1822.] New Scientific Books. 237 
and does not seem to be easily tarnished. The piece that was sent me 
I found was malleable at a natural temperature, and at a red heat ; but 
when heated to whiteness, it was quite brittle, breaking with the slight- 
est blow of ahammer. By great caution, it was rolled into thin plates, 
and was drawn into wire, of about the thickness of a fine needle. When 
fused in contact with the atmospheric air, it oxidated, and burned with 
4 whitish flame, in the same way as zinc does. Its specific gravity at 
50° was 8°432. 
« Five grains of it were subjected to analysis, with the view of ascer- 
taining the proportion of its ingredients; the result was, 
Copper...) 2:02 Or inthe 100 parts, 40:4 
pmb oN es 1:27 25°4 
eo 1°58 31°6 
Tron is... 55. 0°13 26 
5:00 100-00 
“ The method which is practised in preparing white copper is not 
known in this country, though it seems to be the general opinion that 
it is procured by the reduction of an ore, containing the ingredients of 
which it is composed. Ina letter I received from Dr. Howison, he 
mentions, that Dr. Dinwiddie, who accompanied Lord Macartney to 
China, showed him, when at Calcutta, several specimens of the ore 
from which he was told the white copper was procured, and which he 
obtained at Pekin. The basin, in the possession of Dr. Howison, cost 
in China about one-fourth of its weight in silver; and the exportation 
of utensils of this alloy is prohibited. These circumstances also render 
probable the opinion, that the white copper is obtained by the reduc- 
tion of a metallic ore, for in China, labour is cheap, and the metals com- 
posing it are said to be found in great abundance.— (Edin. Phil. Jour.) 
ARTICLE XI. 
NEW SCIENTIFIC BOOKS 
PREPARING FOR PUELICATION. 
Mr. P. W. Watson, of Hull, is preparing a work, to be entitled 
“‘ Dendrologia Britannica: containing an Account of the Trees and 
Shrubs that will live in the open Air of Britain the whole Year; ” and 
to be illustrated with coloured Plates from living Plants. 8’ 
Mr. Worsdale, sen. of Lincoln, has ready for the press, ‘‘ Celestial 
Philosophy, or Genethliacal Astronomy,” containing the whole Art of 
calculating Nativities, and a great number of Genitures. To be pub- 
lished in 25 Numbers, 8vo. 
Mr. Wood is preparing a complete Illustration of his Index Testaceo~ 
logicus, in which he will give an accurate Figure of every Shell. 
Mr. T. Coar,has in the press, the Aphorisms of Hippocrates, with 
Translations into Latin and English. 
Anatomical and Physiological Commentaries, by Herbert Mayo, 
Surgeon, and Lecturer on Anatomy. 8vo. ‘To be published in 
Numbers. 
