d,ceotiVT OF BOOKS. 



Jiforms us in his preface, that (< he has had accefs, for many 

 year.^, to die books of feveral eminent merchants ; and that 

 he has endeavoured in all cafes to follow the molt approved 

 precedents of mercantile experience. " 



In the third fet of books the invoices, fales, and other 

 tran factions, have been felected from merchants books : — the 

 advantage of founding a fyftem of book-keeping on real oc- 

 currences are obvious; for although the principle of double 

 entry can be explained by fictitious examples, yet thefe may 

 give the learner wrong notions of bufinefs ; whereas from real 

 tranfacttons, he will obtain fo much practical information, of 

 commercial affairs in general, as mult intereft the mind, and 

 more effectually fix the attention in the courfe of ftudy. 



Memoirs fur V Influence de VAir> fyc, — Memoirs concerning the 



Influence of the Air, and ftveral gafeous Subjiances, on the 



Germination of various Kinds of Grain. By Huber and 



Senebier, 1 Vol. in 8vo. Geneva. Pafchoud, 1801. 



This work is curious from the circumfiances under which Huber and Se- 



itwas compofed. Cit. Huber, already well known for his ? e !? Ier on th / . 

 . . * ' J influence of air 



writings on Bees, is blind, notwithftanding which he has on vegetation. 



performed thofe experiments which were fuggefted to him 

 by C. Senebier. The experiments were made in order to 

 determine the influence of various gafes, particularly the 

 oxigen gas on germination *. The feeds were placed either 

 on wet flannels or fponges under receivers filled with gas ; 

 the principal refults were as follows. All. the grains placed 

 in the azotic gas remained unaltered, but germinated on be- 

 ing afterwards placed in the open air. Their growth was 

 accelerated, though (lightly, in pure oxigen, but was more 

 vigorous' in that which contained a little carbonic acid. In 

 this experiment trie carbon of the grain combines with the 

 oxigen, and forms carbonic acid gas. The feeds fprung up 

 in artificial atmofpheric air, the fame as they would have 

 done in common air. The proportions molt favourable for 

 germination,, are three meafures of azote or hidrogen to one 

 of oxigen. The grains which did not grow when included 



* On this fubjea fee alfo Cruickfliank, in tjie Phil. Journal, 

 4to 3 Vol. I. page 339, for Nov, 1797. 



3 • ih 



