Star.
London, England, 1829-08-13 00:00:00

ARTS AND SCIENCES.

Among the recent publications connected with the
Arts and Sciences, we have seen a very valuable one
lately—Fisn En and Co's " National Portrait Gal-
lery of illustrious Personages of the 19th Century."
The three first Numbers of this Work, which, we believe,
are all that have yet been published, are embellished
with Portraits of the Duke of WILLINGTON, Lord
BYRON, Marquis CAMDEN, Earl AMHERST, the Prin-
CeSS•CH A KLOTTS, Dr.WOLLASTON, Lonl GRENVILLE,
the MRFChiOIIeBB Of STAFFORD, and Earl ST. VINCENT.
These Portraits are accompanied with biographical me-
moirs, by a writer of great vigour and elegance, namely,
the Reverend HENRY STEBBING, for one season Lec-
turer in the Russel Institution, and Editor of the Athe-
naeum in its beet days. Of the greater number of the
distinguished personages in • these Portraits the public
know more or less. Little, however, had transpired with
regret Dr.WOLLABTON, who died in December last ;
an therefore, as connected with the Arts and Sciences,
we shill take the liberty of quoting Mr. STEBBING on
the habits and discoveries of this eminent philosopher :
The roamer in which be was accustomed to pursue his inquiries
was almost peculiar to himself. It was always on the smallest
archness of the substance which he wished to analyse that his ex-
pertinents wire made ; and his laboratory was, it is said, only itt
proportion to the magnitude of his materials. Anecdotes are told
respecting the refolute manner In which he uniformly resisted the
intrusion of 'either friend or strayer into his workshop. Among
others it is related, that a gaidensan of his acquaintance, having
been left by the servant to ramblefrom one room to another, till
he should be ready to see him, penetrated into the laboratory.—
The Doctor, on coming in, discovered the intrusion ; but not suf-
fering himself to express all be felt on the occasion, took his friend
by the-um; and having .led him to the most sacred spot in the
room, said, " Dlr. P. do you me that furnace?" " I do." ' Then
make most profound bow to it, for this is the first, and will be
the last time of your seeing it." Other anecdotes are also told
illustrative of his character in another point of view. He was, it
is commonly reported, food of acquiring wealth; and had his de-
sire gratified by finding most of his scientific experiments as fruit-
frti in money as they were in reputation. Duc' the fellow-
ley story be truer—and there is every reason to believe so„--it
proves how distinct thing is the caution or prudence which ac•
quires wealth from the ireuheened parsimony that buries it.—
Having been applied to by a gentleman, who was involved by un-
upetted dilScultki, to procure him acme Government situation,
his reply was : 0 I have lived to sixty without asking a single fa-
your from men in Ace; and it is not, after that age, that I shall
be induced to do it, even were it to serve brother if the en-
closed can be of use to you in your present dimcultles, pray accept
it.. for it is much at your sendise." The endowed was a check
for ten thousand pounds! : ti
Dr. Wollaston 's fortune was considerable, amounting to fifty
thousand poundkindepeodent of an estate which be possessed in
Sussex ; and all of which was amassed by his own application and
abilities. His most important discovery, the malleability of pia-
doom by a purifying instead of an alloying process, which was
feewittly employed, produced him, it is said, about thirty thousand
pounds. He is also reported to have obtained a proportional
peek by several of his other, and even mime, discoveries.-and in-
void OM, Width, by being of a nature likely to make them know-
disiely.sed generally useful, were certain, in a short time, to pro-
duce a considerable return. It must, however, after all, be doubted,
whether this distinguished man, great es he was in science, and-
posiesdog many excellent qualities, would not have been very far
greeter. had his views been somewhat lesi directed to the &egoist-
don of a fortune. It is, indeed, almost an anomaly, to see a man
of tree science suffering his thoughts to be engaged about the profit
• or lose of his isparinsents. Them was a time, it is true, when
phlleisphers 'sushi*: nothing so ardently as for the power of
. t all Mop to sold ; but it was the pow they loved, and
dot the hued. lt was the empiric. only of the age who laboured
among their crucibles tote rich. Dr. Wollaston was pre-eminently,
. a sun of science—sio one could ever suspect him of being a mere
experiment-ash/ger; both must be allowed there was a tendency
Whig mind to lower the high and purely intellectoal value of Olio-
.sepby. That mind wadi be the grossest of all minds, which, for
. the sake of its Misw men, would seen to make science altogether
practical ; but foe its own sake keep it alvsgetbee theoretical. We
have had some few examples of this blade sad they base bees men
as great in thought as Jo learning and ingeoulty ; as much moral
philosoLhers as tal—as studious of divinity u of nature.
De. Wollaston discovered palladium in iron, and separated it
from pladna by dissolving crode plat* in nitro-enorlade acid, aid
dropping intOthe, solution a quantity of misdate of mercury ; the
. white predpitate, washedtdried, and exposed to a strong heat, is
palladitthi. This elute!, which, when polished, resembles *tines
is rather harder than wrought iron : its specific porky is 12-14 P.
He also discovered timelines in 1104, which is found coed** with
Mattes, sod is of a white colour its specific gravity 1.10'649: it
As brittle, more dliktilt to fuse than any metal, except irklion, and
has the remarkable property of being insoluble to all acids; but it
.' spites readily with all metals except mercury. Santee it also in-
.,deissed to blot for the invention of the gossiwaski, fee mastering
she ogles of crystals by leilectioo, instead of doing so, as was fors
speck the case, by applying the steel instrument, which opens.st.
different angles of the mineral. This was a most important Wren-
. the, as it gives the angle of the smallest crystal with Wry great
accuracy. Thiamin lucida, for taking views of Ogees, is also
hie 'newton. Looking down on the small glass prism, at the end
of
a rod fixed to the table, we see the object referred to os the.
paper underneath, and are thus enabled to trete Our the outline.
Among the delicate instruments which he was sentsteined to awe,
is s remarkably neat manner, was i (OW Me abenikal
valets, which is exceedingly sold to• Ilk pneticidAbibiet: Hr
also cOostructed a Alva is batmoy, Of With small disneetiens' ; that
it was comainei in a thimble. >fasw Platte* wire may Ithitedes;
still be seen, alf affilitninetee trillholoter, as to be very much bur
11901 *BY bales and *wet Weesselifide
_Ss OS saes qe. sTihis
Wee produced by inserting a dery sme puma wire ii a Wan of
envie, and thed at a great We Sri out the whole together,
aidithrestards separating theineby the Aker with
isetriposeik
• -
At the lite trienittal•vieitatiett etibileiehbiehoi".a't
dimes, in Teske, )slemerials were presented to his Genesis(' the
erection of two Churches is Keery-...ene at Aglaia, the other IN
alltaresy.

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