Literary and Philosophical fntelligence. 



1823/J 



been exploriug. Six years liave been 

 appropriated to these diflerent jour- 

 neys and researclies. 



A physician of Grenoble, Mons. 

 Regnauld, has invented an instru- 

 ment by which the arduous and dan- 

 gerous surgical operation of lithotomy 

 may be performed in two minutes. 



The physiology of Cabams and Du 

 TuACEY, though little known in Eng- 

 land, is making rapid progress in 

 France, and is now forming a portion 

 of the education of youth there. The 

 works of Cabanis have been lately pub- 

 lished in seven volumes ; two of these 

 contain his chief work, " Lts Rapports 

 du Physique et du Moral de V Homme." 

 A French journal, in a letter from 

 Senegal, dated St. Louis, Sep. 1, 1822, 

 contains the following notice : " Our 

 establishments on the left bank of the 

 river are conducted without having 

 recourse to the labour of slaves. Ele- 

 ven considerable plantations are in 

 culture already, comprehending a 

 space of 800,000 feet of cotton-trees, 

 and the number is likely soon to be 

 douljlcd. One of the most considera- 

 ble belongs to M. Bexichet, a merchant 

 of St. Louis, formerly a pupil of the 

 polytechnic school. Six new grants 

 liave just been made, and are also to 

 be planted with cotton-trees. The 

 raising of indigo, and other equinoctial 

 plants, has been attempted, and the 

 trials have proved successful in seve- 

 ral places. There is no want of hands, 

 for labourers offer themselves sponta- 

 neously, from the adjacent countries. 

 Encouragements of every kind are 

 held out by the government, in two 

 j)roclaniations that have been issued ; 

 and the local administration has at 

 length been enabled to inspire the na- 

 tives with a degree of confidence in 

 our public functionaries on the coast." 

 A new description of time-piece, 

 (nouveaii compteur), invented by M. 

 KiEussEC, watchmaker, of Paris, has 

 been presented to the Academy of 

 Sciences, and approved of, on the re- 

 port of Messrs. Prony and Fireguet. 

 It is nearly of the form and size of a 

 large pocket chronometer. It will in- 

 dicate the duration of different suc- 

 cessive phenomena, without obliging 

 the observer to turn to a dial, or to 

 count the tickings or beatings. A judg- 

 ment is given of it, that if executed by 

 able hands, it may be of great service, 

 and employed with eon(id(!nec and cer- 

 titude, in observations of every kind, 

 whatever be the object. 



M. L. DE Latour, king's naturalist 

 at Pondichcrry, (from ih« yonr 1816, 



35^ 



when the French regained the posses- 

 sion of it), has lately returned to Paris. 

 He has visited successively various dis- 

 tricts of the peninsula of India, includ- 

 ing a part of Bengal, in the island of 

 Ceylon. The fruit of his labours will 

 be of considerable utility to the French 

 colonies, and conducive to the pro- 

 gress of the natural sciences. To the 

 king's garden at Paris, he early trans- 

 mitted a zoological collection, consi- 

 dered as one of the greatest then re- 

 ceived. He has since sent a number 

 of live animals to the royal menagerie, 

 and a prodigious number of herbs and 

 seeds. Amopg *i"^ former qre a J9U]}^ ■ 

 elephant, an Indiaii chacal, and differ- 

 ent species of land and sea tortoises. 

 With each assortment, he has forward- 

 ed a descriptive catalogue, and accom- 

 panying memoirs. He has also brought 

 with him a considerable collection from 

 the three kingdoms of nature ; and he 

 had previously introduced at Pondi- 

 chcrry, among other useful plants, that 

 known by tiie name of (he guinea-herb, 

 which is the more valuable from forage 

 being scarce on the coast of Coio- 

 raandel. 



Oil is now extracted in France from 

 the manobi, a species of pistachio, 

 (arachis Injpogcea). It makes, with 

 the lixivium of the soap-boilers, a soap 

 whiter and more consistent than that 

 of oil of olives; and is more economical 

 and useful than soap of any other kind. 

 The pistachio oil may be substituted 

 for olive oil ; it burns with a pure and 

 beautiful flame, though not clarified, 

 and is not unpalatable. In some coun- 

 tries of America it is constantly in use 

 for salads, and culinary purposes, 

 'J'he plant is valuable after the pressure 

 has taken place, and makes excellent 

 fodder for cattle. Since its introduc- 

 tion, it is spreading in the southern 

 departments of France, the Landes, 

 Upper Garonne, and the Var. How 

 much superior, in every respect, are 

 these vegetable oils to the loathsome 

 fish-oils used in this country ! 



DENMAKK. 



It is a remarkable fact, tliat tlic Jews 

 in Denmark have received into {heir 

 religious rites one of the ceremonies 

 and sacraments of the church of Rome, 

 viz. confirmr'tion, which all Jewish chil- 

 dren of bot!) sexes must now conform 

 to. — It is equally remarkable, that a 

 son of the bishop of Copenhagen is at 

 this moment soliciting for the situation 

 of teacher in a Jewish seminary : the 

 salary about 381. per annum. 



PROCEEDINGS 



