Travjit of "Mercury— -Botany ■. 42 r> 



turbation, according to La Place's theory; Lalande, in the 

 year 1796, improved his elements of Mercury's orbit, and 

 publifhed them in the ConnoiJJance des Terns for the year VII, 

 in the certain hope and expectation that he had at length 

 overcome this intractable planet, and could with Virgil ex- 

 claim : Refpexit tamen ct longo pojl tempore venit. 



Much, however, was ftill wanting ; and we are happy to 

 inform thofe fond of aftronomy, that a refpectable aftrono- 

 mer, Major von Zach, has juft announced a complete new 

 fet of tables of Mercury, in which not only the perturba- 

 tions of Venus, calculated by Oriani, but thofe alfo occa- 

 fioned by the earth in Mercury, and which Oriani has 

 omitted, will be taken into account. An exalted amateur 

 of aftronomy is employed in calculating them, and they 

 will be printed at his expence. Major von Zach informs us 

 alfo, that he will have the pleafure of tranfmitting them to 

 all the aftronomers in Europe. As thefe tables are not in- 

 tended for the bookfellers' fhops, every perfon fond of aftro- 

 nomy, who wifhes to procure a copy of the work, will re^ 

 ceive one gratis, on applying to Major von Zach at Gotha. 



BOTA3NfY. 



A fingular and ingenious method of multiplying the 

 tongue-leaved eucomis or fritillary (Fritillaria regia, l.) is 

 defcribed in Profeflbr Hedwig's Collection of Memoirs and 

 Obfervations on Subjects of Botany and Economy, This 

 fritillary is called, by Lamarck, Bafile ci epi couronne. When 

 this beautiful, plant of the lily kind is in full flower and 

 vigour, the flowers, leaves, and the upper part of the bulb 

 muft be cut, and wrapped up in feveral folds of fized 

 writing paper, fo that the whole be exactly covered. They 

 are then to be moderately comprefllid between two pieces of 

 board ; and at the end of fome months feveral final! bulbs 

 will be feen formed at the lower extremity. I cultivate, fays 

 C. Willemet, who has made known the above obfervatiou. 



Vol. HI. Ff this 



