1802. ] 
tion, but the accuracy and experience of 
this writer on naval topics are promifing 
recommendations of his performance. 
A work is in the prefs, entitled «* The 
Strolling Player; or, Life and Adven- 
tures of William Templeton ;*” and it 
will contain a variety of novel incidents 
and obfervations relative to the ftage and 
its votaries, . 
Mr.T.F. Dispin, of Gloucefer,A.B. 
kate of St. John’s College, Oxon, has juft 
completed a {mall Bibliographical Work, 
in crown octavo, embracing the mott rare 
and valuable editions of the Greek and 
Roman Claffics ; being, in part, a tabu- 
lated Arrangement from Dr. Harwood’s 
View, &c. on a new plan, with Notes 
philological and illuftrative, from Maite 
taire, De Bure, Dictionnaire Bibliogra- 
phique, &c. and references to the cele- 
crated Catalogues of Thead, Afkew, 
Beauclerk, Croft, Pinelli, and the modern 
catalogues of eminent bookfellers. This 
work is intended as a claffical VaDE ME- 
CuM ; and, exclufively of bibliographical 
anecdotes and criticifms, may be confider- 
ed as reprefenting the prices of rare books 
from frequent references to modern {ales 
and catalogues. Should the author meet 
with fucceis in this {mall work (which 
he confiders but as an epitome); he pro- 
pofes publifhing a large work, in quarto, 
which will comprehend a variety of im- 
portant matter from Meerman, Maittaire, 
Le Long, Panzen, and the authorities 
above adduced. 
_ Dr. Gorpon has prefented a Memo- 
rial to the Common Council of London, 
ftating his having difcovered the aft of 
making Flour froma fubftance that grows 
in great abundance in this country, fo as 
to fupply the demand at one fourth of the 
average price of wheaten flour; and he 
afferts, that it is equally nutritious and 
palatable, and will retain its quality for 
feveral years. “ 
Mr. R. Jameson has a very curious 
article in Mr. Nicholfon’s Journal for Au- 
guilt, on Granite, which he attempts to 
demonfrrate is the oldeft of all the primi- 
tive rocks that were formed when the earth 
was in its chaotic ftate, or covered toa 
great height with water, and before orga- 
nization had commenced. ¢* Granite (he 
fays) is compoled of felt(par, quartz, and 
mica; and, though not fo rich in metals 
and their ores, as the pyimitive rocks of 
newer formation, it neverthelefs contains 
fome red and brown iron-ore, bifmuth, co- 
_ balt, blende, galena, and feveral ores of 
copper, but it abounds more with tin than. 
with any other metal,” 
Literary and Philofophical Intelligence. 
difficulty of obliteration. 
163 
* Befides the Defcription of the Gallery 
of the Louvre, which is preparing in En- 
glith by Dr. Grirritu and Mrs. Cos- 
WAY, another on a much larger fcale will 
be performed by order of the French Go- 
-vernment in the French language. 
_ An indelible ink is prepared by Mr.T. 
SHELDRAKE, inthe Strand, from a folu- 
tion of afphaltum in fpirit of turpentine, 
to which is to:be added fo much of the 
folution of amber as will give it a due 
confiftence, and the fineft lamp black to 
give it colour. The addition of a fmall. 
quantity of drying oil will increafe the 
The following theory has lately been 
advanced, to account for the caufe, why a 
Jarge quantity of falt prevents putrefac~ 
tion, and a fmall quantity haftens it. 
Three things feem neceflary for the de- 
compofition of an animal fubftance, viz. 
contaét with the atmofpheric.air, a mode- 
rate degree of heat, and moifture. Ac- 
cording to Gren, falt aéts by abftracting 
the moifture, and guarding the fubftance 
from the conta&t of oxygen. To a diffe- 
rent caufe the /eptic property of falt muft 
be referred. ‘The deftruéction of mufcular 
irritability appears to be a chief caufe of 
accelerating putrefaétion, which has been 
alcertained in cafes of perfons killed by 
the eleétric-fhock, by violent exercife, er 
by any thing that dettroys the irritability 
ot the mufcular fibre. Now it has been 
found by experiment, that the compounds 
of foda and potath deftroy irritability. 
When a large quantity of falt is applied 
to an animal fubftance, it ats by remov- 
ing air and moifture; and without thefe 
the mufcular fibre cannot be deftroyed. 
On the other hand, when a fmall quantity 
of falt only is applied, it is infufficient 
either to exclude the air, or abftract the 
moifture: the property, therefore, that it’ 
poffefles of deftroying irritability a@s in 
conjunction with the other caufes, and 
accelerates the putrefaétive procefs much 
more than any of them feparately. This 
theory, fo much connected with domeftic 
economy, deferves the particular atten- 
tion of the chemitt. 
Dr. Youn has, ina letter to Mr. Ni- 
cholfon, anfwered Mr. Gongh’s Effay 
on the Theory of Compound Sounds. 
‘TT amnot (fays Dr. Young) folicitous tor 
the application of the term compound by 
coalefcence to the human voice ; but Mr, 
Gough can f{carcely form to himfelf a dif 
tinét conception of it very different from 
mine. A mixture of imperfect unifons 
would inevitably be accompanied by the 
produétion of beats; and, if he affert that 
XK 2 the 
