= wicks, 
1804.] 
It appears from the fcale given in 
SmiTH’s ‘* New Englifh Atlas,’ that 
England and Wales meafure 58,335 
f{quare ftatute miles, or 37,334,400 acres 5 
that the population is equal to 8,872,980 3 
equal to 152 perfons to a fquare mile. 
Scotland and Ireland are nearly equal to 
each other in area, and together are equal 
to England and Wales. The population of 
Scotland being 1,600,000, averages 55 to 
a {quare mile, and the population of Ire- 
land being about 4,250,000, averages 
146 toa /quare Britifh mile.—N. B. The 
area of a iquare ftatute mile is to the area 
of a fquare geographical mile, as three to 
four. 
Mr. SMITHSON TENNANT has dif- 
eovered two new metals in the black pow- 
der which remains after diflolving platina, 
of which he has given an account to the 
Royal Society. The properties of one, 
which he cails the erzdium, from the vari- 
ous colours of it in folution, are, that it 
diflolves in all the acids, but leaft in ma- 
rine acid, with which it forms odctaédral 
cryftals.. The folution with much oxygen 
is deep red; with a fmaller proportion, 
green or deep blue. It is partially pre- 
cipitated by the three alkalies when pure. 
A!l the metals, excepting gold and pla-. 
tina, precipitate it. Gallsand precipitate 
of pot-ath,; take away the colour of this 
folution, but without any precipitate, and 
afford an eafy teit of its prefence. The 
fecond new metal is obtained by heating 
the black powder with pure alkali, ina 
filver crucible. The oxide of this metal 
unites with the alkali, and may be expel- 
Jed by an acid, and obtained by diftilla- 
tion, being very volatile. The oxide has 
a flrong imell, from which Mr. Tennant 
has called it ofmium. It does not redden 
vegetable blues, but fiains the {kin of a 
deep red or black. The oxide, in jolution 
with water, has no colour; but, by com- 
bining with alkali or lime, becomes yel- 
low. With galls it gives a very vivid 
blue colour. All the metals, excepting 
gold and platina, precipitate this metal. 
If mercury is agitated with the aqueous 
folation of the oxide, an amalgam is form- 
ed, which, by heat, lofes the mercury, and 
leaves the ofmium pure as black powder. 
A_ new literary fociety has lately been 
eftablithed, which promifes to be of fer- 
vice to {cience: it is denominated, ** Tie 
Society of Athenian Traveilers.”? Fu- 
ture members, who have viiited Athens, 
are to be admitted by ballot. 
Mr. Freperic Accum ‘has invented 
a chemical lamp, with double concentric 
The advantages of this lamp 
above all others, confts in quickly pro- 
Literary and Philofophical Intelligence. 145 
ducing, if required, a very low as well 
as intenfe heat, and in regulating its power 
inftantaneoufly ; by means of which the 
operator may obferve a number of minute 
circumitances effential to be known, but 
which cannot be noticed when the fame 
procefs is carried on within a furnace. 
The Phyficians of the original Vaccine 
Pock Intiitution, have printed ** A St-te. 
ment of Evidence from Trials by Ino- 
culation of Variolous and Waccine Mat. 
ter, to judge of the Queftion, whether 
or not a Perfon can unuergo the Small- 
Pox, after being affected by the Cow- 
Pock???) The refule of the experiments 
related in this pamphlet was, ‘¢ that above 
50 perfons who had been vaccinated three 
to five years ago, and ten who had been 
vaccinated ata later period, were incapable 
of taking the fmall-pox by inoculation 
in circumftances chofen as moft favourable 
for infection. For many of the fubje&s 
were expofed tothe effluvia from fmall- 
pox patients ; they were all inocuiaied in 
three times the ufual numb r of place: ; 
they were all inoculated with efficacicus 
and recent matter; and with many of 
them unufual pains were beftowed to in- 
troduce the matter quite fluid imme- 
diately from the variolous patien’. 
After a variety of obfervations on the 
queftion, made with judgement and can- 
dour, the work concludes in the follow- 
ing manner: ‘* Hence then it feems to 
us, that, at the utmoit, the adverfaries 
can only pretend to maintain two things. 
1. That in a very {mali propertion of in- 
ftances, perhaps one cafe out of feveral 
thoufands, the cow rock fails to deftroy 
the capability of the fmall-pox in a thort 
time after vaccinat on. 2. That in a 
greater proportion of inftances, the ful 
ceptibility of taking the fmall-pox will 
be found to have*:returned in a longer 
time, as three or more years after vaccine 
ation, But we lubmit to the judgment 
of the whole medical worlc, whether or 
not, coniidering tre body of poiitive evi- 
dence brought torward, the :mprobability 
of a greater number of tailures of the 
cow-pock, in the practice of certain fingle 
perfons, (whole whole experience bears fo 
{mall a proportion to that of this In{titu- 
tion and its conncétions,) than in’ the 
practice of thofe of an hundred times its 
extent; and tre numerous cates afferted 
to be thofe of {mail-pox, which, on in- 
veltigation, were found to be other erup- 
tions—We fay, confiiering all thefe 
points, is it not more probable, that the 
adverfe inflances are deceptions, than 
that they afford exceptions to a law of 
the hunian animal economy ?” 
Mr. 
