IMPROVEMENTS IN ARTS, SCIENCES, AND LITERATURE; With Notices refpecting Men of Letters. Patent to Mr. Everett for Salisbury Angola Moleskin. THE Salisbury Angola molekin is manufactured on two chains or warps, the upper of woolen yaru, the under of cotton, linen, fiik, mohair, or worsted. These chains are on separate beams, the threads in the upper being two firths of the number in both chains. Wires are introduced when the upper chain is clear on the furface of the ground, and kept confined by three yards of weft, till, cut out by an infirument, the face or pile is formed. The weft is of cotton, linen, filk, mohair, worsted or woollen yarn. Patent to the Earl of Dundonald for preparing Hemp and Flax, or their Subftitutes. THE difcovery confifts in removing from hemp or flax the bark, and confiderable proportion of the mucilage, before the fubject has been dreffed on the hackles. It is fteeped in water for a proper time, and then beaten or bruised by any methods, fo as to promote the folution and difcharge of the mucilage, and loofen the adhesion of the bark to the fibre. This proces ay be done with or without a run of water, in any ftate of heat, and with or without foap or alkaline falts. Lord Dundonald's method is, to aid this folution and remove the adhesion with water, but hitherto hemp and flux were beaten in a dry ftate. After the beating, the hemp dried, and then fubmitted to the process of dry beating, and rolling in a machine VOL. I. like that of a mangle, with a proper apparatus of rollers; the hemp being beaten whilft turning round with mallets or ftampers. The last process is that of wetting, boiling, or bucking the hemp, and expofingit: the weather, to free it from the mucilage, and when dry to be beaten, cruthed, or rolled. Patent to Mr. Day for a Watchman's Noctuary, or Labourer's Regulator. THIS invention confifts in a large horizontal wheel, moving regnarly round by clock-work every twelve hours. The upper side of this wheel is divided by two circles, one within the other; the outer, called the lateral dial, having the hours and quarters marked on it, and the inner, having alfo a dial, is called the vertical dial. The space between thefe dials is divided into cells, each corre fponding with the quarter or half hour marked on the dials. The under fide has a brafs wheel, with teeth fixed to its central part, which gives motion to the horizontal wheel, and is fet in motion by clock-work, fo that the horizontal wheel may go round once in twelve hours. In its motion round, it carries the cells under a kind of chink, jutt large enough to receive a token, let in from an external brass box, just capable of a lantting into it a man's arm. The machine is to be guarded, fo that only the employer can come to the clockwork, and the employed to the chink; and of courfe it will be known the next morning, by the tokens in the cells, whether a watchman went his rounds Hhh at night; and in great yards or manu factories, whether the employed were in the works at their appointed times. THE Trufices of the British Museum, to which place we directed our readers laft month to gratify their curiofity in inspecting the very curious monuments from Egypt deposited in the yard, have published, and ordered to be diftributed, the directions to be pursued by those who apply for or have obtained tickers of admiffion. It is open from ten till four, except on Saturdays, Sundays, Thanksgiving and Faft Days; one week at Chritmas, Eafter, and Whitfuntide, and during the months of Auguft and September. Each company is admitted at ten, twelve, or two, and permitted to remain two hours from thefe times. Application is to be made for tickets on the days and hours mentioned, when the Museum is opon," and an attendant gives information on the number of vacancies, and delivers tickets for any number of perfons, not exceeding twelve, whofe names and places of abode are written down in the lift produced by the perfon applying. As this is a great national object, and every perfon has not only a right as an Englishman to fee it, but may derive great improvement from the light, every individual must feel an intereft in the directions being complied with in the best manner poffible. They who live at a distance from town, and can only spend a few days in the metropolis, thould apply for admiffion tickets Sx weeks or two months before they come to town, for the number of applicants is very confiderable. We have already obferved, that, to fee the Egyptian monuments, nothing more is requifite than to knock at the gate, and to walk ftraight forwards a few yards to two fheds fronting the great gate, where they are depofited. THE Mayor of Canterbury has received ten guineas, to be expended in prizes among young perfons in that city for the beft proficients in writing. One guinea is appropriated for the perfon who determines the prizes, and he is to be one employed in teaching writing in London; the rest of the money is divided into prizes, the highest three guineas, the lowest half-a-guinea, The Mayor has appointed the time when the candidates are. to deliver in their names, and alfo the day when they are to write out the copies, in the manner directed, in the Guildhall of the city. There cannot be a better method to promote any fcience or art than by fuitable prizes to young people, accord→→ ing to their ages and proficiency in them. DR. Wollaton has fuggefted a great improvement in fpectacles, and, as they anford to the eye the power of looking round at various objects, he has not unaptly given to his invention the name of Perifcopic Spectacles, and the exclufive fale of them is confined to Meffrs. Dollonds. The invention confifts in making the furface nearest the eye always concave, the exterior furface al ways convex. For long-fighted perfons. the fhape of the glafs will be that of a marifcus or crefcent; for short-lighted perfons the principal curvature will be on the concave fide. The theory of thefe glaffes is well known to the ftudents of optics, and the benefit of them is confirmed by a fufficient number of perfons in practice. Against this invention, Mr. Jones, an eminentmathematical inftrument-maker in Holborn, not only makes formidable objections, but invites the curious to witnefs an experiment in his shop, by which they may be convinced, he says, that Dr. Wolleflon's is not an improve ment, but the contrary of spectacles. Dr. Wollaton, in reply, brings the whole to the following tea: He took two glaffes, each of four inches foral length, the one double convex, the other concave-convex, or ma rifeus; both were fucceffively placed at a proper difiance from a printed octavo page, to read a line with cafe. With the convex lens he could, on bringing his eye to it, not read quite 24 lines without pain; but with the marifcus or perifcopic glafs he could difcern every word in the page, containing fouine lines. The enlargement of the view alfo, he contends, is not the only advantage of the marifcus, for it exceeds the convex lens in diftinctness of vition in the ratio nearly of three to one. The importance of this object to perfons whofe vifion is affected will induce us to pay particular attention to this difpute. By the exertions of the United Bre-, thren, the greater part of Greenland, from being a Pagan, is become a Chriftian country; and they are exerting themfelves, though not with fo much fuccefs, amongst the Tartars. In the Weft Indies the number of negroesconverted by them is dailing increasing MR. Reeves, the king's printer, is with laudable industry increasing the number of Greek teftaments; and by publishing the Hebrew and English' plalters, will, we hope, introduce a fondness for the molt antient, and not the most difficult language. THE feparation of Van Dierner's Land from New Holland, firft discovered by Lieutenant Bufs, is completely afcertained by the voyage made by Lieutenant Grant, in a brig of fixty tons, with fiding keels, fitted upon the conftruction invented by Captain Schank. THE manufcripts of the late Dr. Blayney, deposited in the Archiepifcopal library at Lambert, confift of a new verfion of the Pfalms, in two vols. quarto; a critical comment on the Plaims, in three vols. quarto; notes on Ifaiah, three vols. quarto; remarks on the Minor Prophets, compared with Archbishop Newcome's Vernon and Commentary, in one vol. quarto; remarks on fome Pfalms and Paffages of Scripture, in one vol. folio; Archbishop Newcome's interleaved Bible, in four vols. folio, is also in the library. Mr. J. G. Durham, of Cambridge, has gained the Norrifian prize, founded by the late Mr. Norris, for the beft effay on fome religious fubject, difcuffed confiftently with the articles of the church of England. The fubject of Mr. Durham's effay is, the Providence of God. MR. Humboldt, brother of the Pruffian Minister at Rome, has defcended into the crater of the volcano of Torcello, to nearly within 15 toifes of the bottom. The volcano has exifted only fince the 29th of September, 1759; and, as the traveller defcended feventy toifes, it is expected that, on his return to Europe, he will be able to give much curious and interefting information on these wonderful objects in nature. AMONGST the typographical elegancies of the prefent day, we notice, with pleafure, complete edition of Lord Bacon's Works, by Dr. Shaw, under the immediate au pices of the Right Hon. Sir Jofeph Banks and Dr. Garth/hore. This has long been a defideratum in terature. In point of typography and Death is it is unequalled, and its portable form is an additional recommendation, while the privilege of being able to procure any part of the works feparately confers a fuperadded claim upon the attention of the public, In this age of innovations, the nurfery is not pared. A lady prefumes to fay, that barley water and milk is the best food a child can have till it is four months old; and that our grandmothers' pap only introduces wind, and the neceility of carminatives. Four defert-ipoonfulls of pearl barley are boiled in two quarts of water, to the confiftence of cream. On a teacup full, made hot at any time, new milk is poured, sweetened with fugar; varying the quantity of milk according as the child's ftomach can bear it. The lady's experience in her own inftance is a fufficient reafon for trying the experiment in other families, where children are perpetually crammed and tortured with pap., Mr. Barraud has remarked a cir cumftance of confiderable importance in the conftruction of timekeepers: namely, that jewelled holes are inju rious, and that brass holes preserve the oil in a much purer itate than the jewelled ones. In the jewelled holes in one timekeeper which he examinsed, the pivots were fo fixed by the tenacity of the oil, as to requise force to extricate them; the feel being alfo deeply ftained, and having parted with its luftre. The nature of oil used in the timekeeper requires much investi gation. IN 1736, Maupertius, Lemonnier, Oulier, and Celhus, were employed in meafuring a degree in Lapland; but from its differing fo much from theory, an error was fuppofed to have been made in the measurement. The degree has lately been measured again by Mr. Swanberg, and three other Swedish aftronomers, who have found, that in latitude 66° 20′ the degree measures 57209 toifes, or 196 toifes less than the measure reported by the French aftronomers. The writer of this article remembers a converfa tion which he had about twenty years ago with a gentleman, who about thir ty years before was Moderator of the University of Cambridge, and was alfo attached to philofophical pursuits, This gentleman had been much ac quainted with fcientific men on the Continent, and from them he learned, that Celfius was the only perfon who feemed really interested in the object of their journey; and that it was with great difficulty that he could preVail on his companions to quit the Hhhg brandy bottle, and encounter the inclemency of the external air. length of mountains might be indicat ed. Mr. Churchman, author of the magnetical charts, has been labouring upon this very important object. His plan confits in tracing lines over the furfaces of the parts requiring particu lar marks, and which may be done with maps already publifhed; if they are the refult of a regular furvey, as is the cafe of the maps now publishing under the inspection of government. A univerfal proportion is laid down for the lines, by which they are ac SOME very important experiments have been made at Paris by Mr. Seguin, to difcover the febrifuge principle of Cinchona or Bark; from which it appears, that a very mall quantity of good unmixed bark is to be found in the fhops of Paris, and that gelatine in its pure ftate poffefes all the advantages of bark, without its inconveniences. In confequence of his report, a committee has been appointed to examine the merits of thefe two fub-commodated to the purpole for which ftances; and it is faid, that feveral pa- they are intended. tients have already been cured at the School of Medicine by the gelatine, on whole cafes a report is foon expected. DR. Frieje, of Breflaw, is faid to have employed the digitals with great fuccefs in three cafes of very dangerous pulmonary confumption. The remedy was given in dofes by degrees, till its narcotic effect was perceived, generally cauling vomiting and giddinefs, and diminishing the number of pulfations. The cure was completed by bark and lichen iflandicus. FROM the experiments made by his Majefty on the breeding of Spanish fheep in this kingdom, it appears that the wool does not (as has been generally imagined) degenerate in this kingdom; and that the mutton is not of that inferior quality attributed to it. The price of theep fold out of the Spanish flock is fix guineas for a ram, and two for an ewe; and purchafers are referred to Sir J. Banks, in Soho Square, to whom the management of the flock is intrufted. MR. Curwen, of Cumberland, feeds his cattle with steamed potatoes as a fubftitute for hay; but great care is to be taken that they do not drink the potatoe liquor, as it contains a very poisonous quality. DR. Percival recommends the cultivation of the orchis root, which grows wild, and is very plentiful in this country, for the purpose of making falep, which he conceives may be a forded at eight pence or ten pence a pound, whilft that from the eaft is fold at five fhillings a pound. The excellencies of falep are well known; and it is faid to contain the greatest quantity of vegetable nourishment in the fmalleft bulk. It has been long a defideratum to give to the map of a country fome improvement by which the height and MR. Yales, of Chelfea, has given directions for the cultivation of the oak, by which it is conceived that this uteful tree may in fifty years at tain a fuperiority in fize to what, if left to nature, it would have acquired in double that time. For this purpose, the earth must be loofened by deep trenching previoutly to the planting of the acorns. The faplings intended for timber must never be transplanted or difturbed; and the plant must be carefully pruned till it arrives at a proper height. The acorns are to be placed two inches afunder, in a drill made in the centre of the trench two inches deep in a heavy loamy foil, and three inches deep in a light foil, and covered carefully with mould. On the appearance of the plants, they are to be weeded by hand in the rows, and the earth cleaned round them with a hoe once a month during fummer. In October, every other plant is to be removed, and every fucceeding year the fame operation is to be performed; and in each year, if the remaining plants thould have made fide-shoots ftronger than the general character, they are to be fmoothly cut with a harp knife close to the leading stem, On the third year, the general pruning commences by cutting off all the fide fhoots of the first year close to the leading ftem, leaving the branches of two years to form the head of the following year. This pruning continues by removing one year's growth of fide branches, till the plant arrives at the height of forty, fifty, or fixty feet. The advantages of this mode of cultivating the oak are to be feen at Lord Chetwynd's feat, at Ingef trie, in Staffordshire, and Lord Denbigh's feat, at Newnham Paddocks, in Warwickshire, DR. Turner has in the prefs a work in 1 vol. 8vo, entitled the Principles of the Newtonian Philofophy; or, a Mathematical Demonftration of the Properties of Matter; of the air, heat, cold, light, and its effects; of the properties of the ocean; of the origin of rivers, mountains, &c.: alfo, a brief account of the internal structure of the terraqueous globe, according to the notions of the antients, and compared with the more accurate difcoveries of modern chemifts. FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE, LITE RARY AND SCIENTIFIC. COPENHAGEN. DR. Keutjeh, an able medical character, at prefent refident in the Danifh utlands of America(St. Croix and St. Thomas), has difcovered a new method of treating the fevers peculiar to thofe inlands, which are fo fatal to Europeans: he ufes frictions with oil. The first idea of this method was fuggefted to him by the theory of Dr. Scheel, of Copenhagen, on the ufe of oil in the plague. Out of eight foldiers, who were contided to the care of Dr. Keutjch, fix were cured of the fever by this oleaginous friction in the courfe of four-andtwenty hours. They produce ftrong perfpirations, and almoft always violent vomitings. In certain cafes, the Doctor has increased the efficacy of the oil by adding camphor. This difcovery is, beyond doubt, highly valuable; the fever which it cures is abfolutely the fame as has made such dreadful ravages in St. Domingo. On the 22d of August laft, a very happy experiment was made here of M. Pelt's nautical machine, between the Categat and the Baltic. A young and fearlefs waterman, invefted with this machine (which is merely a "fcaphandre"), threw himself into the fea, fired off piftols, walked, fmoked, and in fhort proved that he could not fink. This machine likewife furpaffes, in point of lightnefs and perfection, every thing of the kind that has hitherto been invented. SWEDEN. M. Akerblad, Secretary of Legation at Sweden from the Batavian Republic, and Correfpondent of the National Institute at Paris, has been nominated a member of the Royal Academy of Stockholm. VIENNA. DURING the year 1801, there were published at Vienna, tranflations, in modern Greek, of three dramatic works of Kotzebue; namely, " Milanthropy and Repentance (Menfchenhafs und Reue); "The Voluntary Sacrifice" (der Opfertodt); and "The Cor ficans" (die Korfen). ROME. CARDINAL Borgia is about to print a catalogue raifonné of the Coptic MSS. which he poffeffes, amounting to three hundred. This catalogue is to be made by Dr. Zoëga, author of a work on Obelisks, who will not merely indicate each of the MSS., but infert long paffages from the text, with a Latin tranflation by the file. He is now on the forty-third manufcript. The Vatican Library is peculiarly rich in fimilar MSS., all of which have been given to the French. The Cardinal, a thort time previous to their arrival at Rome, luckily had exact copies taken, and with thefe his catalogue will com mence, under the name of Codices Memphitici. After thefe will follow thofe that have been found in the cities of Sienna, Thebes, &c. &c. It will con fift not only of bibles, acts of councils, acts of martyrs, &c., but also of hiftorical treatifes refpecting other countries, and numerous memoirs concerning the fine arts. GERMANY. PROFESSOR Heeren has published a work, entitled "Kleine Hiftorische Schriften," &c.: viz. “ Hiftorical Varieties." Part I. Gottingen, Roewer. 1803. This is the commencement of a collection of different hiftorical memoirs, which relate to antient and modern history. The first part of this collection contains three treatises; 1. A View of the Political Confequences to Europe of the Reformation. This forms part of a menoir, which the author had began in confequence of the queftion propofed by the National Inftitute in 1802, and which he expected to finish in time. 2. Hifiory of the Revolution of the Gracchi. This has already been printed in the "Almanack of the Revolution" of the late Girtanner, but it is confiderably improved and augmented. 3. An Hiftorical View of the Continental Power of England. This comprites the time from Henry VII to the acceffion of the Houfe of Hanover. UNIVERSITY OF HEIDELBERG. THIS antient University, which from the events of war, and the lots of nearly all its property, was on the point of falling to pieces, has been |