1828. ] 
was delivered to the secretary from Dr. 
Miguel. M. Cogniard de Latour observed, 
that brass wire, after having been stretched 
for a few days in the open air, easily breaks 
when bent at a sharp angle, which seems to 
imply some change in the molecular state of 
the metal, and proposed to investigate the 
cause.—19. M. Dupetit Thouars made some 
remarks on a note of M. Mirbel, relative to 
Cambium and Liber. M. Finot claimed 
the priority of invention of sizing paper by 
means of amidon. M. Guy-Lussac made 
a proposal for establishing to investigate and 
determine the various prizes. —26. Mr. War- 
den gave some details of an earthquake felt 
at Washington and cther places in the 
United States, between 10 and 11 p.m., on 
the 9th March. The minister communi- 
cated all the details his office could furnish 
regarding gunpowder. MM. de la Billar- 
diere and Desfontaines reported favourably 
on a botanical memoir of M. Cambessedes, 
and recommended its insertion in the Re- 
cueil des Savans Etrangers. M. Poisson 
read a memoir on some points of the Mé- 
canique Céleste. He terminated his me- 
moir by yarious remarks on the invariable 
Proceedings of Learned Societies. 
315 
plane which M. Laplace determined for our 
planetary system, and on the plane which 
M. Poinsot had recently proposed, and 
which alone he regards as invariable. MM. 
@’Arcet and Chevreul reported upon M. 
Donne’s memoir upon Iodine and Bro- 
muim.—June 2. M. Baudelocque an- 
nounced certain discoveries he had made 
in the obstetric art. M. Villermet read a 
memoir on the medium height of the inha- 
bitants of France.—9. M. Cuvier presented 
to the Academy some teeth of the gigantic 
tapir, which had been dug up in the arron- 
dissement of Saint Gaudens.—16. At the 
public meeting. held this day, La Lande’s 
astronomical prize was awarded to MM. 
Carlini, of Milan, and Plana, of Turin. 
M. de Monthyon’s prize for experimental 
physiology was given to Dr. Dutrochet, and 
MM. Andouin and Milne Edwards. The 
memoirs of Dr. Vincent and M. Collard de 
Martigny, were honourably noticed. M. 
Monthyon’s statistical prize was bestowed on 
M. Thomas. On the other subjects, for 
which prizes were offered, none of the com- 
petitors were thought worthy of success. 
VARIETIES, SCIENTIFIC AND MISCELLANEOUS. 
Prospects of British Science. — The 
peace which almost ushered in the present 
century was scarcely ratified, when the greater 
number of our ships were dismantled with 
precipitate haste, and the marine stores, with 
which our arsenals were amply provided, 
were eagerly dispesed of at any price, to any 
one who would take them : hostilities soon 
recommenced, fleets were to be equipped 
anew, the recently sold stores were to be re- 
_ purchased at any cost, the urgency of the 
_ case was appreciated by the sellers, and go- 
_yernment paid dearly for their ill-timed 
economy. This occurence was charac- 
teristic, but the example has been lost. 
So long as the aristocracy of England 
think it right to provide for the younger 
members of their families at the public ex- 
pense, instead of setting apart for the pur- 
pose any portion of their revenues, no minis- 
ter will dare to effect a reduction of the ex- 
penditure of the country, under the head of 
places and pensions. A finance committee, 
composed of the most able and upright men, 
may be embodied ; they may investigate with 
‘scrupulous fidelity ; may censure with in- 
dignant freedom, but the sinecurists and 
placemen deriying strength from the extent 
of their own delinquency, will brave their 
denunciations, and too powerful to be awed 
by the frowns of a minister, will laugh at 
the clamours of the people. When, there- 
fore, as at the present moment, the em- 
barrassments of the country are deeply felt 
ay ihe executive, and an honest as well assen- 
le body of gentlemen are in consequence 
required to examine, and recommend for 
abolition every office of no immediate utility, 
they will, if not with the hope of producing 
any other beneficial effect, still with the ex- 
pectation of quieting any public discontent, 
proceed to the removal of all petty places 
within their reach, since those of greater 
weight defy their jurisdiction. Unfortu 
nately, with rather reckless indiscrimination, 
the present finance committee has prosecuted 
their labours: one of their last acts, for as 
theirs it must be considered, was the abo- 
lition of the board of longitude ; not that we 
are the advocates of that board, for, with the 
exception of perhaps three members, it was 
as badly constituted as such a board could 
be, and its conduct was framed, as might 
reasonably be expected. It had the disposal 
of £4,000 annually for philosophical pur- 
poses, in other words to be jobbed with, 
and jobbed with it was accordingly ; every 
scientific conundrum of its members was 
prosecuted to the fullest extent of their 
funds} while objects of real utility submitted 
to their consideration were treated with con- 
tempt or neglect.* Still, in a maritime na- 
tion, some board of the sort isalmostindispen- 
sable. With the termination of its existence, 
that of the nautical almanack is supposed to 
have terminated also: yet, such as it was, 
this, or some similar publication, is abso- 
lutely necessary. Unchanged for more than 
half a century, it was consequently the worst 
of its kind in Europe; but still it was bet- 
* On the flint-ylass making scheme, and the 
furnace now lapsed to Méssrs, Pellat and Green, 
together with various other of their proceedings, 
we shall supply the details at some future time, 
28°2 
