te ee 
‘846 
found on the fea-coaft and other places; 
and he obferves, that horfes and other ani-- 
mals rarely of themfelves fall into danger 
from them, and if at any time they do, 
they throw themfelves inflantly on their 
fide: hence he recommends to any man 
who fhould experience a bke misfortune, 
to extend himfelf nearly in the attitude of 
a {wimmer, when he throws himéfelf into 
the water. 
Kithop Mapvison, of America, has been 
enabled to aicertain that the Mammoth, 
or American Elephant, was an herbivorous 
animal.—In digging a well in Wythe- 
county, Virginia, after penetrating about 
five feet and a half from the furface, the 
Jabourers ftruck againft the ftomach ofa 
Mammoth, the contents of which were in 
a ftate of perfec! prefervation, confifting of 
half rnaiticated reeds, twigs, and grails, or 
leaves. The bifhop adds, “ there could 
be no deception; the fubftances were Ge- 
fiznated by obvious chara&ters which covid 
not be miftaken, and of which every one 
could judge; befides the bones of the ani- 
mal lay around, and added a filent, but fure 
confirmation.’” In addition to this faé& it 
may be deferving of notice that Mr. Fran- 
cis Nevil, in his account of the elephantine 
teeth that were difcovered in the north of 
Treland, early in the eighteenth century, 
has mentioned fome facts relative to the 
long prefervation of vegetable matters, 
which feem worthy of our notice in this 
place: and themore fo, as this gentleman’s 
paper feems not to have excited any atten- 
tion among the modern writers on the 
exuviz of animals found in covntries m 
which the living animals themfelves are no 
longer feen. Some extravagant conjec- 
tures aremixed with Mr. Nevil’s account: 
but thefe do net, in the Jeaft, invalidate 
the truth of what he fays, relative to the 
bed upon which the Inifhelephant was laid. 
«© The place (fays he) where this montter 
lay, was thus prepared, which makes me 
believe it had been buried, or that it had 
2 It was about 
‘our Feet under ground, with a Jittle rifing 
sve the faperficies of the earth, which 
was a plain under the foot of a hill, and 
about thirty yards from the brook or there- 
about. The bed whercen it lay had been 
laid with fern, with that fort of rufhes 
here called {prits, and with buines inter- 
mixed. Under this was 2 fiff blue clay 
oa which the teeth and bones were found: 
above this was firft a mixture of yellow 
clay and fand much of the fame colour; 
under that-a fine white fandy clay, which 
was next to the bed: the bed was for the 
yioft part a foot thick, and in fome places 
thicker, with a moifture clear through it; 
ab 
7a 
Literary and Philofophical Intelligence. 
[May ?, 
it lay fad and clofe, and cut much like turf, 
and would divide into flakes, thicker or 
thinner as you would; and in every layer 
the feed of the rufhes was as frefh as if 
new pulled, fo that it was in the height of 
feed-time that thofe bones were laid there. 
The branches of the fern in every lay as we 
opened them, were very diftinguifhable, as. 
were the feeds ef the rufhes and the tops 
of the boughs. - The whole matter {melt 
very four as it was dug, and tracing it F 
found it 74 feet long and about 20 or 23 
feet broad.’—‘¢ I forgot to mention that 
there was a great many nut-hhells found 
about the bed, perhaps thole might have 
been on the buthes which compoled part 
of the bed.” 
M. Poipevin of Rouen has warned 
his country man and the world at large of 
the danger attaching to the ule of Earthen- 
ware and Pottery of bad quality, on ac. 
‘count of the metallic oxides ufed in the 
glazing, which are capable of doing much 
injury, being frequently foluble in fat or 
acid fubftances. The moft noxious defeds 
are the cavities, or pits, and the under- 
baking: the former are occafioned by be- 
ing too little aéted on by the fire, and 
thereby not fufed into a vitreous fub- 
ftance. By under-baking theenamel does 
not agelutinate, and is capable of being 
taken up by all the liquids with which it 
may come im contact. 
_ Mr. Pirow has lately communicated 
to the French National Inftitute a memoir 
on the Temperature of the Sea; an intereft- 
ing fubject, capable of being applied to 
various ule‘ul purpofes, and which has 
accordingly engaged the attention of a cen- 
fiderable number of philofophical oblerv- 
ers. His general faéis are, 1. The mean 
temperature of the fea at its furface is com- 
monly more elevated then that of the air. 
2. Itis higher the nearer to the continents 
and large iflands. 3. At a dittance from 
the fhore in deep feas the water is colder 
below than at its furface; and the more 
the greater the depth. All the oblerva- 
tions feem to fhew, that in the abyfles of 
the ecean, as well as on the fummits of 
raountains, evea under the equator, eternal 
frot prevails. 4. A fimilar cold is ob- 
ferved in extenfive lakes, and even within 
the earti at great depths, but it appears 
to be lefs fudden. 5. Thele refults con- 
cur in proving, that the temperature with- 
in the earth is not every where the fame 
and equal to 933°, as has been Jong 
thoneht (about 50° Fahr, whether this 
be’ centigsade or Reaumur’s {caie.) 
M. Parmentier has publifned in the 
Annales de Chimie, an account of a new 
ana very excellent vacaith, which cenfits 
of 
