The Sun.
London, England, 1821-12-12 00:00:00

2,805 493;000
807-133 1,600,000

64,561

'900',000

Peru

60.172

92,000
144,955

1,500;000

900,000
1,000,000

,
13,888 1,740,030
1,425 80,000

The revenues of Spain in 1817 amounted to
620,000,000 of reals (or about 6,000,0001.) Its
military force in 1806 amounted to 262,000, of
which 110,000 were for the Colonies: Its navy
was composed of 283 vessels, of which 43 were
ships of the line.
JOURNALS iv MdsCow.—The following daily
and other Journals are published at Moscow :
First, The Moscow Gazette, published by the
University. It contains extracts from the, daily
Papers of St. Petersburg'', and advertisements ;
it appears twice a week in quarto, has a very
great sale in the interior of the Empire, and
prints no fewer than 7,000 copies'. Secondly,
The European Courier, a Literary and Political
Journal, begun in the pear 1802, by Mr. Ka-
ramsin, published every fourteen days, in num-
bers of 5 sheets Bvo., and containing very valu-
able
information respecting the history of Old
Russia, as well as critical examinations of the
antiquities of the country. The present editor
is Mr. Katchenowski, professor of archaeology to
the University of Moscow, and perhaps the most
learned of all the Russian Journalists. Thirdly,
The Russian Courier, published by Mr. Serga
Glinka, every fourteenilays, sincelBoB, in num-
bers of from three to five 12:no sheets: It is
dedicated to Russian History and Education.—
The editor is distinguished for his ardent patriot-
ism, and his hatred to every thing that is not
Russian. Fourthly, The Historical, Satistical,
and Political Journal, which has been carried on
without interruption for twenty-live years; but
is nothing more than a translation of the Political
Journal of Hamburgh. A Journal is published
at Kasan, in the Russian language, edited by the
Professors of that University.
ORNITHOLOGN.—M. R. Robinson, of Derby,
has a beautiful living specimen of that scarce
bird, the Great-fared Owl, which is not so
much inferior in size to the eagle. Its head is
very large,.andis adorned with two erect tufts
more than two inches long, which stand just above
each eye.; its bill is strong and much hooked ; its

NATURAL HlSTORY.—(Account of the Rattle
Snake.)—Mr. James Pierce, in his account of
the Geology, Scenery, &c. of the Counties of
Newhaven and Litchfield, has given the follow-
ing account of the rattle snake :—A young man,
having met with a large and vigorous rattle
snake, instead of killing it with his long cart-
whip, as he could easily have done, amused him-
self by provoking it, and gently playing his whip
around its body. The irritated reptile made re-
peated and vigorous leaps towards. the young
man, coming nearer to him at every effort ; and
being teased 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, ex..
ecuted 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 him-
self to a rapid flight; but - this dreadful pursuer
gained rapidly upon him, till approaching 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 fortu-
nate throw of his lash, by which he wound it com-
pletely round the serpent's body ,he arrested his pro-
gress,and killed him. Mr. Pierce had a living rattle
snake two mouths in his possession, and every day
watched his manners. He immediately killed
trip* birds and small animals, when pot into his
qgt,but did not eat them. He permitted a toad,
looitAer, 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 mem-
brane 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 exceed-
ingly 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
through the duct, and is deposited in the very
bottom of the wound. As this rarely fails to
touch a blood-vessel, the venom is thus instantly
issued into the system, and, without delay, com-
mences the march of death, through every vein
and artery."—(American Journal of Science.)
GIANT LIZARD, OR DRAGON OF ANTIQUITY.
—The bones of an animal found imbedded in

rocks, near Maestricht and Vicenza, which had
hitherto puzzled Cuvier and other eminent na-
turalists, have been determined by Sommering to
belong to -a species of lizard, which, from its
great size,. he calls the giant lizard. It is now
unknown, but he conjectures that it is the dra-
gon of antiquity, so universally, though (if he is
right) falsely, reputed fabulous.. This enormous
lizard is twenty-three feet in length. NV e need
not, after this, despair of finding in some rock or
gravel pit the skeletons of centaurs, griffins, har-
pies, or even that of the renowned Pegasus.

ALTITUDE OF DDWALAGIIII AND OTHER
MOUNTAINS OF THE HIMADAYA.—The superior
altitude of the lihnabaya ranges to the moun-
tains 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

Peak without a name

Chandragiri, or Mountain of the Moon
Peak w4thout a name - -

Alt. in Feet,
above the Sea.
21,935

23,001
21,103

_ ~...,
Sevelagar, or Nepal - - -25,1 M
Dhwalagiri, or tiliasu Coti, or the White I 28,0,5
Mountain - - - - j . ?

METHOD OF SAVING LIVES IN CASES OF SHlP-
wrikut OR FIRE.-Mr. John Murray has found
that the common musket may be employed in
propelling. an arrow and line to the shore from
the ship, or • vice versa. The arrow, made of
hickory or ash, and loosely fitting the calibre of
the musket, is discharged with gunpowder, the
charge being less than the usual qUantity. These
arrows are three or four inches longer than the
barrel of the musket, and are shod with iron at
the point, having an eye, through which: the line
.is threaded. The lower end enters a socket,
which must be in complete contact with the
wadding of the piece. The line never snaps,
and the average distance to which the arrow and
a log-line can be projected, may be estimated at
230 feet; in one case, an iron rod was carried
333 feet. The arrow may also be projected over
buildings on fire, and carry a line, attached to a
rope-ladder, which could be drawn over the roof
to the other side, and instantaneously afford a
fire-escape.

NEW CHEMICAL APPARATUS.-An apparatus
has been invented at Glasgow, for the imnufac-
ture of any mineral water requiring to be charged
with carbonic acid gas, which amounts, in fact,
to the developement. of a power hitherto un-
known, but equal to that of steam. This ma-
chine is described as having neither gasometer
nor air-pump, yet the strength of a boy is as-
serted to be capable of compressing into any
vessel from thirty to forty atmospheres of gas in
a few minutes; while, to effect the same with
a forcing pump, 'would occupy the strength of
several men as many hours. A machine equal in