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V. Ancient Aërolite.

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A Danish journal mentions a fact (taken from the Speculum Regale, a book written in the thirteenth century under the reign of the Danish king Snorro, and by some supposed to be written by the king himself), of which it would be interesting to ascertain whether any trace remains yet in Iceland. In this book, is told that in the church of Kloena, in Iceland, an anchor is kept, which had fallen from the air; and, adds the Danish journalist, it is probable that it was an aërolite in form resembling an anchor, or that an anchor had been made of this meteoric iron.

VI. Mathematical Laws of Electro-Magnetism.

Mr. Barlow, who has so successfully reduced the laws of induced magnetism to mathematical principles, has been equally fortunate in rendering electro-magnetism a matter of computation. The battery he employed was on the principle of Dr. Hare's Calorimotor, and the experiments were made by means of a rectangle of stout brass wire, each side of which was four feet. One side of this was open, so as to make the connexion with the battery, and the other vertical side was passed through the centre of a table, divided into the points of the compass, and round which, therefore, a magnetic needle might be placed at any azimuth. The two horizontal sides of the rectangle might be slipped up and down on the vertical wires, whereby the length of the conducting part of the vertical wire might be changed at pleasure; and the distance of the compass itself from the vertical wire might also, in like manner, be varied ad libitum, by merely sliding to and from the centre. From his experiments with this apparatus, Mr. Barlow has drawn the following general conclusions, viz. “that every particle of the galvanic fluid in the conducting wire acts on every particle of the magnetic fluid in a magnetized needle, by a force which varies inversely as the square of the distance; but that this action is neither to attract nor to repel either pole of the magnetic particles, but a tangential force, which is reciprocal between the two fluids, and which tends to place the poles of either at right angles to those of the other, and to the right line which joins them." This theory is said to be applicable to every phenomenon that has yet been observed in this new branch of natural philosophy.-(Edin. Phil. Jour. vii. 281.).

VII. Azotic Springs in North America.

In the south-east corner of the town of Hosick, Rensselaer county, New York, are three springs comprised within about four or five acres of ground, from which issues an incalculable quantity of pure nitrogen gas. It seems to rise from the gravel-beds beneath the water; by pressing upon a surface of the gravel equal to five or six inches square, a quart of the gas may be collected in an inverted jar or bottle in ten seconds.-(Ibid. p. 387, from a Geological Survey of the County.)

VIII. A new Mineral called Gibbsite.

This substance, named after a celebrated American mineralogist, was discovered by Dr. E. Emmons, in a neglected mine of brown hæmatite in the town of Richmond, Massachusets. It occurs in irregular

stalactitic masses, from one to three inches in length, and one or more in breadth, consisting of elongated tuberous branches united in a parallel direction. It is rather harder than calcareous spar, is slightly translucid, and has a specific gravity of 2:40. It does not effervesce with acids, and whitens before the blowpipe.

According to the analysis of Dr. Torrey, of New York, who was particularly careful in ascertaining that it contained neither fluoric acid nor phosphoric acid, the constituents of gibbsite are:

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(Ibid. p. 388, from the New York Med. and Phys. Jour. No. 1.)

IX. Tungstate of Lime.

A specimen of this substance found in America, and analyzed by Mr.

Bower, gave

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Dr. Henry is printing a New Edition of his Elements of Experimental Chemistry, with great Additions, and Alterations.

A Journal of a Horticultural Tour through some Parts of Flanders, Holland, and the North of France in the Autumn of 1817, by a Deputation of the Caledonian Horticultural Society.

JUST PUBLISHED.

Transactions of the Geological Society, Vol. I. Part I. Second Series. 4to. 17. 11s. 6d. This volume contains the following papers: On the Geology of the Southern Coast of England, from Bridport to Babbicombe Bay; by H. J. de la Beche, Esq. On the Bagshot Sand; by Henry Warburton, Esq. On a Freshwater Formation in Hordwell Cliff; by Mr. Webster. On Glen Tilt; by Dr. Mac Culloch. On the Excavation of Valleys by Diluvian Action; by the Rev. Prof. Buck

land. On the Icthyosaurus and Plesiosaurus, by the Rev. W. Conybeare. Outline of the Geology of Russia; by the Hon. W. T. H. Fox Strangways. On the Geology of the Coast of France, Department de la Seine inferieure, by H. J. de la Beche, Esq. On the Valley of the Sutluj in the Himalaya Mountains; by H. J. Colebrooke, Esq. On the Geology of the North-eastern Border of Bengal; by H. Ĵ. Colebrooke, Esq.; with various other Papers and Notices; the whole illustrated by 24 Plates, Maps, and Sections, many of them coloured.

A Succinct Account of the Lime Rocks of Plymouth, being the Substance of several Communications read before the Geological Society of London: with 10 Lithographic Plates. By the Rev. Richard Hennah, Chaplain to the Garrison of Plymouth. Royal 8vo. 12s.

Select Dissertations on several Subjects of Medical Science. By Sir Gilbert Blane, Bart. FRS. Physician to the King, &c. &c. 8vo. 12s. Lectures in which the Nature and Properties of Oxalic Acid are contrasted with those of Epsom Salts. By Robert Venables, MD. T. C. D. 2s. 6d.

An Address to Parents on the Present State of Vaccination in this Country, with an impartial Estimate of the Protection which it is calculated to afford against the Small-pox. By a Candid Observer. 8vo. 3s.

A Guide to the County of Wicklow: illustrated by five highly finished Engravings after the Designs of George Petrie, Esq. and a large Map of the County from an original Survey. By the Rev. G. N. Wright, AM. Royal 18mo. 7s.

ARTICLE XIII.

NEW PATENTS.

J. Collier, Crompton-street, Brunswick-square, for improvements upon machines for shearing cloth.-Sept. 27.

W. Goodman, Coventry, hatter, for improvements in looms.Sept. 27.

J. Bourdieu, Lime-street, London, Esq. for improving the preparation of colours for printing wove cloths.-Sept. 27.

B. Boothby, iron works, Chesterfield, for an improved method of manufacturing cannon-shot.-Sept. 27.

J. Moxon, Liverpool, merchant, and J. Fraser, King-street, Commercial-road, engineer, for improvements in ship cabooses or hearths, and also for apparatus to be occasionally connected therewith, for evaporating and condensing water.-Sept. 27.

F. L. Fatton, New Bond-street, watchmaker, for improvements on watches or chronometers.-Sept. 27.

T. T. Benningfield, High-street, Whitechapel, tobacco-manufacturer, and J. T. Beale, Christian-street, St. George's in the East, cabinetmaker, for improvements on steam-engines.-Sept. 27.

J. Frost, Finchley, for a new method of casting or constructing foundations, piers, walls, &c.-Sept. 27.

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The observations in each line of the table apply to a period of twenty-four hours, beginning at 9 A. M. on the day indicated in the first column. A dash denotes that the result is included in the next following observation.

REMARKS.

Tenth Month.-1. Fine. 2. Rainy. 3. Cloudy and fine. 4. Foggy morning : very frequent lightning in the evening: some thunder: night stormy. 5. Cloudy. 6. Cloudy; windy. 7. Cloudy. 8. Rain. 9. Variable. 10. Fine morning: rainy night. 11. Fine. 12. Cloudy. 13. Rainy: stormy night. 14. Fine. 15. Cloudy: rainy night. 16, 17. Rainy. 18. Day fine: night rainy. 19. Rainy: a storm of thunder, lightning, and hail, between twelve and one. 20. Rainy. 21. Showery: night boisterous. 22. Fine: Stratus in the marshes at night. 23. Fine. 24. Day fine: evening rainy. 25. Fine. 26. Cloudy: fine. 27. Fine: Stratus on the marshes at night. 28. Fine. 29. Cloudy. 30. Cloudy. 31. Fine.

RESULTS.

Winds: NE, 1; E, 3; SE, 8; S, 1; SW, 10; W, 2; NW, 4; Var. 2.

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For 13 days, ending the 12th (moon north) ......... 29.838

For 14 days, ending the 26th (moon south)

Thermometer: Mean height

.. 29.687

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