1796.1 Nautical Improvements. The poffeffion of the means of obtaining a correct obfervation of the heavenly bodies at fea, has led to the difcovery of other objects than that which formed the original point of enquiry. Still the fcience, under all its prefent advantageous circumftances, is fufceptible of additional improvements; and every attempt, however trivial it may be, to give it more perfpicuity, is entitled to praife. A Among the many defiderata which have lain open to enquiry, that of obtaining a correct obfervation of the fun in foggy or hazy weather, when the real horizon cannot be afcertained, has not been the leaft. The want of this has been always the moft particularly felt when and where it was most particularly needed. mode has now been adopted, fimple indeed in its conftruction, clear in its principle, and certain in its effects, for obviating this difficulty. The inventor has obtained a patent for this improvement, which is nothing more than fixing an artificial horizon on the plane of an Hadley's Octant, and rendering the eye-glafs moveable. In justice to the inventor, I fhall only mention what he offers to the public attention, without entering into an explanation of the principle of it, left interefted men fhould take the advantage of profiting by it, to the injury of his pa tent. The patentee is Mr. John Syeds, Southwark, who has juft published a Collection of Tables for regulating Time, and correcting the Latitude, computed from Dead Reckonings, by a fimple Altitude, at any time in the forenoon, when the fun is not less than three points from the eat; or any time in the afternoon, when the fun is not lefs than three points from the weft, &c. &c. If by thus noticing what I conceive merits the attention and encouragement of all who are engaged in commerce and navigation, any fervice can be rendered to this induftrious man, I am certain, 203 SIR, AMONG the curious circumstances brought to light by the controversy on the famous verfe in the first epistle of John, chap. v, perhaps the difcovery of manufcripts may be confidered as of the most importance; but to an indolent reader the talents difplayed by the various critics on this fubject may afford the greatest entertainment. Mr. Travis has amufed himself and the public by his journey to Paris, in which he found a reading, if of no other purpose than to fhow his own critical acumen in that refpect, decifive, perhaps, as to his acquaintance with ancient manufcripts. It has been noticed, in fome of our periodical publications, and it certainly deferves a place in your ufeful Repofitory; but as in this country people are fuppofed to be too much influenced by the fide they take in the prefent controverfy, to do justice to the rival candidates for fame, I fhall only tranflate the opinion of the Jena reviewers on the collation of our very learned archdeacon. "A proof of Mr. Travis's critical learning and sharpfightednefs we cannot poffibly withhold from our readers: in Matth. xix. 28, are these words, ús ακολκθενίες μοι εν τη παλιγγενεσία, ὅλων καθιση ὁ ύιος 18 ανθρωπος καθίσασθε και ύμεις "You who follow me in the regeneration, fhall, when the fon of man fittethfit alfo." Some manufcripts place the comma before Ev 17 TayуEVES, and then the meaning is, You who follow me, fhall, in the regeneration.-This reading was pointed out by Stephens, in the margin of his Teftament, no l. v In παλιγγενεσία, διαςολήν έχεσι 1ο γ. δ. ε. ξ. ι β before the words, in the regeneration, the following manufcripts, mark'd y. ♪. . §. 1, place a comma. Out of Stephens's Greek, Travis has made out this very elegant and emphatical reading; for part of our Saviour's fpeech, así ansiadales μοι διαςολήν έχεσι οταν καθιση κτλ, σε follow me have a ftop when the fon of man fitteth." Thus the good man thought that Stephens's margin conveyed this meaning. Inftead of Ev In Tahiyyeva, the manufcripts above mentioned read StageAn Exo. This exquifite reading the good man produces in three places in his book, and that no one may doubt of his fpeaking from the bottom of his heart, Dd 2 ye ε. who he 204 R. Robinfon's Plan for a College. he prints it thus twice (pages 231 and 233). 'Robert Stephens affures us, that his codex reads diagony xc, but in the Parifian codex 47 (as alfo in 49) neither of thefe words is to be found in this paffage. Would not Mr. Travis have shown his prudence by fparing himself the expence of his Parifian journey? or perhaps it would have been ftill more prudent in him, not to forget himfelf fo far as to wish to play the critic. Mr. Marth, with the utmoft good nature, confoles him upon this occafion, and points out in the copier of the Codex Corfendoncenfis, a companion of his misfortunes. This good copier, with equal fimplicity of heart, gives us, 2 Cor. viii. 4, 5, in this manner, δεόμενοι ήμων την χαριν δεξασθαι Θ' ἡμᾶς εν πολλοίς των αντιγράφων δύλως ευρηται καὶ ε' καθώς ήλπισαμην, praying us to receive, thus it is written in many copies, contrary to our exped ctations.' can Now, fir, I am forry to obferve to you, that thefe Germans are a very dry fort of fellows; and as we in England have no doubt of Mr. Travis's abilities, I with fome of your readers would devife fome mode of convincing thefe critics upon the continent, that though Mr. Travis may have made a faux pas here and there, yet his journey to Paris has been of fome ufe to him upon the whole, and that at any rate he is not fo bad a scholar as the copier of the Codex Corfendoncenfis. Let them call him any thing but that, but it grieves me much to fee an archdeacon of the church of England treated with fo little ceremony. The worst part of the cafe with thefe Germans is, that they care not a fingle ftraw about orthodoxy or herefy; they would fooner give up their Teftaments than foift in the flighteft forgery to preferve them; and they expect from all controverfial writers, not only integrity, but even a capacity to comprehend the points in difpute. I am, fir, your's, To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, THE following plan of a new college, extracted from Mr. Dyer's Memoirs of the Life and Writings of the late Mr. Robinion, of Cambridge, is fent you, not with a view to raife the importance of one party of Chriftians above another, but to furnish fome hints, that may be ufeful beyond the limits of a particular fect. Atfome future opportunity, a few [April remarks on this propofed inftitution shall be fubmitted to your confideration, wherein an attempt will be made to fhow how far, the plan would have been useful, and wherein confifted its defects. Your's refpectfully, AN ENQUIRER. "I. Let doctor Gifford .draw up his Plan of Education, and let him calculate the expences attending it. It is fuppofed a few boys might be lodged and boarded in a private houfe at Cambridge, and in four years educated by the profeffors there, at the fountain-head, at no very great expence. "II. Let the doctor, by deed properly executed, confign over to certain gentlemen, nominated by himfelf, whatever he thinks proper to contribute towards this foundation : let these men hold in truft, under certain conditions, one of which may be-that in cafe a plan, which the doctor propofes, can be effected in fuch a time, then the doctor's donations fhall be applied fo and fo; or if not, then they, the company in truft, fhall depofit what they hold in fuch or fuch places, or fhall deliver them to fuch or fuch perfons as the doctor fhall appoint. for a capital fum to be employed in trade, "III. Let a fubfcription be opened at the difcretion of the company in trust, and let certain perfons, for the time being the loid chancellor, the... and the... be appointed vifitors of this foundation, who fhall determine finally, whether this truft have been faithfully difcharged. "IV. Let the company be directed to referve a part of the annual profit arifing from their commerce, year after year, till they have accumulated a fum fufficient to purchafe or build a house, to be called the Baptift-college; and let the firft and best room in it be called the Giffordian room, and ufed always to contain the pictures, &c. of the faid Dr. Gifford. "V. Let there be annual commemorations of benefactors, by an oration in memory of the benefactors, and particularly of the reverend founder-then let there be a general mecting-divine worship in the chapel-an oration commemorative in the hall-a choice of officers-an audit of accounts, and a public dinner. Thefe keep things from being forgotten and loft. "It is pretty certain many rich baptifts would contribute largely to fuch a foundation; and a donation, fuch as the doctor's, To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, pro SUBMIT to your judgment the priety of inferting, in your very ufeful Publication, fome particulars of a wonderful phenomenon in mineralogy, which has lately come under my obfervation. The annexed is a drawing of the fingular directions of the ftrata of a kind of freeftone, in a quarry, at Comb-down, near Bath. The uppermoft ftratum is about 34 yds. thick, compofed of rubble, with about fix inches of foil on the furface. The ftratum imme diately below, confifts of stone, of double the thickness with the firft, in beds, or layers, of from three to nine inches, and in their direction, perfectly horizontal. The next ftratum (which already includes a depth of more than 5 yards is a firmnefs of its compofition, and the thickne's of its beds, which are from 8 to 15 inches. But what remarkably diftin guishes this ftratum from thofe immediately above it, is the fingular direction of its beds or layers, which form, in their declination (from NE. to SW.) an angle of 25 degrees with the horizon. This fingular phenomenon is not confined to the fituation I have now defcribed, but blance in the adjacent quarries. is exhibited with every feature of refem Quere-The probable caufe of fo wonderful a variation in the direction of ftrata, contiguous to each other, and, in other refpects, poffefling fo general an uniformity? I remain, fir, Your obedient fervant, freeftone, fuperior to the former in the Stokehouse, near Bradford, March 17,1796. For 206 Barilla... Oils... Cements, &c. For the Monthly Magazine. Recent Improvements in useful Arts, connected with the Science of Chemistry,abridged, &c. from the Repertory of Arts and Sciences. VII. BARILLA, &c. APATENT was granted, in March, 1780 (of which the term is now expired) to Mr. James King, of Newcastleupon-Tyne, for his new-invented Britith barilla; the method of making which is as follows: To any quantity of woodafhes, add an equal quantity of the afhes of fern, whins, thiftles, rufhes, or bean or pea-ftraw; fift them through a fine fieve, and add to them an equal quantity of foaper's waste ashes; all these being thoroughly mixed together, there is to be added one twelfth of fine quick lime: thefe different materials are to be put into an iron pan, and boiled two days and two nights, with a fufficient quantity of fea water, which is to be renewed from time to time; the mafs is then put into a reverberating furnace, and fufed for about an hour, which, when cooled, is the British barilla.-Vol. I. p. 859. In Auguft, 1792, a patent was grant ed to Mr. G. Hodgfon, of Chefter, foapboiler, for a new method of feparating the alcaline bafis from common falt, and from kelp. To extract the alcali from falt, a ton of falt is to be mixed with 16 bushels of charcoal, and fubmitted to the action of a reverberating furnace for one hour; from the calcined mass, a lixivium is to be formed, which, evaporated to dryness, forms the Alcali. The treatment of kelp only varies from the foregoing in requiring no more than 10 bushels of fmall-coal to the ton.-Vol. II. p. 14. In April, 1791, G. Glenney, Efq. of Bromley-Hill, Kent, obtained a patent for a method of procuring from woodafhes, a greater quantity of alcali than ufual. This improvement confifts in a complete calcination of the afhes, having previously mixed with them a fmall quan tity of lime.-Vol. II. p. 178. VIII. PURIFYING AND PREPARING OILS. In April, 1792, C. Gower, of Oriel College, Oxford, M.A. obtained a patent for depurating animal oil. His method is, to take any quantity of oil, and an equal quantity of water, acidifiedby the vitriolic acid, and put the mixture into a barrel churn; after the fluids have been fufficiently united, the liquor is to be placed in pans, when the water, with the impurities, will fink to the bottom, and the clear oil will float at the top; the oil may then be drawn off by a cock placed [April If the oil be tur juft above the water. In November, 1790, a patent was granted to Mr. Sam. Pugh, of London, foap-boiler, for a new method of preparing oils for the manufactory of hard foap. The procefs that he makes ufe of, is the following: Let the oil be ground in a mill, along with a quantity of fine new-flaked lime, till it becomes of the confiftence of thick cream: this being done, let an iron pan be filled one eighth full of this mixture, to which is to be added, an equal quantity of unprepared oil, the whole being well ftirred together. A brifk fire is now to be made under the pan, the contents of which will foon fwell to the top, and will foon after fubfide; the fire and stirring, must, however be still kept up, till the mixture begins to fwell and boil a fecond time, emitting thick clouds of fteam, another portion of oil is now to be added and stirred brifkly in, till this ebullition is fuppreffed; the lime being now united to the oil, the mafs, when cold, will be of the confiftence of wax. To make hard foap with the oil thus prepared, let tallow, rofin, grease, or unprepared oil, be added in the proportion of one half, and melted, to which add a ley, made of mineral alcali; when a perfect combination has taken place, by boiling and stirring, let the foap be taken out, and cleanfed into frames; from the foap in the frames, there will be, as ufual, a fmall difcharge of impure ley, after which the foap is ready for ufe.-Vol. II. p. 8. IX. PREPARATION OF CEMENTS, STUCCO, MORTAR &c. A patent was granted to Bryan Higgins, M.D. in January, 1779 (term expired) for the invention of a water cement or ftucco, the method of preparing which, is as follows: Take 56lb. of pure coarfe fand; 42!b. of pure fine fand, mix them together, and moisten them thoroughly with lime water; to the wetted fand, add 14lb. of pure fresh burnt lime, and while beating them up together, add, in fucceffive portions, 14lb. of bone afh; the quicker and more perfectly thefe materials are beaten together, and the fooner they are used, the better 1796.] Preferving Water... Gum... Salt-Petre. will the cement be: for fome kinds of work, it will be better to ufe fine fand alone, and for others coarfe fand alone, remembering, that the finer the fand is, the greater quantity of lime is to be employed. Vol. II. p. 289. In December, 1780 (term expired) R. Williams, M.D. obtained a patent for the invention of a new mortar, or ftucco. The ingredients made ufe of, are the following: To 12lb. of pure lime, 10lb. of water, and 84lb. of pure coarfe fand, add 4lb. of grated fkim-milk cheefe; let the whole be worked up together, and used as foon after as pollible; care must be taken in applying this kind of mortar, that the bricks, &c. which are intended to be covered by it, be perfectly dry; and the greater the degree of preffure employed in laying it on, the better. -Vol. III. p. 1. X. PRESERVING WATER. On the fubject of preferving fea-water from putrefaction, we find a paper of Mr. Henry's, of Manchester, extracted from the Manchester Philofophical Tranfactions, containing a feries of ingenious experiments, of which the refult is, that quicklime, in the proportion of two fcruples to one quart of fea-water, will effectually preferve it, for many months, from exhibiting any fign of putridity or decompofition.-Vol. I. p. 178. The zd volume contains a memoir of M. Lowitz, read at the Economical Society of Petersburgh, on the purification of corrupted water; from which it appears, that one ounce and a half of powdered charcoal, and 24 drops of vitriolic acid, are fufficient for the purification of three pints and a half of corrupted water. Vol. II. p. 61. N. B. This difcovery has fince been pretty largely carried into execution, and with great fuccefs; but for this purpofe, it is neceffary to ufe frefb-burnt charcoal, or at leaft that which has been carefully excluded from the atmofphere. XI. ELASTIC GUM. On this fubject we have a series of experiments. made by Mr. Groffart, for afcertaining the best way of making catheters, and other inftruments, of eiaftic gum; the refult of which is, that the moft practicable method is to cut a bottle of the gum into one fpiral flip, and having macerated it for fome time in ether and water, til it becomes fticky, to roll it carefully round the mould, and then cover it with a bandage of cord; in a few days a complete union of the I 207 fides of the gum will be effected, the bandage may be taken off, and the mould withdrawn by the affiftance of hot water. Mr. G. has alfo met with. equal fuccefs, when the gum was laid in boiling water for a quarter of an hour, without making use of ether.—Vol. I. p. 70. A patent was granted, in January, 1781 (term expired) to Mr. Albert Angell, of Bethnal-Green, Middlefex, for a compofition, called Britannic Elaftic Gum, of which the following are the ingredients: Linfeed, or nut oil, one gallon; bees-wax, lb. ; glue or fize, 6lb.; verdigrife, a quarter of a pound; litharge, a quarter of a pound; rain water, two quarts; the whole to be melted down in an iron kettle till it becomes of the proper confiftence.-Vol. III. p. 381. XII. SALT-PETRE. putre The third volume contains a valuable effay on this fubject, by James Maffey, Efq. (extracted from the Manchester Philofophical Transactions) the leading ideas of which are the following: Salt-petre is formed by an union of the nitric acid with vegetable alcali; the alcali exists in wood afhes; the acid in thofe fubftances that have undergone the whole factive fermentation, fuch as the earths of ftables and cow-ftalls, and the foil at the bottom of graves; the common peafants of France and Germany, who are almoft all falt-petre makers, fcrape together the offals of their farm-yards, and throwing them under open fheds, drench them occafionally with urine and muck water, till they find them capable of anfwering their purpofe. These materials, with the wood afhes which their hearths fupply, are thrown into a large tub, and water poured upon them, which runs out at a hole ftuffed with ftraw at the bottom of the veffel; the leys being thus procured, are boiled down and fet by to cryftallize. The falt-petre makers at Paris, chiefly make ufe of the rubbifh of old houfes, &c. which having reduced to a coarfe powder, and fifted, they proceed as follows: they provide a number of fmall open tubs, which are placed on ftillages in fuch a manner, that one veffel may receive the ley that runs from two of them. In each tub near the bottom, is placed a fpiggot and faufet; and, to prevent its being choaked by the wood afhes, a parcel of the round earth is thrown in first, and the athes upon it: they then add the remainder of the earth in the proportion of two bushels of the latte |