358 Spirit of Philosoplikal Discovery. [May^, 

 works and Ircalisos of education, nine cliarts, and an enfijravcd portrait. T^iir- 

 appcftain to thcoloijy and morality, ty-sevcn daily journals are published in 

 lointccn to tiio pliysicul and niatlicma- the United States. Though called an 

 tical sciences, eight to jurisprmlcnce, Almanack or Calcodar, this •' Annuary" 

 and eleven to statistics and gt o:;rapliy. is an «pitonio of American statistics : 

 We may further nr)tice, — Two piiblica- eontainiiig public expenses and receipts, 

 tions tliat treat ot tiie marine in general, the number of iniiabitants in each pro- 

 two on the milit.ny art, four on biogra- vincc, distinguishing the whites and 

 phy and historv, two on liic special men of colour ; those employed in agri- 

 uilministration of polilirs, three coilec- culture and rfmtmercc ; tlie proporlidu 

 tions of poems, one Greek work, one between the two sexes, See. 

 Spanish, three treatises of music, nine 



SPIRIT OF PHILOSOPHICAL DISCOVERY, AND OF THE 

 VARIOUS SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS. 



f H^irE eJrmentarif principles of orga- 

 M. nic suhstiinces, according to the 

 leiTUt and elaborate experiments of 

 Dr. Ure, communicated to the Royal 

 Society, may be considered as deriving 

 the peculiar delicacy of their chemical 

 equilibrium, and the consequent facility 

 Hitli which it may be subverted and 

 ucw modelled, to the multitude of atoms 

 grouped together in a compound. On 

 this view, none of lliem, he says, should 

 be ex|)ected to consist of a single atom 

 of each component: yet, only a few 

 jears ago, the celebrated Berzclius 

 maintained, that a single atom of oxygen, 

 and no more, was essential to an organic 

 compoinid. Dr. Ure, on the contrary, 

 now asserts, sugar to be compoiujded 

 of 5 atoms carbon, 4 of hydrogen, and 

 4 of oxygen; its equivalent number or 

 the weight of its compound atom being 

 8*25. Also, that starch is composed of 

 Ct atoms carbon, 4 of hydrogen, and 5 of 

 Dxygen; its equivalent being 9'25. And 

 that gum is compounded of 4 atoms 

 carbon, 4 of hydrogen, and 5 of oxygen ; 

 with an equivalent of 8'5. The above 

 arc the proportions of tiie strongest 

 sugar and starch, but each of which 

 substances are very apt to sufier dete- 

 rioration, from an excess of oxygen in 

 their composition. 



Mr. GiBDON, of Walsall, in Stafford- 

 shire, has discovered rtJt expeditious 

 method rf tauiiiiin; that will save four 

 parts out of (i\e ia the time usually 

 employed. 'J'his is effected by pressure; 

 the other parts of his process remaining 

 the same. 



The /latching of Fishes'" Spawn, is 

 .said to be perlornicd in China, by col- 

 lecting with care from tiie margin and 

 smface of rivers and lakes, the gela- 

 tinous matter, which, by experience, 

 the persons know to contain the spawn 

 of tisli, and thercwitii tliey fill the shells 



of small fresh eggs, from whiofi the 

 ci)|itents have just before been blown : 

 the holes in the .shell are then stopped 

 with a cement, these re-charged eggs 

 are placed under a sitting hen, for a 

 certain number of days, when the shells 

 are broken, and the contents poured 

 into shallow pools of water, sheltered 

 and warmed by the sun, wherein the 

 hatching is completed, and myriads.of 

 young fish arc produced, whieli are 

 attended to with care, until at length 

 the water from these hatching pools 

 is cither let-olF into the lakes and 

 rivers, or carried thereto in pails, where 

 the young fry arc in part intended .to 

 supply other fish, whilst those who 

 escape, may grow up, and supply 

 fooil to the swarming inhabitants of that 

 singular country, great numbers of 

 whom are said to fmd employment, 

 iu thus aiding nature in the production 

 and growth of fresh-water fish. 



An improved anchor launch, or boat 

 for large ships, has been hitely con- 

 trived: in the middle of the boat, a 

 water-tight but bottomless well-hole, 

 in the form of a cross, is constructed, 

 of such dimensions, as to admit the 

 flukes of the anchor (when in an vp- 

 right position) down one of the arms 

 of the cross, and the stock of Ihc 

 anchor down the other. On having 

 occasion to send out and drop an 

 anchor, it is lowered down into the 

 well-crop of the boat, brought under 

 the bow of the ship for that purpose, 

 and is there suspended by lashing, 

 which can be cut away at the instant, 

 when the anchor is required to be 

 dropped : the end of the cable (slack- 

 ened out) having been drawn up through 

 the well-hole, previously to lowering 

 the anchor to its place in the boats- 

 well, and then the cable is passed 

 through and fastctied to the liug of 



the 



