M. Sabatier, a furgeon of ability and reputation, had feen few inftances prior to 1772. His practice was rather unfuccefsful; but the complaint is very feldom cured, and, in fome of the cafes, he confeffedly failed by giving opium with too great timidity. In one, this fault could not however be imputed to him, for his patient took thirty-fix grains of folid opium in twentyfour hours. On the whole, the practitioners of this country will not derive any very confiderable advantage from the memoir before us.

XV. Obfervation on the Operation of the Trepan performed on the Thigh Bone. By M. Tenon.'

This operation, which confifts in taking out an injured portion of the bone, has been more than once performed in England with fuccefs. We do not recollect, however, that the trepan has been applied, as in the cafe before us, to the great trochanter, but it fucceeded well. M. Tenon found great difficulty in conquering the loofe fpungy granulations from the bottom, or medullary part of the bone, but he employed, with the greateft advantage, the lapis infernalis. The difeafe was owing to a bruife on the part five years before, carelessly neglected.

XVI. Inquiries refpecting the Human Skull. By

M. Tenon.'

This is an article of laborious research and minute calcu→ lation, which admits of very extenfive application, and, of courfe, requires our careful attention. The particular measures we fhall not always notice, for they are adapted to French heads, and a Frenchman's head is neither fo large, nor perhaps fo deep, as fome others. We mean not to trifle; but fhall add, from our author, an anecdote, premiling only that by the north' a French author more frequently means Holland and Flanders, than Denmark and Sweden. A cargo of hats, which the late M. Chatelain, a famous manufacturer at Paris, fent to the north, on blocks of one decimeter fixty-two millimeters, and one decimeter eighty-nine millimeters in diameter, like thofe prepared for the inhabitants of Paris and South America, were returned as too finall. They were required from the largeft fize to two decimeters feventeen millimeters. This meafure was confidered as extraordinary, as the mean fize with the hatter's compafs is one decimeter feventy-fix millimeters at mature age, and one decimeter forty millimeters at one year old *.'

From our author's very attentive examination of different

The folly of changing established measures is in no refpect more confpicuous than in the disturbance of that universal language, arithmetical notation. The decimeter is nearly four Englith inches, and the centimeter and the millimeter ris, er 0.4 and 0.04 respectively. Rev.

fkulls, it appears, that from birth to fix years of age, the head increases more in the direction of the largest circumference and diameter, than in that of the smallest: after fix years, an increase in the oppofite direction takes place. In extreme old age thefe measures leffen, except the large circumference, which ftill feems to grow a little, and the fmall diameter, which continues nearly the fame as in the vigour of life. The greatest diameter and horizontal circumference are fituated about an inch higher at birth than in mature age, which thows that these fink lower in the progrefs of life. In comparing the increase of the cranium by measure with that by weight, from infancy to mature age, it appears that, by measure, it exceeds at the former period half what it attains at the latter, while, in weight, it has not in infancy attained the twentieth part of what it afterwards acquires. The æra therefore of its greatest and most rapid increase in meafure, is from conception to birth, which explains the fource of numerous accidents to which the heads of embryos are fubject: these the author promifes to explain in a future memoir. He finds alfo, that the moft confiderable increase in extent is from birth to the fixth year; in weight, from that period to the vigour of life. Its decrease in decrepitude is real, but lefs in extent than in weight, amounting in the latter to of the mean weight in the vigour of life. Thefe are facts which cannot be contradicted; but, when the author fteps from the ground of fact to that of opinion, he is entitled to lefs attention. Thus he remarks, that, as in the vigour of life the earth is moft copiously produced in adding to the folidity of the bones, and in old age abforbed in confequence of the diminution of weight, fo thefe periods are moft fubject to the calculus veficæ, which confifts of the fame earth, a conclufion oppofed by fact in every part.

.

XVII. A Memoir on the Advantage and Neceffity of taking only a little Blood at once in Children with large Heads. By M. Defeffartz.'

Perhaps the precept may be proper, and it certainly merits attention; but the moft fingular part of the memoir is the cafe which fuggefted the propofal, though we would guard against drawing the conclufion that the fame ftructure takes place in every large head. The child died of a fever, and the cause of his death was certainly inflammation and gangrene in the ftomach and inteftines; but, on examining the head, which we have faid was large, the offification was found complete, without any traces of futures, or of a communication by blood veffels from the external to the internal parts, confequently when the latter veffels had a furplus the ufual channels of relief were stopped, for there was not the veftige of a fingle veffel penetrating the bone. There was alfo very little blood in the yentricles, and the dura mater compreffed the brain very

1

forcibly. Though we object to M. Defeffartz' conclufion generally, yet perhaps it may be admitted in the second inftance, the brother of the child who died. His head was equally large, he was attacked with fever, and cured by repeated small bleedings.

• XVIII. State of Agriculture in the Canary Islands. By H. A. Teffier.'

This author has formed a magnificent plan,-to give an abstract of the state of agriculture of every country, by circulating queries in different kingdoms. The memoir before us is the refult of his inquiries into the state of the Canary Islands. He gives fome account of the climate, &c. of these islands, and then proceeds to his detail. In the neighbourhood of Teneriffe, the ground, though ftony, is very fertile, producing often eighty and a hundred for one. The other iflands are fertile, but not in the fame degree. Manures are scarcely known, though the iflands produce a large quantity of marl and fea wrack. Fortaventure and fome others contain numerous herds, and their dung is thrown with little care, and without any admixture, on the ground and the gardens. The productions are corn, a little rye, a large quantity of barley and maize, potatoes, artichokes, and vetches. For animals they cultivate lupines, peafe, lentiles, millet, and a few oats; for the arts, a little flax, anifeed, coriander, and faffron: wood, forrel, and fumach, grow fpontaneously. Kali grows on its fhores, and the cotton-tree and fugar-cane find the climate congenial to them. The wines of Teneriffe and the neighbouring iflands are well known. The more minute details we are unable to follow. The ftupidity and idleness of the inhabitants defeat the kindeft intentions of nature, and few exertions are made to increase the comforts or conveniencies of life.

• XIX. A Memoir on the Abuse of Clearing Grounds. By H. A. Teffier.'

These remarks are highly judicious, but they are chiefly applicable to France. In the rage for clearing grounds, M. Teffier tells us, that woods have been grubbed up, and fheepwalks deftroyed; and he particularly recommends that no woods fhould be deftroyed without as much being again. planted. In England we do not depend on wood for fuel, either in the arts or private life; and we have found that, with carc, we can procure fine wool without extensive sheep-walks. In England and Scotland, however, after every inch of fertile ground has been cultivated, many elevated and otherwise uselefs fpots will remain for the fheep, even fhould the weak idea of the fineness of the wool being connected with a free extenfive range ftill be cherished.

XX. Obfervations on the Juices of fome Vegetables, and

on the Means by which the Carbon circulates through them,

and is depofited to fupply their Nouithment. By J. A.

Chaptal.'

This fhort memoir contains much valuable information.

Our author had been before engaged in examining the juice of the euphorbium, and he now proceeds to confider the vegetable juices more generally. The precipitate of the juice of the cuphorbium is compofed of of fibre and of refin, which are foluble in water by means of the extractive matter. They are feparated by caloric, oxygen, acids, alkalis, alcohol, and even by reft. With oil, this precipitate forms a kind of foap, and it is fingular that the union is effected by means of water. The emullions and the juices of the herbaceous plants offer fimilar appearances. They differ only in the quantity of the precipitate, and the eafe with which it is obtained. The precipitates from decections contain much of the ligneous matter, which is, with difficulty, feparated. Seeds contain the largeft quantity of precipitate, and of courfe the Barget proportion of carbone, for the fibre is wholly carbonaceous. Thus the nutriment of plants is entirely of the latter kind, for their oxygen and hydrogen are furnished by the decompotition of water; and into thefe clements all plants may be refolved.

If we compare thefe refults with the appearances which the nutritious fluids of the animal body prefent, we shall be ftruck with their identity, Milk is decempoled by the fame reagents, and its precipitate has the fame texture with that of vegetables. It is equally infoluble in water, is diffolved by oil, and contains alfo the fibrous part. The liquor which rifes to the top is clear, limpid, and contains a fmall portion of a faline extractive matter. The difference confifls in the nature of the clements of thefe component parts; for, after this first analytis, farther decompchion fhows no other relation between them. The blood is equally analogous in its texture. In this, the fibre is feparated by cooling only. If the feparation is prevented by agitation, and oxygenated muriatic gas paffed through it, every bubble concretes the furrounding parts, and the whole is a mats of greyith bubbles, without any remaining fluid.'

As the fibrous matter becomes folid, and no longer foluble when united with oil, the neceffity of impregnating the vege table fibres with cil, previous to dyeing, is obvious, in order to obtain a more fixed colour; and when any extractive matter is prefent, as is the cafe when the juices are obtained by expreffion, they will not combine with oil. Hence the neceffity of cleaning the cloth very carefully before the dye is employed, will be equally clear. In the preeefs of the vege tation the carbon is diffolved in water, and thus conveyed

through the veffels of the plant. Carbon is foluble in water by means of extractive matter, and is furnished by decayed vegetables.

XXI. A Memoir on the Motions of the Celestial Bodies round their Centres of Gravity. By M. La Place.'

This very ingenious and elaborate memoir, where the most minute and intricate refources of analyfis are employed with the happiest fuccefs, cannot be abridged. It exhibits an elegant and accurate theory of twenty rotatory motions, and their periodical and fecular variations. M. la Place fhows, that the only fenfible change in the axis of the earth, with respect to the plane of the ecliptic, depends on the longitude of the lunar nodes, which has been called, by its first discoverer, Dr. Bradley, nutation. Another fmall inequality, not exceeding a fecond, we may omit in this place. The fecular variations of the terrestrial orbit produce correfponding, but difproportioned variations, in the polition of the earth's axis. This checks the too great obliquity of the ecliptic, and produces fome flight aftronomical variations, which are of importance to the profeffed aftronomer only, who will purfue them in this very learned memoir. The earth, our author thinks, by comparing its motions with the theory given in the Memoirs of the Academy of Sciences, is not homogeneous, and its oblatenefs does not exceed part of its diameter.

‹ XXII. A Plan of the Experiments now making in the Botanic Garden on Sheep and other domeftic Animals. By M. Daubenton,'

We with pleasure renew our acquaintance with this refpectable veteran, the friend and affiftant of Buffon. In this article we have, however, only the plan of propofed experiments. Thefe are, on the union of the ram and the-goat, or the he goat with the ewe; on folding fheep; on the Siamese hog, and its utility as an article of food; on the methods of improving the domestic rabbit, so as to give its fieth the flavour and relish of the wild ones, which he purpofes to attempt by varying their aliment. The principal experiments relate however to the food of fheep, and the author is inquiring, with particular attention, what vegetables fheep will eat when they cannot obtain their favourite food.

XXIII. Observations on generic Characters in Natural Hiftory. By M. Daubenton.'

Our author is difgufted with the language of modern obfervers, who speak of or describe a new genus, when their object is to delineate the form or the properties of an individual. We cannot refrain from copying the little pettifhness of old age, perhaps the laft fhaft levelled at the Linnæan fystem, almost at the conclufion of the eighteenth century.