Some Queries and Answers, Relating to an Account Given in Numb. 54. by Dr. Edw. Brown, of a Strange Lake in Carniola, Call'd the Zirchnitz-Sea: The Queries Were Made by a Curious Person in France; The Answers Given by the Author of the Said Accompt

from her Head, and stream'd out to some distance from it: Nor did she bleed only there, but upon her shoulders, and at the Waist, in such quantities, that the linnen next her might be wrung, it was so wet; and every day required clean linnen. She for three days bled also at the Toes, at the bend of her Arms, at the Joynts of her fingers of each hand, and at the fingers ends; and in such measure, that in a quarter of an hour the mother hath catch't from the droppings of the fingers; almost so much as the hollow of her hand would hold. All the time of this bleeding the child never cry'd vehemently, but only groan'd; though about three weeks before, it had such a violent fit of crying as the Mother said she never heard. After the Child was dead, there appear'd in those places where the blood came, little holes like the prickings of a Needle. This Accompt I had from the Mother of the Child who is a very sober Woman; and she told it me with tears. Every circumstance is so far from fiction, that the Women, who were many, that were with the Child in its illnes and at its death, do attest it. I saw the Child's Coat stained, at the waist of it, with the blood that came from that part; and also another thing bloody from the head of it. The mother told me, the blood was not thin like water, but of that thickness as blood usually is; and that she and others believed, there was little or no blood left in the body of the Child. If the the time of the Child's death will add any thing to this relation, it was about last Candlemas. Some Queries and Answers, relating to an Account given in Numb. 54. by Dr. Edw. Brown, of a strange Lake in Carniola, call'd the Zirchnitz-Sea: The Queries were made by a Curious person in France; the Answers given by the Author of the said Accompt. 1. Q. Whether the Mountains that compass this Lake, except on the South-side, be very high, and whether the Snow keep long upon them? A. This Lake is encompassed with high hills at some little distance, but when I was upon the Lake, I saw no Snow upon them; but upon Mountains in the Country, as I travell'd to and from this Lake, I observ'd Snow in June. Upon Hills on the side of great Lakes the Snow lyes not so long as upon hills more distant. 2. Q. Whether the Holes and Openings, by which these Waters run out, are in stones, or in the loose Earth? A. Generally they are stony, not in soft or loose Earth; yet in one or two places the Earth hath been known to sink and fall in, particularly near a Village call'd Sea-dorf. 3. Q. Whether these Holes be the same every year, and whether no New ones are made? A. The great Holes are the same every year; but possibly part of the water may sometimes find or make new passages through the crevices and cribrous parts of the Field. 4. Q. Whether they have not searched into these Holes, and do not see the water at the bottom of these holes, or in wells, at the time when this Lake is discharged of the greatest part of its water? A. They have searched into these holes, and when the water goeth first away, they see it in them for a while, but afterwards it descends lower out of their sight. 5. Q. Whether, when the water is descended in June into those Holes, there remains none of it in this Lake in places above those holes? A. There remains at that time no water, at least not any that is considerable for any time in places more elevated than those holes, most of it draining away towards the holes in the Valleys; the rest is either imbibed by the Earth, or, if any remain in the hilly or rocky part, it is evaporated. 6. Q. Whether there be not thereabout some River, or Snow, or Ice, that may furnish this Lake with the water that returns into it in September? A. The Snow falls not till after the Lake is return'd. There are divers considerable Rivers in the Countries about this Lake; but these furnish not this Lake, but run a contrary way. And I could not learn, whether these Rivers did increase or decrease upon the descent or return of the water of this Lake. 7. Q. How those that take the Fish at the return of the water, can remain at the place of the holes, when the water comes to rise high and with force? A. I affirm, not that they take the Fish when the water ascends, but when it descends. For, besides that the water spreads speedily, the Prince of Eckenberg, who is Lord of this Lake and the parts about it, will not permit them at that time to make any such attempt, expecting to have the Lake replenish again with the Fish without diminishing them. 8. Q. Of what bigness are those Holes, and whether the openings of them are perpendicular, or side ways? A. The Holes are of different largeness and figure; some perpendicular at the beginning, and then oblique; others oblique at first; scarce two exactly alike. Such holes I have seen in other parts of Carniola, and in other Countries also. We have a Hole call'd Elden-hole, not made by art, but naturally in the mountain, in the Peak-country of Derbyshire, above 80 fathoms deep. 9. Q. How much the water affords in September, and in what space A. The water ascends so plentifully, that it fills the Lake in a short time, especially the Valleys; and the hole in as short a space, as a Field of about two leagues long and one broad can well be filled; but I cannot determin it to a day: For, some years the water ariseth so plentifully, that it fills all about Niderdorf, and almost to Zirchnitz. 10. Q. Whether the water returning is turbid or clear? A. The water that spouts seems somewhat clear in the Air, but being spread about, looks as formerly in the Lake. 11. Q. Whether the water being all return'd in September remains until the month of June following at one and the same height? A. The water is not alwayes at the same height, but somewhat differing according unto rains, snows, or drought; and they are sensible of its height by the tops of the hills in it and and its spreading towards Zirchnitz; but it alters not very much till it begins to go away. 12. Q. Whether no River enters this Lake; and whether it have no other way of discharge but by these subterraneous Openings? A. No River enters it, but only inconsiderable Rivolets on the South and East-side; nor hath it any other discharge known, but by the holes. 13. Q. Whether the Scituation of this Lake in Respect of the neighbouring Country be not very high? A. The Country is high about the Lake, but the Lake is not high in respect of the Country near it, but low. Travelling from this Lake towards Idria, a place noted for Quicksilver-mines, I found the country mountainous; there are Mountains between it and Istria, and between it and the Sea; there are Mountains in Dalmatia, and also towards Croatia, and upon divers Mountains in other Countries there are waters replenish't with fish, as upon mount Genis. 14. Q. Whether there be not some neighbouring Hills, the last Ice of which melting in June, may open a passage to the water of this Lake, and which beginning again to freeze in September, may stop again the passage, and force the water to return into this Lake? A. I did not hear of any Mountain near it, the Ice of which melting might open a passage to the water of this Lake; but probably this Lake may hold dependance of, and communication with some subterraneous great Lake or Magazin of water belonging to these Hilly regions, which when full, and running over may vent itself with force and plenty into this field, and when scant of water, absorb and drink-in the same again; the water of the Lake returning but from whence it came, having no River running out of it, whereby to be discharged. 15. Q. 15. Q. Whether this Lake frezeth, and whether it hath many fountains on its banks or comming from near hills? A. It frezeth in the Winter like other Lakes: So the Fishes of this Lake have a closer habitation than those in others; for they are under the Ice a part of the Winter, and under the Earth a part of the Summer. 16. Q. What changes the Fishermen find on that stone they call the Fisher-stone, thereby to conjecture the time when the water is to run away? A. That which they call the Fisher-stone, is a large stone upon one of the Hills or elevated parts of the Field, which whenever it appears above water, the Fishermen, being upon the Lake, take notice of it, and know thereby, that in a few dayes the water will retire under ground. For, after the filling of the Lake in September, the water never decreafeth so low again, as to let the Fisher-stone appear till it begins to retire under ground. A Narrative of some Observations made upon several Voyages, undertaken to find a way for sailing about the North to the East-Indies, and for returning the same way from hence hither: Together with Instructions given by the Dutch East-India Company for the Discovery of the famous Land of Jesso near Japan. To which is added a Relation of sailing through the Northern America to the East-Indies. Englished by the Publisher out of Dutch, which had been compos'd by Dirick Rembrantz van Nierop, and printed at Amsterdam. 1674. in 4°. Amongst the several wayes, by eminent Navigators thought upon, for sailing to the East-Indies, that seems not the least considerable, which hath been propofed and attempted to be perform'd by the North-East. William Barentz, an experienced Pilot and stout Seaman of the Netherlands, in his Voyages of the Year 1594. and 1596, sailed Northward as far as to 77° 20', with an intention to have turn'd to the North-East, until he should by estimate find, he had in that course advanced far enough to change his course into that of South-East or South, and so to discover China, Catay, or Japan: But he was diverted from this purpose by his company, though he persisted until death in that opinion of his, viz. that that way of sailing far to the North of Nova Zembla, where there was a spacious Sea, free from Ice, and less cold than at a more Southerly Latitude, was the most probable way of discovering the East-Indies on that side of the World. Upon this Supposition divers Voyages have been attempted with the like intention: And though hitherto the Attempt hath been made that way, only from the side of Europe; yet that famous Seaman,