1^24.] Sphit of Philosophical Discovery, 165 



arid professor at Darmstadt, well the religions of Great St. Rcrnard, ja 



kiion'n for liis German translation of t!ie canlon of Basil, has been sensibly 



the Jiibic, has disseminated more than ameliorated. These men, so devoted 



20,000 New 'J'estaments. to pliilanllirupv and so nsefiil, passed 



swjTZEiiLAND. the wiiiler in ceils, wbcri in the ther- 



The government presiding in the niometer of Reaumur was sometimes 



canton of the Valais, are proseeutino: as low as fifteen de<;rees below zero, 



with zeal and dilifijence the labours A snbscri|)tion, however, has provided 



requisite for completins; the grand the means of establishing pipes to 



route of Le Simplon, througliont the 

 parts where it crosses their territory. 

 Its extremities, on the side of Pied- 

 mont, call loudly for some rei)aratious 

 and finishiilg-works, for the conve- 



transmit heat through all parts; and 

 tlie tenipOTatare of the cells, in times 

 of the greatest frost, is now from eight 

 to ten degrees. All the chambers are 

 now habitable, and a part of the debt 



Bience of trade and travellers, but contracted by Italy and Switzerland, 



to wliicli government hitherto has been for the benefit of the rdigicuse, is iionr 



iflattentive. discharged. 

 Sluce last winter, the condition of 



SPIRIT OF PHILOSOPHICAL DISCOVERY. 



As the princi[i!e of correllative action 

 in compound gasesand fluids within 

 a given space, occasions a chemical de- 

 composition on eilhcr of the surfaces 

 subject to a rc-aclion, so it has long 

 ijeen found that sea-water corrodes a 

 surface of copper. Messrs. Mushet 

 discovered that they could neutralise 

 this action and re-action by the use of 

 tin nails, and took out a patent for their 

 use; but Sir H. Davy has announced in 

 all (he newspapers, within the month, 

 tliat pieces of tin placed in opposition 

 to the copper produce an equal neutrali- 

 zation, and destroy the action of sea- 

 water on the copper. This idea is a 

 simple though useful variation of the 

 principle of galvanic aclion, and per- 

 fectly intelligible to all those who under- 

 stand the Common-Sense philosoi)hy, 

 though a perfect mystery to those who 

 believe in the galvanic or electrical 

 tliiids. 



A moviiiff machine has been invented 

 l)y Mr. J. fiAiLKY, in North America, 

 which is ilcseiibed in the " iVlechanics' 

 Magazine," No. 10. In many of its 

 parts, this machine resembles one of the 

 many schemes for the mowing and 

 reii|)ing of corn, which were, about a 

 quarter of a centiny ago, invented by 

 the late ingenious Mr. Robert Salmon, 

 and practically tried on the late cxcel- 

 fcnt and truly great Duke of Biedford's 

 ^X|>erimental farm, in Woburn Park. 

 From his attempts to mow corn, so 

 cleanly and regularly as to admit of its 

 Leing tied in sheaves, Mr. S. at length 

 desisted in despair ; we are not however 

 aware, that he turned his attention seri- 

 ously to the mowing of grass, which is 

 4 



mentioned as Mr. Bailey's main objecl; 

 although a hay-making machine was 

 some years afterwards perfected at 

 Wobinn, and is now widely and exten- 

 sively used by farmers. 



Dr. T. Foils rER has recently made a 

 series of etperi nients on the reflective, 

 refractive, aud dispersive, powers of tJte 

 utimisphere, regarded as three distinct 

 properties, and on the varieties in tlj« 

 composition of the light of different 

 stars, with a view to show the necessity 

 of more complele tables of refractiou 

 than are now iu use, calculated sepa- 

 rately for each place of observation. He 

 has also endeavoured to show the pecu- 

 liar error in the appliealiou of refrac- 

 tional correction, wlii<;h led to the false 

 notion ofasonlhern motion of (he fixed 

 stars, an opinion recently promulgated 

 by JMr. Pond, the astnjiiomer royal. 

 The paper of Dr. Forster will shortly 

 be published, being in the press. 



Dr. T. Foister has also presented to 

 the Meteorological Society of London, 

 a paper on the local variation and 

 changes in the quantity of atmospherical 

 refraction, and on the various dispersion 

 of the light of tliflcrent stars, by means 

 of prismatic glasses, with a view of 

 facilitating the formation of corrective 

 tables of refraction. 



A Case, of temporarij Loss of Speech. 

 ^Onc of the boys in Christ's Hospital, 

 liondon, named Oldham, being about 

 twelve years of age, one night in Oct. 

 1822 became entirely dumb, without 

 any apparent cause, and so continued, 

 although in all other respects well, 

 during eight monihs, when in tl e night 

 his sju'cch returned, as we think, not 



less 



