The National Register.
London, England, 1816-04-22 00:00:00

LITER.IRY SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE.

Europe being now restored to a tte of tranquillity, and the rublic
mind left et more freedom to direct it{ attention to the arts o: p..ace,
a small portion of this paper will in future be devoted to literary and
scientific intellionce, stottlicA inforinatitin, and extracts font new
books. To remitr this head more interesting, the best sources, bat%
lor,:ign and domestic, will be consulted; and in nit,king selections
from them, prtferenee will be given to such articles as may appear
most iik lj to grail./ the public curiosity., or to diffuse useful know-
ledge.

Those fond of AI wt. r ()GRAPH v, and ca rly specimens of the typogmphic
art, have found a rie:t treat in the Fief theta Sriveriaffla ; or, De.
scriytive Catalogue of the Books printed in the Fifteenth Century. and
of many ramble tint etlitiors, in the library of Earl Spencer; drawn
up by the Rev. T. It. Dibdin. This work is distinguished by every
embellishment that art art and inateri:.l. cou'.l :Imply; but the great
price, we believe fifteen guineas, will render its circulation lialited,
and confine It to tees hands of a chosen few. The foundation of the
valuable colleet!on which it is meant to deserilre, was Lai l in the ac-
quisition of that be 'raging to ('oust Itewitzky, a tint garian noble-
man, who ',tidied at Vienna, and afterwards travelled throu;;h rations
parts of Asia, Italy, and other countries. Ile had a wonderful facility
in actistiring languages, acid spoke and wroto with equal er,,thocee the
Latin, Grcelc, German, Hungarian, Polish, Italian. Preach, and
ling l:.lt lie first made himself known to the public by translating
some Persian poems into Latin; and he was a long thna Envoy Ex-
traordinary from the Envies: Queen to tllo Court of Ivorsaw. lie
h:11 a similar situation at Berlia, in tl.e tcign of .Joseph II.; and, as
he pos,:asal cla.ice Khrary, a:Mid:ring many rare and valuable cdi.
tines, of „I,e „Am; &tones. and other works, 1:e contributed, it is said,
ta ''ritr.lehrer into the I ussien states n better typographical taste. The
first ,:prchnen of elegant printing that appeared at Berlin was an edi.
eian of Petunias, ptiatvel undo. the Count's ir,Tection; the proot
sleects of which were reviset: either by himself or his chaplain, the
Abbe Grolier. De afterwards irinted a catalogue of his Greek and
Latin CIRSILI, with notes at.d dlo.rtrations; which was so much sought
after, that it wuct through a see,a.d edition. In the year Visf,, he was
sent as Envoy to the Court of 1....:id0n I but, on recount of his health,
or some other inutive, he waaplviratii to a similar situation at Naples;
and, on this occedon, ha said his minable library, or the greater part of
it, to Lard Spenser. Phis destination, however, bring afterwards.
chan;tai, he resided some time in a private capacity at' London; and,
ituming to Vicuna. diet; there in the month of August, 1793. Be-
• but Rcwitsky collection, this library conteine many articles since
added et a very large expenoe; and it is to be Loiaal, t.:iit tho wnole
will be long pruizrvtd, as a mor.ertuent of thenolde, owner's taste, know-
balga, and liberality. Among the literary curiosities in this treasure,
we 5h..11. notice cnly the follov.ir.g:
TWo scarce wcy..ks. er.titled BRIPa Panperam. The poor lfee.s
uthl,•," one in the German lanotage. and the other in Latin; the date
of both about ttSit. They are'usually gummed to have been executed
oil wooden blocks; but Mr. Dibdhs thinks that they were printed with
enoveelle typ.s.
Ingraligrum .Meelei V. Pont. .3f. SICCCCLV. each
on a email sheet of ple.vinnent. These loners of indulgence, one of
which has the or.;,iaill Papal sal still sensed to it, are the earliest
knov.minst..nces of the impression of metal types with a date cubjoincel.
1.414:a V a !grita, suppose t 1 to have been printed by Gutenberg,
between th years 1450 arid 1455, in two volumes folio. This is com.
.
inonly (idled the Mararine Bible, because the copy that discovered was
fon:al in the library of Cardinal 'al:raw-me,

in rem-ding the selmtific improvements of the present day, it would
be imp:en:l-to omit theatrafY LANTERN Construatxl by Sir 11. Davy;
by w!ti:h it friirCo.l. that those fatal explosions which am apt to take
pl.ce is minx, in furors b.: prevented. principle on width
this lA•ltt•rn is contr. v,.!, wiil be best conceived from what the inventor
fiIVS in the paper eammunicatt.l ty him on the Er.bject to the Boyid
SO".tt • in aex -a- Ism tern," says the ingenious author, " supplied
•i: var.:rebid:lw, and another above, a lighted lamp, having
v,.11, small wick, he placed, the nrturul thane gradually diininishes
el it :rives at a point at which the supTly of air suilicicut fir: the
ezmburtion of a certain sw.ell .pra.-ttity of oil: if a lighted taper he in-
t:minced into the lantern, through a small door in the side which is in-
elosed, both lights Rill hum for a few seconds, and he extin-

to4retlicr.
" A similar phenomenon occurs. if, in a close lantern-supplied with
a quantity of air, merely sufficient to support a certedn Came, a mixture
.4 tire.damp and air is gradually rdu.ittala the fast edict of: the fire
de•np is, to moduce a larger flame round that of the Letup; and this
flen;c constuning the en.ygen which ought to be =pl./led to the flame
of the Lamp, and the rtandard, or power of the sir to support fhtme
lowered by tho admixture of fire-damp, and by its rarefaction,
the fame of the tire-lamp and th:.t of the taper arc extinguished
together; and as the at contained a certain quanfay of cage and car-
acid before the admission of the die-damp, their effev., by mixing
s nh it, is such as to pre ..cnt en c‘;;,ll,ion in say part of the lantern.
" I tried se.cral experiments on th.e !muting of a flame in atmos-
phere; containing tire-dst.p. 1 inclosed a taper in a little dose lantern,
basing a smell aperture below, and a larger one above, of such size
tait the taper b.:tht sit% a little below its natural size. I
;laced tun lantern, the taper lighted on a stsod uneer n larc,e
knee, krctivrr equalirg iu wat.r, teeing a curved tube containing a
• little wat,r, aelzpt,Al to its top, to c-.nr.ne the air, rail which was or
ac.. 11 rapacity as to enable tl,: to burn for some minutes; I then
I..pidlytloot a quantity of fire-dair.p into the receiver from a bladder,
=Ps to wake the atmosphere in it exphtive. As the firr-darep mixed
with the air, the flame of the toper grathadly till it ia,lf
the lautun; it then rapidly thinii.i.s!,i3l, am.: was suddenly e tinguislast
without the slightest explosion. I ocrunined the air of the receiver
after thecaperiunnt, and found it highly
" I Lied expeziments, throwing in mi :vines of air and fire-
dantp, sunie centair.ing the maximum, a:Anther-. fie n.i anon of Fr -
,1,17.1,t, 11,,ccFsal for cxilosion, and always with the :am" satisfactr-q
salts.re tom coxicicinhly inerears:l end w. coon eNtirguilltod.
a lighted Inn!cin, the air .vas en; ?licit by
two rl.:s9 t:tbe+ one-tenth of an inch in diameter, and half an in, h
int 3 a lare jar «attaining an explosive mixture of one part fire-damp
ar d ten pun., or air; Use taper burnt ut. first with a feeble light, Cut
fs. me soon .oec.l-,e aJe.l was then emit,;:cis I r:;:cate.d
tlnate expee:nent betel-el times, and with a perfect constancy of result'
" It is ..-vident that, to prevent explo4icne in teal mina,, it is
.tly m.esLay to ute I..nterns, supplied with al: f.enn tub:{