châtel, Bienne, and Morat. By M. FRANÇOIS, Professor of Natural Philofophy at Lausanne.

The principles on which this machine works, are nearly the fame with thofe of Mr. Blakey's improved fire-engine. Its conftruction is remarkably fimple and ingenious, and the Profeffor informs us, that it may be made to raise water to the height of fifty feet. We doubt whether the action of the fteam, as here managed, will produce an effect so great but a much less is generally fufficient for draining a marsh.

Conjectures concerning Belemnites, Quartzous Petrefactions, and the Formation of Primordial Rocks. By the Count DE RAZOUMOWSKI.

Defcription of an Oculus Mundi. By the Same.

Account of a Journey to Vevay, and a Part of Bas Vallais. By

the Same.

Defcription of fome Species of Rofe and Maple Trees. By M.

REYNIER.

Defcription of feveral Species of the Geranium. By the Same. Three Memoirs on the Analysis of Mineral Waters. By M. STRUVE, Profeffor of Chemistry at Lausanne.

The first of these memoirs treats of chemical tefts, or, as the French call them, reactives: to thofe recommended by Bergman, the Profeffor adds fal cartharticum amarum, fal ammoniacum, the faccharine alcali, volatile liver of fulphur, folutions of foap in fpirits of wine, and of lead in the nitrous acid. In the fecond memoir, he gives directions for preparing these tefts; and, in the third, he lays down their practical ufe.

Account of the Fogs which prevailed in June and July, and of the Earthquake which happened at Lausanne on the 6th of July, 1783. By F. VERDEIL, M. D.

This earthquake, which, though it greatly alarmed the inhabitants of Laufanne, was not fo confiderable as to damage any buildings, was preceded by a remarkable blue mist, that commenced on the 22d of June: it appeared to be electrical, and was accompanied with dreadful ftorms of thunder and lightning: the heat indicated by the thermometer was not great but the weather was uncommonly oppreffive and fuffocating. Thefe phenomena afford Doctor VERDEIL an opportunity of ftarting a variety of conjectures concerning earthquakes in general, and this in particular. We cannot help fmiling at the motive which, this good man tells us, induced him to take up the pen, viz. to remove the apprehenfions of fome of his countrymen, who were panic-ftruck, from a perfuafion that this milt was no other than the fmoke from the bottomless pit, mentioned in the ninth chapter of the Revelations.

Obfervations

Obfervations and Experiments, occafioned by a Thunder-ftorm, by which the Cathedral of Laufanne was confiderably damaged. By the Same.

This very prolix memoir contains nothing that can be confidered as new information. What principally engaged the author's attention, was a bar of iron, imperfectly magnetized by the concuffion.

We

Such are the principal memoirs of the first volume. fhall now proceed to give an account of the articles contained in the fecond. In doing this, we shall not follow the order in which they fucceed each other in the work, but that of the table of contents, which diftributes them into claffes.

GENERAL PHYSICS.

On the Phosphorifm of Foffil Substances, excited by Friction. By the Count DE RAZOUMOWSKI.

That fome foffil fubftances may be rendered luminous by friction, is amply fhewn by Wallerius, in the last edition of his Mineralogy, and by Macquer, in his Chemical Dictionary: but the Count's experiments prove that the number of bodies, endued with this property, is greater than was before fuppofed. The rubbers which he used were quartz and glass; and he obferves, that the brightnefs and colour of the light depend much on the nature of the rubber, and on the roughness of its furface. It appears, that hard quartzous and filicious ftones give a reddish light; whereas that which is emitted by metallic fubftances, by fufible and dark-coloured ftones, and by bituminous bodies, is of a blue cast.

On the Importance of good Pavements, and clean Streets, to the Healthiness of Cities. By the Abbé BERTHOLON.

Cleanliness is fo effential to the preservation of health, efpecially in large cities, that it is an object worthy of the magiftrates' utmost attention; and nothing, that can contribute to it, ought to be neglected. In this view, we cannot but praise the intention of the memoir before us. It is divided into two parts in the first, the Abbé gives directions for paving, which, if we except the circumftance of placing the kennel in the middle of the street, are nearly the fame with what are obferved in London; where foot-paflengers have the advantage of a raifed caufeway, which, to our furprize, does not occur to this author. The cleanlinefs of the ftreets is the fubject of the second part the means which contribute to this end, are divided into effential, and accidental; the former relate to the breadth and declivity of the streets, the repair of the pavement, and its flope down to the kennels; the latter refer to the regulations of the police, with refpect to the removal of dirt. The Abbé's

Pp 2

Abbé's obfervations, fo far as they relate to his fubject, are in the main judicious, though not new nor uncommon: but we cannot help remarking his pompous difplay of learning, in the difcuffion of a matter which, one would imagine, required a plain familiar ftyle.

On the Influence of the Heavenly Bodies, and particularly of the Moon, on Vegetation. By J. PH. DE LIMBOURG, M. D.

That the moon has an influence on the animal and vegetable œconomy, is an opinion, which has been not only univerfally adopted by the vulgar and the ignorant, but also maintained by writers eminent for their learning and abilities: though it is now exploded by philofophers, our author has thought it not unworthy of his examination, fo far as it relates to vegetables. After giving a fhort account of the writers who have espoused this notion, he obferves that, if the moon has any influence on plants, it must refult either from its attraction. or from its light: by the former, it may poffibly affect the ftate of the atmosphere, produce changes in the wind and weather, and thus have an indirect influence on the progrefs of vegetation. How far this may be the cafe, is difficult to determine; for if the afpects of the moon have any influence with refpect to the weather, it is by no means regular, and is liable to be varied, diminished, and even annihilated, by particular circumstances. The effects of the folar and lunar light on vegetation are next examined. It is well known that plants lose their vivid colours, when deprived of the folar light: but the author does not think this experiment decifive, and doubts whether the effect obferved refults fo much from the deprivation of light, as from the want of a free circulation of air, and from the greater degree of heat and moisture, to which their confinement expoles them. It has been obferved by fome, that moon-light is favourable to the growth of plants: but this the author afcribes to the warmth accompanying it; which, however small it may be, is fufficient to produce fome effect: but this is a queftion, in which theoretical reafoning is of lefs confequence than experiments. In the fecond part of this memoir, therefore, Dr. DE LIMBOURG relates a great variety of experiments, which abundantly prove that, in the various operations of husbandry and gardening, an attention to the particular phases of the moon is not of the leaft avail; and that the refults of these operations cannot be at all afcribed to any influence of this planet.

NATURAL HISTORY.

Olformations on the Difcrimination of Quadrupeds into Species, Racs, and Farieties. By M. BERTHOUT VAN BERCHEM, JUNIOR.

Certainty,

Certainty, with respect to specific characters, is the grand defideratum in natural history; and though much has been done toward attaining it, yet every fyftematic arrangement hitherto known is liable to many exceptions: fo luxuriant is nature in her productions, that almoft every review of her works offers varieties before unnoticed; fome fpecies border fo closely on each other, that it is almoft impoffible to fix an external character fufficiently permanent to diftinguish them; and there are others, in which external caufes effect fuch alterations, that accidental varieties are fcarcely to be difcriminated from specific characters.

The criterion established by M. De Buffon, that all animals which copulate with each other, are of the fame fpecies, is recommended by the prefent writer, as decifive with refpect to animals in their natural ftate: but he acknowleges that it is not applicable to thofe which are domefticated; and he observes that, from these alone, M. Pallas has derived his exceptions to it. The modifications of this rule, which M. VAN BERCHEM proposes for the difcrimination of wild quadrupeds, are the following: When the number of characters, with refpect both to conformation and manners, in which animals resemble each other, exceeds that of the characters in which they differ; and if they copulate together in a state of nature, we may conclude them to be of the fame fpecies: but if they do not copulate, they must be confidered as of different fpecies.—If individuals differ from each other in permanent characters, and yet copulate together, they may be confidered as different races of the fame fpecies.If the characters in which they differ be not permanent, but various in different individuals, they muft be regarded only as varieties. With refpect to domestic animals, they must be traced back to their favage ftate, to which the above rules may be applied.

Defcription of the Alpine Ibex of Savoy. By the Same.

We have here a particular account of the form and manners of this animal, which is remarkable for its agility in climbing the steepest rocks, inacceffible to every other fpecies of quadrupeds, and for leaping from one fummit to another, across the most formidable precipices. The fpecies is now almost deftroyed by the peafants, who are indefatigable in the pursuit of them; though, from the nature of their haunts, the chace of them is attended with great danger. When taken young, the Ibex is eafily tamed, is remarkable for the vivacity and gentlenefs of its difpofition, and for its attachment to its benefactor, whom it will follow like a dog.

Defcription of the Lepus Verficolor, or Alpine Hare. By Dr. AMSTEIN.

This animal has been more accurately described by Pallas and Pennant, with whofe works Dr. AMSTEIN does not seem to be acquainted.

Memoir on the Glow-worm. By the Count DE RAZOU

MOWZKI.

The two fpecies of glow-worm, mentioned by the Count, are defcribed by Aldrovandus and Jonfton: they appear, from his defcription, to be folitary animals; and he could difcern no indications of their being infects of prey; though, as they did not eat while in confinement, he could not fpeak with decifion concerning their food. He obferves, that they emit two kinds of light; of which the one is very brilliant, and difcernible only at night, and is confined to the pofterior part of the animal; the other, which is diffused all over its body, is permanently vifible, even for fome time after its death. From feveral experiments, in which the nocturnal brilliancy of the glow-worm feemed to be greater as the infect grew weaker, the Count concludes that it is independent of the will of the animal, and a fymptom of pain and uneafinefs: this was probably true with respect to these poor infects taken out of their natural state, refufing food becaufe deprived of liberty, and put to the torture in order to gratify the curiofity of their poffeffor. Under thefe circumftances, the light emitted may indeed be the involuntary effect of those convulfive fpafms, which refult from pain and precede death; it is nevertheless probable, that when the infect is at liberty, this light may be produced by the voluntary exertion of a faculty beftowed on it by Provi dence, to affift it in the acquifition of food.

Memoir on Cetaceous Animals. By M. HENRY MERCK, of Darmstadt.

M. MERCK's intention is, to compare the skeletons of cetaceous animals with thofe of quadrupeds: but, in this memoir, he confines his attention to the bones of the head: these are the fame in both claffes; the only difference is in the auditory paffages, and in the cavity of the fkull, which, in proportion to the fize of the head, is lefs in cetaceous animals than in quadrupeds. The fiftula, or water-tubes, which are only the noftrils, are placed, as in other animals, in the anterior part of the fkull; and the incifores are inferted in the intermaxillary bones, as in quadrupeds.

On the Fructification of Moffes. By M. REYNIER.

This gentleman diflents from the common opinion concerning this order of plants; and fuppofes that the flower, refembling a withered rofe, which is found on the ftem of fome mofles, contains no organs of generation, but is only an acci

dental