1803. ] 
The Literary and Philofophical Society 
of Newcaftle hasjately proceeded to con- 
fitute a Leéturefhhip on the fubjeCs of 
Natural and Experimental Philofophy. A 
confiderable fum of money has been fub- 
feribed for the purchafe of an extenfive 
apparatus, and the Rev. W. TuRNER is 
appointed Lecturer, and has delivered a 
very capital introdu&tery difcourfe upon 
the objects, the advantages, and’ the’ in- 
tended plan of the leétures.. This‘ ad- 
Amirable Difcourfe has been publithed. 
~ A fimilar Le&turefhip is likely to be 
éeftablifhed, under the direCtion of the Rev. 
Mr. Hinexs, at Cork, in Ireland. Mr. 
Hincks has in the prefs, an Account of 
the various Charitable Inftitutions in 
Ireland, addreffed to the Lord Lieutenant. 
It is faid,from evidence arifing from long 
experience, that ftraw or loofe twigs, fcat- 
tered over any plant or bed of plants, 
preferve from froft better than a folid or 
-clofe covering; and that nets, three or 
four thick, hung on a wall before fruit- 
trees in bloffom, preferve them better than 
any fubftance that quite excludes the air 
in any dirsGtion. i 
Sir J. Banks, impreffed with an opi- 
hion, that a deer-park is an expenfive ar- 
ticle of luxury, in order to afcertain the 
amount of his annual expenditure in that 
article, dire&ted an exact account to be 
kept of the profit derived from his enclo- 
fure, fetting againft it the efimated rent 
of the land, taxes, coft of labour, people’s 
wages, colt of maintaining poles, and 
temporary fences, &c. &c. and the refult 
has been, after three years’ trial, that 
reckoning the venifon killed at the price 
at which it might be fold in London, he 
1s a regular gainer by holding it in his 
hands, : deena 
From a feries of experiments on cala- 
mines, Mr. Suiruson has been able to 
deduce, with a confiderable degree of ac- 
curacy, the compofition of f{ulphate of 
zinc, which, when. free from combined 
water, he confiders as compofed of equal 
arts of fulpburic acid, and oxide of zinc. 
The fibrous form of the flowers of zinc, 
produced during the aétion of the blow- 
pipe, upon ealamine, Mr. Smithfon attri- 
Dutes to the cryitaliization taking place 
during their mechanical fufpenfon in the 
air,and he thinks that the fluid fate is not 
at all neceflary to the produ&tion of cryf- 
tals, and thar the only :equifite for this 
©peration is a ireedom of motion tn the 
mafles which tend to unite, allowing them 
toobey that fort of polarity which occafions 
‘them to prefent to each other the parts 
adapted to mutual union. - 
\ 
Esterary and Philofophical Intelligence. 
63 
Profeficr Atpint, of the Univerfity of 
Bologna, availed him(elf of the opportu- 
nity afforded by the execution of Foifter, 
on Monday, the 17th, for.the murder of 
his wife and child, to repgat his experi. 
ments on the theory of his uncle Gat- 
vawr. Aliberal offer had ben made him 
of the ufe of that fubjett, by Mr. Keates, 
Surgeon to the King, who was himfif 
prefent on this occafion. The relalt of 
this experiment promifes the greatelt ad- 
vantages to the intereffs of humanity, 
efpecially in cafes of apparent death by 
drowning, and other cafes of alphyxia. 
Thefe gentlemen, we underftand, found 
that the corpfe, by means of Galvanifm, 
was made to exhibit very powerful mul- 
cular contractions before diffection, and 
that afterwards thefe contractions conti- 
nued for feven hours and a half. On the 
firt application of the procefS to the face, 
the jaw of the deceafed criminal began to 
quiver, and. the adjoining mufcles were 
horribly contorted, and one eye was actu- 
ally cpened. In the fubfequent part of 
the procefg, the’ right hand was raifed and 
clenched, and the legs and thighs were fet 
in motion. It appeared, to the uninformed 
part of the bye-ltanders, as if the wretch. 
ed man was on the eve of being rettored 
tolife. Thefe fa&s, which were hitherto 
unknown, will ferve to illuf'rate the phy- 
fiology and the theory of Galvanifin, a 
{cience which owes the higheft obligations 
to Profeffor Aldini,. who has already exhi- 
bited his experiments at Oxford, at Mr. - 
Wilfon’s Anatomical Theatre in London, 
and at St. Thomas’s and Guy's Hofpi- 
tals. We learn with pleafure, that the 
leGlurers and pupils of thefe two hofpitals 
have prefented Profeffor Aldini with @ 
gold medal, in honourable teftimony of 
their approbation. Ns 
Tt has been found, that begs fteeped in 
a folution of nitre’will effe€tually keep off 
the weavil, and other deflructive mlets, 
from corn daring the longe voyages. 
It is faid, that olive-oil, gently boiled 
for a confiverable time, in @ copper veffet 
wly tinned, is an effeSiual cure for can- 
cers. The oil muft be brought to the 
confiflency of ointment, and then conftent- 
ly rubbed on the part affected for two or 
three weeks or longer. 
Anew and cheap polithing fubftance 
has been found out. It confilts of pieces 
of old hat (which are dyed with iron) im- 
merfed for a few minutes in fulphuri¢ 
acid: the iron paffes to the ftate of red 
oxide, and they then become excellent 
pieces for giving the laf&t poli to the 
harde& matters. . his 
ne 
£ 
The 
~ 
