2759.) 
partly oxygenated in the form of. nitrous 
gas, requires only the mere contact, of 
oxygen to produce a full faturation. 
CHAPTAL has given an interefting Me- 
moir on the method of cultivating the 
mountains of Cevennes. This chain of 
mountains, naturally dry and Iterile, with 
fteep and rugged banks, has been con- 
“verted, by the induftry of the natives, into 
tertile gardens and plantations, furnifhing 
abundance of {upport for two or three hun- 
dred thoufand inhabitants. Thew inge- 
nuity and induitry is particularly (hewn in 
the method which they employ to fll the 
deep gullies or ravines which are formed 
by the violence cf the mountain torrents 
wafhing away all the loofe foul on the fides 
of the hills, and laying bare the naked 
rock. ‘Lo fill up a ravine the inhabitant 
of Cevennes begins by building a ftone wall 
without mortar at the foot of the moun- 
tain acro{s the whole breadth of the ravine, 
trom three to fix feet in height, according 
to its depth. This wall torms a dyke, 
which breaks the force of the torrents, 
and fuffers the water to efcape, while. it 
detains the earth and fragments of {tone 
which are carried with it. The effect of 
this is gradually to fill up the lower part 
of the ravine by the depofition from the 
fireams which defcend from the mountains. 
Then another wall, fimilar to the former, 
and parallel to it, is built higher up within 
the inner angle of the ravine, which has the 
fame effect as the firft. In this manner 
he proceeds with fucceffive parallel walls 
even to the top of the mountain; and the 
ravine is thus converted into beds of good 
foil, rifing in ftages the one above the 
other, and capable of excellent culture. 
The mountain ftreams being thus made to 
flow upon more level ground are broken 
in their force, and no longer ravage the 
plains by their impetuous fury, but ferve 
the beneficial purpofe of conftantly water- 
ing the fields which have been won by this 
ingenious induftry.. Fhe cultivator then 
plants his {tages of mulberry-trees upon 
thefe platforms, fows his maize, potatoes, 
legumes, and grain of every kind; and 
with prudent economy plants his vines on 
the upper fide of the walls, and trains them 
over-to the lower fide that they may not 
occupy that room: in his artificial felds 
which can be filled with other crops. His 
foil being virgin, well watered, and fertile 
by nature, yields abundant harvefts ; and 
every year becomes more firm and {table 
by the trees and routs wjth which it ts fill- 
ed, fo that itis very rare for tempetts to de- 
ftroy thefe well-earned fruits of induftry. 
The {kilj and induftry of the inhabitant 
ot Cevennes is equally confpicuous in the 
Montury.Mac, No, 1, 
“mountains. 
Literary and Philofiphical Intelligence. "33 
cultivation of the fides of the calcareous 
Thele are almoft all formed 
of fucceflive beds of lime-fione retiring 
from each other to the fummit; and thus 
making regular ftages above each bed, 
which flope with the dip of the different 
ftrata. The farmer begins by breaking 
all the larce looft ftones which lie on thefe 
ftages, and with the fragments he forms a 
wall bounding the edge of the platform, 
and filts the vacant {pace with foil collected 
at the bottom of the hills in the courfe of 
the torrents, and conveyed thjther on his 
fhoulders. “Thus, by inceffant labour the 
fides of the mountains are covered with 
fmall parallel walls, enclofing a long nar- 
row flip of level ground highly cultivated. 
Not unfrequently, however, it happens, 
that the violence of the winds and rain 
{weeps away both garden and wall, and 
earries them into the plain below; which 
affords a coni{tant exercife to the patience 
and perfeverance of the cultivator, whofe 
life is a continual wrefiling with the vio~ 
lence of the elements: but hence the bar- 
ren mountain is fertilifed, and the induf- 
trious labourer is abundantly ‘provided 
with‘all the comforts of plenty. 
Mr: WitLiam Hicerns, of Dublin, 
has brought into ufe an important im- 
provement in the procefs of Bleaching. 
In the ordinary procefs, the cloth is re- 
peatedly boiled in an alkaline lye previous 
to expofure to the fun and air, and the ex- 
pence of the alkali is a very confiderable 
objeét to the manufacturer. Mr. Hiccins 
has fubftituted a folution of fulphuret of 
lime, made by boiling together fulphur and 
quick-lime, with a large quantity of water; 
and the great cleanfing powers of this li- 
quor render it equal to the alkaline folu- 
tion, with a great faving both in the ex- 
pence of the materials and in fuel, as the 
fulphuret will anfwer equally well in the 
cold. Mr. Hiccins eftimates the quan- 
tity of alkali ufed at prefent in bleaching 
to coft 215,307, being both pearl-afh and 
barilla, and an equal quantity of fulphuret 
of lime in folution to be prepared at fome- 
what lefs than half this expence, with the 
additional advantage of faving great part 
of the fuel, and poffeffing both the lime 
and fulphur at home, and therefore faving 
the importation of ail the alkali. 
ASTRONOMICAL INTELLIGENCE. 
Extraés from a Leiter of LALANDE #0 
M.von Zacna, Eattor of the General 
Geographical Epkemerides; dated Paris, 
the oth April, 1799- 
WE oblerved the new planet at the 
time of its oppofition; on the 12th 
of March about twelve o'clock, 2’ 18 me- 
dium time, its dire afcenfion was 1717 
5% iQ 

