370 PHXtOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1773. 



IV. Further Remarks on a Denarius of the Feturian Family, with an Etruscan 

 Inscription on the Reverse, formerly considered. By the Rev, John Sivinton, 

 B.D., F.R.S. p. 22. 



Some years before, Mr. S. offered his thoughts on an inedited Samnite dena- 

 rius,* with some Samnite Etruscan letters, as he then apprehended, on the 

 reverse. But as the last two letters were ill preserved, or rather in part defaced, 

 he was not entirely satisfied with his reading of the inscription to which they 

 appertained. He has however since met with the same coin, finely preserved, in 

 the valuable cabinet of the Rev. Dr. Milles, Dean of Exeter, with 3 letters, in 

 the place of the two supposititious ones, on it, perfectly formed: by the assistance 

 of which, he has been enabled to give the true reading of the inscription, and to 

 arrive, he flatters himself, at a full and complete interpretation of it. He is now 

 fully convinced, from the Samnite, or Samnite-Etruscan, inscription, formerly 

 visible on the reverse of the dean's denarius, that the true legend exhibited by his 

 coin is ni. lvfii, or lvvii, mer, equivalent to ni. lvfivs, or lvvivs, merriss, 

 MERRix, or MEDDix ; who seems not to have been one of the Italian generals 

 in the social war, as he formerly supposed, but one of the chief magistrates, 

 either of the Oscans or the Samniles, coeval with that war; there having been 

 2 such magistrates, answering to the 2 Roman consuls, and the 2 Carthaginian 

 SufFeteSj in both those nations. 



V^. A Catalogue of the Fifty Plants from Chelsea Garden, presented to the 

 Royal Society by the Company of Apothecaries, for the Year 1771, pursuant 

 to the Direction of the late Sir Hans Sloane, Bart., &c. p. 30, 



This is the 50th presentation of this kind, and completes the catalogue to the 

 number of 2500 different plants. 



n. Extract of a Letter from Mr. Ebenezer Kinnersley to Ben. Franklin, LLD., 

 F.R.S., on some Electrical Experiments made with Charcoal, p. 38. 



The conducting quality of some sorts of charcoal is indeed very remarkable. 

 I have found oak, beech, and maple, to conduct very well; but tried several 

 pieces of pine coal, without finding one that would conduct at all: perhaps they 

 were made in a fire not hot enough, or not continued in it long enough. A 

 strong line drawn on paper with a black lead pencil, will conduct an electrical 

 shock pretty readily; but this perhaps may not be new to you. 



On July the 12th, 1770, three houses in this city, and a sloop at one of the 

 wharfs, were, in less than an hour's time, all struck with lightning. The sloop, 

 with two of the houses, were considerably damaged ; the other was the dwelling- 



* Vol. ^i, p. 562 of these Abridgments. 



