~ 
~1801.] 
the alkalies, it forms foap; it diffolves 
litharge by being boiled apon it, and there- 
by becomesdrying+ when fpread upon the 
furface of water, and expofed to the air for 
a month, it aflumed a folid confiftence, and 
a white colour like wax: it burns by help 
of a wick, with a white flame, and with- 
out any fenfible fmell or fmoak; a fmall 
lamp being filled with it, and properly 
trimmed, lafted two hours and a half; 
whereas, the fame quantity of olive-oil, 
in the fame lamp, and with a fimilar wick, 
jafted only two hours and a quarter; and 
rape-oil, in the fame circumftances, lafed 
only two hours. In addition to thefe va- 
Juable properties, it is found not to con- 
geal by a confiderable degree of cold. It 
is probable, therefore, in thofe dittricts 
‘where the dogwood abounds, that it 
would be well worth while to collect the 
* berries for manufacture. 
Spanifo Betani/ls.— Among other learned 
Spanifh botanifts, Don Anronzo JosEPH 
- CaAVANILLES is celebrated for the differ- 
ent works which he has publifhed; he 
is feduloufly employed in advancing the 
progrefs of. his favourite fcience. The 
prints of his works have the merit of 
being defigned by himfelf. He lives at 
Madrid. 
Don JoserH CELESTINO Muris is 
Direétor of the Royal Botanic Expedition 
in thenew Kingdom of Granada, in South 
America. Hitherto he has publithed no- 
thing ; but he has almoft finifhed the 
Flora of Granada, which will comprehend 
fome thoufands of plants, and a great 
number of new genera, with good defcrip- 
tions. ‘The plates of this work are mag- 
nificent, and have all been made by artifts 
of the country, formed by Matis. They 
excited the admiration of the great. Lin- 
nzus, to whom Mutisufuailly fent {pecimens 
of his labours in botany. This learned 
Profeffor has fpent forty years in Ameri- 
ca, which he has almoft entirely confecrat- 
ed to botany, and traverfing thofe rich 
mountains. Among other works of Na- 
Proceedings of Learned Societies. 
53 
tural Hiftory, he has terminated a very cu- 
rious Hiftory of Ants. His defcriptions 
are filled with amenity, and with ufefui 
philofophical views.. He is indefatigable 
in his labours, and if his works have 
not yet feen the light, it mult be attributed 
to his exceflive modetty, which makes hina 
confider them as always imperfect, How- 
ever his Flora of Granada will be publifh-. 
ed on his return to Santa Fé. | 
Don F. A. Cea, ‘a favourite ‘pupil of 
Matis, is at prefent at Paris, where he is 
learning from Jussigu, VENTENAaT, &c. 
a number of new difcoveries, which illuf- 
trate the fcience. He has publithed fome 
ideas of his mafter, on the different {pecies 
of quinquina, in the Annals of Phyfical 
Sciences of Madrid, and he is’ at prefent 
employed in decifive experiments to con- 
firm them. 
Don Hyrotire Ruiz and Don S. Pa. 
von, Difciples of ORTEGa; after having 
travelled to Peru with M. DomBey, and 
traverfed that country and Chili for ten 
fucceffive years, have returned to Madrid, _ 
where they are publifhing theirFloraof Peru 
and Ciili, of which there has already aD- 
peared one number of new genera, and one 
of new fpecies, on large paper, with beau- 
tiful cuts: thefe Profeffors are men of ta- 
Jents, and defcribe well; their third volume 
of {pecies is finifhed, and is ready to be 
printed. 
Don Louis Nes has made a voyage. 
round the globe, in the ®pedition of Ma- 
-LESPINA, and has collected, with an inde- 
fatigable ardour,a great number of plants. 
His Herbary is very rich and curious. 
Cavanilles has publithed fome of his 
plants, principally thofe of New Holland, 
and has retified fome errors of the Eng- 
lith botanifts,:who had defcribed them bee 
fore. There are other Spanith botanifts, 
as well in the kingdom of Spain, as in - 
America, and in the Philippine Iflands ; 
but they are lefs celebrated than thofe here 
noticed. . 
PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF 
FRANCE.’ 
NOTICE of the LABOURS of the cLass of 
MATHEMATICAL and PHYSICAL SCl- 
ENCES during the firft Quarterly Sitting 
of the YEAR 9, by CIT. DELAMBRE. 
a a limits of this fitting, and the 
defire of hufbanding the time for 
readings of a kind lels auitere, and confe- 
= 
quently of a more general intereft, oblige 
us to pafs rapidly in review the different 
Memoirs of Mathematics which have ap- 
peared during this quarter. 
Citizen Prony has publithed a plan 
which gives the rationale of that part of 
the inftruction of the Polytechnic School, 
which has for its obje&t the equilibrium 
and the movement of bodies, 
Citizen 
