violence) might, for fome time, have efcaped even his own obfervation. When one eye, however, is extinguifhed, the other may be regarded as its heir at law, inheriting the powers of a departed relationnus fefe armat utroque. This fcrap from Strada is not much to the purpose, but Mr. Tyers loves a quotation, and therefore, till I had introduced one, I could not prevail on myself to affure you, Mr. Editor, that I am Your most humble fervant, &c. Z. THE PHILOSOPHICAL INTELLIGENCE., HE Chevalier Landriani has difcovered a new and ufeful method of fettling the fixed points of thermometers. The freezing point is not fubject to any variation; because water which is in the act of freezing or of thawing remains at 32 deg. of Fahrenheit's thermometer during the whole time employed to reduce it either to a folid or fluid ftate. This is not the cafe with the boiling water point or 212 deg. of Fahrenheit's thermometer. The preffure of the atmosphere occafions a confiderable variation in the heat of water in a state of ebullition; the ebullition and the maximum of heat taking place at a lower temperature when the weight of the atmofpere is lighter than when it is heavier. M. Landriani's propofal is to make ufe of fubjects which congeal at much higher degrees of heat than water, in order to afcertain another point of congelation, that shall be at a confiderable or fufficient diftance from the point of congelation in water: fulphur maye probably answer this purpose if the flowers be afed; and no more heat applied than is fufficient merely to bring it into a state of fluidity." fible even on the fame spot or place to fix the boiling point on thermometers, without making ufe of a tedious calculation, because the heat of the water, as is well known, varies according to the weight of air that compresses it. Now there can be no doubt but a fmall crucible, or any other veffel filled with any metallic compofition, fufible at the 80th degree of Reaumur's fcale, might ferve to determine the heat or the point of boiling water on all kinds of thermometers. Let a thermometer, for example, be immerged in a metallic compofition, whofe degree of heat exceeds that requifite to render it fluid, it will ceafe to defcend at the inftant the metal becomes folid, and will remain ftationary at that point for fome time. All that is required, therefore, is to procure a metallic compofition that will lofe its folidity at the 80th degree, and to immerge the thermometer therein that we propofe to graduate: for as foon as we perceive that the mercury is in fome meafure ftationary, and that the compofition takes a folid form, it will be a certain criterion that the mercury in the thermometer is heated to 80 degrees; that is to fay, a heat equal to what it would have acquired if immerged in boiling water." o " On this occafion, though M. Landriani is intitled to all the merit of originality for his useful propofition; yet a refpect for truth obliges us to obferve, that the upper fixed point of Sir Ifaac Newton's linfeed oil thermometer was fettled by detaining the bulb in in melted tin till it began to congeal. M. Fontana has conftructed thermometers of great utility, in meafuring the temperature of fluids. Their bulbs are fo fmall as not to exceed one-tenth of an inch in diameter, though the tube may even. exceed ten inches in length. On account of the fmall mafs of thefe thermometers they almoft inftantaneously acquire the temperature of the liquor into which they are immerged, and as quickly lofe it when taken out. The peculiar part of his method of constructing thefe inftruments confifts in taking a tube of a very fine capillary bore, fealing it hermetically at both ends, and grinding away nearly half its thicknefs. This flat furface is to be polifhed, and ferves to receive the graduations, which are drawn and marked with the fine point of a diamond. The other part of the furface of the tube must be deprived of its polish, in order that the fine capillary cylinder of mercury may be rendered more confpicuous and difcernible. In this cafe, the cavity of the tube being at a very fmall distance from the flat furface produced by grinding, there is little or no parallax occafioned by the thickness and refractive power of the glafs interpofed between the line of divifion and the column of mercury. It is unneceffary to defcribe the method of blowing the bulb, and filling the thermometer, fince thefe are well known to philosophers and artists. The philofophical world have great reafon to hope that the contested and important queftion concerning the existence of phlogiston will either be decided or very much elucidated by Mr. Kirwan, who is at prefent bufied on that fubject. It is unneceffary for us to obferve that this gentleman, in, addition to the original mental powers and acquifitions he poffeffes, is undoubtedly more intimately acquainted with the prefent ftate of chemistry, and that immenfe mafs of facts, which is feattered in a great variety of works in all languages, than any other philofopher in England, or perhaps in Europe. M. Moyroud, in the year 1782, having prefented to the minister of the finances in France, a memoir, in which he afferts himself to be in poffeffion of a particular procefs, by which, in the fabrication of the natural feel of Dauphiny, above a fourth part of the confumption of coal, and as great a portion of time, might be faved, without being of the leaft detriment to the quality of the fteel; this procefs appeared to deferve attention. M. Binelly, engineer, and M. Jars, inspector-general of the mines, were therefore appointed to affift M. Moyroud in the trials he offered to make before them, which were performed to their fatisfaction, and proved that the advantages to be derived from this procefs were really fuch as M. Moyroud had afferted. After the reports of Meff. Binelli and Jars were made, a reward was granted to M. Moyroud, on condition of his publifhing the procefs, that every manufacturer of steel might, reap the advantage of this difcovery, by working it in the manner made ufe of in Dauphiny. In the ordinary manipulation, as foon as they have taken the melted mafs out of the melting pot in the furnace, they hammer it and fuffer it to cool before they carry it to the refining furnace. M. Moyroud's procefs fimply confifts in taking advantage of the heat the mafs of fteel is yet penetrated with, after it has been taken out of the melting pot and undergone the effect of the hammer, to refine it immediately, while hot, and extend it into plates or bars under another hammering. By thus taking the advantage of the heat the mafs had acquired in the first furnace, he faves the coals and the time which neceflarily muft have been taken up to restore the due degree of heat they had ufelefsly loft. But it must be obferved, to obtain this advantage, that it is indifpenfably neceffary to have two forges and two anvils in the manufactory. ], ། Mr. Nicholfon has contrived a new inftrument, by means of which the plus and minus electricities, when ftrong enough to give the fpark, are inftantly diftinguished from each other. This may be of great advantage to philofophers whofe attention is directed to the obfervation of the phenomena of thunder clouds. It is well known how fallacious the form of the luminous appearance at the extremity of a metallic point is, when made ufe of for this purpofe; and the celebrated Beccaria, in his numerous obfervations, was under the neceffity of ufing a long pafteboard tube, in which was included two metallic points, whofe intervals were the difcontinuation of his conductor. The long tube was abfolutely neceffary to enable him to obferve the figure of electric luminous brush with fafety by day-light. Mr. Nicholson's invention confifts in a metallic ball with which the fpark is to be follicited. By means of a fcrew, a fine fteel point is made to project about one thirtieth part of an inch, or lefs, as may be found moft convenient, beyond the polifhed furface of the ball, through a very fmall hole. This point is prefented to the electrized body. If the electricity be plus no fpark will be drawn, but it will pafs to the point in filence, as ufual; but, if the electricity be minus, the uninfulated ball will give denfe and long fparks to the electrifed body. We are informed that the fame gentleman, fome time ago, explained to a refpectable fociety in London, a new method for experimentally finding the quantity of terreftrial refraction, which is the principal impediment to the ac curate trigonometrical menfurations of the height of mountains. His method is trigonometrical, but we do not hear that he has yet communicated to the public any memoir on the fubject. “ The attention of the philofophical world is much excited by fome experiments lately made by Dr. George Fordyce and Dr. Crawford. With a pair of fcales capable of exhibiting the three thoufandth part of a grain, the quantity of about two ounces of water in a glafs veffel, hermetically fealed, was weighed. The water was then frozen, care being taken to make the furface of the glafs perfectly clean. Its weight when frozen was one fixteenth of a grain more than when fluid. The temperature both of the ice and the water was conftantly 32°, and therefore the condenfation of vapour that might be imagined to take place on the glafs must have been alike in both cafes. Befides which, the experiment has been frequently repeated as well when the temperature of the room was below as when above 32°. And it is to be prefumed that no condensation could take place when the air itself was colder than the glafs veffel. From thefe experiments it fhould feem either that the matter of heat is poffeffed of pofitive levity, or that it is only the privation of the matter of cold; or, laftly, if heat and cold be mere modifications, it appears that heat is a modification which not only counteracts and destroys the effects of the cohefive attraction, but even thofe of gravity. POETRY. * A French compofer. Thou y lov'd Olympiad ! oft in thee, How oft, alas! renew'd, he image of my heart I fee; This heart with woe fubdu'd! he fun when funk beneath the hill, hat tribute can be paid by me, ou fhedit the nectar of delight That all foul infpires, my hy mufe, when the extends her flight, Adds wing to my defires. an I to celebrate thy name ere, on the left, by Arbia's fidé, ith murm'ring found his flender tide Along the Roman meads, graffy hillock rifes fair, us Horace in the Sabine grove ५ here fair engrav'd the happy few The pleas'd attention claim, egulus, Artaxerxes view, Titus and Dido's name. at where th' Olympiad holds a place Upon the cedar's rind, here thrice I Metaitalio trace, And there three garlands bind. nd thrice each day my votive lays Th' ingenuous notes prolong, ruftic prieft that dares to The fecret will and paffions of our foul Love raises in our minds an ufeful t Of that beloved object, which hath ca Our very fouls. This object then emp Our fecret thoughts; our peace it then In dreams by night it then disturbs our And from our thoughts by day we can A lover's mind is like a ftormy fea That's in perpetual motion; and we fo The foul is feiz'd by love, as is the blo By agues; firft a fhiv'ring, then a flo Of burning heat: fo love will always Of fear and hope, perpetual ebb and In Love, the hero's courage we may The woman's fears, the madman's fo And at first fight, we equally may fee 'Tis raging madness, then neceffity. It is now joy, then grief-now hopes, And all that's ferious, calm, and fierc 'Tis Love infpires the eloquence of m And Love it is infpires the poet's pen. Hope is the lover's refuge, and he' That one kind look will eafe his tort His down-caft heart ne'er knew a foun His heavy ears ne'er heard fuch conco Not all the founds of martial mufic, jo In concert with the warbling birds an And murm'ring waters, that through v With all the pow'rs of vocal charms b Could in his foul fuch pleafing raptur As when his dear Louifa faid, "I lov Soon as a foul is feiz'd by Love, 'twi 'Tis fweet, 'tis bitter, rapid 'tis, and Famine or time may well perform But if not, and the flame you can't e Go hang thyfelf-a remedy that's fur ite influen ас The winged infects, and the reptile tribe, It braves the world, and rules both fmall and great. It fmooths the edge of all our fmarting woe. Stella foar on (to nobler objects true) An ADDRESS to Mifs WINNE, of The feather'd warblers quit the feather'd fhade, Plymouths IN the room, where affemblage bright The focial Graces and the Loves unite, Such as once fill'd Jove's court, as poets fung, With founds of joy when high Olympus rung, Where Juno with a mien majeftic charm'd, And fmiling Venus every bofom warm'd; While Cupid fported, Phoebus tun'd the lyre, And all the Mufes join'd the fprightly choir; See where Winne comes, fair as the Cyprian queen On Ida's lofty hill, by Pàris seen, When on her form the fhepherd fix'd his eyes, Thro' all the maze of life, where'er you bend For Death will come, and that fine form will fade, LINE S By Mrs. YEARSLEY, the celebrated MilkWoman of CLIFTON. To STELLA, on a vifit to Mrs. MONTAGUE. UNEQUAL, loft to th' afpiring claim, I neither own nor afk the immortal name Of friend-oh, no, its ardours are too great, My foul too narrow, and too low my state; Quit thofe dear fcenes where life and love began, The dubious Atheist well might doubt a heaven: THE MISLETOE AND THE PASSIONFLOWER. IN A FABLE. By Mr. LANGHORN. this dim cave a druid fleeps, Where tops the paffing gale to moan; The rock he hallow'd o'er him weeps, And cold drops wear the fretted ftone. In this dim cave, of different creed, An hermit's holy ashes reft: The holy hermit's paffion-flower. I hear it ftill-Doft thou not hear? |