584 



Literary and Philofophical Intelligence. [Jan. f, 



ciatrd with nortlitrii boars larger than 

 our horfos ?'' 



We dcfcribed the philofophic tinder- 

 box, by which ignition is produced l>y 

 the mere com])rcfiioii of air, in the 

 Monthly jMaujazine For Novonibcr. Some 

 new and curious experiments in elcciri- 

 city prove, that the electrical fparlv acts 

 by comprclhon on the bodies expofed to 

 its power. Hence it may be inferi-ed, 

 that eleditrical iparks are the refuit of 

 of comprcllion in ihe power called elec- 

 trive, and is nothing more than the lic,iit 

 which the prelVure uf the electrical iluid 

 flicitb from air. Such is the new hypo'- 

 tlicfib of Biot, and of fomc of llie IVcnch 

 pliilofophcrs : the phenomena of elec- 

 tricity in vacuo do not, however, accord 

 with "it. 



Tiie con\-«nt in wln'ch rcpofed the 

 alhes of I.anra, at Avii^non, has lately 

 been fold and ck'niolillicd ; and the cha- 

 pel, in which a tomb-l'tone indicated her 

 place ot' interment, is transformed into 

 a flable for nuiies and jackalVcs. (Jf the 

 jlifcription on her tomb nothins; now re- 

 mains but " Lac It A," and 



" rcqukfcaf in puce. !'' 



Tlie i'rench excel evcPi' nation in Ku- 

 rope in projects. Fn aimounciui: the 

 following new canals which are jjroject- 

 cd in Trance, wc think it proper to Itatc 

 that fifty of ^r^ater extent have been 

 formed in England within the inft '20 

 years: — A gr.ind northern canal, in two 

 brandies. The (irll to cfTeCt the junc- 

 tion of the Scheld with the .Mciife i'lom 

 Antwerp /to V'onio. The fecond, the 

 junction of the Menfe with the Rhine. 

 —A caiKil to unite the S( held and ihe 

 Scarpe. — \ lateral canal, to im[)io\e 

 the naviiratinn of the river I.a Ilainc. 

 — ^A canal of the T.ys to Lipcrlee. — A 

 canal from Cliarleroy to BrulVels. — A 

 lateral canal to' the Loire; very nd- 

 vantapcous to the ncii^hhourini; de- 

 par^:i,( nts for Hie exportation of their 

 tenii(;rial productions and manufac- 

 tiircs. — A. canal from 'WoxX to ]{o- 

 f lielle ; on which priluiitn of if a r are 

 to be cinployed till tlu'V are (xchaniied. 

 — A canal Inim Nantes to, liielt. 'J'ii^' 

 plan is to join the Lure and the \ iiaiue; 

 the \ ilaine with the Blavet ; to be con- 

 tinncrt to I'ort-Luunay anil Mrelt, by tin; 

 rivers I )or«', ilicrcs, and Anne. 



M. 1)1- Lai.andk received, in the 

 rnontli of April, an anonvmous letter, in 

 vhich it is ;'aiJ lliat u German oJ' Li^h 



reputation in fevcral fcienccs difcoverc<I, 

 fifty years ago, a remarkable period of 

 280,000 years for the return of the fix 

 planets to the fame point of tiie heavens, 

 and his opinion thereon is requcrtcd t» 

 he given. The number of revolutions 

 found by tlie German for each of the 

 planets have been reduced into fcconds 

 by Lalandc, from the revolution ai at 

 prefent known, and are as under : 

 Mercury - 1102577 8B3C 135098021 

 \'cnus - 45.J122 8835505(389113 

 Ki'.rth - 280000 8«:i50 10080000 



iVIars - 118878 883504 65 10500 



.Tiipitcr - 23610 88350 1654141a 

 Saturn - 0516 883504655860tt 



'J'hc I'renfli alironomer remarks, that 

 thefc numbers dilVer fo little, that the 

 de\'iation from tlii' fame precife number 

 of i'econds in eacji fiun of revolutions 

 is not greater than tiie uncertainty in 

 the known durations of thofe revolutions. 

 Iluli/. 



La ft year was marked by terrible cx.- 

 plolions of \'efuvius. On .Tuly 28, a 

 concullion fliook moft of the liouies in 

 \a|)les ; in the county of .Molina, feveral 

 towns and villages were ahnoft entirely 

 dcllroyr^l, and 30,001) inhabitants loft 

 tlieir lives. Swon after, \'efuvius ap- 

 peared agitated ; and on Augufl 12, a 

 ^iolcnt eruption enfued, and the lava 

 took its direction towards the fea with 

 incredible velocity. j\Iany natnralills, 

 as Humboldt, Buck, the Duke Delia 

 'i'orre, rniy-LuiVac, &c. were eye-wit-. 

 nelles of this t'rnption, and have pub- 

 lilhed accounts, Ibmc of w liich we liavc 

 long had in preparation to lay bcfori: our 

 readers, but have been prevented by the 

 prelVure of coinmunicaLions. 



E(/Jl Iiidien. 



It is faid that the Directors of tlie 

 r.aft India Company, fome time fmcc, 

 fent ordi rs to tlieir fiipcrcarsoes to pro- 

 cure certain elementary books of the 

 Chinefe language, for the ufe of their 

 colti'i:e at Hertford. Their agent was 

 zealous to obtain them from I'ekin, but 

 the goveininent innnediately prohibitofh 

 their exportatiijii, tinder the fevereft pe- 

 lialt'cs ! 



The C'iiiiriians at Pekin have lately 

 been exjiolud to a violent jierfecution, 

 in conteipiencc of i'ome irregularity ii> 

 the conduct of perlons of that reiigionj 

 and a Mandarin, lulpecied ol' being 

 frieiully to them, w;as put to death. 



11JE\TEVV 



