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1818.]

Proceedings of Universities.

pages, might have been omitted, without any disadvantage to the work; since those who read it as a novel will find it too serious to be amusing, and others who may peruse it from different motives, will wish its character had been more uniform, and agree with us, that by endeavouring to blend deep religious instruction with subjects of a lighter cast, authors not unfrequently injure the cause they appear most anxious to promote.

Amusements in Retirement, or the Influence of Literature, Science, and the Liberal Arts, on the Manners and Happiness of Private Life. By the author of the "Philosophy of Nature." Second Edition. 8vo. 10s. 6d.

Cursory Remarks on Wheel Carriages. By John Cook. Second Part. 8vo. 5s. 6d. Adams's Elements of the Ellipse, together with the Radii of Curvature, &c. relating to the Curve, and of Centripetal and Centrifugal Forces in Elliptical Orbits, &c. ⚫ 8vo. 12s.

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Parry's Art of Book Binding. 12mo. 5s. Canning's Speech in the House of Commons, March 11, 1818, upon the third reading of the Indemnity Bill. 8vo. Is.

An Account of the Charitable Donations to places within the County of Berks, with observations on the management of Charities, and answers to the Circular Letter of the Committee of the House of Commons. By F. C. Barry, esq. A. M. 4to. 31s. 6d.

A Letter to Sir William Scott, in answer to Mr. Brougham's Letter to Sir Samuel Romilly on the abuse of Charities. 8vo. 3s.

The Progress of Human Life, Shakspeare's Seven Ages of Man, illustrated by a series of extracts in prose and verse. 12mo. 65.

The Emigrant's best Guide, or the most recent and important information respecting the United States. By John Knight.. 8vo. 1s. 6d.

Important Extracts from original recent Letters, written by English Emigrants in the United States, to their friends in England. By John Knight. 8vo. Is. 6d.

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Holditch's Emigrant's Guide to America. 8vo. 4s. 6d.

Shilton's History of Southwell. 12mo. 7s.

VOYAGES AND TRAVELS.

Travels in Canada and the United States of America in 1816 and 1817. By F. Hall, esq. 8vo. 14s.

A Narrative of the Shipwreck of the Oswego on the South Coast of Barbary. By Judah Paddock her late master. 4to. 25s.

The Tourist through Ireland, by which the Traveller is directed to the objects most worthy of notice. By an Irish Gentleman. 12mo. 6s..

France. By Lady Morgan, with Four Appendices, by Sir J. C. M. on the state of Law, Finance, Medicine, and Political Opimion. Fourth Edition revised. 2 vols. 8vo. 24s.

VARIETIES.

OXFORD, October 10.-On Tuesday the Rev. Frodsham Hodson, D.D. Principal of Brasenose College, having been previously nominated by the Right Hon. Lord Grenville, Chancellor of the University, to be Vice-Chancellor for the year ensuing, was, in full Convocation, invested with that office; after which the Vice-Chancellor, nominated his ProVice-Chancellors, viz. the Rev. John Cole, D.D. Rector of Exeter College; othe&Rev Thomas Lee, D.D. President of Trinity College; the Rev. George William Hall, D.D. Master of Pembroke

College and the Rev. Peter Vaughan, D.D. Warden of Merton.

Congregations have been and will be holden for the purpose of granting Graces and conferring Degrees, on the following days in the ensuing Term:viz. Saturday, October 10, Thursday 22; Thursday, November 12, Thursday 19, Thursday 26; Thursday December 3, Thursday 17.

October 17-Yesterday, in fuil Convocation, the Degree of Doctor in Civil Law, by diploma, was conferred upon his Royal Highness the Grand Duke

350

Steam Engines Light without Heat-Antiquities.

Michael, brother of the Emperor of Russia; at which ceremony the Archduke Maximilian of Austria was present.

CAMBRIDGE, October 16.-On Saturday the 10th inst. being the first day of Term, the following gentlemen were appointed University officers for the year ensuing:

PROCTORS. Harry Pearce, M. A. Conduct of King's College; James Cumming, M.A. Fellow of Trinity College.

TAXORS. Edward René Payne, M.A. Fellow of King's College; William French, M.A. Fellow of Pembroke Hall...

MODERATORS. - George Peacock, M.A. Fellow of Trinity College; Richård Gwatkin, M. A. Fellow of St. John's College.

SCRUTATORS.-William Holme, B.D. Fellow of Emmanuel College; Robert Woodhouse, M.A. Fellow of Caius College.

The following gentlemen were on Monday last appointed the Caput:--

The Vice-Chancellor.

Rev. J. Wood, D.D. St. John's College. Divinity.

Rev. J. W. Geldart, LL.D. Trinity hall.-Law.

J. T. Woodhouse, M.D. Caius College.-Physic.

Rev. J. Evans, M.A. Clare Hall.Sen. Non Reg.

Richard Crawley, M.A. Magdalene. Sen. Regent.

Atmospheric Phenomenon. Mr. Thos. Forster has of late noticed a phenomenon which ought to engage the attention of philosophers, viz. that the moon, on rising, particularly about the full, appears to have the power of dispersing the clouds and clearing the atmosphere. This fact is best observed in the neighbourhood of the sea. This circumstance is slightly hinted at by Aristotle, and the early writers on meteorology.

Steam Engines.A desirable improvement has been effected by a gentleman of Manchester, in a method of constructing the flues of the boilers of steam engines in such a manner, that the gross part of the smoke is entirely consumed by combustion.

Light without Heat. Dr. E. Porter, of Easton, Pennsylvania, is said to have discovered a preparation capable of producing light without any sensible heat.

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By numerous experiments recently made, it is indubitably proved, that larch

[Nov. I,

bark answers every purpose in tanning, as well as oak bark.

Antiquities. The Bath papers say "The subterranea of our city and vicinity daily teem with more or less interesting remains of ancient times. Exclusively of those spirited enterprizes which have been so successfully pursued by the Rev. Mr. Skinner, at Roundhill tining, and at Camerton, and the acces sions still continuing to be made by individuals in and near Bath; the follow ing articles have been developed within the last fortnight:-A sepulchral urn with human bones and ashes; a small brass coin of the usurper Carausius; and a fine medal of Faustina Augusta, réverse Lucina, in large brass, at Walcot. A tesselated mosaic pavement, in Kings+ mead, behind Norfolk-Crescent. A stone sarcophagus, containing a human skeleton, dug near Mr. Harris's statwarys above Bathwick New Church.Thel skeleton is in possession of Mr. F. Hunty member of the Royal College of Singl geons, Northgate-street.] A celt, (more probably) an ax for hewing tim ber, found at Bathwick. This instruİ ment is formed of a hard grey stone, of that species called the Hanham pennant. It is near 13 inches in length, of mas sive dimensions, well contrived for effect, and evidently designed to be fastened to its handle by thongs, in the manner found to be usual in all barbarous nations where the use of the metals has been unknown. It is probably the largest instrument of its kind at present extant; and presuming it to have been antecedent to the introduction of the arts into Britain by the Romans, must be at least 1,800 years old. It is in the possession of Mr. O'Neil."

Take a

A Cure for the Dropsy. quantity of the thick hollow shells of oysters, let them be well dried by the fire; then scrape out of the hollow part of the shell all the white ciralky substance, un (that quantity having been found suffi til you get a quart thereof in powder cient:) in a gill glass of good brandy put shilling, and take that quantity every as much of the powder as will lie on a morning and evening.

In a field belonging to Wm. Helyar,' esq. of Coker-Court, near Yeovil, there have been lately discovered fine specimens of Roman pavement, with figures in alto relievo, representing two wars riors bearing a stag, suspended on a pole across their shoulders, and a dog underneath, together with some Roman coins

1818.]

Phenomenon-Plymouth Breakwater, &o..

of Teticus, Crispinus, and Vespasian. Tesselated pavements were found in three fields, one of which formed the floor of a room 12 feet in width, and 30 in length.

Phenomenon. Lately, in a coal-pit situated upon the Outwood, near Wakefield, and belonging to Wm. Fenton, esq. out of the lower bed or seam, at a distance of 150 yards from the surface of the earth, a block of coal was dug up, which, when broken, contained a lizard, of the species vulgarly denominated askers. The animal was alive; but upon being exposed to the air it soon died. The cavity in which it was found was only just large enough to contain it.

Plymouth Breakwater. The equinoctial gales have commenced; and on the 21st and 23d inst. they proved extraordinarily violent from the southward and westward, which occasioned a heavy pressure of the sea against the breakwater. During the former day his Majesty's schooner Sea Lark, the Thalia East Indiaman, Providence coal brig, and Pilgrim merchant sloop, of about 60 tons, were in the Sound, the two first vessels being moored in good births, the Providence nearly where the unfortunate Jasper lay, and the Pilgrim close to the Melampus shoal, in the most exposed part of the Sound, and not far from the spot whence his Majesty's late schooner Telegraph began to drive on shore. They all rode out the storm in safety, and when it had abated, the brig and sloop went into Catwater. On the 23d the vessels in the Sound were his Majesty's ships Spartan, the Sea Lark, and the Thalia, which sustained the gale with the same ease as before, and report high ly of the sheltering protection afforded by the breakwater. Notwithstanding the fury of the waves, not a single stone of the finished part of this structure has been injured or displaced. The raising of the western arm already begins to have the most beneficial influence on the anchorage, particularly from half-ebb to half-flood.

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351

presentation of all the recent discoveries up to February, 1818, together with a description of the most leading and interesting objects.

Distillation by Steam. An experiment to distil by steam is making at Roscrea, under the inspection of Excise officers and several experienced distillers. Great expectations are entertained by those concerned, as to the saving of time and of fuel in case of success.

The grand series of National Medals, undertaken by Mr. Mudie, advances with spirit towards its completion, and in point of execution rivals the very finest productions of the continent. Five new medals have just been published, making thirty-four, of which the series is intended to consist. These are in honour of Lord Nelson, Sir Sidney Smith, Sir John Moore, the Constitution of the Ionian Isles, and Lord Wellington's protection of Portugal, in the lines of Torres Vedras. The heads of Nelson, Smith, and Moore, are entitled to high commendation for their correctness and relief, and the allegorical reverses of the whole are exquisitely finished.

Mr. Minasi, artist to his Sicilian Majesty and the Duke of Sussex, has just finished a moderate sized portrait of her Royal Highness the late lamented Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Coburg. This excellent artist has rather romantically, yet still with much simplicity and taste, allegorically represented her Royal Highness as a beautiful and resplendent star; and agreeably to Platonic philosophy, this amiable Princess, in resuming her abode in her ancient star, shines still brighter by the virtues which immortalize her name, and the serenity of her still lovely but pensive countenance is only interrupted by the emblem of eternity which surrounds it.

Cure for the Bite of a Mad Dog. The Nottingham paper says: "The fol lowing receipt has been tried and proved by experience to be an infallible remedy for the bite of a mad dog. Clean the wound with water, and place on each impression of the dog's tooth a small round pellet of lint, dipped in oil of vitriol, tying the entire round with a bandage the bales of lint should be in proportion to the wound, from the size of the head of a pin to a small pea. This application Dr. F. has found to be an infallible remedy, even when the bite has been undressed for 48 hours. Should any sore remain after the caustic, it is to be treat

Amongst the English travellers in Italy who are occupied in illustrating the ancient remains of that wonderful country, Mr. Henry Wilkins, brother to the gentleman so well known by his celebrated work on Magna Grecia, has been for some time preparing a general view of the present state of Pompeii, its ruins, excavations, &c. This work will comprise thirty-two engravings on a large seale, a ground-plan of the city, exact re-ed as a common burn

352 New Method of Making Butter.-Preservation of Flowers. [Nov. 1,

RURAL ECONOMY.

The following directions contained in a Flemish Journal, we apprehend will be found worthy of trial in this country. The recent drought, by depriving almost all kinds of vegetables of their natural moisture, has given rise in several districts to épizooties, not epidemic, but endémic, which may be simply ranked among inflammatory diseases. The following treatment is the result of a long series of observation, and of its efficacy no doubt can be entertained.

1st. To the cattle attacked with the disease, water whitened with barley meal or fine bran, sharpened by a little nitrate of potash, and slightly acidulated, should be administered three or four times every day.

2d. As most of the diseases of ruminating animals have a tendency to putridity, although they live entirely on vegetables, it is proper to put, evening and morning, into their drink, a little vinegar, and one glass of an infusion of aromatic plants, as wormwood, sage, rue, camomile, rosemary, angelica, juniper-berries, &c. to each animal.

Care should be taken to rub and exercise them; but those barbarous scarifications which are sometimes employed, should be avoided. A seton may however be made in the dew-lap with black hellebore or perriwinkleleaf.

In consequence of the great deficiency of straw this year, Mr. Curwen has dried the stalks or haums of his extensive crop of potatoes, and they are stated to make comfortable litter for the cattle.

New Method of Making Butter.Put the cream intended for butter into a strong linen cloth, tie it up with a string, dig a hole in the earth fifteen inches deep, and let the bottom of it be sufficiently capacious to allow the cream in the linen cloth to lie about four inches deep all over it. Put another around that which contains the cream, to keep the dirt from it. When deposited in the hole, cover it up with earth (but not to tread it down) and let it remain twentyfour or twenty-six hours; then take it out, and pour the cream, which will be very thick, into a bowl, or other vessel, and stir it well from five to ten minutes with a wooden spoon, when the butter will be completely formed, and may be taken out and washed as usual. The advantages of this mode of making butter are as follow, viz.-Ist. The cream yields a larger quantity of butter, or an addition of about one pound in

ten; 2d. In hot weather butter is obtained without a tedious process, and is free from the rancid taste that long and hot churned butter generally possesses; and, 3d. A very small stock of cream may be operated upon equally as well as a larger quantity.-Durhum Advertiser.

The Preservation of Flowers by means of warm water.-The following facts are not new, but as they are very little known, they deserve to be communicated; partly as a curious addition to our previous knowledge of the vegetable kingdom, and partly as an easy means by which the lovers of flowers may enjoy them longer.

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Most flowers fade and wither after having been in water for four and twenty hours; some may be revived by renewing the fresh water; but all (with the exception of the most tender ones, such as the Poppy and perhaps a few others) become quite refreshed by putting them in warm water. For this purpose it is necessary to dip the flowers in the warm water to about the third part of the stalk. While the water is cooling, the flowers revive and resume their freshness; afterwards the end of the stalks is cut off and put in fresh water.

M. Aubert Petit-Thouars mentions in his Essays on Vegetation (Essais sur la Vegetation) some experiments made known in the year 1808, which are nearly connected with the preceding. Speaking of Layers, he expresses himself thus: Others affirm that by burning the end of the branch put in the earth, the success of the layer may be secured. Kolben, the traveller, first recommended this method; he says, that the new colonists at the Cape of Good Hope had attempted the planting of the vine without success, till a German hit upon the thought of burning the end of the suckers which he intended to plant ; the consequence was, that in the sequel they all succeeded. The experiments that I have hitherto made have failed. We, however, do something similar when we put flowers into water to preserve them; the lower end of the stalk is drawn through a candle, and I have been assured that even flowers which were withered became quite refreshed."

The bark of the willow tree burnt to ashes and mixed with strong vinegar, forms a lixivium which effectually eradicates, by repeated application, warts, corns, and other cutaneous exeres cences.

1818.1

FRANCE.

Foreign Varieties.

Several interesting experiments have lately been made in France, to, ascertain the relative quantity of nutritive matter contained in the vegetables of most common use. The object of these experiments was to determine a certain basis to be adopted in those public establishments where there is a great consumption of leguminous plants. The quantity of those used in the Maison de Detention, for example, was formerly fixed by the price of the potatoe; but it has been found necessary to take, as a point of comparison, not the prices of substances, but their nutritious qualities: accordingly three questions have been submitted to the Faculty of Medicine, tending to determine what quantities (with reference to the nutritive principle) of wheaten bread, meat, dry grain, rice, oatmeal, or vegetables, such as cabbages, turnips, spinach, beans, peas, &c. may be substituted for 45 kilograms of po

tatoes.

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M. M. Percy and Vauquelin were appointed to make the experiments on which the solution of these questions rested, and they have published the results in an interesting report on domestic economy. They have ascertain ed that bread contains 80 nutritive parts in 100; meal 34 in 100; French beans, 92 idem; common beans, 89 idem; peas, 93 idem; lentils, 94 idem; cabbages and turnips, the most aqueous of all the vegetables compared, produced only eight pounds of solid matter in 100 pounds; carrots and spinach produced 14 in the same quantity; whilst 100 pounds of potatoes contain 25 pounds of dry substance. It must be recollected, that the solid parts, when separated from the aqueous or humid parts, may contain a small quantity of extractive or ligneous matter probably unfit for food; and next, that the same substances do not act uniformly on all stomachs, and are relatively more or less nutritious. But as a general result, the learned reporters estimate that one pound of good bread is equal to two pounds and a half, or three pounds of potatoes; that 75 pounds of bread and 30 of meat, may be substituted for three hundred pounds of potatoes. The other substances bear the following proportions: four parts of cabbage to one of potatoes; three parts of turnips to one idem; two parts of carrots and spinach to one idem, and about three parts and a half of potatoes to one of rice, lentils, beans, French beans, and dry peas.

NEW MONTHLY MAG. No. 58.

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Field Rats have multiplied so greatly in some districts in France, that to put a stop to their ravages, all proprietors in the environs of Landau were ordered to deliver in, every day, two rats for every florin of rent they pay. It is said that the inhabitants of the village of Offenbach alone, who were extremely active in the execution of this order. gave in 47,300 rats in three days.

The following notice is given in the Moniteur:-" Navigators are informed that a new Light-house, erected on the Tower of the city of Calais, will be illuminated on the evening of Tuesday, the 1st of December, 1818, and will continue from that time to be kept lighted from sun-set to sun-rise. The flame of the Light-house will be white, revolving, and, in consequence subject to eclipses. It will produce during one revolution of the system, of which the duration will be about three minutes, two returns of light, increasing and decreasing, whose greatest intensity will be after about a a space of thirty seconds; these times of light will be separated by an eclipse of about a minute.”

A vessel has lately been exhibited on the Seine near Paris, which is impelled by wheels, like those attached to our steam-boats, but the wheels, instead of being moved by steam, are turned like a hand mill, by the strength of two men.

M. Auguste Sainte-Hilaire, a young French naturalist, who is at present travelling in Brazil for scientific purposes, has lately transmitted to the Jardin du Roi, at Paris, a number of valuable curiosities, namely, 24 mammalia, 131 birds, 255 crustaceous animals and insects, 5 reptiles, and two packets of seeds. They are all in excellent condition, and, with the exception of the seeds, will be arranged in the galleries of the Jardin du Roi. It is ascertained that upwards of one third of the abovementioned curiosities were not hitherto to be found in any French collection, and many of them have never been described.

MM. Biot and Arago, Members of the Institute, and the Bureau of Longitude, are gone to Dunkirk, where they intend, in concert with several English philosophers, to terminate their astrono mical observations for the measurement of the earth.

The West Indian plant, known by the name of the Caribbee-cabbage, (Arum colocassia, L.) has lately been successfully cultivated in the South of France. Its roots supply the place of the patatos VOL. X. 2 Z

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