Star.
London, England, 1824-01-26 00:00:00

An Appeal to the British Nation on the Humanity and
Policy offorming a National Institution for the Pre-
servation ofLives and Property from Shipwreck. By Sir
WILLIAM HILLARY) Bait. Second Edit. Bvo.
The title of this appeal sufficiently explains the aim
of the benevolent anthor. The Institution proposed to
be formed should be "equally worthy of Great Britain,
important to humanity, and beneficial to the naval and
commercial interests of the United Empire, having for
its objects,
"First, The preservation of hu mau life from shipwreck ;
which should always be considered as the first great and
permanent object of the Institution.
"Secondly, Assistance to vessels in distress, which often
immediately connects-itself with the safety of the crews.
" Thirdly, The preservation. of ves-els and property,
when not so immediately connected with the lives of
the people, or after the crews and passengers shall al-
ready have been rescued.
" Foaithly, The prevention of plunder and depreda-
tions in case of shipwreck.
" Wady, The succour and support of there persons
ho may be rescued; the promptly obtaining medical
aid, food, clothing, and shelter, for those whose desti-
tute situation may require such relief, with the means
to forward them to their homes, friends, or countries.
The people and vessels ofevery nation, whether is peace
or war, to be equally objects of this Institution; and the
efforts to be made, and the recompenses to be given fur
their rescue, to he in all cases the same as for British
subjects and British vessels-
" Sixthly, The bestowing of suitable rewards on those
who rescue the lives of others from shipwreck, or who
assist vessels in distress; and the establishment of a pro-
vi don for the destitute widows or families of the brave
men who unhappily lose their lives in such meritorious
attempts.
The subject treated of in this appeal is highly deserv-
ing of the considerate attention of the friends of !roma-
rity, and has found an able advocate in Sir Wm. Hillary.
I'eler Seldemihl ; from the German of Lamotte Fouque,
with Plates, by GEO. CRUIKSHANK. 121110. pp. 174.
his is a strange romance of a man whose miseries
in .1 le consisted in his having bartered away his shadow
for Fortimatus's wishing cap, and an inexhaustible
purse. The story is of the true German school, and is
told with great naivety. The plates are in the best style
ut that great humorist, George Cruikshank.
LITERARY DISCOVERY.
The following brief notice of a circumstance highly
interesting to the world of literature ha. just been com-
- municated to us. A Latin manuscript, undoubtedly
by Milton, long supposed to.be irrecoverably lost, has
just been discovered at the State Paper Office. The
subject is religious, and the arguments are all drawn
from the Scriptures. There are many Hebrew quota-
tions, and the woe k is one of considerable bulk, as it
contains 7:3 pages, many of them closely written, and
believed tote in the hand-writing of the poet's nephew,
Poillips, with many interline:l6°ns in a different hand,
It was found in an envelope addressed to Cyt iac Skinner,
merchant. The sit iation which Milton held, of Latin
Sect etacy to Cr omwell, will account ter such a disco:vet y being made in the State Paper Office., Nr..Todsi
and other savant (among them our informant), have
seen it; and in this case seeing is believing.—Lit. Gaz.
SCALE OF THE FORCE OF RUNNING STREAMS.
Water flowing at the rate of forty-five inches per
second, will drive before it flint stones the size of an
egg. At thirty-six inches per second, pebbles of about
one inch diameter. At twenty-four inches per second,
coarse grovel, the size of a marble, and sa on, accord-
ing to the dimension, down to twelve inches per second.
From seven to four inches per second, small gravel,
gra luated down to sand, will be moved. At three
inches per second, even mud will be at rest.—Lit. Citron.
ANTIQUES.
On a recent visit to Pompeii, by the Duke and Du•
chess of Devonshire, Lord Grey, and Captain Clifford
and his Lady, some rare and beautiful nistiqUes were
discovered, which the king of Naples has gratuitously
presented to the Duke, These splendid monuments of li
a pure age are to be added to the noble collection at
Chatsw
NORTH CAROLINA Gott).
A Gentleman in Raleigh, United States, has in his
possession a limp of the pure ore found in Anson,
weight about lib. and worth 340 dollars. Another
Gentleman, well informed on the subject, states that
larger pieces than this had been found in the above
counties, and that there was at present in the Branch
of the State Bank at Sidisbury, jr bar of this gold,
which, after being purified, was worth between five and
600 dollars. These large pieces of gold are met with
occasionally, though what is collected by the persons
who are engaged in the search, is mostly in small par-
ticles, which do not much more than compensate them
for their labour.

INSTANTANEOUS LIGHT.
Our Readers have been informed of Professor Die-
bereiner's discovery, that a jet of hydrogen gas when
thrown upon protoxide of platinum, takes fire at the
same time that the platinum is ignited. The platinum
for this purpose is prepared by solution in nitro-muriatic
acid and precipitation by muriate of ammonia, and then
exposing the precipitate in a crucible to a strong heat.
On directing a pipe affixed to a bladder containing hy-
drogen gas in such a manner that a fine stream of the
gas may be directed upon the spongy mass of platinum,
a brilliant flame is instantly produced, which continues
as long as the stream of gas is supplied.
This apparatus is the most simple and elegant mode
of obtaining a sudden light that has yet been discovered.
I. may be so wronged, that, upon pulling a string,
light will instantly appear, which will be extinguished
whenever the string is let go.
It appears, from some late experiments of Mr. Gar-
den, that spongy platinum is not the only body which
Possesses the pi operty of igniting hydrogen gas. Iridium,
in particular, after being heated to redness, and suffered
to cool, becomes iedhot by a stream of cold hydrogen,
in the manner of spongy platina, and appears to retain
the property of so doing equally well.
The circumstance of these bodies becoming heated to
a red, or even white heat, by simple contact, naturally
suggested the idea of employing them for the instanta-
neous production of file and light; but in order that
this might he done witho tolerable certainty, so as to be
really useful, it became necessary that the effect should
take place even in cold weather. To ascertain this point,
'AT. Garden made the following experiments.
A quart bottle of hydrogen gas was placed in an