JEALOUSY OF ARTISTS.

The greatest artists, like the greatest authors, have not been exempt from the meanest jealousy.

Michael Angelo procured the banishment of Leonardo da Vinci from Florence. He endeavoured first to make Raphael pass for a plagiary, and then to raise up a rival to him in Bastian del Piombo. When Dominichino had finished his celebrated picture of St Jerome, Lanfrank hastily got an engraving made at Bologna, of the same subject painted by Ludovico Carracci. He then caused this print to be circulated at Rome, and employed persons to point out certain resemblances to that of Dominichino, which might make the latter pass for a plagiary.

The fine pictures, which La Sueur had painted for the cloister of the Chartreux, were spoiled by artists jealous of his reputation. They cut off with a knife the finest heads, the most expressive features. It evidently appears that this instrument was employed with art, and by hands accustomed to drawing. Just and correct expressions are rendered ridiculous, by the skilful movement of the knife.

Thoughts on the Improvement of the Police of Edinburgh.

HERE is unfortunately no dis

cussion

THER present moment, so sesses, at the terest, as that which relates to the preservation of public order in this great city. Within the last two months, a most disastrous change has taken place. That peaceable and virtuous department, which honourably characterized the most pulation, has been entirely broken numerous part of the Scottish poup; and a system of robbery and atrocity has been organized, which places the life of every citizen every moment in danger. Any measure which might correct this de generacy, and restore national manners to their original purity, would certainly be deserving of the most serious consideration. But this is an object which cannot be accomplished at once, and the means of attaining which, depend upon numerous and complicated circumstances. The immediate and urgent consideration is, how the person and property of the citizens may be secured from those attacks, to which they are incessantly liable. This has turned men's attention to the present very defective state of the system of Edinburgh police. Its imperfections indeed have, since its first institution, been very generally acknowledged; but recent. events render it impossible longer to overlook them. Some of the causes of this insufficiency seem to be pretty generally observed. The superintendant, instead of being a judge, and (ananomaly in our constitution) a judge without appeal, ought to be an executive officer charged with maintaining the peace of the city, and detecting offenders. He ought to have the choice of his inferior agents, and to be made responsible

for

for their properly discharging their duty. Efficient and active men would then probably be chosen; nor would a place in the police be considered as a mode of providing for decayed servants, or persons unfit for any other occupation. But I am particularly anxious to recal the attention of the public to what was formerly stated through the medium of your miscellany. No way, it is probable, can be found in which the city will be thoroughly guarded, unless by a stationary police. Men ought to be placed in sentry, at moderate distances, and communicating with each other by. appointed signals. By this arrangement, whenever a disturbance arises, at any one point, the alarm is immediately given, and a strength sufficient to crush it may be speed

ily collected. I am happy to observe that this plan has been brought forward in the resolution of the society of Advocates, and I am led to hope, that the influence of so respectable a body, may lead to its adoption. There are only one or two details in which I cannot help differing somewhat from the sentiments of that learned body. They propose that a system of patrole should still be continued along with the stationary police. I cannot help thinking, that the one supersedes the necessity of the other. In attempting thus to support two establishments, we must either render both inefficient, or incur an expence altogether enormous. The number of men, it must be recollected, that would be required to guard the city in the manner I have been proposing, would be very considerable. Still less can I approve the proposal that the superintendant should be appointed by, and removeable at the pleasure of the sheriff of the county. No respectable man (and he who holds this office, should be

highly so) would place himself in a situation where his continuance would be dependant on the caprice of a single individual. His appointment and removal would, we imagine, be most properly placed in the hands of the Magistrates, who have naturally the immediate superintendance over the peace of the city. Doubtless, he ought to be legally removeable at pleasure; but still with the understanding, as is usual in such cases, that provided he does his duty, and proves himself fit for his office, he shall retain it during life. M.

Monthly Memoranda in Natural
History.

February. THE first days of this month were very mild and genial. The yellow flowers of the Winter Aconite immediately peeped above ground; and they were quickly followed by the Snowdrop. The Missel-thrush was heard to sing.

8. In a garden at Canonmills, near Edinburgh, a common Jargonelle, (cuisse madame), on a wall with a S. E. aspect, began to expand its blossoms.

12. The Black Cock, (Tetrao tetrix) has, during the past winter, been occasionally seen in this neighbourhood. One was shot some weeks ago at Meadowbank; another at Barnbougle; and a third was observed a few days ago on Corstsorphine Hill. I understand that a rare species of Sandpiper (Tringa nigricans, Lin. Tr.) has recently been shot on the beach at Portobello.

BOTANIC GARDEN. This garden still remains in the same forlorn state, which we have noticed and deplored at different times during the last three years. With an emi

nent

nent Professor of Botany, and a superintendant or head gardener every way qualified for his office, it seems to be a national disgrace, to suffer the finest plants in the collection to pine for want of room, or to rot ewing to a deficiency of shelter,by withholding a small grant of the public money, sufficient to renew or to raise the roofs of the hot-houses. The noble Dragon-blood tree (Dracæna draco), formerly mentioned, has for these two last years been occasionally pushing its strong leaves through the panes of glass; and if the roof be not speedily raised, the plant, by far the grandest of the kind within his Majesty's British dominions, must be inevitably lost! A large and splendid specimen of the Date Palm, (Phoenix dactylifera), has, at this moment, its elegantly pinnated fronds also bent back by the glass of the roof. We shall only remark, that it is impossible to believe that the true state of this Royal Garden can be known to the Prince Regent or his advisers.

he is now privately exhibiting here.

Mr Wilson, we understand, in tends to have engraved under his eye, two prints from his principal landscapes, which contain views of Tivoli and of Rome. They are to be subscribed for at a guinea each. We consider him as entitled to every species of encouragement from the lovers of the arts.

We expect to be able, in our next, to present our readers with some observations on the principal pieces contained in this interesting exhibition.

Doctor Hutton, in reply to an observation of Dr Davy, has lately published the following ac count of the curious experiments made in 1774, at Schehallien, " About the year 1774, says lie, "there was much conversation among some of the most scientific members of the Royal Society, about the universal attraction of all matter, and in devising some gen eral and familiar proofs of it. It was then concluded that it would be a very decisive and, indeed, palpable proof, if it could be ex. perimentally shown that any hill attracted a plummet, drawing it cular direction towards itself. Afsensibly aside from the perpenditer several reports of the Royal Society, Mr Smeaton announced that he had discovered the moun tain Schehallien, one of the Gram. pian hills in the north of Scotland, possessing the desired properties in. a very eminent degree; being a very lofty and narrow ridge, very steep, extending a great length east and west, and very narrow from north to south. This hill was in consequence deemed sufficiently convenient for making the experiment; and a person, who had been an assistant to Dr Maskelyne, at the Royal Observa tory, was 'engaged by the society, and sent down to Scotland to take

HAVING always taken an interest in the progress of the Fine Arts in Scotland, we hail with pleasure the appearance of a master, who must undoubtedly rank in the first class of her land scape painters. Mr Wilson, a native of this city, has resided for some years in Italy, where he assiduously availed himself of the ame ple means of improvement afforded by that country, and the classic environs of Rome. He has execu ted several very finished representations of the scenery in the neighs bourhood, which, along with others,

the

the necessary measures about the hill, to ascertain its shape and magnitude by horizontal measurements, and by vertical sections in a great many directions and situations; and, lastly, by placing a proper instrument and plumet against the middle of the sides of the hill, to observe by zenith distances, the deviation of the plumb-line towards the hill. Before the survey and observations were quite completed, at the request of the society, Dr Maskelyne himself went down to Scotland, to see how the business was carried on; and brought back the account of the survey, with the report that, having tried the plumet on the opposite sides of the hill, each side attracted it between 5 and 6 seconds from the perpendicular, and in fact, that the sum of the two opposite attractions was just equal to 11 6-16th seconds.-Thus, then, the original question was satisfactorily answered in the affirmative, viz. that the hill, a mass of dense rocks, did sensibly attract the plummet, and draw it aside from the perpendicular direction of the earth's gravitation, and that by a certain quantity. The next consideration was, whether and how these observations and measurements could be employed, in comparison with the magnitude and effects of the whole earth, to determine its mean destiny, in comparison with that of the mountain. -The magnitude and novelty of these nice calculations, the requisite portion of science and ingenuity for making them with effect, were such as palled every mind, and every one shrunk from the task; when at the request of the president and council of the society, I undertook the performance; and, after incessant labour during the course of a year, produced the result of the whole, to the entire satisfaction of all the society. The account of three cal

culations was published in the Phi losophical Transactions for the year 1778, and in volume xiv. of my Abridgment of these transactions; and, though in a very condensed form, occupied no less than a hundred quarto pages in that work, containing only the results of many thousands of intricate calculations. The conclusion from all which was, that the mean density of the whole mass of the earth is nearly double that of the mountain, being to the former in the proportion of 9 to 5; whence it appears that the density of the earth is about five times that of the water."

Dr. Reuben Mussey, of Massachussetts, lately published, Experiments and Observations on Cutaneous Absorption. These experiments show how the system may be supported in cases of emergency, without the reception of food by the stomach. They explain how extreme thirst may be allayed by sailors in distress, by the immersion of their bodies Ja salt water; as the salt will not percolate through the pores of the skin to increase thirst, though the water will be absorbed by the skin, and refresh, if not nourish them. In his first experiment he remained immersed in a pretty strong watery infusion of the rubia tinctorum, two hours and forty five minutes." The urine he voided three hours after he left the bath, "was slightly tinged with red, and treated with a solution of the common sulphat of iron, it gave a tinge of a purplish brown." in the second experiment, "I continued" says he, "three hours in the madder bath. The portion discharged five hours after leaving the bath was a little deeper-coloured than common Sherry, or Sicily wine. Treated with the sulphat of iron, a strong purplish brown precipitate was produced." In the several

succeeding

succeeding experiments, the results were similar, the third excepted; in which however he remained immersed but one hour and five minutes. In his subsequent experiments, he tested the urine voided after he had been into the madder bath by the "caustic or moderately-carbonated potash, which turns urine slightly tinged with madder of a cranberry red." To detect whatever there might be of fallacy in the experiments, the caustic potash was put into urine, in which there could be none of the colouring principle of the madder, and no change took place in the colour of the urine. We consider these experiments as involving points of the deepest consequence to the perfect knowledge and skilful treatment of the human body.

The new Astronomical Observatory at Gôttingen will be completed with the utmost expedition early in the ensuing year. Harding, the celebrated discoverer of Juno, is, in the mean time, at the king's expense, gone to Paris, to confer with the astronomers of France.

Halle has experienced, in a very distinguished manner, the patronage of King Jerome and his ministers, who seem to be zealous to afford succour to the arts and sciences. The finances of this academic institution lately amounted only to 50,700 franks, whereas the expences exceeded 106,300 franks; the deficiency has, however, been supplied; and the annual salaries augmented with 8,100 franks. This University sustained a considerable loss by Reil's removal to Berlin.

The literary institutions of Franconia have been considerably augmented from the funds of the suppressed school at Closterbergen; and the Pædagogium, which continues to be directed by the Chancellor Niemeyer, and which, for

the education of youth, is one of the most flourishing and best regulated schools of the country, receives equal, and in some respects greater, support from the King of Westphalia, than it used to receive from the King of Prussia. The botanic garden, under the immediate care and direction of Sprengel, is, for variety and rarity, particularly distinguished among the German University gardens. The library alone receives annually from King Jerome, the sum of 1,800 dollars, for the purchase of new books and other necessary articles.

M. Louis Petit Radel, a member of the Institute, has been long occupied with the developement of a general theory relative to the primitive establishments of Italy and Greece, and he has accordingly dedicated his attention to the ruins of ancient cities. The city of Tarragona, the walls of which were built by the Scipios, has excited the most lively interest, and he has discovered that the stones then used by the Romans were all marked with Celtiberian characters of an age much anterior.

A Monsieur Cronstat, a French chemist, who has lately arrived in London, has astonished our sugarbakers by the exhibition of a new and shortened process for refining sugar. He effects, in two or three days, what has usually been performed by the ordinary process only in as many months; and, what is equally important, he produces the finest sugar from the present refuse of the sugar-houses. Should the process be made public, we shall introduce it into the Scots Magazine. We are, however, enabled to state, at present, that the new process does not require the use of bullocks blood, and other offensive materials hitherto employed by the sugar-bakers.

Effects