376 ' Evaporation of Spirits. 



The voice of the sick person can no longer be heard by 

 the ear at Hberty, the whole of the sound passing along the 

 aperture of the cylinder to the observer. Commissioners 

 appointed by the French Academy, have verified the exper- 

 iment in various cases of consumption. 



21. Languages. 



M. Frederick Aldeling counsellor of state to the emperor 

 of Russia, has lately published in one hundred and fifty 

 three pages. " A view of all the known languages and 

 their dialects." 



In this view, we find in all 937 Asiatic, 587 European, 

 276 African, and 1264 American languages and dialects 

 enumerated and classed, a total of 3064. 



22. Evaporation of Spirits. 



The rapidity of evaporation and the cold produced by it 

 have been applied by Mr. Ritchie of Perth, to the deter- 

 mination of the strength of spirits. 



"Having made three very delicate hydrometers, according 

 to Leslie's construction, I inserted the bulb of one of them 

 with strong whiskey, the bulb of another with a mixture of 

 equal quantities of the same spirits and water, and the bulb 

 of the third with water. I watched the descent of the fluids 

 in the stem till each had gained its maximum of cold and 

 marked the cold induced by the water 40, by the diluted 

 spirits 64, and by the strong spirits 88. Now the diiFerence 

 40 and 64 is 24, and between 40 and 88 is 48. Hence the 

 following proportion 24 : 48 : : the strength of the dilute 

 to the strength of the strong spirits. 



This I have tried with different proportions of spirits and 

 water, in different states of the atmosphere, and found the 

 same property uniformly obtain. The experiment requires 

 to be performed with great delicacy and care, as the spirits 

 soon acquire their maximum, after which the fluid in the 

 tube begins to ascend — An. of Phil. 



23. A. newly discovered floiver of extraordinary dimensions. 



Mr. Brown read before theLinnean Society of London a 

 inemoir on a new species of plants, discovered in Sumatra 



