Purification of Oil.-—Ne'W Puhlicatitn, 47 



For the whole of the oil will freeze, if time be allowed ; and the thickening of this fluid 

 appears to be produced by chemical change, and not by mere cooling. Mathematical inftru- 

 ment-makers, diredted, as I imagine, by experience only, find that oil is greatly improved 

 by expofure to light, which it is aflerted caufes it to depofit mucilage. A very exquifite re- 

 gulator having the dead-beat fcapement of Graham, which requires oil on the pallets, was 

 found to go much more fteadily when this oil was ufedj inftead of the oil commonly ap- 

 plied to fuch inftruments. 



Moft of the fa£ls here dated refpe£ting oil were communicated to me by an intelligent 

 cultivator of the fciences,.whofe name I forbear to add becaufe I negledled to aft permif- 

 fion for that purpofe. 



NEW PUBLICATION, 



Reports of the late Mr. John Smeaton, F. R. S. made on various Occafions in the Courfe 

 of his Employment as an Engineer. Printed for a Scleft Committee of Civil Engineers. 

 Sold by Faden in London. Quarto. 412 pages, rather clofely printed, with a Portrait 

 of the Author, and 2 plates. 



J. HAT Smeaton was a man of flrong natural powers and great induftry, that his expe- 

 rience and obfervations were extenfive, and his fuccefs highly to the credit of himfelf and 

 his country, are too well known to be infilled upon. This firll volume of his Reports is 

 publilhed at- the expence of Sir J.'Banks, Capt. J. Huddart, Wm. Jeflbp, Robert Milne, 

 and John Rennie, Efqrs. conditionally that the profits fliould be given to Mr. Smeaton's re- 

 prefentatives. If this liberal effort, by which the natioa is benefited by fo valuable a mafs 

 of pradlical information, fliould be attended with fuccefs, another volume will appear, con- 

 taining the remainder of the Profeffional Reports of this great engineer. I fliall take the 

 earliefl opportunity of communicating the general principles ufed and adopted by Smeaton, 

 in a paper I intend to draw up refpecting the relative value and effedl of firft movers, and. 

 other elementary objefts of daily ufe to en^neers; and. in the mean time fliall avail myfelf 

 of the Preface, nearly verbatim, to thefe Reports, to give fomc account of the Society of> 

 Civil Engineers. 



The origin of the Society of Civil Engineers took its rife from the following circum- 

 ftances : — Before or about the year 1760, a new sera in all the artsand fciences, learned and 

 polite, commenced in this country. Every thing which contributes to the comfort, the 

 beauty, and the profperity of a country, moved forward in improvement fo rapidly and 

 fo obvioufly as to mark that period with particular diftinftion. 



The learned Societies extended their views, their labours, and their obje(£ls of rcfearch. 

 The profeflbrs of the polite arts affociated together for the firft time ; and they now enjoy 

 aproteftion favourable to improvement, and not lefs honourable to real merit than to the 

 Public and the Throne, which have with one accord promoted their profperity. 



Nor have thefe exertions failed of producing the adequate effefts, comparing the prefent 

 with the pad (late of things. 



Military and naval eftablifliments were made or enlarged, to promote and extend the 

 true. knowledge on which thefe fciences depend. 



1. Tba. 



