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resources of the department, which is directed under his sole management.

The range of the rockets from their respective distances of 600, 800, 1,000, and 1,760 yards, was in general most beautiful; and, in the ultimate result, establishes unquestionably the superiority of Capt. Parlby's rifle rocket. A very small portion of them exploded, from causes attributable, we understand, to the great haste in which at so short a notice they were necessarily prepared. A few were fired from a tube placed at a no less distance from the target than one mile! one of which, at this amazing distance, penetrated the target; two others, ranged in fine parallel lines, even over the target, one of these to the distance of 2,300, and the other 2,400 yards. To the professional man it were needless to offer remarks on the consequences deducible from this successful experimental result in the department of projectiles. The state and service at large can be no less inteterested on a practical question of this kind, extending, as it does, its importance to the science in general, and our regret is proportionably awakened at knowing that the experiment, submitted so long back to our late Noble Commander-in-Chief as 1815, and before the Congreve rocket had reached India, should not earlier have been put to the test.

It is to be hoped, that some individual of office, or of the ordnance branch, will publish, for their brother officers, a correct table of yesterday's rocket practice, and that hereafter a comparative trial may be exhibited on the same ground with the Congreve and Capt. Parlby's rifle rocket. -[Cal. John Bull.

The following is an accurate account of the range, &c., of the rocket fired by me on the 1st of December, before Major Wood, Capt. Oliver, and Capt. Nichelson, &c.

Length of the tube through which the rocket was fired, 16 feet.-Elevation 18 degrees. Range to the 1st graze where the rocket lodged, 1,473 yards, 2 feet.-Penetration into the ground exactly five feet.

The size of the rocket is that which according to Pyrotechnical rules is denominated a 1 pounder, a leaden ball of the diameter of the mould being that weight; but a rocket of this size when filled with composition and complete with its head, stick, &c., weighs about 5 pounds

8 ounces.

From the penetration of the rocket into the ground at the distance of 1,473 yards from the place from which it was fired, it may be presumed that had the rocket been thrown at a higher elevation, the range would have been extended

beyond a mile. The range of the larger rockets is expected to be 3,000 yards.

SAMUEL PARLBY, Model Master.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE DAWK.

Whilst the anxiety of the public, both in England and in India, has been directed to plans for facilitating the intercourse between the two countries through the medium of steam vessels, we are gratified to learn that the attention of the Bombay Government has been engaged in an object no less important, but more easy of attainment, namely, the improvement of the internal intercourse of India. A plan, we understand, is now under experiment for mounting the Dawk, in the line of communication with Calcutta, to be conveyed at the rate of eight miles an hour on the average. We are not aware of the existence of any difficulty to the success of the measure, and to its prosecution even during the Monsoon; and entertain no doubt that when the riders shall have been trained to their duty, and the machine brought to its regular opera tion, that between many of the stages, if not the whole, the Dawk may be conveyed at the rate of at least ten miles an hour, which, taking the distance to be run at 1,300 miles, give only six days as the period within which the correspondence can be carried on between the two Presi, dencies; a facility of intercourse involving advantages of no ordinary consideration, equally of a political and commercial nature. [Bom. Gaz., Nov. 19.

Statement of the Fall of Rain at Bombay in the last Seven Years,

measured with a Howard's Pluviometer. Time of observation 7 A.M. daily.

METEOROLOGY.

Annum.

Inch. Dec. Inch. Dec. Inch. Dec. Inch. Dec. Inch. Dec. Inch. Dec.

Total per

Years.

June.

July.

August.

Sept.

October,

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DESCRIPTION OF WELLINGTON VALLEY IN
NEW SOUTH WALES.

Wellington Valley is situate in lat. 32° 32′ 45′′ south, and long. 149° 29′ east. It is bounded on the north by the Macquarie river, on the south by the Narugal Hills, on the west by the Glen Finlas range, and on the east by ranges of low and fertile hills. Its extreme length, by computation, is about twenty-five miles; and its extreme breadth about three. Bell's river, a stream of considerable magnitude, meanders through its centre, dividing it into a series of unconnected plains beautifully distributed on both sides of the river, each containing on an average upwards of 1,000 acres of the richest land imaginable. The grasses and herbage are most luxuriant; and the banks of the river are, in many places, covered with an impenetrable brush of herbaceous plants. Twelve miles south of the confluence of Bell's River and the Macquarie, the valley gradually contracts, and the range on each side assumes a more elevated form, although not less fertile; and the plains retain their character throughout. The timber trees are principally blue-gum, casuarina (what the settlers call the oak tree), and that known by the colonists under the name of the apple tree; all of them exceeding any thing seen on the east coast. On the Glen Finlas Range are abundance of cypress of very considerable dimensions, which have a most picturesque appearance, and resemble at a distance the Scotch pine. The rivers abound in excellent fish, many of which have been known to weigh upwards of 40lbs.; fresh-water turtle has been caught weighing 15lbs. Wild fowl (amongst which may be enumerated emus, pelicans, swans, ducks, teal, quail, &c. &c.) are in the greatest abundance; kangaroos are numerous. The geology of this tract is very interesting; on the south bank of the Macquarie, three miles S. E. of Mr. Oxley's encampment, are beds of green stone, containing very fine agates; the hills bounding the valley on the east are composed of mountain limestone of the best quality. The Glen Finlas range is principally formed of breecia, susceptible of a very excellent polish; slate has been observed in abundance a few miles lower down. Jasper and porphyry have been seen in large beds on the neighbouring ranges; and granite abounds on the ranges south-east of the valley. Glen Finlas presents a description of scenery distinct from any thing in the hitherto colonized districts of Australia; the appearance of the dark-green cypress, and precipitous rock, added to the peaked forms of the mountains, is truly grand; and the opening of the glen into the valley is magnificent. The contrast between the two views is indescribable. On the

whole, the valley and surrounding country may be justly termed one of the most interesting tracts ever passed over.

1

NAUTICAL NOTICES.-NEW ISLANDS, &C. Abstract from the Journal of the Ship James Scott, John Mackenzie, Esq., Commander, during a passage from Acapulco towards Calcutta, 1823.

On the 13th May, passed two ships standing to the south-eastward.

N.

On the 3d June, at 1 40 P. M. shewed our colours to a brig to windward, and was answered by Spanish, she firing a gun at the same time. At 3 30 P.M. made the Island Guam, bearing W. by N. distance about eight leagues; 7 30 A.M. rounded the southermost extremity of the island at the distance of about two miles, to give the shoal, which lays off, a good birth, then hauled round into Umatta Bay, and a boat from the port came alongside: not being able to procure any ne cessaries without, we remained until the following day we left that port at noon, and continued our voyage.

On the 6th June, in latitude 10° 22′ N. and longitude 139° 43′ E.

On the 7th June, at two P.M. made the land, bearing about S. W. by S. at the distance of seven leagues, "having run seven miles S.W. from the situation given on the 6th June." At 6 P.M. extreme of land from S.S.E. to S.W. appearing like several groups of trees, and extending about seven leagues in a N. W. and S. E. direction. I lay the south-western, in lat. 10° 01′ N., and long. per means of Chronometer and Lunar observations 139° 35′ E. : the wind veering to the E.N.E. we determined to go to the eastward of the isles; during the night steered S.E. and run upon that course twenty-one miles; judging ourselves sufficiently to the eastward, at 4 A.M. altered the course to south, and run 3K. 4F. At daylight, 5 A.M. a small island right a-head, tacked ship, variable light airs and fine weather; several proas came alongside; the natives were well featured, and seemed particularly inoffensive: we gave in exchange for their manufactured scarfs, &c., small pieces of iron hoop. This day at noon, our lat. was 9o 57′ N. and long. 139° 39′ 30′′ E.; the southernmost island W. S. three leagues, the nearest one W. N. four miles; this I place in lat. 9° 58′ N., and long., by means of several observations, in 139° 55′ E. of Greenwich; at the same time four more in sight to the northward, extending nearly N. and S. A breeze springing up, the proas began to leave us, the last one that left the ship left one of the natives on board, who was busy down below eating with the Sookanees; immediately we got him to understand his boat was gone, he put the remains of his victuals on his head

and swam to the boat, although there were sharks about the ship.

On the 8th June, at 40 P.M. observed the bottom under the ship, sounded immediately after, and had sixteen fathoms; the nearest island of the group bearing N.W. distance two leagues, kept running S. by W. W. distance four miles and a half in irregular soundings from five to seventeen fathoms, then deepened our water, no bottom at thirty fathoms. At 2 15 P.M. the shoal which we passed over, from the mast head appeared to have a ridge to the eastward of us, apparently very shallow, and extending about two miles in a S.S.W. direction.

At 6 P.M. an island N. 3 W. six leagues, and another W.N. W. same distance.

On the 18th June, at 9 A. M. the man at the mast head discovered a shoal and two rocks level with the water's edge; in small sails and hauled ship to the wind, current running so strong to the westward, was set through between the two rocks without sustaining any damage; the situation of which I place in lat. 48° N., and long 130° 33′ E. of Greenwich; an island at

the time in sight from the top-sail yard, bearing about S.S.E. E. distance six leagues, which I supposed to be the N.W. Isle of Youl's group; we then proceeded through the Giloo, and Pitt's Passage.

Hobart Town, Nov. 22, 1822.-" A ship in rounding the South Cape with the intention of entering d'Entrecasteaux's Channel, ought not to bring the South Cape to the southward of west, until Cape Bruney bears N. by E. in order to avoid two islands, and an extensive reef which lay off the S. E. part of the entrance into the channel. When the ship Acteon struck, the South Friar, off Tasman's Head, bore E. by N. N., and Partridge Island N. by E. E. distant off the S. E. point seven or eight miles.

"The Actæon struck, on the night of the 28th October, on the outer part of the above-mentioned dangerous reef, over which she beat with the loss of her rudder, and was wrecked on the northernmost island. This island is about two miles long, and half a mile broad, divided in the middle by a narrow neck which is overflowed at low water, and separated from the southernmost island by a channel two miles broad, in which the soundings are from three to eight fathoms, with many shoal patches interspersed. From this latter island, which is about three quarters of a mile long, the reef runs off to the distance of at least six miles, the bearings of its extremities, from ths island being S. by W. and E.S.E.

"As these islands have not hitherto borne any name, I have called them after the ship, the Acteon Islands.

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AFRICAN TRAVELLERS.

Mr. H. Campbell, LL.D. F.AS., who offered his services some years ago to the African Company, has determined to prothe melancholy deaths of Messrs. Bowceed to explore Africa at his own expense, enterprise open in that quarter of the globe. dich and Belzoni having left the field of Mr. Campbell has already been several miles up the rivers of Cameroons and Old Calabar, two of the supposed mouths of the Niger he has also been up the Congo. He is an officer of the navy, and topographer and editor of the Poems of Ossian, and author of several respectable works.

BARON WRANGEL'S EXPEDITION TOWARDS THE NORTH POLE.

This expediton, which is equally interesting on account of its object and of the immense difficulties attending the execution of it, is now happily terminated in a manner which does the highest honour to the officers who conducted it. The travellers were expected in the month of April, this year, at St. Petersburg, after having passed four years in the most desolate and inhospitable tracts of Northeastern Siberia and on the ice of the Polar Ocean, and manifested a degree of perseverance and fortitude which perhaps cannot be paralleled except in Parry's voyage. Nay, judging from the few details hitherto known of this expedition, it may be affirmed that the Russian travellers had to suffer much more from cold and privations of all kinds, than Parry and his companions; for the latter could always find shelter in their well-built, warm ships, where they had an ample store of the best and choicest provisions; whereas the former, in their excursions on the icy sea, which sometimes lasted for several weeks together, had, during the whole time, no shelter, no protection whatever against the severe cold, and were able to take with them of the wretched provisions (dried

fish) which those desolate regions afford, only as much as could be stowed in some narrow sledges, drawn by dogs, the chief part of which was occupied by the food for these dogs. They were in the same situation with regard to the most necessary article of all, namely, wood for fuel, of which but a small stock could be taken in the sledges. If we consider all this-if we consider what infinite exertions this enterprise required, in the solitary and barren tracts of Northern Siberia, where, for instance, it was necessary to put the whole government of Irkutzk under contribution for a whole year beforehand, only to collect food for the dogs employed in the expedition, the above assertion will not seem exaggerated.

The Expedition set out from St. Petersburgh in March 1820, by land, for Irkutzk. It consisted of Baron Wrangel, who had the chief command of it, Lieut. Anjou, the Mitschman Matjuschkin, Kosmin a pilot, and Dr. Kober, physician. The following were the principal points in their instructions :-To determine, by astronomical observations on the coasts of the Frozen Ocean, the extent of Eastern Siberia, and the true (hitherto unknown) geographical position of Cape Schalagskoj, the northern point of Asia: to decide the still-disputed question, whether Behring's Strait be a real channel between Asia and America, or only a deep bay, as Burney asserts; and, lastly, to examine more accurately than had hitherto been done, the islands that may exist to the north of the Jana, the Kolyma, and the country of the Tschukutskoi.

To give the reader some idea of the nature of the enterprize which our travellers accomplished, it may suffice to describe in a few words, a couple of their excursions on the ice. One of these was undertaken by Baron Wrangel on the 12th of March 1822, when he set out from Nischne-Kolymsk, with twenty-one sledges, which were laden with provisions, wood for fuel, and food for the dogs. After he had proceeded about 150 versts (about 100 miles) on the ice, and was in 71° 36′ North latitude, he buried the greater part of his provisions in the ice, and to lessen the consumption of them, sent back all his sledges except five, which he loaded with the most necessary provisions, and, accompanied by Matjuschkin and Kosmin, continued his journey in a north-east direction. On the 3d of April, when they were about 235 miles from the coast, they reached an open sea: several attempts to advance from different points farther to

We do not know what officer this is.

+ A vers is something more than two-thirds of a mile, but as the difference is not considerable,

we assume, for the facility of the reduction, three versts to be equal to two miles.

wards the north proved fruitless, and so, after having attained the latitude of 72° 5, they were obliged to turn back. They took up the provisions which they had buried, and proceeded eastward. When they had reached the meridian, of Cape Schalagskoj, without finding any trace of land, they took a due west course, in order to traverse this region in every direction. All their provisions being nearly exhausted, they turned back, and arrived again at Nischne-Kolymsk, on the 27th of April, having passed six and forty days on the surface of the frozen Ocean, in the vicinity of the North Pole, without any shelter; during which time the thermometer never rose to above 15° below the freezing point, and frequently fell to 24°. (Though not stated, Reaumur's thermometer is, we presume, meant.)

Another excursion on the ice was made by Baron Wrangel, to examine the sea to the east of Cape Schalagskoj. The Tschukutskoi assured him that there was land to the north-east; they even affirmed that they could see it in clear weather, and estimated its distance from the coast at 80 versts (54 miles.) These accounts were extremely agreeable to an enterprising officer like Wrangel; he might now at least flatter himself with the hope of seeing his long and dangerous exertions crowned by a happy result. He immediately set out, and sent Matjuschkin in another direction, with the same view. But he had hardly got 50 versts (33 miles) from the coast, when a violent storm, which continued several days, broke the fields of ice, and not only rendered it impossible for him to proceed farther towards the north, but even made his return to land very problematical. It was with great difficulty, and after having passed several days on a piece of floating ice, among the masses piled up all round him, in the utmost danger, and exposed to total want of provisions, that he at length succeeded in reaching the land, where Matjuschkin also arrived after incurring similar dangers. By the breaking up of the ice, by which Baron Wrangel besides lost the provisions which he had deposited in several places, the possibility of reaching the land pointed out by the Tschukutskoi was destroyed, not only for that year, but probably for several years to come.

Though the Baron did not succeed in advancing farther to the north, he was fully indemnified for this disappointment by the perfectly successful execution of the other part of his instructions, which was equally difficult, and perhaps more important, for he has surveyed the whole coast of the Tschukutskoi, from Cape Schalagskoj almost unto Behring's Strait, namely, to the point seen by Billings, which is 120 miles (97 German miles) to the south-east of Cook's North Cape.

Baron Wrangel had indeed resolved not to return to Kolymsk, till he had actually reached Behring's Strait; but as by the breaking up of the ice he had lost not only all the provisions he had deposited in it, but likewise his whole stock of iron-ware and tobacco, which were the only means of obtaining any thing from the Tschukutskoi, he was compelled to turn back sooner. However, the circumstance that Baron Wrangel did not quite reach Behring's Strait, is not essential in a geographical point of view, as those coasts had already been surveyed by Cook. He and his companions may claim the honour of having solved the main problem, as their researches have established, beyond a doubt, the existence of a passage between Asia and America, which has been so frequently disputed; and of having made an astronomical survey of the north-east coast of Siberia, which has hitherto been so imperfectly known to us. The happy result of this perilous enterprize is to be ascribed to the perseverance of the officers employed, and more especially to their prudent behaviour to the Tschukutskoi, by which they acquired the confidence and esteem of that nation, hitherto inaccessible to all strangers, and where many who have ventured among them have found their graves.

The expedition is terminated, and we look with impatience for the arrival of the travellers, and the remarkable details and results of their extraordinary journey.[Lil. Gaz.

THE COPTIC.

M. Klaproth has recently published at Paris, a letter addressed to M. Cham. pollion, jun., relative to the affinity of the Coptic to the languages of the north of Asia and the north-east of Europe. The learned author of this letter, who is so profoundly versed in the languages of Europe and Asia, endeavours to show the affinity of the languages above-mentioned with the Coptic, which is only the ancient Egyptian language written in the characters of the Greek alphabet. For this purpose, he compares a certain number of words from the Breton, from the Sclavonian, from the Chinese, from the Turkish, from the Tchowack, from the Persian, from the idioms of Caucasus, from the Latin itself; the orthography of which he shows to be very analogous to that of as many Egyptian words of the same signification. From this he would conclude that the Egyptian language could not possibly have been of African origin. But it is evident that a question of this description cannot be determined by the analogy, more or less direct, of a hundred and twenty-five Egyptian words with the same number of other words, drawn from a certain number of the idioms of different

countries. Such researches, however, are not the less serviceable to philology.

NATIVE GOLD, MURIATIC AND SULPHURIC ACID IN A RIVER.

M.Humboldt has informed the Academy of Sciences at Paris, that he has received information from Messrs. Boussingault and Rivero, two enterprizing travellers in South America, of a large mass of native gold having been lately found near Antioguia, in the Republic of Colombia, weighing eight arrobas, or above 190 lbs. The same gentlemen have detected sulphuric and muriatic acid in the waters of a little river, which falls from a volcano, called Puracé, near Popayan, and which is named by the inhabitants Vinegar River. They also say schools for instructing miners are about to be established in that country; and already there are lithographic and other establishments, which shew it to be in an improving state.

ANCIENT ACCOUNT OF ARRACAN.

The best account of Arracan will perhaps be found in Manrique's (Sebastian)

Itinerario de las Missiones del India Oriental.-4to. Roma, 1653.

"About 1612, Manrique, with three other friars, of the order of St. Augustin, were sent to supply the missions in the kingdom of Bengal; from Bengal he was instructed to proceed to Arracan, at that time the seat of a great Asiatic monarchy, and where the Catholics had established a mission. He sailed by Chittagong to the port of Dianga, whence circumstances obliged him to proceed by land, over the range of mountains, which separate Arracan from Hindoostan; these mountains are described as very lofty, and as being intersected with torrents swelled by the rains; the road in every part lay over a frightful precipice, overhanging a great and rapid river. At length he reaches Peroem, where he embarks, and after a stormy passage (for the journey seems to have been made in the rainy season), he arrives first at Orvietan, and then at Arracan.

"Arracan, he calls the capital of the monarchy of the Mogas, situated in a fine plain of about fifteen leagues in circuit, and surrounded by a range of mountains so lofty and rude, that if the passes were duly fortified, the place would be impregnable.

The city is watered by a great river, which dividing into various branches, enables vessels to sail almost through every street; and falls into the sea by two mouths with great impetuosity."

At this period, it would appear, that Arracan was not only independent, but sufficiently powerful to be contemplating the intention of extending its dominion over the surrounding empires of Siam, Pegue, and Ava.

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