process, which must be continued as long as the powder continues to fall. When it ceases, filter again. The white powder which remains on the filter the second time, must now be well washed and dried; mix with this powder, one sixth of its weight of charcoal powder, and put the mixture into an earthenware retort. Put this retort into a furnace, and immerse its beak in a vessel of water, so as to be merely below the surface. Heat the retort gradually till it becomes white, when a great quantity of air-bubbles will issue from the beak, and take fire when they reach the surface of the water. At last, a substance drops out, resembling melted wax, and congeals under the water; this substance is the phosphorus. When it is newly made, it is always impure, being mixed with charcoal dust, and other matter. It may be deprived of these impurities by melting it under water, and then

squeezing through a piece of clean shamois leather. It is formed into sticks by putting it into a glass funnel with a long tube, stopped at the bottom with a cork, and immersing it in warm water. The phosphorus then melts and takes the form of the tube. When cold, it is easily pushed out with a stick. When kept some time in water, it assumes an opaque coating, and then very much resembles white wax, having nearly the same consistency. It may be cut with a knife or twisted to pieces. It is insoluble in water. If air be excluded, it evaporates at 2190, and boils at 5540. Its specific gravity is 1.77 nearly. It melts at about 1000. Care must be taken to keep it under water, for it is so combustible that it cannot be easily melted in the open air without taking fire, and it must be observed that it is poisonous.

(To be Continued.)

C.

THE volume before us is one which we hail with peculiar pleasure, and would earnestly recommend to the perusal of all who entertain any doubts as to the consistency of nature and revelation, as well as the perfect harmony of christianity with modern science. It is written in a free and unaffected style, displaying much acuteness, and a singular felicity of expression.

The observance of human nature is an inexhaustible subject to a reflective mind; and where that observance is combined, as it is in this work, with both scientific and metaphysical research, the work must be in every way interesting.

After a very suitable introduction, Mr. Dick's plan is branched out into the following chapters:

Longman & Co. 1823.

By

I. Of the Natural Attributes, Power, and Wisdom of God, as illustrated in the Magnitude and Motion of the Heavenly Bodiesthe Machinery and Varieties of Nature, with the Mechanism of Animated Beings: also, the Goodness of God to Man, and to the Inferior Animals.

II. A Cursory Review of some of the Sciences which are related to Religion and Christian Theology; namely, Natural History, Geography, Geology, Astronomy, Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, Anatomy, Physiology, and History.

III. The relation which the in ́ventions of Art bear to the objects of Religion; as Printing, Navigation, the Telescope, the Microscope, Steam Navigation, &c.

IV. Scriptural Facts illustrated from the System of Nature.

V. Beneficial effects which would result from connecting Science with Religion.

We subjoin, from the Third Chapter of this work, the author's account of the invention of the Telescope, and the discoveries made by it; together with a notice extracted from the Appendix, of a new Reflecting Telescope, constructed by himself.

"We might be apt to think, on a slight view of the matter, that there can be no immediate relation between the grinding and polishing of an optic glass, and fitting two or more of them in a tube, and the enlargement of our views of the operations of the Eternal Mind. Yet the connection between these two objects, and the dependence of the latter upon the former, can be fairly demonstrated. A spectacle maker's boy, happening to amuse himself in his father's shop, by holding two glasses between his finger and his thumb, and varying their distance, perceived the weathercock of the church spire opposite him, much larger than ordinary, and apparently much nearer, and turned upside down. This new wonder excited the amazement of the father; he adjusted the two glasses on a board, rendering them moveable at pleasure; and thus formed the first rude imitation of a perspective glass, by which distant objects are brought near to view. Galileo, a philosopher of Tuscany, hearing of the invention, set his mind to work, in order to bring it to perfection. He fixed his glasses at the end of long organ pipes, and constructed a telescope, which he soon directed to different parts of the surrounding heavens. He discovered four moons revolving round the planet Jupiter-spots on the surface of the Sun, and the rotation of that globe around its axis-mountains and valleys in the Moon-and scores of fixed stars, where scarcely one was visible to the naked eye. These discoveries were made about the year 1610, a short time after the first invention of the telescope. Since that period, this instrument has passed through various degrees of improvement, and by means of it, celestial wonders have been explored in the distant spaces of the universe,

which, in former times, were altogether concealed from mortal view. By the help of telescopes, combined with the art of measuring the distances and magnitudes of the heavenly bodies, our views of the grandeur of the Almighty, of the plenitude of his power, and of the extent of his universal empire, are extended far beyond what could have been conceived in former ages. Our prospects of the range of the divine operations are no longer confined within the limits of the world we inhabit ;-we can now plainly perceive that the kingdom of God is not only "an everlasting dominion," but that it extends through the unlimited regions of space, comprehending within its vast circumference thousands of suns, and ten thousands of worlds, all ranged in majestic order, at immense distances from each other, and all supported and governed" by Him who rides on the heaven of heavens," whose greatness is unsearchable, and whose understanding is infinite. The telescope has also demonstrated to us the literal truth of those scriptural declarations which assert that the stars are "innumerable." Before the invention of this instrument, not more than about a thousand stars could be perceived by the unassisted eye in the clearest night. But this invention has unfolded to view not only thousands, but hundreds of thousands and millions of those bright luminaries, which lie dispersed in every direction throughout the boundless dimensions of space. And, the higher the magnifying powers of the telescope [are,] the more numerous those celestial orbs appear; leaving us no room to doubt, that countless myriads more lie hid in the distant regions of creation, far beyond the reach of the finest glasses that can be constructed by human skill, and which are only known to Him" who counts the number of the stars, and calls them by their names."

"In short, the telescope may be considered as serving the purpose of a vehicle for conveying us to the distant regions of space. We would consider it as a wonderful achievement, could we transport ourselves two hundred thousand miles from the earth, in the direction of the moon, in order to take a nearer view of that celestial orb. But this instrument enables us to take a much nearer inspection of that planet, than if we had actually surmounted the force of gravitation, traversed the voids of space, and left the earth 230,000 miles behind us.

For, supposing such a journey to have been accomplished, we would still have been ten thousand miles distant from that orb. But a telescope which magnifies objects 240 times, dan carry our views within ONE thousand miles of the moon; and a telescope, such as Dr. Herschel's 40 feet reflector, which magnifies 6000 times, would enable us to view the mountains and vales of the moon, as if we were transported to a point within 50 miles of her surface. We can view the magnificent system of the planet Saturn, by means of this instrument, as distinctly as if we had performed a journey eight hundred millions of miles in the direction of that globe, which, at the rate of 50 miles an hour, would require a period of more than eighteen hundred years to accomplish. By the telescope, we can contemplate the regions of the fixed stars, their arrangement into systems, and their immense numbers, with the same distinctness and amplitude of view, as if we had actually taken a flight of ten hundred thousand millions of miles, into those unexplored and unexplorable regions, which could not be accomplished in several millions of years, though our motion were as rapid as a ball projected from a loaded cannon. We would justly consider it as a noble endowment for enabling us to take an extensive survey of the works of God, if we had the faculty of transporting ourselves to such immense distances from the sphere we now occupy; but, by means of the telescopic tube, we may take nearly the same ample views of the dominions of the Creator, without stirring a foot from the limits of our terrestrial abode. This instrument may, therefore, be considered as a providential gift bestowed upon mankind, to serve, in the mean time, as a temporary substitute for those powers of rapid flight with which the seraphim are endowed, and for those superior faculties of motion with which man himself may be invested, when he arrives at the summit of moral perfection."

New Telescope.

"About a year ago, the Author commenced a series of experiments on Reflecting Telescopes; and [he] has lately constructed several on a new plan and principle. In this construction, there is no small speculum, either plane, convex, or concave; there is no tube, except a short one of two or three inches in length, for

holding the speculum. The observer sits with his back to the object, and views the image formed by the speculum through an eye-piece, which requires to be nicely directed and adjusted. Three or four instruments of this construction have been fitted up, with specula of 5, 8, 16, and 28 inches focal distance. One of them having a speculum of eight inches focus, and two inches diameter, with a terrestrial eye-piece, magnifying about 25 times, forms an excellent parlour telescope, for viewing land objects, and exhibits them in a brilliant and

novel aspect. When compared with a Gregorian of the same size and magnifying power, the quantity of light upon the object appears nearly doubled, and the image is equally distinct. It represents objects in their natural colours, without that dingy and yellowish tinge which appears when looking through a Gregorian. Another of these instruments, having a speculum of 28 inches focal distance, and an eye-piece producing a magnifying power of about 100 times, serves as an excellent astronomical telescope. By this instrument, the belts and satellites of Jupiter, the ring of Saturn, and the mountains and cavities of the moon, may be contemplated with great ease and distinctness. By placing the pedestal on the floor of the apartment, when the object is at a high elevation, we can view celestial phenomena with the same ease as if we were sitting at a writing desk reading a book. With a magnifying power of about 50 or 60 times, applied to this telescope, terrestrial objects appear extremely bright and well defined. A speculum of 37 inches focal distance, and 6 inches diameter, is just now fitting up on the same principle. The specula used in these instruments are far from being good; being of a yellowish colour, and having large holes in the centre; as they were originally intended for Gregorian Reflectors; yet the brightness of vision approaches nearly to that of Achromatic Telescopes. The experiments which have been made on this subject, demonstrate that a tube is not necessary for a Reflecting Telescope, when viewing either celestial or terrestrial objects; and, therefore, this construction of the instrument may be denominated THE AERIAL REFLECTOR. A more detailed account of this telescope will probably soon appear in some of the Scientific Journals."

MR. MFADYEN. MR. EDITOR,-I beg you will indulge me with one remark on the observations of An Observer, in No. VIII., and your own comments in the 10th Number of your Magazine, relative to the introductory lecture of Mr. M'Fadyen. I do not intend to enter into the discussion of subjects which have engaged the attention of the most eminent geologists, and which, notwithstanding, are still involved in obscurity. I wish merely to vindicate a most amiable and highly gifted townsman from even the suspicion of having publicly expressed opinions repugnant to the principles of our holy religion, and as countenancing doctrines alike unscriptural and unphilosophical. Such a charge against a public teacher, is of a very grave nature, and, in the present instance, cannot be too promptly met. The detached passages given by some one who has taken himself to analyse the introductory lecture of Mr. M'Fadyen, even though correct, cannot be received as evidence of the In scope of the whole lecture. such a lecture, it was proper enough for the learned gentleman to detail the various theories adopted by different authors regarding the creation; but I appeal to the hundreds who were present on the occasion, (and An Observer' admits he was not so), whether the lecturer did not refute every sceptical speculation, and triumphantly vindicate the Mosaic account.

upon

And

I may farther confidently affirm, without fear of being contradicted by the numerous and respectable class of Mr. M'Fadyen, that he has permitted no proper opportunity to pass without elucidating and enforcing the truth of the divine record, and with persuasive elo

MR. EDITOR,In 1821, an ingenious Somersetshire mechanic obtained a patent for a very original and useful invention, the air-bed, which I will shortly describe. The case is varnished with a composition of oil, Indian rubber, and turpentine. It is quite impervious to air, flexible, and may be folded without injury. The air is forced through a tube, and prevented from returning, by means of an air-tight stop-cock. The apparatus is kept below the bed; and by draw

ing cords, placed like bell-ropes beside

the pillows, the person in bed may either make it soft, or hard, by diminishing or increasing the quantity of air within. The bed may be cooled by changing the air, in the same manner. These beds are free from all dust; a great advantage, which even the very best feather or down beds do not possess; by which rooms and furniture may be kept clean with less labour. They require no making-up, and are so light and portable that they may be carried in a great-coat pocket. These beds may, therefore, be of great use to travellers and soldiers, as well as to the public in general; for a good bed is a great luxury, either to the sick or healthy. I shall conclude by merely enquiring, if these beds are for sale any where in Glasgow-what is their costand if they have answered the expectations of the patentee, or the public?

Dumbarton, 8th March, 1824.

ON REFRACTION.

6

L. E.

MR. EDITOR,-Having nothing new to communicate on the straight-edge query, I have not taken up the pen under the impression that I should defend the opinions I already sent you. My intention is to correct your late Correspondent, Mechanicus,' in his view of refraction. In page 171, after saying that refraction explains the phenomenon stated by An Observer,' he proceeds"Any person conversant with astronomy would have informed him (S.) that the sun and all the heavenly bodies, when near the horizon, appear several minutes

igher than their proper place, and that, n consequence, the sun is seen before he reaches the horizon in the morning, and after he is below it in the evening." All this I believe as matter of fact; but I deny that it follows, that the visible horizon is apparently raised so much by refraction, and this is what it ought to be in order to solve the question. A moment's reflection will convince Mechanicus' that the visible horizon cannot be so much affected by refraction as the heavenly bodies are; for, if it were, how could these bodies appear above it, when they are really below it?

The laws of refraction, as confirmed by experiments, also show us, that terrestrial objects cannot be affected by it as much as the celestial bodies are. Your Correspondent, no doubt, knows, that light is refracted when it passes obliquely out of one medium into another of different density. Of course, as the media through which the light of the sun passes before it reaches the visible horizon, are more varied in their densities than those which are situated between the horizon and the spectator, place him where you will, terrestrial objects (the farthest of which is the sea or land in the horizon) cannot be affected in the same degree as the sun. I say, to the same degree, for there is such a thing as terrestrial refraction, although writers are not agreed what allowance ought to be made for it.

Dr. Maskelyne, in taking the height of mountains, estimated the error occasioned by refraction at 1-10th of the distance at which he made his observations, expressing that distance in degrees of a great circle.

Legendre allows only 1-14th, while, according to Dr. Hutton," the English measurers, Col. Williams, Capt. Mudge, and Mr. Dalby, from a multitude of exact observations made by them, determine the quantity of refraction to be the 12th part of the distance."

Perhaps the different states of the weather and atmosphere may, occasionally, make all these allowances correct; but though 'Mechanicus' should take the largest, he will, I am convinced, find that it will not much alter the matter. Nay, it is my opinion, that, in making observations according to the case in debate, refraction will only have the effect of extending our view, without raising the visible horizon in the least. Perhaps some of your Correspondents may be able to confute, or confirm, this opi

Edinburgh, 6th March, 1824. MR. EDITOR,-Almost every one has heard of the strange boast of the far famed Archimedes, when he said, “ Give me a place to stand upon, and I will move the earth." This saying is often quoted, by way of simile, when speaking of any great movement in the moral or political world, and in such a way as to make us believe it to be impossible. Now, it may be an interesting problem for some of your learned and numerous Correspondents, to calculate what time it would require to raise the earth to the height of six inches by means of a lever long enough to be moved by one man, and placed according to the great philosopher's wishes; and supposing the end of the lever to be pulled down with the same velocity as a stone falls from a height at the surface of the earth.

Your's, a Constant Reader,
R. G.

A VARNISH FOR POLISHING WOOD.

The wood must first be very well polished; because, if the varnish brings out the beauty of the wood, it does the same by the defects. When it is well polished, the following varnish may be applied:

Take some very pure shell lac, powdered, and dissolve it in alcohol, (double the quantity of the alcohol to the lac employed, is a very good proportion,) expose it to a heat of about 112 deg. and agitate it every three hours, until it has acquired a proper consistence.

This varnish has no body in it that makes it liable to crack, as the most of the varnishes have. Mix two parts of varnish with one of olive oil; then, with a piece of fine linen, formed into a sort of pallet, rub it over the wood, with great force and pressure, but always in the direction of the fibres of the wood; cover the whole surface of the wood with a slight coat; then leave it to dry, which it does very quickly; then apply a second coat, a third, and, if necessary, a fourth; when it dry, a lustre is given in the following way: