508 



Formation of Muriatic jfcld hy Gahanifm, [Nov. Ij 



fited b)' many diftinguiftied foreigners ; 

 and I am defirous that it ftiould be pre- 

 ferved ind maintained': for the benefit of 

 the fcieiices. For tliis purpofe I bequeath 

 thefum of 160,000 francs, to be railed on 

 what I may with juftice cail my perfonal 

 property. This liim (hall be placed in 

 theexcliequer of our domains, which fliall 

 pay intereft for it at the late of four per 

 Cent, per annum, without being obliged 

 to reiniburfe the capital. This interelt 

 fliall be applied to the i'alary of the aftro- 

 i.onier, and the current expences of the 

 budding and of inl'.riiments. Thefe in- 

 ftronients are an extraordinary and indif- 

 penfable charge ; but this cafe will pio- 

 bably not often occur, and new inftru- 

 ir.ents nuift be confideied as effefls of the 

 inventory: the whole will confe(iuentIy 

 remain to the ducal houfe, and will con- 

 tribute nor a little to its glory in the Ici- 

 entific world. I therefore recommend 

 this obfervatorv in the mod cxprels man- 

 ner to my heirs and fuccelfors. I hope 

 this requett will not be made in vain, fince 

 I exj'ielsly order by this will that no mo- 

 nument of any kind whatever may be 

 eieftcd to my memory : I rcqueit only, 

 that attention be paid to the maintenance 

 cf the obfervatory. This vanity is the 

 more pardonable, as it vviil conti ibute 10 

 the advancement of ufcful knowledge and 

 to the glory of my luccelVors." 



In a codicil ihe Duke repeats : " I ex- 

 prefsly forbid the ereftion -A any monu- 

 ment to my memory, or of any monument 

 cr epitaph ne:<r or over my tomb." 



Btro:i von Zach, who has introduced 

 thii W.1II in'o his Journal, adds, " I can 

 give this »e!l giounded and pofitive af- 

 fura \c< to the triends of the ftiences, that 

 the d. lire of the father will not only be 

 fu filled, but even txceedeil, by his fuc- 

 cefl )r, ihe p:efent Duke Eniriis Leopold 

 Auguftus, A ho has alrtady given the mod 

 decifive pro. fs if his loveol the i(;icnces." 

 The :ather cf our able ailronomcr 

 FlauJergoes expired at Viviers 3d Auguft 

 1804. Antoii e Flaugergus w:is burn at 

 the ah-,va p ace the i+th Dccvmher 1714.. 

 His ta*^ for meteorological o')le: v uions, 

 the affiduity wiih which he prolecuted 

 the.n for a period of nearly fixty years, 

 and the attention he paid to compare 

 t!*m with the lunar poin s, de eive chat 

 we fli )uid mention him in this place. He 

 was ;.rofoundiy co- verlant with an 'qui 

 ties, and was cui ous with relpeSl to nb- 

 jci'.is of na ura! hiftory, of which he had 

 formed a cniiH.ierable coUeftion. The 

 modtrty of Flaugergucs prevented the 

 publication of fcvcidi vvo:ki on which he 



had long been engaged. As an amiabls. 

 fcholar, an upright magiftrate, a tender 

 hufbaiul, and an affeftionate father, he is 

 uuiverfally regretted. 



For the Monthly Magazine. 



LETTER of DR. FRANCIS PACCHIONI, 

 PROFESSOR, of PHILOSOPHY in the 

 UNIVERSITY q/" PISA, /O LAURENCE 

 PIGNDTTl, HISTORIOGRAPHER /P /A* 



KING, containing an account of the 



DISCOVEKY Of the COI^POSITION of 

 MURIATIC ACID. 



" ' II ^^ y°^' "™y much-refpefled friend, 

 Jj_ both on account of the fpouta- 

 neous impulfe of innate kindnefs with 

 which y.ni deigned to take fo much care 

 of my talents, Inch as they are, as to re- 

 ceive ine among tne number of your pu- 

 pils, and on account of your having paved 

 the way for my obtaining thit v^rv chair 

 which was filled by you for many years 

 with lo much applaule and honour to our 

 country, rather than to any other perfon, 

 (hall I give an account of a difcovery 

 which I have male 'anJ faiisfaftorily veri- 

 fied. Bur thefe are not the only reafons 

 by which my c-.indufl is influenced. I 

 wi(h, at the lame time, to (hew my grati- 

 tude towards you, and to give you a proof 

 that I am endeavouring to render myfelf 

 more worthy of your efteem and friend- 

 (hip. 



" It is perfectly known to you that 

 fince lail year, on account of the premi- 

 ums propofed by that excellent gel^eral 

 and phi: )lbpher Bonaparte, emperor of 

 the French, (or the advancement of that 

 new and fertde branch of experimental 

 phll ifophy difcoveied by the celebrated 

 profefTor of Bologna, G.ilvani, and after- 

 wants won. ei fully extended by the (ub- 

 )ime genius of Volta, I have contrived a 

 great number of experiments, which I 

 have peitnrmtd with much care and al- 

 m^jft completed. Thele experiments have 

 revealed to memiy fa61s which I am col- 

 lefting for a memoir to be prefenied to the 

 Societa Italia/ia, and have led mc to a 

 knowledge of the conftituen: elements of 

 an acid which h.ts hitherto proved rclrac- 

 tory to all the e{foits of cheui (fry I 

 fpe;tk "f the muriatic acid, iiithero tor- 

 tured in vain with the eltilric Ipark, ca- 

 loric, and all the play of alfiniiy. You 

 are per'eifly acquainted w^tli the d fFerent 

 and dilcoidant opinions of the molt recent 

 and app oved write, s concerning the na- 

 ture o( tills acid ; fome ot ihem conlider- 

 ing it as a fi-nple combuftible b ifty, others 

 as turmed «/i an unknown baie combined 



with 



