and to the turret retraced his steps. When morning caine, a welcome crowd greeting, asked if he had met the ghost? yes!" replied the knight, "dead as a door nail behind the screen he lies, where my sword has pinned him fast; bring the wrenching bar and we'll haul the disturber out." With such a leader, and broad day to boot, the valiant throng tore down the screen where the sword was fixed, when lo! in a recess, lay the fragments of a chapel organ, and the square wooden trunks made for hallowed sounds were used as props to stay the work when the hall was coated round with oak. The wondering clowns now laughed aloud at the mysterious voice. It was the northern blast that found its way through the crannies of the wall to the groaning pipes, that alarmed the country round for a century.

10. Fossil Frogs, &c.-Goldfuss, in the Nova Acta PhysicoMedica Acad. Cæs. Leop. Carol. Nat. Cur. for 1831, describes the following fossil remains of various amphibious animals he detected in brown coal, in the vicinity of Bern. 1. Rana diluviana. 2. Salamandra oxygia, two inches and a half long. 3. Triton noachicus, two inches in length. 4. Ophis dubius. This remarkable remain he is of opinion belongs either to a snake or a snake-shaped fish.

11. On the Permanence of the Earth's Axis of Rotation."It appears," says Mrs Somerville, in her admirable work, "from the marine shells found on the tops of the highest mountains, and in almost every part of the globe, that immense continents have been elevated above the ocean, which (ocean) must have engulfed others. Such a catastrophe would be occasioned by a variation in the position of the axis of rotation on the surface of the earth; for the seas tending to the new equator would leave some portions of the globe and overwhelm others. But theory proves that neither rotation, precession, nor any of the disturbing forces which affect the system, have the smallest influence on the axis of rotation, which maintains a permanent position on the surface, if the earth be not disturbed in its rotation by some foreign cause, as the collision of a comet, which may have happened in the immensity of time. Then, indeed, the equilibrium could only have been restored by the rushing of the seas to the new equator, which they would continue to do till their surface was every where perpendicular to the direction

of gravity. But it is probable that such an accumulation of the waters would not be sufficient to restore equilibrium, if the derangement had been great; for the mean density of the sea is only about a fifth part of that of the earth; and the mean depth, even of the Pacific Ocean, is not more than four miles, whereas the equatorial radius of the earth exceeds the polar radius by twenty-five or thirty miles; consequently, the influence of the sea on the direction of gravity, is very small; and, as it thus appears that a great change on the position of the axis is incompatible with the law of equilibrium, the geological phenomena must be ascribed to an internal cause. Thus, amidst the mighty revolutions which have swept innumerable races of organized beings from the earth, which have elevated plains, and buried mountains in the ocean,-the rotation of the earth, and the position of the axis on its surface, have undergone but slight variations."

BOTANY.

12. Indian Coffee.-In a communication from India to Dr Traill, it is stated that a Dr Strong has succeeded in raising a - marketable coffee, in some quantity, at Russypugla, about five miles from Calcutta. The attempt failed in the hands of Dr Wallich, and those of Messrs Palmer and Company, who tried it on a large scale. The secret of Dr Strong's success is in cultivating his plants in the sun, not in the shade. He states, when cultivated in the shade of other trees, as has been recommended by some, the roots and branches are more scanty t than when they grow in the full sun. We expect, in our next Number, to report as to the qualities of the coffee, from experiments made in this country. Dr Strong says that if they can succeed in the formation of artesian wells, the cultivation may be extensively carried on in his neighbourhood, and with great prospect of its becoming a grand article of commerce. Should it equal, or be near in quality, to Mocha coffee, it will undoubtedly be of vast importance to Bengal.

STATISTICS.

13. Academy of St Petersburg-The sixth series of the Memoirs of this Academy commences at the centenary celebration of this learned body, held in 1826. Up to this date, the complete collection of its volumes comprehends five series, each of

which is marked by a change of title. From the foundation of the Academy in 1726, to 1823, the Latin language was the medium of communication. The first series, called Commentaries (Commentarii), extended from 1726 to 1747; that is, from the inauguration of the academy, by the Empress Catherine I., until the Empress Elizabeth affected some new regulations. This series is in fourteen volumes. From 1747 to 1776, there are twenty-one volumes of Novi Commentarii. The celebration of the semi-secular jubilee established a new epoch, from which the publications are called Acta. Twelve volumes of these bring the labours of the Academy to the year 1783, a memorable year, in which the academy was placed under the direction of the Princess Daschkoff, for in Russia there is no Salic law, even in the government of letters and science. Under the new Directeur (such was the title given to this lady by the Imperial ukase, which invested her with the direction of the Academy), fifteen volumes of Nova Acta terminate the publication in Latin. The year 1803 was an important period to the Academy; the Emperor Alexander gave it new laws, and the French language was substituted for the Latin. But the period was unfavourable to academic labours; so that, from 1803 to 1826, but eleven volumes appeared, forming the fifth series, under the title Memoires. Lastly, a mode of publication more useful than that of entire volumes, viz. that of parts or livraisons, has been adopted.

List of Patents granted in England, from 31st August to 16th September 1881.

1831.

Aug. 31. To J. J. JACQUIER, London, for " improvements in the machinery for making paper."

Sept. 5. To H. G. DYAR, London, for "an improvement in tunnelling, or method of executing subterraneous excavations."

5. To G. FORRESTER, Liverpool, engineer, for "certain improvements in wheels for carriages and machinery, which improvements are applicable to other purposes."

6. To W. BICKFORD, Tuckingwill, Cornwall, for his invention of "an instrument for igniting gunpowder, when used in the operation of blasting rocks and in mining."

9. To J. NEVILLE, Surrey, engineer, for "his improved apparatus for clarifying water and other fluids."

16. To G. H. PALMER, London, civil engineer, for "certain improvements in the steam engines, boiler, and apparatus, or machinery connected therewith, applicable to propelling vessels, carriages, and other purposes."

List of Patents granted in Scotland from 3d April to 4th September 1832.

1832.

April 3. To JAMES PHILP, damask manufacturer, Dunfermline, for an invention of “an improvement in the manufacture of diaper and damask table-linen."

4. TO ALEXANDER BEATTIE SHANKLAND, London, for an invention, communicated to him by a foreigner, of "a new method of spinning flax and hemp by means of machinery."

6. TO GEORGE Lowe of Bricklane, in the county of Middlesex, civil engineer, for an invention of “an improvement or improvements in and connected with the manufacture of gas for illumination." 17. TO ALEXANDER Brown of Liverpool, merchant, and HERMAN HENDRICKS of Passy, near Paris, for an invention of "an improved method or methods of manufacturing the prussiates of potash and soda, and the prussiates of iron, also for the construction of certain apparatus, vessels or machinery to be used in the said manufacture, and a new or improved method or methods of employing the said prussiate of iron (or other prussiates of iron) as a substitute for indigo in dying all sorts of wools, and whether in the fleece, skein, spun or woven into cloth, stuffs, or otherwise, also in dying silks, cottons, linens, and in fact all other sorts and descriptions of textile or other substances fit for the purposes of receiving colours of a blue, blue-black, black, greens, bronze, or any other colours for which indigo has hitherto been used, either as a ground-work or auxiliary, and also for an improved arrangement of certain utensils and machinery to be used in the said dying processes."

17. TO JOHN SAMUEL DAWES, of Bromford, in the parish of West

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Bromwich, in the county of Stafford, iron-master, for an invention of" certain improvements in the manufacture of iron." 30. TO JOHN POTTS, RICHARD OLIVER, and WILLIAM WAINWRIGHT POTTS, all of New Mills, in the county of Derby, engravers to calico printers, and co-partners, for an invention of an improved method or process of obtaining impressions from engravings in various colours, and applying the same to earthenware, porcelain, china, glass, and other similar substances." May 2. To ROBERT MONTGOMERY, residing in the town of Johnston, in the county of Renfrew, in Scotland, for an invention of a machine for a new mode of spinning cotton, silk, flax, and other fibrous substances." Communicated to him by a certain fo. reigner.

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5. TO JOHN HEATHCOAT, Esq. of Tiverton, in the county of Devon, for an invention of " certain new or improved methods of draining and cultivating land, and new or improved machinery and apparatus applicable thereto, which machinery and apparatus may be applied to divers other useful purposes.”

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May 14. TO GEORGE GOODLET, residing in Leith, proprietor of the London, Leith, and Edinburgh Steam-Mills, for an invention of “ a new method of preparing rough meal from ground wheat, or other grains, previous to their being dressed for flour; also rough meal from ground barley, malt, or other grain, previous to their being put in the mash-tun for brewing or distilling." 21 TO BENNET WOODCROFT, of Manchester, printer, for an invention of" certain improvements in the construction of a revolving spiral paddle for propelling boats and other vessels on water." 22. TO THOMAS BRUNTON, London, and THOMAS FULLER, London, civil-engineer, for an invention of "an improvement or improvements in certain mechanical apparatus applicable to the raising of water or other fluids, and also a new or improved mode of effecting the same object."

31. TO WILLIAM DRAKE, of Bedminster, near the city of Bristol, tanner, for an invention of "an improvement or improvements in tanning hides and skins."

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TO JOHN JELLICORSE, of Stansfeld Mill, in the county of York, spinner, for an invention of “ certain improvements in spinning machinery."

June 2. To JOSHUA BATES, for an invention of "certain improvements in machinery, or apparatus for roving, twisting, or spinning cotton, silk, wool, hemp, flax, or other fibrous substances."

8. TO JOHN JOYCE, of John Street, London, for an invention "of a certain improvement, or certain improvements, in machinery for making nails of iron, copper, and other metals."

22. TO FREDERICK STEINER of Church, near Blackburn, in the county palatine of Lancaster, manufacturing chemist and Turkey-red dyer; “for a certain process or processes, by which spent madders, or madders that have been previously used, can be made to yield a great quantity of colouring matter, and for dyeing with the same of various colours all descriptions of cotton, linen, wool, silk, or any mixture of them, and also for improving for dyeing madders that have not been previously used."

July 2. TO HUGH BOLTON of Staples, in the parish of Bolton-le-Moors, in the county of Lancaster, carder, for an invention of "an im.

provement in machinery used for carding cotton and other fibrous materials.".

21. To ALEXANDER BEATTIE SHANKLAND, London, Esq. for " a new method of spinning wool."

28. TO JOHN HOLT the younger of Whitby, ropemaker, for an invention of "a mode or process for preparing and manufacturing certain fibrous substances."

Aug. 1. To JOHN HOWARD KYAN, London, for an invention of " a new mode of preserving certain vegetable substances from decay." Sept. 4. TO WILLIAM DAUBENY HOLMES, London, engineer, for an invention of "a new method of heating houses and other buildings, and of applying heat to various manufactures and other purposes."