400 
Scientific Intelligence. 
only possible method of ascertaining their quality, is by exa- 
mining them in polarised light, and rejecting those that exhibit 
any symptoms of imperfect annealing. — See PMl.Trans. 1816. 
48. Humboldfs Journey into India. — We are informed that 
the celebrated traveller Humboldt is busily employed in pre- 
paring for the press an extensive work on the geology of Ame- 
rica, and that he intends leaving France in autumn for Madras, 
taking the route through Greece and Persia. He will be ac- 
companied by several fellow-travellers, as M. Valencienne, a 
young zoologist, Kiinth, his botanical assistant, and others. 
49. Brongniai'fs Journey. — M. Brongniart, the distinguish- 
ed French mineralogist, proposes to leave Paris in spring on a 
six months geological tour through Switzerland and Italy. 
50. University of Although the whole buildings 
of the University of Moscow, with its splendid library and mu- 
seum, fell a sacrifice to the flames in 1812, when Russia was ra- 
vaged by the French army, yet, through the activity of the 
Government, aided by the munificence of the Emperor Alexan- 
der, the whole has been rebuilt. The Museum bf Natural His- 
tory is already very extensive ; and the Emperor has purchased 
for £ 6000 the famous anatomical collection of the celebrated 
Loder, formerly Professor of Anatomy at Jena, but now called 
to Moscow. Dr G. F. Hoflmann, the well known botanist, and 
formerly Professor of Botany at Gottingen, has accepted the li- 
beral offers bf the Emperor, and is now Professor of Botany, 
and Superintendant of the Botanical Garden at Moscow. Tlie 
natural History department is under the direction of Dr F. 
Fischer, a distinguished naturalist, and well known to the scien- 
tific world by his numerous works in different branches of na- 
tural history. 
51. Birds of Paradise. — Temminik, the celebrated Dutch or- 
nithologist, is about to send a naturalist to the Indian Islands, 
at his own expence, whose principal object will be the investiga- 
tion of the natural history and physical distribution of the 
Birds of Paradise, the Paradisea of Linnaeus. 
52. Translation (f Livy and Ovid into tlie Russian Lan^ 
guage. — At the last general meeting of the Imperial Academy 
