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are no pleasant pastimes, especially the former; but the very lowest classes in such a country as ours, where selfrespect may safely be said to be a national feeling, would prefer a load of taxation to a load of dishonour, and, ignorant as they too often are, they can discover the necessity of the one, but never would submit to confess that there could have been any necessity for the other. These are feelings that "with the lofty equalize the low," and make the peasant as true a patriot as the noblest in the land.

The policy enjoined by the Opposition, during our long contest for existence, was indeed far unlike that pursued by the great English states men of the elder times of England's glory. In dark and perilous days, they counselled resistance unto the death; submission was a thought that had no existence; and there was no difficulty-no danger-no suffering, that was not to be surmounted, faced, and endured, rather than that the bright name of England should be dimmed, or one inch shorn from her just dominion. But if we turn to the recorded counsels and prophecies of our modern Whigs, we shall hear of nothing but of disaster-of armies overthrown-and principalities laid prostrate-as if

"Broken were fair England's spear,
And shattered were her shield."

There is, we know, a small assortment of foolish persons who attribute all the glorious issues of the war, partly to chance, and partly to the blunders of England and her allies. The attempt to apply to politics the theory of the fortuitous concussion of atoms, has not been very successful; and even they who hold it are startled by certain indications of intelligence and design. But neither, on the other hand, do the friends of the Ministry claim for them the whole merit of such wondrous success. Inconsisteneies, vacillations, and even some more

fatal errors, may, during the long contest which they carried on, be justly laid to their charge. But this is cer tain, that, placed among difficulties and dangers greater than perhaps any Ministry ever had to encounter, called upon to act under exigencies not only formidable beyond all former experience, but so wholly new, that there were no precedents by which they might be guided, and no maxims by which they might be swayed-they yet carried along with them the confidence of the whole nation-exhibited a calm, steady, and collected confidence in themselves and boldly turned a deaf or an indifferent ear to the systematic and unwearied vituperations of those who, with no greater talents than themselves, had far less wisdom, and who, with louder professions of love for the country, were most assuredly not inspired by so pure a patriotism.

It was the soul of him "who, being dead yet speaketh," that inspired and supported the Ministry during all the struggle. On his deathbed Pitt exclaimed "Oh my country!" for at that hour it seemed that her sun was setting. But a great man cannot know the power of his own genius, else he would have foreseen the future triumphs of his country to be achieved by the imperishable spirit of his counsels. His successors are all indeed inferior to him, but they are at least in themselves equal to the best of their opponents, and far superior in the strength of a loftier faith. The Vessel of the State was at one time seen drifting to leeward-and breakers were on the shore-but her masts were not cut by the board-nor her sails lowerednor her flag struck-nor her guns thrown over board-nor her helm abandoned-nor her officers dismayednor her crew in despair; and we hail her with pride and exultation once more,

"That danger's troubled night is past, And the star of Peace returned,"

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LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE.

IN our last 'Number we noticed the unfortunate interference of the custom-house officers in this quarter with collections of Natural History. We find by the following observations in a very valuable periodical journal, published in London, that other collections have experienced similar treatment. "An instance of this excessive zeal in the public service took place lately under our own observation, and we are sorry to add, was attended with the usual bad consequences. A few bottles of water, taken from the ocean at great depths, and in different latitudes, as well as from icebergs in different circumstances and situations, were sent, carefully sealed, by an officer high in rank in the Isabella, and addressed to a distinguished philosopher in this country, for the purpose of analysis and experiment. The mere direction to a scientific character, coupled with the knowledge that the package had come from the discovery squadron, ought to have superseded all searching at the custom-house; but so far from this indulgence being granted, the box containing the bottles (and there were only three or four of them) was broken into, and the cork's drawn. We are aware that a thousand tricks are practised by experienced smugglers; but that a man of science should have thought of smuggling three bottles of intoxicating spirits from the arctic ocean, and had them carried, too, several thousand miles, carefully packed up along with valuable articles for a museum, amounts to a degree of suspicious vigilance which we know not well how to praise."British Reviere.

Captain Scoresby on the temperature of Greenland. The cold in the Polar regions is sometimes considerably exaggerated. Mr Scoresby in the course of last summer ascended a mountain in Spitzbergen, which he estimated at the height of 3000 feet. "The temperature of the air," he writes, "was 37° on the top at midnight, the thermometer laid under the shade of the brow of the mountain among some stones. At the foot the temperature was 44° and 46°. Hence the line of perpetual congelation in the polar regions lies much higher than is usually estimated."-" The summer in Britain," he continues, "having been unusually warm, it may be interesting to compare it with that of Spitzbergen. The temperature of the month of July in the present year, in latitude 774 north, was nearly one degree below the mean temperature of the same month, as determined from seven years' observation made under the same parallel.

Hence, whatever causes may have produced the favourable change in our summer, the same appear not to have operated in the remote regions of the Pole.'

"I have brought my meteorological observations to what I mean to be a close, and which may be stated thus: April, 370 observations give the mean temp. when reduced to lat. 70°-14°. May, 956 observations in 12 years give mean temperature in lat. 77° 17'-22° 8', June, 831 observations in 10 years give mean temperature in lat. 78° 15′-31° 3. July, 548 observations in 7 years give mean temperature in lat. 77° 18'-37° 3'." British Review.

Belzoni's Researches in Egypt.-On my return to Cairo, I again went to visit the celebrated pyramids of Ghiza; and on viewing that of Cephrenes, I could not help re. flecting how many travellers of different na tions, who had visited this spot, contented themselves with looking at the outside of this pyramid, and went away without inquiring whether any, and what chambers exist within it; satisfied, perhaps, with the report of the Egyptian priests," that the pyramid of Cheops only contained chambers in its interior." I then began to consider about the possibility of opening this pyra mid. The attempt was perhaps presumptuous; and the risk of undertaking such an immense work without success deterred me in some degree from the enterprize. I am not certain whether love for antiquity, an ardent curiosity, or ambition, spurred me on most, in spite of every obstacle, but I determined at length to commence the operation. I soon discovered the same indications which had led to the developement of the six tombs of the kings in Thebes, and which induced me to begin the operation on the north side. It is true, the situations of the tombs at Thebes, their form and epochs, are so very different from those of the pyra mids, that many points of observation made with regard to the former, could not apply to the latter; yet I perceived enough to urge me to the enterprize. I accordingly set out from Cairo on the 6th of February 1818, under pretence of going in quest of some antiquities at a village not far off, in order that I might not be disturbed in my work by the people of Cairo. I then repaired to the Kaiya Bey, and asked permission to work at the pyramid of Ghiza in scarch of antiquities. He made no objection, but said that he wished to know if there was any ground about the pyramid fit for tillage; Í informed him that it was all

stones, and at a considerable distance from any tilled ground. He nevertheless persisted in inquiring of the Caschief of the province, if there was any good ground near the pyramids; and, after receiving the necessary information, granted my request.

Having thus acquired permission, I be gan my labours on the 10th of February, at a point on the north side in a vertical section at right angles to that side of the base. I saw many reasons against my be ginning there, but certain indications told me that there was an entrance at that spot. I employed sixty labouring men, and began to cut through the mass of stones and cement which had fallen from the upper part of the pyramid, but it was so hard joined together, that the men spoiled several of their hatchets in the operation; the stones which had fallen down along with the cement having formed themselves into one solid and almost impenetrable mass. I succeeded, however, in making an opening of fifteen feet wide, and continued working downwards in uncovering the face of the pyramid; the work took up several days, without the least prospect of meeting with any thing interesting. Meantime, I began to fear that some of the Europeans residing at Cairo might pay a visit to the pyramids, which they do very often, and thus discover my retreat, and interrupt my proceedings.

On the 17th of the same month we had made a considerable advance downwards, when an Arab workman called out, making a great noise, and saying that he had found the entrance. He had discovered a hole in the pyramid into which he could just thrust his arm and a dejerid of six feet long. Towards the evening we discovered a larger aperture, about three feet square, which had been closed in irregularly, by a hewn stone; this stone I caused to be removed, and then came to an opening larger than the preceding, but filled up with loose stones and sand. This satisfied me that it was not the real but a forced passage, which I found to lead inwards and towards the south. The next day we succeeded in entering fifteen feet from the outside, when we reached a place where the sand and stones began to fall from above. I caused the rubbish to be taken out, but it still continued to fall in great quantities; at last, after some days labour, I discovered an upper forced entrance, communicating with the outside from above, and which had evidently been cut by some one who was in search of the true passage. Having cleared this passage I perceived another opening below, which apparently ran towards the centre of the pyramid. In a few hours I was able to enter this passage, and found it to be a continuation of the lower forced passage, which runs horizontally towards the centre of the pyramid, nearly all choked up with stones and sand. These obstructions I caused to be taken out; and at half way from the entrance I found

a descent, which also had been forced, and which ended at the distance of forty feet. I afterwards continued the work in the hori zontal passage above, in hopes that it might lead to the centre; but I was disappointed, and at last was convinced that it ended there, and that to attempt to advance in that way would only incur the risk of sacrificing some of my workmen ; as it was really astonishing to see how the stones hung suspended over their heads, resting, perhaps, by a single point. Indeed one of these stones did fall, and had nearly killed one of the men. I therefore retired from the forced passage, with great regret and disappointment.

Notwithstanding the discouragements I met with, I recommenced my researches on the following day, depending upon my indications. I directed the ground to be cleared away to the eastward of the false entrance; the stones incrusted and bound together with cement, were equally hard as the former, and we had as many large stones to remove as before. By this time my retreat had been discovered, which occasioned me many interruptions from visitors, among others was the Abbé de Forbin.

On February 28, we discovered a block of granite in an inclined direction towards the centre of the pyramid, and I perceived that the inclination was the same as that of the passage of the first pyramid or that of Cheops; consequently I began to hope that I was near the true entrance. On the 1st of March we observed three large blocks of stone, one upon the other, all inclined towards the centre; these large stones we had to remove, as well as others much larger, as we advanced, which considerably retarded our approach to the desired spot. I perceived, however, that I was near the true entrance, and in fact, the next day, about noon, on the 2d of March, was the epoch at which the grand pyramid of Cephrenes was at last opened, after being closed up for so many centuries, that it remained an uncertainty whether any interior chambers did or did not exist. The passage I discovered was a square opening of four feet high and three and a half wide, formed by four blocks of granite; and continued slanting downward at the same inclination as that of the pyramid of Cheops, which is an angle of 26 deg. It runs to the length of 104 feet 5 inches, lined the whole way with granite. I had much to do to remove and draw up the stones, which filled the passage down to the portcullis or door of granite, which is fitted into a niche also made of granite. I found this door supported by small stones within 8 inches of the floor, and in consequence of the narrowness of the place, it took up the whole of that day, and part of the next, to raise it sufficiently to afford an entrance. This door is 1 foot 3 inches thick, and together with the work of the niche, occupies 6 feet 11 inches, where the gra

nite work ends; then commences a short passage, gradually ascending towards the centre, 22 feet 7 inches at the end, on which is a perpendicular of 15 feet; on the left is a small forced passage, cut in the rock, and also above, on the right, is another forced passage, which runs upwards and turns to the north 30 feet, just over the portcullis. There is no doubt that this passage was made by the same persons who forced the other, in order to ascertain if there were any others which might ascend above, in conformity to that of the pyramid of Cheops. I descended the perpendicular by means of a rope, and found a large quantity of stones and earth accumulated beneath, which very nearly filled up the entrance into the passage below, which inclines towards the north. I next proceeded towards the channel that leads to the centre, and soon reached the horizontal passage. This passage is 5 feet 11 inches high, 3 feet 6 inches wide, and the whole length, from the above mentioned perpendicular to the great chamber, is 158 feet 8 inches. These passages are partly cut out of the living rock, and at half-way there is some mason's work, probably to fill up some vacancy in the rock; the walls of this passage are in several parts covered with incrustations of salts. On entering the great chamber, I found it to be 46 feet 3 inches long, 16 feet 3 inches wide, and 23 feet 6 inches high; for the most part cut out of the rock, except that part of the roof towards the western end. In the midst we observed a sarcophagus of granite, partly buried in the ground to the level of the floor, 8 feet long, 3 feet 6 inches wide, and 2 feet 3 inches deep inside, surrounded by large blocks of granite, being placed apparently to guard it from being taken away, which could not be effected without great labour; the lid of it had been opened; I found in it only a few bones of a human skeleton, which merit preservation as curious relics, they being, in all probability, those of Cephrenes, the reported builder of this pyramid. On the wall of the western side of the chamber is an Arabic inscription, a translation of which has been sent to the British Museum. It testifies," that this pyramid was opened by the Masters Mahomet El Aghar and Otman, and that it was inspected in presence of the Sultan Ali Mahomet the first, Ugloch." There are also several other inscriptions on the walls supposed to be Coptic. Part of the floor of this chamber had been removed in different places, evidently in search of treasure, by some of those who had found their way into it. Under one of the stones I found a piece of metal something like the thick part of an axe, but it is so rusty and decayed, that it is almost impossible to form a just idea of its form. High up and near the centre there are two small square holes, one on the north and the other on the south, each one foot square; they enter into the

wall like those in the great chamber of the first pyramid. I returned to the beforementioned perpendicular, and found a passage to the north in the same inclination of 26 deg. as that above: this descends 48 feet 6 inches, where the horizontal passage commences, which keeps the same direction north 55 feet, and half-way along it there is on the east a recess of 11 feet deep. On the west side there is a passage 20 feet long, which descends into a chamber 32 feet long and 9 feet 9 inches wide, 8 and 6 feet high: this chamber contains a quantity of small square blocks of stone, and some unknown inscriptions written on the walls. Returning to the original passage, and advancing north, near the end of it is a niche to receive a portcullis like that above. Fragments of granite, of which it was made, are lying near the spot. Advancing still to the north, I entered a passage which runs in the same inclination as that before mentioned, and at 47 feet 6 inches from the niche it is filled up with some large blocks of stone, put there to close the entrance which issues out precisely at the base of the pyramid. According to the measurements, it is to be observed, that all the works below the base are cut into the living rock, as well as part of the passages and chambers before mentioned. Before I conclude, I have to mention, that I caused a range of steps to be built, from the upper part of the perpendicular to the passage below, for the accommodation of visitors.

It may be mentioned, that at the time I excavated on the north side of the pyramid, I caused the ground to be removed to the eastward, between the pyramid and the re maining portico, which lies nearly on a line with the pyramid and the sphinx. I opened the ground in several places, and, in particular, at the base of the pyramid; and in a few days I came to the foundation and walls of an extensive temple, which stood before the pyramid, at the distance of only 40 feet. The whole of this space is covered with a fine platform, which no doubt runs all round the pyramid. The pavement of this temple, where I uncovered it, consists of fine blocks of calcareous stone, some of which are beautifully cut, and in fine preservation. The blocks of stone that form the foundation are of an immense size. I measured one of 21 feet long, 10 feet high, and 8 in breadth (120 tons weight each); there are some others above ground in the porticoes, which measured 24 feet in length, but not so broad nor so thick.

Anglo-Gallic Operation, for determining the Figure of the Earth, &c.-Colonel Mudge and Captain Coulby have just returned from Dunkirk, with the scientific instruments belonging to the Hon. Board of Ordnance, which they have employed, in conjunction with MM. Biot and Arago, two very able astronomers appointed by the French Government, in determining the la

titude of that important place. The recep tion which these gentlemen and their associates found, was highly honourable to the French nation and to Dunkirk: nothing could exceed the attentions paid them by all the principal authorities in the town; and unlimited orders were given by the French Government to ensure them a similar reception in Lisle, and any other towns they might visit. It is pleasing to observe the perfect concurrence of two great nations in an operation for the benefit of science. Several years ago the two governments united in directing a Trigonometrical Operation, for determining the relative situations of the observatories of Greenwich and Paris: since that time, the English have taken measures for determining the longest meridional arc that the Bristish Isles will admit; and the French have determined the meridional arc between Dunkirk and Formentera, the southernmost of the Balcaric Islands. The junction of these two arcs forms the most extensive arc which can probably be measured, in the present state of Europe, and therefore the best that can be found for deducing an universal standard of measure. As the French astronomers had determined their latitudes by means of the circle of repetition, and the English theirs with a zenith sector of eight feet radius, it became desirable to try the latitude of the connecting point of the two arcs with both instruments together, in order that no doubt might remain on either side. This has now been done, and we are informed that the result is satisfactory.

Knebelite.—This is a name given by Dobereiner to a mineral which was given him by Major Von Knebel, and which differs in its composition and characters from all other minerals hitherto observed. Nothing is stated respecting the place where this mineral was found; but its description, as drawn up by Mr Lenz, is as follows:

Its principal colour is gray, but it is spotted smutty white, brownish red, brown, and green.

It is massive.

External surface, uneven, and full of holes. Lustre, both external and internal, glistening.

Fracture, imperfect conchoidal. Fragments indeterminate; sharp edged. Opaque, hard, brittle, difficulty frangible. Sp. gravity 3.714.

Infusible by itself before the blow-pipe; but with borax it melts into a dark olive coloured bead.

Its constituents, according to the analysis of Dobereiner, are as follows:

Silica.........

32.5

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Dobereiner is of opinion that if this mineral were to be found in abundance, it would yield at once, simply by reducing it to the metallic state, excellent steel. Schweigger's Journal, xxi. 49.

Spodumene, or Triphane.-This mineral, which was supposed confined to Sweden and Norway, where it was first observed, has been discovered lately in the Tyrol, on the road to Sterzing, in a granite rock along with tourmaline. Its specific gravity is 31158, and it has not been found crystallized in this locality any more than in Sweden. It was analyzed by Vogel, and found to consist of Silica. Alumina

Lime.

63.50

23.50

1.75

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Our readers are aware that the alkali to which the name of potash is given in this analysis is lithina, which Arfvredson found in spodumene, to the amount of eight per cent. It deserves inquiry, however, whether the new alkali be an essential constituent of this mineral. If it be only an accidental ingredient, it is very possible that the Tyrol spodumene may merely contain potash.

Tantalite. This mineral, hitherto confined to Sweden, has been lately found at Bodenmais, in Germany. Its specific gravity is 6.464. Leonhard and Vogel extracted from it, by mechanical division, a foursided prism terminated by oblique faces, making angles of 94° and 86° with the sides of the prism. Vogel attempted to analyze it by the method followed by Berzelius, but could not succeed. He found its consti tuents as follows:

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Schweigger's Journal, xxi. 60. Carriages without Horses.-Mr Charles Drais, who, according to the testimony of credible witnesses, had already, in July last, with one of the latest improved carriages, without horse, invented by him, gone from Manheim to the Swiss reley-house, and back again, a distance of four hours journey by the posts, in one short hour; has, with the same machine, ascended the steep hill from Gernsback to Baden, which generally requires two hours, in about an hour, and convinced a number of amateurs, assembled on the occasion, of the great swiftness of this very interesting species of carriage. The principle of the invention is taken from the art of skating, and consists

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