1818.] Scientific Intelligence. 313 



very imperfect ; but it may deserve to be noticed in consequence 

 of the large proportion of lime which was detected in the sub- 

 stance : 



1. Matter analogous to wax 5*0 



2. Bitter and acrid principle 2*0 



3. Green colouring matter 1-0 



4. Undetermined pulverulent substance 3*0 



5. Uncrystallizable saccharine matter 0-5 



6. Jelly 4-4 



7. Vegetable matter analogous to the preceding . . 31-0 



8. Unknown vegetable matter 34*0 



9. Lime, which was intimately united to the pre- 



ceding matter 18*0 



10. Ferruginous phosphate of lime, and loss 1*1 



100-0 

 XI. Meteorological Establishment at St. Bernard. 



In the number of the Bibliotheque Universelle for October 

 last, Prof. Pictet gives an interesting account of an establish- 

 ment that has lately been formed for making meteorological ob- 

 servations at the Convent of Great St. Bernard. Every attention 

 appears to have been paid to the accuracy of the instruments, 

 and the method of using them ; and we may expect to derive 

 the most important information from a detailed account of the 

 state and variations of the atmosphere at an elevation of above 

 8,000 feet, where the mean height of the mercurial column is 

 not more than 22 inches. With respect to the construction of 

 the instruments, we are informed that the reservoir of the baro- 

 meter is exactly ten times the diameter of the tube ; the cor- 

 rection for the changes of the height of the mercury in the 

 reservoir, is, therefore, only -j-i^. of the variation in the tube, a 

 quantity which is, in almost all cases, too minute to be noticed. 

 To the barometer is attached a mercurial thermometer furnished 

 with two divisions, one octogesimal, according to the scale of 

 Reaumur, the other so arranged that each degree of the scale 

 corresponds to -^ of a line of variation in the height of the baro- 

 metrical column. The zero of this latter answers to the tenth 

 degree of the octogesimal scale (.54-5° of Fahrenheit), and every 

 observation of the barometer is reduced to this constant temper- 

 ature, by means of the correction which is obtained by the ther- 

 mometer. The correction is very easily made, since every degree 

 above or below zero represents so many tenths of a line, which 

 are to be subtracted or added from the barometrical observation. 

 The thermometer is formed with a flattened column of mercury, 

 so as to present to the eye a large and very visible surface, 

 while at the same time the absolute size is very minute. The 

 hair hygrometer of Saussure is employed, but with a little altera- 

 tion in its mechanical arrangements ; in the old construction the 



