1800. ] 
LacepeDE, and CuviER, who _ had 
been appointed a committee by the In- 
ftitute to examine into that difcovery, 
made their report on the 8th of Mefiidor, 
year 8. CC. Vidron’s contrivance is a 
fteel-rod, of which he places one end on 
the belly of the musical inftrument, and 
the other between the teeth of the deaf per- 
fon. To this he adds a branch termi- 
nated by a brafs knob which refts on the 
pitof the ftomach, and fometimes another 
which refts on the fkull. 
The committee have found that feveral 
authors have announced that they had 
caufed deaf perlons to hear by thus placing 
their teeth in communication with the in- 
ftrument by means of a ftick, a glafs, or 
fome other body. Among others, they 
quoted Fabricius of Aquapendente, Schel- 
hammer, Boerhaave, 
riffen. 
They alfo found, that, other circum- 
ftances being equal, fteel was better a- 
dapted to the purpofe than wood, which 
latter had been almoft generally ufed before 
C. Vidron’s attempt, but that the two ad- 
ditional branches are not of any ufe to the 
hearing, properly fo called. They parti- 
cularly endeavoured to determine how far 
this contrivance may prove uleful, as well 
with refpec to the different fpecies of deaf- 
nefs, as to the different kinds of founds 
which one might wifh to convey. They 
created in their own organs an artificial 
deafnefs by ftopping their ears, and with- 
drawing to a confiderable diftance. In 
both cafes they heard perfectly well by 
means of the fteelrod ; and the founds ap- 
peared to them to iffue from within that 
rod, not from their real place. ee 
But the really deaf perfons whom they 
examined furnifhed very different refults: 
fome of them manifeftly heard; but the 
greater number declared that they only 
experienced a trembling vibration more or 
lefs general. The committee conclude 
that this contrivance may be ufeful in thofe 
deafneffes which folely arife from fome ob- 
ftruétions of the external meatus, but that 
it is ufelefs in thofe caufed by al paralyfis 
of the auditory nerve, or any effential de- 
rangement of the internal parts—whict 
{fpecies of deafnefs are unfortunately the 
moft common, efpecially in perfons born 
deaf. They neverthelefs think itadvifable 
to try it on all young perfons afflicted with 
deafnefs, were it not only for the fake of 
difcovering one in a hundred to whom it 
might prove a fource of comfort and en- 
joyment. 
As to articulate founds, or fpeech, they 
faid that itis almoft impoffible to expect to 
« Montuiy Mag, No, 66. 
Proceedings of Public Societies. 
Winkla, and Jo- | 
44x 
tranfmit them accurately by this inftrument, 
at leaft in its prefent ftate. 

CLass of LITERATURE and the FINE 
ARTS. 
Sitting of the 3d Frudtidor, year 8. 
General Ducua, lately returned from the 
Egyptian expedition, having brought 
home two copies of a remarkable infcrip- 
tion found on a piece of black and ex- . 
tremely fine-grained granite, prefented 
them to the Inftitute in the general meet- 
ing of the fifth. 
The infcription is three-fold; ene por- 
tion prefents a {ucceflion of hieroglyphics 
in feveral very regular lines. Another 
portion, which has not yet been fufficient- 
ly examined, prefents a greater number 
of lines, in characters which yet leave 
fome uncertainty, and which require a 
very attentive examination. The remain- 
ing portion conifts of fifty-three lines in 
Greek. One of the members, having un- 
dertaken to read and explain this part, 
thinks it amonument of the gratitude of 
fome priefts of Alexandria, or fome neigh- 
bouring place, toward Ptolemy Epipha- 
nes. The chief conful, to gratity the 
curiofity of the literati in every country, 
gave immediate orders to have the in- 
{cription engraved ; after which, it will 
be fubmitted to the examination of the 
learned through all Europe. 

PHILOTECHNIC SOCIETY. 
Tus Philotechnic Society hada pub. 
lic fitting on the 2oth Fruétidor. 
After the opening of the fefon by the 
prefident, the aflemoly was apprifed by C. 
Hecquet the perpetual fecretary, that the 
meeting was principally intended for the 
eulogy of General Defaix, To this the 
fociety added only their report of the works 
addrefled to them fince the 20th of Floréal, 
fome fables in verfe by C. Guichard, and 
a memoir by C. Mangourit  refpecting 
Mont St. Bernard, where is to be ereéted 
the monument which the gratitude of 
France confecrates to the memory whom 
fhe regrets. 
C. Hecquer, in his report, {poke of the 
“© Views re{pecting the Organifation of the 
Public Inftitution,” by C. Champagne; of 
the ‘* Philomathic Society’s Bulletin of the 
Sciences ;"’ of a note by C. Cuvier ree 
fpecting the ‘ Ibis of the Egyptians;” of 
the ‘* Report made by C. Silveitre con- 
cerning the labours of that Society ;’? and 
of three culogies or notices of John Charles 
Borda, of Marc Eliezer Bloch, and of Phi- 
lip Nicolas Pia, that terminate the fourth 
volume of the facts and difcoveries for 
S 1D which 
