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paper and canvas; but all my remonstrances have no effect, and their mo ther never fails to take their part, and encourage their folly and perverseness. I believe they have contrived to turn her head as well as their own; for when I attempt to reason with her on the absurdity and danger of encouraging their idleness, she overwhelms me with a torrent of names of poets and painters, who, she says, were children of tradesmen like myself, and raised themselves by their talents to fame and independence. I know that some men of genius have advanced from obscurity in

to notice solely by their own merit; but I believe that for every instance of indigent genius succeeding in the world, twenty of the reverse might be produced. Nay, if my boys had really talents for poetry or painting, I might perhaps sacrifice my own wishes to their inclinations, but unfortunately there is not a single spark of genius among them for either art; of this I have been assured by several sincere and candid friends, who were well qualified to judge of these matters, and to whom I showed some of my sons' performances. Neither is this silly extravagance inspired by Nature; the confounded itch for painting and versifying has affected them only within these 2 or 3 months, and since they began to attend a society (as they call it) of Shopkeepers' Clerks and Apprentices, where some wag, I suppose, seeing their weakness, has determin. ed to amuse himself and friends at their expence. But their madness does not stop even here, for I overheard them yesterday talking of publishing some poetry by subscription, and disputing about the characters they were to personate in a private play.This last specimen of insanity convinced me that some decisive measure must be immediately adopted, otherwise the disease will be past all cure, and the ruin of my boys certain.Have the goodness to favour me with

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MR R JOHN PENWARNE has obtained his Majesty's letters patent, for his valuable invention of the Terra Marmorossa, L which plaster-casts are made to resemble, both in hardness and colour, the most beautiful statuary marble; a discovery highly interesting to the lovers of the fine arrs.

Some experiments have been tried in the course of the present month, in the presence of a considerable number of London Surveyors, on a new Fire and Water Proof Terras, for roofs and ceilings, and it has been found to answer the most sanguine expectations.

Mr W. J. Hooker, F.L.S. of Norwich, is lately returned from Iceland, where he spent the summer, in investigating the natural history of that country. He travelled with a retinue of Icelanders, as far up the country as the perennial snow would permit ; pitching his tent wherever interesting objects, such as the Geyser springs, invited. He made a large collection of specimens of quadrupeds, birds, insects, plants, and minerals. He likewise purchased, in different places, Icelandic books, weapons, dresses, &c. at high prices. It is to be regretted, however, that nearly the whole of his labours were lost, by the vessel in which he embarked for London taking fire, and being burnt to the water'sedge. The crew and passengers were

saved by another vessel, which fortunately happened to heave in sight. Mr Hooker, after whom the president of the Linnæan Society nained his new genus of mosses, is already well known to the lovers of Natural History, as the discoverer of Buxbaumia aphylla, as well as by his scientific drawings for the valuable work on Fuci, by his friend Dawson Turner, of Yarmouth; and his descriptions of several mosses, gathered by Dr Buchanan, during his journey to Nypal, published in the last volume of the Linnean Transactions.

M. G. B. Sage has ascertained the existence of alumine in meteoric stones; a circumstance not noticed by Klaproth, Fourcroy, or Vauquelin, who have given analyses of these substan

ces.

This he ascribes to their having employed fusion through the medium of alkalis, which is known to alter the nature of some earths. Having vitriolized some of the meteoric stones of Aigle and Salles, near Villefranche, in the Lyonese, M. Sage obtained alum from both, but in unequal proportions, the former yielding onefourth, but the latter not more than one-eight. As the fracture of stones of this description shows, very imperfectly, the arrangement and brilliancy of the native iron which they contain, the same chemist, in order to examine it on a large surface, has had a vase turned from an aerolite of Salles. It exhibits parcels of iron of irregu lar configurations, which have a silvery lustre, intermingled with very small spots of greenish yellow, disseminated in a quartzose gangue of ashen grey.

M. Rampasse has discovered, in an old quarry, upon a hill, near Bastia, in Corsica, a calcareous earth, embedded in a stratum of calcareous stone, and containing, among other substances, various kinds of bones. specimens of these he has transmitted to Paris for the inspection of M. Cur

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vier, who states, that among them is a head well characterized, which must have belonged to the genus lagomys, of which there are at present but. three species known, all of them dis-, covered in Siberia, by Pallas.

The imperial conservatory of music at Paris have made a very favourable report on the new musical instrument, denominated the Clavi-cylinder, invented by M. Chladni, which we recently noticed. This report de-. scribes it as resembling the flute and clarionet in the high notes, and the bassoon in the lower keys; it admits, however, that the instrument is not so well adapted for lively strains as to solemn music; but its effects in the crescendo and diminuendo are highly praised. M. Chladni himself gives the following account of his invention:-The clavi-cylinder contains a set of keys, and behind this a glass. cylinder, seven centimetres in diameter, which is turned by means of a pedal and a loaded wheel. This cylinder is not the sounding body, but it produces the sound by friction on the interior mechanism. The sounds may be prolonged at pleasure, with all the shades of crescendo and diminuendo, in proportion as the pressure. on the keys is encreased or diminished. This instrument is never out of tune. It contains four octaves and a half from ut, the lowest on the harpsichord, up to fa.

We have frequently had occasion to notice the progress made on the Continent, in extracting sugar from the beet-root; and it now appears, that the yellow beet, when sliced and kiln-dried, furnishes an excellent substitute for coffee, particularly if ground with a small quantity of Turkey, or West India coffee. It requires much less sugar than the foreign coffee, and is said to be much stronger. M. Vennen, of Coblentz, claims the merit of having discovered this new applica tion of beet-root. He cautions those

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by whom it is cultivated, against stripping the plant of its leaves for feeding cattle, as is generally practised, as it not only injures the growth of the plant, but materially alters the qualities of the juice.

Great exertions are making in every department of France to produce substitutes for sugar, and prizes are daily offered by the various economical societies of the continent, for the discovery of the most proper material for that purpose. The saccharine matter of the grape has been the chief subject of the recent experiments of the French chemists.

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A German chemist has made known the following process for making a beautiful lake Take any quantity of cochineal, on which pour twice its weight of alcohol, and as much distilled water. Infuse for some days near a gentle fire, and then filter. To the filtred liquor add a few drops of the solution of tin, and a fine red precipitate will be formed. Continue to add a little solution of tin every two hours, till the whole of the colouring matter is precipitated. Lastly, edulcorate the precipitate by washing it in a large quantity of distilled water, and then dry it.

From the analysis of the fresh leaves of blue wolfs-bane, aconitum napellus, cultivated in a garden near Paris, M. Steinacher has found, that this vegetable contains green fecula, an odorant gaseous substance, which he suspects to be virulent; muriate of ammmonia, carbonate of lime, and phosphate of lime.

Several German artists have of late turned their attention to the art of painting on glass. Professor Frick, of Berlin, has made great improvements in the burning of pictures in glass, and has recently finished a beautiful painted window for the catholic church in that city. M. Buhler, of Urach, in Wirtemberg, also burns co

lours in glass so exquisitely, that his works are not to be distinguished from the best of the ancients.

From several experiments, on the influence which the shape of the still has on the quality of the product of distillation, M. Curaudau deduces the following conclusions:-1. That shallow alembics, though very fit for the distillation of certain fermented liquors, may sometimes alter the quality of the products.-2. That the inconveniences arising from the employment of shallow alembics in distilling wines, arise from the facility with which evaporation takes place in them.-3. That a high temperature is always necessary to carry over the peculiar aroma of the wine, and, perhaps, that too arising from the action of heat on the principles of the wine. 4. That deep alembics ought to be preferred to shallow ones for the distillation of wine.5. That the best dimensions for an alembic, with regard to its figure, must be such, that the surface of the liquor heated shall be constantly greater than that from which the evaporation takes place, in the proportion of four to one.

By letters recently received from Mr Mawe, from Rio de Janeiro, we are informed, that he has received permission from the Prince Regent, to travel and make observations in the mining district of the Brazils. He has already passed some months in the government of St Paul, where he discovered a variety of fine clays, fit for making porcelain, and other purposes; and is lately returned from the mines of Canto Gallo. The gold mine of Santo Rita is situated between two rocks of sparry limestone, a circumstance not before known to exist in. that country. These districts, of a country so rich in valuable productions, until now unexplored by any mineralogist, cannot fail to prove highly interesting to the lovers of natural history.

Plan

Plan for improving the FERRIES between MIDLOTHIAN and FIFE, with Reports by Mr RENNIE.

[We are truly happy, in being able to lay before our readers the following documents with regard to a plan which promises to contribute so much to the convenience and advantage of this country. Mr Rennie's judicious and able Reports must remove all doubt as

to its practicability, and we trust, that at a period when useful improvements are so liberally patronized, no difficulty will be found in raising the necessary funds.]

THE

HE Passage between Leith and Pettycur, or Kinghorn, has been long resorted to as one of the great communications betwixt Midlothian and Fife, and betwixt the whole of the North and South of Scotland, and is of great importance both to the County of Fife and to the Public in general. The Heritors of Fifeshire, having a peculiar interest in this passage, have from time to time laid out considerable sums of money in improving it, and in particular, in the year 1774, they were at the expence of erecting a Bason for clearing the harbour of Pettycur of sand.

In the year 1792 an act of Parliament was passed, declaring that the passage between Kinghorn and Newhaven, as well as that between Kinghorn and Leith, and the passage between Burntisland and Leith and Newhaven, shall in all time to come be considered as Public Ferries, subject to the Laws for regulating Ferries in Scotland. With this view the Justices of Peace and Commissioners of Supply of the counties of Edinburgh and Fife are appointed Trustees for carrying the act into execution. They are authorised to levy certain Tolls and Duties on Passengers and Goods; they are empowered to borrow money on the credit of these duties, and to lay out certain parts of the money thus borrowed or collected in making improvements on these public Ferries. The act of Parliament points out the December 1809.

nature of the improvements to be made by the trustees, as well as the order in which they shall be carried into execution. The statute directs

that the trustees shall begin by improving the harbour of Kinghorn or Pettycur; by opening the communication from the eastward, through the town of Kinghorn to that harbour, and by building an inn at Pettycur. These purposes being effected, the Trustees are in the next place authorised to lay out a part of their funds in erecting a pier at Burntisland, and in improving the communication between Kinghorn and Burntisland. And in the last place they are empowered to erect a pier and landing place at Newhaven.

Under the authority of this act of Parliament several improvements of great importance have been made by the trustees, in the order prescribed by the act. It is long since they have opened a broad and easy communication to the ferry of Pettycur from the east, through the town of Kinghorn, and for upwards of a mile where formerly the road was scarcely passable by carriages; and a large and commodious inn has been erected close to the landing place, for the reception of passengers, who formerly had no accommodation of this kind nearer than the town of Kinghorn, at the distance of a mile from the harbour of Pettycur.

The next improvement which the trustees have it in view to make, and which is very much wanted and indeed absolutely necessary, is to enlarge the bason to the eastward of the harbour of Pettycur, or between the harbour and the Inn, for the purpose of completely clearing the harbour of sand. In order that this important object may be attained in the most effectual and complete manner, the trustees employed Mr Rennie, civil engineer, to survey the harbour and bason, and to report: and they beg leave to refer to his report and plan.

The improvements on the bason at Pettycur now alluded to, though the

expence

expence of them is considerable, and although the trustees have other annual charges of no smail amount to defray, might perhaps be accomplished under the authority of the existing act of Parliament. But even if this were effected, a great deal would remain still to be done, in order to tender the communication by the ferries mentioned in the act, easy and convenient; and the trustees find it absolutely impossible to attain the other important objects alluded to, without the command of greater funds than can be procured under the act passed in 1792. Pattycur harbour lies near ly due north from the harbour of Leith; of consequence when the wind blows fresh from the south, or from some points to the westward or eastward of south, it is difficult, and at times impossible, to make a passage from Pettycur to Leith. When the wind blows violently from the north or from some points to the westward or eastward of north, it is equally difficult to cross from Leith to Pettycur.—And in either of these cases, passengers mast run the risk of being long detained at a considerable expence, and of being prevented from keeping those engagements which they may have formed on business or other important concerns. These serious incoveniences might be removed by improving the landing-place at Burntisland and at Newhaven, and by making a good road between Burnt island and Petty cur on the one side of the Forth, and betwixt Newhaven and-Leith on the other. Mr Rennie, in one of his reports on these ferries has observed, that, if a proper pier was to be erected at Newhaven, and also one at Burntisland, there would be very few days in the year that a • boat could not make a passage.Burntisland lies about 25 degrees west of north, or due north by the compass from Leith, and Newhaven lies about 70 west of south from Pettycur, by Downie's chart; so that

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from one or other of these places a

passage would be almost certain.— 'If, therefore, funds could be raised to accomplish these objects, it would ⚫ be of great consequence to those who had occasion to cross these ferries.'

It is scarcely necessary to point out the very great advantages which would be derived by the public in general in point of communication between the north and south of Scotland, if the objects now alluded to could be attained, and if a safe passage might with certainty be depended upon, and in almost every state of the weather, between Midlothian and Fife, either from New haven to Pettycur, or from Leith to Burntisland, or vice versa.— No delay at the ferries on account of the tide or weather would take place; a great saving of time and expence would thus accrue to passengers, and they could nearly calculate with certainty the period at which they might expect to arrive at their places of destination. A great national object in the commercial state of this country (when time to most men is exceedingly valuable, and the certainty of being able to perform a journey within a limited period is of the utmost importance) would thus be accomplished. The improvements about to be made at Queensferry are far from diminishing the importance of this object. It is apprehended that the passage by the ferries now alluded to, might be more certain, and it is well known that it has always been safer. The distance too would to many travellers be greatly diminished, particularly if improvements were afterwards made on the Ferry at Dundee :-and it must also be recollected that the proposed alteration of the great road from Perth to Queensferry is intended to bring that road at one place within less than five miles of Burntisland, to which a good communieation might easily be made, and thus the journey to all travellers between the north and south greatly

shortened.

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