6 CHINESE MAGNETIC CHARIOT. 



small portion of Silex and Alumina. It is usually of a dark grey hue 

 and metallic lustre, and is found distributed generally over all the coun- 

 tries of the globe. Its name is said to be derived from that of a province, 

 where it was first noticed by the ancient Greeks, in Asia Minor, termed 

 Magnesia. To the honor of discovering the very useful and peculiar 

 property of this mineral, many nations have preferred claims, which were 

 all in their turn allowed to be superior, until some new fact in magnetic 

 history set up a new claimant. England, Italy, France, Norway, Arabia 

 and China have asserted their riglit at different periods of time, but set- 

 ting aside all others the honor was awarded, till within a few years, to 

 Italy, and most treatises on the subject were content with stating that the 

 first person to whom the magnet was known, and by whom it was used 

 to direct the course of a vessel, was Flavio Gioia of Amalfi, Naples, and 

 the date given for the discovery is 1302. More lately the Chinese and 

 Norwegians have set aside the claim of Gioia and offered evidence to 

 shew that the honor belongs to the children of their soil. As our limits 

 Avill not allow^ us to discuss the facts in this case, we will briefly state 

 that it is generally understood that these two nations are independent 

 discoverers of the same fact, though, the Norwegians are long posterior 

 to the Chinese in the recorded fact of the use of the Magnet. Among 

 the northern nations of Europe it is known as Leiterstein or leading 

 stone; with the Chinese the common name is Thsu-chy, the love stone. 

 The latter people have other names by which it is known which are in- 

 dicative of its properties, as Tchu-chy the directing stone, and Hy-thy-chy 

 the stone which snatches up Iron. 



Since the Chinese are now usually considered the rightful discovereis 

 of the magnet it will not be amiss to state how their claims were first 

 made rightfully evident to Europeans. This has been accomplished by 

 M. Klaproth, a very eminent oriental scholar and chemist. Having fully 

 investigated the subject, being one of the few Europeans who could do 

 it, by means of liis extensive acquaintance with oriental languages, he 

 published the result of his researches in 1835 in an essay entitled '■'■LeI/re 

 a M. Lc Baron A. Humholdt, siir V invention dc la BoussoJc?'' (A letter 

 to Baron Humboldt concerning the invention of the compass.) Among 

 other works cited by M. Klaproth is a Chinese Natural History bearing 

 a date equivalent to 1117 of our era in whicli not only the polarity of 

 the needle is described, hut also ils declination. This latter property it 

 will be remembered, was re-discovered by Columbus in 1192. The 

 Chinese author states 'Hhat when a steel point is touched with a load- 

 stone it acquires the property of pointing to the south" (a point of the 

 compass wiiich is considered by the Chinese us tlicir Kiblck or sacred 



