accidents of a public nature unattended with per- Jelectro-chemical power so much, that this power, sonal injury, and it appears that there were 21 acci-almost nil or very weak, becomes equal to that of dents of this nature during the past year. The a pile of several pairs.-Ibid. aggregate length of railway-lines has been increased by 179 miles, 9 lines having been extended, and thus the total length of railways is now 1829 miles. The number of passengers carried upon 50 railways during the twelve months from 1st July 1811, to 1st July, 1842, amounted to 18,453,504; of whom 2,926 980 were first-class passengers, 7,611,966 second class, 5,322,501 third class, and 2,582,057 passengers whose class is not distinguished. The gross receipts of the railways from passengers amounted to 2,731,6871, and from goods to 1.088,8351. The number of trains amounted to 298,974, which gives 61 persons to each train. The average speed exclusive of stoppages, on all the lines is 21 miles per hour, the greatest speed being 36 miles per. hour.-Ibid.

THE SPEAKING MACHINE.-I have as yet seen no notice in your valuable periodical of an invention, which is, at present, attracting great attention here, and which certainly merits every praise that can be bestowed upon unwearied perseverance and successful ingenuity. It is the Sprachmaschine or the Speaking Machine, not quite appropriately called Euphonia, of Mr. Faber, the result of a beautiful adaptation of mechanics to the laws of acoustics. You are aware that the attempts of Cagniard in la Tour, Biot, Müller, Steinle, to produce articu. late sounds, or even to imitate the human voice, have not been very successful; in fact, our know. ledge of the physiology of the larynx and its appendices has been so limited, that we have not even an explanation of the mode in which the CHEMICAL ACTION OF A SINGLE VOLTAIC PAIR.-falsetto is produced. Mr. Faber's instrument solves Paris, April 22, 1843-M. de la Rive read a me the difficulties. I can only give you a very imper. moir on the chemical action of a single voltaic fect idea of the instrument. To understand the pair, and on the means of increasing its power. mechanism perfectly, it would be necessary to take The object of M. de la Rive's investigation was, it to pieces, and the dissection naturally is not whether instead of using a second pair to augment shown the visitor-less from a wish to conceal any the current of the first, he could not employ the thing, than from the time and labor necessary for first so as to increase its own intensity. And this such a purpose. The machine consists of a pair he effects by a very simple apparatus, which he of bellows at present only worked by a pedal simicalls condensateur electro-chimique. Its principle lar to that of an organ, of a caoutchouc imitation is the production of an inductive current, which of the larynx, tongue, nostrils, and of a set of keys causes the same effect in a single pair as the addi- by which the springs are brought into action. [The tion of another pair would. The apparatus con- further description would be unintelligible without sists of a piece of soft iron, surrounded by thick diagrams.] The rapidity of utterance depends of metallic wire, covered with silk. The current of course upon the rapidity with which the keys are the pair is made to traverse the wire and mag-played, and though my own attempts to make the netise the iron; immediately a copper shank, instrument speak sounded rather ludicrous, Mr. armed with iron, is attracted by the magnetised Faber was most successful. There is no doubt that iron, and raised so as to break the circuit. There the machine may be much improved, and more esis then developed in the wire a current of induc-pecially that the timbre of the voice may be agree. tion, which traverses the voltaic pair, and which, ably modified. The weather naturally affects the joined to the current of the pair itself thus rein- tension of the India rubber, and although Mr. Faber forced, passes through the voltameter and decomcan raise the voice or depress it, and can lay a poses water. But the soft iron not being magnet- stress upon a particular syllable or a word, still ised, the copper shank falls back, the metallic one cannot avoid feeling that there is room for imcircuit is again closed, the iron is again magnet-provement. This is even more evident when the ised, and the same phenomenon again presents instrument is made to sing, but when we remember itself. By means of this arrangement, a pair of what difficulty many people have to regulate their Groves' which only slightly decomposes water, or own chorda vocales, it is not surprising that Mr. a pair of Daniells' which does not sensibly decom- Faber has not yet succeeded in giving us an instrupose it, becomes capable of doing so with great mental Catalani or Lablache. Faber is a native of energy. By employing it, the gases are not at all Freiburg, in the Grand Duchy of Baden-he was mixed, and they may be collected separately with formerly attached to the Observatory at Vienna, great facility. M. de la Rive, in concluding, but owing to an affection of the eyes, was obliged summed up the results of his researches; he be- to retire upon a small pension; he then devoted lieved that he has established that a single pair himself to the study of anatomy, and now offers may produce even powerful chemical effects: he the results of his investigations and their applicahas proved it-1st, by showing that, in vacuo, tion to mechanics, to the world of science. where the adherence of the gases to the surfaces Hamburgh, March 31. I am, &c. of the electrodes is less, the current is much better-Ib. transmitted; 2d, by showing that the current of a MARINE GLUE.-Mr. Whishaw read a paper bepair rendered alternate by the employment of a fore the Royal Institution, London, April 7, on Mr. condensateur, traverses easily a platinum-plate Jeffrey's Marine Glue, the peculiar properties of voltameter charged with acidulated water; 3d, which are, its being insoluble in and impervious to that it is the same as a direct current of a pair. water, elastic, so as to expand or contract, according when it is made to traverse a voltameter through to the strain on the timber or the changes of temwhich a current of induction passes at the same perature, sufficiently solid to fill up the joints and time, although in a contrary way to that of the add strength to the timber construction, and adhe pair; 4th, in constructing a pair in which the pla- sive, so as to connect the timbers firmly together. tinum is replaced by an oxide, and especially by Several practical experiments have been made in the peroxide of lead, which renders this pair, even Woolwich and Chatham Dockyards; among these when only charged with a single liquid (acidulated may be mentioned the following:-Two pieces of water, 1-9 sulphuric acid), capable of decomposing African oak, 18 inches long by 9 inches wide, and water with great energy, giving off the gases well 4 inches thick, were joined together longitudinally separated; 5th, in employing the current of the by the marine glue, with a bolt of 14 inch in diamepair itself to produce a current of induction, which, ter, passed through each of them from end to end. by traversing the pair in a given way, increases its | The day after the marine glue had been applied, the

S.

blocks were tested by means of a hydraulic machine., Nancy. "A globe of fire," says that paper, "three A strain was applied to the extent of 19 tons, at or four mètres in length, traversed the heavens from which point one of the bolts broke, but the junction west to east, about two in the morning. This imof the wood by the glue remained perfect. Two mense meteor was of a brightness so intense, that bolts of 1 inch in diameter were inserted on the the inhabitants of the country, who witnessed this following day, and the strain was again applied un- extraordinary spectacle, were terrified into the betil it reached 21 tons, when one of the bolts was bro-lief that they were instantly to be destroyed by it. ken, the junction of the wood still remaining per- The meteor appeared not more than thirty mètres fect, and apparently not affected. Another experi- above the earth, travelled at the slow rate of about ment was tried with two blocks of African oak of one kilomètre per minute, and was preceded by an similar dimensions, but bolted in a different man-electric detonation. The horses of the diligence ner, so as to apply the strain at right angles to the from Metz to Nancy took fright at its aspect, and junction made with the glue at the centre. The overturned the carriage.-Ib. wood split at a strain of 5 tons, but the joint remained perfect. The glue in one case was applied PELLETAN LIGHT.-This light, like the "Bocto elm; it resisted a strain equal to 368 lb. on the cius," and others, takes its name from the insquare inch. This trial was made while the block ventor, a professor of chemistry, we believe, in was in a wet state, which state is considered most France, now residing in Fitzroy-square, where favorable for the effect of the glue. Several large some weeks ago we witnessed the brilliant effects pieces of timber were glued together and suspended of several burners. The light was beautifully to the top of the sheers at the dockyard at Wool-white and pure, emitting no smoke, nor showing wich, at a height of about 70 feet above the ground. color, even when raised to a considerable height, From that elevation they were precipitated on to the and was free from smell. At that time the patent granite pavement, in order to test the effect of conwas incomplete, and of course, the material and cussion; this wood was shattered and split, but the apparatus employed were kept secret; we there glue yielded only in one instance, in which the joint fore refrained from noticing it. Now, however, it was badly made, and after the third fall. An ex- appears that the vapor of naptha is the only com periment was made with reference to the composi- bustible ingredient: and that the invention contion being used as a substitute for copper sheathing. sists in the construction and arrangement of a This composition was applied without poison to machine by means of which this vapor can be defour sides of wooden blocks, and on the two other livered to the lamps.-Ibid. sides it was applied in combination with poison equally destructive to animal and vegetable life.After the lapse of twenty three months, these blocks were taken up, and were found to be covered with small shell-fish on the four unpoisoned sides, while the two sides charged with the poison were clean. The whole of the composition was slightly changed in color, but was not deteriorated or affected in respect to its useful qualities. Another use consists in its application to the construction of masts. Its powers of adhesion and elasticity fit it for the purpose of joining the spars of which masts are composed. A great reduction of expense is likely to follow its adoption for this purpose, as shorter and smaller timbers may be rendered available, and most, if not all, the internal fastenings may be dispensed with. The mainmast of the Eagle, a 50 gun ship, and the Trafalgar, 120 gun ship, have been put together with this glue, and the main mast of the Curacoa, now reducing from a 32 to a 24. gun ship, are in progress of being joined. This inven. tion may also be applied in the construction of dockgates, sluices, piers, wooden bridges, &c.-Athen

œum.

COMETS.-M. Arago made a communication of the discovery of a telescopic comet, by M. Mauvais, on the 2d instant, (ante. p. 470). M. Arago joined | to this communication some remarks on the most celebrated of all comets, that of Halley, which made its last appearance in 1835. Our readers are aware that several astronomers have examined the Chinese records, for the purpose of ascertaining whether any observation had been made on the appearance of Halley's comet. The researches of M. Biot have shown that Halley's comet was observed in China on the 26th of Sept. 1378; and M. Arago has compared the observations made in Europe on Halley's comet, and finds them coincide so perfectly with the observations made in China on the comet of 1378, that he entertains no doubt that the comet was that called Halley's comet.-Ib. LARGE METEOR.-The Journal de la Meurthe gives the following account of a meteorological phenomenon, which on the 4th of the present month, affrighted the town and neighborhood of

TENDENCY OF PLANTS TOWARDS LIGHT." Inquiries into the tendency of stalks and stems to wards the light." It had long been known that plants placed in the dark incline towards any open. ing which admits the light, but it was not known which of the solar rays caused this tendency. M. Payer has resolved the point. He examined the solar action first by movable colored glasses used as screens, and, secondly by a fixed spectrum. The four glasses which he used allowed only certain rays to pass, viz.:-No. 1, red; No. 2, red, orange, yellow, and green; No. 3, red, light orange, yel low, green, and blue; No. 4, red and violet. The two first caused no inclination; but the other two rapidly produced that effect.-İb.

ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY.-Mr. G. Newport, president, in the chair. Amongst the donations were a series of volumes presented by the Royal Society, and a large and singular ant's nest, found between the floor and ceiling of a cottage near Cobham Park, presented by Miss Combe. Mrs. Saunders exhibited a box of insects from New Hollandsome of great rarity, including a fine and large new species of Rhipicera. Mr. Bond exhibited specimens of some of Mr. Cuming's Manilla Curculionidæ, from which he had entirely removed the grease and restored the brilliancy of the metallic scales, by plunging them into pure naptha, and then covering them with powdered chalk. Mr. Waterhouse read descriptions of some new exotic Curculionida; and Mr. Westwood the continua. tion of a memoir "On the Geotrupide and Trogida."-Lit. Gaz.

HANDCOCK'S IMPROVED AXLE.-Capt. Handcock produced a brass and cone of his improved axle, which had been used under an engine on the Southampton Railway, and had run upwards of 21,000 miles; the brass scarcely exhibited any signs of wear, while a brass of an axle of the old form, which had only run 8,000 miles, was nearly one inch shorter than when it was first put on, besides having worn considerably into the journal and the box.-Ib.

OBITUARY.

427

that he recognised even her. Excess of mental laROBERT SOUTHEY, Esq. LL. D. March 21.-At bor in every department of literature-poetry, history, biography, criticism, and philosophy, conKeswick, aged 68, Robert Southey, Esq. LL. D. tinued from year to year, without cessation, bowed Dr. Sonthey was born at Bristol on the 12th of his strong spirit at last, and obscured the genius Angust, 1774. His father was a linen-draper in which had so long cast a glory upon the literature Wine-street. He was sent to school when six years of the age. As a poet, with an exuberance of ima of age to Mr. Foote, a Baptist minister; was sub-gination seldom equalled, and a mastery of versifisequently taught by a Mr. Flower, at Corston, near cation never surpassed; and as a prose writer, at Newton St. Loe, and by Mr. William Williams, a once elegant and forcible, his name will endure as Welshman, from whom little scholarship was to be long as the language in which he wrote. In all got; was subsequently placed at Westminster, in the relations of life Mr. Southey was universally 1758, by his maternal uncle, Mr. Hill; and finally allowed, by those who knew him best, to be truly at Baliol College, in 1792, with the design of his exemplary. His house at the Lakes was open to entering the Church. But Southey's Oxford ca. reer closed in 1794; for his tendency towards So- all who presented themselves with suitable introduction, and there are few persons of any distinccinian opinions made the plan of life chalked out tion who have passed through that picturesque for him altogether distasteful. In the same year region who have not partaken of his hospitality. he published his first poems, in conjunction with Mr. Lovell, the friends assuming the names of Mos- He enjoyed a pension of 3001. a year from the government, granted in 1835 by Sir R. Peel, and has chus and Bion. About that time, too, he took part left personal property amounting to about 12,000l. in the famous Pantisocracy scheme, to which all By his will, dated the 26th of August, 1839, he has the eager contributors brought golden theories, but bequeathed to his wife all the personal property of more tangible coin so little, that the Utopian possessed by her previously to their marriage, toproject was necessarily relinquished. In the Nogether with the interest of the sum of 2000l. during vember of the following year, 1795, he married her life. The residue of his property, including Miss Fricker, of Bristol, the sister of Mrs. Cole- the above 2000l. he has bequeathed to his four ridge. In the winter of the same year, while the children, Charles Cuthbert Southey, Edith Mary author was on his way to Lisbon, "Joan of Arc" Warter, Bertha Hill, and Katharine Southey, was published. He returned to Bristol in the fol- equally, and, in case of the death of any of them lowing summer; in the subsequent year removed before the testator, their share is to be divided to London, and entered Gray's-Inn. He passed amongst their children (if any.) The executors part of the years 1800-1 in Portugal, and was for named are his brother Henry Herbert Southey, a short time resident in Ireland, (as secretary, we M. D., of Harley-street, and Mr. Henry Taylor, of believe, to Mr. Corry or to Mr. Foster.) His final the Colonial Office, who possesses a voluminous establishment at Keswick, in the lake-country, took and valuable collection of his letters, which we preplace early in the present century. On the decease sume will be published. of Mr. Pye, in the year 1813, Southey was appointed laureate; he received his Doctor's degree from the university of Oxford in the year 1821; and June 4, 1839, contracted a second marriage with Caroline-Anne, daughter of the late Charles Bowles, Esq. of Buckland, North Lymington, one of the most pathetic and natural among contemporary authoresses. That he was at different times offered a baronetcy and a seat in parliament are facts well known to his friends; the rest of his career is to be traced in the works which he poured forth, with a versatility, a care, and a felicity unrivalled in these hasty and superficial days.

The library is consigned to the charge of Mr. Leigh Sotheby for public sale, and will speedily be brought to London. The collection, inasmuch as very many of the books bear internal evidence of their constant use by the late Poet Laureate, will no doubt create considerable interest. Dr. Southey was ardently fond of Spanish literature, in which his library is particularly rich.

RICHARD ARKWRIGHT, ESQ. April 23.-At his residence, Willersley, Derbyshire, after an illness of only four days, Richard Arkwright, Esq

The remains of Dr. Southey were interred in the burial ground attached to the parish church at Crosthwaite, where repose the ashes of different members of his family, and were followed to their To give a complete list of his labors would be final resting place by all the wealth and respectadifficult. The principal poems are Wat Tyler,bility of the neighborhood.-Gentleman's Magazine. Joan of Arc, Thalaba, Metrical Tales, Madoc, The Curse of Kehama, Carmen Triumphale, Roderick, The Vision of Judgment,-to say nothing of fugitive pieces. His prose works comprise translaMr. Arkwright was born Dec. 19, 1755. He was tions of the poems of the Cid, of Amadis, and Pal-consequently in his 88th year, and, notwithstanding merin of England:-Essays, allowing the Letters he had attained this very advanced age, yet the of Espriella, Sir Thomas More's Colloquies, and vigor of his mind remained unimpaired until he the slighter Omniana to bear his name :-) - Histowas attacked with the paralytic affection which terries, among which are The Book of the Church, minated his valuable life. the History of the Peninsular War, the History of the Brazils:-Criticism, including his voluminous and important contributions to the Quarterly Review, and Biography. Foremost in this last department were the Life of Nelson, one of the most popular and perfect specimens of its class which our language possesses, noble in feeling, and faultless in style, the Life of Chatterton, the Life of Kirke White, the Life of Wesley, and the Life of Cowper, all of which are in different degrees valuable contributions to our literature.

For the last three years Mr. Southey had been in a state of mental darkness, and a twelvemonth ago he was not able to recognise those who had been his companions from his youth. Scarcely could his wife console herself with the poor hope

This highly respected and deeply lamented gentleman was the only son of the celebrated Sir Robert Arkwright, of whose invention of the spinning frame, and great improvements in the cotton manufacture, &c. it would be superfluous here to speak. On the decease of his father in 1792, Mr. Arkwright took possession of the beautiful mansion at Willersley (built by Sir Richard Arkwright, but we believe never inhabited by him), where he continued to reside until his death, he had for some years previously been living at Bakewell, and his great fortune had its commencement from the cotton-mill at that place, which his father had given up to him Inheriting the wealth of his father, and the still more valuable endowments of his sagacious and comprehensive mind, Mr. Arkwright com

wright, three of the sons and executors named in the fluous, which had for its subject the most conspicuwill, which is dated 16th December, 1841. Mr. ous writer in the Spectator, the life of the reformer Arkwright gives to his son Robert, £100.000; to his and refiner of English manners and English style; son Peter, £40,000; to his son John, £50,000; to the moralist of the social circle and the fireside. his son Joseph, £80,000; to his grandson Francis Qualified for this task by her previous habits of hisHurt, £35,000; to six of his granddaughters, £14- torical and biographical research, Miss Aikin pos000 each; and to all of his other grandchildren, sesses, in addition, that unbounded, and almost en£5,000 each; to his daughter Ann, wife of Vice-thusiastic, admiration for Addison, which is no Chancellor Wigram, £25,000 absolutely, and a life mean element in writing the annals of a man of interest in £50,000 with power of disposal at her calm passions; never, though in all apparent modeath; to the Derbyshire General Infirmary, £200; desty, wanting to his own interests, who glided to the General Hospital near Nottingham, £200; to smoothly and cannily through life. If she has not the Lunatic Hospital and Asylum near Manchester, been able to give her hero a strong interest in the £200; to his butler, £100; and to his housekeeper, affections of her readers, the fault is certainly not £100. The residue of his property is given to his with her. She has thrown startling doubts on many five sons, who are named executors. The property has been sworn to exceed in value £1,000,000, but of the most disparaging anecdotes that have been this may be only a nominal sum, as the scale of currently received as to the habits of Addison, and stamp duties goes no higher. The probate bears a of his conduct in particular instances; and some of stamp of £15,750, and the legacy duty will amount the worst of these she has clearly disproved. This to a inuch larger sum.—Ibid. quiet, unpretending, but sagacious and worldly fortunate man was, not improbably, the object of some small envy among his early friends and literary contemporaries.-The Irish Sketch-Book.

M. Jovet, of AUTUN.-Formerly a pupil of David, he was one of those appointed by the great painter to the management of his attelier, when exiled into Belgium. Subsequently he returned to his native town of Autun-of which he was appointed librarian, in 1825; and there his career has been, as it were, a provincial copy of that of M. Dusomme. rard in the capital. His museum includes a superb collection of engravings of all masters, with remarkable MSS. of Holbein, Lucas Van Leyden, John of Bruges, Hemlinck, Salvator Rosa, Poussin, and Benvenuto Cellini. All that the revolution, and the pillage of tourists had left to Autun of her ancient splendor, he had collected together. But one of the most important of his discoveries was that of the grand mosaic on which he constructed his dwelling. To the preservation of this relic, one of the most curious that the soil of Gaul has given up, he sacrificed his fortune; it became the basis of his collections; and eight years of his life were devoted to its patient restoration. M. Jovet has desired to be buried in the midst of his collection-thus inak ing the pleasant labor of his life his monument in

death.-Ibid.

The Life and Times of John Reuchlin or Capnion,
by FRANCIS BARHAM, Esq., &c. fcp. 8vo. Lon-
don Whittaker & Co.

Savonarola," of which we gave a notice in a late
A companion volume this to the "Memoirs of
Number, and one still more interesting; for in point
of mind and character the German was much supe-
rior to the Italian religious reformer; if, indeed, the
latter term is properly applicable to the eloquent
and zealous monk of Florence. For notwithstand-
ing his merits, which were of a very high, and his
sufferings, which were of a very painful, description,
we have always had our doubts as to whether Savon-
arola was any thing more than a Roman Catholic,
incited by local circumstances to a career of tragic
agitation. Reuchlin, on the other hand, was a man
whose influence in the reformation was powerful
In his mind its principles were clearly
and direct.
impressed, and they prompted him to organic
changes. On this account, agreeable as Mr. Bar-
ham's volume is, we could have wished for more
details, for more of the man, his thoughts, and
writings. There is nothing in biography like making
the subject of it, tell his own story. Michelet in
his Life of Luther, and D'Aubigné in his History of
the Reformation, have given excellent examples of
this admirable mode of daguerreotyping a life, whom
every author who henceforward undertakes to delin-
eate the career of a great man, will do well to imi-
tate closely. At the same time we are bound to add
that we have derived great pleasure from the work.
It is well written, displays an extensive range of
reading, and is particularly commendable for the
liberal spirit it breathes in many places. We highly
commend the perceptions and feeling of the writer,
who refers with satisfaction to Justin Martyr and
the ancient fathers, who, like him, recognize Plato
and Socrates as eminent Christians, who treat their
philosophy as a civil handmaiden of Christian the-
ology, and would devoutly use it as a subordinate
revelation of God's eternal truth to the Greek
nations.

A

MISS AIKIN states in her preface that "she has undertaken, in these memoirs, to supply a real deficiency in our literature." Why is there no life of Addison, while there are lives of Pope, and Swift, and Dryden? It is not easy to say why, unless that there was less to tell of so correct and fortunate a person as Addison that the world cared for hearing, or beyond what had already been made known in the lives of his contemporaries, and in Johnson's preface to Addison's works. Yet the life of so distinguished an English classic surely de- The events in Scinde, whatever be the ultimate served to be written with all the care and amplitude destination of that country, must have the effect of which literary research and talent could supply. making "the navigation of the Indus free to all Among the myriad books published on all manner nations." This great marine highway will open of subjects, that one could not be considered super- a direct commercial intercourse not only with

few Observations on the Increase of Commerce by means of the River Indus. By T. POSTANS, Bombay Army. London. P. Richardson.