112 



Varieties. 



QJuLY, 



New Buttons, and Machine for making 

 them Dr. Cliurch, an American gentle- 

 man, has recently obtained a patent, or 

 rather, has enabled a person at Birming- 

 ham to obtain one, for an improved manu- 

 facture of a button constructed in a peculiar 

 way, with a metallic shank ; tlie face of 

 which button may be either of polished 

 metal, or covered with a fabric, such as silk, 

 florentine, or other suitable material. But 

 the leading feature of the invention is a 

 machine, by which the turning of a winch 

 produces all the manipulation necessary for 

 the formation and completion of a button, 

 similar in appearance, though superior in 

 quality, to those usually worn upon clothes. 

 The various operations of shaping the discs 

 of the buttons, forming tJie shanks, cutting 

 out the pieces of cloth, and covering the 

 faces of the buttons, being all effected by 

 the agency of one revolving shaft. The 

 machine, as a whole, may appear in some 

 degree complicated, Jsut upon a careful exa- 

 mination, it will be seen that eacli move- 

 ment is simple and unerring, being effected 

 by means of cams. This invention is not 

 chimerical, whicli is sometimes the case 

 with projects exhibiting considerable inge- 

 niuty, but is actually making the kind of 

 buttons described. 



Destruction of Vermin by Steam. — The 

 plan of steaming vessels for the purpose of 

 killing vermin and insects, and more parti- 

 cularly the white ant, is coming into use in 

 India. The Comet, steam-boat, was hauled 

 alongside a merchant vessel, and by means 

 of apparatus prepared for the occasion, her 

 steam was applied to that purpose in this 

 vessel for several hours ; the object was most 

 completely attained. In addition to the 

 certainty of this mode of affecting it, ano- 

 ther valuable proof of its superiority to 

 smoking, was displayed in this instance. 

 Every leaky place in tlie vessel was shown 

 by the water oozing out of it ; and in this 

 manner several leaks, which could not be- 

 fore be discovered, were made manifest. 

 The steam itself, which escaped like smoke, 

 could not be seen in the day-light, but the 

 water oozing out is, of course, visible in any 

 light. The expence of this mode of cleans- 

 ing a vessel is very moderate, and far more 

 complete than any other yet known ; in 

 fact, no other has ever been found effectually 

 to destroy the white ant, not even sinking 

 vessels, we believe, which is infinitely more 

 tedious and more expensive, and, with large 

 ships, out of the question. 



Efficacy of Ammonia in counteracting 

 Poison. — A young man at Cooper's Town, 

 in New York, had accidentally overset a 

 hive of bees, and before he could escape, 

 they had settled in great numbers on diffe- 

 rent parts of his body and limbs, and stung 

 him very severely. About lialf an hour 

 after the accident had happened, he came 

 in great agony to a physician, and had 



scarce time to give an account of it before 

 he fainted. Ammonia was immediately 

 applied to the parts that had been stung, 

 his legs, arms, and breast. He directly 

 recovered from his faintness, and expe- 

 rienced no pain or other inconvenience 

 afterwards. It is several years since this 

 physician. Dr. A. (Church, first used the 

 aqua ammonite to counteract the effect of 

 the bites of insects and stings of bees, and 

 it has invariably produced instant relief, 

 generally complete. He has often seen 

 children crying in excessive pain from the 

 sting of a bee, and on the application of the 

 ammonia, they woidd immediately cease 

 complaining, and become cheerful, so com- 

 plete and sudden is the relief it produces. 

 Against musquito bites, it is particularly 

 efficacious. Dr. C. was led to the use of 

 it in these cases from the instantaneous 

 effect it was said to have in counteracting 

 the operation of prussic acid. Dr. Moore, 

 of Alabama, used it with great success in 

 the cure of^ bites of venomous serpents. 

 From his account, it is probable that the 

 pure uncarbonated aqua ammonia; is most 

 efficacious ; and if the application is some- 

 times more effectual than at others, it must 

 be on account of its being sometimes carbo- 

 nated, and at otliers not. 



Antiquities. — In a gold mine in Tran- 

 sylvania, two remains of antiquity have 

 been discovered, and excite the strongest 

 curiosity. They are instruments of bronze, 

 of which it is difficult to conjecture the use 

 or the name. The first ends in a triangular 

 mass, bearing on eacli of its faces a medal- 

 lion ornamented with different figures, and 

 surrounded with an inscription. One of 

 these medallions bears the semblance of a 

 person witli a head-dress resembling the 

 Phrygian bonnet — he is in the act of dis- 

 charging an arrow, while he holds the bridle 

 of a horse placed behind him. In the in- 

 terval between these two medallions are 

 various symbols, lieads of the wild boar, 

 lion, eagle, bull, &c. Tliat part whidi may 

 be called the handle of the instrument, bears 

 an inscription, as also a singular collection 

 of figures, among whicli may be distin- 

 guished a winged griffin squatted down be- 

 fore a sort of altar, on which is an eagle. 

 The different inscriptions, or legends, which 

 ornament this instrument, appear to be in 

 what some learned Hungarians have deno- 

 minated the characters of the ancient Huns. 

 The second instrument is of a shape more 

 difficult to describe ; it has neither figure 

 nor symbol, but on the bottom is a circular 

 inscription of the same kind as those already 

 mentioned. In the ruins of Sarmisage- 

 thusa, the ancient capital of Dacia, also in 

 Transylvania, there has been found a frag- 

 ment of ancient sculpture, on which is tlie 

 head of a bull, in a state of perfect preser- 

 vation, and various other ornaments. 



