the earthy or inorganick matter consists of phos- | is supplied with but few blood-vessels, with still phorick acid combined with lime, forming phosphate fewer nerves, with no absorbents large enough to be of lime. The cellular tissue is aggregated into visible, so that though it be truly alive, yet its vital plates or laminæ, which are placed one upon anoth- properties are not greatly developed. The arrangeer, leaving between them interspaces or cells, in ment of its component particles is highly curious, which is deposited the earthy matter (phosphate of the structure, the disposition, and the connexion of lime.) If a bone, for example, the bone called the individual bones afford striking examples of mechanradius, one of the bones of the fore-arm, be im- ism, and accomplish most important uses in the mersed in diluted sulphurick, nitrick, muriatick, or economy; but those uses are dependent rather upon acetick acid, it retains its original bulk and shape; mechanical than vital properties. The chief uses of bone are-1. By its hardness and firmness to afford a support to the soft parts, forming pillars to which the more delicate and flexible organs are attached and kept in their relative positions. 2. To defend the soft and tender organs by forming a case in which they are lodged and protected, as that formed by the bones of the cranium for the lodgment and protection of the brain; by the bones of the spinal column for the lodgment and protection of the spinal cord; by the bones of the thorax, for the odgment and protection of the lungs, the heart, and the great vessels connected with it. 3. By affording fixed points for the action of the muscles, and by assisting in the formation of joints to aid the muscles in accomplishing the function of locomotion. [Membranous portion of bone; the earthy portion being so completely removed, that it is capable of being tied in a knot.] it loses, however, a considerable portion of its weight, while it becomes so soft and pliable, that it may be tied in a knot. In this case, its earthy matter is removed by the agency of the acid, and is held in solution in the fluid; what remains is membranous matter (cellular tissue.) If the same bone be placed in a charcoal fire, and the heat be gradually raised to whiteness, it appears on cooling as white as chalk; it is extremely brittle; it has lost much of its weight, yet its bulk and shape continue but little changed. In this case, the membranous · ARCHITECTURE. surrounded it. Pleased with the form and novelty of the combination, he took the hint for inventing these columns, and used them in the country about Corinth, regulating by this model the manner and proportion of the Corinthian order. A beautiful illustration of this story will be seen in the cut. It has been before observed in our notice of Egyptian architecture, that the capitals to be found. in that country are much more likely to have given the hint for the Corinthian than the circumstance here mentioned. The only pure example of this order in Greece is the monument of Lysicrates, of which a view is given below. [Corinthian Order.] The Corinthian Order.-The story of the origin of this order, given by Vitruvius, is as follows:"The third species of columns, which is called Corinthian, resembles in its character the graceful, elegant appearance of a virgin, whose limbs are of a more delicate form, and whose ornaments should be unobtrusive. The invention of the capital of this order arose from the following circumstance. A Corinthian virgin, who was of marriageable age, fell a victim to a violent disorder: after her interment, her nurse collecting in a basket those articles to which she had shown a partiality when alive, carried them to her tomb, and placed a tile on the basket for the longer preservation of its contents. The basket was accidentally placed on the root of an acanthus plant, which, pressed by the weight, shot forth towards spring in stems of large foliage, and in the course of its growth reached the angles The capital of this specimen is exquisitely beautiful, of the tile, and thus formed volutes at the extremi- but the same praise cannot be awarded to the entablaties. Callimachus, who for his great ingenuity and ture: the architrave is too large, and the frieze extaste in sculpture was called by the Athenians tremely small; the bead-mouldings of the cornice KaTaTeXvos, happening to pass by the tomb, observed (which completely overpower the corona) consist of *he basket, and the delicacy of the foliage which large dentils, supported by the echinus, and sur and covered by the mounted by a cyma recta under a cyma reversa, [versa, which supports the corona. The base is extremely ovola. beautiful, resembling that of the temple of Minerva riched, which is usually the Polias, except that an inverted echinus is substitu- case, these mouldings, exceptted for the upper torus: the base stands upon a ing the cymatium and squase large inverted cavetto, connected with the continued of the corona, are all sculp.. plinth by another inverted echinus. The flutes ter- tured: the column is also fluminate upward in the form of leaves, instead of being ted, and the channels are divided from the capital as usual by an astragal. sometimes filled to about a The building is circular, and its centre is the sum-third of their height with cabmit of an equilateral triangle, of which the base is lings, which are cylindrical a line bounded by the centres of any two of the pieces let into the channels columns: the intercolumniation is six modules, When the column is large, thirteen minutes and one-fifth. Height of the col- and near the eye, these are umn, twenty modules, thirteen minutes and two- recommended as strengthenfifths, of which the base occupies twenty-one min- ing them, and rendering the utes; and the capital, two modules, twenty-seven fillets less liable to fracture; minutes. The architrave, fifty-three minutes and but when they are not aptwo-fifths; the frieze, forty-one minutes and two-proached, it is better to leave fifths; and the cornice forty-eight minutes and four- the flutes plain. They are fig. 1. fig. 2. fifths. The finest Roman example of this order is sometimes sculptured, but this should be only in that of three columns in the Campo Vaccino at highly enriched orders. An example is given in Rome, which are commonly considered as the re- fig. 1. mains of the temple of Jupiter Stator. This example has received the commendation of all modern artists, yet has seldom been executed in its original form. This is probably owing to the excessive richness and delicacy of it, which renders its adoption very expensive, and perhaps the modification of it by Vignola is preferable to the original, possessing a sufficient enrichment without the excess-bers, "is proper for all buildings where elegance, ive refinement of the other. The flutes are twenty-four in number, and commonly semicircular in their plan. The Corinthian base is similar to that of the composite order, excepting that two astragals are employed between the scotia instead of one; but the Attick is usually employed for the reasons before assigned. "The Corinthian order," says Sir William Cham gaiety, and magnificence are required. The ancients employed it in temples dedicated to Venus, to Flora, Proserpine, and the nymphs of fountains, because the flowers, foliage, and volutes with which it is adorned seemed weil adapted to the delicacy and elegance of such deities. Being the most splendid of all the orders, it is extremely proper for the decoration of palaces, publick squares, or galleries and arcades surrounding them; for churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary, or to other virgin saints, and on account of its rich, gay, and graceful appearance, it may with propriety be used in theatres, in ball or banquetting rooms, and in all places consecrated to festive mirth, or convivial recreation." The Roman, or Composite Order. This order (though not considered by them as a distinct one) was employed by the Romans principally in triumphal arches, the column and entablature being the same as, or little differing from, the Corinthian. The difference was, however, sufficient for the Italians to ground a new order upon. The capital, as being composed of the Ionick and Corinthian, they termed composite, and to justify the application of the name to the order in general, they combined in the entablature the dentils of the Ionick with the mutules of the Dorick, and enrichments of the Corinthian, and gave to the architrave but two fasciæ, thus rendering it in some respects more simple, but more enriched than the latter, while the former had little but the name left in the composition. The whole order may be safely pronounced to be heavy, without possessing grandeur, and rich, though destitute of beauty. In this order (which has been adopted by Sir William Chambers) the base is one module in height; the shaft, sixteen modules, twenty minutes; and the capital, two modules ten minutes; thus giving ten diameters to the whole column. The architrave and frieze are each one module, fifteen minutes in height, and the cornice, two modules. The cornice is distinguished by modillions interposing between the bead-mouldings and corona; the latter is formed by a square member surmounted by a cy- The base commonly appropriated to this order is matum supported by a small ogee: the former extremely beautiful: it consists of two tori (the is composed by dentils, supported by a cyma re-lower of which is considerably the larger,) with t buen so the light passing through the lens of the eye falls clove upon the network and forms an inverted image of thodus external objects. Lying beneath the network in the human eye, the fibres of the optick nerve may be seen converging round a point at the focus of the bond lens. The probable use of this arrangement is to drbasu enable man to see very minute objects. Behind the fibres there is a bed of globules kept in place by a very delicate membrane called the coat of Jacob. There has lately been much newspaper discussion in consequence of the denial of the fact that the image on the retina is inverted. Independently of such authorities as Kepler, Newton and Brewster, b we may be easily satisfied of the inversion of the image by cutting a portion from the back of the eye of an animal recently killed. If the image were not inverted on the retina every thing would appear upside down, for pressure on one part of it gives an opposite impression to the brain. If I shut my eyes and press the retina of one of them with a finger on the outside, the circle of light that is thus produced will appear as if proceeding from the inside; if I press above, the circle will seem below and if I carry the finger completely round the eye the light will always be opposite to the finger. The inverted image is thus corrected by the nerve con veying an opposite impression.o scotia enclosing an astragal. This is called the proper base of the order, but the Attick is usually employed, being more simple, and consequently less expensive than the other. The measures of this order, from Sir William Chambers, are as follows: the base, thirty minutes; the shaft, sixteen modules, twenty minutes; and capital, two modules, ten minutes. The architrave, forty-five minutes; the frieze, forty-five minutes; and the cornice, two modules. A column of this order is shown at fig. 2.. [Fibres of Retina.] a. Entrance of optick nerve. What the grounds on which the image is received is in the camera-obscura, the retina is in the eye. This membrane consists of four coats; one of which beautifully reticulated, resembling the veins in a leaf after the soft part has been eaten away by insects, forms a semi-opaque screen to intercept the light. As the rays proceeding from a magick-lantern or admitted into a camera-obscura would form no image at the focus of the lens unless there was a muslin screen or other semi-opaque or opaque substance to intercept them, they would pass on and not be visible. ANECDOTE OF GENERAL WASHINGTON. OVE One Reuben Rouzy of Virginia owed the general about one thousand pounds. While president of the United States, one of his agents brought an action for the money; judgement was obtained and execution issued against the body of the defendant, who was taken to jail. He had considerable landed estate, but this kind of property cannot be sold in Virginia, unless at the discretion of the person. He had a large family, and for the sake of his children, preferred lying in jail to selling his land. A friend hinted to him, that probably General Washington did not know any thing of the proceeding, and that it might be well to send him a petition, with a statement of the circumstances. He did so and the very next post from Philadelphia, after the arrival of his petition in that city, brought him an order for his immediate release, together with a full discharge, and a severe reprimand to the agent for having acted in such a manner. Poor Rouzy was consequently restored to his family, who never laid down their heads at night without first presenting prayers to heaven for "their beloved Washington." Providence smiled upon the labours of the grateful family, and in a few years Rouzy enjoyed the exquisite pleasure of being able to lay the money with the interest, at the feet of this truly great man. Washington reminded him that the debt was discharged. Rouzy replied, the debt of his family to the father of their country, and the preserver of their parent, could never be discharged; and the general, to avoid the pleasing importunity of the grateful Virginian, who would not be denied, accepted the money only, however, to divide it amongst Rouzy's children, which he immediately did. Old Colony Memorial. MILITARY BOUNTY LANDS. boats with more facility, than any of the rivers in the west, the current being unusually gentle, and not in general exceeding two miles an hour. The surface is smooth, and the water deep and remarkably clear; and there are but few sand-bars, and no rapids, rocks, sawyers or snags, until you reach the "Starved Rock," about one mile above the town of Utica. Here you meet with the first permanent obstruction, being a ledge of sand-stone rocks, immediately at the foot of the lower rapids, and extending entirely across the river. This tract of country generally denominated the Military Tract, was surveyed during the years 1815 and 1816, and the greater part subsequently appropriated in bounties to the soldiers of the regular army, who served in the late war between the United States and Great Britain. It is situated between the rivers Mississippi and Illinois, and extends from their junc tion due north by a meridian line, denominated the fourth principal meridian, one hundred and sixty-nine iniles, presenting an irregular curvilinear triangle, the acute angle of which is at the junction of these two The town of Utica may therefore be justly conrivers. From this point the two rivers diverge, so sidered at the head of steam-boat navigation on the as to make a distance of ninety miles between the Illinois river, although steam-boats in high water extreme points of the northern boundary. Half way frequently ascend as high as Ottowa, the seat of jusbetween the extremes the width is sixty-four miles. tice of La Salle country, at the mouth of Fox river. The base line running due east and west, and com- The mean width of this river is about four hundred mencing seven miles above Quincy, on the Missis- yards. At a distance of about one hundred and fifty sippi, and terminating at the Illinois about four miles miles from its mouth the river expands into what below Beardstown, intersects the fourth principal is called "Peoria lake" which is twenty miles long, meridian at right angles seventy-three miles above and varies from one to three miles in width. Its the junction of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, waters are very transparent, its margin exhibits a and is fifty-two miles long. The whole tract accord- beautiful scenery, and its surface is frequently coving to the publick surveys contains two hundred and ered with innumerable flocks of pelicans, swans, seven entire townships, of six miles square, and geese and ducks, whose discordant notes when fright sixty-one fractional townships, containing together ened by the noise of the fowlingpiece, or from any 5,360,009 acres, of which 3,500,000 have been other cause, may be heard at considerable distances appropriated in military bounties. The residue con-up and down the water. It also abounds with every sists partly of fractional sections, bordering on the variety of fish to be found in any of the westeru rivers, partly of fractional quarter sections, bordering waters. It may be safely asserted, that there is no on the township lines, containing more or less than sheet of water of equal extent in any of the western one hundred and sixty acres, and partly of lands states, containing such an abundance and variety of that were returned by the publick surveyors as unfit fish and fowl as this lake. for cultivation; but there are also large reservations The mean width of the Mississippi river bordering not coming within the above exception, being the on the bounty lands extends three fourths of a mile. overplus of lands after satisfying the military claims, It is beautifully interspersed with small islands of timsubject to entry and purchase as other Congress berland, and very much resembles that part of the Ohio lands. This tract of country lies between 380 54' river, which lies between Louisville and its mouth; and 41° 40′ of north latitude, and 13° west longitude its waters being equally transparent, and its current from Washington city, and is bounded on the north-equally gentle. Its navigation from St. Louis to the west for two hundred and fifty-five miles by the Mis- foot of the Des Moines rapids, forty-five miles above sissippi river, and for about the same distance on the the town of Quincy, is never obstructed, except for northeast by the Illinois. Thus do these two great a few weeks during the winter season, when it is rivers in their diverging course, with Rock river blocked up by the ice. This however, does not approximating from the north, form a spacious pen-occur every season, as we had arrivals of steam-boats insula, furnishing a border to the bounty lands by at Quincy from St. Louis, as late as the month of a sheet of navigable waters for steam-boats more than five hundred miles in extent, leaving no part of the tract more than forty-five miles and the greater part not exceeding twenty miles from steam-boat navigation. A water communication may be easily opened between the Illinois river and lake Michigan by means of a canal. To effect this object 300,000 acres of land were donated to the state by an act of Congress in 1827; and the Legislature at the last session passed a law authorizing a loan of $500,000 on the credit of these lands, and appointed commissioners to carry this object into effect. It is expected that active operations will be commenced sometime during the present season. This communication between the Illinois river and the lakes, must eventually greatly increase the value of the bounty lands, by affording a choice of markets for their products, either at Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo, New York, Montreal or Quebec, by way of the Illinios canal and the lakes, or by the natural channels of the rivers at St. Louis and New Orleans. It is presumed that the Illinois may be ascended by loaded January of the past winter. From the foot of the Des Moines rapids to Galena, the navigation is very uncertain depending entirely on the season, and the stage of the water. During some seasons, there is no material difficulty in ascending the river, with steam-boats of light draught, to the upper Mississippi lead mines and Prairie du Chien, and even as high up as the fall of St. Anthony a distance exceeding nine hundred miles above the city of St. Louis. There is never much difficulty in passing the Des Moines and Rock river rapids, in the ascent where there is a sufficient depth of water, the rapidity of the current not being so great as to require much additional power to enable boats to effect a passage In the interiour of the tract, and traversing it in various directions, are several other rivers and creeks of less consequence in a commercial point of view, but nevertheless, of great utility in other respects to the settlements in their vicinity. Of these Spoon, Henderson, Edwards, and Pope's river, and Crooked, Kickapoo or Red Bud, Copperas, Otter, McKee's McCraney's Hadley's Mill, and Bear Creeks, are |