378 
a . 
upper part of the arm is fractured, to 
avoid the painful and dangerous operation 
of amputating this member at the articu- 
lation, by fimply extirpating the upper 
part of the bone. Several perfons have 
been treated in this manner; and they have 
Ryal Inftitution of Great Britain. 
[May 1, 
found no diminution either of ftrength or 
mobility in their arms. In furgery, the 
glory f rendering an operation unnecef- 
{ary is far fuperior to that of inventing 
a new one. ; 
( To be continued in our next) 


ROYAL INSTITUTION OF GREAT BRITAIN. 

An ACCOUNT of the ORIGIN and PRO- 
GRESS of the ROYAL INSTITUTION of 
GREAT BRITAIN. 
(To be regularly continued. ) 
N account of an inftitution which 
has met with fo much encourage- 
ment from the public, and which promifes 
to be attended with advantages fo impor- 
tant, will mot, we truft, be difagreeable 
to our readers; we fhall, therefore, en- 
deavour to lay before them a view of its 
rife and prosrefs ; and fhall, inour fucceed- 
ing numbers, continue to give fuch infor- 
mation concerning its proceedings as may 
be thought interefting to then. 
The plan was firft projected by Count 
Rumford ; and it would feem, that for 
fome years this active philanthropift and 
philofopher had contemplated the practi 
cability of the fcheme, of which he had 
fketched a rude outline in a corretpon- 
dence with another enlightened and bene- 
volent charaéter, Mr. Bernard, treafurer 
of the Foundling Hofpital, a gentleman 
well known as an active member of tlre 
Society for bettering the Condition of the 
Poor. 
The flownefs with which improvements 
of any kind make their way into common 
ufe, and efpecially fuch improvements as 
até mott calculated to be of general utility, 
nad ftrongly attraéted the attention of the 
Count. The greateft obflacles to the im- 
provement of the ufeful arts and manufac- 
tures, appeared to be the want of elemen- 
tary information inthem. “hey can move 
on inthe beaten track in which they have 
been infiru€ted ; but for want of a know- 
ledge of the principles on which their re- 
‘dpettive arts depend, they can make no 
material improvement in them; whereas 
it was to be prefumed, that if the princi- 
ples of mechanics and chemiftry could be 
taught onan extenfive [eale, fo that the 
knowledge of them might be widely difful- 
ed, tapid improvemients muft follow. 
One great object to be had in view, 
was therefore to teach by courles of phi- 
jofophical lectures and experiments the 
principles of feience, and their application 
to the improvement of arts and manufac. 
tures, as well as the common conveniences 
of life. Another important obje& was, fa- 
cilitating the general introduction of ufe- 
ful mechanical inventions and improve- 
ments. The beft mode of attaining this 
end feemed tc be, to have public rooms for 
the exhibition of all fuch new mechanical 
inventions and improvements ‘as might be 
thought worthy of the public notice, and 
more efpecially of fuch contrivances as 
tend to incréafe the conveniences and com- 
forts of life; to promote domeftic econo- 
my, to improve tafte, and to advance ufe- 
ful induftry. By procuring a collection 
of the completeft working models, or con- 
ftruGtions of the full fize, of all fuch me- 
chanical inventions as were likely to be 
ufeful, formed on the moft anhalt prin- 
ciples, and kept in actual ufe, it was to be 
prefumed, that the advantage to workmen, 
who would thus fee whdt they were to 
imitate, would be great. 
To complete this grand fcheme, it was 
propofed to publifh frequently an account 
of ufeful difcoveries; not only of thole 
which might be made by the Inftitution, 
and in this country, but in every part of 
the world. By thete means, the benefits 
of the Inftitution would by no means be 
confined to the metropolis, but by a quick 
circulation of uftful difceveries would 
extend its influence to the remoteft corner 
of the Britith dominicns, and to the whole 
world. Such is the plan, which, if it re- 
quired boldnefs of {pirit to conceive, re- 
quired a ftill more daring and enterprifing 
inind to think of executing it. . 
About the beginning of the laft year, 
the plan was mentioned® among fome 
friends, who immediately perceived the: 
advantages which mutt attend it, and. en- 
tered into its merits with ardour and en- 
thufiafin. Thefe communicated it to their 
friends ; and every one to whom it was 
mentioned, was eager to pive it-his fup- 
port ; in a fhort time it was countenanced 
by fuch numbers, that it was thought ad- 
vifeable to realize the idea, and give it “a2 
local habitation and a name.” 
The 
