of valuable information relating to geography and natural history. It will be printed in one vol. 8vo. embellished with twelve engravings,

George Caines, Esq. (formerly reporter to the Supreme Court of New-York) has ready for publication a treatise on the law of exchange and negotiable paper.

Cummings and Hilliard, Boston, propose to publish by subscription a volume of posthumous Sermons by the late Dr. Kendal, of Weston, Massachusetts.

In a note on the life of Barlow, in a late number of this Magazine, certain biographical sketches of distinguished Americans, in the London Monthly Magazine are ascribed to the late Dr. W. P. Smith. The writer of that article has since been informed, that these sketches were in fact written by the late Dr. Elihu Smith of New-York, the first editor of the Medical Repository, and the author of many valuable literary and scientific tracts.

FOREIGN LITERATURE AND SCIENCE.

Vauquelin has published some observations on the method of preeipitating copper from its solutions by iron or zinc. For this purposé, zinc answers better than iron. Unless the zinc be allowed to remain a sufficiently long time in the solution, the whole of the copper is not precipitated; and unless there be an excess of acid in the liquid, a portion of copper is precipitated in the state of oxide. A portion of the zinc always falls in combination with the copper; therefore the copper, after the liquid is separated, ought always to be digested in diluted muriatic acid, which takes up the zinc without touching the copper.

Gay Lussac has finished a very laborious and complete investigation of the properties of iodine. During his experiments he discovered that chlorine possesses the property of combining in two proportions with oxygen, and of forming two acids, which he calls the chloric and chlorous acids. Davy's euchlorine is Gay Lussac's chlorous acid, but the chloric appears to be the more curious and important compound.

M. Chevreul, at Paris, has made some new observations on the change which any fatty matter undergoes by its combination with alkali to form soap. The soap of potash and hog's lard dissolved in water leaves a pearl-coloured substance, which, when separated from the saline matter that it still contains, constitutes a substance possessing very peculiar properties, which, from its pearl colour, M. Chevreul denominates margarine. It is insoluble in cold, but easily resolved in hot water. It melts at 133°; and, on cooling, crystallizes in beautiful white needles. It combines with potash, and then resumes the characters of the pearl-coloured deposite. It has a stronger affinity for

that base than carbonic acid, which it expels from the carbonate of potash by the assistance of a boiling heat. It likewise separates potash from turnsole, and restores it to its red colour.

Mr. I. Nathan has announced by subscription, a selection of Hebrew Melodies, twelve of which are arranged as songs, and others harmonized for two or more voices. Each melody will have notes descriptive of the days on which they are sung; and, in addition to the poetry that will be expressly written for this work by an approved modern author, the ancient Hebrew characters, with the English translation, will be given. Some of the melodies are upwards of two thousand years old, supposed to have been sung by the Hebrews before the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem, and are still sung at the synagogue on particular days. The whole are selected and arranged, as songs, duets, glees, &c. with symphonies and accompaniments for the piano-forte.

Mr. J. H. Leigh Hunt has in the press the Descent of Liberty, a mask in allusion to the close of the war.

The Baroness de Lamothe Fouqué has published a refutation of Madame de Staël's work, De l'Allemagne.

A translation of the Psalms of David, with Notes by that eminent prelate the late Bishop Horsley, is printing in two 8vo. volumes.

A small volume of poems, under the title of the Lyre and Sword, by Lieut. Körner, a native of Mecklenburg Schwerin, who fell during the late campaign, has recently been published by his father. His pieces breathe the most ardent patriotism. One of the most interesting was composed and written by the author in his pocket-book when severely wounded, and left behind in a wood, where he expected to perish in the night of the 17th June, 1813.---The Duke of Mecklenburg offered to his father to remove the body of the warrior-poet to the vault of his own family; but the old man chose rather that it should remain beneath the oak where it had been deposited by his companions in arms. His highness has, therefore, resolved to enclose the spot, and to erect a monument, decorated with a lyre and sword, to the memory of the heroic bard.

Strauss, bookseller, of Vienna, has announced the speedy publication of an important military work, in three volumes, from the pen of the Archduke Charles, under the title of Grundsätze der Strategie. It will be illustrated by an account of the campaign of 1796, in Germany, and by maps and plans. The first edition, printed last year, was reserved by the illustrious author for his own disposal.

M. Deschamps, an agriculturist and botanist of Lausanne, has communicated to the Society of Agriculture, Natural History, and the Useful Arts, of Lyons, some interesting experiments on the culture of the tea-tree of Japan, which have convinced him that it will succeed

perfectly well in Europe, if the seed be sown in a proper soil and climate. He accompanied his paper with directions how to gather and prepare the leaves for use. Having analyzed tea of his own raising, he found that it contained neither tannin nor gallic acid, which common tea contains, and to which is ascribed the property of affecting the nerves, and producing trembling.

Smithson Tennant, Esq. has communicated to the Royal Society, a method of economizing fuel during distillation. Dr. Black long ago demonstrated, that the quantity of heat requisite to raise water from the common temperature to a boiling heat, is only about one sixth of what is requisite to convert it into steam. Hence, if the steam be made to act on cold water, it speedily raises it to the boiling point; but as it cannot make it boil, water heated by steam does not distil over in any considerable quantity. Mr. T's. improvement consists in this: The worm of a common still is made to pass as usual through a vessel containing water; this vessel is made air-tight, and is made in the shape of a still and receiver. As soon as the common still is made to boil, the steam is conveyed into the receiver by means of pipes, and allowed to pass till it expels the air; then the stop cocks are shut, and the steam passes through the worm as usual. It speedily heats the water surrounding the worm, which in consequence of the vacuum distils over in considerable quantity.

An Essay on the Life of Michel de l'Hôpital, Chancellor of France. By Charles Butler, Esq. 8vo. pp. 80.

This is a short but admirable memoir of a truly great man and good magistrate, to whom France is indebted for many important benefits, not only in the administration of the law, but for preventing the reception of the council of Trent, and the establishment of the Inquisition. The chancellor was a zealous advocate for toleration; and as such his Life is now brought forward, we suspect, by his worthy biographer, to recommend, by the example here recorded, concession to the claims of the Roman Catholics.

Mr. Bain, officer of excise, Edinburgh, has invented a new and ef fectual mode for the better conducting a ship. It will serve either for a calm or tempestuous sea, the ship sailing by means of a construction somewhat similar to block machinery, the springs of which act with great velocity upon two slender pieces of wood on each side; and in this manner they impel the ship forward like oars, with irresistible speed. As a specimen, a model of a small ship, put into a tub of water, was lately exhibited at Edinburgh, in the presence of several gentlemen, who appeared highly gratified, and seemed to think that the plan would be highly advantageous to the nautical profession, as it makes a ship sail almost as fast again as the present method.

Waverley; or, 'Tis Sixty Years Since. In three Volumes. Edinburgh. Two Volumes, 12mo.

[From the British Critic.]

New-York. 1815.

A VERY short time has elapsed since this publication made its appearance in Edinburgh, and though it came into the world in the modest garb of anonymous obscurity, the northern literati are unanimous, as we understand, in ascribing part of it at least to the pen of W. Scott. As that gentleman has too much good sense to play the coquette with the world, we understand that he perseveres in a formal denial of the charge; though, from all we can learn, the not guilty which he pleads to the indictment, proceeds almost as faintly from his mouth, as from the tongue of a notorious offender at the bar of the Old Bailey. Of the circumVOL. V. New Series. 12

stances which form the external evidence in proof of this charge, we must of course be supposed essentially ignorant, as we in the south can have no opportunity of entering into the secret history of the literary world in the north; nor, if we had, should we attempt to enter into its detail, as, to the generality of our readers, it could afford neither amusement nor interest. In the internal evidence alone we can feel a concern, and, such as it is, we shall present it to our readers, that they may be enabled to form their opinions upon the same ground with ourselves. We shall only add, that upon this evidence principally the tale in question has been ascribed to our favourite poet, as, before it was actually presented to the public in Edinburgh, no expectation had been formed of the appearance of such a work.

The time which the author has chosen for the historical part of his tale, is a period to which no Briton can look back without the strongest emotions, and the most anxious interest. It is the year

1745, the last fatal year when the blood of our countrymen was spilt on its own shores, when Briton met Briton on his native land. It has pleased Providence, in his mercy to this favoured country, for a space of now nearly seventy years, to secure it not only from the invasions of foreign foes, but to preserve it from the still more fearful and deadly scenes of civil commotion. By the restoration of peace to the whole European world, a mighty machine of national strength is suddenly diverted from those external objects to which it has been so long and powerfully directed; it is our earnest hope, as it is our most confident trust, that its gigantic force may not, by an unnatural revulsion, be turned inwardly upon itself, and that the same energies which blessed us with victory, and crowned us with glory in our operations abroad, may not inflame us with the ardour of contention, nor curse us with the spirit of discord, at home. May the peace which our exertions in the cause of all that is great and good have purchased and secured to the world around us, descend "twice blessed" upon our native land. If the history of those bloody days, which is embodied in this tale, shall by an early and awful warning inspire the nation with a jealous vigilance against the very first symptoms of their recurrence, we shall consider that not even the light pages of fiction have trifled in vain.

After an introductory chapter, by no means devoid of humour, in which the author assigns his reasons for preferring the name of "Waverley" to the more chivalrous epithets of Howard, Mordaunt, Mortimer, and Stanley, or the softer and more sentimental sounds of Belmour, Belville, Belfield, and Belgrave, the hero himself is introduced to our notice, on the point of bidding fare