Foreign Literature and Science. 343 
was known as early as 1661, and its property of converting 
minium into sugar of lead. 
Homer’s Iiad—A copy of Homer’s Iliad has been dis- 
covered inthe Ambrosian library of Milan which appears to 
be of the fourth century, nearly six ages older than that on 
which the editions of Homer are founded. It contains six- 
ty pictures equally ancient. They are on vellum. The 
characters of the manuscript are square capitals, according 
to the usage of the best ages, without distinction of words, 
without accents, or the aspirates; that 1s to say without 
any sign of the modern Greek orthography. 
Heat of a Vacuwm.—Gay Lussac has shown by experi- 
ment that when a delicate air thermometer is enclosed ina 
vacuum, and that vacuum is suddenly either enlarged or di- 
minished no change whatever takes place in the thermome- 
ter. But if the smallest quantity of air be admitted, the 
compression, or more properly the diminution of the space 
occasions an elevation of temperature, and the enlargement 
occasions cold. ‘This result he seems to consider as 
strengthening the hypothesis that caloric is not matter, or 
that it does not exist independent of matter—An. de 
Chimie, Mar. 1820. 
Education in Africa.—At the French settlements of St. 
Louis in Senegal, a school has been opened on the system of 
mutual instruction. It is attended by one hundred and fifty 
children. The kings of Galam and of Bambouk, more than 
-two hundred leagues in the interior, have sent their children 
to this school. Lessons have been prepared both in the 
French and Yolof languages. Mr. Dard, the director of 
the school, has prepared a grammar and a dictionary of the 
Yolof (or Wolof.) He has also translated into that language 
the Old and New Testament. A school of fifty girls is also 
taught there by French nuns. Several African princes 
have visited the schools, and measures have been taken te 
establish others in the interior. The Senegal children pos- 
sess great aptitude for instruction. ‘They read, write and 
calculate with facility. Several.of the monitors have be- 
come qualified to conduct other schools. The teacher 
