465 
PARIS. 
fkeletons of birds are not fo. numerous as tliofe of the 
quadrupeds; there are many of the amphibia, and one of 
a crocodile;'there are alfo many fkeletons of fifh-es. 
The wax preparations of fifties and fiiell-fifii follow, 
conftruCted with the niceft art, and difplaying the true 
colours and pofition of animals which it is impoffible to 
preferve. The anatomy of the Chiton, for example, is 
fine. Snails in wax are attached to real Ihells, and cater¬ 
pillars to leaves and branches of trees. In one cafe the 
anatomy of an egg is difplayed in 24 preparations, from 
the appearance of the firft fpeck of life, to the chicken 
burfting from its fliell. 
In the Salt room are the feed and monfters. The wax 
preparations here are of the greateft beauty, and on a 
large fcale 5 they embrace all parts of the human fyltem, 
fo that one may form ideas of anatomy, without the dif- 
guft that attends difleCtions. The moll elegant additions 
are prefent; a child reclines on a filken couch, a lady and 
child are placed on an ornamented fofa, fo as to give this 
fcienceall the attractions of which it is perhaps fufceptible. 
The following interefting intelligence relative to this 
valuable Mufeum has juft reached us; (Jan. 1821). M. 
Lucas, keeper of the cabinet of mineralogy, has termi¬ 
nated a journey that occupied him twenty-one months in 
Italy'and Sicily: he has brought home more than thirty 
boxes of minerals and other valuable articles collected in 
thofe countries. M. Lefche.nault de Latour has fent from 
Pondicherry, a young elephant, living; an antelope, a 
fhoot of the cocoa-tree, a large black fquirrel, and a large 
box containing fpecimens of plants and feeds. M. Plee, 
a naturalift in the fervice of government, is on his journey 
to Porto Rico. M. Auguftus L. Hilaire has given in¬ 
formation of his having completed the hazardous and 
laborious expedition that he had undertaken in South 
America. M. Milbert, naturalift and draughtfman in 
natural hiftory, who had been obliged by the ftate of his 
health to quit the company of Capt. Baudin, during his 
expedition in the South, is at prefent in North America, 
as correfpondent of the Mufeum : in the fpace of three 
years he has fent over fifteen confignments of rare and 
interefting objeCts; among them are a bifon, feveral deer 
of uncommon fpecies, and other liv.ing animals never 
before feen in France. In compliance with the requeft of 
the profeftbrs in the Royal Botanic Garden, the minifter 
of the marine has nominated M. de Sauvigny to repair to 
Senegal in quality of botanic agriculturift. 
The Amphitheatre faces the garden on the left fide. 
Here the leCtures are delivered. The forms of the leCture- 
room are all conftruCted in femi-circles, and rife regularly 
one above another. In the centre below Hands the lec¬ 
turer. There is in the fame building a chemical labora¬ 
tory. The mufeum is open to the public on ftated days, 
from three o’clock till feven in fummer; and from three 
o’clock till the end of the day in winter. The menagerie 
is open from eleven o’clock till one; and from three till 
five. Moil of the profeftbrs and officers have a free reii- 
dence in buildings belonging to this mufeum. The pro- 
feffors deliver public leCtures in rotation, during the fum¬ 
mer months. The other officers are a principal and fub- 
iibrarians, two keepers of the gallery for natural hiftory, 
a gardener, and a fecretary. 
Athenccum of Arts, Rue St. Honore.—This fociety was 
inftituted in 1792, during the dreadful convulfions of the 
Revolution ; and has uniformly maintained that pru¬ 
dence and moderation, in the courfe of its mod aCtive la¬ 
bours, which fhould ever characterize the proceedings of 
the friends of fcience and the arts. The deftruCtive fire 
at the Circus, in the garden of the Palais Royal, where 
this inftitution held its fittings, compelled its removal to 
the Oratory of St. Honore. It embraces every fcientific 
and literary topic; but its principal objeCt is the encou¬ 
ragement of the arts and manufactures. Medals and 
crowns are diftributed to the authors of ufeful difcoveries. 
No inftitution has more benefited fociety, or acquired 
higher or better-deferved reputation. 
Vol. XVIII. No. 1257. 
The labours of the fociety are divided into fix daffies, 
to the confideration of each of which particular days are 
devoted. Literature and political economy occupy the 
Tuefday; the pleafing and fine arts are difcuffed on Wed- 
nefday ; and the mathematics and phyfics on Thurf- 
day. 
Royal Atlienaum of Paris, Rue de Valois.—The pro¬ 
gramme of this inftitution, juft publiftied for the year 
1820, affumes that the Society is now in the 36th year of 
its eftabliftiment, under the fucceffive names of Mufeum, 
Lyceum, and Athenaeum. It has weathered all the ftorms 
of the Revolution, having never fufpended its labours or 
cealed to be frequented. It was eftabliffied in 1784, by 
the unfortunate Pilatre de Rozier, under the title of the 
“ Firft Mufeum.” The extenfive patronage which this 
infant fociety received, induced the molt eminent men 
in every department of fcience to unite themfelves to it. 
It then affumed the name of “ Lyceum;” and it was at 
this period that La Plarpe firft read his admired lectures 
on general literature, and Delille occafionally recited 
his exquifite verfes. It was afterwards called the “Athe- 
nteum of Paris ;” but now the “Royal Athemeum,” for 
every thing is royal at prefent. 
There are three diftinCt halls: one for converfation and 
fociety, another for reading, and a third for the ladies. 
All the journals and principal periodical works are taken 
in; and there is a well-furniftied library, and a cabinet of 
natural hiftory, mineralogy, and chemiftry. 
Confcrvatoire des Arts et Metiers, Confervatory of ufeful 
Machines; Rue St. Martin.—Few mufeums are more in¬ 
terefting, none more inftruCtive or valuable, than this. 
It is an iminenfe collection of all the machines invented 
by French genius and induftry, in every kind of manu¬ 
factory, and every branch of art. It is a collection pecu¬ 
liar and highly creditable to the metropolis of France, 
and cannot fail of being productive of the moft beneficial 
effeCts. It undoubtedly has diffuled through France a 
knowledge of mechanics, and a fkilful adaptation of the 
limpleft implements to the moft complicated purpofes, un¬ 
known in every neighbouring country. 
The firft apartment of this fpacious confervatory con¬ 
tains fpecimens of fpinning-jennies, and wheels, and 
carding-mills, employed in the manufacture of cotton 
thread. They are fimple and ingenious; but valuable 
improvements on them have been recently introduced 
into the Britifh manufactories. 
The fecond apartment is chiefly filled with the inven¬ 
tions of Vaucanfon, the prince of French mechanics. 
The traveller will particularly notice the enormous ma¬ 
chine for fpinning cotton. It was much celebrated at its 
firft invention, but the Englifh and German artifts have 
Amplified its conftruCtion. A more pleafing, but not 
equally ftriking objeCt, is the machine for unravelling the 
web of the filk-worm. Various looms for weaving tapef- 
try and embroidery on fluffs and filks are likewife exhi¬ 
bited. The inhabitants of Lyons having treated feme of 
thefe inventions with undeferved negleCt, Vaucanfon 
attached an afs to one of the looms, who executed a piece 
of tapeftry infinitely fuperior to any thing which the moft 
fkilful Lyonefe manufactures could produce. A pattern of 
it is fliown. Here are alfo ffiown the tools which Vatican • 
fon ufed in the conftruCtion of his machines. The one 
employed for making iron-chains is fo fimple, that a 
w'orkman, in lefs than halfan hour, may begin to ufe it. 
The ftrength of man is increafed an hundred-fold by fuch 
inventions. 
In addition to thefe collections, there is an immenfe 
number of machines relative to agricultural labours, fuch 
as draining, irrigation, preparation of oil according to 
the Dutch procefs, the ingenious machines with which 
paper-money has been fabricated ; among which is the 
mechanical arithmetician, or marker, of Richer, which, 
by a Angle motion of a printing-prefs, performs all the 
changes of numbers, in the natural order of the cyphers, 
from 1 to 9999. 
6 C 
The 
