162 
M. C#ENEVIX, in a letter, dated Dref- 
den, obferves, that Des CosTiLs diffolves 
raw platina in nitro-muriatic acid, and 
precipitates it by muriate of ammonia at 
ieveral times. The firit portions are yel- 
low, the lat redder. ‘He reduces the red 
precipitate, and obtains an alloy. He 
expofes this alloy ro a current of oxygen, 
and a blue oxide is volatilized ; pure pla- 
tina remains behind. The blue fublimate 
is the oxide of his new metal: 
A new vegetable falt, containing a new 
acid, has been dilcovered by Krarrern. 
It confifts of a faline mais, excluded from 
the trunk of the white mulberry, morus 
alba, L. on the furface of the bark; it 
has the appearance of a coating, in little 
granulous drops of a yeilowifh:and black- 
uh brown. 
Profeffor SPALDING has juft publifhed 
a fecond volume of his edition of the in- 
ftitutes of Quintillian. 
SCHWEIGHZEUSER has lately publifhed 
two new volumes of Atheneus, one of 
the text and the other of notes. 
Profeffor Heyne hes im the prefs a 
new edition of Virgil, intended chicfly for 
fchools; it will be comprifed in four 
fmall volumes. 
A new ediicn of the Argonautics of 
Orpheus bas been lately pubdlithed, with 
notes, by SCHNEIDER. 
Beck is preparing for the prefs, a new 
edition of Sophocles, in three volumes, 
quarto; it is expedled to be ready for 
publication at the end of the prefent year, 
* From an official account of Louifiana, 
we learn, that there exifts, about 1000 
miles up the Miffouri, and near that river, 
4 mountain of falt, 180 miles ‘ong, and 
forty-five in width. It 1s compoled of 
folid rock-falt, without any trees or even 
fhrubs on it. Salt f{prings are very nu- 
merous beneath the furface of the moun- 
tain. 
Some French chemifts have difcovered 
platina to be a compound fubftance, con- 
taining, befides platina, a blue oxide of 
fome new metal, fellurium, chronium, avd 
a black powder unknown. 
C. F. Rerndarp, of Strafburgh, has 
obtained a patent for his new method of 
printing moufical notes with folid plates. 
Thefe {tereotypes differ from Didot’s, 
who fets up moveable types to form a 
matrix, whereas Reinhard requires no in- 
termediate matrix, but fets up directly with 
moveable matrices : a procefs at once fim- 
ple, certain and unexpenfive. M. Rein- 
hard by printing with two colours has 
likewife fucceeded in imitating written 
mufic with more effect than can be dome 
by means of engraved plates. 
Literary and Philcfophical Intelligence: 
[March 7, 
An excellent reculation has lately been 
publifhed in Holland, which prevents 
ignorant quacks from felling their poi 
fons, and tampering with the conflitu- 
tions of their infatuated patients. 
Profeflor Wizore, of Copenhagen, has 
invented a machine for weighing corn. by 
means of which the quality may be difce- 
vered from its weight. bg 
The Society of Domeftic Economy at 
Copenhagen* has offered a prize of reo 
rix dollars for the beft anfwer to the 
queftion—What is the belt proceis for 
converting bones into nutritive foed ? 
M. Wotr, of Turnau, in Bohemia, 
has difcovered a peeuliar kind of vitreous 
matter, which is obtained from a blackith 
bafaltes, found in abundance at Buchberg, 
in Bohemia. When this ftone is laid in 
the glafs-furnace, it becomes fluid in 
eight hours time, fo that inuff-boxes, can- 
dlefticks, &c. of the moft approved form, 
maybe caft with it. It is more fluid 
than fufed gla{s, and therefore cannot be 
blown like that fubftance, but may, how- 
ever, be drawn into coarfe threads and 
bars. Whencold, it becomes harder than 
glafs, and is not fo eafily ground and cut. 
In cating it, the mafs ftrongly adheres to — 
iron moulds ; to prevent which inconve- 
nience, they muft be made of brafs. It 
likewife corrodes the fmelting-pots more 
than glafs; it may, however, be ufed in- 
fread of manganele, as an addition to the 
latrer, which it colours. 7 
In the circle of Littau, in Eat Proffia, 
about twelve miles from the Baltic, a piece 
of amber was lately found in digging @ 
drain toa meadow ; the greateft length of 
it was thirteen inches and a quarter, and 
its greateft breadth eight inches and a 
half. It contains 318 Rhineland cebic 
inches, and weighs fifteen pounds, fifteen 
ounces and three quarters, fo that it con- 
fiderably exceeds in five and weight the 
piece of amber jn the Kiing of Spain's Ca- 
binet of Natural Hiltory at Madrid, 
which weighs eight pounds, and has been 
efteemed the Jargeft piece hitherto either 
found on the fea-thore, or dug cut of the 
ground. A dealer offered 3000 dollars 
for this curious fpecimen; but, all the 
amber found in Pivffia being the property 
of the fovereign, the King hes ordered it 
to be depofited in the Cabinet of Mime- 
rals at Berlin, allowing, however, 1000 
dollars to the proprietor of the efate 
where it was found. 
The Dépot Militaire at Paris has lately 
publithed, in two volumes, oftavo, with a 
map, a Notice Defcriptive de Angleterre, — 
f Ecofe, et UIrlande, containing particular 
informatien (chiefly from Englith works) 
relatine: 
‘ 
