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heat. With the latter, it forms cryftals much refembling a filver coloured glimmer, just as common lead would have done; and it forms regular cryftals with the nitrous acid.

The pathofe iron ores powdered, and put on a red hot iron, inftantly become black; and look like a black, shining, mica

ceous iron ore.

Zeolite is lighter than the calcareous fpars. Treated with an alcali, as in the process for obtaining the liquor filicum, it afforded no neutral falt. The powder edulcorated, and treated with acids, formed the fame kind of gelatinous matter, as when the zeolite is employed in its crude state *.

Article 4. Account of a Petrifaction found on the Coast of Eaft Lothian. By Edward King, Efq; F. R. S.

This petrifaction contained a piece of rope, which had be longed to the Fox man of war, ftranded on the coast of Scotland in 1745, where it had lain under water thirty-three years. This rope was adjoining, and probably had been tied, to an iron ring. The fubftance of the rope was little altered; but the fand inclofing it was fo concreted, as to have become as hard as a piece of rock, and now retains very perfectly impreffions of parts of the iron ring, refembling thofe of extraneous foffil bodies, that are often found in various kinds of ftrata.

From the circumftances attending this appearance, as well as from other obfervations, Mr. King draws two conclufions:first, that there is, on the coafts of this ifland, a continual progreffive induration of maffes of fand and other matter at the bottom of the ocean; fomewhat in the fame manner as there is at the bottom of the Adriatic fea, according to the account given by Dr. Donati :'-and secondly, that iron, and the folutions of iron, contribute very much to haften and promote the progrefs of the concretion and induration of ftone, &c.'

In confirmation of the last conclufion, Mr. King produces fome obfervations and experiments made by Dr. Fothergill; which tend to prove, that iron and folutions of iron give an extraordinary degree of hardnefs to ftones wafhed with them, Before the fign-irons were taken down in the city of London, the Doctor obferved, that on the broad ftone pavements, whenever he came juft under any fign-irons, his cane gave a different found, and occafioned a different kind of refiftance to the hand, from what it did elfewhere.'-He afterwards found, that every where under the drip of thefe irons, the ftones had

Though there is a table of errata fubjoined to this volume, the two following grofs errors of the prefs, as we conceive them to be, are not noticed in it. Page 18, near the bottom, cawk is fpoken of as being wetted with antimony: we fhould furely read treated, or beated with antimony. At p. 30, a fubftance is faid to melt with a moderate degree of tin: we thould read, a moderate degree of heat.

acquired

acquired a greater degree of folidity, and a wonderful hardness, fo as to refift any ordinary tool, and gave, when ftruck upon, a metallic found and this fact, by repeated observations, he was at length most thoroughly convinced of."

He afterwards placed two pieces of Portland ftone in the fame afpect and fituation in every refpect; but washed the one frequently with water impregnated with rufty iron, and left the other untouched. In a few years, he found that the former had acquired a very fenfible degree of the hardness above defcribed, and, on being ftruck gave the metallic found; whilft the other remained in its original ftate, and fubject to the decays occafioned by the changes of the weather, which we find in many inftances make a moft rapid progress.

Mr. King proposes a practical use of these obfervations; recommending the attempt to make an artificial ftone, for covering the fronts of houses, inftead of ftucco; by admixtures of common fea fand and folutions of iron; and to preferve fome of the fofter kinds of ftone in our buildings, by brushing them over with folutions of this kind.-By fuch means, he adds, . the venerable remains of that fine pile of building, Henry the Seventh's Chapel, might have been faved from the deftruction with which we now fee it ready to be overwhelmed.'

The obfervations and hints contained in this paper certainly deferve notice; and they will, we hope, incite fome perfon, poffeffed of leifure and ingenuity, to profecute the inquiry, in an experimental way.

NATURAL HISTORY. Article 14. Account of the Organs of Speech of the Orang Outang. By Peter Camper, M. D. F. R. S. late Profeffor of Anatomy, &c. in the Univerfity of Groningen, &c.

It is a popular opinion among the honeft tars, that monkies could fpeak if they would. Some travellers with greater probability affert, that the Orang Outang, who approaches fomewhat nearer to our fpecies, would be able to articulate if he thought proper. Profeffor Camper has demonftrated, in the prefent paper, by an anatomical diffection of the organ of the voice, that articulation is rendered impoffible in these animals, in confequence of the structure of that organ. From the nature and fituation of thofe parts, in the Orang, in the Ape, and in the Monkey, he has proved that no modulation of the voice, refembling human fpeech, can be produced in these creatures: because the air, paffing through the rima glottidis, is immediately loft in two ventricles, or hollow bags, in the neck, which are fometimes united into one; with which all thefe animals are furnished, and which have a communication with the mouth, through the faid rima or flit: fo that the air, as he obferves, muft return from thence without any force and melody, within

the

the throat and mouth of these creatures: and this feems to me the most evident proof of the incapacity of orangs, apes, and monkies, to utter any modulated voice, as indeed they never have been observed to do.'

Article 20. Account of the Free Martin. By Mr. John Hunter,

F. R. S.

Hermaphrodites, in general, feem to be cafual and anomalous productions, or lufus naturæ: but in the Bovine race, as we learn for the first time in this paper, nature, for fome reafon best known to herfelf, in the myfterious process of generation, feems to follow a regular fyftem in the production of an hermaphrodite. It seems, that if a cow bring forth twins, that are both bull-calves, or both cow-calves; each becomes refpectively a perfect bull, or cow: but, on the contrary, if a cow produce two calves, one of which is a bull-calf, and the other apparently a cow; though the bull-calf becomes a perfect bull, the other calf is a kind of hermaphrodite, unfit for propagation. The animal, at least, is not known to breed; never fhews the leaft inclination for the bull; nor does the bull ever take the leaft notice of it.

This hermaphrodite is called the Free Martin. It has the teats and the external female parts of the cow: in other refpects, it exhibits an unequal mixture of the two fexes; in which, at least in the three inftances here defcribed by the Author, the female is predominant. It refembles thofe imperfect or mutilated animals, the ox, or fpayed heifer, in form, and other particulars. It is much larger than either the bull or cow its horns are likewife larger; being fimilar to thofe of an ox, whom it resembles too in its bellow, or voice.

MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES.

Article 5. Account of Dr. Knight's Method of making_artificial Load-flones. By Mr. Benjamin Wilfon, F. R. S.

It appears from this paper, that the artificial magnets made by the late Dr. Knight were formed of a fubtle powder of iron, made into a pafte with oil. A great quantity of clean iron filings were put into a large tub containing clean water; in which, with much labour, they were agitated many hours, in order that the friction might break the filings into an impalpable powder. This would, on agitation, remain for a fhort time fufpended in the water, which in its turbid ftate was poured off into a clean veffel, where the fine powder foon fubfided. In short, his process, with respect to the effential particulars, appears to be the very fame with that invented by Lemeri, for the preparation of what is called his Martial Ethiops.

When a fufficient quantity of this powder had been collected and dried, it was made into a pafte with linfeed oil;-a fubftance, which would fupply it perhaps with more phlogifton

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than.

than the fmall quantity it might have loft in the process; particularly in the drying. Being moulded into convenient forms, the pieces were dried before a moderate fire; where they acquired the neceffary degree of hardness. He then gave them their magnetic virtue in any direction he pleased, by placing them between the extreme ends of his large magazine of artificial magnets for a few feconds or more, as he faw occafion.

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By this method, adds Mr. Wilfon, the virtue they acquired was fuch, that when any one of these pieces was held between two of his best ten guinea bars, with its poles purposely inverted; it immediately of itself turned about to recover its natural direction, which the force of thofe very powerful bars was not fufficient to counteract.'

Article 15. Account of the Effects of Lightning on Board the Atlas. By Allen Cowper, Efq. Mafter of the Atlas Eaft Indiaman,

&c.

A conductor belonging to this fhip was unfortunately not fixed at the time of the accident (the afternoon of December 31, 1778) becaufe lightning is extremely unufual at that time of the year, in our climate. By the explofion, which was attended with a moft violent squall, very heavy rain, and large hail, a feaman in the main catharpins was ftruck dead; another in the main top was miferably fcorched, and rendered fenfelefs; and others received very fmart fhocks. A fulphureous fmell produced by it lafted all that day and night. Though the principal discharge appears to have been made near the main maft; no vifible trace of the lightning could be perceived on that or the other mafts, nor indeed any where elfe, except on the bodies and cloaths of the men through whom it paifed. The topgallant-mafts had no iron work upon them. Article 19. Account of a new Method of cultivating the Sugar Cane. By Mr. Cazaud.

This paper, which is tranflated from the French, appears to contain many valuable obfervations, made by a Sugar Planter at Grenada, relative to the beft method of cultivating a plant which, Mr. Cazaud obferves, is worth nine millions fterling annually to Europe. Many particulars, likewife, relating to it's natural history are here communicated, and are illuftrated by a plate; without which the article would be unintelligible. One remark however of a general nature may be extracted; to fhew the immenfe difference occafioned by natural climate, in cafes where we endeavour to produce the fame temperature, in our artificial hot-houses.

* On that night and the following morning, a dreadful form paffed over particular parts of England. In a place near the middle of the island, and not far from the fea, the lightning was frequent; though the thunder could not be heard on account of the wind.

In the Weft India iflands, from the time of the appearance of the first joint, the cane acquires a fresh joint nearly every week, for the fpace of 40 or 50 weeks; whereas in the King of France's botanic garden at Paris, M. Thouin fhewed the author a cane which had been brought from America in a pot ten years before; and which, in all that time, had got only two joints out of the ground. To know a plant therefore thoroughly, fays Mr. Cazaud, we fhould ftudy it in the climate to which it belongs.'

From the laft article in this volume, the meteorological journal of the royal fociety, we learn that the variation of the needle, in July 1778, was 22 degrees, 20 minutes.

next.

The MATHEMATICAL Articles will be reviewed in our

ART. VI. A flight Sketch of the Controverfy between Dr. Priestley and bis Opponents, on the Subject of his Difquifitions on Matter and Spirit. In a Letter to a Friend. 8vo. 1 S. Becket. 1780.

HE ingenious artist, who has here undertaken a delinea

TH tion of the controverfy between Dr. Prieftley and his

Anfwerers, profeffes in the most modeft terms, to give only a flight fketch, or the mere outlines of the ground on which the metaphyfical and religious combatants have exerted themselves. His outlines, however, are far from being deftitute of ftrong light and fhade; nor is a little warm colouring wanting occafionally. He declares himself to be no difciple of Dr. Priestley, but nevertheless defirous of bearing a willing tribute to his merit;' particularly in expofing the partial, erroneous, and, in one or two well known inftances, wilfully falfe accounts, that have been given of his doctrine, and its tendency.

On the prefent controverfy, fays our Author, Dr. Priestley hath had the misfortune of being misunderstood, or mifreprefented, beyond any other writer of rank and character in the literary world-unlefs, perhaps, we except the moft learned and ingenious author of the "Divine Legation of Mofes." Both have fallen under the invidious imputation of fcepticism: and the religious profeffions of both have been equally dfcreditedeither by ignorance, which could not comprehend the tenor of arguments that were not confined to the common and beaten track of fpeculation and logic; or by envy-which, when it fails to destroy a man's claims to learning and genius, will torture its invention, and Scripture too, to make his religion queftionable.'

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Dr. Prieftley, he afterwards adds, has been accufed of a defign the most oppofite to his wifhes; and that is, to fubvert the doctrine of a future ftate. His enemies-for as a Prefbyterian he hath many-and as a Socinian more-have preci

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pitately

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