New Rifle Gun.— Atmospheric Phenomena. 75 
in contact, in contradiction to the provisions of the animal ceco- 
nomy in general. A detailed account of the discovery, with the 
method of displaying and examining the membrane, is in prepa~ 
ration, ——— 
NEW RIFLE GUN. 
[From the New-York Commercial Advertiser.| 
We have seen a new modelled rifle gun, which promises to 
be of some consequence, and is said to be the invention of Capt. 
Artimas Wheeler, of this town. We have not had sufficient 
opportunity to examine it so minutely as to give a description of 
it that would do it justice; we are inclined to think it a new 
and important invention, more particularly in case of an action 
with an enemy. It has one barrel through which the charges 
pass, that is of common length; also seven short ones not much 
longer than sufficient to contain a charge each ;—these have a 
pan attached to them, to contain powder for priming, and are 
kept perfectly tight by a slide that coversthem. These barrels are 
made to move circularly round near the lock, which is also of 
new construction. After firing the first charge, the half cocking 
moves by a spring one of these short barrels round, and confines 
it tight in the breech end of the long barrel, through which the 
charge must pass; the shutting the pan of the lock opens the 
slide which covers the priming, This gun is but little heavier 
than the common one; and when once loaded, which requires 
little more time than to load a common rifle, it can be fired as 
expeditiously as will be convenient to cock the piece and take 
sight, until the seven are discharged. 
ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENA, 
Dr. Thomas Forster has of late noticed a phenomenon which 
ought further to engage the attention of philosophers; namely, 
that the moon appears on rising, particularly about the time of 
the full, to have the power of dispersing the clouds, and clearing 
the atmosphere. He was first admonished of this circumstance 
by some French sailors while crossitig the channel from Calais ; 
and it had likewise been cursorily noticed to him by Mr. Her- 
schel of St. John’s Cambridge. For some time past, whenever 
circumstances aflurded an opportunity of observing clouds about 
the time of the moon’s rising, they have shortly been much di- 
minished in volume, or wholly evaporated. This fact is best 
observed in the neighbourhood of the sea, and seems to be less ree 
markable in veryinclined situations, The circumstance is slightly 
hinted at by Aristotle, and the early writers on meteorology. It 
shows the power of light on the phenomena of the atmosphere, 
> 
List 
