Gilchrist's, and there he met Mr. Grant of Achoynamey, who offered to take him into his house, and make his butler give him lessons. "I told Squire Grant," says he, "that I should rejoice to be at his house, as soon as the time was expired for which I was engaged with my present master. He very politely offered to put one in my place, but this I declined." When the period in question arrived, accordingly, he went to Mr. Grant's, being now in his twentieth year. Here he found both a good friend and a very extraor dinary man, in Cantley the butler, who had first fixed his attention, by a sun-dial which he happened to be engaged in painting on the village schoolhouse, as Ferguson was passing along the road, on his second visit to Mr. Gilchrist. Dialing, however, was only one of the many accomplishments of this learned butler, who Ferguson assures us was profoundly conversant both with arithmetic and mathematics, played on every known musical instrument except the harp, understood Latin, French, and Greek, and could let blood and prescribe for diseases. These multifarious attainments, he owed, we are told, entirely to himself and to nature. (To be Continued)

CABINET OF NATURE

THE GREAT KENTUCKY CAVERN.

Give me, ye powers, the wondrous scenes to show,
Conceal'd in darkness, in the depths below.

For a very interesting account of this stupendous cavern, which is unparelleled in the history of subterraneous wonders, we are indebted to Dr. Nahum Ward, who published it in the Monthly Magazine of October, 1816. It is situated in Warren County, and in a territory not mountainous, but broken, differing in this respect from all other caverns hitherto known. The Doctor, provided with guides, two large lamps, a compass, and refreshments, descended a pit forty feet in depth, and 120 in circumference: having a spring of fine water at the bottom, and conducting to the entrance of the cavern. The opening, which is to the north, is from forty to fifty feet high, about thirty in width. It narrows shortly after. but again expands to a width of

thirty or forty feet, and a height of twenty, continuing these dimensions for about a mile, to the first. hoppers * where a manufactory of saltpetre has recently been established. Thence to the second of these hoppers, two miles from the entrance, it is forty feet in width; and sixty in height. Throughout nearly the whole of the distance handsome walls have been made by the manufacturers, of the loose lime-stones. The road is hard, and as smooth as a flag pavement. In every passage which the Doctor traversed, the sides of the cavern were perpendicular, and the arches, which have bid defiance even to earthquakes, are regular. In 1802 when the heavy shocks of earthquakes came on which were so severely felt in this part of Kentucky, the workmen stationed at the second hoppers, heard about five minutes before each shock, a heavy rumbling noise issue from the cave, like a strong wind. When that ceased, the rocks cracked, and the whole appeared to be going in a moment to final destruction. However, no one was injured, although large portions of rock fell in different parts of the cavern.

In advancing into the cavern, the avenue leads from the second hoppers, west, one mile; and thence southwest, to the chief area or city, which is six miles from the entrance. This avenue, throughout its whole extent from the above station to the cross-roads, or chief area, is from sixty to one hundred feet in height, of a similar width, and nearly on a level, the floor or bottom be ing covered with loose lime-stone, and saltpetre earth: When," observes the Doctor, "I reached this immense area (called the chief city) which contains upwards of eight acres, without a single pillar to support the arch, which is entire over the whole, I was struck dumb with astonishment.-Nothing can be more sublime and grand than this place, of which but a faint idea can be conveyed, covered with one solid arch, at least one huudred feet high, and to all appearance entire."

Having entered the area, the Doctor perceived five large avenues leading from it, from sixty to one hun

*A hopper is an inverted cone, into which corn is put at a mill before it runs between the stones,

The

dred feet in width, and about forty in height. stone walls are arched, and were from forty to eighty feet perpendicular in height before the commencement of the arch.

In exploring these avenues, the precaution was taken to cut arrows, pointing to the mouth of the cave, on the stones beneath the feet, to prevent any difficulty in the return. The first which was traversed, took a southerly direction for more than two miles: when a second was taken, which led first east, and then north, for more than two miles further. These windings at length brought the party, by another avenue, to the chief city again, after having traversed different avenues for more than five miles. Having reposed for a few moments on slabs of limestone near the centre of this gloomy area, and refreshed themselves and trimmed their lamps, they departed a second time, through an avenue almost north, parallel with the one leading from the chief city to the mouth of the cavern ; and having proceeded upwards of two miles, came to the second city. This is covered with a single arch, nearly two hundred feet high in the centre, and is very similar to the chief city, except in the number of its avenues which are two only. They crossed it over a very considerable rise in the centre, and descended through an avenue which bore to the east, to the distance of nearly a mile, when they came to a third area, or city, about one hundred feet square, and fifty in height, which had a pure and delightful stream of water issuing from the side of a wall about thirty feet high, and which fell on a broken surface of stone, and was afterwards entirely lost to view.

Having passed a few yards beyond this beautiful sheet of water, so as to reach the end of the avenue, the party returned about one hundred yards, and passing over a considerable mass of stone, entered another, but smaller avenue to the right, which carried them south, through a third, of an uncommonly black hue, somewhat more than a mile; when they ascended a very steep hill about sixty yards, which conducted them to within the walls of the fourth city. It is not inferior to the second, having an arch which covers at least six acres. In this last avenue, the extremity of

which cannot be less than four miles from the chief city, and ten from the mouth of the cavern, are upwards of twenty large piles of saltpetre earth on the one side, and broken lime-stone heaped up on the other, evidently the work of human hands.

(To be continued.)

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL HISTORY.

MASON-BEES.

It would not be easy to find a more simple, and, at the same time, ingenious specimen of insect architecture, than the nests of those species of solitary bees, which have been justly called mason-bees (Megachile LATREILLE.) Reaumur, who was struck by the analogies between the proceedings of insects and human arts, first gave to bees, wasps, and caterpillars those names which indicate the character of their labors; and which, though they may be considered a little fanciful, are at least calculated to arrest the attention. The nests of mason-bees are constructed of various materials; some with sand, some with earth mixed with chalk, and some with a mixture of earthy substances and wood.

Mason-Bee-(Anthophora reiusa.)-Natural size.

On the north-east wall of Greenwich Park, facing the road, and about four feet from the ground, we discovered, December 10th, 1828, the nest of a masonbee, formed in the perpendicular line of cement between two bricks. Externally there was an irregular cake of dry mud, precisely as if a handful of wet road-stuff had been taken from a cart rut and thrown against the wall; though, upon closer inspection the cake contained more small stones than usually occur in the mud of the

adjacent cart-ruts. We should, in fact, have passed it by without notice, had there not been a circular hole on one side of it, indicating the perforation of some insect. This hole was found to be the orifice of a cell about an inch deep, exactly of the form and size of a lady's thimble, finely polished, and of the color of plaster of Paris, but stained in various places with yellow.

Exterior wall of Mason-Bee's nest.

This cell was empty; but upon removing the cake of mud, we discovered another cell, separated from the former by a partition about a quarter of an inch thick, and in it a living bee, from which the preceding figure was drawn, and which, as we supposed, had just changed from the pupa into the winged state, in consequence of the uncommon mildness of the weather. The one which had occupied the adjacent cell had, no doubt, already dug its way out of its prison, and would probably fall a victim to the first frost.

Cells of a Mason-Bee (Anthophora retusa.)-One third the natural size. Our nest contained only two cells-perhaps from there not being room betweeen the bricks for more. 2

VOL. III.