magnified, the others are as if they

did not exist.

"It seems to be established into a kind of system not to profit by any thing without us, and not to cultivate an acquaintance with any thing within us. Though we are perpetually remarking on the defects of others, yet when does the remark lead us to study and to root out the same defects in our own hearts? We are almost every day hearing of the death of others, but does it induce us to reflect on death as a thing in which we have an individual concern? We consider the death of a friend as a loss, but seldom apply it as a warning. The death of others we lament, the faults of others we censure, but how seldom do we make use of the one for our own amendment, or of the other for our own prepara tion.

"It is the fashion of the times to try experiments in the arts, in agriculture, in philosophy. In every science the diligent professor is always afraid there may be some secret which he has not yet attained, some occult principle which would reward the labour of discovery, something even which the assiduous and intelligent have actually found out, but which has hitherto eluded his pursuit. And shall the Christian stop short in his scrutiny, shall he not examine and inquire till he lays hold on the very heart and core of religion?

"Why should experimental philosophy be the prevailing study, and experimental religion be branded as the badge of enthusiasm, the cant of a hol ow profession? Shall we never labour to establish the distinction between appearance and reality, between studying religion critically and embracing it prac

tically? between having our conduct creditable and our heart sanctified? Shall we not aspire to do the best things from the highest motives, and elevate our aims with our attainments? Why should we remain in the vestibule when the sanctuary is open? Why should we be contented to dwell in the outer courts when we are invited to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus?

"Natural reason is not likely to furnish arguments sufficiently cogent, nor motives sufficiently powerful, to drive us to a close self-inspection. Our Our corruptions foster this ignorance. To this they owe their undisputed possession of our hearts. No principle short of Christianity is strong enough to impel us to a study so disagreeable as that of our faults. Of Christianity, humility is the prime grace, and this grace can never take root: and flourish in a heart that lives in ignorance of itself. If we do not know the greatness and extent of our sins, if we do not know the. imperfection of our virtues, the fallibility of our best resolutions, the infirmity of our purest purposes, we cannot be humble; if we are not humble we cannot be Christians.

"But it may be asked, is there to be no end to this vigilance? Is there no assigned period when this self-denial may become unnecessay? No given point when we may be emancipated from this vexatious self-inspection? Is the matured Christian to be a slave to the same drudgery as the novice? The true answer is--we may cease to watch, when our spiritual enemy ceases to assail. We may be off our guard when there is no longer any temptation without. We may Q2

con

cease our self-denial when there is no more corruption within. We may give the reins to our imagination when we are sure its tendencies will be towards heaven. We may dismiss repentance when sin is abolished. We may indulge selfishness when we can do it with out danger to our souls. We may

neglect prayer when we no longer need the favour of God. We may cease to praise him when he ceases to be gracious to us.---To discontinue our vigilance at any period short of this will be to defeat all the virtues we have practised on earth, to put to hazard all our hopes of happiness in heaven.”

ARTS,

"Processes for discharging Writing. The art of discharging writing is very ancient, and the means employed are very simple. In fact, we know that it is sufficient to moisten a written paper with any acid, when the writing will gradually disappear. But all the acids cannot be employed with equal success. Some leave a stain on the paper, which is not easily removed; others corrode and render the paper unserviceable. The way to avoid these inconveniences is to make choice of an acid which shall act on the writing only, without in

juring the paper, or giving it a colour different from that which it had before it was written upon.

"In order to discover such of the acids as are best suited for the operation in question, the author determined to submit common writing ink to the action of different acids, and to observe carefully the phænomena which these bodies present at the time of their mixture. ing to him, the sulphuric acid easily takes out writing, but at the same time it gives an oily tint to the paper.

Accord

"The acid oxalate of potash produces more certain and more prompt effects. The oxygenized muriatic acid, if it be newly made, seems to be preferable te the above two acids, because at the same time that it takes out the writing it bleaches the paper without altering it.

"It is not the same case with the nitric acid, which always takes out the ink, but soon penetrates the paper, and forms above it undulated lines of a yellow colour.

"We may succeed, however, in softening both these effects, by taking the precaution to dilute the nitric acid with a sufficient quantity of

water,

"In general, whatever be the kind of acid employed to discharge writing, it is always proper when the operation is performed to dip the paper in water, in order to dissolve the new combinations which the acids have formed with the particles of ink which have been discharged.

"M. Tarry, at the conclusion of this article, does not fail to observe, that China ink does not act like common ink with the acids, as its composition is quite different from that which we use for writing of all kinds. So far from the acids attacking China ink, they make it, on the contrary, of a deep black; it cannot be discharged, therefore, without erasing it.

ARTICLE II.

"The gallic acid is, according to the author, one of those agents, which in this case succeeds very well.

1

"The liquid prussiate of lime also produces a good effect.

"It is the same case with the alkaline hydrogenated sulphurets. But it is very certain that we never obtain any success from the employ. ment of these agents, when we have left any acid long in contact with the writing, and particularly if we have washed the paper afterwards.

"In short, we may easily conceive that in this case the constitu ent parts of the ink which were combined with the acid, and bad formed with it compounds soluble in water, having been taken up by this fluid, ought not to leave any trace of their existence longer; and consequently it is impossible that the agents employed for discovering then can render them visible.

"It is also for this reason that the gallic acid, the liquid prussiate of lime, the alkaline hydrogenated sui phurets, and so many other reagents which have been so much praised, can no longer be regarded as infal lible methods for reviving writing.

ARTICLE III.

Improvement of Common Ink. "Most of the inks now in use are of a bad quality. Some are spontaneously destroyed; others imper ceptibly lose their black colour, and assume a yellow one; several, after a length of time, enter into the paper, and spoil it: lastly, there are some which are first pale, and then become very black,

"All these differences arise from the nature of the substances which have been employed in the making of the ink.

"Convinced of the advantage of having a good article of this kind,

the

the author commenced a series of experiments, but is forced to admit that he has not discovered any recipe superior to that which has been published by Lewis. This ink, acGording to our author, combines every advantage: but we must observe that it is no more exempt than the rest from being dissolved in the acids, and in this respect it has an inconvenience which those who wish to discharge writing from paper know very well how to profit by. This circumstance, no doubt, induced M. Tarry to make some experiments in order to obtain an ink which should be inalterable by chemical agents; and he appears to us to have succeeded in his object.

ARTICLE IV.

Discovery of an Ink which resists the Action of chemical Agents. "The Author describes his invention in the following words:

"My ink is founded upon principles different from those of all others. It contains neither gall-nuts, Brazil wood, or Campeachy, gum, nor any preparation of iron: it is purely vegetable, resists the action of the most powerful vegetables, the most

highly concentrated alkaline solutions, and, finaily, all the solvents.

"The nitric acid acts very feebly upon the writing performed with this ink. The oxymuriatic acid makes it assume the colour of pigeons' dung. After the action of this last acid, the caustic alkaline solutions reduce it to the colour of carburet of iron: the characters of the writing nevertheless remain without alteration, and it cannot pass through these different states except after long macerations. The principles of which it is composed render it incorruptible, and it can retain its properties many years.

"The results which we obtained, coincided entirely with those of the author, and we have no hesitation in saying, that his is the best we have ever seen of the kind which is called indelible ink. It is liable, however, to deposit a sediment, a disadvantage which we think might be removed by M. Tarry after a few more experiments. We have tried to discharge it with all the known chemical agents, but w thout effect; and we think the inventor deserves the thanks of the Institute, and of the community at large."