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The following letter and sonnet were written and addressed to Vasari, by Michel Angelo in the year 1557 when the author was 83 years of age. He had then been sometime distracted with the apprehension that either death or removal from employment would deprive him of the power of completing the magnificent edifice of St. Peter's church at Rome, to the building of which he had devoted himself with unabating zeal and assiduity for eleven years, notwithstanding the most embarrassing opposition from enemies and rivals. He persevered, however, till he had established his design beyond the possibility of change; and had the happiness of seeing, under his own superintendance, the edifice carried up to the springing of the dome.

"It is the will of God that I still continue to be; and I know that I shall be

justly called foolish and out of my mind for making sonnets; but as many say, I am in my second childhood, I am willing to employ myself agreeably to my state. By yours I feel conscious of the love you bear me, therefore I wish you to know, that it is my filial desire to rest these my feeble bones by the side of those of my father, and I pray you to see that it be done.

"For me to leave this place would be the cause of ruin to the church of St. Peter's, which would be a great pity, and a greater sin; as I hope to establish it beyond the possibility of changing the design, I could wish first, to accomplish that end; if I do not already commit a crime by disappointing the many cormorants who are in daily expectation of getting rid of me.

MICHEL ANGELO BONARROTI."

SONNET.

Well-nigh the voyage now is overpast, And my frail bark, through troubled seas and rude,

Draws near that common haven where at last

Of every action, be it evil or good,
Must due account be rendered. Well I

know

How vain will then appear that favoured art,

Sole idol long, and monarch of my heart.
For all is vain that man desires below,
And now remorseful thoughts the past
upbraid,

And fear of twofold death my soul alarms, That which must come, and that beyond the grave;

Picture and sculpture lose their feeble charms,

And to that love divine I turn for aid
Who from the cross extends his arms to

save.

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PHILOSOPHICAL AND ECONOMICAL INTELLIGENCE.

NEW INVENTED LOOM.

Christopher Heeren, organ-builder, at Gottesbühren, in Westphalia, has invented a loom, which performs all the operations of itself. Without the intervention of the weaver, it sets the treadles in motion, throws the shuttle, and stops it at the opposite side; loosens the web, when a,

certain portion is finished, and winds the cloth upon the axle. Every thing is kept in proper order; and the piece of stuff, when finished, is smoothed. An index, attached to the machine, shows at any time the number of ells that are woven. This machine has as yet only been exhibited on a small scale to connoisseurs, and has obtained the highest approbation.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING PAPER. M. Rockstroh, of Berlin, has invented a machine for cutting paper straight, with any kind of scissars, which is likely to be of use to men of business.

AIR BALLOON.

We have already noticed the experi. ments of M. Degen, of Vienna, to raise himself into the air. As his weight exceeded the power of the machinery with which he effected this, by thirty-four pounds, he conceived the idea of combining with it an air-balloon, imagining that, by means of the latter, he could be supported in the air, and at the same time have it sufficiently under his command. The experiments which he made with it, towards the conclusion of last year, in the Prater, before a numerous company, were completely successful. He flew at pleasure in all directions; raised and lowered himself; and the balloon followed him spontaneously whichever way he turned.

The diameter of the latter was nineteen feet five inches. After deducting the weight of Degen and his flying-machine, the balloon possessed a power equal to thirtytwo pounds.

PARABOLICK LENS.

A remarkably large, parabolick lens was recently purchased at Vienna, for the French government. It was made at Gratz, in Styria, by Rospinè, a celebrated mechanist, for some alchymists. It was not cast, but softened by heat, and bent over a parabolick mould. Several pieces were broken before he succeeded; so that it cost, originally, from 800 to 1200 guineas. It is three feet three inches in diameter, and of eight feet four inches focus; com. posed of two pieces of glass united together by an iron hoop, so as to form a hollow vessel, capable of holding eighty or ninety quarts of spirit of wine. M. Jacquin, of Vienna, and several men of science, who witnessed the experiments, declare, that it burned a diamond in a few seconds, and fused platina in a few minutes. A button of platina, weighing twenty-nine grains, was melted by it, and made in part to boil. The diameter of the focus does not appear to exceed four lines. It weighs 550 lbs. avoirdupoise.

HYDROSTATICK BALANCE.

A very simple contrivance has been invented by M. Fabroni, for transforming any good common balance into a hydrostatick balance. It is a moveable column, which, being placed in a vessel proper for the purpose, beneath any balance whatever, provided it be exact, renders it capable of giving specifick gravities, without the necessity of recuring to the extraordinary and expensive methods with which the machines now called hydrostatick balances are attended.

LIQUID TO EXTINGUISH FIRE.

M. Gonzatti has discovered a liquid which instantaneously extinguishes fire. The following experiments were publickly made with it at Venice. Some resin and oil were set fire to, and scarcely had a few drops of this liquid been poured on the flame, when it immediately disappeared, leaving behind not the least trace of fire. Billets of wood, besmeared with pitch and resin, and afterwards dipped in this liquid, resisted the action of the hottest fire, to which they were exposed for several hours. The inventor affirms, that a few applications of this composition to wood-work would preserve it from all danger of fire. He has not thought fit to publish the manner in which this composition is prepared; but it is probable that a solution of alum, pot-ash, and vitriol, is one of the ingredients.

MAGNETISM.

Mr. Leopold Vacca has discovered a method of communicating magnetism to a bar of iron, without a magnet. He takes a bar about three feet in length, which gives no sign of any magnetick virtue whilst lying in a horizontal position; but possesses the same in a very sensible degree when placed perpendicularly. These signs disappear again when it is laid down horizontally and appear again when it is lifted up vertically. A small bar of steel, it appears, rubbed several times in the same direction against the extremity of the other bar, when situated vertically, acquires magnetism; hence the discoverer concludes that magnetism may be communicated to a body without either a natural or artificial magnet.

A simple method for removing grease spots. Scrape finely some pipe clay, lay thereon

the sheet or leaf, and cover the spot in like manner with the clay. Cover the whole with a sheet of paper; and apply for a few seconds a heated ironing box. On using India-rubber to remove the dust taken up by the grease, the paper will be found restored to its original degree of whiteness and opacity.

LEAD PENCIL DRAWINGS.

To preserve drawings made with a black lead pencil, a thin wash of isinglass may be used, or, hard black chalk to prevent their rubbing out; or the same effect may be produced by the simple application of skimmed milk. The best way of using this is to lay the drawing flat upon the surface of the milk, and then taking it up expeditiously, to hang it by one corner till it drains and dries. The milk must be perfectly free from cream, otherwise it will grease the paper.

A new recipe for making permanent ink for marking linen, &c.-Take of lunar caustick (now called argentum nitratum) one dram; weak solution (or, perhaps, more correctly speaking, tincture) of galls two drams: the cloth is first to be wetted with the following liquid: viz. salt of tartar one ounce; water, one ounce and a half. It must be perfectly dry before any attempt is made to write upon it.

CURE OF HERNIA.

A very important discovery is said to have been made of the uses of the slimy juices of snails, by M. Tarenni, as a specifick for the cure of hernia, or rupture, when the part can be returned and it is not dangerous to confine it in the body. This being ascertained, he directs that a truss be made having the ball at the end concave, instead of convex, as usual, for the reception of a cup of equal diameter with the orifice of the hernia. The cup must be of china, glass, or earthen-ware, that the liquor may not penetrate it, or undergo any alteration; and the edges should be turned, that they may not incommode the patient. It is to be filled with wool, which must be changed every other day. Two, three, or four hundred snails are then to be procured, and kept in a place where they can

procure food; from two to eight being only to be used every day. The patient, before he rises, and after he has been in bed, removes the cup from the truss, and pricks the snail in different places with a pin, from which incisions sometimes a bluish and sometimes a gray liquid issues, which must be caught on the wool in the cup, which, being filled, must be placed exactly in the same situation on the affected part; but, if a thick froth oozes out from the snail, that snail must be thrown aside, and another taken. After the cup is thus applied, it must be covered with a white linen cloth, and the ball of the truss applied on it sufficiently tight to prevent the fluid from escaping. If this treatment lasts several months, it may be necessary to shave the part, and not to leave it too long uncovered for fear of catching cold. If the cup rubs the skin, it must be removed till the place is healed. In this case the patient may remove the truss altogether at night, if it can be done without danger; and in the daytime he may wear it dry, filling the cavity with wool, and covering the hernia with a bit of cloth. This treatment cures a common hernia, or rupture, in two, three, or four months; though it may be necessary for the patient to wear the truss six weeks or two months more, till the wound is perfectly healed, in order that the muscles may resume their natural action.

PAINTS FROM HORSE-CHESNUTS.

M. Geitner has, by the aid of various substances, extracted from the green shells of horse-chesnuts very beautiful yellow and brown colours, and the latter in the greatest diversity of hues. They are found to stand both on woolens and silks, though the stuffs have been wetted and wrung out, and some of them even washed in caustick liquids.

BRASS VESSELS.

To preserve brass vessels from contracting verdigrise after they have been used, instead of wiping them dry, it has been found that by constantly immerging them in water they are kept perfectly innoxious, and will remain for years full as clean and nearly as bright, as when they first came out of the hands of the work

man.

LITERARY INTELLIGENCE.

COMMUNICATIONS for this head, from authors and booksellers, post paid, will be inserted free of expense, Literary advertisements will be printed upon the covers at the usual price.

Articles of literary intelligence, inserted by the booksellers in the UNITED STATES' GAZETTE, will be copied into this Magazine without further order.

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Life of Washington, by M. L. Weems, in German. Price 1 dollar. With six engravings.

Sterne's Sentimental Journey, through France and Italy. 62 1-2 cents.

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Narrative of Calamitous and Interesting Shipwrecks, with authentick particulars of the Sufferings of the Crews. Price 31

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Simsom's Euclid; third American edition; 2 dols. 50 cents.

Julia de Routigne, by M'Kenzie. 621-2

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Clarke's Erasmus; new edition, improved by James Ross.

Desultory Reflections on the Ruinous Consequences of a Non-Renewal of the Charter of the Bank of the United States; 3d edition.

By the Booksellers Philadelphia, Published-Rules and Regulations for the Field Exercise and Manœuvres of the French infantry, issued August 1st, 1791; and the Manoeuvres added, which have been since adopted by the emperour Napoleon. Also, the Manœuvres of the field artillery, with Infantry. By col. Irenee Amelot de Lacroix, late Chief of Brigade in the French service. In three volumes. The third volume consisting of plates. Price 4 dols. 50.

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Republished-An Exposition of the Conduct of France towards America, illustrated by Cases decided in the Council of Prizes in Paris. By Lewis Goldsmith, Notary Publick, Author of "The Crimes of Cabinets," Translator of M. D'Hauterive's "Etat de la France à la Fin de l'an 8," &c. &c. Price 62 1-2 cents.

By John Elliot jun. Boston, Republished-The Trial of the Witnesses of the Resurrection, by Bishop Sherlock. From the twelfth London Edition. By William Elliot, Boston,

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By Farrand, Mallory and Co. Boston,

Republished-Dialogues concerning Eloquence in general; and particularly that kind which is proper for the pulpit. By M. de Fenelon, Archbishop of Cambray.

Also-Second Edition, price 87 cents A Letter on the Genius and Dispositions of the French Government, including a view of the Taxation of the French Empire. Addressed to a friend, by an American, recently returned from Europe.

By T. B. Wait, and Co. Boston, Published-The American New Dispensatory, containing. 1. General Principles of Pharmaceutick Chymistry, Analysis of the articles of Materia Medica. 2. Materia Medica, including several new and valuable articles, the production of the United States. 3. Preparations and Compositions. The whole compiled from the most approved modern authors, both European and American. To which is added an appendix, containing a definition

of the nature and properties of the Cases; by a Fellow of the Massachussetts Medical Society. Medical Electricity and Galvanism. On Medical prescriptions. An abridgement of Dr. Currie's Reports on the use of Water. The Cultivation of the Poppy Plant, and the Method of preparing Opium. Several useful Tables. The whole compiled from the most approved authors, both European and American. By James Thatcher, A. A. & S. S.

By S. Etheridge, Boston, Republished-Observations on our Lord's Conduct, as a Divine Instructer, and on the excellence of his moral character. By William Newcome, D. D. Archbishop of Aramgh.

By Russell and Cutler, Boston, Published-Dr. Parish's Sermon, Delivered before the Executive and Legislature of Massachussetts, May 30, 1810.

PROPOSED AMERICAN PUBLICATIONS.

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Adams's edition of Dr. John Hunter's works; with notes, by Dr. N. Chapman.

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The Scottish Chiefs, a Romance. By Miss Jane Porter, author of Thaddeus of Warsaw, and Remarks on Sidney's Apho

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Tales of Real Life. Forming a sequel to Miss Edgeworth's Tales of Fashionable Life.

The Wife, or Model for Women, a Tale. By Mrs. Edgeworth.

The Libertine Husband. Translated from the French of Madame Staël Holstein, author of Delphine, Corinna, &c.

The Houses of Osma and Almeria, or Convent of St. Ildefonso, a Tale. By Regina Maria Roche, author of the Children of the Abbey, Discarded Son, &c.

Chevalier de Versenai, a Novel. Translated from the French of Madame Cottin, author of Elizabeth, or the Exiles of Siberia, &c. &c. &c.

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John E. Thomson, Fredericktown, Md. To republish by subscription-Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia; or, the Pursuit after Happiness. A most beautiful and admired little Philosophical novel, written by the late learned and illustrious Dr. Samuel Johnson.

A society of Gentlemen, New York, To publish-The American Medical and Philosophical Register; Or, Annals of Medicine, Natural History, Agricul ture, and the Arts.

Farrand, allory, and Co. Boston,

To republish-Reports of Cases argued and determined in the Court of Common Pleas, and other in Michaelmas and Hilary Terms. By William Pyle Tannton, Esq.

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Lincoln and Edmunds, Boston,

To republish, with the addition of nineteen sermons-Sermons on Important Subjects. By the late reverend and pious Samuel Davies, A. M. Some time President of the College in New Jersey. In three vols.

S. Etheridge, Boston,

To republish-Fragments; being Illus trations of the Manners, Incidents, and Phraseology of Holy Scripture. Principally selected from the most esteemed and authentick Voyages and Travels into the East. With additional Remarks, Observations and Plates, intended as a continued Appendix to Calmet's Dictionary of the Holy Bible.

Also-Calmet's Great Dictionary of the Holy Bible; Historical, Critical, Geographical, and Etymological.

Scripture Illustrated, by means of Natural Science-in Botany, Geology, Geography, Natural History, Natural Philosophy, Utensils, domestick and military habiliments, manners, customs, &c. &c.Conducted principally by the editor of Calmet's Dictionary of the Holy Bible. W. Wells, and T. B. Waite, Boston, and Williams and Whiting, New York, To republish-A new Literal Translation, from the Original Greek, of all the Apostolical Epistles. With a Commentary and Notes, Philological, Critical, Explanatory, and Practical. To which is added, a History of the Life of the Apostle Paul. By James M'Knight, D. D. Author of a

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