sure. 3 koturian. Our author endeavoured to take the height of it by means of the barometer. Dec. 11, 1742, at his lodgings at the foot of Pauda, the mercury in the barometer, in a cold place, but within doors, stood at 26, Paris meaHe then carried it up the mountain as high as he could go, which was about one-third of the whole height, where he hung up the barometer on a tree, from 9 to 11 in the forenoon, making a good fire pretty near it, lest the intense cold, which sunk the quicksilver in De Lisle's thermometer to 201, should affect the barometer, and lead him to ascribe that to gravity, which was only owing to the contraction of cold. Under these circumstances the quicksilver sunk to 25. Hence, according to Cassini's calculation, the first station will be 941 feet higher than the level of the sea: the second on Pauda 1505 feet, and the whole height of this mountain 4515, or 752 Paris toises; which, added to 941 feet, the height of his lodgings at the foot of Pauda, makes 5456 feet, or 909 toises, the height of Pauda's top above the sea; supposing the level of the sea to be 28 inches, as the Paris academicians have fixed it; though this differs from observations made on the barometer at the sea-coast of Kamschatka at Bolcheretz, where, from experiments made for above 2 years, the mean height of the mer cury was 27 inches, 6 lines; and at Ochotz, during a year's observation, the mean height was found to be 27 inches and about 8+ lines. Hence it would appear, that the sea of Kamtschatka is higher, with respect to the earth's centre, than the ocean and Mediterranean; and at Bolcheretz higher than at Ochotski. The author finds that the plains in some parts beyond the lake Baical, are almost as high as the tops of high mountains in some other countries; mount Massane, according to the French geometricians. being but about 408 toises high, which differs but little from the plain country at Kiachta; which yet has considerable mountains rising in its neighbourhood. Whence our author concludes, that the elevation of the earth, in this tract, above the level of the sea, is very great, compared with the west part of Siberia and Europe.* The coldness of the air of Siberia is the most remarkable quality. In some places it snows frequently in September, and not seldom in May; in Jacutsk, if ... * M. De la Condamine, in his voyage through the inland part of South America, makes Quito to be between 14 and 1500 toises above the level of the sea. Suppose He tells us, that Pichincha is 750 higher... This makes in the whole... above the level of the sea. 1450 2200 toises P. Martel, engineer, in his account of the Glacieres in Savoy, printed at London 1742, tells us, that the barometer at Geneva, by the side of the Rhone, stood at 27 I. which is 656 feet above the level of the sea, according to Scheuzer; and that the highest point of Mont Blanc, measured partly by the barometer, and where inaccessible from the snow that covers-it, by trigonometrical operations, is 12459 feet, or somewhat more than 2076 toises above the level of the Rhone; which, added to the height of this above the sea, makes 13115 French feet, or about 2 English miles and two-thirds 3 the corn be not ready to cut in August, which often is the case, the snow sometimes prevents it, and buries the harvest all together. At Jacutsk the Professor ordered a hole to be dug in the earth, in a high open place, on the 18th of June, the mould was 11 inches deep, below that was sand about 24 feet; it then began to feel hard, and in half a foot more it was frozen as hard as possible. In a lower place, at no great distance from this, he ordered another hole to be dug: the soil was 10 inches; soft sand 2 feet 4 inches; below this, all was congealed. So that the earth is scarcely thawed, even in summer, above 4 feet deep. Our author inclines to the received opinion, that the eastern climates under the same latitude are colder than the western; and thinks this is confirmed by experiments made in different parts of Siberia. The mercury in De Lisle's thermometer often sunk in winter in very southern parts of this country, as near Selinga, to near 226, which is equal to 55 below 0 in Fahrenheit's thermometer. But the cold is often much more intense than this, as appears by the following experiments, made at Kirenginski. Feb. 10, 1738, at 8 in the morning, the mercury stood at 240 degrees in De Lisle; which is 72 below 0 in Fahrenheit's. On the 20th it sunk one degree. At the same place in 1736, Dec. 11, at 3 in the afternoon, 254 in De Lisle. Almost 90 below 0 in Fahrenheit. Dec. 20, 4 o'clock p. m. 263 in De Lisle, or 99% below 0 in Fahrenheit. Such an excess of cold could scarcely have been supposed to exist, had not experiments, made with the greatest exactness, demonstrated its reality. During this extreme frost at Jenisea, the magpies and sparrows dropped down as they flew, and to all appearance dead; though they mostly recovered when brought into a warm room. This was quite new to the inhabitants of that country; though it frequently happens in Germany in much less intense cold, when the weather sets in at once very severe. The air, says the author, was at that time extremely unpleasant; it seemed as if itself was frozen, being dark and hazy; and it was scarcely possible even to bear the cold in the door way for 3 or 4 minutes. But the utmost limits of cold are yet unknown; or to what degree an animal can subsist in it when gradually inured to it.. The history of heat is alike imperfect. Boerhaave thought, that a man could not bear, without the utmost danger, a greater heat than that which would raise the mercury to 90 in Fah renheit's; but an ingenious and accurate correspondent of the author's at Astrachan informs him, that it not only rises there to this degree frequently, but even to 100, and he has seen it 103. Even in the bagnios in Russia, the heat is often equal to 100; it sometimes makes the quicksilver ascend to 108, 110, and to 116; and yet people not only bear them with impunity a few minutes, but often stay half an hour or an hour. [On this subject, see Dr. G. Fordyce's experiments, Phil. Trans. vol. 77. By John Henry From the Latin. It carries off with A New Discovery of the Usefulness of Electricity in Medicine. Winkler, Prof. at Leipsic, and F. R. S. N° 486, p. 262. Electricity has the property of dividing bodies very subtilly. it the parts of those bodies it dissolves, to those places where the electric sparks appear. If odorous substances be ever so closely confined in glass vessels, it so divides them, that their exhalations penetrate the glass as easily as magnetism, and flow like a river through the atmosphere of cylinders and chains. The electric matter that issues from the other extremity of the cylinder, gives an aromatic odour to the hand that touches it. Yet the odour communicated does not stop in that part of the body on which the electrical stream has flowed, but with a continued aspiration pervades the whole human frame. Not only are the skin and garments scented, but even the very air breathed by the lungs, the spittle, and the sweat of the person, smell of the aromatics, which are agitated by electricity in the closed vessel. All this has been proved by several experiments that have been carefully made. In 1747 Mr. W. filled a glass vessel with water, and dissolved nitre in it. After standing some weeks, the water became very clear, by the heavier parts subsiding. At the latter end of the year he put a wire into this clear water, and joined it to a metal tube suspended on silken threads. He put under this tube sometimes metals, sometimes metallic vessels full of water, in which were glass spheres filled with metalline particles. Then he excited the electricity, the electrical fire touching the bodies underneath, and he repeated the electricity several days. He then found a great quantity of nitrous parts in the metals and vessels, which had been touched by the electric fire under the metal tube. Other vessels, that were placed in the room where the experiments were made, but not touched by the electric matter from the tube, showed no traces of the nitre. Hence it Hence it appears that the parts of the nitre are taken out of water by electricity, touched by the electric fire. and conveyed to places This conjecture was greatly confirmed the same year by a publication in Italy, by Sig. Jo. Franc. Pivati, on medical electricity; in which a manifest instance of the virtue of electricity was shown on the balsam of Peru; which was so concealed in a glass cylinder that, before the application of electricity, not the least smell of it could be discovered. A man, having a pain in his side, was electrified hy this cylinder: he went home, fell asleep, sweated, and dispersed the power of the balsam. His clothes, bed, chamber, all scented of it. When refreshed by sleep, he combed his head, and found the balsam lodged in the hair, so that the very comb was perfumed.. The next day Sig. Pivati electrified a man in health, after the same manner, who was ignorant of what had been done before. On this man going into company half an hour afterwards, he found a warmth gradually diffusing itself through his whole body. He became more lively and cheerful than usual. The company were surprised at an odour, which they could not account for; but the man himself perceived that the perfume arose from his own body, and with equal surprise, not being aware that it was owing to the operation that had been per formed on him. Being struck with so extraordinary an account, M. Winkler tried the effect in some other instances. He put some pounded sulphur into a glass sphere, so well covered and stopped, that on turning it over the fire, not the least smell of sulphur was perceived. When the sphere was cooled he electrified it, when immediately sulphureous vapours issued from it, which, on continuing the electricity, filled the air so that the smell was perceived at the distance of 10 feet, and the persons were even driven away by the stench of the sulphur; Mr. W.'s body, clothes, and breath retained the odour even the next day. After this, he tried the effects of a more agreeable smell, filling the sphere with cinnamon. Having treated it as before, the smell of cinnamon was soon perceived by the company, the whole room being perfumed by it. Mr. W..tried 'the balsam of Peru with the like success. A friend of his having been present at the experiment, and going abroad to supper, he was often asked by the company what perfume he had about him. The next day, when Mr. W. drank tea, he found an unusually sweet taste, owing to the fumes of the balsam still remaining in his mouth. Considering these things, Mr. W. thinks that electricity must be of use in. curing some diseases. There are two grand benefits to be expected from medicine; for, either noxious particles, that are mixed with the blood or other juices, . are to be separated and expelled, or beneficial ones are to be introduced. In both these cases electricity may be of service. For as soon as it touches a human body, it immediately pervades it in such a manner, that no place is left free from it; nor is there any thing in the body, that can be rendered volatile, that is not dissolved, dissipated, and carried off by it. And many instances are on record that electricity has caused blood to flow from the nose and other parts of the body. But electricity has not only a power of separating and expelling, but is also very efficacious in filling the blood with the virtues contained in plants and minerals, as is manifest from what has been said concerning the sulphur, cinnamon, and balsam, of Peru. The electrical power of nourishing the blood, differs from the usual mode of healing, in this, that it supplies the blood with aliment without the aid of the stomach, and that it enriches the vital juice with those exhalations which pass through the glass, and excel in subtilty and purity. Medicines received by the mouth must pass into the stomach, before they can be mixed with the blood, and must wander through many and long-paths, in which they must be changed. But the spirits raised by benign electricity, flow into the blood without these windings. By the conjunction therefore of medicine and the electrical art, it is probable that new and happy cures of diseases may be performed; remarkable instances of which have been published by Pivati. He restored the obstructed course of the blood in a woman, by applying the usual medicines in such a manner, by means of the electrified glass cylinder, that their essence effectually reached the body. His assistance was implored by a young gentleman, who was so miserably affected by a corrupted humour in his foot, that it eluded all the attempts of the physicians. Sig. Pivati filled a glass cylinder with proper materials, and, having electrified it, applied it to the part affected, causing it to emit electrical sparks for a few minutes. When the patient went to bed, he had a good night. He sweated every night for 8 days together, after which he remained quite well. Also, S. Donadoni, bishop of Sebenico, came to S. Pivati, attended by his physician and some friends. He was 75 years of age, and had been afflicted with gouty pains in his hands and feet for several years. It had so affected his fingers that he could not move them, and his legs that he could not bend his knees; his servants were obliged at nights to carry him in a chair to the bedside, and lift him gently into it. S. Pivati, in this case, filled a glass cylinder with discutient medicines, which by the electrical virtue he transfused into the patient. He soon felt some unusual commotions in his fingers. The action of the electricity being continued a few minutes, the patient gradually found the benefit of it; he opened and shut both his hands, and gave a hearty squeeze with his hand to one of his attendants; he rose up, walked, smote his hands together, he helped himself to a chair and sat down, wondering at his own strength, and hardly knowing whether it was not a dream; he walked out of the chamber, and down stairs, without any assistance, and with the agility of a young man. Soon afterwards, S. Pivati relieved a lady of 60 years in like manner from the gout, with which she had been 6 months tormented. Her fingers were much swollen, and always trembling, and one of her arms was convulsed. After receiving the electricity for 2 minutes, the trembling of her fingers ceased; and the next day the swelling was so far abated, that she could draw on her gloves, and make use of her fingers. Hence |