The subject of our commercial relations, the bullion question, and that of the depreciation of our currency, have been treated of by such a multiplicity of writers, that it is impossible to enumerate even all the titles that have appeared. The chief are, Mr. Giddy's "Plain Statement of the Bullion Question, in a letter to a friend." Mr. Siordet's " Letter to the Right Hon. Sir John Sinclair, Bart. M. P. supporting his argu, ments in refutation of those advanced by Mr. Huskisson." "Farther observations on the subject of the supposed Depreciation of our Currency, and the Causes of the Diminution in the Value of Money;" affirmed to be the production of Mr. Robert Wilson, one of the Directors of the Bank of Scotland. Mr. R. P. Hoare's “Examination of Sir John Sinclair's Observations on the Report of the Bullion Committee." "Observations on the present state of the Currency of England.. By the Earl of Rosse." "The Laws and Principles

of Money considered, in a letter to W. Huskisson, Esq. by John Raithby, of Lincoln's Inn, Esq. Barrister at Law." "Defence of abstract Currencies, in reply to the Bullion Report and Mr. Huskisson. By Glocester Wilson, Esq. F. R.S."-Upon the whole we think, that, although the question is, kept nearly upon a balance by the contending evidences and arguments here offered, the advocates in favour of the standard value of the established currency have rather the advantage over those who contend for its depreciation.

"Reflections on the Nature and Extent of the Licence Trade." Svo. This is a very difficult subject. It has some advantages in favour of our own country; but the pamphlet before us points out, apparently from safe authorities, a far greater mass of evils: it is partial, generally impo litic, as more beneficial to the enemy than to ourselves, and highly immoral and dishonest as to its consequences.

CHAP.

T published THE

HE Royal Society has seldom published a collection of more interesting articles in the department of physics, to which, indeed, they chiefly appertain, than are to be found in the first part of the volume for the current year, which is the only part that has yet reached us. It consists of ten contributions, as follow: I. "The Bakerian Lecture. On some of the combinations of oxymuriatic gass and oxygen, and on the chemical relations of these principles to inflammable_bodies. By Humphrey Davy, Esq. LL.D. Sec. R. S. &c." VII. "On a combination of oxymuriatic gass and oxygen gass. By the same." We connect these articles, as relating to the same subject, and proceeding from the same pen. Mr. Davy had been long led to doubt, and from doubting to disbelieve, the existence of oxygen in oxymuriatic acid, the body formerly supposed to contain it more abundantly than any other; and to conjecture, that this acid is a peculiar elementary substance, much more nearly resembling oxygen itself, than any of its compounds usually denominated acids. The papers before us contain farther inquiries into the nature of this newly-discovered material, and its analogy to oxygen; and although there are various difficulties that still remain to be solved, they make a considerable progress

towards establishing Mr. Davy's view of the subject. And as, admitting the fact, it must be improper to call a body oxymuriatic acid, "which is not known to contain oxygen, and which cannot contain muriatic acid"-an alteration in its name

seems necessary to assist the progress of discussion, and to diffuse just ideas on the subject;"— and hence, "after consulting some of the most eminent chemical philosophers in this country, it has been judged most proper," continues Mr. Davy," to suggest a name founded upon one of its most obvious and characteristic properties, its (yellowish-green) colour, and to call it chlorine, or chloric gass." In the second paper, which is the most important of the two, Mr. Davy states experiments, which prove, that oxymuriatic-gass, and oxygengass, may be made to unite, and form a very singular compound, the peculiar properties of which (and many of them are of a very extraordinary nature) he conceives establish in a much higher degree all the conclusions he has ventured to make respecting the undecompounded form of oxymuriatic-gass. III. "The Croonian Lecture, on some physiological researches respecting the influence of the brain on the action of the heart, and on the generation of animal heat. By Mr. B. C. Brodie, F. R. S." This

is also a very curious and ingenious paper; and we have accordingly introduced it into the department of Literary Selections. II. "On the expansion of any functions of multinomials. By Thomas Knight, Esq. Communicated by Humphry Davy, Esq. &c." A very useful appendage to M. Arbogast's learned work, Da Calcul des Dérivations. IV. "On a case of nervous affection cured by pressure of the carotids; with some physiological remarks. By C. H. Parry, M. D. F. R. S." This case wants farther sanction. The physiological remarks are contained in the following brief paragraph, with which the case closes: "From these and other similar facts, I am disposed to conclude, that irritation of the brain, from undue impulse of blood, is the common, though not the only cause of spasmodic and nervous affections: and I can with the most precise regard to truth add, that a mode of practice conformable to this principle has enabled me, during more than twenty years, to cure a vast number of such maladies, which had resisted the usual means." V. "On the nonexistence of sugar in the blood of persons labouring under diabetes mellitus. In a letter to Alexander Murcet, M. D. F. R. S. from Wm. Hyde Wollaston, M. D. Sec. R. S." VIII. "Experiments to prove that fluids pass directly from the stomach to the circulation of the blood, and from thence to the cells of the spleen, the gall-bladder, and the urinary-bladder, without going through the thoracic duct. By Everard Home, Esq. F. R. S." The object of both these papers is in a considerable degree the same, namely, that substances of various kinds may pass, and are perpetually passing, from the stomach to the kidnies, without taking the course of the general ca.

culation. This was proved in the experiments recited in the first of the two papers, by introducing into the stomach of an adult sma!! doses, as three grains and a half, of prussiat of potash, and repeating it every three hours to the third time, and tasting the urine that followed every half hour with a solution of iron. The urine being examined every half hour, was found in two hours to be tinged, and to afford a deep blue at the end of four hours. At this time blood was taken from the arm, but gave not the smallest proof of the salt, even in the separated serum. The experiment applied to the diabetes mellitus is designed to prove, that the organs chiefly affected are the stomach, or chylopoietic, and the kidneys; and that the sanguineous system is only influenced in a secondary way. Mr. Home Las proved the same physiolo gical fact, by tying up the thoracic duct of a dog in various places, then introducing rhubarb into the stomach, and afterwards tracing the presence of the rhubarb in the urine, although on carefully dissecting the animal the ligatures had not been found to give way, and of course the rhubarb could not have entered into the sanguineous system. VI. "On the rectification of the byperbola, by means of two ellipses, prov ing that method to be circuitous, and such as requires much more calculation than is requisite by an appropriate theorem: in which process a new theorem for the rectifi cation of that curve is discovered. To which are added, some further observations on the rectification of the hyperbola, &c. By the Rev. John Hallins, B. D. F. R. S. Being an appendix to his former paper on the rectification of the hyperbola, inserted in the Phil, Trans, for 1802, communicated by Nevil Maskelyne,

D. D.

D. D. F. R. S. Astronomer Royal." This paper will not admit of abridgment; and its length of title sufficiently points out its object. IX. "On the composition of Zeolite. By James Smithson, Esq. F. R. S." According to this article, zeolite, at least that examined, consists of silica 4.90, alumina 2.70, soda 1.70, ice 0.95. Mr. Smithson suggests, that quartz may be an acid; and that, in such case, zeolite would be regarded as a compound salt, a bydrated silicate of alumina and soda, and hence a compound of alumina not very dissimilar to alum. X. "Experiments and observations on the different modes in which death is produced by certain vegetable poisons. By Mr. B. C. Brodie, F. R. S." This is also a very ingenious and valuable communication. The experiments are neat and numerous, and they prove very satisfactorily, that different poisons operate in a very different way upon different organs, and through such organs on the system at large. We lament that our limits will not allow us to enter even into a brief summary.

The XXVIIth volume of the "Transactions of the Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce," divided, as usual, into the various departments of agriculture, chemistry, mechanics, polite arts, colonies and trade, &c. contains a considerable number of valuable papers, in the midst of many that are of a more questionable character. We can only find space to give a very brief glance at a few of them. It is pleasing to see, from the agricultural division, that the practice of raising timbertrees is in several instances carrying on with great spirit. Mr. Curwen, M. P. expatiates on the advantages that result from planting larches on

indifferent mountain pasture land, he having, on the banks of Windermere, appropriated 400 acres of this land to the plantation of 1,269,000 trees, above one half of which are larches. Dr. Thackery, of Chester, asserts, in like manner, that he made, in the counties of Denbigh and Merioneth, between Nov. 1804 and May 1808, on mountainous land, on the declivities of hills, and in dingles incapable of being improved by the plough, plantations of ash, chesnut, elm, and other forest trees, to more than an extent of 170 acres: while Mr. Congreve, of Aldermaston House, Berkshire, particularises the process of planting 75 acres with acorns. In the mechanical division it becomes us to notice, that Mr. Gilbert Gilpin, in a valuable letter on cranes and flexible chains, has offered plans of improvement that are well worth attending to; and has given experiments to prove, that chains, when worked in grooves, are cheaper, safer, and more durable, than hempen ropes. We rejoice also to find, that the attention of the society is still directed to methods for sweeping chimneys, without the employment of climbing boys: and from the improvements which seem to have taken place in various plans some time since suggested, we indulge a hope, that this valuable desideratum will ere long be fully accomplished. We meet with two distinct schemes for a sort of animal telegraph: the first, called an Anthropo-Telegraph, is the invention of Mr. Knight Spencer, of Bromley Lodge, near Bow, and forms a mode of communication in the day or night by disks: the second, denominated a Homograph, is the invention of Lieut. James Spratt, of the royal navy, whose gallant conduct in the battle of Trafalgar is recorded in a

letter

letter which accompanies the communication. Mr. Spencer employs his men to make signals with disks held in different attitudes; while Lieut. Spratt directs his code of sig nals to be performed with a white pocket handkerchief, to be kept in different positions relatively to the body. The former possesses the greater extent of compass; the latter the greater degree of ease and simplicity. Mr. Miller, of Bedford, has described an apparatus of his own invention, "for raising the bodies of persons who have sunk in water, and for assisting persons in danger in water." This machine combines the properties of the rope, pole, and bar-drags, accommodates itself to uneven ground, fishes an extent of ten feet at one sweep, and can be drawn by a single person. In addition to this drag, Mr. M. has contrived a Reel Safeguard for the security of persons going to the assistance of those on the point of being drowned, or diving for them; and a Missile Rope, capable of being flung to a person in distress, at a considerable distance from shore. These inventions are perspicuously explained by illustrative plates.

Natural History has also been highly benefited of late by the establishment of two national societies, each of which has already contributed a valuable and important volune of memoirs. These are the Wernerian Natural History Society of Edinburgh, and the Geological Society of London. The first was established in 1808, and contains a very respectable list of honorary, resident, non-resident, and foreign members, embracing the greater number of those, who at home or abroad have acquired much celebrity in the study of physiology in the most extensive use of the term. One volume only has hitherto been

VI.

submitted to the public, but it is of a respectable and promising character; and though we can find time for nothing more, we will run over its table of contents, that the reader may form to himself some further idea of its various bearings. The articles are not less than thirty-four; the size of the volume a thick octavo of about 630 pages. I. Oa contemporaneous Veins. By Profes sor Jameson. II. Analysis of Fluor Spar. By Dr. Thomson. III On the Asclepiadeæ, a natural order of plants separated from the Apociner of Jussieu. By Robert Brown, Esq. IV. An account of five rare species of British Fishes. By George Montagu, Esq. V. Elucidation respecting the Pinna ingens of Pennant's Zoology. By J. Laskey, Esq. Mineralogical Queries proposed by Professor Jameson. VII. On the Transition Greenstone of Fassney. By Dr. Ogilvy. VIII. Description of a small-beaded Narwal, cast ashore in Zetland. By the Rev. Mr. Fleming. IX. On colouring Geognostical Maps. By, Professor Jameson. X. Mineralogical account of Papa Stour, one of the Zetland Islands. By the Rev. Mr. Fleming. XI. Observations on some peculiarities observable in the structure of the Gannet; and an account of an insect discovered to inhabit the cellular membrane of that bird. By George Montagu, Esq. XII. Account of a species of Fasciola, which infests the trachea of Poultry, with a mode of cure. By the same. XIII. Some account of a Fin-Whale, stranded near Alloa. By Patrick Neill, Sec. W. S. XIV. A list of the rarer Plants observed in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh. By Robert Manghar, Esq. XV. Meteorolo gical Journal, kept during voyages from Whitby to Greenlaud, and back again, in 1807, 8, and 9. Ey

Mr.