he had himself taken, not one measured 65 feet in length. In the North Pacific, however, the size is often much larger than this; for Capt. Clarke measured the skeleton of one near Columbia river, and found it 105 feet in length. (See Travels to the Source of the Missouri, &c. by Captains Lewis and Clarke, p. 422.)

IX. Inhabitants in Ancient Rome.

In ancient Rome the number of insula, or houses, standing separately, was 46,000 in the time of Trajan. The domus (probably the principal buildings or palaces of Rome), 1800. The houses of Rome were usually four stories high. If we suppose, with Gibbon, that each story lodged a family of six persons, each of the insulæ would contain 24 inhabitants. This would give us the whole inhabitants of Rome at 1,118,448; so that the population of ancient Rome, when greatest, exceeded the present population of London by about 60,000. (See Gibbon's Posthumous Works, v. 318.)

X. Extract of a Letter from M. Van Mons, of Brussels. I take this opportunity of sending you some curious information which I have just learned by a letter from the discoverer.

If indigo in powder be thrown upon red hot charcoal or iron, a fine violet coloured vapour rises, which Brugnatelli at first took for iodine. This vapour when condensed crystallizes in four-sided prisms very brilliant and of a fine violet, colour. To this substance Brugnatelli gives the name of indigogen, because when united to the fecula of the plant it forms indigo.* He considers it as a metal, because if mercury be exposed to its vapour a combination takes place, which is hard or soft according to the proportion of the indigogen, and which possesses the properties of an amalgam. Indigo deprived of this substance loses the property of acquiring a cupreous lustre by friction. The new substance is found in every variety of indigo.

Brugnatelli has observed that ice when rasped becomes positively electric. This confirms the notion that its conducting power follows immediately that of the metals. Pure water, or water exempt from all salt, is almost a non-conductor. Brugnatelli was unable to construct a galvanic battery by uniting ice with any metal which he tried.

Zamboni at present draws strong sparks, and gives shocks with the dry galvanic column. But I venture to predict, that it will never be able to produce chemical effects, where an abstraction of electricity is requisite. The charge may circulate without water, but cannot be renewed.

Volta has just obtained electric fluorine in considerable quantity. Configliachi is the editor of it.t

Gay-Lussac believes that euchlorine or your oxide of chlorine.

It has been known to chemists for many years, T.

+I do not understand the meaning of the sentence. The original is Configliachi en est l'editeur.

contains only the 5th part of the oxygen of chloric acid, such as it exists in the detonating chlorates; that is to say, twice the oxygen which we suppose to exist in oxymuriatic gas; being capable of saturating only twice as much hydrogen as that gas, while chloric acid saturates six times as much. Euchlorine would result from an oxide dissolved in muriatic acid gas, of which the chlorine would take the oxygen in place of the hydrogen, which would be converted into water, the metal being reduced. It is obvious that this acid cannot be formed except when the oxygen is separated by means of muriatic acid, three quantities taking oxygen for six quantities in exchange for water, represented by a half quantity of this principle; or two quantities of acid taking four quantities of oxygen from one quantity of this remaining with a quantity of acid in the salt. But when separated by the simple acid, a great deal of acid must be necessary to render the whole salt simple, or what you long before others called chloride of potassium, in place of which the term chloruret has been introduced, a name which does not express that chlorine, as it is called, is the vicegerent of oxygen; and this cannot be the case in the process of Davy, in which very little acid is employed. And Davy does not say that the euchloric acid was mixed with oxygen, nor that the salt remaining was six times or three times oxygenated. Besides the acid characters of euchlorine, and the way in which it is decomposed, do not permit us to adopt the calculation as accurate. M. Gay Lussac obtained liquid superoxygenated muriatic acid by employing weak sulphuric acid and hyperoxymuriate mixed with a little simple muriate, by means of the acid of what the decomposition begins, for hyperoxynetated chlorine united to sulphuric acid is a compound analogous to that which Davy formed with hyperoxygenated iodine. GayLussac likewise obtained this compound, and considered it as a pure euiodine, which has not yet been exhibited in a separate state. Muriatic and iodic acids resemble fluoric acid, which combines with sulphuric acid and oxygen, in which water is supercombined. My advice has been at last followed, in decomposing the euchlorates and euiodates, namely, to put a little acid or simple salt along with the mixture. The simple acid becomes oxygenated, and then euacid, which is immediately separated by or engaged with the sulphuric acid, unless we wish that both the sulphate and the simple salt and the oxygenated salt should be immediately decomposed. To explain according to the new views the formation of acids: merely bisoxygenated, we must make a great many gratuitous suppositions of decompositions and combinations of the simple acids of these bodies. Besides, if it be true that iodino-chlorine allows oxygen to escape when heated, the question may be considered as decided.

I know at present that when a dry fluate is decomposed by a metal, we can only remove one half of the acid; the metallic fluoride combines with the base thus reduced to the state of a subfluoride. Water separates the metallic fluoride from the fluate, provided the

base of this salt is not soluble, or together with this base if it be soluble, and then under the form of a metallo-fluoret with an oxide, a body analogous to the sulphurets and phosphurets of the same substance.* J. B. VAN MONS.

XI. Death of George Montague, Esq.

This celebrated British zoologist who had attained the 76th year of his age; but was still healthy and vigorous, and actively employed in his favourite pursuits, about a fortnight ago wounded his foot with a nail, which rendered him lame. He was at length seized with locked jaw and all its concomitant horrors, and died in the course of the following day. In him Britain loses a zealous and. successful zoologist. His works are well known and highly valued by naturalists in general.

XII. School of Athens.

Most of my readers are probably aware, that for some time past the Greeks have displayed a considerable desire to put themselves on a footing, in point of knowledge, with the other nations of Europe. Schools have been erected in different parts of the country; books have been translated from the Italian, the French, the German and the English, several original Greek works have appeared, Greek newspapers have been regularly published for some years, past, and even a Greek periodical work is edited at Vienna. Athens, formerly the seat of science and of the arts, is still a considerable city, inhabited chiefly by Greeks. The inhabitants enjoy a greater degree of liberty and are distinguished by a greater degree of sprightliness, intrigue, and wit, than are to be found in the other cities of Greece. Formerly there existed a school in Athens supported by a sum of money which a charitable Athenian had lodged in the bank of Venice. But when this bank was destroyed by the conquest of Venice by Bonaparte, the income of course was at an end, and this obliged the inhabitants of Athens to shut up their school. About six years ago Dr. Rhasis being travelling through Greece, was affected even to tears when he observed the state of Athens, reduced to subjection and even deprived of a school. He summoned a meeting of the principal inhabitants, and after they had concerted the means of re-establishing the school, he accepted the title of Ephorus, or principal director of it, which the inhabitants offered him. On his return to Constantinople he consolidated the school by the privileges which he obtained from the government and the patriarch, and at present the school of Athens flourishes under his inspection. The following is an extract of a letter from Mr. John Polama, Professor of the school, dated the 27th May 1814, in which he gives an account to Dr. Rhasis of the solemn distribution of the prizes. It is published in the 'Epuns à Aoyos (the Literary

* The account of Gay-Lussac's opinions respecting the combination of chlorine and oxygen in this letter is very obscure to me, probably from not understanding the nomenclature of Van Mons. I bave translated it therefore as literally as possible. T.

[JULY, Mercury) a periodical Greek work edited at Vienna by Anthimos Gazy.

"I have opened," says he, "a literary concourse, and collected in the school the inhabitants of the first and second class, to hear the reading of different pieces in prose and verse, composed by the pupils in ancient and modern Greek. The applauses were unanimous, not only of the Greeks but of the French and English who assisted at the meeting, and who were loud in their praises of the scholars and of the professor who had directed them. The successfal pupils were rewarded by the Society of the Philomuses,* which has been just formed, some with gold or silver rings, each according to his merit, some with money. The poor children were even supplied with clothes."

A Greek college has even been lately established at Melios by Anthimos Gazy. A school existed already in the same place, but it has been greatly enlarged, and the number of professors or teachers increased.

XIII. Werner's Collection of Minerals.

Werner has disposed of his invaluable collection of minerals to the Academy of Mines at Freyberg. It was valued by the Saxon Government at 56,000 dollars; but Werner declared that in the present impoverished state of his country so great a sum ought not to be taken, and therefore most patriotically reduced the price to 40,000 dollars. He parted with his collection to the Academy under the following conditions: 1. That he should receive immediately the sum of 7,000 dollars. 2. That he should receive during his life the interest of 33,000 dollars, at the rate of five per cent. 3. That at his death the capital of 33,000 dollars should fall to the funds of the Academy.

ARTICLE XVI.

Scientific Books in hand, or in the Press.

In consequence of the numerous important discoveries that are daily making by Berzelius and others in the science of chemistry, Mr. W. Henley is induced to delay his promised series of Chemical Tables some time longer, in order to render them as perfect as possible; particularly as the composition of many of the vegetable bodies is not at present correctly determined.

Dr. Henry, of Manchester, is preparing for the press a new edition of his Elements of Chemistry.

Mr. Huish's Practical Treatise on Bees will be ready for publication in a few days.

The new edition of Dr. Hutton's Philosophical Dictionary is nearly ready for publication.

The Eighth Volume of Shaw's Zoology, under the superintendance of Dr. Leach, is in considerable forwardness.

The object of this Society is to furnish the funds necessary for the propagation of learning in Greece, for the publication of classical works, for supporting indigent young persons educated to the sciences, and for researches into autiquity of every kind.

ARTICLE XVII.

METEOROLOGICAL TABLE.

1815. Wind. Max. Min. Med. Max. Min. Med. Evap. Rain.]

3N

4N

E 29-67 29-65 29-660

67

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.