards hear of, in Ireland, have placed the English name in such a detestable point of view, that an alliance, with the people of Spain, may be deemed visionary. The experiment in Buenos Ayres, is a strong and evident proof of our assertions. The quiet possession of Spain by Bonaparte, the occupation of its its ports, and strong places, on the coast, secur to him the best m litary, and convenient position on the European continent, for the invasion of this country: no possible vigilance on our part, can ever after dissipate, the the apprehension of such an event AMERICAN STATES. The embargo, still continues with the most rigid exactness, its effects on the trade and cultivation of the English West India Islands, are as alarming as the most active state of warfare. America furnishes the Islands, wi hall the necessaries of life, such as beef, pork, butter, meal, soap, and candles, salted fish, except some trifling quantities, had at a great expence from the mother country, with provisions, they were supplied with all kinds of lumber, with horses and horned cattle, all means of procuring these articles being cut off by the embargo, the most serious' distresses have succeeded, particularly in Jamaica, where they have been so deeply involved by the expences for the maintenance of their slaves, and so impoverished by immense taxes and military establishments,that most of the plantations, are mortgaged; and the appearance of their privations have so little of approaching reliet, that the present cultivators, expect to be put out of possession, by their creditors. MATHEMATICS. Solution to the Mathematical Question in our last, by Mr. T. Dillon, Teacher of the Mathematics, 30, Poolbeg-Street, Dublin. SEVERAL of the most eminent mathematicians have demonstrated algebraically, that g = 1; also that 0° = 1. But the proposer says, "If these propositions are true, then 1° 2° = 3° = 4°, &c." I can by no means comprehend by what magical process this absurd equation is ushered into view; for there is no sort of proof, nor any attempt made to prove, that it is a consequence of the foregoing propositions. Moreover those "very great, and deep, and learned mathematicians" who have demonstrated them to be true, have not in any part of their various investigations, deduced such a nonsensical scale of equality, as that exhibited by the author in this question; and therefore this absurd scale of number is only an assumption, founded upon wrong principles, and not deducible from the original propositions; consequently the reasoning there from must be fallacious, and the conclusion erroneous Remark. It is universally admitted that the properties, and powers of 0, or nothing, when employed in mathematical enquiries are very subtle and hard to be conceived; yet when those powers and effects are proved to be true by a regular chain of reasoning founded on mathematical principles; the force of demonstration can scarcely be resisted. The following question will fully illustrate the truth of this observation. Question by Mr. T. Dillon. Nothing divided by nothing may be made to signify any number at pleasure, from unity to an indefinitely great or to an indefinitely small numbers, and however incomprehensible this may appear to be, it admits of as true and algebraical demonstration, as any proposition in Euclid does of a geometrical one; hence the investigation is required. Note. The solution of this question will explain the apparent absurdity of that in the last number. T. D. A Prize Question, by Mr. Timothy Dillon, Teacher of the Mathematics, Poolbeg Street, Dublin. Whoever sends a true solution to this question efore the 1st. September, 1808, will be entitled to six successive Irish Magazines. In a particular city situated in north latitude, there stands a stately dome, and at the hour of six o'clock, on a certain day between the vernal equinox and summer solstice in the year 1805, a ray of light proceeding from the sun, passed through a small aperture in the dome, and terminated at the eastern extremity of the ordinate bounding the generating curve, and the angle formed by the inclination of the ray and said ordinate was known to be the greatest possible; it was also observed that a ray passing through the opposite side of the dome at a certain hour in the forenoon, crossed the direction of the former at the perpendicular distance of ten feet from the axis of the curve, and from the point where it intersected the axis to the vertex of the conoid measured 18 feet; from hence it is required to determine, the latitude of the place, the day of observation, the quantity of Irish spirits sufficient to fill the concavity of the dome, and the expence of gilding the convex surface thereof, at half a guinea the square foot: the latus rectum of the generating curve being 15 feet, and the sun's meridian altitude on said day 50 50." No e. The above question has been proposed as a prize in the year's 1806, 1807 and 1808, in periodical publications, but has not as yet received a true solution. ORIGINAL POETRY. An Elegy, composed in Pope's grotto at Twickenham, and inscribed to the late Right Rev. Dr. Hussey, by Rev. Mr. E&c. Sc. Methinks some guardian genius haunts this spot, And glides unseen, along yon darkling cell, Or Pepe himself, yet hovers o'er his grot, Where still the lingering muses love to dwell. Then let me strew around, with pious care, These smiling lillies, o'er the hallowed foor, And with these flowery garlands, blooming fair, Adorn the walls, and deck the rustic door. Thus, wrapt in thought, Oh! let me sit reclin'd, And one sweet tear, beneath these willows shed, A tear will ease the swellings of the mind, Ye willows! planted by the poet's hand, wave, Your graceful forms, in native verdure stand, While he lies mould'ring, in the silent grave. Ye scenes his fancy raised along the shore, You flourish still, in all your early bloom, That fancy, rich, creative, now no more, All withered, slumbers in the dreary tomb. Ye groves, that wakened by his genius rose 'Tis thus alas! the mind's celestial grace, In vain alas the first of poets sung, strain. Say who will lend a pitying tear Give me my long neglected reed * Dr. Hussey, was engaged at this time in establishing the college of Maynooth. And Knightsbrook is a small but beautiful river, in the County Meath running throe a Demesne of the same name-which for centuries belong to the "Percivals," Knightsbrook,enters the rapid Boyne, at a place called Scurlogstown, in the County Meath. THE farmers of Ireland, Oppressed with rack rents, with tithes, with heavy taxes to apport an expensive ecclesiastical establishment, with which they are not in communion, and with the voluntary contributions for the maintenance of their own numerous and laborious pastors, are exposed to inevitable ruin, sacrifised as they now are, to the commercial interests of the English West India Merchants, by the law enacted to prevent distillation from corn. With them another numerous body of people, will materially suffer. Those who furnish the Metropolis with milk will suffer, as the wash and other refuse of the Corn, which underwent fermentation, furnished a cheap and abundant supply of nutriment to dairy cows, as enabled the owners, to bring milk more abundantly to market, and on cheaper terms, than could be done, were grass exclusively used. Milk, a necessary of life, will thus be raised in price on the poor, that a deleterious spirit extracted from sugar, may distribute its rapid poison through the community, our industry, our health and morals, are offered up at the shrine of English monopoly. The want of silver specie, has caused the most serious inconvenience. The fluctuating value of such cin, or imitations of coin, now in circulation, have impeded our domestic industry so much that sales of goods or exchange of labour, are so cautiously undertaken, by the uncertain standard of money, that nothing but the most pressing necessity, will compel any person to take it, at the nominal value of the day. A temporary relief has been attempted by allowing the Bank, to issue a kind of silver, which at some future day, must tend to augment their profit at the expence of the public. It is said that the Bank, is obliged, to take this manufacture of its own, in payment or exchange, whenever any other substitute is given by government. After the lapse of a very few years, by the wear which coin is liable to, it will be difficult, to ascertain any of the original inpression, and the Bank, with impunity may rejec every one of their own tokens, and the public again plundered, will be compelled, to sell this worn out coin to the Bank, at such prices, as it may prescribe Our landlords continue to emigrate, houses are sinking into ruin in Dublin, and others fising into magnificence in London. The sister Country absorbs all our wealth. She sends us soldiers, and takes away our gentry Between the emigration of the rich, and the emigration of the industrious; one flying to England, to seek amusement and the other to America, to seek bread, we will have none to reside among us, but those whose extreme poverty, bind to the soil, and a numerous army chequered through our population, exasperated, by unexampled wretchedness, suspected of being wicked, because known to be poor, and of entertaining designs hostile to the state. I |