a2 
ingenuity explains elfewhere, may occur 
every infiant inthe interior of mines. 
We too ofien accufe the ancients of imif- 
takes becaufe we do not underftand them : 
Ariftotle has fpcken cf the Afpalax as a 
blind animal ; the Latins and the moderns 
having tranflated Afpelax by Mole, they 
‘thought they had a right to deny the al- 
fertion of Ariftotle, and in’ faét the shole 
$s not blind, no more ig the Afpalax. C. 
Olivier ‘has brought from the Levant an 
animal truly blind, the fkin af which is 
even unpierced at the ufual place of eyes : 
it lives under ground like a mole, and 
in -fhort has,every ene of the cha- 
racters Ariftotle attributed to his Afpa- 
lax: this is the animal which the Zoolo- 
gifts know under the name of Muityphlus 
and of Zemmi. 
C. Olivier has alfo thrown much light | 
upon another clafs of little animals known 
by the ancients as rats with two feel, 
and by modern. writers under the name 
ef Jerboas. The fingular conformation 
of their legs has been Jong known, of 
which the hinder are five or fix times lon- 
ger than thofe before ; but a jult idea has 
not been entertained of the manner they 
walk. C. Olivier has fhewn that they go 
forward only by leaps, but that they now 
and then come down on all fours: he alfo 
éxplained the organization of their genital 
parts, which are armed with fharp points, 
and which muft neceflarily make the ap- 
proaches of the fexes more painful than thofe 
of the cat. 
(The other Claffes in a future Number.) 

ROYAL INSTITUTION OF 
GREAT BRITAIN. 
WE mentioned in our Saft’ number, 
that Dr. Garnett brought «with him 
from Glafgow a confiderable colleftion 
of philofophical apparatus ; but as it 
was defective in feveral refpeéts, it was 
determined that the deficiency fhould be 
- fupplied by inftruments of rhe beft kind), 
and of large dimenfions: in fhort, it was 
the wifh of the managers, and all the 
members, that the inftitution fhould pof- 
fefs as complete and valuable an apparatus 
as poffible. To carry thé views of the 
managers into effet, there remained no 
obftacle but to procure workmen who 
would engage to make the different inftru- 
ments by the time they might be wanted ; 
but, though Dr. Garnett was indefatiga- 
ble in his applications to them, ftill he met 
with great difficulties and frequent difap- 
pointinents. Theapparatusis, however, now 
" Royal Inftitution of Great Britain. 
t \ 
[Fuly 7, 
very reputable ; and will henceforth, with- 
out difficulty, gradually receive thofe im- 
provements and additions which are ré- 
quilite to render it very complete. 
The le&tures of the Infitution, during 
the prefent feflion, were divided into three 
courfes. I, The icientific, or full courfe 
of phyfics. II. The experimental, or 
pepular courfe. JII. The chemical 
courfe. 
One le&ture of the fcientific courfe was 
given every Monday, Wednefday, and 
Friday, at eight o’clock in the evening. 
In this courfe thé principles of natural 
philofophy were firft demonftrated geome- 
trically, and afterwards illuftrated by ex- 
periments, and then the application of 
each part to the arts and manufactures 
pointed out, and in many inftances illuf& 
trated by working models of machinery. 
In this part, however, the le&ures were 
not as perfect as could have been wifhed, 
for want of the requifite modéls, which 
could not be procured from the workmen’ 
The properties of matter were firft ex- 
plained, after which came the laws of 
motion, and principles of mechanics. 
The important fubjeét of heat next occu- 
pied a confiderable number of lectures, 
and was treated in an able manner by the 
profeflor; particularly Dr. Black’s theory 
of latent heat, and its application to the 
explanation of the changes of form which 
bodies undergo, as well as feveral che- 
mical phenomena, and the common pur- 
potes of life. The fubje&t of heat was 
concluded by an account of Count Rum- 
ford’s interefting difcoveries with refpect 
to the condu&ting powers of different bo- 
dies with refpect to heat. . 
The caufe of fluidity being explained, 
the principles of hydroftatics and hydrau- 
lics were next confidered; in which part 
the action of different kinds of punips, 
fire-engines, fteam-engines, &c. were il- 
lufrated by models or drawings of the 
different machinery. This fubject was 
concluded with an account of the erigin of 
fprings, lakes, and rivers. : 
The. mechanical properties of air were 
next examined, which conftitute the branch 
commonlycalled pneumatics; with acouftics, 
or thetheory of found. Count Rumford’sim- 
provements with refpect to the economy of 
fuel, and the prevention of chimnies from 
fmoking, were then particularly explamed, 
and illo Rrated by models of hisroafters, &c. 
The.interefting fubject of optics was 
next confidered, the geometrical principles 
of the icience were demonitrated at confi- 
derable 
