266 
tooth of the lower jaw of the former can 
fcarcely be diftinguithed from the two neigh- 
bouring ones, while in the other crocodile 
thefe fourth teeth are much larger... The 
plates which cover the back are much fewer 
in number, and more unequally diftributed in 
the crocodile of St. Domingo ; the ridges of 
each are oniy really prominent in the exte- 
rior row, all thofe of the middle are almoit 
intirely effaced; on the other hand,<in the 
crocodile of the Nile every plate and ridge 
has the fame form, the fame prominency, 
and the fame refpective arrangement. In a 
word, all the fcales, even thofe which cover 
the extremities, are perfeétly fquare in the 
crecodiie of St, Domingo, and round or hexa- 
gonal in that of the Nile.” . 
From the: obfervations of Meffrs. Cf- 
verbom and Svanberg, it appears that in 
latitude 66° 20!-11".83, the length of a 
degree of the meridian is 57209 toifes, or 
196 toifes lefs than that given by the mea- 
furement of Maupertuis. If this refult 
be compared with Bourguer’s meafure- 
ment at the equator, the flattening of the 
earth at its poles is found’ to be 34,th 
part. 
Profeffur TRomMsporFF has difcovered 
that metals are combuftible by means of 
the Galvanic fpark in hydrogen, ammo- 
nia, nitrogen, nitrous and carbonic acid 
affes. 
Profeffer Lampapius has been able 
go reduce to the metallic fate by means 
of charcoal only, the oxide of titanium, , 
ebtained by decompofing the gallate of 
titantum by potafh »foda. The metal- 
lic titanium is of a dark copper-colour ; 
it has much metallic brilliancy, is brit- 
tle, and poffeffes in fmall fcales a confi-. 
derable degree of elafticity. It tarnifhes 
on expofure to the air, and becomes eafily 
oxided by heat. It then acquires a bluifh 
afpect. It detonates with nitrate of pot- 
“ath, and “is highly infufible. All the 
denfe acids a&t upon it with confiderable 
cneraye age eke 
M. FuNcKE has difcovered a new me- 
thod of preparing phofphate of foda, in 
an economical, expeditious and eafy man- 
ner. His procefs confifts, in faturating 
the exce!s of lime contained in calcined 
bones with dilated’ fulphuric acid, and 
then diffolving the remaining phofphate 
of lime in nitric acid. ‘To this folution, 
he adds a like quantity of fulphate of 
foda, and then recevers the nitric acid 
by diftillation. The phofphate of foda is 
then feparated from the lime, by the af- 
fufion of water, and cryftallization in the 
ufval manner. © / 
The Arachis, of the family of lentils, 
is now generally cultivated in fome of 
Literary and Philbfophical Intelligences 
alone, we obtain an acidulous fluid, an 
fom 1; 
the departments of France for the fake 
of the valuable oil which it produces, 
An ounce of the oil of this plant with a 
wick ths of an inch in diameter burned | 
93 hours nearly. An ounce of olive-oil, 
under fimilar circumflances, lafted only 
eight hours. It isa moft excellent fubfti. . 
tute for olive oil for all domeftic pur- 
pofes, and it is preferable to all other 
kinds for the manufacture of foap. ‘The 
feed yields nearly half its weight of oil. 
An interefting and curious work is 
printing at Paris, intitled, Recherches fur 
les Coftumes, les Meeurs, les Ufages Re- 
ligieux, Ciwils, et Milttaires, des Anctens 
Peuples. It is divided into three volumes, 
the firt will exhibit the drefs of the Ro- 
mans of every rank and office, at all pe- 
riods of their hiltory ; the. fecond will 
give fimilar particulars relative to all other 
nations in Europe, Africa, and Afia ; and 
the third will be confined to the feveral 
fafhions in the French drefles of every de- 
{cription from the foundation of the mo- 
narchy to the age of Lewis XIV. 
A public library has been eftablifhed 
in the ifland Kadjak in the South-fea. 
It belongs to the Weft-American com- 
pany at Peterfburgh, and forms the prin- 
cipal fettlement of that company, the 
members of which have raifed by volun- 
tary fubfcriptions the fum neceffary for 
forming a public library in that ifland, 
compoled of feveral thoufand Ruffian, 
and French books, and for eftablifhing a 
public-fchool, where the children of the 
natives are inftrudted In reading, writing, 
and arithmetic. DR HARA Dadri bh eA ah 
Colonel SKIOLDEBRAND, author of the 
Voyage Pittorefque au Cap Nord, is prepar- 
ing for the’ prefs a Natural Hiltory of 
Lapland. . TA aie ee 
~ Dr. Scungzcas, at Gotha, has been 
invited to Peterfburgh by Alexander J, 
in order to undertake botanical travels in 
the Ruffian dominions in Afia. He has 
accepted the invitation, and intends fet- 
ting out very fhortly on his important 
mifficn. Sale aca i 
The following are the refults of an 
analyfis of ambergris, by Cit. BOURIL- 
LON LAGRANGE: : 
is a compound fubftance, which burns 
and intirely evaporates when placed on - 
red-hot coals. 2. That by diftilling it 
oil partly foluble in alcohol, and of an 
empyreumatic fells 3. That by” fub- 
1. That ambergris — 
cf 
ae 
: 
{ 
: 
by: 
; 
4 
i 
; 
5 
: 
f 
limation, or the procefs of Scheele, ben- 
zoic acid is extratted from it. 4. That 
water does net att upon it. 
from 
5. That ¥ 
by means of nitric acid we may feparate 
y+ 
