1805.] 
Foreigners, eminent for their fkill, either 
in the ufeful or ornamental arts, are in- 
vited by rewards to refide in that country. 
A new academy of {ciences has been found- 
ed at Munich under the direétion of Count 
RuMForD, who has been named its pre- 
fident. To this SOMMERENG and other 
men of learning have been already ap- 
pointed with handfome falaries. A large 
obfervatory has been: built, and furnifhed 
with whatever may be accounted neceflary 
to render it complete. 
The architect SCHAFFER, of Drefden, 
who lately diftinguithed himfelf by the erec- 
tion of a handfome monument to Luther, 
has been appointed profeffor of architeCture 
at Doffeldorf. ; 
M. Baver, a mechanic, who has dif- 
tinguifhed himfeif by the invention of 
an excellent mait and flour mill has re- 
ceived from the Ele&tor of Bavaria a hand- 
fome donation, accompanied by -an order 
to make another mill of the fame conftruc- 
tion at the Elegtor’s expence, to be ereéted 
at Weihenfephen in his dominions. 
The Teylerian Society hasdecreed the 
gold medal to JacoB HaaFnsr of Am- 
fterdam, for his prize-eflay on the follow- 
ing fubject :—** What has been the influ- 
ence of miffions in diffufing Chriftianity, 
during the two laft.centuries, and what 
may be expected from the Miffionary So- 
cleties now exifting.”” ' 
Mr. JEFFERSON, the prefident of the 
United States of America, has fet on foot 
a journey, the object of which is to explore 
the river Miflouri, as. far as its fource; 
then to vifit the neareft river fituated to the 
Welt, and to defcend thence to the Pacific 
Ocean; to examine the natural hiftory of 
the regions through which the travellers 
pafs, and to afcertain an exact geography 
of that interefting channel.of communica- 
tion acrofs the continent. The prefent 
expedition is undertaken by twelve perfons, 
who will probably return towards the end 
of the prefent year. This truly patriotic 
Prefident hopes to be able in the courfe of 
the next fummer to fend other travellers 
towards the principal branchesof the Mif- 
fiffippi and the Miflouri, the Red River to 
Arcanfa,: Padoruas, and the river Mit. 
fiflippi itfelf. Tie objects of thele expe- 
ditions will be the fame as thofe of the pre- 
fent, and will require about two years to 
accomplifh them in. Several of theie rivers 
extend to one thoufand, or one thoufand 
two hundred, miles inland, reckoning from. 
their fources, and into regions never vifited 
by white men. : | 
M. Proust, profeffor of chemiftry at 
Madrid, on tranfmitting to M. LasTeriz ” 
MonTuLy Maa, No. 132, © 
Literary and Philofophical Intelligence. 
589 
a memoir relative to the experiments which 
he has been making on the fruit of the ca- 
rob tree, informs him that he has found in 
Spain the earth of which floating bricks 
are made. He intends to publifh the refule 
of his experiments. 
M, MarecHaux has invented a new 
and very fenlible ele¢trometer, which he 
calls a micro-eleétrometer, It confilts of 
a glafs cylinder, about an inch and a half: 
in diameter, and five or fix inches high 5 
in this a piece of leaf-filver is fufpended 
from a: imall pair of nippers, capable of 
being lowered or elevated. “The piece 
that carries the nippers may likewiie be 
moved horizontally, fo that the leaf may 
be moved nearer to oy further from a: 
{phere of copper, which is one of the poles 
of the inftrument. Ifa flender glafs tube be: 
rubbed but twice, and brought within feve- 
ral inches of its fummit, it pafles through 
the whole extent of its {cale. Onaccount 
of its great fenfbility, and becaufe only 
very weak degrees of electricity can be 
meafured by it, the inventor calls it a 
micro-ele&rometer.. . 
The following is a new and economical 
method invented by M. GorTTiine for 
feparating copper from filver. Having af- 
certained-the-proportion of filver in the al- 
loy: take one part of fulphuric acid for 
every part of filver, and for every part of 
copper, three parts and three-fifths of a 
part of the fame acid. Dilute the acid - 
with half its weight of water, and pour 
into a matrafs on the alloy reduced to very 
fmall pieces. . The matrafs is then to be 
placed in a fand heat, and the acid breught 
toa ftate of ebullition. In two or three» 
hours, the alloy is converted into a ful- 
phate ; while it is (till hot, add fix or eight - 
times its weight of boiling water. The 
fulphate of copper will be diffolved, and . 
great part of the fulphate of filver will be . 
precipitated. 
Dr. RicHTER, of Berlin, has difcover.. 
ed a new metal which is fubject to magne- 
tic attraction. As it generally accom- 
panies Nickel, and is fimilar to it in appear- 
ance, he has given it the name of Nicolan. 
M.Brorero, profeffor of botany, at 
‘the univerfity of Coimbra, has publithed a | 
‘¢ Flora Lufitanica,’* in 2 vols. 8vo. This 
work is the fruit of feventeen years labour - 
and travelling in every part of Portugal. 
The fame author is publifhing a work in 
numbers, under the, title of ** Phytogra- 
phia Lufitanica Sele&tior.” The firtt 
number contains defcriptions of more than 
thirty vegetables, many of them imper=4. 
feétly known, or non-defcripts. | 
The excavations begun in Sicily, unde 
ae: ee * the 
