1823.] I 617 ] 



PHILOSOPHICAL, CHEMICAL, AND SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANIES 



Babylonian Characters.— The Babylo- 

 nian characters, whicli have <livided witli the 

 hieroglyphics the attention of the learned, 

 had eluded all satisfactory explanation, for in 

 that light the attempts of Dr. Grotefend did 

 not appear, when Mr. Price announced in his 

 Journal, that a MS. had fallen into his liands 

 in Persia, containing the alphabetic charac- 

 ters to which the aiTOw headed ones were 

 equivalent. Some time has elapsed since 

 this discovery, and as this learned orien- 

 talist has continued his researches, the se- 

 cond edition of his journal contains much 

 novel information : he has succeeded in 

 dccyphering several of the Pcrsepolitan in- 

 scriptions ; and, when it is considered what 

 rapid changes the European languages un- 

 dergo in the course of a few centuries, it 

 will occasion some surprise to find that the 

 proper names he has met with correspond 

 very nearly to such as exist in Persia at the 

 present day ; thus, for example, Kacha has 

 been modified into Khojrh, Keibed, into Ko- 

 had, &c. Respecting the clay cylinders, so 

 much the object of antiquarian research, it is 

 observed that " impressing them seems to 

 have been the ancient mode of ])rinting pub- 

 lic documents that required great numbers 

 of copies," and the following is a character- 

 istic extract from the first translation of one 

 which has appeared in any European lan- 

 guage. " Happy the man who can show 

 his heart (literally grape stone) in this inn, 

 uncorroded with evil : for sins committed 

 here, must be accounted for at the gi-and 

 inn (of heaven). Trutli and sincerity are 

 our support ; and should we, as occupiers 

 of a state-chamber tliat revolves in death, 

 not be accused of corruption for the slightest 

 imprudence? O God, in the time of dis- 

 solution protect us from thy wrath. As 

 the supplication of the tyrant avails not in 

 deatli, will he not be answerable for his 

 crimes ?" It is to be hoped, that the pro- 

 secution of researches so interesting [to the 

 literary world, may not be left to the unas- 

 sisted exertions of a private individual. 



New Island. — Two vessels in the ser- 

 vice of the King of the Netherlands, dis- 

 covered, on the 14.th July 1825, in their 

 voyage to Java, an inhabited island, the 

 north point of which is in latitude 7° 10' S. 

 and the centre of it in longitude 177° 3.3' 16" 

 E. from Greenwich, the variation of the 

 magnetic needle being 7° to the east. The 

 island appeared well stocked with cocoa 

 and other trees; in form it resembles a 

 horse-shoe, its extent is about eight miles. 

 In the west side is an indentation closed by 

 a lagoon ; at a boat's length from the shore 

 the depth of water was six fathoms, and 

 rough coral ground ; at a ship's length from 

 shore there were fifteen fathoms. The 

 number of natives assembled on shore was 

 estimated at about three hundred: they 



M.M. New Series.— \'Ol: I. No. 6. 



were of a dark copper hue, tall, and well 

 made ; few were less than six feet Rhin- 

 band measure or 6.166 English. Tlie name 

 bestowed on the island was Nederlandicli 

 Island. — Bretostfr's Journal. 



Southern Frontier of Thibet. — Tliero is 

 a singidar difference, which has not as yet 

 been remarked, between the places where 

 the great rivers of Europe take their rise, 

 in the Alps, and those where the Asiatic 

 rivers have their origin in the Himalaya 

 mountains. The Rhone and the Rhine 

 rush from glaciers resembling the waves of 

 the ocean, stirprised by the Polar frost*. 

 The Ganges, the Jumma, the Sutlej, of 

 which someof our adventurous countrymen 

 have recently explored the sources, issue 

 from beneath vast masses of snow piled up 

 by successive accumulations bet\\'een the 

 lofty siunmits of the mountains of Thibet, 

 to the height of many hundred feet. The 

 npper part of the last mentioned of these 

 mighty streams has been visited by two 

 French officers of the namee of Herbert 

 and Gerard. The mountains whence it 

 springs have an elevation of from 19,183 to 

 21,312 feet above the level of the sea; 

 tliey skirt the country of the Sikhi and 

 Chinese Tartary: one of the ridges by 

 which the channel of the river is formed 

 rises to the height of 13,853 feet ; the 

 forests with whicli it is covered, only to the 

 height of 11,723 feet, abound witU ju- 

 nipers and hecza pines. At Sliiphi, where 

 the river is 71 feet broad, it is at an eleva- 

 tion of 2,2i5 feet above the Indian Ocean ; 

 its fall is 59 feet per mile. The apples in 

 this part of the higher Asia are excellent ; 

 tlie turnips are very good, and the red and 

 black mulberry is found. The inhabitants 

 are tall ; their features handsome and ex- 

 pressive : the generality of the ])eople are 

 Hindoos, with Brahmins for priests, but 

 in some ^^llages the religion of Thibet is 

 followed. The name which in Europe is 

 bestowed upon this country is altogether 

 unknown, and its proper denomination, 

 Bhoutia, does not in the least resemble it. 

 Lieutenant Gerard speaks in the very high- 

 est terms of the Tartars who inhabit this 

 snowy and wild region. Cunning, false- 

 hood, and robbery are unknown among 

 them : no apprehension need be felt 

 when reliance is placed upon them ; they 

 entertain the nicest sense of honour, and 

 for the property of others have the most 

 in\iolable respect. We much doubt if this 

 patriarchal character were preserved among 

 those of their countrymen who visited 

 France under the Russian banner, still less 

 could there be any suspicion that they had 

 been corrupted by an excess of civilization. 



Akaremeter. — It is generally conceived 

 that in astronomical observation the ear 

 will not allwY us to ascertain a less quan- 



4 K 



