312 Hydrophobia. — Fegelahle Phcenomenon, 



canter fitted with a glass stopper, was afterwards carried to the 

 College ; and at a late lecture in the Natural Philosophy class 

 (which he has been teaching this session in the absence of Pro- 

 fessor Plavfair in Italy) he showed the influence of its absorbing 

 power on his hygrometer ; which, inclosed within a small re- 

 ceiver of an air-pump, fell from 90 degrees to 32 degrees, the 

 wetted bull) being consequently cooled about 60 degrees of Fah- 

 renheit's scale. The Professor, therefore, proposed on the in- 

 stant to employ the powder to freeze a small body of water. 

 He poured the powder into a saucer about seven inches wide, 

 and placed water in a shallow cup of porous earthen-ware, three 

 inches in diameter, at the height of half an inch above, and co- 

 vered the whole with a low receiver. On exhausting this re- 

 ceiver till the gauge stood at 2-lOths of an inch, the water in a 

 very few minutes ran into a cake of ice. Witli the same powder 

 an hour afterwards he froze a large body of water in three mi- 

 nutes, and he will, no doubt, push these ingenious and inter- 

 esting experiments much further. 



It appears such earth will absorb the hundredtli part of its 

 weight of moisture, without having its power sensibly impaired, 

 and is even capable of absorbing as much as the tenth part. It 

 can hence be easily made to freeze the eighth part of its weight 

 of water, and might even resume the process again. In hot 

 countries the powder will, after each process, recover its power 

 by drving in the sun. Ice may therefore be produced in the tro- 

 pical climes, and even at sea, with very little trouble, and no sort 

 pf risk or inconvenience. 



HYDROPHOBIA. 



M. Van Mons informs us that Brugnatelli has succeeded in 

 curing all cases of hydrophobia by means of oxygenated muri- 

 atic acid, employed both internally and externally; which proves 

 that in this malady the moral holds in dependence the physical 

 powers. All cases of tardy hydrophobia may be considered as 

 the effect of imagination. Examples have occurred of the dis- 

 ease reaching its last stage, when it has been completely dissi- 

 pated by the sight of the animal by which the patient was bit- 

 ten. ■ 



VEGETABLE PHiENOMENON. 



Among the ruins of the old monastery of New Abbey, in Gal- 

 loway, there is a plane-tree about 20 feet high, which grows on 

 the top of a wall built with stone and lime. Being straitened for 

 nourishment in this situation, many years ago it shot forth roots 

 into the open air. These neither died nor drew back, but de- 

 scended by the side of the wall, which is ten feet high. It was 

 several years before they reached the ground j during \vhich time 

 ; they 



