1826.] 



Domestic Varieties. 



201 



Gottingen 300,000. It is calculated that 

 150 public libraries contain 3, 133,080 print- 

 ed volumes, besides manuscripts and pam- 

 phlets. 



Lusus Natura: — Buboo Nundo Como 

 Ta^ore is in possession of a Braliminee 

 Bull, that is certainly as singular a lusus 

 natuHE as can be well conceived. He is 

 from Benares, about six years old, of a mid- 

 dling size, and of a dark colour. A little 

 below the line of the two liorus, which are 

 of the usual size, a third projects from the 

 forehead, about four and a half inches from 

 the base, and of the same colour and con- 

 sistence as those placed laterally. A little 

 below this central horn there is an eye, 

 which, although small, appears to have its 

 pupil and tunica conjunctiva. The eye being 

 situated length -ways, between the nose and 

 the horn, it is difficult to determine which 

 is the upper or lower eye-lid ; and it ap- 

 pears as if there were no ditference in the 

 structure. The orbicularis palpetrarum 

 muscle is large and powerful ; and from 

 *^*>- there being no cilia, or eye-hishes, is in a 

 state of frequent contraction. The eye ap- 

 pears acutely sensible ; but whether en- 

 dowed with the power of vision, has not 

 been ascertained. The luchrj-mal parts of 

 the eye must exist to a certain degree, as a 

 flow of tears is evident. 



Remarkable appearance in a Lake. — On 

 the 19th July ]824», after a storm of a lake 

 in the districts of Lucca, the waters of it 

 became as if soap had been dissolved in 

 them, or lime slaked in them. They con- 

 tinued in this state the whole of the 20th of 

 July; but on the 21st an incredible number 

 of fishes of various sizes appeared on the 

 surface, which were buried in order to pre- 

 vent the occurrence of any contagious dis- 

 ease. 



Comparative Population. — The following 

 curious statistical account is given in the 

 Cassel Almanack for the year 1826. — The 

 100 most populous cities on the Globe 

 are4 — Jeddo, in Japan 1,680,000 inhabi- 

 tants ; Pekinl,500,000 ; London l,27i,000 ; 

 Hans Ischen 1,100,000; Calcutta 900,000 ; 

 Madras 817,000 ; Nankin 800,000 ; Congo 

 Ischen 800,000; Paris 717,000; Werst 

 Chani 600,000 ; Constantinople 597,800 ; 

 Benares 530,000; Kio 520,726; Su Is- 

 chen 500,000 ; Houng Ischen 500,000 ; &c. 

 &c. The fortieth on the list is Berlin, con- 

 taining 193,000, and the last Bristol 87,800. 

 Among the 100 cities, three contain a mil- 

 lion ; nine firom half a million to one mil- 

 lion; twenty-three from 200,000 to 500,000; 

 fifty-six from 100 to 200,000 ; six from 87 

 to 100,000, Of these 100 cities, fifty- 

 eight are in Asia, and thirty-two in Eu- 

 rope ; of which four are in Germany, four 

 in France, five in Italy, eight in England, 

 three in Spain, five in Africa, and five in 

 America. 



Mr. Ramage's Telescope. — Mr. Ramage 



M.M. New Series.— Vol. I. No. 2. 



the optician, of Aberdeen, has arrived in 

 town, and brought with him his large re- 

 flecting telescope, which is to be fixed in 

 the Greenwich Obsen-atory, where it is 

 shortly to be exhibited to men of science. 

 It is much smaller than the great reflecting 

 telescope of Hcrchel ; but its power is con- 

 siderably greater. The machinery of Her- 

 chel's telescope is extremely complicated, 

 and requires the strength of two men to re- 

 gulate its movements. All the motions in 

 Ramage's tclescoiie are produced in the 

 simplest manner, by means of a few cords ; 

 yet it is perfectly steady and free from tre- 

 mor, and may be managed by the observer 

 without an assistant, almost as easily as a 

 three foot achromatic telescope. This is a 

 great advantage, as the observer can place 

 the tube in any position for vision better 

 than any assistant. When the observer is 

 in the galler)', he is able to keep the object 

 a long time in view, as the telescope may 

 sweep backwards and fonvards ten degrees, 

 and he may elevate or depress it with one 

 hand, by means of a winch at the side. The 

 speculasare much clearer, finer in the polish, 

 and more accurate in their form, than those 

 of any other glass. Mr. Ilamage has not en- 

 trusted the important part of die workman- 

 ship to others, but has executed with his 

 own hands the more delicate portions of 

 this admirable monument of his skill. 



Haberdashers. — The Haberdashers, who 

 were anciently called Milliners, or Milain- 

 ers, on account of their deaUng in articles 

 imported from Milan, were incorporated in- 

 to a company in the year 1447 ; but it is 

 probable that their number was not great, 

 since in the reign of Henry VI. there were 

 not more than a dozen haberdasher's shops 

 in the whole city. How much they must 

 have increased during the reign of Elizabeth 

 may be inferred from the complaints made 

 against them, that the whole street from 

 Westminster was crowded with them, and 

 that their shops made so " gay an appear- 

 ance as to seduce persons to extra\~agant 

 expenditure." The business of the haber- 

 dasher was not, however, confined to tlie 

 lighter articles of a lady's wardrobe as at 

 present, but extended to the sale of arti- 

 cles in cutlery, turnery, pottery, tin ware, 

 glass, &c., which contributed to that " gay 

 appearance" which the haberdasher's shops 

 are said to have made in the reign of our 

 maiden queen. 



Westminster Improvements. — The only 

 two houses which abutted on that ancient 

 site called the Sanctuary, at the upper end 

 of Princes-street, are at length levelled 

 with the ground. Workmen are also now 

 employed in preparing the foundation of the 

 intended new Parliamentary Mews, by lin- 

 ing the excavations with lime in order to 

 insure its dryness and durability. It is un- 

 derstood that, in addition to the improsve- 

 ments no^v proceeding, there will soon be 



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