1308. | 
wo, was given the gold medal for a confi- 
derable.adJition to his plantation of bread- 
fruit in that ifland. #y the ceffion of this 
ifland to the French Republic,'the Society 
were not bound by any engagement to give 
this premium, but it was unanimoufly 
agreed, as a pointof honour, that Governor 
Robley was intitled to his claim. 
Such and fo honourable are the exertions 
and munificent \aéts of this Society, which, 
though urproiected by public authority, 
and without the aid of landed property, 
has neverthelefs been enabled to expend 
§0,000 pounds in advancing the beft in- 
terefts of the community. ‘Its energy, 
({aid Mr. Taylor) kindled from a {mall 
fpark of patriotic fire, has fpread a light 
of knowledge, which has illumined the 
moft diitant parts ef the globe. In Eu- 
rope, in Afta, in Africa, and in Ame- 
rica its bounties have been received 5; and 
the advantages arifing from it gratefully 
acknowledged.” 
ee 
** We prefume, it muff be obvious to 
every intelligent reader that the article in 
the lat’ Number of our Magazine refpetting 
the experiments on chimney-fweeping, was 
not infertedasif from authority of the So- 
fiety of Arts, and that its appearance was the - 
refult of that diligence to prefent our readers 
with the earliet information on ufeful to- 
pics, which has been, and always will be, a 
fource of pride and fatisfa&tion to us. 
——— 
ROYAL SOCIETY: OF LONDON. 
\ {| R. Chenevix, in a paper containing 
obfervations on the chemical na- 
ture of the humours of the eye, has de- 
* tailed anumber of curious experiments on 
the eyes of fheep, men, ard oxen; from 
which it appears that the fpecific gravity 
of the aqueous and vitreous humour in 
eyes of fheep is 10,090, at fixty degrees of 
Fahrenheit, and the fpecific gravity of the 
cryftalline is 11,000. In the human eye 
the fpecific gravity of the aqueous and 
vitreous is 10,053, and that of the cryf- 
talline 10,790. In the. eyes of oxen the 
fpecific gravity of the aqueous and vitreous 
7 
Retrofpedt of Fine Arts: 
563 
is 10,088, and that of the eryftalline 
10,765. 
What feems to be worthy of notice is 
that the difference which appears to exif 
between the fpecific gravity of the aqueous 
and vitreous humour, and that of the 
cryftalline, is much greater in the human 
eye than in that of fheep, and lels in 
the eye of the ox. Hence it is inferred, 
by Mr. Chenevix, that the difference 
between the denfity of the aqueous and 
vitreous humour, and that. of the 
cryftalline, is in the inverfe ratio of the 
diameter of the eye taken from the cornea 
to the optic nerve; and fhould farther ex- 
periments prove this to be an univerfal 
law of nature, it willnot be poffibletodeny 
that it is in fome degree defigned for the 
purpole of promoting diftingt vifion, In 
the aqueous and vitreous humours, the 
fpecific gravity feems to be uniform thro’ 
the whole fubftance: but in the cryitalline 
the denfity increafes gradually from the 
circumference to the center ;’ for in a frefh 
cryftalline of .an ox, weighing thirty 
grains, the {pecific gravity was 10,765 5 
but when it was gradually pared away in 
every direétion till it weighed only fix 
grains, the fpecific gravity was found to 
be £1,940. alt 
It is not furprizing, fays Mr. Chene- 
vix, that the cryftalliine fhould be {ubjcé& 
to diforders, it being wholly compofed of 
animal matter (albumen and gelatine) of | 
the moft perifhable kind. Albumen is 
coagulated by many methods ; and it we 
{uppofe that the fame changes can take 
place in the living eye, as in the dead ani- 
mal matter of the chemifts, it will be ealy 
to account for the formation of the cata- 
raét, a diforder that cannot be cured but 
by the removal of the opaque lens. If a 
fuficient number of obfervations were 
made refpe&ting the frequency of the cata- 
ract in gouty habits, conclufions might be 
drawn as to the influence of phofphoric 
acid in caufing the diforder, by the com- 
mon effects of acids in coagulating albu; 
men. 
MONTHLY RETROSPECT OF THE FINE ARTS. 
(Communications and the Loan of al! new Prints are requefted.) _ 
; 4 ch 
I {peare was publifhed on the king’s 
Birth-day. Of this. magnificent work 
we have in feyeral preceding Retrofpecis 
HE. laft number of Boydell’s Shake, 
given our opinion, and it is not neceffary 
to repeat it. The Shakefpeare is now he- 
fore the public. A fupplementary num- 
ber; which will complete and conclude the. 
work, 
