
634 
but that it had been found 1m another part 
of Scotland, and in Saxony alfo. >. 
While the above men of {cience were 
employed in improvmg the chemical 
theory, by afcertaining the number of fim- 
ple earths, an infil te application of 
chemiftry to the arts was made by Citizen 
Guyton (de Morveau.) 2 
It is well known, that the inalterabiliry 
of platina, and the difficulty with which 
3t enters into fufien, render it, in certain 
cireumftances, much more valuable even 
tham gold. The French chemifts having 
indicated the method of purifying ir, 
and of reftoring to it its duétility, it is 
now fabricated into very ufeful inftru- 
ments atd vefiels ; but the art of render- 
ing at fubfervient to our purpofes is fill 
far from perfeétion, and the effential pro- 
perties of the’ metal as yet litcle known. 
Citizen Guyten thought proper, in conte- 
quence, to fubmit it toa leries of eypert- 
ments. | Fbhcfe he communicated to the 
elafs relate to its denfity, its tenacity, its 
adhefion to mercuryy icoddlioal, a-. 
tion. They are of the more importance 
at this moment, asathe Spanifh govern- 
ment has juft fent to France a very con- 
diderable quantity of this metak (found ’ 
J 
only in South America) purpofely to adit, 
the Freuch chemitts in their refearches, 
An eafy procefs for the folution of the 
elaftic gum in fuiphuric ether has been in- 
ventedeby Citizen Pelletier. It 1s by no 
ficult to congeive the great uti-: 
lity of this folution, which, on being ap- 
plied to the furface off a budy, lets me 
ether yp i, and forms a kind of varnifh, 
that preferves it cff€tually from the de- 
ftructive influence of the aire hb 
Citizen Chapral, aficciate of the Na-” 
tional Infitution, arter having fhown in 
a treatife thesgreat confumption which foft» 
foap occafions in France of the oils of the 
Republic aad Italy ; after pointing out the 
great advantage thatavould refuit to m- 
the filth and tothe nation at iarge, from 

the fmding of a fubfiture; and after giving 
an account of the various fruitlefSfacrempts 
made for that purpofe, explains the mar- 
ner of making a very cheap Rind cf foap, 
which he calls foap of Wool. “Tt is ‘com- 
pofed of a ley of woad ales, orvof pot- 
ath, in which old fcraps of woollen’cloth, 
or flocks of wool, are boiled and diffolved 
to the point! of faturation. “Whe author 
enlarges upon theutility of this compofition, 
not only for the fubingyef cloth, but for 
the preparation of cotton’ intended for 
dying, for wafhing linen, and for other 
Gometiic ufes and *procefles of the-arts. 
Obfervations on the firuéture of the 
3 

Important Proceedings af the National In/ftitution. 
ze Dads ot nl 
[Se pt. By 
cryftals cailed Zeolites, were then read by 
Citizen Hany. He deferibes the different 
primitive and fecondary forms of the four 
fpecies, and fays, that one of them (that 
which was firft mentioned by Cronftedty 
poficffes alone the remarkable property of 
acquiring both kinds of eleétricity by the 
mere application ‘of heat, and of preferv- 
ing them for fome time after it has cooled. 
*Heobferves, that the eryftals which have 
this property," differ from the ufual fym- 
metry of cryftals by ‘the various forms of 
the parts in which the two kinds of elec~ 
tricity refide. One of thofe parts has ad- 
ditronal fides, which are wanting in the 
other, fo that the part which will give 
ens of vitreous, and that which will ex-. 
hibit appearances of ¥efinous electricity, 
ney be pointed out before hand. Citizen 
Hauy concludes, by faying, that the Tozr- 
maline and Topaz were known to poffefs 
this electric property3 that he difcovered 
it in the oxide (calv) of zine, and in cal- 
careous borate ; and that the , eryftals 
calied Zeolites may now be added to the 
ig, which he had long bcen endéavour- 
ing,'to no purpofe, to enlarge, by a multi- 
tude of experiments made on a-great va- 
riety of fubftunees. . 
The organization of vegetables has’ been 
the objeét of Citizen Desfontaines’ re- 
fearches. It refits from the differene 
comparifons he has made of his obferva- 
tions with thofe of feveral other natu- 
ralifts, particularly ef Citizen Baubentomw 
upon the palm-tree, that vegetables are 
divifible im.o two great elaffes, of which 
the diftinéiive charaéters are taken from the 
pea difpofition, and developement, 
- the internal organs. After having 
oved that the feeds. of ‘all the vegetables 
comprehended in the firft elafs have only 
oné cotyledon, or femimal leaf, and that 
thofe of the tecond have two, he points 
out the advantages that may be derived 
from thefe new principles, and does not 
defpair of their affifimg da fome future 
day, not only to,diicover the natural rela- 
tiom between different vegetables, but 
their genus alfo, and even their {pecies. 
Citizen Cuvier gave the'clafs a defcrip- 
tion of the fkeleton of a very large qua- 
druped, which was found in South Ame- 
rica, 2 hundred feet under ground, which 
is now ddboftedtin the cabinet at Madrid, 
and of which Roume, affociate of the In- 
ftitution, has fent an engraving, accom- 
panied with a feientific defcription *. 

~—- 

* For the varticula:s of this interefting fa& 
in matural hiftory, fee the detailed account 
given at p. 367 0f this Magazine. We ue 
ALi@ 
