4 
584  Retrofpedf of Domeftic Literature—Natural Eifory, Fe, 
columns :—the firft contains the trivial 
name ; the fecond the time, and the third 
the place, of appearance ; toeach divifion 
are prefixed the general names. 
“* Richardi/Relhan, A. M. (Ville de 
Hemingly in Agro Lincolnieni Rectoris; 
Régiz Societatis Londinenfis Socii; et 
. Societatis Linneane Affoc.) Flora Canta- 
brigienfis, exhibens Piantas Agri Canta- 
brigienfis indigenas, fecundum Syfiema 
fexuale digefias, cum Charaéteribus gene- 
Fricis, Diagnofi Specierum, fynonymis felec- 
tis, nominibus triviaiibus, loco natali, 
tempore inflorefcentiz.”” The firft edition 
of this work was publifhed in 1785 ; that 
edition, together with its Supplement, enu- 
merated 1211 {pecies of plants; but, 
within the laft twenty years, fo many ad- 
‘ditions have been difcovered to our na- 
tive botany, that the Cambridge Cata- 
Jogue now amounts to 1344 {pecies. Mr. 
Relhan’s work is {aid to be extremely ac- 
curate, and extremely elegant. 
A Tranflstion has appeared from the 
German of Kiaproth’s “* Analytical Ef- 
fays towarcs promoting the Chemical 
Knowledge of Mineral Subftances.”” The 
Vranflation is executed with accuracy and 
fkill. és 
The foliowing is a ufeful vade-mecum, 
‘© The New Cliemical Nomenclature, {e- 
je&ed from the moft difinguifhed modern 
Wriers on Chemittry, defigned for the 
Ute of Students in Pharmacy, Druggift:, 
Apothecaries, &c. by C. Pre, Chemift.”” 
' Dr. Hat has ably tranflated from the 
French of Guyton-Morveau, “ A Treatife 
en the Means of Purifying Infected Air, 
er Preventing Contagion.”® The fumes of, 
Vinegar, and of the mineral acids, will 
correct the foetor of putrid air; but the 
vapour of oxygenated muriatic acid ap- 
pears, from a feries of experiments, to be 
far the meoft powerful of any in its ope- 
ration. M. Guyton Morveauafferts, that 
fo long ago as the year 1773 he recom- 
mended the ufe of this vapour, asa cor- 
reCtive of the noxious atmofphere of the 
burying-vaults under the church at Di- 
jon. 
‘© The Works in Natural Hiftory of 
the late Rev. Gi. BERT Wuirse, A.M. 
Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford, comprif- 
ing the Natural Hiftory of Selborne ; the 
Naturalift’s Calendar ; and Mifcellaneous 
Obfervations, extracted from his Papers ; 
to which are added, a Calendar: and Ob- 
fervations, by W. MArRKwiIcK, Efq.”’ 
Mr. White's Natural Hificry of Selborne 
has, we believe, for fome years, been out of 
print: it is with the greatctt pleafure we 
have feen a republication of that very ele- 
gant work, connected with other produc- 
tions from the fame ingenious and accom- 
plifhed author. We contefs ourfelves, 
however, to be forry, that only fo much 
of the original work fhould be here re- 
printed as ftri€tly relates to natural hifto- 
ry, and that the antiquarian digreffions 
fhould have been omitted. The miicel- 
laneous obfervations in natural hiftory re- 
late. to birds, quadrupeds, infe€@ts, and 
vermes ; . vegetables and meteorology. 
Thefe poflefs various degrees of merit, 
and are frequently accompanied with fome 
judicious remarks from Mr. Markwick. 
Among the obfervations on vegetables, 
we fee the following on fairy rings :— 
‘¢ ‘The caufe, occafion, call it what you 
will, of fairy-rings, fubfifts in the turf, 
and is conveyable with it; for the 
turf of my garden-walks, brought from 
the downs above, abounds with thefe ap- 
pearances, which vary their fhape, and 
fhift fituation continually, difcovering 
themfelves now in circles, now in feg- 
ments, and fometimes in irregular patches 
and {pots. Wherever they obtain, puff- 
balls abound; the feeds of which were 
doubtiefs brought in the turf.” - Mr. 
White is completely puzzled about: thefe 
fairy rings, and does not even attempt to 
account tor them. Dr. Darwin’s hypo- 
thefis is the moft plaufible and ingenious 
of any that we recolleé to have een pro- 
pofed for the explication of the pheno- 
menon. He fuppofes, that it is produced 
by electricity. Flathes of lightning are 
generally difcharged upon the earth: 
moift trees are the moft frequent conduc- 
tors of thefe fiafhes ; but, occafionally, 
larger parts or prominences of clouds, gra- 
dually finking as they meve along, are 
difcharged on the moifter parts of grafly 
plains. The cloud, thus attracted, will 
become nearly cylindrical; or, rather, 
with deference to Dr. Darwin, conical ; 
and will ftrike the earth with a ftream of 
eleCtricity, various in its diametres. Now, 
as a ftream of eleétricity difplaces the air 
it paffes through, and as without air no- 
thing can be calcined, no part of the grafs 
can be burned by it, but the external ring 
of the cylinder, where the air has accels 
to the grafs; the earth, thus calcined, 
becomes richer, produces a much ftronger 
and more deep-coloured blade, puff-balls 
and fungufes abound; and Mr. White 
is doubtlefs correét in ftating, that the 
fertility of this charred circle, called a 
fairy-ring, is not impaired by a removal of 
the turf. i : 
Ty an advertifement is given a very 
brief account of the benevolent and ac- 
complifhed 
