, 
260 
to the count, in which he describes, 
among others, five manuscripts of Nes- 
tor, the most ancient historian of Russia. 
SWEDEN. 
The king has not only repealed the 
prohibition to import French and Danish 
books, but also restored the liberty of the 
press, on condition that the publisher 
shall give up the name and address of any 
obnoxious work; in which case the for- 
mer is released trom all responsibility. 
GERMANY. 
The catalogue of books which ap- 
peared at the last Easter fair at Leipsic, 
includes in the whole two thousand arti- 
cles, among which are ene hundred and 
twenty eight novels; fifty theatrical 
pieces, and between three and four 
hundred translations. 
A German author, in a work lately 
published, states the following curious 
fact:—A person having an artificial mag- 
net suspended from the wall of his study, 
with a piece of iron adhering to it, re- 
marked, for several years, that the flies 
in the room, though they frequently 
alighted on other iron articles, never 
settled on the artificial magnet; and even 
that, if any of those insects approached 
it, they again in a moment removed to 
some distance. “ It is worth the trou- 
ble,” says professor Voigt, who repeats 
this circumstance in his journal, “ to 
make further observations on this pheno- 
menon; and were it confirmed, magne- 
tised iron might be employed to preserve 
it from being soiled by flies, and perhaps 
also for other purposes.” 
The Austrian government has lately 
proposed the following prize-questions, 
relative to substitutes for various foreign 
articles in the 
What indigenous or European produc- 
tions, distinguished by specific effects, 
may be substituted for those now brought 
from India? 2. A substitute for cam- 
phor. 3. Asvbstitute for Peruvian bark. 
4. What Species of plants may replace 
senna, jalap, and ipecacuanha? De gsth 
substitute for opiuam.—The prize for 
each question is five hundred ducats. 
For the inquisitive traveller, a baro- 
meter is an instrument of tie highest 
Necessity, as itis not only serviceable for 
meteorological observations, but also for 
measuring heighis in the countries 
through which he passes. The common 
barometers are unfit for this purpose, as 
the weiglit of the quicksilver would break 
the glass tubes in the carriage. For 
this reason, M. de Luc, of Gottingen, 
@ considerable time since, contrived a 
Literary and Philosophical Intelligence: 
materia medica. a 
[April 1, 
travelling barometer, which: was highly 
approved. Dr. ScuuLtes has recently 1 n= ~ 
vented a new instrument of this descrip- 
tion, which may be placed horizontally, 
or vertically, without suffering the air to 
penetrate into the interior cavity. 
M. Lampaptus, of Freiberg, has dis- 
covered a method of condensing vapours 
in distillation, more rapidly than has yet 
been done. This is accomplished by 
means of a disk, attached to the tube of 
the still, which has the figure of a lens 
flattened as much as possible, and is 
made of copper. It produces a much 
better effect than the worms hitherto 
employed for that purpose. 
M. Gerrwer has, by the aid of various 
substances, extracted from the green. 
shells of horse-chesnuts very beautiful 
yeliow and brown colours, and the latter 
in the greatest diversity of hues. They 
are found to stand both on woollens and 
silks, though the stuffs have been wetted 
and wrung out, and some of them even. 
washed in caustic liquids. 
CrisTopHER HEEREN, organ-build- 
er, at Gottesbiihren, in Westphalia, has. 
invented a loom, which performs all the 
operations of itself. Without the inter- 
ventioy of the weaver, it sets the 
treadles in motion, throws the shuttle, 
and steps it-at the i side; loosens 
the web, when a certain portion is 
finished, "and winds the cloth upon the 
axle. ‘Every thing is kept in proper 
order; and the piece of stuff, when 
finished, is smoothed. An index, 
iehos to the machine, shows at any 
time the number of ells that are woven, 
This machine has as yet only been exhi- 
bited ona small scale to connvisseurs, 
and has obtained the highest appra- 
bation. 
Many ladies of Munich have learned 
to knit without needles. The inventor 
of this art is M. NeLursen, a native of 
the county of Limburg, who teaches it 
himself in the Bavarian capital, 
method, they can only knit breadthwise, 
and not circularly. 
M. Rocxsrrow, of Berlin, -has ins 
vented a machine for cutting paper 
straight, with any kind of scissars, whicla 
is likely to be of use to men of business. — 
We have already noticed the experi- 
ments of M. Drecey, of Vienna, to raise 
himself into the air. As his weight 
exceeded the power of the machinery — 
with which he effected this, by thirty-four 
pounds, he conceived the idea of com- 
bining with it an air-balloon, unagining 
that, 
It is, 
however, yet very imperfect; as, by this: 
Ta. a 
