Nei!3 Patents. 155 



The American Government, as the British Government had pre- 

 viously done, has given to Mr. Audubon the most friendly letters to 

 their military posts at the distant frontiers ; and, aided by the assist- 

 ance he will receive, expectations are entertained that he will be 

 able to penetrate into California, according to his intention, and 

 effect important geological and zoological investigations in that 

 hitherto unexplored quarter. 



NEW COMETS. 



His Majesty the King of Denmark, who enters with a lively and 

 personal interest into every subject connected with science, has re- 

 cently founded a Gold Medal, of the value of 20 ducats, to be given 

 to the first discoverer of a comet, not of known revolution, nor 

 visible to the naked eye; subject to the following conditions: viz. 



1 The medal is to be given to any person who may first discover 

 a telescopic comet (that is, not visible to the naked eye), and not 

 of known revolution. If any doubt should arise as to what class it 

 belongs, the decision is to be left to Professor Schumacher. 



2 The discoverer must send notice to Professor Schumacher by 

 the first post after the discovery, and fix the time of the discovery 

 as well as he can : in order to enable Professor Schumacher to de- 

 cide between several discoveries, and fix the absolute time of the 

 first discovery, with regard to the longitude of the place; when the 

 comet shall have been seen by more than one person on the same 



3. This notice must contain the best possible determination of 

 the position of the comet, and the direction of its course, if this can 

 be ascertained from the observations of one night. 



4. If the first night's observations are not sufficient to determine 

 the direction of its^course, the discoverer must, as soon as he gets 

 a second observation, communicate it to Professor Schumacher. 



.5. Professor Schumacher is to decide whether a discovery is to 

 be considered as established, or not. 



6. The medal is to be adjudged six months after the discovery. 



1. All astronomers out of Europe may therefore enter into com- 

 petition for the medal if the above-mentioned notice comes to the 

 hands of Professor Schumacherwithin six months after the discovery. 

 But after that time no claim can be allowed, nor any medal given. 



NEW SCIENTIFIC BOOKS. 



In a few d.iys will be published, the Second Edition of Mr. De la 

 Beche's Geological Manual, revised and augmented ; with additional 

 wood-cuts, &c. . f. 



Mr. Wood is preparing for the press a Complete Illustration ol 

 the Lepidopterous Insects of Great Britain, upon the plan of the 

 Index Testaceologicus. 



LIST OF NEW PATENTS. 

 To T. Brunton, Park-square, Regent's Park, esq., for an im- 

 provement in certain apparatus, rendering the same applicable to 



X 2 distilling. 



