Star.
London, England, 1830-08-09 00:00:00

SCINTILLA

THE THREE BROTHERS.—It is a remarkable cir-
cumstance in the history of France that the line of Capet became
extinct in the person of Charles IV. the last of three brothers who
sat successively on the throne. The lace of Valois succeeded ; and
in the progress of a few centuries died out in the same manner after
the successive reigns of the brothers, Vrands 11. Charles IX. and
Henry 111. To this dynasty the house of Bourbon was the next in
order; and after the death of Louis XVI. and Louis XVIII. and
the abdication of the third brother, Charles XZit seems extremely
' probable that the period of their royalty_ is arrived.
CONCERT OF MODERN MUSIC.—M• BOAT per-
formed several original airs, in a scientific manner, on his chin,
the new Musical WONDER executed a concerto on the piano wit!:
her nose; the Polish vocalist played all the other instruments by
imitation with his voice, except the Jetr's-harp, at which Alr.
ELENSTEIN presided with the excellence ascribed to him.
COALS FOR NEWCASTLE.-.-It was a subject for plea
wintry in the naval service during the American war, that water
casks were sent from London for our ships in the fresh water lakes,
and that boat-hooks and small spars were sent from England to the
country where the latter grew. Our readers will smile when they
are told that in a late supply of commissariat stores from Ports.
mouth for Quebec, 500 dozen of brooms and a large quantity of
mop handles were included.
BA LOON SLIEVES.-411 tide-waiter at Glasgow, cu-
rious to carry to his wife a pattern of the fashionable sleeve, took
the liberty to inspect one that adorned the right arm of a very die•
gent lady, and released thence ten gallons of Highland whiskey.
We had no idea of utility of these sleeves till this discovery. They
are new called at Glasgow sleeves a la sneuglsro.
KILLING WITH KIN DNESS.—A benevolent gentle-
man of Kilkenny humanely gave some sheep to be killed for the
use of the starving poor : they were incautiously boiled in copper
vessels, which had not been used for a considerable time before, and
were, in consequence, rusted with inaustations of verdigris. Se-
veral of the poor had portions of the soup served out to them, and
the result was, that five died, and twenty-five are in a state which
leaves no hope of their recovery !
ELECTRICITY.—A very beautiful electrical experi-
ment may be thus performed. Take a glass tube of the height of
the machine, and attach it to a stand. Coat about three fourths of
the upper part of the inside of it with metal, and fix a brass cap on
the top. Then varnish one half of the outside from the top to the
I bottom, and when nearly dry apply a coat of bronze. On placing
the instrument thus constructed near the conductor, a most brilliant

ramified spark will pass the whole length of the tube.
THE RULING P.tsstON.—A puncheon of whiskey
fell of a car in Roche's-street, Edinburgh, and was nearly staved
asunder. Great part of the spirits poured along the ground in rapid
torrents', and a crowd pursued its route with the utmost avidity—
jugs and porringers vainly strove to catch a sample of the potent
liquor ; but one fellow, an ardent votary of the jolly god, absolutely
flung himself on hands and knees, to drink out of the very channel
where the whiskey had mingled with the filthy pool. The wretch,
in his disgraceful orgies, devoted himself to the infernal gods, and
died the victim of his ruling passion.
CAPTAIN ROCK IN CHINA.--His Excellency the Go-
vernor and local magistrates of Canton have of late issued various
proclamations, asserting the existence of incendiaries who set fire to
houses for the purpose of plundering. At this dry season of the year
the materials of Chins houses are particularly susceptible of corn-
bustion. At a village called Pen.poo, in the neighbourhood of
Canton, where plays were being performed a few days ago in honour
of some god or goddess, the stands and stage took fire, and upwards
of 200 persons of all ages, and both sexes, are said to have lost their
lives. The tires and robberies which abound in the region round
Canton, are attributed by some natives to the recent stoppage
of trade.
CITRIC ACID FROM GOOSEIIERRIESO..-111 the present
season the materials for manufacturing this acid may be procured at
a very cheap rate. They should first be crushed and fermented, and
when this is over, the mass distilled to obtain the spirit which it con.
tains. The liquor is then to be separated from the sediment and
saturated with chalk. Citrate of lime being thus formed, it should
be washed, and then pressed, after which it should be decomposed by
the aid of heat with sulphuric acid. The acid liquor which results
from this treatment is a mixture of citric and sulphuric acids, and
on afterwards treating it with a new portion of the same materials,
the citric acid is evaporated to the crystalline state. It may be pro-
per to add, that as an article of commerce the crystals should be
decolorized by animal charcoal
CLEMENCY OF NAPOLEON.—Tho Count of Hats•
feld was strongly accused of a secret correspondence with the Minis-
ters of the King of Prussia, which, if true, must inevitably have
brought him to the scaffold. The letter which proved his guilt fell
into the hands of Napoleon. Furious at the discavery of the
Count's treachery, he gave orders to constitute a military commis-
sion, in order to carry the sentence of death into execution. In
the mean time the Chamberlain announced the Countess of Matz-
feld. This unfortunate lady, all in tears, and, to increase her dis-
tress, far advanced in pregnancy, threw herself at the feet of the
conqueror of Jena. " Look, Madam," said the Emperor, pre-
senting to her the fatal letter, " judge for yourself !" The Coun-
tess, placed near the chimney, eagerly read it over, and, with eyes
drowned in tears, tremblingly awaited her fate. " Well—throw
it into the fire—you will annihilate the proceedings." The Coun-
tess obeyed with transport, but, overpowered by her feelings.
fainted. Napoleon himself assisted in recovering her.
RESPIRATION.—It is a curious circumstance that
most of our distinguished physiologists differ in the amount of ab-
sorption that occurs during the phenomena of respiration—we mean
dr actual diminution of volume that takes place in the air
which we respire. Goodwin supposes it to be reduced one sixtieth
in its bulk, while Sir H. Davy considers it to be about one part in
the hundred. Dr. Thomson, the distinguished chemist, considers
that no change of volume occurs; and Abernethy actually asserts
that there is a positive increase. Now, we think it probable that all
these experimentalists may be to a certain extent right, and that the
discrepancy has arisen from the mode of experimenting. It is most
probable that the amount of absorption differs at different periods of
life ; that it is greater in old age than in youth ; and that the tem-
perament of the individual will materially affect the result of the
observation. Thus we have found, by actual experiment, that a
person in a heated and excited state will absorb less than the sante
individual in a cool day and in a calmer mood. The apparent in.
crease, alluded to by Abernethy, could only have arisen from the
great increase of bulk from the absorption of humidity, which he
does not appear to have taken into account.
THE ?RITA I.OZZ lAN ST STEM.—The system may
be briefly divided into five exercises :-1. Repetitioti.-2. Fixing
the attention.-3. Imitation.--4. Traduction.-5. Improvisation.—
The whole peculiarity consists in the insisting upon the constant
repetition of each particular task, until it is in all its parts and cow.
binations indelibly imprinted upon the memory, and—as far as the
nature of such a lesson can impress it—impressed upon the under.
standing. One book, Telemachus, for instance, is taken as a
groundwork. Word by word, and sentence by sentence, this book
is studied and committed to memory. This is done by the two
first exercises, which, in fact, mean the same thing ; the pupil
is next required to imitate given passages by the composition
of others. Thus he promotes the final end of Axing his know.
ledge, and gradually learns the use of synonymes. One
thinks that this exercise enlarges the judgment ; another
thinks it Is of no other advantage than to enlarge the potters
of expression. The next exercise is that of traduction. ex-
plained to be " a sort of generalising imitation ;" or otherwise a
very loose paraphrase adapted according to the fancy of the pupiL
Subjoined to these two exercises are the minor ones of justification.
which consists of a conversation between the tewher and the pupil,
in which the latter is made to justify the language he has used. and
its application. Improvisation is not to be understood according
to our ordinary interpretation of the term—that of extemporaneous
versification ; but as the exercise of writing themes, and pronouncing
oral discourses, off-hand, on any given subject. These comprise the
outlines of a system that bas occupied the attention of many learned
men, and given occasion to a vast deal of useless controversy. The
part which 11. Jacotot seems most sensibly proud of, is the con-
fining the pupil to one book, by a constant repetition of It, up and
down, and in all possible subdivisions. Mr. Cornelius indulges in
a defence of this limitation of study.

MARRIED.
At St. John's, Hackney, Q. S. Walters, Esq. of South-street,
Finsbury.squsre, to Johanna, second daughter of F. Huth, Esq. of
the same place, and of Clapton, Sliddleses.—At Leigh Church, In
Kent, Mr. John Long, of Bisham.park, Becks, to Matilda, only
daughter of Mr. H oare, Lee-place, Kent.— A t Friends' Meeting. h ott.e ,
Hardahmr, Vit. Helen's, J. P. Coventry, to Mary P. Thompson, both
of Li At St. Andrew's Church, Holborn E. Wall, Esq. of
Hemel-Heropstead, to Mary Mann, eldest daughter of J. grephees,
Esq. of rteradown.eottage, Hertfordshire.

DIED.
01 the 9th of February, at Meerut, George Mayne. of H. C.'s
Rorie Artillery,Mcond son of the Rev. R. Mayne, of bimpogeld.
Surrey.—At his house, Nottingham-place, blarylebone, lilted 78. r.
Rootlet, Esti.At Manchester, Major R. Cust, of the 59th regi.
Ins"—Mr; R. Han, of the Strand. and of Winehmore.hill,
diem --Al Houghton le Spring, mar Durham, lirs. Peuelope
Loureoci Jtichaon, in. the 97th rem of bee age.—At Daisies, Kr,
R'illhen ohlnitel ed Jones, En. of York-eg!.
City. in in the 11th year Of WS age...—At his ouoe, Portlana-
! Plow. Hnormerantith, PAD SiglifJel, Eat). *Red 71
Laguiou : Printed and Pobliebed by ham alarm at thollgo
Orrice No. f. Plakett:ylsoo,Temple Bar.