444 
Literary and Philosophical Intelligence. [Dec. 1, 
in perpendicular columns, till lost in 
masses of dark clouds, with which the 
concave surface of the heavens was co¬ 
vered. The appearance of those clouds 
were something like those dark blue 
volumes of smoke which arise from an 
explosion of gunpowder, and they seem¬ 
ed piled on each other, tier above tier, 
from the horizon to the zenith, where 
they concentrated so as to form the appa¬ 
rent vertex of a Gothic arch. Through 
small interstices, where those gigantic 
masses appeared to lap over each other, 
appeared to issue a faint gleam of sul¬ 
phurous light. 
At one o'clock, the meadows of a 
light green, appeared dark green—ob¬ 
jects of a dark green seemed quite a 
dark bottle-green, and the dark gravel 
of some roads appeared of a blackish 
blood colour. Men’s faces and dresses 
were changed in the same manner, so 
that people looked at each other with 
astonishment and awe. The colours 
were all of the finest tint and shade, 
very rich and mellow. The clouds 
which, though they seemed to the naked 
eye perfectly still, when viewed through 
a telescope, appeared to oscillate after 
the manner of the aurora borealis , with¬ 
out changing their relative positions. 
This darkness continued till two 
o’clock, and to such a degree as that 
scarcely any person could read or write 
within doors without approaching close 
to the windows. A little after two 
there was observed a gentle motion of 
the clouds from the south-west; they 
moved almost imperceptibly to the 
north and east, and about three the 
darkness was dispelled, and cocks be¬ 
gan to crow, and the swallows to fly 
about, as though it had been early in 
the morning. 
FRANCE. 
The following fact, recorded in the 
Annales Maritime#, fyc. may be justly 
considered as an example of genuine 
true philanthropy. In the beginning 
of 1820, an epidemic disorder in the 
Isle of Bourbon, spread with such ra¬ 
pidity, that it was found necessary to 
establish a Lazaretto, for the purpose of 
insulating those seized with the conta¬ 
gion. M. Pommier, a young surgeon 
in the navy, of the Department of 
Brest, happening to be in the island, 
with a spirit of humanity and benevo¬ 
lence, which cannot be too highly ap¬ 
plauded, made a tender of his services to 
the governor of the colony, and proposed 
shutting himself up in the Lazaretto. 
His able and liberal exertions were so 
well adapted to the occasion, that he 
was completely successful, and when 
the epidemic ceased, the municipal 
council presented him with a sword and 
gold medal. The minister of marine 
reporting the circumstance, the king 
nominated him a Chevalier of the Royal 
Order of the Legion of Honour. 
M. Gautier, captain in the French 
navy, employed to survey the coasts of 
the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Sea of 
Marmora and Black Sea, having termi¬ 
nated his labours, theDepot or Board of 
Admiralty, are employed in publishing 
his charts, someof which have appeared; 
and by the end of the present year, na¬ 
vigators, it is expected, will possess the 
result of his important labours. 
A French artist, M. Thomas, of Col¬ 
mar, Honorary Director of the Phoenix 
Company, has obtained a brevet of in¬ 
vention (patent) for a machine of cal¬ 
culation to be called the Arithmometer. 
It has been presented to the Society 
for the Encouragement of National In¬ 
dustry, is of a moderate size, and by a 
person unacquainted with figures, may 
be made to perform, with wonderful 
promptitude, all the rules of arithme¬ 
tic. The most complicated calculations 
are done as readily and exactly as the 
most simple; sums in multiplication and 
division, of seven or eight figures require 
no more time than those of two or three. 
It will be very useful in the higher de¬ 
partments of science, and has long 
been a desideratum. 
The Geographical Society of Paris, 
held its first meeting ©n the 1st of Oc¬ 
tober. The discussions were on the 
formation of statutes and rules, &c. to 
be agreed upon by the society. The 
objects and plan resemble that of the 
National Industry Encouragement So¬ 
ciety, and include the publication of 
memoirs and exhibition of prizes; the 
stud)* and extension of geographical 
science, and the undertaking of remote 
journeys and voyages at its expence. 
In the Isle of Bourbon there is a 
botanical garden and a nursery for ex¬ 
otics, where a prodigious number of 
plants are cultivated, pertaining to S2 
families and 391 different species. 
Many of them have been recently in¬ 
troduced from different parts of Africa, 
A merica and Europe. In general, they 
possess medicinal properties, or are 
otherwise useful for the arts and com¬ 
merce, or adapted to the sustenance of 
men and animals. 
In 1820, a collection from this garden 
was deposited at Cayenne, in two as¬ 
sortments. 
