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Philofophical News.....Works in Hand, &c.

which proves no detriment to dark cloths, but confiderably affects the gloffinefs of lighter colours. This inconvenience is cafily obviated, by employing, in the latter cafe, only white rags for faturating the lixivium,

The Royal Library in Copenhagen has been enriched by the acquifition of the valuable collection of books belonging to the celebrated chancellor, de Suhm. This nobleman, by way of compenfation for this literary ceffion, enjoys a yearly penfion of 3000 rix-dollars during life, with a contingent annuity of 2000 rix-dollars to his lady, in cafe of furvival.

A defcriptive catalogue has recently been published in Stockholm, of the valuable antiques purchased at Rome, by Guftavus III, This catalogue is illuftrated with 17 plates. Among the most remarkable articles may be reckoned a beautiful bas relief, reprefenting a tripod placed upon an altar, with a flambeau at the foot, round which a ferpent entwines itself. The altar bears this infcription, "malus geniusBruti." Facing it is a winged genius, holding a drawn bow in his hand, feemingly in the act of difcharging his fhaft at the ferpent. The drefs of the genius is Phrygian or Perfian, The editor is of opinion, that this antique is the production of the firft years of the Auguftan age, and pronounces it to be anterior to that state of perfection which the art of fculpture attained towards the clofe of this emperor's reign,

The Botanical Garden at Gottingen has been confiderably enlarged, and its valuable herbary enriched by the acquifition of the excellent and numerous collection of the late celebrated botanift Eberhardt, who was commiffioned by the King of England to compile the Flora Hanoverana, Nor do the arts in this active moment meet with lefs encouragement than the fciences. Befides the rich collection of impreffions by Uffenbach, this Univerfity has recently been put in poffeffion of the beautiful cabinet of paintings belonging to the late Aulic counsellor J. W. Zichern. This collection confifts of 270 articles, worthy of the Flemish, Dutch, and German fchools.

Oxygene appears now to be the order of the day. Mr. Trotter attributes the fea fcurvy to want of oxygene. Gir tanner is of opinion, that fyphilis is induced, in consequence of a deficiency of oxygene in the fyftem, Some afcribe

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the curative operation of mercurial ox ydes in lues, to the oxygene they contain. While others pretend to have cured particular chronic distempers, incident to the human frame, by the fole agency of

oxygene.

The Philotechnical Society in Paris held their public fittings on the 11th of laft October, The proceedings of this af fembly are greatly interefting. The Secretary, in a preliminary fpeech, obferved, that instead of launching out into a dry and uninftructive analyfis of the whole proceedings of the fociety, they they would confine their obfervations to a recapitulation of the new and important difcoveries which fhould be made. from fitting to fitting in the Sciences, the Belles Lettres, and the Arts. In pursuance of this judicious determination, report was made on the fubject of the first part of the Engravings illustrative of the "Hiftory of Ifria and Dalmatia." Then followed the report of the Commiffaries appointed by the Society to examine the Panorama of Paris, executed in bas relief, by DARNAUD,

*

MANGOURIT read a differtation, entitled, "Thoughts on the progreffive march of the Human Race, round the whole Compass of the Globe. The author regards all the different nations (cattered on the face of the earth, as one large fociety, which fucceffively makes the tour of every part of the globe, halting at particular places, till it has exhausted all the various productions of the region, where they fix their temporary fojourn. Planters and cultivators of wafte lands are the harbingers of this large moving mass of people; and those countries, where the arts and fciences flourish in the greatest perfection, form their place of temporary fojourn. This fojourn at present is Europe, but from a variety of ingenious conjectures, and actual researches made by the author, during a long feries of journies in different parts of America, Citizen MANGOURIT gives it as his opinion, that Europe is threatened with no very diftant emigration of the large faciety of mankind, who will pafs over to America, whither they have already fent their harbingers, the cultivators and planters.

LAVALLE terminated the fittings,with pronouncing a fpirited eulogium upon General Marceau.

Dufrefne has communicated to the Society of Natural History at Paris, the

* A notice of this ingenious performance was given in our Magazine for laft November. defcription

Important Chemical Intelligence."

134 defcription of a new fpecies of Monkey, which he names fince Simia Entellus. The body of this animal, which is a native of Bengal, is of a pale ftraw colour, and in form and fize bears a ftrong resemblance to the Simia Nemeus. It measures in length about three feet, the tail is confiderably longer than the whole body, and terminates in a bush of long hairs, of a paler hue than the other parts of the animal. The hands and feet are black, and the callofities on the pofteriors uncommonly large.

The Abbé BERTINELLI, in his " Difcourfe concerning the prefent State of Literatare and the Arts, in Mantua, informs us, on the authority of a manufcript by one John Piccinardi, preferved in the library of Cremona, that it was cuftomary in the 15th century, on the festival of St. Paul, to chaunt a hymn in honour of the poet Virgil. According to an ancient tradition, the apostle of the Gentiles is faid, on his arrival at Naples, to have paid a vifit to Virgil's tomb, and to have expreffed his regret, in lively terms, at not having been a cotemporary of the Mantuan bard, that he might have enjoyed an opportunity of forming a perfonal acquaintance with this excellent poet, and converting him to the Chriftian religion. This tradition is related in the following lines, which conftitute a part of the hymn formerly chaunted in honour of Virgil, on the feftival of St. Paul:

Ad Maronis mausoleum
Ductus, fudit fuper eum

Piae torrem lacrymae.
Quem te, inquit, reddidiffem,
Si te vivum inveniffem,

Poetarum maxime.
CHEMISTRY.

The first part of a Syftem of Diffections, explaining the anatomy of the human body, the manner of difplaying the parts, and their varieties in disease, with plates, by Mr. CHARLES BELL, of Edinburgh, will be delivered in a few days. The work is printed in folio, and each part is fold for five fhillings and fixpence.

The 71ft number of the " Annales de Chimie," for Nov. 1797, has lately arrived in this country. It is one of the most important of the whole feries, as will appear from the following extracts:

"Observations and experiments of M. GREN, on the formation of fulphate of foda (glauber's falt) in fea water and brine (prings, by expofure to a temperature below the freezing point; and an eafy method of freezing it from the deliquefcent falt." The fubject of this memoir is equally important to the chemift and

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manufacturer of falt. The chief facts contained in it are the following:

I. Sulphate of magnefia (Epfom falt) and muriate of foda (common falt) being added to each other in folution, and fubjected to congelation, are reciprocally decompofed into fulphate of foda and muriate of magnefia, nor will the two newly formed neutral falts be decompofed by reftoring the former temperature of the mixture; by the fimple procefs, therefore, of freezing fea water, any quantity of glauber's falt may be readily procured.

II. The deliquefcent falts contained in fea-water, or brine fprings, which form the mother-water and contaminate the falt, are muriate of lime, or muriate of magnesia, or both together.

1. When the muriate of lime is the only contaminating matter, an addition of fulphate of foda (glauber's falt) procured in the manner above-mentioned, will decompofe the muriate of lime, forming muriate of foda (common falt) an fulphate of lime, which being an infolubie falt, will be precipitated, and from which the liquor may easily be poured off clear.

2.

If the water contains muriate of magnefia, quick lime is to be added, which forms muriate of lime, while the magnefia is precipitated; the muriate of lime is afterwards to be decomposed by the first procefs.

3. If muriate of lime and muriate of magnesia exift together in the falt liquor, the muriate of lime is firft to be got rid of by procefs 1. and muriate of magnesia by procefs 2.

The advantages to be derived from thefe proceffes are very important: in the firft place, the quantity of the falt is increafed, and the evaporation may fafely be carried on to drynefs, as no mother water will remain. Secondly, the quality of the falt will be greatly improved, and it will not be at all fubject to deliquefce, or become moift by exposure to the air. Thirdly, a confiderable quantity of magnefia is procured.

CHEMICAL NOTICES, being extratts of a letter from Profeffor SCHERER to Cit VAN-MONS.

1. "Dr. GAERENER, in his experiments on urine, is led to believe that a peculiar acid is contained in it, the properties of which are, it is volatile, and readily fublimes in the form of light flakes; the nitric acid does not convert it into phofphoric acid; the nitric, muriatic, and fulphuric acids detach it from its alkaline and earthy combinations, partly in

the

Chemical Notices....New Patents in February.

the form of gas, and partly in that of a concrete acid, which last, by evaporation, produces a fcaly falt with the fame odour as the gas, and not alterable by the air. It appears to be an intermede between the

benzoic and lithic acids,

the

2. Dr. CAMMANN has difcovered, that green colour of fome of the fympathetic cobaltic inks, is owing to a mixture of iron: an explanation that at first fight appears highly probable, as refulting from the union of the yellow of the nitrate of iron, and the blue of the nitrate of Cobalt. 3. That rare mineral, the Honey-ftone, (pierre de miel, Honigftein) has been analyzed by Mr. Abich, and found to contain per cent. 44.5 Carbonic acid, 28 water of cryftallization, with a flavour like that of bitter almonds, 2.5. bituminous oil, 17.75. Alumine, 2. Iron, 4.5. Carbon."

Extract of a letter from M. GREN, to Cit. VAN MONS.

1. "M. GREN has been making experiments on respiration, the refults of which are, that the oxygenous bafe of atmospheric air is wholly confumed in the lungs by the carbon and hydrogen forming with the former carbonic acid, with the latter water: that the difference between the venous and arterial blood is not in the abforption of oxygen by the arterial blood, but the lofs of a quantity of hydrocarbonate, and that the excefs of this hydrocarbonate in the fyftem, is the caufe of death by fuffocation, drowning, &c.

135

and in the fatal ftate, by interruption, of the circulation through the placenta.

2. In the process of foap-making, towards the latter end of the boiling, when the oil has united with the pure potafh, it is customary to add a quantity of common falt, (muriate of ioda) in order to harden the foap; the chemical effect of this addition has lately been discovered to be a decompofition of the foap and the falt, and the formation of foap of foda and muriate of potash. It would, therefore, appear to be much more economical to fubftitute foda for potash, provided the colt of the foda is lefs than that of the potafh and falt. Inftead of hard concrete oils, fuch as tallow, &c. experiments have been made in the Polytechnic school, with butter and fluid animal and vegetable oils, from which, by means of foda, á fufficiently hard foap has been procured."

Befides the articles here specified, this number of the " Annales de Chimie" contains, Obfervations on the Acid of Tin, and its Ores, by GUYTON DE MORVEAU: An Effay on the Production of Carbonic Acid in Vegetation, by M. DE SAUSSURE, jun: An Analysis of the Pumice Stone, by M. KLAPROTH: Several interesting Obfervations and Experiments on Platina, by Count MUSSINPUSCHIN: Remarks on Natural Phofphori, by M. CARRADONI.

Analyfes of all these papers will appear in our next number.

NEW PATENTS,
Enrolled in the Month of February.

MR CROOK'S, FOR MAKING SOAP. HE art of manufacturing a foap from

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other fimilar animal matters, was invented last year in France, and the method has been detailed in the "Annales de Chimie. Upon this difcovery is founded a Patent for a new method of making Soap, which in January laft was granted to Mr. JOHN CROOK, of Edinburgh, Chemist.

The basis of this manufacture is refufe fb of all kinds, as well as the animal matter that remains after the extraction of fith-oil. The fifh, after being coarfely mathed, are put into water and washed from the blood and dirt, and afterwards are added gradually to a boiling folution of cauftic alcali, till it refuses to diffolve any more, or is completely faturated. A quantity of coarfe oil or tallow, equal in weight to part of the fifh is next added, MONTHLY MAG, No. XXVIII.

and the mixture; while boiling, is united with as much of turpentine alone, or turoperator

chcoles. The foap thus formed, is to be expofed in a broad fhallow veffel, for the fpace of about fix weeks, to the open air, after which it is ready for ufe as a foft foap. The procefs for hard foap differs but little from the foregoing; the proportion of oil, or tallow, is to be equal to the weight of the fifh employed; and, after the addition of the rofin and palm oil, the mixture is to be well boiled with common wafte ley, and finished in the ufual manner.

To the fame fpecification is added a new method of bleaching, in which the only difference between this and the common mode of employing oxygenated mu riatic acid, confifts, in the fubftitution of lime-water to an alcaline folution, in the application of the gas. REVIEW

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Riley. Mr. Ambrofe, in this ballad, has pro

duced a fuccefsful imitation of the Scotch ftyle. If the melody poffeffes any material defects, they are thofe of common place ideas; but we muft fay, that the thoughts, whatever they may be in themfelves, are pleasingly arranged, and form in the aggregate a very attractive melody.

A Military March, in fcore, arranged for the piano forte, compofed and dedicated, by permission to Lord Vernon, by Filin.

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Holland.

This march, confidering that it marches throughout in the old beaten tract, is tolerably good in its ftyle, and difcovers confiderable ingenuity in the compofer. The fcore is put together with judgment, and is calculated to produce much military effect.

The Piano Forte Magazine, or Elegant Library of Ancient and Modern Mufic, in weekly

numbers.

2s. 6d. each.

Harrison and Clufe. This work, which has now arrived at its eightieth number, continues to poffefs, as well as to merit, public esteem. The catalogue of its contents, which is become very extenfive, exhibits a rich collection, and does honour to the judgment of the editors; but we would recommend to their clofer attention, the great works of Handel and Arne, which open a vaft field for the exercife of their tafte, and cannot fail to bring additional attraction to the valuable mafs which they have already accumulated.

Three Duets for two German flutes, compofed by William Ling, op. 2d.

6s.

Longman and Broderip. Thefe duets are expressly compofed for either a juvenile performer or one more advanced in practice; all the difficult paffages having two parts, the easiest of which is inferted in fmall notes. This method of accommodating in the fame piece more than one clafs of practitioners, meets our entire approbation; and we give Mr. Ling all due credit for its great ufe as well as novelty. The pieces are written with much taste and eafe, and that kind of execution is introduced which tends to improve the hand while it interefts the ear. We find employed here, as andunte movements, the old and favourite Scotch airs of Donald and I

came o'er the Moor," which, with the combination of the two inftruments, and the little embellishments they have received from the pen of Mr. Ling, are productive of much sweetness of effect. "The Lover's Sigh," fung by Mrs. Francis with univerfal applaufe, in Amurath the Fourth, compofed by Mr. Sanderfon.

1S..

Longman and Broderip.

The opening of this air is remarkably pleafing, and a unity of style prevails throughout. Mr. SANDERSON has produced a confiderable number of agreeable melodies; but none of them difcover greater improvement of fancy than the prefent compofition. With the voice part he has given the violin accompanyments, in which we find much orchestral experience and knowledge of effect. The Fife Hunt; a favourite Scotch air with Variations, for the harp or piano-forte, by Sig. Molini. IS. Skillern.

The Fife Hunt, qualified by thofe Variations, forms an excellent leffon for the piano-forte. Some of the distances in the third variation will, perhaps be found fomewhat awkward for the inexperienced hand; yet the eafy flow which prevails through most of the paffages enables us to pronounce it an neful exercife for the young practitioner. Monymufk; a celebrated Scotch Reel, with

Variations for the piano forte, violin, or
German flute, compofed by Sig. Molini.
Skillern.

IS.

The variations to this little air are written with a more ftrict regard to the character of the original than we generally meet with in productions of this kind. They are fo eafy of execution as to be perfectly calculated for the practice of young performers, and yet are conceived with fufficient tafte to fatisfy the moft refined ear.

Apollo et Terpsichore (to be continued monthly) being a Collection of the most celebrated Songs, Duets, Rondeaus, Airs, &c. extracted from the latest operas, and. other entertainments, adapted to the piano forte, violin, guitar, or German flute. Is. 6d.

Rolfe.

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Review of the New Mufic.

The Naval and Military Gentleman's Complete Mufical Compendium, arranged for the piano-forte, with an accompanyment for a flute or violin, or as duets for flutes

and violins.

Rolfe.

Number I. of this military collection, contains the march in Evelina,' a march in honour of the British feamen, a quick ftep and a march in honour of Admiral DUNCAN. With the first article the public are already acquainted, and of the others we are enabled to speak in commendatory terms; and if the fucceeding numbers are compiled with the fame attention and skill, do not doubt of its being found an acceptable publication amongst the gentlemen of the army. Twelve Divertisements, for the piano-forte and pedal harp, with an Accompaniment for two French horns and tamburino, ad libitum, compofed and dedicated to Mrs. EGERTON, of Oulton, by J. G. Ferrari, IOS. 6d. op. xi. Longman and Broderip. It was with confiderable pleasure that we peruled this eleventh work of Mr. Ferrari. It is compofed in a ftyle highly improving to the young practitioner, and a strict attention has been bestowed on the joint-effect of the principal with its accompaniments. The horns are employed with great judgment, and the introduction of the tamburino is novel and ftriking. At the end of the publication we find an explanation of the terms and characters neceffary to be underftood by the performer on the tamburino; fuch as the fingle travale, the double travale, the flamps, the femi-flamps, the gingle parts, and the bass.

An Overture, for the piano-forte, in commemoration of his majefty's proceffion to St. Paul's, compofed and infcribed to his majefty, by D. Steibelt.

35.

Longman and Broderip. We have walked over the ground of the late thow with Mr. Steibelt, and find that the compoter has attended to all the minutiæ of the ceremony with all the avidity and curiofity of majefty itself. He first wakes the king with the crowing of the cock," then falutes him with "the chirping of the birds" at the dawning of the joyful day, give him "the arrival of the military in town," the parade of the French, Dutch, and Spanish colours," and "the entering St. Paul's." In thefe and other particulars, fo far as their defcriptions lie within the province of found, the compofer has fucceeded; efpecially in the crowing of the cock, and the chirping of the birds, the imitations of which are ftrikingly true,

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and evince a clear and lively conception. The triple quavers and flight of afcend ing notes, in the movement given to the church ceremony, we do not confider as do we think the finale calculated to fupperfectly appofite to the occafion; nor previous movement, taken from Handel's port the dignity of idea arifing from the 1 celebrated Coronation Anthem. No. II. of Guida Armonica; or, An Introduction to the General Knowledge of Mufic, Theoretical and Practical, by T.Relfe. 48. 6d. Longman and Broderip. Of the first number of this useful and ingenious work we spoke in a former review, and find that the fecond number merits the continuance of our approbation. The whole plan is certainly dif tinguifhed by its novelty, and the execu tion on the minor fcales, the harmonic circle, and the comparative view of the major and minor moods; the latter of which is placed in a clearer light than in any former publication that we have feen. But, although we agree with Mr. Relfe, that these fyftems are only fimple deductions from natural principles of refonance, yet we must differ from him when he' afferts, that each tave contains within itself all the materials for producing the striking and varied effects refulting from mufical harmony. It is true that the notes of any one octave reprefents the relative diftances of thofe of every other; but fince the octaves themselves take dif ferent itations in the great fcale of founds, forming, as it were, different ftories in the fame fabric, ftories varying in their materials juft inasmuch as they differ in their locality, can they justly be faid to be exactly replicates of each other? Are the tones of the feveral octaves alike? Can the octave which has double C for its loweft note, be compared in its materials with that which lies above C in alt? The materials of each are arranged in the fame order, but are those materials the fame? Can the effects of one be compared with thofe of the other? How then can the manifold effects refulting from the various powers and qualities of numerous octaves be produced by the tones of one? We know that the common opinion countenances that of Mr. Relie; but numbers give no validity to error, and therefore we do not fcruple to infift that the different octaves have diftinct characters, and that it is from their di verfity in ftation and tone that the judicious and ingenious mufician derives half the powers of his art.

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