i S21.] Report of Chemistry and Experimental Philosophy. 63 
been preserved to a certain time under 
the Romans. 
In some recent excavations, by the 
Arabs, at Thebes, a tomb was opened, 
wherein were ten or twelve cases of 
mummies, three of which had Greek 
inscriptions by the side of hieroglyphics ! 
The annexed is a translation of one 
of them :—Tomb of Typhon , son of 
Hera dins Soter and of Seraposis. He 
was born on the second day of Athur , 
in the 5th year of our Lord Adrian. He 
died on the 20 th of the monthMecheir , in 
the 11 th year of the same Lord, at the age 
of sir years , two months , and twenty days. 
He ivas buried on the 12 th of Athur , m 
the 12 th year of Adrian. 
This inscription must have lasted 
1631 years, Adrian having commenced 
his reign in the year 117 of the Chris¬ 
tian iEra. 
M. Cailland has moreover found in 
the catacombs of Thebes, a number of 
different objects that shed a new light 
on the manners and customs of the 
Egyptians, such as furniture, apparel 
for the legs and feet, ornaments for the 
EBBSsaBEBoas 
REPORT OF CHEMISTRY AND 
toilet, and even ancient bread in good 
preservation. 
^ In concert with M. Letorzee, M. 
Cailland has been engaged in geogra¬ 
phical investigations. All the points 
which they visited have been deter¬ 
mined in longitude and latitude, by a 
number of celestial observations which 
do not differ above a second from each 
other. They have taken the longi¬ 
tudes by the distances, and not with 
the chronometer; an instrument not so 
well adapted to an elevated and varia¬ 
ble temperature. 
On the 25th of September, M. Caii- 
laud obtained from the Pasha of Egypt, 
new firmauns, assuring him of escorts 
and such labourers as he might have 
occasion for, in visiting tlie countries 
situated between the upper Nile and 
the Red Sea ; authorising him also to 
explore the mines which, according to 
the testimony of ancient authors, ex¬ 
isted formerly in the Isle of Meroe. 
A detailed account of these travels is 
preparing for the Journal of Voyages 
and Travels. 
EXPERIMENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 
A DISCOVERY has been recently made 
of a new application of the air-pump 
by Mr. John Oldham, of the Bank of Ire¬ 
land, that promises to lead to some useful 
advantages. The sizing of paper in large 
quantities, as now usually practised by the 
manufacturer, is a process tedious, uncer¬ 
tain in its effects, and destructive to its 
original texture. By the improved method 
the difficulties and mischiefs proceeding 
from the causes stated, are effectually ob¬ 
viated : thus, let paper of equal dimensions, 
to any amount from the coarsest to the 
finest substance, be piled as evenly as pos • 
sibie, and placed within an air-tight vessel, 
in such a maimer as to be prevented from 
floating* upon any of the fluids to he used, 
that is then to be poured in, until the pile 
is covered to the depth the paper occupies, 
but which should not entirely fill this ves¬ 
sel, when the lid is closely fitted and fast¬ 
ened thereon, proceed to exhaust the space 
over the fluid with a suitable air-pump, 
the air within, on becoming rarified, will 
cause what is contained within the paper 
to rush out on ali sides to the top, which 
will consequently escape with the rest 
through the vallies of the pump by its 
continued action. On re-admitting the at¬ 
mosphere, the fluid prevents the ingress of 
the air again into the paper or substance to 
be saturated, and can only serve by the 
pressure natural to it to force the denser 
element into the possession of every minute 
i eceptaele it previously so tenaciously 
Monthly Mag. No. 357. 
held. By this means every sheet becomes 
equally impregnated, without loss or in¬ 
jury to the fabric paper ; when made, can 
be uniformly dyed ar^ colour by the same 
process. Also silk, flax, cotton, and wool¬ 
len staples, either raw, spun, or when 
woven, and in the most superior manner. 
All kinds of animal and vegetable sub¬ 
stances can be much better preserved, than 
by the usual tedious and uncertain method 
commonly resorted to of boiling, soaking, 
and pickling, air being the great enemy to 
all such preparations. The air being dis¬ 
charged in the first instance, as mentioned, 
the briny fluid will immediately strike into 
the most intricate interstitial joints of 
every kind of meat, and by pricking the 
outsides of the larger vegetables with any 
sharp instrument, the acids, in the same 
way, will instantaneously enter into every 
pore. The outside of meat intended to be 
preserved fresh by pyroiig'nous acid, can 
be much better impregnated to the depth 
of the meat’s surface that is required, than 
by the method proposed, of dipping*, soak¬ 
ing, or painting the joints with this acid 
and a brush. In short, every thing that 
requires to be partially or wholly impreg*- 
nated with the fluids to be appropriated to 
their respective uses, must always be ef. 
footed infinitely better by this plan than 
any other at present known. A complete 
apparatus of this kind is now erected in 
the printing-office of the Bank of Ireland, 
for wetting bank-note paper preparatory to 
I its 
