fill find no reason to change their opinion, or to vary from their former report in favour of pointed conductors. The fubfcribing members of this committee are the Hon. Mr. Cavendish, Dr. Watson, Dr. Franklin, and Mr. J. Robertfon. Article 20. An Account of a fiery Meteor feen on February 10, 1772,' near Berwick; and of fome new electrical Experiments.' By Patrick Brydone, Efq;" Whether all the meteors that have been defcribed and recorded in the Philofophical Tranfactions have had any juft pretenfions to a place in that refpectable collection, may perhaps be doubted. The prefent, however, feems juftly intitled to that rank, as well on account of its fplendour and duration, as of its height; and ftill more on account of the data from which that height may be eftimated. It appeared in the form of a fplendid flame of a conical figure, the light of which almoft extinguished that of the moon, then about half full; moving nearly horizontally through a space of about 30 degrees, at about the height of 50 degrees, and feemed to burst at the end of 10 or 12 feconds into a number of fparks, refembling the ftars in a fky-rocket. The Author expecting a report, had the prefence of mind to take out his watch, which had a fecond hand; but after stopping above 4 minutes without hearing any, he rode on. In about a minute afterwards, however, he was ftunned by a loud and heavy explofion, refembling the discharge of a large mortar at no great diftance, and followed by a kind of rumbling noife like that of thunder.' On examining his watch, he found that the found had taken 5 minutes and about 7 feconds to reach him; which, according to the common computation of 1142 feet in a fecond, gives a, diftance of at least 66 miles. At a place diftant about 20 miles Weft, this meteor, the appearance of which was likewife followed by a loud report, was feen by two gentlemen, nearly at the fame height as it was perceived by Mr. Brydone: fo that its diftance from the earth was probably greater than the fenfible limits of our atmosphere. This phenomenon, we fhall observe, as well as many others, furnishes a ftrong prefumption that the air is not the only medium of found: as the violent report occafioned by it originated probably in a region, where there was as near an approach to a vacuum as any that we can make with our best air pumps. In the remaining part of this article, the Author relates fome experiments in which he charged an infulated conductor, by rubbing the back of a cat. The animal, however, not patiently fubmitting to the experiment, the fame effects were produced on a young lady's combing the hair of her fifter's head, which, however, we fhould obferve, had not, like the hair of moft other young ladies, been matted together and defiled by a paste of pomatum pomatum and powder. On caufing the pointed wire of a coated vial to follow the comb, the vial was highly charged, fo as to give a fmart fhock, and fet fire to fpirits. In thefe experiments, the Author's difpofition of the two ladies does not appear to us to have been perfectly scientific. The lady who performed, the office of the rubber, ought not to have stood on wax; unlefs indeed to fhew occafionally that fhe likewife became electrified, but, with a contrary electricity, on the approach of any body communicating with the earth and the lady whofe hair was combed fhould have been infulated, in order to produce the greateft effect. In the 23d Article is given an account of fome of the effects of a thunder storm, in which Mr. Heartly was killed in his bed. Mrs. Heartly, who lay on his left hand, was, awakened by the explofion, and found her right arm tunned and benumbed, and a little painful. Not being alarmed, however, he fell asleep, and did not discover, till fhe awoke in the morning, that her husband had been killed by it. Though the bed poft was fplit into many shivers, one of which was found within his nightcap, no marks were difcovered on any part of his body;except that his right cheek was fwelled, and his hair on that fide confiderably finged, as was the infide of his nightcap on the fame fide, while no fuch marks appeared on its outside. The 13th Article contains only fome thermometrical.obfervations relating to remarkable degrees of cold obferved on the Continent in 1767, 1768, and 1770, by M. J.H.. Van Swinden. CHEMISTRY. Article 16. Actual Fire and Detonation produced by the Contact of Tinfoil, with the Salt compofed of Copper and the nitrous Acid. By B. Higgins, M. D. Before we give the fubftance of this curious experiment, it will be proper to premife a difcovery of the Author's, relating to the metallic falt produced by a combination of the nitrous acid with copper; which he found to poffefs the peculiar property of taking fire, and deflagrating in a degree of heat not greater than can be borne by the hand. This quality is moft conveniently fhewn by twice or thrice dipping a piece of foft bibulous paper into a faturated folution of copper in fpirit of nitre, and alternately drying it with a gentle heat. If the paper, thus copiously impregnated with the cupreous falt, be then held at a moderate diftance from the fire, it will deflagrate and burn to a brown calx. The fuccefs of the following experiment depends on the ready accenfibility of this metallic falt. A fufficient quantity of it in a fomewhat moist state, procured by putting feveral pieces of thin sheet copper into a weakened fpirit of nitre, is to be beaten to the finenefs of bafket fea falt, and ftrewed to the thickness thickness of a fhilling on a piece of tinfoil, twelve inches in length, and three in breadth. The foil is then to be inftantly rolled up, fo as to include the falt, as it lies, between the coils. The ends being pinched together, and the whole preffed flat and clofe, the following phenomena fucceffively prefent themselves. Firft, a part of the falt deliquefces, and, being impregnated with the tin, a frothing is perceived at the ends of the coil, attended with a moderate warmth, and followed by a copious emiffion of nitrous fumes. The heat then increases so as to become intolerable to the fingers; and, at length, explosion and fire are perceived, which burst and melt the tinfoil, if it be very thin. Those who would repeat the experiment must confult the Author's own account of it, as the fuccefs in a great measure depends on an attention to fome minute circumstances which we have not room to mention. The Author's rationale of this procefs is principally founded on the abovementioned property of the cupreo-nitrous falt, or on its eafy ignition in a flight degree of heat. Its acid is fuppofed in part to quit the copper, and to attack the tin *; in its commenftruation with which metal, a confiderable effervefcence and heat are produced, fufficient to dry the remaining undecompounded cupreous falt, and to fet it on fire. The ig nition may likewife, we imagine, be in fome measure the confequence of a nitrous fulphur extemporaneously formed, by the rapid combination of the nitrous acid with the phlogiflon of the tin, and which is inftantaneously kindled and diffipated in the very act of its formation. ANTIQUITIES. Article 4. Farther Remarks upon a Denarius of the Veturian Family, &c. By the Rev. John Swinton, B. D. F. R. S. &c. In the 58th volume of the Philofophical Transactions Mr. Swinton informed us that NI. LUFIUS, whofe name occurs on this denarius, was probably one of the Italian generals in the Social war. In the prefent article he haftens to acknowledge and rectify his mistake, in wrongly decyphering two or three crippled Samnite Etrufcan letters at the tail of the infcription; and now declares his opinion that this supposed old foldier was really the Merrifs, Merrix, or Meddix, or at leaft one of the And yet the nitrous acid has a lefs degree of affinity to tin than to copper, the latter of which it diffolves, while it only corrodes the former; perfectly dephlogifticating it, or reducing it to a compleat calx. Its violent action on the tin therefore, though already faturated with the copper, is, we apprehend, to be attributed to this circumftance; that though it has a very inconfiderable degree of affinity to the metallic earth of the tin, it attacks this metal with violence on account of its very ftrong attraction of phlogifton; a principle which is known to adhere to tin very laxly. two magiftrates going under that denomination, of the city' where the medal was ftruck. We refer to the perufal of the article itself fuch of our Readers as violently intereft themselves in the fame and fortunes of the Lufian Family now brought to light; the name of which, Mr. Swinton fomewhat exultingly obferves, has never yet appeared, as he apprehends, on any other antient coins:'-a ftrong recommendation, doubtlefs, to wish for a further acquaintance with them! MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES. In the 7th Article Dr. R. Watfon relates the refult of an experiment made by him to ascertain the increase of heat which the bulb of a thermometer, expofed to the rays of the fun, would receive on its being painted black with Indian ink. In confequence of this coating, it rofe from 108 to 118. He propofes that the bulbs of feveral correfponding thermometers fhould be painted of different colours, and expofed at the fame time to the fun; that conjectures may be formed refpecting the difpofition of the feveral primary colours for receiving and retaining the fun's heat. In the 17th Article are contained fome obfervations communicated by Sir William Johnfon, on the cuftoms, manners, and language of the Northern Indians of America. The 24th Article exhibits fome tables of births and burials in the isle of Anglefey; and in the 26th and laft, a fhort account is given of the effects attending an explosion of inflammable air in a coal-pit near Leeds. MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For JUNE, POETICAL. 1774. Art. 8. The Cave of Morar, the Man of Sorrows; a legendary Tale, in Two Parts. 4to. 2 s. Davies. WE 1774. E cannot fay much in praife of this poem. The Author's meaning however feems to be fo good, that we wish the Reader to pay all due attention to the following apology, which he has added by way of poftfcript: It will perhaps be objected to this poem, that fome of the incidents in it are not fufficiently interefting to merit the attention of the Public. To this the Author anfwers, That it has ever been the chief object of poetry to COPY NATURE and her feveral operations on the human mind in the most barbarous as well as the most cultivated state of fociety, in the breast of the peafant as well as that of the monarch. If, therefore, the Author has given a just copy of Nature, he apprehends it is of very little confequence that from the ftructure of the poem, the ftory, he relates, would appear to have happened at least as far back as three centuries ago, and that the characters he has introduced are not furrounded with riches or deRav. June, 1774 Ii corated corated with titles; he is hopeful the story he has told is not unnatural, because, though he has taken the liberty of placing fo long ago feveral incidents which happened in the prefent century, in or der to give the poem a LEGENDARY appearance; yet the whole for. rows which compofe the life of the hermit are fuch as the Author himfelf has once witneffed; for the birth of MORAR, and the death of his parents are literally copied from his own life, and the incident of MARIA's death is taken from a very affecting scene, of which he was an eye-witnefs, fo that the circumftance of MORAR'S becoming an hermit, and the discovery made at the end of the poem are the only imaginary incidents in the fecond part of it, and for these he can offer no apology." Art. 9. Infancy; a Poem. Book the Firft. By Hugh Down1 s. Kearfly. 1774 M.D. man. If we mistake not, this is not the first occafion on which we have had the pleafare of waiting on Dr. Downman, and we hope it will not be the laft. This little poem relates to the management of children; and the Author writes as a judicious phyfician, a good poet, and an excellent moralift; for his medical directions, and poetical talents, feem to be all fo much devoted to the fervice of humanity and virtue, that we cannot but heartily wish him fuccefs in the profecution of his plan. He will forgive us if we fuggeft to him the propriety of a greater attention than he has paid in fome few lines to the harmony and elegance of his verfification. We recommend the following paffage to the ferious perufal of the ladies : Ŏ MOTHER (let me by that tenderest name Though fweetnefs feem pourtray'd in every line, The form of Woman's thine, but not the heart; This act detects thee, fhews thee to have loft And fet by yielding Nature in the breaft Of female foftnefs, to have driven forth these. Cold, and infenfible to the warm touch Of |