1805.] 



Literary and Phlhfophkal Intelligence. 



1'9 



we compofed a thick oflavo volume of In- 

 dex to the Works o^ Tacitus, ar.d co:i)- 

 jjleted an editioii of Livy, which he had 

 but juft brgun." The wcrlcs which re- 

 main unfold are :— LivV) 8 vols, large 8vo. 

 4.1. 4.8. J Tacitus, 4 vols, 1. p. 2I. as. ; 

 Ditto, f. p. il. 8s. ; Traflatus varii La- 

 tini, 5s. ; Perfius, vvith Notes, 3s. 6d. ; 

 Livii tres Libri, with N' tes, from Dra- 

 kenborch's edition, for the ufeof colleges 

 and (ch3r>ls, 7s. ; Billendenus, with Dr. 

 Parr's Preface, 8s. ; Dr. Parr's Preface, 

 without plates, 3s. ; Ovidii Epiltoiae, 1. p. 

 4?. 6d. ; Ditto, f. p. as. 6d. ; Tacitus, 

 de Oratore, as. ; Dit>o, 1. p. 4<. — The 

 family have appointed Mr. W. H. Lunn, 

 cf the Ciafiical Library, Soho-fqu'.re, 

 their fole agent for the purpofe of djfpol- 

 ing of the woks at the prices annexed. 



The projeiied altera'ions for the benefit 

 of the Bodleian Library, mentioned in a 

 former Number, we are forry to fay, Wi^re 

 negatived in convocation ; but they are 

 intended (hortly to be brought forward 

 agiin in a correfted form. 



Mr. J. Stodart, whofe invention for 

 gilding poHihcd (ieel with gold we defcrib- 

 ed in cur hft Number,* informs us, that 

 a Cmilar procefs may be performed with 

 platina. That metal, in a ftate 01 fo!u- 

 tion, is taken up fram the acid by agita- 

 tion with ether, in the way that gold is, 

 though certainly with lefa avidity. The 

 ethereal folutioi of platina afforded by this 

 prucefs is depofitcd on the furface of po- 

 Ji.lied iron, or ileei, fcr.-ning a coat cf de- 

 fence from ruff. 



MelTrs. HoBSON and Sylvester, of 

 Sheffield, have diicovered that zinc is in 

 faft a malleable metal. At a temperature 

 between aio' and 300" of Fahrenheir, 

 zinc yields to the hsmmer, and may be 

 wire-drawn by k'.ej'ing it at this tempe- 

 rature during the mechanical operation.— 

 An even, or a hollow metallic velTel, 

 kept at a due heit, may be ufed for 

 the pietes of zinc, in the fame manner as 

 the fmith's forge is ufed for iron and Heel. 

 Zinc, after having been thus annealed and 

 wrought, continues fcft, flexible, and ex- 

 tenfible, and does not return to its former 

 partial brittlenefs, but may be bended and 

 applied to the ufes for which zinc has hi- 

 therti) been thouj^ht unfit, fuch as the fa- 

 brication of velicls, the (heathing of n»ip«. 



We formerly announced the invention 

 a msrine-lpencer, to lie worn in cafes of 

 tlaiig-ir at lea. The inventor, Mr. Spen- 



• See p. 59 of this vol. 



CER, of Bow, having made' conf;;!erf\bfe 

 improvements in it, we tiiink it prober to 

 mention its conftruction, and the ufes to 

 which It maybe applied. The fiencer is 

 a girdle of canva^, 4 feet 6 inciies long, 

 and 18 inches broad, well Huffed with 

 cork-fliavingj ; this is faftened loofliy 

 about the body v/iih (traps and buckles, 

 and, to prevent its flipping too low, two 

 ftrong tapes are brought ovc-r the (h.ul- 

 ders, which fi(icn alfa .vith buckits. The 

 firil coi'l of this apparatus will not exceed 

 five (liiUings ; ami from many experiments 

 made at fea it will t-ffe5fua ly preferve 

 any perfon from drowning. In caies of 

 perfons frilling overboard, any one unac- 

 quainted with (A'imming, if furnirtied 

 with a marine-fper.cer, might fafely leap 

 after them, and ktep them from finking, 

 until a boat could be launched. A cor- 

 ner of a feaaiaii's locker, fays the iiiven. 

 tor, could not be better employed than in 

 contair.i.'ig one of thefe fpencers. It 

 would be adefwable appe.Tdagi; to the life- 

 boat, in cafes vs'here the whoie crew could 

 not be taken in at once ; and any nuinbsr 

 of perfons furnifhed with ihefe might be 

 floated aOvore, attached to tlie boat with 

 fmall cords. 



A Committee of the Medica] Council 

 of ti^e Royal Jcnnerian Society h^ve been 

 appointed to inquire into the nature and 

 evidence of thofi cafes of (mail pox 

 which are faid to have taken phce fubl'e. 

 quently to cow-pox, and which have ex- 

 cited pr.judices againit v.^ccine- inocula- 

 tion. 



It isw;il known that melons frequently, 

 in certain fituat.ons, lofe their circular 

 form, a-'d giow larger on one fide than the 

 other, and that thele m'fhap.^n fruits are 

 always bid. To leaiedy th s, take a 

 fmall forked ftick, in prop-rtion to t^-e 

 f.ze of the melon, and thruit it into the 

 ground as nearly as pifhble to the tail of. 

 the fruit, taking the precauULn to lay a 

 little mofs between the two prongs, and 

 fufpend the melon to this fork. In a tew 

 days the melon will refume its form, when 

 the fork may be removed, and the opera- 

 tion is finiftied. The quality of the fruit 

 remains unchanged. ■ 



A fulphureous fprirg, of great ftringtli 

 and medical powers, was lately diicover- 

 ed near Darlington, in the coun:y of Dur- 

 ham, upon Mr. Lambton's eltate.— 

 Baths have been ere<5\cd upon the fpot, 

 which are rtforted to with great esger- 

 ncii. An Analyfis of this water, with itg 

 HlHory and Medical Effs6ls, will fiiortly 

 be published. 



A machine 



