1809.] 
The Rev. Thomas Belsham, Minister of the 
Unitarian Chapel, Essex Street, Strand, 
London. H. Howard, pinxit. 24 Schisswo- 
netti, sculpt. $ 
*Thisisabeautifulandvery Bean anished 
Engraving, 15 mechesby 12, inthe artist’s 
best style. Mr. Howard, aoe picture 
was exhibited the last spring at the Royal 
Academy, has hit off the exact likeness 
of the preacher, (who is exhibited in -his 
robes;) and Mr. Schiavonetti has net. 
been less successful with his graver,. 
INTELLIGENCE. 
The Lectures on Painting, delivered 
by the late Professor Opie, are just 
published by his widow ; and are as in- 
teresting in the study, | and as useful in 
the painting-room, as they were impres- 
sive and forcible in the-Lecture-room,. 
Another number of the Academical © 
Aunals, or Transactions of the Royal 
Proceedings of Learned Societies. 
ent kinds of architecture. 
69 
Academy of London, by. the Secretary 
for Foreign Correspondence, ‘has just 
aay for the years 1805-6, 1807, 
aud 1608-9; containing also, accounts 
from the sculptors, of public works now 
in hand, a description of the Townley 
Gallery of Antiques in the British Mu- 
scum, and of the British Institution for 
the Eviccuragement of the Fine Arts. 
There has been for a long time in 
Paris, a novel kind of exhibition, con- 
sisting of Plaster Models of the most 
celebrated ancient edifices of differ- 
They con- 
sisted, at the date of our accounts, of 
seventy- -four pieces, arranged under the 
division of Egyptian, Indian, Persian, 
Grecian, Etruséan, Cyclopean, Celtic, 
and Roman architecture, Such a col- 
lection, which might be peed at. an 
easy rate, is a grand desideratuin in our 
ae Academy. 
PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 
— 
“ROYAL SOCIE” PY OE. LONDON. 
R.¥Younce has laid before this learned 
body, a paper, “On the Functions 
of the Heart.” The object of this paper, 
whichwas read as theCroonian lecture,was 
to prove, that in the ordinary state of cir- 
culation, the muscular powers of the 
arteries have very little eftect in propel- 
ling the blood. He observes, that thé me- 
chanical motions, which take place in 
the animal body, are regulated by. the 
same general laws, as the motions of in- 
animate bodies: thus the force of gravi-~ 
tation acts precisely in the same man- 
ner, and in the same degree, on living as 
on dead matter, except when the powers 
of life are capable of instituting a pro- 
— cess, Calculated to overcome those affec- 
tions, by others, which are commen- 
Surate to them, and which are of a con- 
trary. tendency: thus animal bodies are 
incapable of being frozen, by a consider-_ 
able degree of cold, because animals have 
the power of generating heat; but the 
skin of an animal has no power of gene- 
rating an acid, or an alkali, to neutra- 
- tize the action Of, an alkaline, or an acid 
caustic; avd therefore its texture is de- 
stroyed. by the chemical attractions of 
such an agent, when it comes in contact 
with it, As far, therefore, as the func- 
tions of animal life depend on the loco- 
motions of the solids, and fluids, those 
functions must be capable of being il. 
— Justrated me the consideration of the 
mechanical laws of moving: bodies; and 
hence it is.interred, that the enquiry in 
what manner, and in what’ degree the 
circulation of the blood depends on the 
muscular, and elastic powers of the 
heart, and of the arteries ; supposing the 
nature of those powers to be known, 
must hecome ‘simply a question belong. 
ing to the most refined ‘departments of 
the theory of hydraulics. 
_ In examining the functions of the 
heart and arteries, Dr. Young enquires, 
what would be the nature of “the” ciréu= 
lation of the blood, af the whole of the 
veins and arteries were invariable in 
their dimensions, dike tubes of. glass, or 
bone: (2) in what manner the pulse 
would be transmitted from the heart, 
through the arteries, if they were merely 
elastic tubes; and (3) what actions we 
‘can with propriety attribute to the mus._ 
cular coats of the arteries themscives. 
‘In considering the blood-vessels as 
tubes, of invariable dimensions, the doc. 
tur supposes, with a view of determining 
the velocity of the blood, in ther dif. 
ferent parts, and the resisiances opposed 
to its motion, that this motion is nearly 
uniform, since the alternations, arising 
from the pulsation of the heart do nee 
materially affect the calculation, espe- 
cially as they are much less sensible in 
the smaller vessels, than in the larver 
ones; 
