Fribourg, the Pais de Valais, with the courfe of the Arve from Chamouni to its mouth. We may omit mentioning the common appendages of the map, which relate to longitudes and latitudes. The greater and leffer mountains are diftinguifhed by lines of dif ferent ftrength; the rivers are carefully traced from their fources to their mouths; and their lakes, bridges, &c. are pointed out. The woods are to be marked only in the Franche-Comté; but their limits are to be afcertained, and even the kinds of trees of which they confift are to be diftinguifhed. The mineralogical characters are placed very exactly where the particular fubftances arife; and they are explained by a table on the fide. On the whole, if properly executed, this map will be the most scientific of any that has been ever published; and we may alfo obferve, that the height of the principal mountains will be fubjoined.

To the author's account of his plan, he adds the defign of the difcourfe intended to accompany it. In the abftract many curious obfervations occur, and it is fufficiently confiftent with our gen ral purpose to extract fome of the most important. They are connected alfo, in fome meafure, with thofe already taken from the account of M. de la Metherie.

The Jura, our author obferves, confifts of two kinds of moun tains, differing in their origin and compofition, though both are calcareous. The first kind comprehends the great chains, refting on a rock, of the firft formation, which is a stone of a fine grain, refembling hardened pafte, cleft by retraction during its drying, though fome vaft males difcover no fiffures. The one fide is ele vated and abrupt, as if raised by a fubterraneous explosion, while on the other the declivity is cafy. The ftrata are fometimes perpendicular, though in general they do not exceed an angle of 45 degrees. On the tops of each chain, particularly the highest, are marks of water, which has worn a channel round the ftones, and left evident proofs of thefe hills having been once still higher : fometimes the tops are are covered with a hardened gravel. Shells are often found on the top, though none occur in the hard rock, which ferves for their bafe; and this fact feems to fhow, that the Tatter ftone is primeval. The author appears to think, that it is depofited from water, probably anterior to the existence of animated nature, though he is cautious of explaining his opinion.

The fecond kind of mountains are compofed of the fpoils which torrents or rivers have torn from the higher kind just defcribed. If there is no river at the bottom, or one whofe courfe is flow, they preferve their level; but if the ftream is rapid, it forms a bed, and on its banks we find a leffer mountain, in the fides of which, hollowed by the stream, we can trace the hori zontal ftrata. The Jura has not only fuffered in its height, but apparently in its fubftance. There are numerous excavations, and vaft bodies of water in it. Different parts of this hill are divided, either through their length or breadth, by water, which appears to have formed lakes where it has accumulated, till it has acquired fufficient momentum to burst through the mountain,

though

though in fome inftances, where it has refifted too ftrongly, the water has wifely turned its course another way. In one cafe our author feems to wonder why the water fhould do fo, fince it had not more than a league to divide it feems to have been a misfortune, that the good father was not at hand to give it information, or to prevent its riling above the level of the other paffage.

:

In the Jura particles of iron, in their metallic ftate, are frequently found, of different forms and fizes; but what is more remarkable, on the eastern fide of the mountain towards Switzerland and the Pais de Gex, though ftill calcareous, it is covered with vitrifiable ftone (we fuppofe flint) for the space of fifty leagues. Thefe bodies only cover the furface, and their fize differs from that of a pigeon's egg, to a bulk of 6000 cubic feet. These vaft maffes are elevated from 350 to 400 toises above the level of the lakes of Geneva and Neufchatel. The fmaller ones! are rounded, but even the larger ones have their angles fmoothed; and they are fo decidedly parts of the Alps, that a naturalift can almost appropriate each ftone to its original bed. There is, we think little doubt but that this vaft mountain has been raised from the bed of a river, where fome violent inundation had brought fuch large maffes that were raised with the foil on which they were placed. Our author's account is not very different, though it is laboured and perplexed with the accuracy with which it is intended to be explained.

Of the Voges our author means to fpeak in another differtation: he ftops only to mention fome remarkable facts. The first is, the decompofition of granite by the filtration of water. He has eleven fpecimens of granite, from the fame rock where it is in all the different ftates, from the greatest hardness to the foftness of earth. The fecond fact is, that there are great blocks of granite, rounded, seemingly from rolling in water, raised on a body of grit and pudding-ftones, on the top of a mountain called Haut du Roc, which overlooks Vagney and Sauffure. This mountain is raifed higher than the environs at three leagues distance, and feparated from that whence the granites could proceed by valleys of 500 toifes deep. There are many fimilar facts to this, which may probably be explained on the fuppofition lately hinted at.

We cannot fill the remaining space more advantageously, than by a detail of the late Tranfactions of fome of the focieties on the continent; and we fhall take this opportunity of introducing an account of the prizes propofed by the Imperial Academy of Sciences at St. Petersburg.

We are informed that the Academy has poftponed to the month of July, 1788, the following question, originally propofed in 1786: Since the force of the heart cannot carry on the diftribution of the juices in many parts of the bodies of animals, as the nails, the hair, the epidermis, and the horns; and fince, in plants, there is no impulfive power that can be compared with the heart of animals, to carry on the circulation of nourishment, it

is required to explain by what power the fluids are distributed in plants, and the parts of animals already mentioned, as well as the nature of this power? This academy has propofed the following queftion for 1787, to be decided next July: If any comet approached fo near to the earth, that the two bodies could act on cach other, it is required to determine, 1. What inequality would refult from this action in the motion of the earth? 2. What ap pearances would follow on the fea? 3. And what direction would thefe two bodies take in confequence of their mutual actions? The prize for each is a hundred ducats of gold. The memoirs are to be written in the Ruffian, in Latin, German, or French, addreffed with the ufual precautions, to M. J. A. Euler, fecre tary to the Academy.

The Royal Society of Medicine at Paris, at their last feffion, held the 27th of February, 1787, have decided on the merits of the memoirs, fent in anfwer to the following question, propofed in August, 1785: To determine in what kinds, and at what periods of chronical complaints, a fever may be useful or dangerdus; and with what precautions it fhould be excited or moderated? Three differtations were judged worthy of the prize; the first was found to be written by M. Pujol, M. D. at Caftres, and he received a gold medal worth 3co livres. The author of the fecond, M. Dumas, phyfician at Lyons, received a gold medal of 150 livres. The third differtation was the joint-production of M. Van Leeuwen, and M. Van-der-Eem, phyficians at Amfterdam. The acceffit was divided between M. Mezier of Gengenbach, near Strafburg, and M. Moublet-Gras of Tarafcon, in Provence. The Society diftributed prizes alfo to fix provincial phyfi cians, for the beft Memoirs on Medical Topography.

Among the Practical Memoirs, the Society diftinguished two, which they ordered to be mentioned with honour. The first was by M. Rabiere, furgeon at Brive, in Lower Limoufin, on the hydrophobia, with a Journal on the treatment of feventeen perfons, bit by a mad wolf. The fecond by M. Pujol, just now mentioned, on a puerperal fever, followed by an effufion of milk on the epiploon, and a deposition terminated by a fistula on the umbilicus.

The Society, informed that many phyficians had made extenfive researches on nervous complaints, particularly on hysteria hypocondriafis, which, were not finifhed in time for the competi tion, requests the communication of thefe effays, and promises, if it thinks them worthy, fome public mark of its efteem.

The new prizes are on the following questions: 1. To determine whether difeafes truly hereditary exift; and what they are? 26 Whether it is in the power of medicine to prevent their forming, or to cure them when formed? The prize to be of 600 livres value, and the memoirs to be fent before the firft of May, 1788. The fubject of the second prize of 600 livres is, to determine by obfervation, what are the difeafes which refult from the effluvia of stagnant waters and marfhy countries, either in the neighbouring

5

1

neighbouring inhabitants, or the workmen employed to drain" them; and what are the means of preventing or curing them.' The memoirs to be fent before the 1ft of January, 1789.

After the diftribution of the prizes, M. Crochet read an ac count of trials, made by order of the government at Mouffeaux, on the artificial fuckling of new-born infants; M. Vic d'Azyr read the eloge of M. Serrat, firit phyfician to the king of Naples," and of the celebrated chemift M. Scheele; M. Defperrieres read a memoir on the caufes of the diseases of feamen; and M. de la Guerenne another on the effects of opium in general, and particularly on its properties in the treatment of intermittent Fevers.

Kongl. Vetenskaps, &c. Memoirs of the Royal Academy of Sciences. of Stockholm, for 1785. 8vo. Stockholm, 1786.

ToGed, of the information

HOUGH we have anticipated much of the information

editors of the moft refpectable journals of the continent, particu larly to M. Crell, and M. de la Metherie, yet as it is the laft which we have received, we fhall give a very fhort and curfory account of its contents. We have already obferved that it is publifhed every three months, and each part is called a trimestre.

The first part begins with the obfervations of M. Melanderhjelm, on the temperature of the year 1783, in the kingdom of Sweden. He thinks that the earthquakes in Sicily and Ca labria contributed to the great drynefs and heat of the fummer. The most frequent wind blew from the fouth; while the barometer was in general very high. The fogs were thicker and more permanent than had been obferved a long time: our author attributes them to the thick heavy air, of which the barometer showed that the atmosphere confifted. We may remark, that, to attribute the height of the barometer to a caufe, which, even in England, and particularly in the more fouthern parts of Europe, contributed to fink it very low, is not philofophical; and it is scarcely lefs fo, to attribute fogs to a heavy air, which would contribute to the heterogeneous matters rifing to a greater height in the atmosphere.

The second obfervation is on a kind of thawing (in Swedish vræk or vroeck), which occurred on the Maplen, when the great maffes of ice are collected in a narrow pass. The particular appearances are owing to the fuddenness of the thaw, and its grefs is in the fame proportion.

pro

In the third article, M. Nordmarck has given a new method of determining the law, by which the curvature of a line changes. We do not think it more eafy to apply this law than that of Newton, from the radius of the curvature.

The fourth memoir is an important one. M. A. J. Hagftram, after making numerous experiments, gives his opinion on the efficacy of opium in the venereal difeafe; a fubject on which VOL. LXIII. June, 1787

Hh

the

the medical world are yet divided. In one of the cafes, the dif order had already produced ulcers, condylomata, and had at tacked the bones. After having ufed mercury without fuccefs, our author tried opium, beginning by very fmall dofes, and inereafing them to ten or twelve grains every day, for some weeks. The ulcers loft, at one time only, their peculiar venereal appearance, and this was when they began to bleed, and look like fcorbutic ones; nor did the patient efcape the inconveniences which commonly arise from opium given in large dofes. M. Hagstræm concludes, that this medicine is far from being a specific in difeafes or this kind, or even having the degree of efficacy attributed to it. He does not, however, pretend to deny its utility in thofe cafes of the difeafe attended with convulfions. We fhall take another opportunity to mention our own observations and opinion on this fubject.

M. Faxe has inferted an obfervation, relating to the evacuation of a black matter, in confequence of taking neutral falts. The hatter is faid to refemble the Chinese varnish, and it seems to have been black bile accumulated to a great degree. He had employed frictions of palm oil on the ftomach, with gentle laxarives; but the most effential remedies were Seltzer-water, cream of tartar, and common foluble tartar mixed with honey, and taken in the morning, with a decoction of wood-forrel and the roots of the dandelion. Thefe medicines have been ftyled aperients; indeed they feem to act particularly on the biliary fyftem, probably because they are of eafy folution, and begin to operate very early, after they have paffed the stomach.

M. J. O. Hagfræm has communicated his obfervations on the common tortoile (teftudo pufilla), which, for the four winter months, had taken no aliment of any kind. In September it began to lofe its appetite, and more fo in October. In a more temperate atmosphere its time of fafting was abridged. In very numerous experiments, its excrements were found equal in weight to what he took in. It feemed particularly fond of the tops and buds of young plants. In the cold weather it moved very flowly, but when Fahrenheit's thermometer was from 68 to 86 it walked brifkly.

M. Kinmann has inferted the chemical analyfis of a fpecies of zeolithe from Ostrogothia, compofed of thin fhining lamine, of a flesh-colour, which has almoff the hardness of the lapis fpecularis. Its component parts are flint, lime-ftone, manganefe, clay, calcined iron, water, and fixed air. The two firft are in much the largest proportion.

M. Thunberg has given notice of the minerals and precious tones found in the ifland Ceylon. They give the name of tourmalin to many stones which have no electric quality. They alfo give other names to the true lava. M. Thunberg speaks alfo of the manner in which they fearch for thefe ftones.

M. Berkenmeider has defcribed his obfervations on a leech, fhut up in a veffel of water, where he faw it lay its eggs, and hatch its young, fucceffively, till their number amounted to 150.

M. Oed.