IMPROVEMENTS IN ARTS, SCIENCES, AND LITERATURE; With Notices refpecting Men of Letters. Patent to Mr. Hooper for Machinery for cleaning Harbours, &c. AT the head of the pier is a frame of timber, fo conftrućted that valves may be made in the pier, which is to be hollowed for a refervoir of water. As the waves dafh against the head of the pier, they force open the valves, and the water rufhes into the refervoir. As the tide ebbs, fluices are opened at the farther end, and the water, flowing out with impetuofity, carries away the flush into the main ftream, and more fand may be removed in this manner than was brought in by every tide. To peck up rocks under water, iron bars of fufficient length are fixed in receptacles by the fides of barges, which are moved up and down by the rolling of the barge, or by a roller worked within fide of it. A fhifting keel to affift veffels in going to windward, improvements on a water-wheel, and water-wheel for fcouring away fand for getting a veffel off the fand, are defcribed under the fame patent. Patent to Mr. Trevithick for improving the Steam Engine, and applying it to the Driving of Carriages. THE machinery in this patent cannot be defcribed without a plate; but it feems very ingenious, and there is no doubt that it can be applied to wheel carriages; but we fhould be glad to hear of any wheel carriages fo moved, and particularly the itate of the roads on which they are moved. The expence of the apparatus, and its liability to be out of order, are great drawbacks to the utility to be derived from this patent; and in a road where the waggon meets with continual jolts, the incrcated power of the machine to overcome the obftacle and the fucceffive diminution of it feem easier things in theory than in practice. The attempt, however, deferves credit, and on fome roads may be fuccessful. Patent to Mr. Storck for a Subftitute for Brewers' Yeaft. Six pounds of malt and three gallons of boiling water are mafhed toge ther, and left covered for three hours: to each gallon of the liquor drawn off are put two pounds of brown moift fugar, and the whole, being well stirred about, is put into a fimall veffel juft able to contain it, whose bunghole is covered only with brown paper, and kept blood warm for four days: then the fame quan. tity of malt and boiling water is prepared without fugar. The fermented and laft liquor are mixed together Modern Discoveries and Improvements in Arts, Sciences, &e. blood warm, and left to ftand forty eight hours. Now put twenty-fix ounces of hops to of water, and boil them till the liquor is as many gallons reduced to fixteen gallons, which math with malt, when the liquor is one hundred and ninety degrees in warmth; and, after standing two hours and a half, drain it off. Then take ten gallons of boiled water, and mash it with the malt before mentioned; and, after standing two hours and a half, draw it off. The first liquor is now to be put to four quarts of the fermentation, mixed well, and left to ftand ten hours, and the remaining ten gallons of the liquor are put with the faid fixteen gallons, and left, to fland fix hours, when it is fit for ufe. And two gallons are fufficient for twelve buthels of bread fet quarter fponge, blood warm. Patent to Mr. Boond for a new Manu fucture of Fuftians. THE part claimed as the particular invention of the patentee, is, the weaving of mixed cotton, weft, or yarn, by the method defcribed, fo as to make a mixed pile in the aforefaid goods fimilar to mixed woollen cloth or kerfeymere, which has never been done before on these kinds of cotton pile goods. In the University of Cambridge, the question on the celibacy of Fellows of Colleges is revived, and is agitated with fome hopes, it is faid; but we will not warrant the grounds for thefe hopes of fuccefs to the individuals who think themfelves aggrieved by the prefent restraints. The queftion has its difficulties: on the one hand, the founders of colleges being catholics, except in two inftances, had imbibed the popish ideas on the merits of celibacy, and of course made them a part of their inftitution. At the reformation, an act of parliament was paffed repealing all the fuperftition that had taken place on this fubject; and of courfe, under the fanétion of that act, the fellows of colleges, it might be prefumed, would be allowed to marry. Queen Mary repealed this act, which was, however, afterwards confirmed by King James. Queen Elizabeth was evidently averfe to matrimony; and in her reign the fame prejudice might fubfift against marriage, where ever it might be entertained. Now, with refpect to colleges, the masters are under the fame boud as to celi 287 bacy as the fellows; yet they are per mitted to marry, without any queftion they derive the permiffion it is diffi on the legality of their conduct: whence ever, of bringing the queftion to an cult to determine. The mode, howbe done by grace of the fenate, that is, iffue is not easily fettled. If it is to by an act of the body of the university in paffing such an act are almost insurto petition parliament, the difficulties mountable, and in fact it does not feem that the univerfity, as a body, has any thing to do with the business. It is a queflion relative folely to the fellows, the majority of whom indeed are members of the fenate, but many are not; and if celibacy is a popish reftraint abolished by act of parlia that by petition to which the fellows ment, it feems injurious to folicit have a right, and fuffer expedience to interfere with their claims. couragement of Sunday schools in THE fociety for the fupport and enEngland and Wales, it appears from their last report, has, fince the commencement of the inftitution in 1785, thirty-two fchools, in which have been affifted two thousand two hundred and inftructed two hundred thousand feven hundred and eighty-feven scholars; and among them have been diftributed one hundred and eighty-four thou ing-books, forty-two thousand fix hunfand two hundred and forty-eight fpelldred and eighty teftaments, fix thoubles, and four thoufand one hundred fand five hundred and eighty-three biand twelve pounds in money. THE millionaries in the East Indies MAJOR Rennell is employed upon observations, as well as the great affiftance to be derived from a numerous body of writers, antient and modern, we may expect a very valuable acqufition to our knowledge of that country. Mr. Clark, the celebrated traveller, of Jefus College, Cambridge, fpent a confiderable time in the Holy Land, and traverfed (with a guard of thirty horfe, affigned him by Dgheffar Pacha) à great deal of the country, the account of which will form a part, it is hoped, of the work he is now employed upon. Ax act does honour to the country, and deferves a diftinguished place in the records of literary men, which took place within thefe few weeks. By certain circumftances not neceffary to be mentioned, Dr. Priestley found himself deprived of a confiderable part of his annual income. The circumftance, as foon as it was known in England, excited an intereft among his friends. The deficiency was two hundred pounds a year. A fubfcription was made, the fum was very foon fubfcribed; and, inftead of two hundred a year, it amounts to upwards of three hundred a year. One gentle man, not at all known to Dr. Priestley, nor agreeing with him in his religious or political fentiments, but having a refpect for his character and his literary and fcientific attainments, put down his name for ten guineas a year. This inftance of liberality will refcue the English name in fome degree from the difgrace it has incurred by the treatment Dr. Priestley received in this country from ignorance and fanaticifin. THE much difputed and difputable queftion on Greek accents is likely to have great light_thrown on it by the enquiries of the Irish Academy. Mr. Browne, a member of that refpectable fociety, has converfed with many modern Greeks on the fubject, and collects, both from their accounts and the actual reading of fome of them, that both verfe and profe are read by accent, not quantity; and even the common Greek failor, in writing his letter, is as attentive to his accent as any fcholar. THE very learned Mr. Moore publifhed, fome time ago, his interpretation of the feventy weeks in Daniel; which, according to him, do not terminate with the death of Chrift, or the destruction of Jerufalem, but the delivery of the revelation to John the Divine. The importance of the opinion, the talents of the writer, and the learn ing difplayed in the treatise on this fubject, might have been expected to excite greater attention than it seems to have done; but it requires learning to enter into the merits of the question. MR. Frend, the author of Evening's Amusements and the Principles of Taxation, lately publifhed, has in the prefs an Effay on Patriotism, illuftrated by inftances from antient and modern times, and calculated to keep up that fpirit of patriotifm which glows in the volunteers of the united kingdom, to whom the work is dedicated. MR. Huddart has invented an inftrument, which he calls a station pointer, for determining the angular pofition of three known objects. It confifts of a graduated circle, with three radii of brafs, one fixed, and the other two moveable. The radii may be extended to any length by applying rulers to the produced radii. The angles be tween two objects are known by the arcs contained between the fixed radius and either of the moveable radii; and by means of Nonius and a magnifier, the divifions of a degree are afcertained to fufficient minuteness. The theory depends on fome eafy propo fitions of Euclid; and it will be found ufeful on board ship to give its position, by obferving with a fextant the angular pofition of three known objects on fhore. THE mifcellaneous works of the late Mr. Robinfon, of Cambridge, are intended for the prefs of Mr. Flower, of that place. The friends of that wor thy and refpectable writer will have an opportunity of fhewing their refpect for his memory by their fubfcriptions; and few men, we may add, ever exert ed themfelves more ftrenuoutly than he did in the caufe of civil and religious liberty. THE Reverend Mr. Fellowes, well known for bis defence of the church of England against methodism, has lately published a work in three volumes, 8vo, entitled the Guide to Immorta lity, in which are given Memoirs of the Life and Doctrines of Chrift, in the words of the four Evangelifts, and according to the order laid down by Archbishop Newcome. The common version of the four gospels is in general adopted, but many of its errors are corrected, and a variety of notes is Modern Discoveries and Improvements in Arts, Sciences, &e. added illuftrating the genuine doctrines A NEW tranflation of the works of SIR A. N. Edelcrantz, of Sweden, has made a very great improvement en Papin's Digefter, by which it is rendered fecure from the accidents that have hitherto obftructed, in great meafure, the use of this powerful inftrument. Digefters upon this plan are to be had at Mr. Fidler's, mathematical inftrument maker, 23, Oxford Market. THE legislature of Jamaica has made • fevere act against those whom it fuppofes to teach fanatical opinions in the ilands, and to promote, in confequence, a troublefome fpirit among the negroes. In confequence of this act, the methodist preachers and members of the miffionary fociety are greatly diftreffed; the ufual means of religious instruction are, in many parts of the inland, annihilated; and it is certain that, if the legiflature does not provide proper teachers, and prohibits the exertions of the miffionaries, it will in a future time rue the mistake by the ferociousness of their flaves, as foon as they have an opportunity of imitating the conduct of their brethren in Doningo. The difference between the governor and affembly, on the fubject of fupplies, is another matter of importance, which will call the attention of the kingdom to that island. MR. Thelwall having given up entirely every thing relative to politics, has been laudably employed in lecturing in various parts of this itland on the subject of elocution. His endeavours have met with great encouragement; and the fpirit of party did not operate im any place except Edinburgh, where fome perfons connected with a review juft eftablished in that place are faid to have entered into a confpiracy against the lecturer, and to have endeavoured to the utmoft of their power to render the efforts of the lecturer ridiculous, and to deprive the audience of both rational amufement and inftruétion. Their conduct he has expofed in a letter to Mr. Jeffrey, the chief man in this review, and hewn that they are as incompetent critics of compofition as they were judges of delivery and elo cution. A MAN named Cole, diftinguifhed in no ways except his peculiarity of writ 289 ing down fomething every day of what he faw or heard, left fome years ago a number of folios of the inoft contemptible fpecies of writing that ever exifted to the British Mufeum. Thefe manufcripts have lately been acceffible; and all the fcandal that the wretched regard to truth, is now propagated, writer of them amaffed, without any by means of certain publications, to whofe credit it would certainly be to pay fome regard to the feelings of hu manity. We would, however, warn the public, that if there is no other voucher for any fact related by him, it is totally unworthy of credit. man lived for many years near the University of Cambridge; but, living contempt. or dead, he was the object of univerfal The THE learned are at prefent much THE delays in the Oxford edition of THE application of vital air in a de- |