Star.
London, England, 1812-04-14 00:00:00

RUSSELL INSTITUTION.

Mr. BRANI,e, whose researches are well known
to the scientific world, and whom we believe to be a
2i4kus traveller in the same pats 'that Sir Hum phry
Davy has troden with such distinguished success,
has entered on a course of Lectures on the Elements
Chotnical Philosophy, at skis Institution. We are
conscious that we may be justly censured for our di-
latory conduct in having so long neglected noticing
them, and we fear that to this cause must be attribu-

ted thehasty and imperfect sketch of them which we now
offer.. In his introductvry Lecture, he stated, that
although it was generally the practice to communi-
cate at the opening of a Course a History of the
Science, which was the subject of it, yet as the• time
allotted ft*.r the purpose must necessarily be very limi?
ted in proporricn to the vast range which chemical
• • inquiry presented,.he was induced to depart from this
custom, particulatly as the history of chemistry, which
might be read in the study, could admit'of but little
illustration from experiment. Mr. Brande adverted
to the obscurity in which the science was formerly
veiled, and traced its gradual progress through the
extravagant era of Alchymy to the present period, in
which, by the continued zeal of its professors, and
the great and newly discovered powers of the voltaic
`battery{ (Mr. Brande exhibited the effects of a -very
large one, coasisting of one thousand double plates)
some of the most important phenomena have been
developed, and chemistry has attained its present im-
proved state.

He proceeded to notice the active powers and ar-
rangement of matter, the extensive influence of at-
traction on thy form and compocitit n of bodies, and
adduced as examples the crystallization of different
substances, and as it was impossible to understand
any of the chemical changes which happ&ed to bodies
without a knowledge of the laws of affinity or attrac-
tion, which had the first claim to their attentive con-

sideration, he should proceed to illustrate them by

experiment. After numerous and highly interesting
' experiments on these fundamental points, Mr. Brande
concluded his Lecture by noticing, the views of the
English and French Schools on the subject.
In his next Lecture he directed the attention of

his audience to heat, the influence of which, next to
that of attraction, over the form and composition of
bodici, was to be observed, and noticed its powers-as
acting in opposition to those of attraction. He dis-
cussed the various theories, which have at different
times been advanced as to its nature, and particularly
mentioned the important experiments of Dr. Herschel
and Sir Harry Englefield on the subject. Mr. Brande
pointed out the chemical effects of the solar rays, and
observed that the rays of heat, as well as those of
light, were reflected by polished surfaces ; he per-
formed several experiments to elucidate the subject ;
noticing the influence of heated surface on radiation,
and the different powers of bodies in conducting and
ra.sliating heat ; he mentioned the improvements that
had taken place in its economical application in con-
sequence there( f,adver ting to the many circumstances
which daily occur even in our domesde concerns, of
which, though conscious of the benefits, we ate too
often content to remain ignorant of the causes.

Dittrltir-LANE THEATRE.—Saturday a meeting of
' the Subscribers of the new Theatre was held at the
Crown and Anchor Tavern, Lord HOLLAND in the
Chair. Mr. WHITBREAD read the last Report from
the Committee, and also a letter from the architect,
stating that the whole would be ready to be closed in
' on Saturday se'rmight, and that the ornamental and
decorative part of the internal wood work was car-
rying on, and was in an equally forward state in
different workshops removed from the grand scene
of action ; and the builder who, on being allowed
£l5OO, for additional 'assistance, would still under-
take that it should he ready for stage performance by
the 10th of October. Applications had been made,
on the part of certain individuals, to take a lease of
the Theatre fi r '2l. years, at a rent, first of £lB,OOO,
and latterly of £20,000 a-year. This, however,'
though assuring the subscribers of a clear dividend of
per cent. the Committee could not recommend.
At the launch of the TEN EDOS, at Chatham, on Fri-
day last, a serious accident happened. When she
weal off the slip, she got so much way, that the lash-
ing of the hawser round the capstan on shore gave
ay, when the end flew found with great violence
and struck three spectators; one had both arms broke,
another his thigh broke and skull fractured, and the
third his jaw broke.
A shocking accident happened cn Sunday night
in the road loading from Acton to Hammersmith.—
As Mr. Gusset, with his wife and child, were return.
ing flow the former place to their residence in the
Walhamgreen-road, at a smart pace in a *single horse
chaise, the wheel of the vehicle caught against that
of a dung-cart, and the chaise was upset and broken
to pieces ; Mrs. G. received two severe fractures on
her head, and was not expected to survive the night
ever. Mr. G. had his shoulder dislocated, but the
*bad, a girl about 12 years old, escaped unhurt.
On Sunday, the sth ult. at five o'clnek in the after-
noon, as the groom of C. Dolby, Esq. of Upper Wim-
pole street, was riding a spirited horse along the car-
riage-road, at the head o. the Serfentine River, he ac-
cidentally rode ag_ainst Mr. John Howarth, Corporal
hl4jor of the Ist' Life Guards, who was crossing at
the time, and knocked.him down. By the violence ,
of the shock, he received a terrible contusion on the
back of his head. He was conveyed to the Barracks,
sn.l ere he lingered in great pain till Saturday last,
e hen he expired. A Jury was summoned yesterday
oe the body, and brought in their verdict—Acciden-
tal Death..r-The deceased ha.s left a widow and five
small children, totally uaprovided for, to bewail his
untimely fate.
Levoes, Cap.44l CHETHAId, which ariived
at ortsmouth on Tuesday, from Lisbon, brought
over the Staff of the Val Regiment, 2d battalion;.
and a number of transperts, with some invaids from
our army, and about 900 prisoners and deserters from
the French, many of which have enlisted into our
service, wad- are march,ed to the Foreign Depot at
Fort Cumberland.—Upwards of 100 Officers, that
composed the garrison of Ciudad Rodrigo, have ar-
rived in the above transports, and are sent on board
the different prison-ships, previous to their going on
parole,: a Canto* of wuraell thew{

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