86 French National Instituté. 
made of pudding stone, appeared to M. Monges to have 
belonged to the Gauls or the Franks. 
M. Desmarets having examined the vestments er eey in 
an old tomb at the aie of St. Germain-de-Pres, disco- 
vered that almost all the processes at present employed in 
weaving our different stuffs were known so far back as the 
tenth century: from this he takes occasion to explain in a 
new manner the passages in Pliny upon the weaving of the 
antients. 
The position, the nature, and the boundaries of a country 
being once clearly ascertained, it then belongs to descriptive 
natural history to make known its productions s ; and the re- 
searches of the members of the class in this branch of sci- 
ence have been very productive.-—The botanical department 
continues with increasing success the publication of import- 
ant works. 
The Flora of New Holland, by M. de Ia Billardiere, and 
the magnificent Description du Jardin de la Malmaison, by 
M. Ventenat, have arrived at their 19th number each, The 
Flora d’ Ovare et de Benin, by Mi de Beauvois, is at its 5th 
number. A fifth volume has appeared of the Botaniste 
Cultivateur, of M. Dumont-Courset: and M. de Lamarck 
bas given, in conjunction with M. Decandolle, a third and 
greatly enlarged edition of the Flora Frangaise. 
M. de la Billardiere has made us more particularly ac- 
quainted with six new genera of New Holland. 
The three first are nage naturally among the myrtles, 
a very numerous family in New Holland, and from which 
medicine and the arts may derive an advantageous use, on 
account of the aromatic oils furnished by the trees and shrubs 
belonging to them. 
The first genus, named pileanthus, i is very remarkable for 
an envelope of one entire piece which incloses every flower; 
the petals of the latter are five in number ; and the calyx is 
divided into ten equal stripes: the fruit contains several 
seeds. 
The second has received the name of acide tTeomboite) on- 
account of the elegance of the flowers, the numerous sta~ 
mina 
