1823.] 
' expands by the same access of heat,) and 
entirely fiils the cavity above it; which, 
before, seems to have been a vacuum, as 
occurred to Sir H. Davy in a different 
course of experiments, mentioned in p. 
460 of our last volume. In some of the 
cavities of Dr. Brewster’s specimen, this 
new and extraordinary fluid is seen to be 
accompanied by a portion of water be- 
neath it, and with which it shews no dispo- 
‘sition to mix: hitherto, the smallness of 
the quantities of this fluid has prevented 
its being chemically examined, in order to 
ascertain, as Dr. B. conjectures, whether 
such a flnid can be prepared by art, in 
order to its being used in filling the tubes 
of thermometers, of greater delicacy of 
actiou than any which we at present 
possess. 
Mr. Rorert Hoop, attached to Capt. 
Franklin’s overland journey to the Polar 
Sea, when resident at their newly erected 
wooden house, called Fort-Enterprise, 
situated on the southern slope of the ridge 
of high land which separates the head wa- 
ters of the great Mackenzie river from the 
smaller water called Copper-mine river, in 
N. lat. 64° 28/ 24”, and W. long. 115° 6’ 
00", made in the severe cold weather of 
December 1820, and January 1821, seve- 
ral-meridional Observations on the Sun, 
from whence he has (Capt. F.’s narrative, 
p- 256,) calculated the horizontal refrac- 
tions as following, viz.— 
Temperature, Calculated 
Farenheit, Horizontal 
Refraction. 
— 35° 48° 30' 
— 41° 55° 16” 
— 454° 56’ 3" 
The atmosphere, at the height of seven 
miles or less, in the zenith of Fort-Eater- 
prise, was considered by Capt. Franklin 
(pp. 544 and 553, &c. of his Narrative,) to 
be, in 1821, the seat, in those latitudes, of 
the Aurora Borealis; because the same as 
often appeared to the southward as to the 
_ northward of the zenith of that place; 
and, not unfrequently, the Aurora was 
seen beneath, and illuminating the onder 
sides of the clouds. ‘The mean variation 
of the magnetic compass was 36° 24/7” 
East, and the dip N. 86° 58’ 42”; taken 
when these were not disturbed by the 
flashings of the Aurora. 
Improved Bleaching.—In the bleaching 
of common linen, quick-lime, dissolved in 
water, is often made use of. Labour is 
hereby abridged, as the lime destroys the 
colouring matter of the linen; but the 
vegetable fibres are impaired, and the 
linen loses much of its solidity, however 
it may appear substantial and compact. 
It grows hard and rough to the touch, 
does not wear durably ; aud often, after 
washing, occasions an itching and pimples 
on the skin, These effects are owing toa 
portion of calcareous earth (carbonate of 
Report of Chemistry and Experimental Philosophy. 
77 
calx,) that adheres to the cloth, and which 
a number of washings will not eradicate. 
This calx, sometimes, inheres in such 
quantities, that, on beating the cloth, a 
shower of dust will issue from it, which is 
nothing but carbonate of calx. To distin- 
guish when linen has or has not been pre- 
pared by this agent, cut a sample of new 
cloth, put it into a glass, and pour on it 
some spoonfuls of good vinegar, or hydro- 
chloric acid of water. If the cloth con- 
tains calx, the acid will raise an efferves- 
cence rather considerable, attended witb 
a slight report; but, if otherwise, no effect 
will be produced. Should any doubts re- 
main as to the correctness of the experi- 
ment, it may be repeated with a like 
piece of bleached cloth that is not new. 
Journal of the Weather and Natural History, 
kept at Haréficld, by Dr. T. Forster, 
Sor June 1823. 
“Sle 
é s 8 é i Plants begin to Flower, 
S(Sise i. & hc. 
Q\a | a hae 
1/56/29'99| N.E |Papaver Rhaas, fi. 
2)55|29°55|E..S W.| Hieracium pilosella, fl. 
3)/50/29°49| S.W. |Lychnis Flos. Cuculi, fl. 
4)56/29°36| S.W. |Showers.—Roses blow. 
5 , W. |Showery. — Gladiolus 
Communis, fl, 
i 
a 
Ss 
© 
or 
a 
An PRM 
6}51)29°91| S.W. | Papaver somniferum, fl. 
7/52/29-92| S.W. |Fair. 
8)/51/29°85| W. |Fair.—Showery. 
9'50'29°82] S.W. |Gentle showers. 
10)51|29-90| S.W. | Rosa arvensis, fl. 
11/51/29-95] S.W. | Rosa micrantha, fl. 
12|50 29-86|E.N.E| Cloudy. 
13|zs|262. | NOR. 
15|53)30-05] N. |Cloudy. 
16|48|30°18] N. 
17|51/30'14) N. 
18/51/30 04) N. 
1952\29:98) N. 
20/5629'90| N. |Lychnis chalccdonica, fl. 
21/52/29-98) N., 
22'50/30'00|N.E.N 
23/45/29°95) N. |Papaver orientale, fl. 
24|50)/29°79|S W va.|/Showery, 
25)53)29:63/S W.E. |Showers. 
26|52| +++ | S.W. Do. 
27/52) +++» 1 S.W. |'Thunder—showers. 
28)55/29°45|S W. W | Lilium bulbiferum. 
5 
29/53 29°75] S.W. |Convolvulus tricolor, fl. 
50158 '29°78'W.S W 
The observations of the barometer and 
thermometer are made at 10 P.M. as that 
he corresponds with the mean of the 
day. 
Observations. —VThe month of June this 
year has been very cold, with a large pro- 
portion of cloud, and some wet, Vegeta- 
tion has advanced but little. Most genera - 
of 
