1803.] 
cunces of this falt into a tubulated retort, 
adapt to it a curved tube, and plunge the 
tube to’the bottom-of a bottle with two 
necks, into which have been poured ten 
cunces of alkohol prepared by mixing, 
in aretort, three parts of highly reétified 
fpirit of wine, with one of potath, melted 
pulverifed whilft hot, and it is diftilled 
tili it is diminifhed one-half. Whien the 
whole is well luted, pour into the retort, 
in very fmal]-quantities at a time, ten 
ounces of highly concentrated fulphuric 
acid. After each introduétion of acid, 
clofe the tube carefully, and put in no more 
acid till the falt has ceafed bubbling. The 
cork of the other neck of the bottle muft 
be taken out from time to time, to fuffer 
the air condenfed above the alkohol to 
efcape. After the acid is introduced, 
place the retort on a fand-bath, and heat 
it gradually, till all the muriatic-acid be 
expelled. During this part of the ope- 
ration, care muft be taken frequently to 
cool the bottle containing the alkohol, by 
wrapping a wet cloth round it. The 
alkohol thus charged with acid, is then 
put into a retort, and diftilled to one-half; 
fhake the diftilled liquid with alkaline-ley, 
to carry off the acid, decant the ether 
which is found on the furface, and keep 
it in bottles well corked. From the 
above-mentioned quantities, two ounces 
and a half of ether are ufually obtained.” 
The art of guiding air-balloons has 
been lately difcovercd at Berne, in Swit- . 
zerland; and an experiment has been 
made near Seedorf, which is fhortly to be 
repeated in England. 
The new metal which has been announ- 
ced to the public, under the name of pal- 
ladium, is found to be a compofition of 
two partsof platina and one of mercury. 
In the New Tranfa&tions of the Royal 
Academy of Sciences at Stockholm, is an 
account of an ecl (gadus ota) in which 
eggs and foft roe were found at the fame 
time, proving it to be an hermaphrodite 
fifh. 
In a Berlin Journal, which appears 
every month (Berlizifche Monatfchrift) 
there is an intereiting extra&t of a letter 
of M. ALEXANDER DE HUMBOLDT.— 
He there gives an account of the progrefs 
of his voyage in South America. ‘This 
Jetter is written from Contreras, near Iba- 
gua, in New Granada. Before he quitted 
Carthagena, M. de Humboldt vifited the 
wood of Turbaco, celebrated for the im- 
menfe bulk of its trees; fome are eight 
feet in diameter, and of the f{pecies named 
Cavanillefia Moconda, long ago recog- 
nized by Jaquin, a traveller in the reign of 
Farieties Literary and Philofophical. 
375 
Francis I. M. de Humboldt, who had 
propofed to go to Peru, could not refit 
the defire of repairing to Santa Fé de Ba- 
gota, to fee there the celebrated botanitt 
Mutis, now feventy two years of age, 
and one of the friends of Linneus. In- 
ftead, therefore, of proceeding by fea to 
Guayaquil, which was much more come 
modious, he purfued by land the route of 
Quito, by Santa Fé. He navigated at 
fir, for forty-five days, on the Magdalen 
River, amid the moft fright'ul tempefts 
and moft dangerous cataraéts. He de- 
figned in this voyage the topographical 
chart of the country, in four theets in fo- 
lio, of which the Viceroy retained a copy. 
When arrived at Honda, in five degrees 
of north latitude, he vifited the mines of 
Mariquita and of Saint Anne. He found 
in this country confiderable plantations of 
cinnamon and nutmeg-trees, ard entire 
forefts of the tree which furnifhes the 
quinguina, and of the almond-tree, named 
by the botamifts calpocar amygdaliferum. 
M. de Humboldt was then accompanied 
by a Frenchman, named Detieux, to whom 
the Spanifh Government confided the care 
of thofe plantations. Our ‘travellers ar- 
rived at length at the entrance of the Cor- 
dilleras, (/a Bocca del Monte) ; they af- 
cended the firft heights, and arrived inthe 
plain of Bagota, one of the moft elevated 
on the globe: this plain was formerly a 
lake, of thirty-two leagues {quare furface; 
in the middle is fituated the city of Santa 
Fé. M.de Humboldt was received tiere 
as in triumph; fixty perfons on horfe- 
back went to meet him; the refpettable 
Mutis had prepared for him a houfe near 
to his own. The King of Spain allows . 
ten thoufand piaftres per annum to this 
botanical eftablifhment. For fifteen years 
paft thirty painters have been employed 
there, under the direétion of Mutis; they 
have executed three thoufand defigns in 
folio, which have all the finithing of mi- 
niature. M. de Humboldt can only com- 
pare the botanical colleétion of D. J. Ce- 
leftino Mutis to that of Sir Jofeph Banks, 
of London. M. de Humboldt meafured 
the hight of the mountains which environ 
Santa Fé, many of which rife to 2000 
and 2400 toifes. From Santa Fé he was 
to repair to Quito, then to Lima. He was 
to be at Acapulco in the month of May 
of this year; and from thence, after 
having traverfed Mexico, he propofed to 
return to Europe by the Philippines and 
the Capeof Good Hope. Sucha voyage, 
“executed by a man {o enlightened, pro- 
mifes the happieft reiults to the {ci- 
ences, t 
4 Es As 
