VOL. IV.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 367 



partitions of cartoon painted and gilt, which may be folded and removed like 

 screens. Their floors arc covered with mats, and sometimes with silken stuff, 

 embroidered velvet, and cloth of gold. All their buildings are but one story 

 high. They have no other conveniences to defend themselves from heat and 

 cold, but such as are usual in Italy and Spain. They use the divertissements of 

 comedies, which are gayer than those of Europe. The spectators are about 200 

 paces distant from the theatre, which being covered with a vault, makes the 

 voice of the actors to be understood to the very end of the theatre. They love 

 hunting and gaming, as dice, cards, chess, &c. At all times of the day, and 

 in all their visits, they take tea and tobacco. Their language is quite different 

 from the Chinese ; but their priests and courtiers, that is, the learned among 

 them, which bear the offices of the court, understand the tongue of CocLIn- 

 China, and by this means that of Tonquin, China, Corea, &c. They write 

 neither from the right to the left, nor from the left to the right, but downward. 

 Their government is despotic ; the religion Pagan ; the Christian hated upon 

 no other account, but that some of those that there professed it, would per- 

 suade the Japanese to acknowledge a superiority above the royal dignity, dis- 

 posing of crowns and scepters. Their morals are very good, their faults being 

 punished as their crimes, even lying and detraction. Their left hand is the 

 more honourable, and they take horse on that side. 



OfM. de ViLETTES Metalline Burning Concave. N" 49, p. 986. 



M. de Vilette of Lyons, who formerly made that burning concave of 30 

 inches diameter, disposed of to the king of Denmark, and mentioned before 

 in Number 6, p. 34, has made another of 34 inches diameter, which melts 

 all sorts of metals, even iron itself of the thickness of a silver-crown, in less 

 than a minute of time, and vitrifies brick in the same time ; and as for wood, 

 whether green or dry, it sets it on fire in a moment. The king has seen it, 

 and its performances, with great satisfaction ; and his majesty is likely to pur- 

 chase it for the Royal Academy, for making farther experiments with it. 



An Account of some Booh. N" 49, p- 9^7- 



I. Marc. Malpighii Dissertatio Epistolica De Bombyce, Regiae Societati 

 dicata. 



This laborious performance (dedicated to the Royal Society) gives an ac- 

 count of the production, structure, food, growth, &c. of the silk-worm ; to- 

 gether with an accurate anatomical description of all the parts of this insect. 



In the anatomical observations on its structure, the author takes notice. 



