ject of many of their first experiments. Some of these were made to ascertain the differences in the specifick gravities of different sorts of water. The Torricellian experiment on the ascent of water in vacuo was repeated in almost every possible change of circumstances. Other experiments were made on the production and phanomena of steam. By others they endeavoured to find the differences in the heat of the waters of the ocean at different depths under the surface. On stones and metals they instituted many experiments. Lead, diamonds, the Bologne stone, the separation of silver from lead, and especially the loadstone and the magnetized needle, were now first philosophically examined in regard to some of their most important qualities. They examined the growth of vegetables in different sorts of water; the utility of steeping seeds; the inversion of the roots of plants set for growth; the decrease of the weight of plants growing in air; the reunion of the bark to the wood, from which it had been stripped. Their medical and anatomical experiments were numerous. They dissected a cameleon: they made injections into the veins of different animals they made a number of observations and experiments with a view to determine how far there might be truth or falsity in the doctrine of the equivocal generation of insects: they made many trials on the meaner animals of poisons and antidotes : they tried what effects might ensue from the transfusion of the blood of one animal into the veins of another and they made likewise some curious experiments on the hatching of silk-worms in rarefied air. Their experiments on the freezing of water in different circumstances; on the production of cold by saline solutions; on ice, to evince that it was susceptible of various degrees of cold more intens than that of simple freezing; and the congelation of oils; were various, interesting, and prosecuted with the most attentive accuracy. A curious train of experiments was made at the Tower, under the immediate inspection of the lord viscount Brounker, to ascertain what changes might be produced on the weights of lead and copper by subjection to fire in a cupel. Both the copper and the lead were found to gain (by oxidation, no doubt,) an addition. The cupel suffered always a diminution of its weight when ignited, but not a diminution equal to the augmentation in the weight of the metals. few Among the instruments invented by the society within a years after its institution were, an universal standard measure of magnitudes by means of the pendulum; a wheel barometer and other instruments for finding the pressure of the air; an auger for boring the ground, and fetching up parts of the strata, through which it should pass, in their natural order; an instrument for measuring the swiftness and strength of the wind; a diving-bell, and a pair of spectacles, with which a diver might see any thing distinctly under water; several engines for finding and determining the force of gunpowder; several acoustick instruments to assist and improve the sense of hearing; a chariot way-wiser, which would exactly measure the length of the way of any coach or chariot, to which it was applied; was applied; an instrument for grinding optical glasses; a variety of telescopes, &c. &c. A manufacturer of glass had been more than thirty years before established in Broad-street, in London, by a company of mercan tile adventurers, among whom the Dost considerable person was admiral Sir Robert Mansel. Workmen and superintendents were procured from Venice. It might have gone on successfully, if the great civil war had not broken Soon after the restoration, the duke of Buckingham, at a vast expense, established new glass-works in London; and the art was there, within a very few years, carried to out. such perfection, that these works supplied better glass for microscopes and telescopes, than that which was to be had from Venice, The duke of Buckingham not only expended much money upon those glass-works, rather as an experimentalist than a manufacturer, but took a warm and active interest in various others of the society's pursuits; and it was under his immediate patronage that Dr. Spratt wrote his excellent History of the Royal Society-the finest piece of English prose that was produced in the seventeenth century. For the Anthology. To be continued. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY. Department I. ORIENTAL LIT- in several of them curious memo ERATURE. THIS department of literature in the library at Cambridge owes its principal supplies to the munificence of the late THOMAS HOLLIS, Esq. of Lincoln's Inn, London, who presented at different times more than 3000 volumes, in various languages, which, with his other benefactions, amounted to about 5000l. sterling. Desirous of furnishing ample means for the cultivation of science and arts, and various erudition in that seminary,' he sought for the works of the most celebrated authors, and books the most estimable and rare,' and spared no expense in the purchase. Most of the volumes he procured to be new bound, all' in a very neat, and favourite authors in a magnificent manner." He also wrote In a letter to President Holyoke, June 24, 1765, he observes, The bindings of books are little regarded randa and remarks. Some of these will be quoted in this, and the succeeding numbers, in which we propose to direct the attention of the Alumni of our University to the treasures of learning contained in the Alcoves, to which they are favoured with daily access. I. GIGGEUS. Thesaurus linguæ Arabicæ. fol. 4 tom. Mediolani 1632. [HOLLIS.] This is a fine copy of a very scarce work. T. H. has been particularly industrious in collecting Grammars and Lexicons of the Oriental ROOT languages, to send to Harvard college, in hopes of forming by that means, by me for my own proper library; but,by long experience, I have found it necessary to attend to them for other libraries, having thereby drawn notice, with preservation, on many excellent books, or curious, which, it is probable, would else have passed unheeded or neglected. assisted by the energy of the leaders, always beneficent, a few PRIME SCHOLARS, honours to their country, and lights to mankind. Two other works he wished to have been able to send to that college. 'Gazophylacium Lingua Persarum, Amst. 1684, fol. 'Meninski, Thesaurus Linguarum Orientalium. [Containing the Arabick, Persick, and Turkish languages.] Viennæ 1687. 4 tom. fol. 'The first used to appear in the catalogues at a guinea, 25s price: the last, even within these four years, at four guineas. Now, when they appear, and that most rarely, ten, twenty guineas are given for the former, and fifty for the latter. This change has proceeded from the gentlemen of our East India Factory's buying up all the copies they can meet with of these books; the more ingenious, for themselves; the artful, to make presents to the great men and literati of the east, to many of whom it seems books of this kind, [and the gentlemen of Harvard will still rejoice at it, as it may lead further,] are peculiarly acceptable. Lord Clive paid, it is said twenty guineas for the GAZOPHYLACIUM, just before he sailed from England and governour Van Sittart, lately, for his brother, fifty for the MENINSKI. : There is no contending with Asiatick Nabobs !' This excellent work is a translation of the Kamoos of Firoosbudee, who flourished in the fourteenth century. Temoor Leng, vulgarily called Tamerlane, was his Mæcenas in this difficult undertaking, and to reward his learning and indus try gave him 5000 ducats on the completion of the work. As the Kamoos is written entirely in Arabick, with all the technical phraseology of the grammarians, few but proficients in the language can derive much benefit from it ; on this account the work of Giggeus is peculiarly valuable.* Giggeus was a doctor of the Ambrosian College at Milan. He flourished at the commencement of the seventeenth century. II. Gazophylacium Linguæ Persarum, ANGELIA SANCTO JuSEPH. fol. Amst. 1684. [HOLLIS.] The note in the Giggeus, notwithstanding, I have since, most unexpectedly, obtained this book, and, as times go, at a cheap rate too, for 55 shillings. It was sold in a publick auction of no great account; was probably unknown to the East India buyers; and the booksellers, who know I wish well to them and the press,[guard it, North Americans!] would not bid against me.' Pall Mall, Jan. 21, 1767. T. H. The real name of ANGELO A ST. JOSEPH was LA BROSSE. He' was Apostolick missionary for maresidence among the natives, acny years in Persia, and by his long quired an extensive knowledge of the Persian language. In his Gazophylacium the Persian words are explained in Italian, Latin, and French. But it can only be used by a person acquainted with the Italian language, as the Italian word must be first known before the Persian can be sought for. I short it is an Italian dictionary, the words of which are explained in, Latin, French, and Persian. Some emendations and remark: on this work may be found in HYDE'S SYNTAGMA DISSERTA TIONUM, 4to. Oxon. 1767. Vol. 1. III. GOLIUS. Lexicon Arabico-Latinum. fol. Lug. Bat .Elze vir 1653. [HOLLIS] This work, the most complete and scientifick of its kind ever of * Clark's Bibliogr. Dict. v. 2. p. 270. a fered to the publick, was chiefly compiled from the Saha al loghat Ismaeel ben Hamed, commonly surnamed Al Jooharee, who flourished about the 390th year of the Hegira, A. D. 999. He was Turk by birth, and rose among the Arabians to the highest pitch of literary reputation. Of his work and the Kamoos of Firoozbadee, Golius gives the following character, while treating of the Arabick Lexicographers: Duo præ cæteris in hoc argumento recepi passim et conspicui scriptores extant : quos, velut duo sidera, Cynosuram et Helicen, omnis fere eruditorum cohors in ipso Oriente sequi solent. Eorum alter florentissimo literis sæculo vixit, alter posteriore ac deflorescente; Geiharis nimirum et Firuzabadius, Camusi autor. Quorum ille fæcundum flumen, hic profundum pelagus, uterque profusæ doctrinæ opus, emisit.'* By the labours, therefore, of these two eminent men, Giggeus and Golius, we have a very valuable part of two of the most eminent of the Arabick Lexicographers, clothed in an European dress.† As Arabick and Persian literature continue to be cultivated with increasing diligence, this work, being frequently in demand, has become both scarce and dear. The ordinary price of a good copy is 47. 148. 6d. sterling; but in fine preservation and elegant binding it sells much higher. The work is in every respect well edited. The arrangement of the words, the definitions given, the paper, types, and typographical execution, are all in the first style of accuracy and elegance. Notwithstanding the labours of Richardson * Lex. Gol. præfat. p. 2. Bibliogr, Dict. v. 7. p. 271. in his Arabick, Persian, and English dictionary, 1780, 2 vols. fol., the Lexicon of Golius is still essentially necessary to every student of the Arabick and even of the Persian language, which latter has borrowed so much from the former, that, without a proper Arabick Lexicon, it cannot be thoroughly understood. Till a new edition, equal in every respect to this of the Elzevirs be published, (which, says the author of the Bibliographical Dictionary, I am afraid is never to be expected) Golius will retain that decided and well merited pre-eminence, which he now without a rival enjoys. This very learned man was born at the Hague in 1596, and succeeded the celebrated Erpenius in the Arabick professorship at Leyden. He travelled into the east to perfect himself in the knowledge of the Oriental languages, and died at Leyden in 1667, aged 71 years.* IV. ASSEMAN, J. S. Bibliotheca Orientalis. fol. Rome 1719. 4. tom. An excellent work, and of great importance to collectors of Oriental manuscripts. It contains an account of the Syriack, Arabick, Persick, Turkish, Hebrew, Samaritan, and other MSS., collected in the east by the directions of Clement XI. and placed in the Vatican Library, with a description of each, and the life of the writer. V. ASSEMAN, S. Evod. Catalogus codicum Orientalium MSS. Bibliothecæ, Medicea Laurentianæ et Palatina studio Ant. FRAN. GoRII. Florent. 1742. fol. This work contains a history of the world from the beginning till the time of the author, who flourished in 1280. To this a supplement is added, which brings the history down to the time of the translator. It contains a great variety of curious and interesting particulars. The Arabick text is without the Vowel points. styles the author the learned and sensible Abu'l Feda.' Besides an interesting biography of Mahomet and his family, the volume contains a view of the Geography of Arabia, and is adorned with a delineation of the Temple of Mecca, and at Medina, of the sepulchre of the prophet, and a great variety of illustrative engravings. VIII. CAAB BEN ZOHIER, Carmen panegyricum in laudem Mohammedis. Item AMRALKEISI Moallakhât cum scholiis et versione LEVINI WARNERI. Accedunt sententiæ Arabicæ Imperatoris ALI; et nonnulla ex HAMASA et DEWAN HUDEILITARUM. Omnia vertit notisque illustravit GERARDUS I. LETTE. 4to. Lug. Bat. 1748. [HOLLIS.] This is an interesting collec tion. The Moallakát, or seven of the most excellent of the Arabick poems, which were suspended in the temple of Mecca, are greatly cele The work has become scarce, brated. They are chiefly written and is highly prized.* VII. ABU'L FEDA. De vita et rebus gestis Mohammedis. Arab. et Lat. à GAGNIER. fol. Oxon. 1723. [HOLLIS.] on the same general plan, being a species of dramatick pastoral; yet we find in various parts of them not only the plaintive tenderness of elegy, with the luxuriance of description so conspicuous in oriental compositions, but the sententious brevity of moral precept, and the fire and dignity of the true sublime. For an elegant prose translation in English, we refer to the fourth volume of the works of Sir William Jones. IX. HERBELOT. Bibliotheque Orientale. fol. Paris 1697. [HOLLIS.] This work is a treasure of useful and ornamental knowledge; and has done more to draw the attention of Europeans to the writings of the Asiaticks, than all the |