The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-06-05

In the last place, triuinphai arch, charged with
hrs works, is erected in the middle ofthe air !;
i is set on fire and the stag, impatient fer the
signal, starts off, soon as it is given, and pas
ses twice under the blazing arch, amidst the
shouts and appliances Of the spectators.
M. chaptalhas recently made experiments to
ascertain the nature of seven specimens Of CO.
lours, found in colour shop at Pompeii. No I,
the only one which has not received any prcpa-
ration from the hand ofman, is a greensh and
sapOnaceous argyll, in the state in which Ma
ture presents it in various parts OF the globe, and
resembling that known by the name of Terra di
Verona.-No 9, is an ochre of "a beautiful yell
low, all the impurities Of which have been re-
moved by washing. AS this substance turns red
by calcination with gentle fire, the yellow CO.
lour, which it has preserved without alteration,
affords a new proof, that the ashes which cover.
ed Pompeii retained but a slight degree of heat.
No s, is brown red, like that employed at pre-
sent for coarse work, and is produced BY the
calcination of the preceding NO 4, is a pun.
ice stone, extremely light and white the tex
ture is very fine and close the three others are
compound colours, which NJ Chaptsl was oblig-
ed to anslyse, in order to ascertain their consti
tuent principles.-From his experiments on No
5, which is of deep blue, and in small pieces
OF the same form, it appears to be composed of
oxyde of copper, lime, and alumne. 1t resem-
bes ash blues in the nature Gifts principles, but
differs from them in its chemical properties-It
seems to be the result, not of precipitation, but
of the commencement of vitrification and the
process by which it was obtained by the ancients
is lost-No. 6, is sand of light blue, mixed
with some small whitish grains-On analysing
| it, NJ. Chaptal discovered in it the same prnci-
plies as in the preceding indeed, it may be con-
sidered as composition ofthe same nature, in
which there is greater proportion oflime and
afumIne. M = q Of a bea,fttfl re- h,a
tits soft to the touch is reduced between the
fingers to an impalpable powder and leaves
upon the skin pleasing carnatiOn Colour. From
NJ. Chaptsrs experiments, he looks upon it as
real lake, in which the colouring principle is u.
nited with alumine. In its properties, its hue,
andsthe nature of its colouring principle, il has
nearly complete analogy with madden lake
The preservation Of this lake for nineteen CEN
turtles, without perceptible alteration, is phe-
nomenon which cannot fail to excite the aston
shment of chemists.
ITALY.
A Roman peasant recently discovered in a
field at Monterosi, a coin which is thought to be
the most ancient of any extant. 1t is conjectur-
ed to have been struck under Servius Julius the
Sixth King of the Romans, who died in the
year of Rome, 218, and must consequently be
$500 years old. Its weight is eleven ounces
II dwt. and it's diameter two inches ten lines
On one side is the head of Minerva seen in pro
file with helmet (PRias Gaieata and on
the other an OK with small I. denotng the
first of the Roman figures. On the exergue is
inscribed in large characters Roma. This
type is the same as that described by Plny and
Plutarch and Varro and ascribed by those au-
thors to the time of Servius Julius. In Cartin.
al Zeladas's collection ofcoins, there is speci-
uen of a similar type to that lately found but
the antiquaries who have examined have found
that it was not of the weight which those COINS
az no cariiuh have heen That described a
bove is of the actual weight of a Roman pound :
for the difference of seven dwts- can be ascribed
only to the injuries of time. The characters of
the word Roma are of the same form as those
of Etruria and Samnium. The metal is very
pure and has considerable analogy with Egyp-
tan copper of the coins Of tho Ptolemies.
The Eugenian Museum at Milan has lately
been enriched with eight new pieces discover
ed in the excavations made at Aquilegi. They
consist of group oftwo busts in marble remar-
kable for the elegance OF their drapery; sta
tue without head likewise of marble an arm
adorned with bracelets, the hand OF which holds
an instrument that was employed in sacrifices /;
the upper extremity of cippus. several sepul-
chral caskets of lead, q stone inkstand and sew
cral sareophagi.
DR.. Van Marum has discovered very sinh
pie method, proved by repeated experiments,
ofpreserving the air pure in large halls, theatres
hospitals &c. The apparatus for this purpose is
nothingbut common lamp made according to
Argand's construction suspended from the roof of
the ball and kept burning under funnel, the
tube of which arises above the roof without and
is furnished with ventilator. For his first ex.
pertinent he filled his large laboratory with the
smoke of shavings A few minutes after he ligh.
ted his lamp, the whole Of the smoke had disap-
peared and the air was perfectly purified.