1825.] 
tians, who were, perhaps, their originators ; 
thence, he conducts us to Greece, where 
they attained their grandest developments ; 
it being to the laws, religion, superstitions 
and even games of these people, to which 
he attributes Grecian superiority in the 
limner’s arts. This vast subject could not 
be even rapidly glanced at, throughout its 
different bearings ; and it is expected that 
M. A.D, will complete his brief sketch in 
- the approaching season, Lectures on na- 
tural sciences are little susceptible of 
analysis, and we can only mention, that Dr. 
Eusctbe de Salle excited and sustained a 
very lively interest by his discourses on the 
trite, but still popular subject of health ; 
which he described, as “ not being a merely 
technical art, but as combining divers prin- 
ciples of natural science, for the preserva- 
tion and confirmation of human health.” 
This momentous subject Dr. de Salle pre- 
sented in its full importance, on the prin- 
ciple of every man his own doctor. M. 
‘Ternaux was elected yearly president, and 
the choice is a guarantee of the spirit and 
wisdom which will continue to preside over 
the interests of literature during the ap- 
proaching autumnal session. 
Royal Academy of Sciences.—At a late 
mecting, M. Geoffrey St. Hilaire stated 
that there exists in Egypt areptile, posses- 
sing in a high degree the property of 
changing colour as the chameleon. It is 
proposed by the society to send in search 
of this rare reptile. By alate examination 
of the chameleon, M. Arago, the learned 
naturalist, discoyered that the alterations 
of colour in this animal are much more 
marked than haye hitherto been described. 
_A commission was appointed, consisting of 
Messrs. Arago, Eresnil and Dumeril, to 
-yisit the bazaar where chameleons are ex- 
hibiting, in order to discover the cause of 
the variation, which M. Arago attributes to 
some other quality than that known to na- 
turalists, under the title of accidental colours, 
which may be observed on lifeless bodies. 
During M. Arago’s visit, an animal of no 
declared colour, was placed on a board, and 
it immediately changed from a deep brown 
to a bright yellow. The keeper stated that 
this animal was ordinarily of a fine green.— 
It appears that light, and the temperature of 
the surrounding atmosphere, have much in- 
fluence in producing these effects. 
M. Arago announced that M. Pons re- 
discovered on the L5th ult. the shor t-period 
comet, precisely at the place where it ought 
to be, according to the ephemeris of M. 
Encke. This re-appearance of the comet 
is considered a pledge for that expected to 
appear towards the end of the year 1828, 
or the beginning of 1829. 
On the 25th ult., at a quarter before two 
o’clock in the morning, the Director of the 
Royal Observatory at Marseilles discovered, 
in the constellation Taurus, anew comet, 
invisible to\the naked eye. Its position on 
that, morning, ut five minutes past two / 
Foreign Societies.—New Patents. 
14:7 
o’cloek (true time), at Marseilles was— 
right ascension, 62. 1°3 deg., declension 
26. 3°4deg. north. Its nucleus was very 
feeble and confused ; and the surrounding 
nebulosity appeared sensibly elongated in 
the direction opposite to the sun-—Tbi 
probably, the same as the one observ Pec 
Brighton —/( See Varieties). 
_ Dr. Barry, an English physician, lately 
read a memoir onthe motion of the blood 
in the veins. From reasoning, as well as 
from direct experiments upon living animals, 
he has been led to conclude, that the re- 
turn of the blood to the heart is caused 
directly by atmospheric pressure : a vacuum 
formed in the thoracic cavities at the mo- 
ment of inspiration, which produces, upon 
the fluids in communication with those 
parts, the same effect as the ascent cf the 
piston in the pump- The consequences 
likely to result from this new doctrine, if 
established, will be highly interesting to 
medical men. Messrs. Cuvierand Dumeril 
have been named to report upon the subject. 
—— 
PATENTS rok MECHANICAL any 
CHEMICAL INVENTIONS. 
To Anravam H. Cuampers, of New Bond 
Street, Middlesex, for Improvements in 
preparing and paving Horse and Carriage- 
ways.—28th February 1824. 
Tue principle of improyements here pro- 
posed, is the employing, in inverted posi- 
tions to what have been common, the granite 
and other paving-stones, in form of the 
Srustums of py yramids ; that is, on well con- 
solidated ground, of the proper arching 
shape, for the bottom of the pavement of a 
street or carriage-way, the patentee’s pay- 
ing-stones are to be placed, close to each 
other, with their broadest faces downwards, 
and least faces upwards, in such a manner 
as to break-joint; and then, patent British 
pozzolane is to be poured in, partly to fill up 
the joints, and the remainder and wider 
parts of these joints are then to be filled 
up with broken flints, or other road mate- 
rials. Besides the alleged greater solidity 
and durability of these patent pavements, 
the patentee assures us, “‘ the said improved 
pavement will, at all times, be free from 
mud !” 
Instead of cutting paving-stones into 
pyramidical frustums or wedges, in order 
that a ton of such wedge-shaped stones 
might appear to cover the greatest pos- 
sible superficial area, according to the 
absurd mode by which contractors were, 
until lately, paid for new paving our streets, 
as hinted in p. 556 of our last volume; 
Mr. Chambers proposes, still, to cut, and 
employ such stones, but with their broadest 
faces downwards, and to fill their wide 
gaping superficial joints with broken stones; 
the unequal wear of which filling matter, 
vand of the tops or apexes of the stones, 
U 2 “would 
