$62 On the Addlieration of Wineswith Litharge. 
within the reach of a greater number of readers by reveling 
the price. 
M.,Arago, secretary to the obiagntedbrsg devotes hiniself 
entirely (o astronomy, and we have reason ‘to hope he ht 
repair, our losses. 
Isaac Lalande, the third of the name, has begun to turn 
his attention to astronomy: -he both calculates and observes. 
The first eclipse which he calculated made us ‘acquainted 
with an error of a quarter,of an hour’in the calculation of 
the next eclipse. I baptized shim Jsaa¢ in honour ‘of ‘sir 
Isaac Newton, whom I wish him -to take for his pattern, 
and that he might always have him in his memory. 
M. Conté, who died on the 6th of December, at the age 
of fifty years, was not decidedly an astronomer, but his la- 
hours in aérostaties authorise me to speak of his Joss” here ; 
which is,indeed, truly lamentable both for the arts and sciences, 
7, in more extensive terms, for the whole human species. 
LIV. Method of ascertaining whether Wines are adulterated 
with Litharge. By M. Naucue, Physician*. 
¢ Ne property possessed by litharge, or the demi-nitrous 
white oxide of lead, in depriving wines of a bad quality of 
their bitterness or pungency, and thereby rendering them 
mild and pleasant to the taste, has induced some avaricious 
speculators to raise the price of their wines by adding a crs 
tain quantity of litharge to them. 
This reprehensible practice, occasioning colics and va- 
rious other diseases, renders it dangerous to use wine. It 
is necessary, therefore, to be in possession of the means of 
ascertaining this adulteration, or of ascertaining the inno- 
cence of sueb persons aS may be unjustly siege of it. 
- The agents employed for this purpose are the sulphuric 
acid, and water charged with sulphuretted hydrogen gas. 
When pure sulphuric acid is poured upon wine contain- — 
* Krom Bit:uoth. Phys. Econ. July 1806. 
