1022 
fhowed the firft example of an acid prefer- 
sing an alkaline earth to a proper alkali, 
by the decompofiticn of the mild alkalies 
through the medium of quicklime. And, 
by the difcovery of this new acid, he en-, 
tiched chemiftry with a whole genius of neu- 
tral, earthy and metallic falts, the garbonats. 
Another important difcovery contained in 
this paper is that of the peculiar properties 
of magnefia, diftinguifhing it from chalk, 
with which it had before been confounded; . 
hence prefenting to chemifts a new genus 
of falts, with a magnefian bafe. The appli- 
Cation of the above important difcoveries to 
almcft every part of chemiftry is perpetually 
recurring, and enables us to give, by means 
of them, an eafy and fatisfaétory elucidation 
of numberlefs phenomena which otherwife 
would be wholly inexplicable. Thefe, how- 
ever, are only a part of the obligations which. 
{cience is: under to Dr. Black. To him, in 
conjunction with Dr. Irvine, we owe the 
beautiful theory of /atent beat, which has 
fince been further ijluftrated by Crawford 
and Laplace. He firft taught that a fubftance, 
in changing its form of exiftence from the 
folid to the liguid or gaffecus, had its capa- 
city for heat enlarged, and, in confequence, 
actually abforbed a great quantity of heat 
from ail furrounding bodies, without ‘in-- 
Creafing its own thermometric temperature ; 
and that, when tnis gas returned through 
the liquid to the folid form, it gave out ina 
ftate of a@ivity the whole of that heat 
which, while latent, maintained it as a li-’ 
quid or gas. Befides the two diflertations 
already mentioned, Dr. Bleck publifhed no- 
ting under his own namie, except fome Ex- 
periments on the Freezing of Water in the 
London Philofophical Tranfa&tions for 1776. 
Jt was not, however, through the medium 
of the prefs, but in the lecture room that 
Dr: Black delighted to unfold his copious 
flores of information: here he was in his 
proper element, and the eafy fimplicity of 
his.manner, his luminous arrangements, and 
the exquifite accuracy of his experiments, 
will never be forgotten by his pupils. He 
Jong adopted the fyftem of Stahl, and was a 
ftrenuous opponent of the innovations, as he 
then efteemed them, of Lavoifier; Leing at 
length, however, convinced that the French 
theory wasa nearer approximation to truth, 
with the true fpirit of a genuine philofopher, 
he ever after bore public teftimony to its 
fuperiority.. His affociates, who, in con- 
junGion with him, have fo fignally raifed 
and upheld the honour and high reputation 
of the Univerfity, will doubtlcis themfelves 
take charge of the fame of their late illuf- 
trious coadjutor, by prefenting to the publica 
minute account of his actions and, character. \ 
Mrs. Prentice, wife of Mr. Prentice. 
Mr. J.. Menzies. Mis Ifabella Dalrymple. 
daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Dalrymple. 
Wits Flora M’Farquhar. 
At Dundee, Mus. Ann Grant. 
Memoirs of Captain Miller. 
At Glafgow, aged 76, Mrs. Mary M’Lau- 
rin. Mr. j.Garthfhore. Mrs. S. P. Wilfon, 
At Arbroath, Rev. P. Rofe, of the Epif- 
copal church, 
Ac Craighall, Perthfhire, Lieutenant-Co- 
lonel John Ratray. 
At Ayr, Mrs. J. D. Adam. 
DEATH ABROAD. 
Memoirs of Captain Milter, who was kilied 
on board of the Vbefus, on the coafe of Syridy 
during the laft fummer—Captain Miller was 
born.in New York, the 24th of January, 
1762,.and was the only fon of an American 
gentleman, who ftill furvives to deplore the 
irreparable lofs he has fuftained in his fon. 
Captain Miller was early fent to England 
for education, in the different feminaries of 
Biackbeath, Harrow, and the Royal Acade- 
my at Portfmouth, where, having completed 
his nautical ftudies, he went on board the 
Ardent in 17798, and failed with Admiral 
Gambier for America. At this early period, 
his zeal and abilities were fo confpicuous as 
to recommend him to the particular attention 
of the Admiral, who appointed him his aid- 
de-camp, and frequently employed him in 
the flat-bottomed boats againft the rebels, and 
in every ative fituation that occurred: the 
remainder of the laft war ne ferved in the 
Weft Indies and America alternately, where 
he volunteered for every fervice in which. 
advantage could arife to his country, or credit 
to himfelf. In this part of his naval career 
he was three times wounded. In the year 
178i he was appointed to the rank of Lieu- 
tenant by Lord Rodney. At the commence- 
ment of the prefent war he failed as Lieute~ 
nant of the Windfor Caftle, with Admiral 
Crofoy, for the Mediterranean, in April 1793. 
Qn this ftation he was in all the a@ive fer- 
vice on fhore at Toulon, and more particu- 
larly at the deftruGiion of the French fhips 
en the evacuation of that place. His zeal 
and enterprife to execute this important duty 
effcétually, was very near proving fatal to 
him, which was manifefted by Sir Sidney 
Smith’s public letter. His extreme zeal for 
the fervice being made known to Earl St, 
Vincent, whea he arrived on that ftation as 
Commander in Chief, he was removed to a 
more active fituation, by being appointed to 
the command of the Unité, and difpatched on 
a confidential fervice to the Adriatic, which 
he continued to execute until the evacuation 
of Corfica, when it became neceflary to recal 
him from that important ftation to join, the 
fleet: foon after which he was appointed to 
the command of the Captain, bearing Lord 
Nelfon’s broad pendant, which fhip hada 
very diflinguifhed fhare in the memorable 
action of the 14th of February, 1797, Cap- 
tain Millers merit on this occafion hes been 
very handiomely acknowledged by the Com- 
modore and the Commander ia Chief. At 
the blockade of Cadiz, he was frequently em- 
ployed in the boats to the attacks of the gun- 
boats belonging to the enemy; and, ,in one 
of 
fJan. 1; 
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