—_ Ss 
” 
4806.) 
Dr. THORNTON has faved the lives of 
two perfons, who had taken, the one an 
ounce, and the other two ounces, of lau- 
danum, by means of acids, and the inha- 
lation of oxygen-gas. The quickeft and 
moft powerful emetics had no effect, fuch 
as vitriolated zinc, and tartar’ emetic in 
large doles, till they were affitted by 
means of Jemon-juice. ‘* Opium (fays 
the Doétor,) deprives the fyftem of its 
oxygen; that is, it renders the fibres lefs 
atiraétive of that principle ; and hence 
oxygenated metals, prefenting lefs affinity 
to the fibres of the ftomach, are not de- 
compofed, and fail of counteracting the 
fatal effects of opium. The vegetable 
acids eafily give out their oxygen, and 
they therefore at once counteract the 
effects of Jaudanum. 
In February a letter was read at a meet- 
ing of the Roya} Society, from Mr. 
Gairrirus to the Prefident, containing a 
brief account of a fpecies of worm-thell 
found by him in a bank of clay on the 
coaft of Sumatra, after the fhock of an 
earthquake. Confiderable numbers of the 
fame {pecies are found in the furrounding 
feas, in water from one to fix fathoms 
deep ; they vary in lesgth from three to 
five feet, and in diameter from three to 
nine inches. One of the f{pecimens pro- 
cured by Mr. Griffiths meafures above 
five feet, is taper, has two tentaculi, and 
in other re{pects is fomewhat different from 
the figure given by Rhumphius. Not 
. one of the fhells could be procured perfec 
in itfelf; but their true figure may be 
correcily conceived from the different 
broken {pecimens. The body of the fith 
conohfted of a gelatinous mafs. The out- 
fide of the fhell was white, the infide yel- 
low, and its fracture firongly refimbled 
ftalaéctite, 
At the Society of Antiquaries, feveral 
curious hiftorica] Notices have been read, 
On the charaéier and office of the ancient 
mintrels, or, as they have been fometimes 
called, Cytharifts in this country ; from 
which it appeared, that feveral females 
had affumed the charaéter of wandering 
minftrels and dancers. Their Joofe man- 
nes of life foon rendered them obnoxious 
to the laws, and they were at length fup- 
prefled ; but it dces not appear that their 
mufic-and dancing at any time were at all 
allied to the general licentioufnels of per- 
fons of the like profefiion in every coun- 
try on the Continent. 
Mr. Hawker, of Dudbridge, Glou- 
celterfhire, has lately exhibited, at Sir Jo- 
feph Banks's, complete drawings, and 
feyeral of the boncs of a large fofhile ani- 
& t 
Literary and Philofophical Intelligence. 
249 
mal, fimilar to the crocodile, found in a 
folid firatum of limeftone twenty feet 
thick. It was imbedded fifteen feet be- 
low the furface of the ftratum. The fkes 
leton meafures 104 feet in length, and alk 
the parts are wonderfully perfe&. The 
jaws contained the teeth in high preferva- 
tion, and ftill covered with enamel. One 
of them, which was broken, had fo exact. 
ly the fraéture of what is called petrified 
wood, as to furnifi a firong ground for 
fufpicion that many foflils, generally held 
to be of vegetable, are of animal crigin. 
In the fame ftratum of limeftone are found 
many cornua ammonis, muicies, and 
other fhells. 
Dr. RicuTer has lately difcovered a 
metal which refembles, in many refpeéts, 
n.ckel, and which he calls xiccolanum. 
In comparing this fubftance with cobait 
and nickel, we are told it refembles (1) 
by its property of furcharging itfelf with 
oxygen at the exnence of the nitric acid, 
and thus ferming a body which refembles 
the black oxyde of manganele, with re- 
fpect to its folubility in the acids: {2) by 
iis property of not being reducible with. 
out the intervention of a combuttible bo- 
dy. It differs from cobalt (1) by the 
blackith-green colour of its falutions, 
even when they are neutralized: (2) by 
the colour of its carbonate: that of cobalt 
is of a beautiful purple; but that of nic- 
colanum is of a blueith-green, inclining 
toa pale grey: (3) by the colour of its 
oxyde prec:pitated without carbonic acid ; 
that of cobalt is of a deep blue, and 
changes, even during wafhing, into a 
blackif-brown, but the oxyde of nicco- 
lanum isof a blueith green. Niccolanum 
refembles nickel (1) by its ftrong mag. 
netic quality: (2) by its malleability: 
(3) by the deep green colour of its folu- 
tionst (4) by the lofs of this colour when 
its neutral combinations are deprived of 
water: (5) by the colour of its acid folu- 
tion with an excefs ef ammoniac. Itdif- 
fers from nickel: (1) becaufe it cannot be 
reduced without the istervestion of a 
combuttible body : (2) becaufe nitric acid 
attacks and oxydates it more eaiily: (3) 
by the colour of itscombinations, and by 
the colour of its precipitates. 
M. CHrvarier, of Berlin, has ins 
vented a new varnifh applicable to wood, 
platter, and other fubitances, and which 
refifts the agtion of water, air, and alka. 
line leys. Itis thought that wood em, 
poyed for the conftruction of fhips, or 
houles, or for pies funk in water or wet 
earth, coated over wih this varnith,. 
will last three times as long, and run no 
nifk 
