64 
ROBERTSON, the celebrated acronaut, 
who afcended from Peterfburg Jaft year, 
is endeavouring to obtain the neceflary 
afiftance at that place fer the conftruction 
of an aiv-balloon on a very large feale; 
he propofes that it fhall be 732 feet in 
diameter, which he calculates will carry 
up 37 ton, «and which he fuppofes, there- 
fere, will eafily fupport 50 people, and 
all neceflary accommodations for them. 
It is to have attached to it a veffel fur- 
*nifhed with mafts, fails, and every other 
article requifite for navigating the fea in 
cafe of accidents, and provided with a 
cabin for the aeronauts, properly fitted 
up, galley for cocking, proper ftores for 
flowing provifions, and feveral other con- 
veniencies. To render the afcent more 
fafe, it is to take up another {maller bal- 
loon within it, and a parachute, which 
will render the defcent perfe&tly gentle, if 
the outer balloon burfts. From its con- 
&ruGion it will be calculated to remain m’ 
the air feveral weeks. 
The catalogue of the Leipfic fair, has 
this year contained two fheets more than 
vfeal. The mufical publications have 
been added to it. It contains 3647 arti- 
cles, furnifhed by 380 bookfellers. The 
number of romances is 271, of theatrical 
jeces 83, and mufic 5. 
M. SCHGNRZRGER, of Vienna, one of 
the firlt landicape-painters of the age, has 
recently been engaged in a tour of the 
moft pifturefque’parts of Switzerland and 
Ttaly. His productions are principally 
diftinguifhed tor the happy arrangement 
of the objects, for the vifeéts of the per- 
{segtive, and the beauty of the colouring. 
This able artift is as well known in France 
as in Germany, by his beautiful pieces, in 
the exhibition cf 1804. Thefe sere, a 
View of the Environs of Baiz, near Naples, 
at fun-rife; the Fall of the Rhine, near. 
Schaffaauien; antthe Cafcadesof Tivoli, 
by moon-light: performances in which the 
touch and the native graces of Claude le 
Lorain were difcoverable. 
A curious bronze bas-relief of a boy 
riding on a dolphin, difcovered at Colchet- 
fer, has been exhibited before the Szcicty 
of Antiquarians, at one of their late meet- 
ings. At ancther meeting, feveral filver 
ecoins.of Edward IIT., and two Roman 
copper coins (one of Claudius), were exhi- 
bited. ~The latter were found in the bed 
ofthe Thames, oppofite Sion-houfe, near 
Kew. The drawings of paintings difco- 
2red in repairiag the walls of St. Ste- 
phen’s Chapel were alfo dilplayed. They 
are about three feet by two, and conflt of 
| Literary and Philofophical Intelligence. 
[Feb. 1, 
feveral perfons around a table in one come 
partment; in the other, of three female 
figures, with an e@xfeola, indicative of 
their faintthip. Both the male and fe- 
male countenances have the ait of Nor- 
mans. 
The following is a method of sreparing 
a luminous bottle, which will give fufh- 
cient light during the night to admit of 
the hour being eafily feen on the dial of 2 
watch :—-‘* A phial of clear white glafs; 
ofa long form, fhould be chofen, and fome 
fine olive-oil thould be heated to ebullition . 
in another vefiel. A bit of phofphorus, 
the fize of a pea, fhould be thrown into a 
phial, and the boiling oil carefully poured 
over it, till the phial is one third filled. — 
The phial muft now be carefully corked, 
and when it is to be ufed, it fhould be un- 
ftopped, to admit the external air, and 
clofed again. The empty fpace of the 
phial wili then appear-leminovus, and give 
as nwch light as a dull ordinary lamp.— 
Each time that the light difappears, on 
removing the ftopper it will intantly re- 
appear. In cold weather the bottle 
fhould be warmed in the hands before the — 
ftopper isremmoved. A phial-thus prepar- 
ed may. be -ufed -every night for fix 
months. 
Meffrs. Fourcroy and VAUQUELIN 
have difcovered a new indammable and 
-detonating fubftance, formed by the ac- 
tion of the nitric acid upon indigo and 
the animal matters. They are fatisfied 
that the detonating property of their 
newly-difeovered fubfanee is owing nei- 
ther to the prefence of the nitric acid,‘nor 
to that of ammoniac. Concentrated ful- 
phuric acid difengaged from it no acid 
vapour; cauftic potafh no ammoniac va- 
pour. Indigo, they fay, is not the oaly 
fubfance which furnifhes detonating mat- 
ter: the mufcular fibre treated by nitric 
acid, prefents the fame phenomena; and 
it is probable that filk, wocl, and other 
animal and vegetable matters containing 
azote may yield it jikew'fe. From the 
feveral experiments made on this fubjedt, 
they infer, (1-) That the benzoic acid can 
be formed from its conftituent principles, 
which was not before known: (2.)° That 
the animal aod vegetable fubftanees con- 
taining azote, through the agency of the 
nitric acid, which feparates from them 
carben, hydrogen, and azote, give rife to 
a fubftance fuperfaturated with oxygen, 
which communicates to it the detonating 
property. nis fubftance appears to be 
a fuper-oxygenated hydro-carburét of 
Three 
/ ~ 
ah 
