1821.] Literary and Philosophical InteHio'ence. 249 
Shortly will be published a Picture of 
Ancient Times, and a Sketch of Mo¬ 
dern History, in a most exact Chrono¬ 
logical Order, forming a pair of Maps 
for the study of universal history, by 
Miss Thomson. 
Mr. J. G. Jackson, who has pub¬ 
lished descriptive works of Southern 
and Western Barbary, and who has 
more than once crossed the chain of 
Mount Atlas, has published an obser¬ 
vation which calls for an accurate in¬ 
vestigation. From observations made 
by Mr. Colebrook, in India, on the 
heights of Mount Himala, his calcu¬ 
lation is that from some of the crests 
of that enormous range, being visible 
at the distance of 211 English miles, 
their elevation should be 28,000 feet 
above the sea. Mr. Jackson has ap¬ 
plied this rule to measure the height of 
certain elevated points of Atlas, on the 
eastern side of Morocco, which are 
visible at sea, 20 miles from the coast, 
westerly, and in the direction of Moga- 
dore. Hence it will follow that the 
elevation of these heights would be 
more than twenty-nine thousand Eng¬ 
lish feet above the level of the Atlantic, 
and of course the highest on the globe, 
as to any known measurement. 
The dangerous ledge of Atkin’s Rock 
has been marked and observed very 
narrowly by Capt. Cork, of the Barnet, 
from Demerara to Liverpool. Its po¬ 
sition had not been determined exactly, 
but the captain announces its situation 
to be precisely in 54° 5* latitude and 
12 degrees west longitude from Green¬ 
wich. 
A school of arts has been established 
in Edinburgh, for the instruction of 
mechanics in such branches of science 
as are of practical application in their 
several trades. Lectures on practical 
mechanics and practical chemistry will 
be delivered twice a week, during the 
winter season. A library, containing 
books on popular and practical science, 
has already been established. The in¬ 
stitution is conducted under the direc¬ 
tion of a committee of fourteen, having 
a clerk and librarian. 
The last American journals contain 
details relative to the lands newly dicso- 
vered i n the A ntaret ic seas. They place 
New South Shetland in the 62d degree 
of south latitude, and the 63d of west 
longitude. Capt. Daniel W. Clark, of 
the ship Hersilia, reports that he pene¬ 
trated to the 66th degree of latitude, 
where he observed lands stretching 
further to the south, the extremities 
Monthly Mag. No. 359. 
he could not ascertain. The whole, 
even in summer, was blocked up with 
snow and ice, except in particular 
places frequented by seals. 
The Russian frigate, the Wattorck, 
Capt. H. Henhousen, and a sloop of 
war, have been on a Voyage of Dis¬ 
covery in the Arctic ocean. Their ac¬ 
count states the number of seals in 
New Shetland to be much inferior to 
what has been published by the Arne- 
can navigators. The harbour, however, 
was full of vessels. 
Several vessels have been to New 
Shetland, and have returned with car¬ 
goes of seal-skins. The John of Lon¬ 
don, Captain Walker, brought home 
12,000. The extent of country ex¬ 
plored from east to west, from Clarence 
Isle to Smith's Cape, is from 54 to G4 
degrees west longitude, and from 61 to 
64 degrees south latitude, and the land 
seen to the southward, as far as the eye 
can reach. The country glready ex¬ 
plored consists of numerous islands, 
without a vestige of vegetation. A 
species of moss only is found upon the 
rocks near the shore; eternal snows 
covering the more remote parts, which 
are mountainous. Although nature, in 
those regions, assumes the most sterile 
and forbidding features, the thermome¬ 
ter was at no time below the freezing 
point; hut the melting snows near the 
shore so completely saturate the soil as 
to check all vegetation,, A species of 
coal was found in abundance, which 
burnt very well, a specimen of which 
we have seen; thus affording the means, 
if wanted, of replenishing the fuel, 
i he rise and fall of the tide is about 
twelve feet. The islands, headlands, 
&c. have been named, and the obser¬ 
vations ascertaining the latitude and 
longitude, from repeated experiments, 
found true ; so that we may soon hope 
to see a correct chart, from the surveys 
which have been taken, on the arrival 
of Captain Smith, in the Blythe, who 
is shortly expected. Part of an anchor 
stock, evidently Spanish, being bolted 
with copper, and bearing certain marks, 
was found on shore, and is presumed 
to be the only vestige now remaining of 
a 74 gun ship of that nation, which 
sailed from Spain, bound to Lima, 
about eighteen month or two years ago, 
and has not since been heard of. 
A new pharos or light-house in the 
Shetland Isles was first set up Jan. 15, 
last, and is intended to burn constantly 
from the close of day till next 
iporning. This liglit-house is at Sum- 
2 I burghead, 
