182 Foreign Literature and Science. 



the borders of the canal such a mass of soft materials, as it 

 would soon sink back again by its own weight. The la- 

 bour will cost many millions ; the commerce of Amsterdam, 

 to which this canal must be of the greatest importance, will 

 contribute a million of florins of Holland. A part of it is 

 finished, as well as the first great sluice at the entrance of 

 the canal, opposite to Amsterdam. 



23. Cutlery. — Damascus Steel. — One of our most skilful 

 and industrious cutlers, Sir Henry de Besan^on, having ac- 

 quired the art of fabricating the steel, called Damascus^ 

 very superior to that of Persia and Syria, now employs it iu 

 making instruments of surgery, which are far more valuable 

 than those of English cast steel. The extreme hardness, 

 and great elasticity of the Damascus, render it particularly 

 important in the fabrication of instruments that require a 

 very fine edge, such as razors, bistouries, lancets, instru- 

 ments for cataract, &c. which so soon lose their edge, espe- 

 cially when used to pierce or cut very strongly resisting 

 bodies. We have seen the lancets of Sir Henry pass 

 through with the greatest facility pieces of parchment and 

 thin plates of lead, without any injury to the edge, whilst 

 very good common lancets, treated in the same manner, 

 were either broken, or so much dulled as to be unfit for 

 use. Sir Henry fabricates with his Damascus all other 

 kinds of cutlery, as knives, scissars, &c. with which bones, 

 ivory, and even iron may be cut, without being dulled. 

 The " Society of Encouragement," the New Journal of 

 Medicine, and many other Gazettes, have spoken with 

 much eulogium of these new and useful products of French 

 industry. Sir Henry has his in the place de I'ecole de 

 Medicine," at Paris. Rev. Ency. 



21. Instruction in Latin hy the metJiod of J. J. Ordinairr. — 

 In stating that several institutions in Paris have adopted the 

 method of instruction devised by J. J. Ordinaire, Rector 

 of the Academy of Besan^on, we engaged to make known 

 their labours and success. We attended the exercises 

 which took place on Tuesday the 19th of July, in the 

 beautiful establishment of M. Morin, the only one which 

 M. Ordinaire superintends himself. The following are the 

 results which appeared at that time. The class of M. Mo- 



