140 Philosophicnl Sociefy of London. 



tioned wire 500 feet of which weighed only a single grain, 

 he determined to try the experiment, although no method 

 of making such fine wire has ever yet been published. 

 Wilh this view he took a rod of silver, drilled a hole 

 through it only 1-1 0th its diameter, filled this hole with 

 gold, and succeeded in drawing it into wire till it did not 

 exceed the 3 or 4000dth part of an inch, and could have 

 thus drawn it to the greatest fineness perceptible by the 

 S€i)ses. Drilling the silver he foiuid very troublesome, and 

 determined to try to draw plaiina wire, as this metal would 

 bear the silver to be cast round it. In this he succeeded wilh 

 greater ease, drew the platina to any fineness, and plunged 

 the silver in heated nitric acid, which dissolved it, and Tcft 

 the gold or platina wire perfect. The process Dr. W. 

 thinks may be rendered useful to manufactures. 



PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. 



Mr. Wrights Lectures on the Passions: forming the se- 

 cond Course of his Elucidation of the Oratorical Cha- 

 racter. [Continued from p. .'9.] 

 Pursuing his sixth Lecture, and descanting upon the 

 doctrine of ^ound, and the affinity between it and motion, 

 with the power it possesses of imitating the latter; Mr. 

 Wright made among others the following observations : — 

 ** Sound," said he, " is not only imitative of motion, but 

 also, though remotely, is often characteristic of the nature 

 and imporiance of the body moving. And further, such 

 is the analogy between sound and motion, that we seem 

 intuitively to make use of similar braced or uni)raced mo- 

 tions of the hand, in repeating rhetorically the words 'soft 

 and loud,' or ' slow and quick,' or ' low and high :' i. e in 

 pronouncing either of the words 'soft, slow, or low,' si- 

 milar motions of the hand are adopted ; and also in pro- 

 nouncing the words » loud, quick, or high :' in the former 

 the action of the muscles is relaxed, in the latier it is braced. 

 The low expression of voice and extended gesture accom- 

 panying the description of any object, vast, unwieldy, ac- 

 cord with nature, and the practice of the best composers of 

 music. If of diminutive objects, in proportion, the re- 

 verse. Solemnity of idea is well displaved by a slow and 

 stately march of syllables : livelineS'S, bv short syllables and 

 sprighthness of tneasure. In the pronunciation of the first 

 species of language, grave or flat tones are inseparai)le from 

 a just delivery of it; in the latter, sharp or acute." 



Some learned and judicious observations succeeded, on 

 the mystical union of soul and body ; and on the corre- 

 spondence between the powers of the former with the ap- 

 pearance 



