194 
« Ina thort time, the refinery of [’ Unité 
was built,.on the ebrere uns of . St. 
Germain-des-pres, at Pari Saltpetre 
flowed there in n profufion ; : ne this eftab- 
lifhment aione y: ielded in the refined {tate, 
regularly every day, near 30, ooolbs*. 
<* As to the procefs of making powder, 
it has not only been abridged, brought 
to verie€tion in the old powder works, 
and carried to a degree of fivength hitherto 
epcnn: but a fabric, which may be 
alled gigantic, the works of Grenelle, 
was erected at one of the extremities of 
Paiis. ‘There, methods altogether new, 
were _put ih practice, for mixing and tr: 
. turating the ingredients, as well as ren- 
Géring “the compofition more compact, 
and for granulating it: the machines an 
mechanical means were alfo entirely 
newt. This immenfe fabric, which 
icarcely exitted ive months from its com- 
gmencement, had delivered out.to the ar- 
mies more than ‘Ig00,0c0lbs. of good 
owder, before the ednitructions necefiary 
to the’ eftablifhment were compleated— 
and, at a time, when it had proceeded 
fo far as to fabricate daily 33,000 weight 
of well conditioned powder, it Was acci- 
dentally blown up, and reduced to a 
frighttul heap of ruins.[ ~~ 

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR; 
N uncommon phenomenon appeared 
4° \. in the ky laft night, and was ob- 
. fezved from about halt /paft fix till near 
sight o’clock. “It had the appearance of 
‘one large pillar or pencil of whiteith 
light, as if vifing from fome luminots 
body near the horizon; its lower’ part 
being hid ‘behind Salitbyry-Hill, where 
the light fhowed much brighter for a 
“great way up; and as it afcended to the 
zenith, where it allo diflipated, it crew 
much fainter and bioader ; the fixed {tars 

being vifible enougn through it. Near 
the lower part, to the eaft, as fome final 
2 / 
# as in part burnt, by accident, on the 
fi dar. ike te Neen hich circumAancce did 
3 
ie 
rh 
joo 
Oo 
= 
cS) 
Ee 
Was renewed on a Jefs fcale than before. 
, Le gia 
qf litts new method, of making powder, 
was fil! ene to Cit: zen Carny, whofe zeal 
tS an OW ted Ae and t te alents. 
ft’ This ee uittophe*hoppened’on' the 14th 
Frudtidor,. ons 2. - Te -was- thought’ to aes 
been eccaficned by ithe -Jmprudence ofawerk- 
man, notwith danding the & ictelb police and 
vigilane It-was afterwards judged prudent, 
£0 fom eal elta blihi nents-o 
fcal ae 
O1}- a smaler 
nteyrupt the .bufinefs,, aithough. it 
Mr. Bruce on an Atmofpberical Phenomenon at- Edinburgh. 
clouds -pafied-over it, now and then the 
darkened part made a beautiful: break, or 
interruption, which was prefently: reftored 
when the cloud had pafied over. “But-the 
pillar, or body of light itfelf, had’ not 
the leatt appearance of that quivering or 
vibrating motion peculiar to aurora bo- 
reaiis ; neither did it thift its fituation 
during the whole time, fo far as could 
be eooeee which was a point or two 
to the north of eaft. About eight o'clock, 
or a.quarter after, the iky grew hazy, 
then cloudy, and the whole was ob{cured. 
At its firft appearance, and indeed all 
the day, there was a pretty high wefterly 
wind, and, except near the. horivons the 
fky was quite clear ; but except the above 
perpendicular ftream of light, there was 
not the {malleft appearance of aurora bo- 
realis vifible all the time. 
If any of your correlpondents have ob- 
ferved this phenomenon, cr know of any 
fuch appearance upon record, it is re- 
quefted they will be fo kind as to favour 
the public with their farther obfervations, 
Edinburgh, A. Bru CE, . 
13th Feb. 1798. 
a 
To the Editor _ the Monthl o Mogazine. 
SIR, 
Ae it is one object of your valuable 
eee to élucidate great and 
interefting charaters, by the publication. 
of authentic documents, I communicate 
the two following letters of Frederic the 
Great, King of Proflia. They were firt 
given to the German public, -by:Mr. 
Nicolai, of Berlin, who received them 
from the Duchels of Brunfwick, to whom 
they were written by that ithalttiogs mo- 
nareh. The firft ig on the death of her 
fon Leopold, a prince no lefs diftinguifh- 
ed for bumianity than talents; the other, 
on thre approach of his own diffelution, 
ay written only fix days before that 
rent. “They both dilplay the mild and 
philofophic frmnefs of a charaSter on 
which fo. much has been {aid,. “and fo lit- 
tle is accurately known, beeaple it has 
heen aelineated by men wanting either 
Opportunity or abilities for fuch a tatk. 
Even thé célebrated Zimmermann has 
greatly milreprefented this ilhiftrious me- 
narch, in thote anecdotes which Mr. Ni- 
colai proves to be a fabrication of error 
and mifinfonzatien. ~~ S 31-8) 
SEY terete LETTRE I. 
Ce 42 Mai, 1785. 
MON ADORABLE SOEUR, 
ye y a'7o ans paffés, que je fuis au monde, 
et dung tout os tems je nai val que Yes 
jeux bizarres de Ie fortune, qui méle: guaritite 
Cey é~ 
