VOL. XXXVIII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. QQ] 



Westro-Bothiiia, by the late Jacobus Burman, pastor of the place; and lastly, 

 at Pithea, in the same province, by Olave Burman, and Israel Stecksen, 

 students. 



The most useful of the observations are represented in a table ; showing the 

 highest, lowest, and mean heights of the barometer and thermometer in every 

 month, at the several places. 



Dr. Derham remarks on the barometrical ranges at the several places, in every 

 month of the year 1 726, that there is a great agreement between the ascents 

 and descents of the mercury, sometimes at the very same time, and generally 

 near it. If the mercury was remarkably high or low, it was so in all, or most 

 of the places : if stationary for 3 or 4, or more days, it was the same in all. 

 Only the alteration would begin, or end, somewhat sooner or later perhaps, in 

 one place than another; and when any deviation was from this rule, it was com- 

 monly most remarkable in the Pithea observations. 



The Thermometrical observations he can give no account of, as he under- 

 stands not the thermometers used, nor the freezing, temperate, or other points. 

 Only the Upsal thermometer, which was made by Mr. Hauksbee, must serve 

 for all , in which the point of extreme heat is marked 5° above O ; and so 

 is graduated downwards to 45°, which is the point of temperate ; and 65°, 

 which is the point of freezing. The mean of all the degrees of every month, 

 at Upsal, M. Burman has noted according to D». Jurin's directions, in the 

 Philos. Trans. N"37g; which is, by adding the whole month's degrees, and 

 dividing by the number of days. A number of observations are made of the 

 weather in the several places, and the different months, as to the rain, snow, 

 frost, &c. which are all omitted, as quite uninteresting. 



On Ambergris. By Caspar Neuman, M. D. Professor of Chemistry at Berlin, 

 and F.R.S. Part 1. Jn Abstract from the Latin. N° 433, p. 344. 



This is the first of 3 elaborate dissertations by Dr. N. on ambergris ; an ab- 

 stract of all which we shall lay before the reader in this place, rather than re- 

 sume the subject in different parts of the volume, as, owing to the great length 

 of the author's papers, is done in the original Transactions. 



In this first part Dr. N. gives an account of the various and opposite opinions 

 which naturalists have entertained, respecting the origin and nature of amber- 

 gris ; which some have referred to the vegetable, some to the animal, and others 

 to the mineral kingdom. After refuting the opinion respecting its vegetable 

 origin, he proceeds to mention the fact of its having been found in the stomach 

 and intestines of whales, whence it is said to be discharged with their excre- 



