dollars; according to the mode of travelling adopted, and the habits of the tourist in relation to economy or extravagance. But in times like the present, even those who are wealthy, should be edifying examplars of simplicity and frugality.

Oscar.

FOR THE RURAL MAGAZINE.

EXTRACTED FROM THE MANUSCRIPT COLLECTIONS OF C. E.

A remarkable instance of premonition of impending death.

Your readers may rely on the authenticity of what follows, as I assure them I copied it myself from the original letter in the well known hand writing of John Ross, Esq. deceased, who was an eminent attorney at law in this city, for many years before the American revolution, and also a member of the legislature, as a number still living can remember. The letter was addressed to his friend Dr. Cadwalader Evans, of this city, but then settled for a few years in the Island of Jamaica. The accident happened to John Kinsey, Jun. He was the son of John Kinsey, Esq., one of the most eminent lawyers of his time, also speaker of the Assembly and chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.

C. E.

Dear Dr. Evans,

I am going for Newcastle, early in the morning. I just heard of a vessel going to Jamaica before my return; so in haste determine to give you one scrawl, lest you should think the neighbourhood forget you. But you may depend that will never happen: we gratefully and cordially remember you often. I would tell you all the news in a word, if possible, with all haste. To begin—our neighbourhood just as you left us, only B. Franklin lives in your house. The Col. Hellier not yet gone to sea. I think all your acquaintance continue well, save poor Johnny Kinsey, jun. on Tuesday, the 8th inst. by accident shot himself dead, coming over Gray's ferry, by Schuylkill falls, while in the boat. He had loaded his gun, and, as is supposed, let the butt drop on the bottom of the flat, the gun in a line with his body by his side; went off when half cocked. The whole load of shot struck his left cheek, and went up directly into his brain. He dropped and was dead in an instant—never groaned. Great sorrow attended his father, and all his friends, for the accident. He had strange apparitions of his death the night before, which he informed his aunt Bowene of at breakfast, the morning of the accident. I must relate to you the particulars which are as true as surprising. He, talking with his aunt at breakfast concerning his being admitted as an attorney and going into business, said, he believed he had nothing to do with business, for his time, he thought, was not long in this world. He said that last night he was strangely disturbed in his sleep with dreams and apparitions; that his cousin Charles Pemberton, who died last spring, appeared to him, wrapped in a sheet, and said to him, "Kinsey, your time approaches, you must go with me," and he disappeared. Soon after, appeared a person before him in the form of an angel, (according to the idea he had of an angel) and said to him "Kinsey, your hour is come, you must go with me," and instantly he thought a flash of lightning struck him on the cheek and he instantly died. This was followed by a severe clap of thunder and lightning that awaked him from his sleep, and all those particulars came fresh to his memory, and gave him a great uneasiness. (Note—no thunder or lightning that night.)—Upon this he endeavoured to get asleep again, and after dozing a short time, he was awaked by the noise of a person walking across the room, giving a heavy groan. He heard or saw no more, but got out of bed and went into the other room, called the Scotch boy to bring in his bed and lay by him the remainder of the night. In the morning, at breakfast, on Tuesday last, he communicated all the before related to his aunt Bowene and Hannah Kearney. He seemed much dejected upon it, was confident he was near his end; but to divert himself for that day, he determined to take his gun and go fowling with young J. Derborow, young Oxley, and two or three more. They walked to Coultas' ferry and crossed Schuylkill, and up to the falls ferry. He told the company several times, as they walked, he wished no accident might befall him before he got home. On their return, crossing the ferry in the boat, the unhappy accident happened him. Thus you have the particulars of this melancholy affair, as fully as I could relate it if with you, and I chose to be particular in it, because I have met with no story in history so well attested as this concerning the premonitions from heaven of our dissolution. The flash that struck his cheek when asleep, was clearly answered by the flash of the gun and the shot thereof first striking. His aunt laboured to persuade him not to go a gunning that day, and he agreed; but afterwards meeting his company, they prevailed with him, as they had all agreed to go the night before.

Your father and all friends are well. I sincerely wish you all imaginable felicity, and with all the haste I began, I cannot help now concluding that I am your very affectionate friend and humble servant,

John Ross.

Dr. Cadwalader Evans, St. Anns, Jamaica.

Philad. Sunday Evening, }
13 Nov. 1748. }

FOR THE RURAL MAGAZINE.

FIRMITY AND HOMINY.

There are two ancient very wholesome and pleasant dishes, which are much used in the states south of Pennsylvania, to which the middle and northern states have not yet paid sufficient attention. The first called FIRMITY, is made of WHEAT. The second, called HOMINY, is made of Indian corn, or MAIZE. The grains of wheat and Indian corn are prepared by beating in the same manner in a wooden mortar, with an iron pestle, filed in crosses or ridges at the bottom, like a modern stamp or seal for letters.

To make the firmity mortar, or hominy mortar, select a tree of from two feet to two feet and one half in diameter. Cut off a length (or piece as nearly as possible cylindrical) of about the height of a man's waistband from the ground. Let an iron hoop be well secured on and around each of the ends, to bind and keep the wood together. Then make a hole at each end of this cut of wood, like the cavity of a common mortar, as wide as the wood will admit, at top, and narrowing to a blunt point at the bottom. Both cavities are to be made alike, so that in fact, in the one cylindrical piece of wood, there will be two mortars; one in and at each end. These may be used indiscriminately for wheat or firmity, or for Indian corn or hominy, and will occasion the utensil to last longer.—It will be proper not to have the bottoms of the two mortars, or mortar holes, so deep as to endanger the driving a hole from one into the other, which would destroy the use of both. When the mortar is thus well made, a moderate quantity of wheat, to make firmity, is to be put into the mortar, in the upper part, as it stands on the end, and the grain is to be moistened with a little warm water, to make the skin or bran come off easily and perfectly, by the beating. The pestle is then to be used by a man so as, by striking in among the grains of wheat, from the top to the bottom of the parcel, from time to time, and repeatedly, to skin the grains of wheat, which it will do effectually. When this is done, the grains are to be separated from the hulls or bran, by a sieve large enough to let the wheat through and keep out the bran or skin. When this has been done, the parcel is spread to dry, on a clean coarse linen or cotton cloth. The proper quantity is put into a