The laurels trembl'd, though the wind was hush'd,

And sounds faint, but most musical, swept past.

She felt the influence on her, and her cheek Grew red with strong emotion; wilder light

Flash'd from her eyes; and, with still haughtier step,

She prest the ground, and flung her arms on high.

Bright visions were before her, and the page

Of dim futurity was open'd, and

Years yet to be, were pictur'd on her soul
In all their varied characters of fate.
She told of glorious things, of victories,
Of crowns, of wealth, and then came

deeper tones

Of human miseries, battles, famine, death. L. E. L.

STANZAS.

It came to my pillow,
A dream of the night,
A sweet voiced murmur,

A shape of the light.

Africa. Two expeditions for the interior of North Africa, are about to proceed, under the patronage of the British government; one of them by the African Association. They take their departure from Tripoli, under the protection of the Dey, and with his recommendation to the black Princes of the country. The two companies proceed in conjunction from Tripoli to Mourzouk, the capital of Fezzan. There they separate; the one directing their course eastward by the Temple of Jupiter Ammon into Egypt; the other eastward to the Niger. some of the grand problems of African geography have a good chance of being speedily and satisfactorily solved.

Thus

Navigation. The dangerous ledge of Atkin's Rock has been marked and observed very narrowly by Capt. Cork, of the Barnet, from Demerara to Liverpool. Its position has not been determined exactly, but the captain announces its situation to be precisely in 54o 5' latitude, and 12 degrees west longitude from Greenwich.

Geography. The last American journals contain details relative to the lands newly discovered in the Antarctic seas. They place New South Shetland in the 62d degree of south latitude, and the 63d of west longitude. Capt. Dan. W. Clark, of the ship Hersilia, reports, that he penetrated to the 66th degree of latitude, where he observed lands stretching further to the south, the extremities he could not ascertain. The whole, even in summer, was blocked up with snow and ice, except in particular places frequented by seals.

Aerostatics.-A prize being offered for the discovery of an horizontal direction in Aerostation, M. Mingreli, of Bologna, M. Pietripoli, of Venice, and M. Lemberger, of Nuremberg, have each assumed the merit of resolving this problem. It does not appear that any one of these has come forward, to establish by practical experiment the validity of his claim, but a pamphlet has been lately reprinted at Paris (first printed at Vienne) on this subject, addressed to all the learned societies of Europe. The following passage appears in the work: "Professor Robertson' proposes to construct an aerostatic machine, 150 feet in diameter, to be capable of raising 72,954 kilograms, equivalent to 149,037 pounds weight (French). To be capable of conveying all necessaries for the support of sixty individuals, scientific characters, to be selected by the academi

VOL. IX.

cians and the aerial navigation, to last for some months, exploring different heights and climates, &c. in all seasons. If, from accident or wear, the machine elevated above the ocean, should fail in its functions, to be furnished with a ship that will insure the return of the aeronauts."

Italy. Some further interesting discoveries of lost works have been made by M. Maio, among which are several parts of the mutilated and lost books of Polybius, of Diodorus, of Dion Cassius, some fragments of Aristotle, of Ephorus, of Timeus, of Hyperides, of Demetrius of Phalaris, &c. some parts of the unknown writings of Eunapius, of Menander of Byzantium, of Priscus, and of Peter the Protector. Among the un-edited works of Polybius are prologues of the lost books, and the entire conclusion of the 39th, in which the author takes a review of his History, and devotes his 40th book to Chronology. The fragments of Diodorus and of Dion are numerous and most precious. Among them is a rapid recital of many of the wars of Rome; a narrative of the civil, Punic, Social or Italic, and Macedonian wars; those of Epirus, Syria, Gaul, Spain, Portugal, and Persia. Parts of the history of the Greeks and other nations, and that of the successors of Alexander, &c. are among these. They were discovered in a MS. containing the harangues of the rhetorician Aristides, from a large collection of ancient writings, made by order of Constantinus Porphyrogenetes, of which only a small part are known to be extant. The writing appears to be of the 11th century. M. Maio has also met with an un-edited Latin grammarian, who cites a number of lost writers, and a Latin rhetorician now unknown; also a Greek collection, containing fragments of the lost works of Philo. He has also found writings of the Greek and Latin fathers, prior to St Jerome, with other valuable works, all of which he intends shortly to publish.

Netherlands.-Brussels can boast of some of the best conducted literary establishments in Europe. Among others that of M. de Mat of the Grand Place claims our respectful notice. This establishment contains under one spacious roof an extensive collection of modern literature in all languages-a magazine of classical and scarce old books, almost unrivalled in value and cxtent-a printing-office of great perfection and capability—a copperplate establishment—and a book-binding

Copenhagen. The museum of north ern antiquities, which was established at Copenhagen no longer ago than 1809, has so increased since that period, that it now contains upwards of 6000 articles, and is become one of the most extensive

and valuable collections of the sort in Europe. The discovery of pieces of antiquity is announced, and the articles themmselves are decribed in the Antiquarian Annals, a publication destined to this purpose.

Apograph.-Mr And. Smith, a young man of the Ayr Stone-Manufactory, has invented a machine for making copies of drawings, differing in many respects materially from the Pantograph, an instrument hitherto used for that purpose; he has therefore distinguished it by the name of the "Apograph." The drawings may be copied upon paper, copper, or any other substance; and may be made either to the same scale as the original, or magnified or reduced.

Modern Greek.-M. Jules David, son of the celebrated French painter, after diligently studying the modern language of Greece, during his residence in that country, has published the results of four years' application and observation, in a treatise entitled Paralelle des Langues Grecques, Ancienne et Moderne, in which he labours to prove, that an acquaintance with the modern idiom is indispensable to those who would fully comprehend all the force and beauty of Homer, with other ancient writers. He has com. pared the ancient and modern idiom in a very ingenious manner, and elucidates many things in the former that had been before very negligently and superficially treated of, or even not at all noticed. Among these are the theory of the Syntelic and the Paratasis, the collocation of words, and the structure of hypothetical sentences; on all which questions he has succeeded in throwing considerable light.

Canova's Statue of Washington.-The artist has represented Washington as wri

in an ancient Roman chair, with his right leg drawn up, and his left carelessly extended; holding in one hand a pen, and in the other a scroll; at his feet lie the baton of a Field-marshal, and a sword like an ancient Roman faulchion. The costume is also Roman, the head and neck bare, a close vest and braces, with a girdle round the waist, upon which are displayed Medusa's head, and other classical emblems. The statue is of white marble, of the finest kind, as is likewise the pedestal, upon the sides of which are four bas-reliefs, commemorating the following important circumstances in the life of the hero, viz. his taking the American armies-the capture of the British army at York-town-his resignation of all his public trusts-and, lastly, his retirement from public to private life and agricultural occupations. This is acknowledged by all connoisseurs who have seen it, to be one of the most felicitous productions of Canova's chisel.

Removal of a paralytic affection by lightning.-M. Olmsted, Professor of Chemistry in the college of North Carolina, has published, in the American Journal of Science, Vol. III. No. I. p. 100, an ac count of a removal of a paralytic affection, by a stroke of lightning. Mr Samuel Leffers, of Carteret County, North Carolina, had been afflicted with a paralytic affection in his face, which had settled chiefly in the eye.

When he was walking in his house during a thunder-storm, he was struck down by lightning. After lying senseless fifteen or twenty minutes, he recovered so far as to be sensible of his situation. He recovered the use of his senses and of his limbs by degrees, during the remainder of the day and night; and he felt so well the next day, that he was inclined to give to a distant friend an account of what had happened. He was able to write a long letter, without the use of glasses. Since that time, he never felt a symptom of the paralytic disorder, and he concluded that it had been effectually cured by the shock. He thought, however, that the same cause which restored his sight, impaired his hearing.

Account of the Rattlesnake.-Mr James Pierce, in his Account of the Geology, Scenery, &c. of the counties of Newhaven and Litchfield, has given the following interesting account of the rattlesnake :-A young man having met with a large and vigorous rattlesnake, instead of killing it with his long cart-whip, as he could easily have done, amused himself by provoking it, and gently playing his whip around its body. The irritated reptile made repeated

and vigorous leaps towards the young man, coming nearer to him at every ef fort; and, being teazed more and more with the whip, at last threw himself into the air, with such energy, that when he descended, he seemed scarcely to touch the ground; but instantly rebounding, executed a succession of leaps, so rapid and so great, that there was not the slightest intermission, and he appeared to fly. The young man betook himself to a rapid flight; but his dreadful pursuer gained rapidly upon him, till approach. ing a fence, he perceived that he could not pass it before the fangs of the snake would be hooked in his flesh. As his only resource, he turned, and, by a fortunate throw of his lash, by which he wound it completely round the serpent's body, he arrested his progress, and killed him.Mr Pierce had a living rattlesnake two months in his possession, and every day watched his manners. He immediately killed birds and most small animals, when put into his cage, but did not eat them. He permitted a toad, however, to remain weeks with him unmolested, and allowed it to leap upon his body, and sit upon his head. When he opened his mouth, his fangs were not visible unless he was provoked; at other times they were covered with a membrane like a scabbard, only they were drawn back, so that the sheathing membrane formed only a slight protuberance on each side of the upper jaw. If irritated, he flattened his head, threw it back, opened his mouth wide, and instantly the fatal fangs were shot out of their sheaths, like a spring-dagger, and he darted upon his object." After his death," says Mr Pierce, "I examined the fangs: they are shaped like a sickle; a duct led from the reservoir of poison at the bottom of the tooth, quite through its whole length, and terminated just by the point, which was exceedingly sharp. Thus the fang is darted out at the will of the animal; it makes the puncture at the instant, and simultaneously the poison flows throw the duct, and is deposited in the very bottom of the wound. As this rarely fails to touch a blood-vessel, the venom is then instantly issued into the system, and without delay commences the march of death through every vein and artery."-American Journal of Science, Vol. ii. p. 229.

Rewards for Discoveries in the Arctic Regions. In the New Longitude Act, which is the 58th of Geo. III. amended, it is assumed, that no ship has gone beyond 81° of North Lat. and 113° of West Long. within the Arctic circle.The rewards which it proposes are:

£.5000 to any subject of Great Britain who shall reach the Longitude of 130° from Greenwich, within the Arctic Circle;

£10,000, besides the above, for the North-West Passage into the Pacific;

£1000 for reaching 83° of North Lat., and a similar sum for 85°,

87°, and 89°, respectively. Effects of Cold upon Ice.-On Lake Champlain, and other American lakes, and even on narrow rivers, fissures and rents of enormous magnitude are often made in the ice, and are always accompanied with loud reports, like those of cannon. The unwary traveller, who, with his sleighs and horses, adventures by night, and sometimes even by day, across the great northern lakes, is frequently swallowed up in the openings, which are thus unexpectedly made in the ice. When the weather grows warm again, before the ice melts, the fissures close, and sometimes the edges of them even overlap. At Plattsburg, in the winter of 1819-20, when the thermometer during night was from 15° to 17° below 0° of Fahr., and during the day, from 10° to 12o below it, the reports of the rending ice were like that of a six-pounder, and the openings were from 10 to 15 feet wide.-See American Journal of Science, Vol. ii. No. 1. p. 177.

Third Report of the Commissioners of Weights and Measures.-The following is the substance of the final report of the Commissioners of Weights and Measures, viz. Sir George Clerk. Bart., Davis Gilbert, Esq., Dr Wollaston, Dr Young, and Captain Kater:

"1. That the Parliamentary standardyard, made by Bird in 1760, be henceforward considered as the authentic legal standard of the British Empire; and that it be identified, by declaring, that 39.1393 inches of this standard, at the temperature of 62° of Fahrenheit, have been found equal to the length of a pendulum, supposed to vibrate seconds in London on the level of the sea, and in a

vacuum.

"2. That the Parliamentary standard Troy pound, according to the two pound weight made in 1758, remains unaltered; and that 7000 Troy grains be declared to constitute an Avoirdupois pound; the cubic inch of distilled water being found to weight at 62°, in a vacuum, 252.72 Parliamentary grains.

"3. That the ale and corn gallon be restored to their original equality, by taking for the statutable common gallon of the British Empire, a mean value, such

that a gallon of common water may weigh 10 pounds Avoirdupois in ordinary cir cumstances, its content being nearly 277.3 cubic inches; and that correct standards of this imperial gallon, and of the bushel, peck, quart, and pint derived from it, and of their parts, be procured without delay, for the Exchequer."

Gelatinous Meteor at Amherst in Massachussets. On the 13th August 1819, between eight and nine o'clock in the evening, a fire-ball, of the size of a large blown bladder, and of a brilliant white light, was seen in the atmosphere. It fell near a house, and was examined by Rufus Graves, Esq., formerly Lecturer in Chemistry at Dartmouth College. It was of a circular form, resembling a solid dish, bottom upwards, about 8 inches in diameter, and about one in thickness, of a bright buff colour, with a fine nap upon it, similar to that in milled cloth. On removing this nap, a buff-coloured pulpy substance, of the consistence of soft soap, appeared, having an offensive suffocating smell, producing nausea and giddiness. After a few minutes exposure to the air, the buff colour was changed into a livid colour, resembling venous blood. It attracted moisture readily from the air. A quantity of it in a tumbler soon liquified, and formed a mucilaginous substance, of the consistence, colour, and feeling of starch, when prepared for domestic use. The tumbler was then set in a safe place, where it remained undisturbed for two or three days, and it was found to have all evaporated, except a small dark-coloured residuum adhering to the bottom and sides of the glass, which, when rubbed between the fingers, produced about a thimbleful of a fine ash-coloured powder, without taste or smell. With concentrated and diluted muriatic and nitric acids, no che mical action was observed, and the matter remained unchanged. With the concentrated sulphuric acid, a violent effervescence ensued, a gas was evolved, and the whole substance nearly dissolved.— American Journal of Science, vol. ii. p. 335.

Tree which produces the Caoutchouc, or Elastic Gum.-In the region of the Mississippi, on the Arkansas and Red River, grows the tree which yields the vegetable caoutchouc. It has a tolerably smooth back; and when incisions are made in it, a milky fluid exudes, which coagulates, and forms elastic gum. Some trees yield from 150 to 200 pounds of caoutchouc. Mr Bringier observed, that the wood of it was very elastic, when dry. If rubbed on a body which is electric, particularly in a cold day, the body rubbed will adhere to the wall. A quill, for example, will be attracted six inches from the wall, and stick fast to it, till all the electricity is dissipated.

Allitude of Dhralagiri and other Mountains of the Himalaya.-The superior altitude of the Himalaya range to the mountains of the Andes has been established beyond a doubt, by the survey of Captain Blake. The following are the altitudes deduced from his observations, by Mr Colebrooke:

Allitude in feet above the sea.

Peak without name,
Chandragiri, or Mountain of the
Moon,

Peak without a name, Swelagar or Nepal,

21,935

23,007

24,108

28,015

Dhwalagiri, or Ghasu Coti, or the

LONDON.

SHORTLY will be published, a Voyage to Africa; including a particular narrative of an Embassy to one of the interior Kingdoms, in the year 1820, by William Hutton, late acting Consul for Ashantee, and