liquid, resisted the action of the hottest fire, to which they were exposed for several hours. The inventor affirms, that a few applications of this composition to wood-work would preserve it from all danger of fire. He has not thought fit to publish the manner in which this composition is prepared; but it is probable that a solution of alum, pot-ash, and vitriol, is one of the ingredients.

sheugh. The Swallows have now be

come numerous.

tory.

1810, April 3. THE Wheat-ear, or stanechacker, (Motacilla Oenanthe) appeared in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh.

6. The Wheat-ear seems to have retired; none are now to be seen. 12. The weather, this month, has hitherto been cold, wet, and ungenial. Although a medal was offered by the Caledonian Horticultural Society for the earliest radishes, raised on the open border, and brought to market, none appeared till this day, when 300 were exposed to sale by Mr James Thomson, gardener at Abercorn House, near Duddingston. The medal was accordingly awarded to him.

18. The weather has become clear and mild, and vegetation is proceeding rapidly.

20. Wheat-ears have re-appeared in this neighbourhood.

23. The Swallow (Hirundo rustica) was remarked for the first time this season, at Canonmills, near Edinburgh. Only two were observed skimming the mill pond. Last year it was the 9th of May before any were visible. The Redstart (Motacilla phoenicurus) was noticed the same day at Dunsheugh, near Edinburgh. The Bat has just left its winter re.

treat.

14. The Yellow Wren (Motacilla trochilus) appeared at Drum

which has of late been carried on against Norway and the Feroes.Though subject to a power with which we are at war, Iceland is henceforth to be protected in its trade, and its natives are to have free intercourse with this country. The Feroe islands, and the Danish settlements in Greenland, are also favoured in the Order in Council. The principal object of Sir George Mackenzie and his friends is, we understand, to examine some districts of Iceland, which have not hitherto been visited by Englishmen. We trust we may look forward to the publication of some interesting descriptive sketches of the manners and habits of the Icelanders; together with an account of their husbandry, which is confined to the care of sheep and black cattle. Agriculture is not practised in the country, the summer being too short and cold to ripen any sort of grain. We know, from books, enough only of the mineralogy of Iceland, to enable us to perceive that it must be highly interesting; and it is certainly agreeable to understand, that this philosophic party carries with it a great share of mineralogical knowledge and zeal. The party is accompanied by Mr Loptson, a native of Iceland, who has been following his studies at Edinburgh, under the kind patronage of Sir George Mackenzie, for some time past. He has already travelled through several dis

tricts of his native country, and he possesses the eminent advantage of speaking with fluency the Icelandic, Danish, and English languages.

N.

New Works published in Edinburgh. TH HE Chronicle of Fife, being the Diary of John Lamont of Newton, from 1649 to 1672. 4to. 31. 3s. Mineralogical Description of the Environs of Landeck, in the county of Glatz, with a Mineralogical Map. By Leopold Von Buch. Translated from the French. By Charles Anderson, M. D. 8vo. 6s. 6d.

A System of Geography, Ancient and Modern. By James Playfair, D. D. Vol. III. 4to. 37. 3s.

The life of Torquato Tasso; com

we would conclude, cannot fail of be ing an acquisition to the lovers of Scottish song, as it will tend to diversify and give new life to that best and most rational of all amusements; and, as the names of the tunes are all subjoined, it will prevent singers purchasing the music.

Proposals have been issued for publishing, by subscription, in one volume, foolscap, 8vo., Iberian Laurels; or, Spain's Struggle for Independence; with other poems, Amatory, Elegiac, Descriptive, and Satirical, by James Carss.

A poem, entitled, The Scottish Muses in their own Colours; or, The Poets brought to Judgment, will speedily be published by Giles J. H. Shuffleton, Esq.

The Family Legend, a tragedy.By Joanna Baillie.

The Cottagers of Glenburnie, a Tale for the Farmer's Ingle Nook.By Elizabeth Hamilton. Fourth Edition. 12mo. 3s. 6d.

The Edinburgh New Dispensatory, containing, 1. The Elements of Pharmaceutical Chemistry. 2 The Materia Medica. 3. The Pharmaceutical preparations and compositions.— By Andrew Duncan, jun. M. D. Fifth edition, 8vo. 14s.

FOREIGN.

R William Muller, Lieutenant of

Dthe Royal German Engineers, and

late First Public Teacher of the Military Sciences at the University of Got. tingen, and author of several works on Military and Mathematical Sciences, published in Germany and France, has in the press a work entitled, the Ele. ments of the Art of War; containing the established and approved modern principles of the theory and practice of the military sciences, relating to the arrangement, organization, maintenance, and expences of an army; theoretical and practical field, and permanent fortifications, and theoretical and practical tactics; together with logistics and cas trametation, the strategie, or the dialectics of war, and the conduct and management of armies, and military politics: 1lustrated by notices of the most famous battles, the most remarkable sieges, and other celebrated and memorable operations; and about One Hundred Maps and Plans. In three volumes. Dedicated by special permission to his Majesty.This work will be particularly distin

guished, by being a complete Cyclopedia

of the Art of War, and ali suiences relating to it; as well as by numerous abstracts from foreign and English works on

these

these sciences, by the Plans of about Seventy of the most famous Battles fought since the year 1672, and by short but correct notices and criticisms on those battles, and all other celebrated operations since that year.

Previous to the appearance of this Jarge work, there will be published a Grammar of the Art of War, on the same plan as the Grammars of Geography, Commerce, History, Law, Geometry, and Philosophy, which have already met with so favourable a reception.

On the 24th of February, at an auc tion in the capital, there was sold a Greek manuscupt, collected by one of his majesty's foreign ministers, at the island of Patmos, in the Archipelago. It is a folio volume, in appropriate classical binding, vellum, with rich gold Ionic border, and gilt edges, and contains upwards of seven hundred and eighty pages, on cotton paper; with geDerally twenty-nine lines of text, in a two inch margin on each page ; illustrated by about sixty illuminated figures. The principal title is, AOHNAIOY HEPI MHXANHMATON, which is followed by several treatises on similar subjects, by other writers. Concerning the first author, Lempriere, in his Classical Dictionary, says, "Athenæus was a Roman general, in the age of Gallienus, who is supposed to have written a book on military engines." In Fabricii Bibliotheca Græca, vcl. v. the title of this book stands No. 143 in the catalogue of Greek manuscripts belonging to the royal Neapolitan library. This manuscript is written in three different hands, but all fair, and thus dated at the end: "Finished on 7 May, 1545." But the characters at the beginning evidently denote an antiquity of at least a century anterior to that date; and it will doubt. less occur to the recollection of the learned, that the late Porson pronounced Greek manuscripts of that age to be equal to Latin works of the ninth century. On the first page is written, in more modern Greek, This present book belongs to the God-trodden mounfain Sinai." The sum for which it was sold was sixty-one guineas.

The Rev. William Bowdwen proposes paolishing by subscription, in ten volunes quarto, a literal translation of the whole of Domesday Book, with the mo

dern names of places adapted as far as possible to those in the record. An in. dex will be given to each county, and a glossary with the last volume. Any one volume may be subscribed for se. parately.

Mr Jesse Foot is preparing for publication, the Lives of the late Andrew Robinson Bowes, Esq. and his wife the countess of Strathmore.

A new edition of Dr Russell's History of Modern Europe, continued to the Treaty of Amiens, by Dr Coote, will be published in a few days.

Mr Charles A. Elton has in the press, in a foolscap 8vo volume, Tales of Romance, with other poems.

Mr Samuel Prout will shortly publish the first number of the Relics of Antiquity, or Remains of Ancient Structures, with other vestiges of early times in Great Britain, etched from drawings by himself, and accompanied with descriptive sketches.

The king of Sweden has not only repealed the prohibition to import French and Danish books, but also restored the liberty of the press, on condition that the publisher shall give up the name and address of any obnoxious work; in which case the former is released from all responsibility.

The catalogue of books which appeared at the last Easter fair at Leipsic, includes in the whole two thousand articles, among which are one hundred and twenty eight novels, fifty theatrical pieces, and between three and four hundred translations.

By an imperial decree, the museum of sculpture, of Turin, is to be restored. M. Spalla has been appointed director and sculptor to the Emperor, with a pension of 6000 francs.

Mr Stephen Pasquier has issued pro. posals for publishing in a quarto volume, with copper-plates, engraved by means of the author's newly-invented machines and tools, a new system, called Neography, in which he has attempted to simplify and bring to one common standard, all the various modes of writing and printing, used among the several nations of the earth, with a view to assist commerce, facilitate correspondence, and open an easier intercourse to the diffusion of knowledge, the fine arts, and civilization.

POETRY.

238

EPITAPHS.

ed on a copper plate, fixed into a large stone,

Flaymborght knyght,

Who made advents into France for the right of the same;

Passsed over with King Edward the fourith, that noble kayght,

And also with noble King Henre, the seveinth of that name;

He was also at Barwik at the winning of the same,

And by King Edward chosyn Capteyn there first of any one,

And rewllid and governid ther his tyme without blame,

Bur for all that, as ye see, he lieth under this stone,

At Brankiston feld wher the king of Scots was slayne,*

He then beyng of the age of three score and

side it is the upper part of a Skeleton in stone; the ribs project greatly, and the breast is laid open, in the inside of which appears what by tradition is held to be a Toad at the heart (of which he was supposed to die) but it bears little resemblance to a toad.

A descendent of this eminent person married Winifred, grand daughter of the last Earl of Nithsdale and their son now represents both families. Within these twenty years, at an interment of one of this family at Terregles church, on lifting the lid of the preceding coffin, a large frog was found there. This was the coffin of a young lady, who died 30 years before, and it was recollected that she ascribed her death to a drink of cold water.

MR

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Monday, Feb. 5.

Fuller rose, and expressed himself dissatisfied with the third report of the committee on public expenditure; he should therefore move, "That instructious be given to the committee on public expenditure, to report a list of such sinecure offices, as, in their opinion, ought to be abolished, after the expiration of the interests of the persons in whom they are at present vested."

The Chancellor of the Exchequer trusted that the house would not delegate to the committee the task of pointing out which places were proper to be abolished.

An address to his Majesty, for the production of certain papers from Mr Canning to Mr Erskine, &c. was moved for by Mr Whitbread, and agreed to.

Thursday, Feb. 8.

Mr Manning presented a petition from tertain merchants and ship-owners of the eity of London, praying for leave to esta blish a marine insurance company. Ordered to lie on the table.

Sir J. Shaw presented a petition, sign ed by the Lord Mayor of London, Joshua Jonathan Smith, Esq. and seven others, praying for leave to raise the sum of L. 200,000, by issuing transferable shares in, and for the purpose of erecting, a new Theatre in the city of London. Ordered to lie on the table.

Mr Byng presented a petition from the electors of Middlesex, dated August 1809, praying for a reform in the representation of the House of Commons, by the abolition of burgage tenures, and shortening the duration of parliament.-Ordered to lie on the table.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer presented a message from his Majesty, requiring that an annuity of L. 2000 should be grant ed to Lord Wellington, and his two succeeding heirs.

Lord Castlereagh moved an humble address to his Majesty, for copies of all such representations as government had received from the Austrian government in 1809, re April 181

lative to the employment of a British force on the continent, so far as the same could be disclosed without inconvenience to the

public service.-Agreed to.

Tuesday, Feb. 13.

The Hon. General Mathew presented the petition of the Roman Catholics of Ire land.

Lord Cochrane adverted to the irregular and variable manner in which the oaths administered to the members, Judge-advocates, and witnesses, at naval courts-martial, were interpreted; and insisted that this was a proper object of legislative interference. He therefore moved, that copies of these oaths be laid before the house. Mr Croker asserted that they were already before the house. Lord Cochrane intimated his intention of moving for leave lo bring in a bill to amend these oaths.

Mr Sheridan said, he rose to submit a proposition to the house. There was novoured of party motive or political bias; it thing in what he should propose which sawas to impress upon that house the vital necessity of meriting, by its conduct, at this critical period more than ever, the confidence of the people. That being his view of the question, he could not lend himself to the apprehensions of those who, from most honourable motives, he was convinced, had felt it to be their duty to call into action that mistakenly supposed standing order for the exclusion of strangers. Unwilling as he was to create any irritation in the discussion of this subject, he still must ask, What was there in the present investigation, in which the house was engaged, that called for concealment and secrecy, which was disclaimed and refused in a recent inquiry, which from its nature might have pleaded for that delicacy-in that inquiry, where the house was compelled to tear aside the veil which the imperfections of humanity had thrown over the frailties of domestic life? Shall then the house grant to an accused ministry that protection which concealment can afford, upon a great question of political importance,involving the honour, the interest, and the character of the country, after having refused it to the son of their sovereign, in a case where the very transactions would have naturally prompted to the temporary suspension of reporting daily its proceedings? After an animated appeal to the house, to consider the state of the public

feeling,