cross is like that of the Serving Knights. Of all the four classes the first only can aspire to the dignities of the order, that is, to the title and office of Commanders, Grand Crosses, and Grand Master. The two first are given in order according to their seniority. All the employments and offices of honour and profit are at the disposal of the Grand Master, who is obliged to choose one of the nobles. The members of the second class serve at the altar, and are only capable of ecclesiastical preferment: thus they may obtain the offices of Vicars, Canons, and Grand Prior, which last is the highest dignity within the reach of their ambition. The Serving Knights are incapable of being promoted to the dignity of a Grand Cross, or of enjoying a commandery by right of seniority; but they may possess commanderies of grace, which the Grand Master sometimes bestows on them, either as a particular mark of his kindness, or as a reward of valour. As for the Grand Master's Knights, who compose the fourth class, they receive no other honour than the title of Knights of St. John. La Belle Assem. - Anecdote of Dr. Smollet.-When Dr. Tobias Smollet was a youth, he entangled himself in a foolish bet with a blustering gentleman, who vaunted he never had lost a wager, nor had been made an April fool in all his life. Mr. Smollet, provoked by this boast, and heated with wine, staked a larger sum than he could afford to pay, that before the expiration of three years, this wiseacre would at once become au April fool and lose a bet. The terms were accepted, and settled according to the rules on such occasions. When Mr. Smollet next day reflected upon the risk he incurred, he was very unhappy. This anxiety did not escape the notice of a lady his near relation, and being pressed by her kind solicitude, he intrusted to her his involvement. She lectured him on his temerity, but bade him not despond.-On the first of April this lady engaged her brother to invite eleven married couples, who, with himself and his wife, made twelve. She herself fixed with both the gentlemen to dine with her, and try to make each other April fools. The dinner had been announced in the drawingroom before Mr. Smollet appeared: his cousin rated him for being so late. He said he had been detained by a person who tried to persuade him that her brother had ordered a great feast, and forgot to ask a single person to partake of it. The lady said her brother was sometimes absent, but could not possibly have committed a blunder so absurd. Mr. Smollet's antagonist was a person of great curiosity and credulity. He offered to go after dinner to ascertain how such a strange story could be invented here was not a single person, for all were married. Mr. Smollet won the bet, and gave the amount to a distressed family, as he could hardly think he had fairly gained an exemption from the forfeit. ib. Anecdote of Marcel, the French Dancing-Master.-This famous disciple of Terpsichore obtained in his old age a pension from the French government. One of his young pupils, whose family had, by their great interest and credit at court, procured him this favour, hastened to Marcel, in order to have the pleasure of presenting him with his brevet, which she put into his hand, hoping to cause him an agreeable surprise. Marcel immediately dashed it on the floor. "Is it thus, mademoiselle," said he, "that I have taught you to present any thing? Pick up the paper, and give it me in a proper manner."-The young lady, cruelly humbled at the way this favour was received, when she expected so different a result, picked it up, with tears in her eyes, and offered it in the most graceful manner she was capable of.-"Very well, mademoiselle," said the old dancing-master, "very well: I will take it now, and I thank you, though your elbow was not quite rounded enough." ib. Eccentric Character. (From the Life of W. Hutton, F.A.S. S.)-The greatest wonder I saw was Phebe Brown. She was five feet six inches in height, is about thirty, well proportioned, round face, and ruddy; has a dark penetrating eye, which, the moment it fixes upon your face, sees your character, and that with precision. Her step (pardon the Irishism) is more manly than a man's, and can cover forty miles a day. Her common dress is a man's hat, coat, with a spenser over it, and men's shoes. She is unmarried. She can lift one hundred weight in each hand, and carry fourteen score; can sew, knit, cook, and spin, but hates them all, and every accompaniment to the female character, that of modesty excepted. A gentleman at the New Bath had recently treated her rudely: "She had a good mind to have knocked him down." She assured the she never knew what fear was. She gives no affront, but offers to fight any man who gives her one. If she never has fought, perhaps it is owing to the insulter having been a coward, for the man of courage would disdain to offer an insult to a female. Phebe has strong sense, an excellent judgment, says smart things, and supports an easy freedom in all companies. Her voice is more than masculine, it is deep toned. With the wind in her favour, she can send it a mile; she has neither beard nor prominence of breast; she undertakes any kind of manual labour, as holding the plough, driving a team, thatching the barn, using the fail, &c.; but her chief avocation is breaking horses, for which she charges a guinea a week each. She always rides without a saddle, is thought to be the best judge of a horse or cow in the country, and is frequently employed to purchase for others at the neighbouring fairs. She is fond of Milton, Pope, and Shakespeare, also of music; is selftaught, and performs on several instruments, as the flute, violin, and harpsichord, and supports the bass viol in Mallock church. She is a marks-woman, and carries the gun on her shoulder. She eats no beef or pork, and but little mutton. Her chief food is milk, which is also her drink, discarding wine, ale, and spirits. - ib. Description of Mad. de Stael's funeral. On Saturday, the 26th of July, the remains of Madame de Stael arrived at Coppet, in a hearse, followed by M. de Stael and M. de Schlegel. Monday, the 28th of July, was the day fixed for depositing the coffin in the mausoleum wherein M. and Madame Neckar are interred. It is a square monument of black marble, which stands in a kind of thick grove, walled in, and where Madame de Stael was frequently accustom VOL. XI. Over the opening ed to walk alone. of the tomb is a work in basso relievo, the subject of which was given by Madame de Stael: that lady is there represented kneeling, weeping over the sarcophagus of her parents, who seein to be holding out their hands to her from heaven. The last wish of Madame de Stael was, that her ashes might rest with theirs. The members of the municipal corps at Coppet requested that they themselves might be the bearers of the coffin, and M. le Duc de Noailles came from Rolle to make the same request. Those who followed the corpse were very numerous: besides the friends and relations of Madaine de Stael, several of the first fanilies in Geneva and its environs joined the procession. People of every class, and of all ages, thronged in crowds to see the funeral pass by. The pastor of the parish, M. Barnaud, pronounced in the castle of Coppet, after the burial, a religious discourse, extracted chiefly from the sermons of M. Neckar. An awful silence reigned amongst all the spectators during the procession of the funeral to the tomb. After the funeral a charitable donation was given to the poor of the place, whom, during her life, Madame de Stael had constantly assisted and made happy. ib. Madame de Stael's Memoirs of the Private Life of her Father, are nearly ready for publication, in octavo, in French and English. M. Mag. Mr. Beauford, M.A. of Dublin, is preparing for the press, a New Theory of Magnetism, especially the phenomena which relate to the variation of the magnetic needle; deduced from observation, and demonstrated on true philosophical and mathematical principles. In the investigation, magnetism in general is ascribed to the effect of caloric on the globe of the earth. In magnetism, at least as far as it affects the needle, (the author says,) there are four magnetic poles near the terrestrial poles; which magnetic poles in each class have a rotation from east to west, proceeding from the effect of the perturbating powers of the sun and moon, in the difference between the centripetal and centrifugal forces. The revolution of the northern magnetic poles 11 82 round the earth's axis and poles is complete in 1073 years, and that of the southern in 864 years. The northern affirmative magnetic pole has this year (1817), at the time of the vernal equinox, lat. 71 deg. 24 min. N., lon. 83 deg. W.; the negative pole, lat. 82 deg. 12 min. N., lon. 114 deg. 19 min. E. The southern affirmative magnetic pole has lat. 65 deg. 56 min. S., lon. 156 deg. 58 min. E.; the negative, lat. 76 deg. 46 min. S., lon. 264 deg. 26 min. E. from Greenwich. And the places of the mean or operative pole derived from the effect of the four other poles, and to which the needle tends-northern lat. 73 deg. 36 min. N., lon. 84 deg. 54 min. W.; southern lat. 68 deg. 45 min. S., lon. 145 deg. 30 min. E. From the effects and places of these mean operative poles proceed the various phenomena of the magnetic needle; as the variation, dip, position, nutation, rotation, ib. and secular variation. M. Levrat, a French chymist, has discovered that the seed of the yellow water flag of marshes, known to botanists by the name of Iris pseudacerus, when dried by heat and freed from the friable shell, which envelopes it, produces a beverage similar to coffee, but much superior in taste and flavour. ib. It A quantity of cocoa-nut oil has recently been introduced into this country from Ceylon. It may be very advantageously employed as a substitute for spermaceti oil, as it is considerably cheaper, burns with a clearer flame, and is free from smell or smoke. will be found useful also in the manufacture of soap, candles, and the finer articles of perfumery; and is likely to become a source of great revenue in Ceylon, and of singular importance to this country. Soap made with it costs but ten per cent. more than tallow-soap. Shops which introduce this valuable article in town or country, may calculate on a monopoly of the oil, soap, or candle trade, as it will be universally preferred by good house-wives. ib. Bolany encouraged.--There seems to be a disposition among the public establishments on the continent to promote the study of Botany, by communicating to the public a knowledge of what rarities they respectively possess. To this we may attribute the publication by M. de Schrank, director of the Botanic garden at Munich, of a work, the first fasciculus of which has appeared under the title of Plantæ rariores Horti Academici Monacensis Fasc. I. fol. The plates are lithographic, or stone printing, and coloured; they are executed by the Lithographic Institution. To the same disposition we are to attribute the appearance of Horti et Provincia Veronensis Plantæ novæ seu minus cognitæ quas descriptionibus et observationibus exornavit Cyrus Pollini. The plates are engraved at the expense of the Agricultural Society at Verona. To these must be added the Flora Napolitana ossia Descrizione &c. containing a description of the indigenous plants in the kingdom of Naples, by Dr. Tenore, director of the garden of plants. This work was begun under the command of Murat, ci devant king of Naples; and so far is to his credit. It is now continued, and is likely to be encouraged by public patronage, as the Flora of the kingdom. It is a superb and expensive work. Lit. Pan. In one of the latter numbers of the Magazine of the society of Natural History at Berlin, is a table of thermometrical observations, made day by day, during the course of one hundred and fourteen years, collected by M. Gronau. This lapse of time implies the attention of succeeding generations; and marks the persevering dispositiou and accuracy of moderm adepts in the sciences. Such registers must eventually furnish many curious and instructive facts. ib. NUMBER OF KNOWN VEGETABLES-The number of Plants yet known amounts, according to the calculation of Baron Von Humboldt, to 44,000, of which 6000 are agamous, that is, plants which have no sexual organs, such as champignons, lichens, &c. Of the remainder there are found In Europe... . . . In the temperate regions of Asia In the temperate regions of In Equinoxial America. . 7,000 1,500 4,500 3,000 4,000 13,000 The imperial Academy of Medicine and Surgery at Petersburg.—A simple school of Medicine was founded at Petersburgh in 1706, and was successively improved, enlarged, and raised to the rank of an Academy. In 1808 this institution received a new organization; the number of the Professors' chairs was augmented, by the establishment of a chair for the Professer of the Veterinary Art, for one of Pharmacy and for a clinical Professor. The course of instruction in this Academy, occupies four years, and is divided in the following manner: The first year, Mineralogy, Zoology, Philosophical Mathematics, Osteology, Syndesmology and Myology. Second year, Chymistry, Anatomy, Physiology, Practical Anatomy, and Botany. Third year, Pathology, Therapeia, Surgery, Pharmacology, and the art of Formulæ. Fourth year, Practical Medicine Midwifery, disorders of pregnant and lying-in women, of children, Legal Medicine, and medical principles in aid of the public police. All these courses are delivered in the Russian language, in halls purposely fitted for the attendance. The veterinary students are instructed in Zootomy, in comparative Physiology, in Pharmacology, in Pathology, in Therapeutics, in Dietetics, in the knowledge of studs, and in Epizootics. The students in Pharmacy frequent all the course of medical study, beside receiving particular instructions in Pharmacy. The establishments attached to this Academy are, The Library, founded in 1756, and augmented from time to time by donations and purchases; so that it now forms a total of 16,282 works, in 25,642 volumes. Beside the works of physicians, ancient and modern, it contains many other scientific works and rare editions; and since 1815, all Russian works with their translations. This library also contains a collection of dried plants, from Russia, Siberia, the Ukraine, and foreign countries. The cabinet of Natural Philosophy, The cabinet of Surgery contains the greater part of instruments formerly used, as well as those of modern execution; with an extensive collection of bandages, artificial members, models of beds for the sick, &c. The cabinet of Pharmacy is furnished with simple medicaments, and compounds prepared by the students. The cabinet of Midwifery contains different instruments, osteological preparations, abortions, &c. The Clinical Institution reckons thirty beds, and receives patients in every state and condition. The number of sick treated in this ward, amounts to 500 yearly, The Academy also possesses a church, an infirmary for the students, and a pharmacy. The general administration is under the immediate direction of the minister of public instruction. The number of scholars was originally fixed at 720: but, at present, the number is not more in the Academy at Petersburgh than 350, ib. and in that of Moscow 255. Egyptian wheat.-M. Van Houwermeeren, mayor of Lede, in East Flanders, has tried the experiment of growing Egyptian corn: he has discovered that a single grain has produced 77 stalks (in general from 50 to 70) and that the ear of each stalk is six sided, each side containing from 14 to 15 grains, some even 16; the result of which is a single grain produces 6468. Whatever may have been the wis dom of that display of national pride which caused the failure of the late embassy to China, it seems likely to afford the literary world considerable gratification in the ensuing winter. Three considerable works have already been announced, and each of them appears to lay claim to public attention: The first is by Dr. Clarke Abel, physician and naturalist to the embassy, and is entitled, Personal Observations made during the progress of the British embassy through China, and on its voyage to and from that country, in the years 1816 and 1817. It will comprise the author's personal narrative of the most interesting events which befel the British embassy, from the time of its leaving England to its return; together with his remarks on the geology, natural history, and manners of the countries visited. It will be printed in quarto, and be illustrated by maps and other engravings, under the sanction of the Hon. EastIndia company, and be dedicated by permission to lord Amherst. The second is by George Ellis, esq. one of the commissioners of the embassy, and will form a quarto volume, with an atlas of engravings. And the third is by Capt. Basil Hall, of the Lyra, and will relate chiefly to the nautical concerns and discoveries, with new charts, &c. Mon. Mag. Dr. Buchanan will immediately put to press, an account of the kingdom of Nepaul. This gentleman practised as a physician for several years in that country, during which time he was employed in collecting information relative to its natural, civil, and political condition. The value and accuracy, as well as vast extent, of Dr. Buchanan's researches concerning this part of India, are well known. ib. Mr. Barlow, one of the mathematical teachers at Woolwich, will publish early in October, an Essay on the Strength and Stress of Timber, founded upon a course of experiments made at the Royal Military Academy. A new theory will be developed, founded upon the results of numerous experiments on a great variety of subjects, assisted by communications from several gentlemen of great scientific research. The work will include an A Narrative is printing of Discoveries in Africa by Mr. Burkhardt. He has for some years been travelling in the countries south of Egypt, in the disguise of an Arab, and by the name of Shekh Ibrahim, under the auspices of the African Association. He is still, it is said, prosecuting his discoveries, and entertains sanguine hopes of being able to reach Tombuctoo, from the east, and proceed from that city to the western coast. This would perfect the geography of northern Africa. ib. The Rev. C. Maturin, author of the tragedy of Bertram, is printing a tale, in three volumes. ib. The Diary of John Evelyn, esq. printed from the original manuscripts in the library at Wotton, embracing the greatest portion of the life of the celebrated author of "The Sylva," and other works of celebrity, is nearly ready for publication. This extremely curious and valuable journal contains his observations and remarks on men, manners, the politics, literature, and science of his age, during his travels in France and Italy; his residence in England towards the latter part of the protectorate, and his connexion with the court of Charles II, and the two subsequent reigns; interspersed with a variety of anecdotes of the most celebrated persons of that period. The work will be enriched with original las, (secretary of state,) to king private letters from Sir Edward NichoCharles I. with the king's answers, in his own hand-writing, now first given to the world. It will also contain selections from the correspondence of John Evelyn, and numerous letters from sir Edward Hyde, (lord Clarendon,) to sir Edward Nicholes and Richard Brown, during the exile of the British court. The whole work will, of course, be highly illustrative of the events of those times, and will afford many new facts to the historian and politician. The work will be comprised in two volumes, royal quarto, and will be embellished with several portraits. engraved by the best artists, partly from the most exquisite drawings of |