the boar. The former almost always accompany the fossil
elephants, and are found with the mastodontes, tigers,
hyenas, and other fossil bones, discovered in alluvial lands:
but it has not been possible to determine, whether they
belonged to a species different from our domestic horse.
Those of the latter have been obtained chiefly from bogs,
and exhibit no mark to distinguish them from those of the
common boar.

Other bones have been found, which belonged, according New species of
to Mr. Cuvier, to a new species of manatee. They were in manatee.
strata of a course marine limestone, on the banks of the
Layon, near Angers; and were mingled with other bones, some

of which appeared to have belonged to a large species of
seal, others to a dolphin.

The skeletons of three fossil oviparous quadrupeds, Three singular
found in calcareous schist, have likewise been examined by reptiles.
Mr. Cuvier. One was at Oeningen, on the right bank of
the Rhine, at its efflux from the lake of Constance. It had
been described and figured as the skeleton of an antedilu
vian man, an errour already refuted. Mr. C. has shown,
that it was a reptile, somewhat resembling the salaman-
ders, and belonging to the genus proteus.

The second, found at the same place, was of the toad genus, and approaching to the bufo calamita.

The third, and the most singular, discovered in the quarries of Altmuhl, near Eichstadt and Pappenheim in Franconia, had been described and figured by Colini in the memoirs of the Academy of Manheim. Mr. Cuvier considers it as having belonged to a species of saurien. The length of pts neck and head, its long mouth armed with sharp teeth, and its long arms, indicate that it fed on insects which it caught flying; and the size of its orbits leads to the supposition, that it had very large eyes, and was a nocturnal animal.. No reptile now known bears any resemblance to this inhabitant of the ancient world.

In a supplement to his fossils of Montmartre, Mr. Cuvier has given a figure and description of an ornitholite much more perfect than any before published. It appears to have been of the gallinaceous order, and to have come nearest in size to our common quail.

Mr.

Ornitholite,

Petrified fruits.

1

Mr. Sage has described some carpolites. One was a kers nel of a walnut, found at Lons-le-Saulnier; another appeared to have been the fruit of the wild nutmeg, that grows at Madagascar and in some of the Molucca islands; and the third belonged apparently to a genus approaching the durio. The last was converted into jasper, the other two into limestone. To these observations Mr. S. adds some others, that had been made before, and concludes from them, that the petrified fruits found in our climates are exotic. He likewise enters into a chemical investigation of the means by which these petrifactions have been effected.

Order and method will always be two objects of the greatest importance in natural history, and particularly in botany; and accordingly the most celebrated naturalists New order of have made them their particular study. Mr. de Jussieu, plants. who may justly be considered as the legislator of methods in botany, has formed a new order of plants under the name of monimis. The genera, of which he composes it, are ruizia, monimia, ambora, and perhaps citrosma, pavonia, and antherospermia. This order should be placed immediately before the family of utrice: but at the end of the monimiæ Mr. de J. places the calycanthus, hitherto united with the rosacea, which he considers as the type of a new order, that will serve as an intermediate link between the monimiæ and utriceæ.

Fructification

of grasses.

Mr. Palissot-Beauvois has studied the organs of fructifications in grasses more accurately than had been before done; and on the structure of each part of these organs has founded characters, that distinguish them from each other; thus affording means of arranging the numerous species in genera much more natural than those hitherto adopted.

New plant of Mr. Labillardiere has made known a new plant of the the palm kind. family of palms, of which he makes a genus under the name of ptychosperma, bordering on the elates and arecas. This plant was discovered by the author in New Ireland. It frequently reaches the height of sixty feet, and yet its trunk is but two or three inches in diameter. From these proportions Mr. L. gives it the specific name of gracilis. It is astonishing, as he observes, that so slender a tree should support

support itself: but we know, that all the monocotyledonous plants have the hardest part of their wood externally; and this structure imparts to them a degree of strength, which they could not possess if their most solid fibres were in the

centre.

Mr. Lamouroux has presented to the class a very exten- Marine plants. sive work on marine plants. In forming one group of all these Mr. L. has made a useful innovation. The little progress that has been made in the study of seaweeds has prevented botanists from being agreed respecting the organs of fructification. Mr. L. not only embraces the opinion of the male and female organs being placed in tubercles at the extremity of their ramifications, but characterises the different parts of these organs with precision, He has farther observed, that the species growing on granite, on limestone, and ou sand, are always different. As to their interior organization, Mr. Decandelle had observed, that it was destitute of vessels, and entirely formed of cellular texture. Mr. L. distinguishes two sorts of cells; one very long, and hexagonal, forming the stalks, and the ribs of the ramifica tions; the other also hexagons, but nearly equal sided, and constituting the membranous or foliaceous substance. The former he supposes are analogous to the vessels, and the latter to the cellular texture of the more perfect vegetables. His researches have also led him to form several new genera.

To CORRESPONDENTS.

On perusing Dr. Davy's paper in our present number, and the letter from Mr. J. Davy, in which he mentions the properties of Dr. Davy's zuthic acid, or compound of oximuriatic gas and oxigen, p. 43 of our last number, J. M. will probably perceive, that the objects of his obliging communication are there answered.

To some other correspondents a similar remark will apply.

METEOROLOGICAL

Boisterous day. + Lightning.

2.940 Inch. since last Journ.

Thunder, SP M.

Lightning-Tremendous Thunder and Lightning at 4 A. M. || Ditto at 8 P. M.

Lightning.

**Ditto.

JOURNAL

OF

NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, CHEMISTRY,

AND

THE ARTS.

JULY, 1811.

ARTICLE I.

On the Manufacturing of Thread, and Articles resembling
Flax, Hemp, Tow, and Cotton, from the Fibres of the
common Nettle. By Mr. EDWARD SMITH, of Brentwood,
Essex*.

SIR,

I HAVE the honour to transmit to you a short memoir on Uses of the that hitherto much neglected and despised vegetable the nettle. nettle, with the general useful purposes to which the produce thereof may be applied. If you think it will merit any claim to the attention of the Society, I request you will do me the favour to lay it before them.

My attention was first directed to this matter about the year 1793, but from many impediments no favourable opportunity presented itself for particular investigations till about the year 1800, since which time, I have annually se lected a few of the nettle plants from their various situations at different periods, in order to ascertain the state most

* Trans. of the Soc. of Arts, vol. XXVIII, p. 109. The silver medal was voted to Mr. Smith.

VOL. XXIX. No. 133-JULY, 1811.

M

con