The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-01-27 00:00:00

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tik GALYANI AND GALVANISM.

The advanelment of science is 'happily progres.
stve, in an enliyhtened age, and those who cultivate
wun succevs possess a just claim to be ranked
am( ng the benef.actors of mankind.
A Late esperimeut on the corpse of a criminal has
aura. test a conaicier.able portion of the fuhlic awn-
non. We are tisld that a hand was made ro move,
and an eye se•-it to mien t in,conseqnenc,_. of this,
hopes It Ore been actiialiv entertained hy some, that
lire itself can he restored and protracted ! It may
is 4 be sinisiteresting, therefore, perhaps, to inquire
into the histoty, and give ref expos:tion of this
singular discovery.
Although Set?. ea. assent forty years since, seen,
to has c :wised at vaneth:ng of A simil ir mute in
his " Thoris Jo fraiiiir,P yet Co fl'hlS I was assuredly
the first who
rennin,uerectlr observed and described the
Perceiviog, an uousual Contraction
di.ipliniginatic nerve ot a mouse, when
touched .4th the blade of tin scalpel, he was sur-
prised at the circumstance, and could not give cre-
dit to Lis oexans of vision, until he had ascertained
the fact by frequent trials. Several scientific men
on the continent now began to speculate on the ex-
istence of a property in animals, analogous to the
electric fluid, which acting by irritation, produced
all their muscular contractions.
V AMA t t, a' member of the academy of Turin, and
a Nrtiiran of the new theory,wishing to demonstrata.,
the truth of the system adopted by him, made a
variety of experiments, and published the result in
19. but it was reserved for another to throw
new light upea this important subject, by develop-
ing the principles, to Merit all the credit of an ori-
ginal inventor, and even to transfer his own name to
the discovery.
I.vioi G s E.v Ara , professor of anatomy, in the toil.
versity of Bologna, after interrogating nature with
a n the patience and abiltty of a philosopher, com-
municated her responses, by pronouncing the exist-
ence of an electrics-animal fluid. In his celebrated
book " Pr riribiss eleti-ci Wiz is loots paw lar ," he
describes the ralorss facts collected by him in eon-
goatee of long and scientific researches. The first
thing that arrested his at:ention, was the contractions
ViAnifested by a frog, every time that a span k was
drawn from an electric.d machine, provided the
crural nerves of the animal were touched at the
same period with the blade of a kivite. • By repeat-
hag and varying this experiment, he was persuaded
that these contractions did not proceed tiom any me-
chanical irritation, and he concluded that the 14r.
aosolvia were occasioned by the influence of electrici-

ty ali.ne.
In the course of his labours, being anxious to as-
certain whether natural and artificial elect' icity pro.
diced the same effects, he placed an animal, pre-
pared tur this purpose, so as to conuaunicate with a
c.vi luctor, and every time that a cloud clurir, d
wiLli lightning. pa,,sed over his house, the living
ribijrict putitted the event by violent spasms.
Soon after this, he was led in the course of his inqui-
ries to conclude, that there exisce,i two kinds of fluids
in the animal system; the one, negative in the mus-
cles, and the other positive in the nerves. Further
researches condakted him to the irritation excited by
the operation of metals in contact, or the muscles
when they were placed so as to communicate with
the ;:arcrnal part of the nerve.
Anterior to the demise of GALVANt, (which OC•
cuffed Dec. 4. 17
p 988). VALLI, a physician of Pita,
a
still further develothis new theorytermed
the conductor ot e Professor of Bologna, an rev-
saw, as exciting the nervous fluid, or the nerve it-
self, to produce certain results; he also demonstrat-
ed Cie close resemblance, or rather identity, of the
GALVANIC with the FILAMILINIAII system.
The philosophers now took different sides, and
while FuNt ANA, an Italian, asserted that the plice-
nomena did not prixted from electricit y LA my-
T.41t1 I, a Frea ia chnn, maintained in the nulled de
PSwique, (4'2 vol.) that there was no difference
wh.tever between the twootre7ers, except that the
one was weaker than the .
G .iI. t A IM, the countryman of the latter, endea-
voured to arrange the metals in the express ratio of
their action on the animal ceconomy, and according
to b:m they rank in the following order :—Zink, tin,
lead, antimony, bismuth, copper, mercury, and bil-
WT.
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Dr. Motu', an Italian Professor, is the nephew of
GALV A Mt. lie has not only superintended the expe-
riments that have lately taken place, and which have
been repeated and varied a thousand al-cleat ways
on the continent, but writwn several treatises on this
subject, viz.
1. 1k animali electricitate dis•ertationes due.
2. Deli' uso e attivita dell' arco conduttore
pelle contrazioni dci muscoli ; and
3. Memoiie sulfa electricita alternate di Leto'
GAtvi.et,
In fine, many novel and extraordinary phcrnnmena
have been produced in consequence of this recent
discovery. The legs of men and hot ses, a consider-
able titue after separation from their respective bo-
dies, have been excites/ to motion, and the dormouse
has been aroused out of its winter's sleep, rind err -
rated before the.approaeh of summer, into premature
acti,n. • • •
Ilow far figure researches may reach, it is impos-
sible to determine; as it appears, however, at pre-
sent, that the Galosh a nuceplibSty survives unalter-
ed, in certain cote. of suffocation, some practic.d
good may be already derived from it, as Althlitigh it
does not apply to tl:c general practice of medicine,
it rndY yet he employed with success, in that branch
under the inunedrate protection cat the llama:se So-
ciety'

THEifrR E-ROrAL, DRLY Rr-t..ixE.
THIS 1.1/1..1141
TVGHE w a
BITSY he
Kepi. Cie Comely of
Sir George Aire, Mr. Wise ; Sir Fran*.is Grip., Mr. Swett;
SariexiouiTratlic, Mr. thisrtrii; Mirplut. Mr inui-tes, Jun.
Nit, Juntas; Mcbutda, Mrs Scutt.
whe:h will be advt.-1,
LOVE AND MAGIC.
A Nre Curneity, called 1.2: both Sides, is in rehearsal,
awl wi.l !imitated imi Salo1n! y next.

THEATRE-110r a, COVENT-GARDEN:
ims FA, fo FAMILY perforioril the Coatic Okeht of
QUARRELS.

The princloal Cturactrrs by
Mr likAham. Mr. MAn len, Mr litan-hard, Mr. Fraery,
Mr Stverls, Mr Sournons, and Mr. InelPtion;
111..ttor.ii.s, Mrs. tit. Lief. birs. Dobsiin, Miss Wads's,
And ti.ertrra rarast-e.
To which wig br addrA,
ITARLEQUIN's HABEAS.
Terwareeva The hieneithe Word

THE DIITIM-11 PI LESS.

LONDON,
THURSDAY, JAN. 27.

Repents of a onions dispute between the British
and Spanish 'milers in the Bay of Honcuns*, have
been lately propagated an.! generally I.elieved in the
city. The Henrietta, how:ver, arrived at Plymonth
on Monday, from that quarter, states, that when she
sailed there was no appearance of any such mis-
understanding. This intelligence is tl:e more
satisfactory,' as the Henr:e:;a is conside ed the latest
ship from the Bay. It will be remembered, that
more than twelve months ago it was reported that
the Spaltiards had proceei • to dis • ißess the Erg-
iish scalers. If then the intelligence brought by the
freer;era he true, the acco rot of recent disturbances
will probably turn out to he nothing more than a
revival of the old report. Still, however, we should
fear, from the circumstan rra..rer in which the
cause of dispute has heel specificary laid dovin,
that all differences between the two nations in that
quarter have not been completely done away, al-
though the acvaints of them may have been much
exaggerated —Out' ship ne vs contains also another
interesting article of foreig intellizerce. Letters
from Jamaica, of the 2.5 th November, bring further
particulars of the mel.mch sta eof the French
in St. Domingo. Testilen .c, d*saffection, and the
sword, have done so much in that island, horror
has almost eilurasted all her variety, and the ima-

gination can scarcely coercive a case of misery
that has not been already realieed.—Transports
illed with people are scuttled and sunk at sea,
and the coast is covered with their floating corpses ;
such is the Lideous picture given of St. Dvmingo.

The intelligence from Mal•a is of to late a date
as the 29th of November. At that time it wn.s nit
expetied that the evacuatian of that island was
likely soon to take place. The British troops, to
the number of 3000 effedive men, exclusive of about
200 of the Royal Artillery, and a small detachment
from the Corps of Royal Engineers, confine them-
selves chiefly within the w wks of l.a Valette.—
Both the troops and ships ar • said to be in the most
serviceable state.

Recent accounts from Ireland present a lone and
melancholy list of crimes. In the veh,sle catalogue
of offences, we do not leswever find one of a
political nature. They are chiefly confined to
aes of plunder and vielaice, a larre portion
of which has been principally exercised upon the
Mail coaches, as affording hopes of a rich booty.
We observe, however, with satisfaction, that these
outrages are almost exclusively limited to the south
of Ireland, not merely bectuse the evil is there-
fore partial, but because, from the seat of the disease,
'e may reasonably hope it is not inflamed with trea-
son or disaffection to the exi.ting government. Of
all the Irish peasants, those of the s&.ath of the islar.d
have been, and still are, the most wretched. Hence
we/ read, from time to time, of partial risings of
bodies of the poor in that quarter under various
denovnissations, for the purpose of extorting such
measures as they conceived would ameliorate their
condition. The late rebellion must of necessity
have rendered their state still more deplorable, and
as want and misery are the parents of crime,

it cannot be matter of surprise that the long nights
should bring along with them an increase of offences.

Yesterday a Court of Directors was held at the
East India Howse, when the following ('onitranders
took leave previous to departing for their respective
destinations Captain 1. GafriHAM, W nilh,fos, and
Captain J. SANDILANDS, Walpole, for Madras;
M. Cam°, Elphindeore, for Bombay. Mr. JACK
sow tool; his seat in the Court as did Mr. Alderman
Ls Mescal tit in the Commit.ee of Correspondence,
inconsequence of the vacancy cv:Tasiolied by the de-
cease of Mr. 1-lu,.rts.—The Court adjou:ned at six
o'clock till Wednesday neat.
By a Swedish Indiaman at Batavia, we learn that
the Gerrit& and Neptune were both well, and saP.cd
from Anjer Point for _China on the 4th of Sep-
! tember.

The great interest which the French Gov..!rnment
has taken u► the Dutch Loan. is thus accounted for.
.Son►e years ago the Dutch Government issued
Rescri}►tions, payable in eight months after Peace,
but instead of fulfilling this engagement, it raises a
new Loan, to which these liescr►ptions ►eight be
subscribed, proposing, at the same t►me, to fund any
residue which should not be s.► applied. l pon this
the Rescriptions, of which the French Government,
and persons connected with it, possessed a large
quantity, suffered a cqnsiderable depression. In-
dignant, therefore, at ibis proceeding, the French
Government sent orders to the Dutch Government
to make the Loan in some other way; and the Re-
scriptions ruse of course.
A Letter from Brussels states; "That the Austrian
Government has appointed a Commissioner to re-
pair to London, to settle with the British Ministry
every thing necessary relative to the liquidation of
the Loans contracted in England, on account of his
I MPLitIAL MAJESTY, which were, seemed on dif-
ferent branches of the public revenue of the Low
Countries, as also on the domains of the Crown.
Letters received at Kingston, Jamaica, from
Montego Bay, dated 19th Woe. gate the arrival of
the Pelican sloop of war at that place, on the preced-
ing day, from St. Domingo, with an account of
the arrival. in that island, of li,ooo troops from
France. under the command of General ,Macno.
SALM