1799:] 
difcourfe with him, and has given him all 
poffible facilities tor his voyage, which 
promifes ufeful and important difcoveries 
for the {ciences. | 
The following letter relative to the late 
paflage of Mercury over the fun, has been 
addreffed by LaLanpe, the aftronomer, 
to the Editor of one of the Paris Journals. 
‘© I waited impatiently to mark the paf- 
fage of Mercury over the Sun, in his de- 
{cending node; he had never been obferv- 
ed completely in that pofition, and it will 
be 33 years from hence ere it can be done 
again. I had the pleafure to fee Mercury 
enter on the Sun like a fmall, black, 
round fpot, on the 18th of Floreal in the 
morning, at the very minute indicated in 
my new tables, the ground-work of which 
I gave in the firft memoir, read at the firft 
aflembly of the firft cla{s of the Inititute, 
on the very day of its eftablifhment. 
This is fo much the more fatistactory, 
as for the paflage of the 4th of May, 1786, 
there were 40 minutes of error in the beft 
tables of Mercury.” 
MrcuH.SZEKELY DE BiIBORCYFALYVA, 
infpector of the mines to Count SCH/EN- 
BORN, at St. Niklas, near Munkasth, 
in Hungary, has fabricated of the A/cle- 
pias Vincetoxicum, a fort of cloth mixed 
with filk. He has prefented a pattern of 
fix ells and three quarters in length, to 
the government eltablithed at Buda. 
This cloth, the firft fabrication of which 
coft 9 francs, but which, according to 
the calculations of the inventor, will not 
amount in the fequel to above 4 francs, is 
two ells in width and pretty fine.—It 
appears, however, that this is not the firft 
effay that has been made to convert the 
down of the ajfclepias to ceconomieal 
urpofes; but hitherto the experiments 
Lae been only of fimple curiofity, and 
not practifed on a large fcale. 
Citizen C. P. Lasreyriz, member of 
the Philomathic Society, and of that of 
Agriculture, at Paris, in a treatife on 
Spanith fheep, &c. lately publithed, has 
proved, by a number of inconteftible facts, 
that the fine wool with which Spain alone 
has fo long furnifhed the reft of Europe, 
is not owing to the phyfical fituation of 
that country, but to the apathy of other 
nations, and to certain prejudices which 
originate only in ignorance. He has f{a- 
tisfactorily demontitrated the’ poffibility 
of obtaining, not only in France, but in 
the other countries of Europe, wool as 
fine as that in Spain itfelf; and for this 
purpole endeavours to imprefs upon agri- 
cultors, the neceflity otf changing the 
Vicious regimeh to which fheep are at 
Foreign Literary Intelligence. 
485 
prefent fubjeGted, and to infpire them 
with an emulation to ameliorate their 
flocks, &c.—It is certain that Spain has 
not been always renowned for its wool, 
and that its prefent moft excellent breed 
of fheep has been introduced there from 
foreign countries. 
In a memoir on mineralogy, read lately 
at the courfe of mineralogy, to the Nation- 
al Inftitute, by Citizen DAUBENTON, 
profeflor in the Museum of Natural 
Hiftory, the author expreffes his diffatis- 
faction with moft of the names impoled 
on ftones, difcovered of late years. He 
would have names to be found out in the 
proper language of each country, and is 
of opinion, that if names only are em- 
ployed, which are underftocd by the 
learned, it wiil be rendering a differvice, 
&c. to the greateft number of our com- 
patriots; and that many agriculturifts, 
many manufacturers, and men, who if 
the names had been on a level with their 
capacity, migat have felt their curiofity 
-excited, and might have agreeably em- 
ployed their leilure time in confidering 
fome of the produdtions of nature, will 
conceive the knowledge of thein to re- 
quire too much time and pains, and being 
balked by names too learned, will remain 
deprived of the pleafureable inftru&tions 
of natural hiftory. Citizen DauUBENTON 
propofes to fubfitute rayonnant ({triped} 
for adtinole 5 equivoque ou ambigu (equivo- 
cal or ambiguous) tor amphibole ; fer de 
gache, (or German head of’ hatchet) for 
axinite, &c. and has accordingly fixed 
them together with the Greek names on 
the labels of the minerals, in the hall of 
mineralogy, at Paris ; yet however they 
may be thought more intelligible to the 
French ftudent, the fame objection wil] 
apply as before, with refpect to foreign 
languages, which will prefer the Greek 
etymologies, however arbitrary the defini- 
tions may be found. His prattice does 
not appear to be altogether approved by 
his own eountrymen, and certainly mili- 
tates directly againit that of Tournefort, 
Vaillant, Haller, Linnzeus, and other 
great men, philofophers, botaniits, &c. 
M. DANzZEL, a relpectable mechani- 
cian, &c. of Hamburgh, has circulated 
in the German Gazettes, propofals for 
making public, wider certain conditions, 
a certain method of moving a veffel for- 
ward, and making it obey the helm, in a 
time of calm, by a mechanical procefs. 
This machine, which is fimple im its 
compofition and management, and of 
finall expence, he has tried with fuccefs, 
on board the Aver, even againft an ad- 
verie 
