Miscellaneous Intelligence. 143 * 
nicus, its destroyer, were both mpthensioaes in a peculiar sense; Ptol- 
emy being far the more sagacio —— of pure experiment. 
= ‘ounds of confidence sreunnitiaintice and Coperniéus, in par- 
res to his own for there i is Ho reason to suppose 
he was beyond his age in mechanical philosophy) with reasons drawn 
entirely from probabilities afforded by mathemat 
There is much reason to regret the practice of ipdeicinsiciy with the 
names of those who have led the way in great discovery the ' poy 
which is due to their followers. The disadvantage ‘is twofold. 3 
first place, it introduces into the history of science an. index sient of: a 
from.one to two centuries ; secondly, those who. come to ie a 
disappointed to find that they must lower their opinion of tm 
and . 
Our usual popular treatises speak of Copernicus as if, besides himself 
he had in him no inconsiderable fraction of Kepler, Galileo, nm 
and i? is a-person to think who comes from these histories 
to actual a when he finds in Copernicus himself the immo- 
vable ¢ di (only reusing sun-for earth) of the Ptolemaists, 
a suspicion, at least, of the solid orbs? 
Be Siker Peraliedch- po was etiedied to Congress in April last, 
witseeierenve to-settingon foot an expedition to the most southern avail- 
able position on the daa for the purpose of making obser- 
vations on the planet Venus during the perio e motion : 
these observations are to be conjoined with similar observations at the 
ps ah Washington oly, with a view tod 
hitherto 
eobperation of American astronomers. The correspondence on the 
subject between Dr. Gerling and Lieut. Gilliss, addressed by the latter to 
the Chairman of the Committee of Naval Affairs of the House of Rep- 
resentatives, was made the basis of the Report. The object is one “ 
of a national expedition. The Report states that in 1769, Dr. 
Ritt = under the patronage of the ae igi of Pennsylvania, 
made observations on the transit of Venus that were of great value 
Wie subjects therefore already connected with the = Sal of mg 
Science, es nee tae sey of government patronage. . 
"i . ; 
v. MisceLansovs INTELLIGENCE. 
“1. Memotre sur es Temperatures de la Mer Glaciale a la 
a de grandes prefniar et dans le voisinage oe Glaciers du 
mbre de la ( i 
js adh F Pheantore) sion Scien 
