tablishment and Progress of the Elgin Botanic Garden," an opportunity is afforded of contrasting the love for science, and the ardent perseverance of Dr. Hosack, with the neglect and frigid procrastination of the Legislature of the State of New-York. The liberality and candour of the individual is finely opposed to the cold, calculating, trading spirit of the public body. After a higgling delay of some years, the Garden with its plants, stoves, and conservatories, of which a pleasing view is given in the Hortus, has been conveyed to the State.

No region of the earth seems more appropriate to the im provement of Botany, by the collecting and cultivating of plants, than that where the Elgin Garden is seated. Nearly midway between the northern and southern extremities of the vast American continent, and not more than 40 degrees to the north of the equator, it commands resources of incalcu lable extent; and the European Botanist will look to it for additions to his catalogue of the highest interest. The indigenous Botany of America possesses most important qualities, and to that, we trust, Prof. Hosack, the projector, and indeed, the creator of this Garden, will particularly turn his at tention. It can hardly be considered as an act of the ima gination, so far does what has already been discovered coun tenance the most sanguine expectations, to conjecture, that in the unexplored wilderness of mountain, forest, and marsh, which composes so much of the western world, lie hidden plants of extraordinary forms and potent qualities.

From the scientific spirit and persevering industry of Dr. Hosack, every thing may be augured. Already has he projected an AMERICAN BOTANY, or a Flora of the United States, to be illustrated with coloured Plates, similar to those in the "English Botany" of our ingenious countryman, Dr. Smith. Considerable progress, we are informed, has already been made in obtaining materials for this work; but we regret that its completion depends on a contingency-the permanent preservation of the Elgin Botanic Garden. In the madness of political contention, in the apathy with which governments contemplate the advance of science, in the illiberal finesse and the low juggling of party, we may look for the occasional destruction or suspension of every rational project; but we hope these accidents will not frustrate the enlarged and enlightened intention of Dr. Hosack, but rather induce him to extend his Flora, and make the whole of the American continent his GARDEN.

MEDICAL

167

MEDICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL INTELLIGENCE.

DESCRIPTION OF SIMPSON'S TOOTH INSTRUMENT.
(With an Engraving.)

A B, two projecting extremities of a spindle which goes through the shank of the instrument, the part on which the two claws operate being perfectly square, the hole of the lower claw being round and large enough to admit of the free action of the spindle. C, the finger or thumb piece being attached to the extremity of the spindle B, gives the operator complete command of the upper claw, and enables him to place it with certainty on the most difficult stump without the introduction of his fingers into the mouth of the patient; and does away every danger of bruising or lacerating the gum, as there is no pressure on any part but the tooth he wishes to extract. Should the operator in any case prefer the bolster, he can withdraw the lower claw by drawing back the finger piece C, it then becomes the usual instrument, with the advantage of the claw being under the command of the fore-finger or the thumb of the hand in which the operator holds the instrument. D, the two claws as they appear when taken from the instrument; E, a small screw for going on the extremity of the spindle A.

The instrument above described is invented by Mr. Simpson, an ingenious manufacturer in the Borough: we have seen it employed, and have ourselves had some experience of its facility in application, and precision in action. We believe it to possess decided advantages over any other instrument employed for extracting teeth; and do not hesitate to recommend it to the notice of the profession. EDITORS.

ROYAL SOCIETY, May 20.-The reading of Mr. Travers' paper was concluded. It consisted of a summary of his experiments on wounds made into the cavity of the body, as it has been called. By these it appeared that the part denominated a cavity is always so extremely full, that no extravasation can take place in consequence of an horizontal or longitudinal puncture of the intestines, as in one case the lips of the wound are closed by pressure and cohesion, and in the other by inflammation.

The 13th of June, an account was read of a fœtus having been taken from the body of a woman, where it had remained 52 years. The narrative was written by Dr. Chester, who examined the body after death. The woman was a native of Gloucester, had been taken in labour as usual, but owing to the unskilfulness of the midwife was not delivered. surgeon was sent for; but when he arrived, the action of the uterus had subsided; in a few days the woan got well, and lived to the age of eighty, without having been delivered of the foetus, when she died of

A

* It is probable this singular termination of labour was not influenced by the unskilfulness of the midwite, as the reporter states, but depended on a circumstance she might not foresee, nor if she had, could she have obviated. paralysis.

paralysis. Dr. Chester having learned the history of the case, opened the body, and found an ossified globe which contained the perfect child, the arms and legs of which were somewhat compressed by this bsseous mass, and in some parts absorption had taken place. The fœtus was livid, but not putrid: the bony shell in which it was enveloped was thick and hard. This report (Phil. Mag.) is defective, inasmuch as it does not state the cavity in which the osseous mass was found. It was, probably, external to the uterus in the cavity of the abdomen, and was, perhaps, an extra-uterine fœtation, or one of those cases which arise from retroverted uterus of the latter period of pregnancy, which have been so clearly explained by Dr. Merriman,

A paper on the alcohol of wine was read by Mr. Brande. The object was to refute or confirm the opinion of Fabrioni, that alcohol is a product of distillation, and not an essential part of the vegetable liquor. He gave a table of the quantity of alcohol contained in various wines and malt liquors; the highest was, that of Marcella wine, which contained 26 per cent of alcohol; red Champagne, 20; Port, from 20 to 24; Madeira, 19; Claret, 15; Cider and Petry, 12; Ale, 9; Brown Stout, 8; Porter, 6.

ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH.-March 4, Mr. Allan read a paper on the rocks of the environs of Edinburgh, being the first of a series which he proposes to read on the subject. The present embraced the rocks of St. Leonard's Hill and Salisbury Craig. April 1, Dr. Brewster read a description of an instrument for measuring capillary at

traction.

WERNERIAN SOCIETY-April 27, Prof. Jameson read a paper concerning the geognostic relations of the Iceland crystal. The Secretary communicated an account of the Colymbas Immer, or Ember Goose, by Dr. Edmonston, of Shetland. Dr. Gordon read an interesting paper, consisting of observations and experiments on the qualities and sensations of sound; on the different modes in which sonorous vibrations are communicated to the auditory nerve; on the idea of the distance, and of the angular position of sounding bodies with respect to the ear, which are assosiated by experience with the different qua lities of sound; and on some of the more remarkable differences in the Sense of Hearing, both original and accidental, which are occasionally observed among individuals, and in particular, on the musical ear.

ROYAL MEDICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH.-This Society will give a set of books, or a medal of five guineas value, to the author of the best essay in answer to the following question.

"Does any decomposition of Acids and Alkalies take place in their uniting to form neutral salts, according to an opinion advanced by Mr. Davy in respect to the Muriates?”

The Dissertations are to be written in English, Latin, or French, and to be delivered to the Secretary on or before the 1st of December, 1812. To each Dissertation must be affixed a motto to be written also on the outside of the sealed packet, containing the name and address of the author. No Dissertation will be received with the author's name

affixed