Star.
London, England, 1823-12-29 00:00:00

LITERATURe, ARTS, AND SCIENCES.

• witecitible. ' .
M. Lemercier has recently publislied'inTitris4 NeW
Poem, the hero of which is Moses, chiegy remarkable
In the year 1800
.for the following historical notice : •
(says M. Lemercier), I addressed a
copy of my poem of Homer and Alexander to the First'
Consul, and received an invitation iodine with him on
the following day; at Afalrnaison. On-my arrival there,'
I found a sreat'stumber of persons of rank, with whom
I'entered into a conversation on the cOmparatiee merits
of epic and didactic poetry. When Bonaparte entered
he .was informed of our conversation, and said, on hear-
ing that I admired most the epic poets, " He is right
—they relate things with more order, and more dra.
matically. Besides, fiction in action strikes most pow-
erfully. Let us see, Alexander chose Homer for his
poet—Augustus chose Virgil ; as for me, I have only
Ossian—all the others are taken."
After dinner, M. Lemercier being alone with Bona.
parte and Madame, the First Consul produced the an-
thor's work, which he had been reading, and said" He!
he! I see that conquerors do not please you much; and
yet you render justice to what they have done, if noble;
your picture of ancient and modern warriors is instruc-
tive. We will read it over together. "He then sat
down, and desired me," says M. Lemercier, " to do the
same." Madame Bonapartesook a seat near oar table,
working at her needle, and every now and then laid it
down to attend to our conversation. I took the poem
and began to read, but Bonaparte snatched it hitstily
out of my hind, saying I will read it myself." He
then began, and stopped at these lines:
" Et Sakai's* stied dafkilia de Xerxes
D'ins iscustaiissiessolisni fa amis."
a What do postulate then r says Bonaparte. " Ah,
yes, Themistocles:: 124 s s °such boldness and strength
as Ulysses." _

At the verse upon•tbeinvasion of Asia, he said " Yes,
if Alexander had not conquered, Greece would have
-perished; 'sad ifotrid /rive purchased King Philip,
who bought Republics." •
" De Darius guifuit it tientle diadems."
" That verse is a good picture."
"Je reconnois Mei:mai:de Ind tart me menace."
" It is doubtful," continued the Consul, " whether, if
Memnon had lived, Alexander would have succeeded
better than Agesilaus."
At another verse, ending with C'etait le grand Cesar,
he cried, 44 Ab, ah i • thole we are—l will write Com•
mentaries myself some day."
At the description of the battle of Canna, a That is
right ; he concentrated his centieto envelope the Ro-
mans right and left. lam sorry that you-did not et-
plain that this was a cavalif manoeuvre." -•
•Coming to Hannibak*he looked at me gravely, and•
said, “ Whom do you think the gre.ttest man as
the ancients?" " Hannibal," said I. "I am pleasellti
hear you say so—l feared, you were.about to say Cesar
—he is the hero of poets, not the warrior of warriors."'
Then adding with vivaci:y, " you judge well in a mili-
tary sense, for a person who is not of the profession
Vie metier). Hannibal, Hannibal is the greatest. Captain
of the world! But how does he appear remarkable to
you ?" " Because, when abandoned, betrayed by Car-
thage, which he served, he maintained himself in an
enemy's country by his own resources, and made new
troops out of all the foreigners whom be met with in
his passage. A note of my own'poem will shew you
that I have not reproached him with falling back at
Capua." 44 I had remarked it," said the Consul, " and.
I appi ove of it ; the-tattier: (bavards) of historians, decide
our affairs too much at their east, in their cabinets."

DISINFECTING AGENCY OF CHLOAVRICT OF LIME.
The following fact, quoted by the Med. Repository,
from Archives Generates de iYedeeine, cannot fail to
prove useful to Anatomists, and highly so in cases of
inhumation, fur the purpose of judicially investigating
the cause of the death of the individual :
" Messrs. Orfila, Lesueur, Gerdy, and Hennelle, hiv-
ing been requested by the Proettreur du Rol to examine
the body of an-individual who was supposed to have
been poisoned, and who had been dead foe nearly a
month, found the smell so insupportable that they were
induced to. try the aPplication of the chlbruret of
lime, as recommended by M. Labarraque. ' A solu.
tion of this substance was frequently sprinkled over
the body, 'end produced quite a marvellous effect; for,
scarcely had they made a few aspersions, when the un-
pleasant odour was instantly destroyed, and the opera-
tion could be proceeded is with comparative comfort."
MEDICINE.
• James's Powder.
An analysis lately made by Mr. .Phillips, of some
James's Powder, bought from Messrs. Newberys, Bt.
Paul's Church-yard, yielded .
Peroxide of Antimony - 56.0
Phosphate of Lime 4.
.7 - Asrit

. Oxide of Antimony, Lnpuiltv indtoss .
The quantity of protc.xide of antimony, contained in
the powder, ,4 was so small that it. would •have been
nearly impossible. to have ascertained its weight."—
Ann. Phil. •

Acetic Acid, a remedy for Warts and Corns.
According to Mr. A. T. Thomson, " Acetic acid is
stimulant and rubefacient. It is principally employed
as a refreshing scent in syncope, asphyxia, and nervous
head-aches; and for obviating the unpleasant smell of
the confined air of crowded assemblies and of the sick-
-room. It is also an excellent application to warts and
corns, which it seldom fails to remove; but in applying
it, care must be taken to avqid eroding the surround-
ing skin."
Tar, a remedy for excessive Salivation.
Dr. Ks uger-Hausen, of Gostrow, has given an account
of a man who, during a state of excessive salivation,
attended with hteenorthage from the gums, had em-
ployed the usual astringent gargles without benefit, who
afterwards covered his tongue and inside of his.rnouth
and fiances with tar, by means of a brush. He soon
afterwards recovered without any other remedy. Dr.
K. has since employed the same means in several cases,•
' with the effect of quickly removing this disagreeable
consequence of medical treatment, without any incon-
yepiebce multing from this new method. -,
- ------- I ••,.,t;t _

.• - ,
Mr. Gazuttu, the Prussian Minister-en .11111Aiintal
States, died at Washington on the 24.1 inst. His Bejaia
was attended by all the principal Officers of the Genes-
tnent. This was the first instance *Jibe death bf a fo-
reign Minister at the seat of- Goeirslisent; -and not of
respect to Mr. G zinnia, the sittinsig die.C.Mogrtoe was.
suspended on the day of his familia' ''
A meeting was held A New Yotk"Aakkelliiset—mi
raise a subscription for the Greskeouerbiebnwas seeit
attended, the large Pathologic... Om Apdiaig. filled to
oyes flow ill. • •

. ~.

- • viz Anmt •
*Aston boo'boon pewit to
,approye of tie 72d RegiMent
of Topc gala becoming a Mighbind. Regiment, and of its bearing
the title Of a lb. 724 or the Duke of Albany's Own Iliahlanders."
The 3lst (Hunftidonshire) Regiment of Foot, now stationed
at Naas, will it hlllidetsteml, be ordered to replete the '77111 Re-
,itiment in Dt;bilm I r ,
The 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Infantry re
orders to march, on Monday next,. from 'Woolwich for Wi r,
where it will arrive the following day. A detachment of the Re-
ginient is ordered to be left at Deptford, to do the Dock-yard ditty.
The head-gunmen of the 71t1 Regiment of Foot, now proCeed-
ing from Scotland-co Ireland, will be stationed at Castlebar. 'l'be
head-quarters division is ordered to arrive at its eltstitigtion on the
3d of January next.
The 77th (Rut Middlesex) Regiment of Infantry, will reach
Fermoy, on the 29th inst. its route to Cork, toambark for Jamaica.
Three buodeed men have already beon reported as having en-
listed for the 95th (now raising) Regiment of infantry.
It is supposed that the same number of recruits have been also
enlisted for the 94th (now raising) Regiment of Foot.
The ranks of the 95th Regiment, the depot of which is feta-
Wished in Winchester garrison, are hlling with, suck astonishing
rapidity, that a completion of the corps within two months may be
anticipated. Large parties of recruits arrive daily. On Christmas
Day, about fifty men, completely clothed, attended Divine Service;
and when it is considered that they had not been asaeir.bkd more
than five days, their orderly behaviour and soldier like appearance
reflected great credit on their Colonel, Sir 'homer
Captain FULLIRTON, of 'lleribergb-Park, Yorkshire, is appointed
Lieutenant-Colonel In the Southern Regiment of West Riding Yeo-
manry Cavalry; and Jona Futicavow, jun. Esq. is appointed Cap-
tain of the Rotherham troop, vice his father, promoted.
_

Orders have arrived, direttimg thht the several Officers who have
been appointed to the Regiments now raising, should speedily tc-;
pair tts the.districts where they are likely to be most stirs:eau] in
raising mew for the service. ' The following is the (h.:intuition ~r
the Officers appointed to the recruiting service in Cork rarrisnn :
Captain CRAItt, 94th Regiment. Cork; Captain lix lia an Luxe.,
95th Regiment, Limerick; Lieutenant /ibis-Ks, pith
Mallow; Lieutenant ALSIANDLII, Dith Regiment, undue;R Lieu-
tenant BICXZWIVII, 94th Regiment, Youghal.