But this recital was cut fhort by the fervant's announcing the Countefs of; who, without the smallest apology for making the company wait dinner for near two hours, walked up to a large mirror at one end of the room, and, adjufting a curl, afked Lord C. what made him leave D's fo foon last night? "We had a charming party, and did not fup "till two this morning. Before fupper I wor "50 from Dat Piquette: but I believe I "had the advantage of him; for he had rather "drunk too much wine with you at dinner." "Your fon was of the party," added fhe, turning to the old gentleman; "I got fome of his

money too. But what has become of him? "he promised to meet me here to-day."-" O "the graceless dog! I know nothing of him." At that inftant the young man entered the room, and we were immediately called to dinner. At table, Lady contrived to place her friend Caustic next to her; and they were fo much ingroffed with their own converfation, that they paid little attention to that of the company, which was carried on by the Countess and her fashionable friends, in the fame ftrain in which it had begun. Mr. B. was bufied in displaying the elegance of the entertainment, and was particularly folicitous to call Cauftic's attention to it. "How do you like my champaigne ?" "I

"am

"am no connoiffeur; I'feldom drink cham"paigne," faid Cauftic dryly. "It is damn'd "good," said Lord C.; "it is as good as we " used to drink with our ambaffador at Paris laft 66 year. I was fent thither by my father to learn "to speak French; but I spent my time to much "better purpose, I was admitted a member of "the cricket-club, and kept no other company." "I did not know," said I, " that cricket had been, "known in France." "Neither is it among your "French fellows; they have not genius for it. "Our club was to a man all Anglois, as they "called us. At first the French were con"foundedly furprised to fee us on the plains of "Sablons, playing with our fervants, all stripped "to the buff."

After much converfation equally edifying, the ladies at length retired, and the master of the feast began to push the bottle brifkly about. The old gentleman seemed to be particularly pleased with this; and his fon enjoyed it no lefs. The father told us anecdotes of his fon's debaucheries, and the fon amused us with ftories of his father's licentioufnefs. Cauftic was fhocked to the laft degree at this exhibition. He made a fignal to me, that he wished to retire. Before we could accomplish that, the old man got hold of the bottle, and, filling a bumper, asked leave to give a toast and then roared out a fentiment, as he called it,

in terms moft fhockingly grofs and indecent. "Well done, my old boy !" exclaimed the fon; "here goes in a bumper; and may we all, at

your age, be as jolly and as wicked as you are.' Cauftic could endure this no longer; he quitted the company, and I followed him. When we were alone, he afked me if such scenes were common among us? "If this," faid he, "be the

improvement and the refinement of which our "friend B- talked fo much, I hope I have "done with it. Folly and impertinence may be "fubmitted to; but the profligacy of that old "man provoked me beyond measure. We need "not wonder at the degeneracy of the times, if "a father is to teach debauchery to his own "children, and by precept and example to en"courage their progrefs in vice. For my part," added he, "I confider this as a fpecies of par"ricide (if we may apply the word to a father's "crime), for which no punishment is too fe"vere."

E

N° 15. SATURDAY, May 14, 1785.

THOUGH I would seldom choose to venture on any fubject fo purely fcientific as that which I propose for the paper of to-day; yet as I have a great respect for the very learned and curious correfpondent from whom the following letter was received, I cannot refift my inclination to communicate it entire to my readers.

"DEAR SIR,

Madrid, 27th Feb. 1785.

I have been at all poffible pains to discover, by means of those philofophers and travellers here who are best acquainted with Africa, whether any traces ftill remain of that species of men of whom your learned countryman has taken notice, mentioned by Agatharchides and Sir Francis Drake, called the Axgido payo, Grafhopper-eaters, or, as I incline to render the word, Locuft-eaters; but hitherto my inquiries have met with no degree of fuccefs. Though unsuccessful, they have not, however, been unproductive; as, in the courfe of my search after that fpecies, I have met with very well. authenticated relations of another variety of the human kind, ftill extant in that country, which I think

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I think has not been taken notice of by either of the above-mentioned authors, unless you fuppofe it to be the fame with that of the Angiopaya above mentioned, or perhaps with the Ixoay, or Fish-caters, recorded alfo by Agatharchides, and copied from him by Diodorus, and fome other later writers. The variety I mean is that of the pucano@ayo, or Toad-eaters; of which I proceed to give you a particular account, which I have been, happily, not only enabled to collect from the report of some voyagers who had vifited their country, but have actually had an opportunity of examining one myfelf, which is now in the poffeffion of that illuftrious and munificent patron of the arts, Don Gabriel de Crapolino, who had him from a learned prieft of the order of Jefus, feveral years a miffionary in Africa, whofe account alfo makes up a confiderable part of my relation.

The Phufalophagos or Toad-eater, though found in different degrees of latitude, is a native of · warm climates only, and feems to be of the migrating kind, who change their refidence according to the difference of times and feafons. In his original ftate, he appears, as indeed it is highly probable all favages are, inclined to creep or walk on all fours; and the habit of walking erect or straight is only an acquired one, which feems uneafy to him; and therefore he takes