Current History of Literary and. Scientific Events.

NOVEMBER 1ST.-TUESDAY.

Edinburgh Academy.-Mr. D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson, one of the classical masters of the Edinburgh Academy, but perhaps more widely known as a writer of books pleasant alike to young and old has, been appointed to the Professorship of the Greek Language and Literature in Queen's College, Galway. The appointment is in the gift of the Crown.

The Steam Plough in Caithness.-The Earl of Caithness was so well pleased with what he saw of Howard's steam plough at Fentonbarns, that he had ordered one for his farm of Barrogill Castle. The machine arrived in the county a few weeks ago, and having been put in working order, was tried in a field at Barrogill, and was found to perform its work to the entire satisfaction of those who witnessed its operation. The noble Earl, desirous of giving agriculturists an opportunity of testing its applicability to Caithness culture, invited to Barrogill a large number of gentlemen, who gladly availed themselves of his Lordship's courtesy. The field chosen on this occasion was a very rough one, having been only twice ploughed previously, and the surface of the ground, owing to the long-continued heavy rains, was so extremely soft that it at times threatened to clog the wheels of the plough, rendering its motion heavier than it would have been under more favourable circumstances; but notwithstanding these drawbacks, the machine continued to pursue its way for about two hours, performing its work in a manner so satisfactory as to elicit the highest commendation from the many practical men assembled on the ground. Although the field was very soft, the anchors were found to hold well; and altogether the trial was so successful as to leave no doubt upon the minds of those who witnessed it of the superior character of this machine. The first acre was turned over in less than an hour and a-half.

A Young Lady has inscribed her name at the Faculty of Letters at the Sorbonne, for the examination of the baccalaureat this month.

NOVEMBER 2D.-WEDNESDAY.

Chapel Royal, Savoy.—The Queen has been pleased to approve Mr. Sidney Smirke's designs for the restoration of the Chapel-Royal, Savoy, which, it may be remembered, was burned down last summer, and the works will be at once proceeded with at Her Majesty's expense.

NOVEMBER 3D.-THURSDAY.

The National Albert Memorial.-The sketch models for the various groups of sculpture to be executed for the Prince-Consort Memorial, Hyde Park, have been delivered to the Committee for inspection. It is intended that Baron Marochetti shall execute the statue of the Prince; and the four principal groups, smybolizing the four quarters of the world, have been intrusted to the following distinguished sculptors :-Europe, Mr. P. Macdowell, R. A.; Asia, Mr. J. H. Foley, R.A.; Africa, Mr. W. Theed; America, Mr. J. Bell. Four lesser

groups, emblematic of Agriculture, Commerce, Manufactures, and Mechanics, will be executed by Mr. W. C. Marshall, R. A., Mr. J. Thorneycroft, Mr. H. Weeks, R.A., and Mr. J. Lawler. Mr. H. H. Armstead and Mr. J. Phillips have been commissioned to execute the bas-reliefs.

NOVEMBER 4TH.-FRIDAY.

Painted Dogs.-The latest fashionable freak noticeable on the drives of the Bois de Boulogne, probably suggested by the prevalent mania for ringlets coloured red, is the rather novel phenomenon of ladies' lap-dogs similarly metamorphosed in a variety of fictitious tints. Green dogs, yellow dogs, and pups sky-blue, are at present much in vogue, and Le Sport devotes an article to this daring innovation. It even denies that the idea is original, which it certainly is not, forasmuch as it had already entered into the conception of no less a mind than that of Virgil, who foreshadowed its realisation as one of the marks of a Pagan millennium. It is true that he only foresaw rosy lambkins and purple rams in his rapt vision :—

The Grape. It is stated that California will make 1,500,000 gallons of wine this

year.

Treasure Trove.-Two labouring men who recently found a jar of old gold coins in & gravel pit at Stockerston, have received from the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury the sum of £55, 13s. 6d., being the value of the treasure.

NOVEMBER 6TH.-SUNDAY.

OBITUARY.-Lady Overstone died at Lockinge Houre, near Wantage.

NOVEMBER 7TH.-MONDAY.

Social Science Association.—The opening meeting of the Department of Jurisprudence and Amendment of the Law, held in Adam Street, Adelphi-Lord Brougham, the president, took the chair; and the presence of M. Berryer, the distinguished French Advocate, and M. Desmarest, bâtonnier of the French bar, gave more than usual interest to the meeting.

OBITUARY.-The artistic world of France has met with a severe loss by the death, in his 67th year, of M. Achille Lefevre, whose engravings, after Raphael, Murillo, Winterhalter, etc., are so highly appreciated.

NOVEMBER 8TH.-TUESDAY.

Photographic Society of Scotland.-First meeting of the season held-Mr. James G. Tunny in the chair. Mr. Thomas Fox read a paper, in which he described an entirely new mode of photographic printing. The process consists of bringing the bichromate of potass in direct contact with logwood; and the plan adopted is to sensitise the paper with a solution of the bichromate of potass and sulphate of copper, mixed in the proportions of one part of the former to two of the latter, and to either float or steep the paper for a few minutes, then dry it by the fire in the dark. This paper is then placed over a glass or paper negative, and exposed to the light. The time of exposure is much the same as in printing with nitrate of silver; in sunshine, from one to three minutes is amply sufficient from glass; and for a paper print, or piece of printing, it will be rather longer, according to the thickness of the paper. Paper thus prepared is much more sensitive than the silvered, and will print considerably quicker. Then a decoction of logwood is made ready, to which is added a little hot water

to hasten the development; float the sensitised picture from half-a-minute to a minute, print side down; and then, holding it by one corner, gradually raise it from the logwood. A perfectly delineated copy is the result. Then dip it in hot water, which carries off the superfluous logwood that may be hanging to the paper, and varnish. This gives a very distinct picture, with the shades of a deep black; and in order to obtain pure whites, use a weak solution of alum in hot water. For transferring the unvarnished print, simply pass it under a roller press, which gives a beautiful impression on albuminised paper, leaving the ground pure white. It also transfers to cotton, linen, glass, stone, wood, and any other material. Mr. Fox exhibited a number of prints, showing that by his process, which has been provisionally registered, a great variety of colours and effects could be produced.

NOVEMBER 9TH.-WEDNESDAY.

OBITUARY.-The Earl of Stair died this day, at Oxenfoord Castle. This venerable and respected nobleman was born in 1776; succeeded his brother, the eighth Earl, in the titles and estates, in 1853; and has died in his 89th year. In earlier life he was well known in Mid-Lothian, as North Dalrymple, Esq. of Fordal—taking an active part in politics, on the Liberal side, especially when the county was successfully contested in 1832, by his elder brother, then Sir John Dalrymple. He was a man of much acuteness as well as amiability, faithful to party, and kind to friends. His landed possessions were among the most valuable in Scotland-he was the largest landowner in MidLothian, and the largest or second largest in Wigtonshire, besides having valuable properties in Ayrshire and Lanarkshire. He is succeeded by his eldest son, John, hitherto Viscount Dalrymple, formerly M. P. for Wigtonshire, and, since 1851, Lord-Lieutenant of that county, who is married to the elder daughter of the Duke and Duchess de Coigny, and has issue.

The Right Hon. Thomas Erskine, the third son of the famous Lord Erskine, expired at Bournemouth, this day, in his 77th year. The right hon. gentleman was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1813. He was advanced to the dignity of Queen's counsel in 1827, and four years afterwards was appointed Chief Judge of the Court of Review. In 1839 he was appointed one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas, but ill-health compelled him to resign in 1845. A Commissionership of the Duchy of Cornwall becomes vacant by the decease of the right hon. gentleman.

NOVEMBER 10TH.-THURSDAY.

Peat as Fuel for Railway Engines.-Letters from Milan speak of some highly successful experiments which are being made with a new species of fuel called Moro peat (torba Moro), which has been employed instead of coal upon the railways from Milan to Bergamo, to Lecco, and to Pavia. This new preparation is said to yield no black smoke, and to be of easier management than coal, besides presenting the advantage that the material of which it is composed is furnished in large quantities by the northern and central provinces of Italy, where peatbeds abound.

The Martello Towers.-It has been definitely arranged by Government that the Martello towers, which are to be retained round the coast of Ireland, are to be mounted with 18-pounder rifle guns. Between Bray and Kingstown three out of seven towers are to be retained, and so mounted.

NOVEMBER 11TH.-FRIDAY.

Silk.-By the Franco-Swiss Commercial Treaty, the French import-duty on silk ribbons has been reduced 50 per cent.; and by virtue of the "most favoured nation" proviso in the Anglo-French Convention, the advantages of this change will be shared by British industry.

OBITUARY.-Died, after a brief illness, John Ramsay M'Culloch, the great political economist, author of an article on "Ricardo's Principles of Political Economy," his earliest effort. His "Commercial Dictionary" is, of all his numerous works, that by which his name is most extensively known. It is a monument of unshrinking hard work. Endowed with an enormous capacity for the mastery of facts and figures; of great sagacity, and manly common sense; with a power of con tinuous application to the most arduous mental labour that seemed absolutely exhaustless; with a vigour of will that led him readily into dogmatism; and an independence of judgment that occasionally revelled in arbitrary assertion and cherished prejudice-Mr. M'Culloch, as compared with men of the milder literary stamp of our later day, had something almost Johnsonian in his intellectual aspect and style. The following is a tolerably complete list of Mr. M'Culloch's works:-"A Discourse on the Rise, Progress, Peculiar Objects, and Importance of Political Economy, containing an Outline of a Course of Lectures, on the Principles and Doctrines of that Science;" "The Principles of Political Economy; with some Inquiries respecting their Application, and a Sketch of the Rise and Progress of the Science;" "Statements illustrative of the Policy and Probable Consequences of the Proposed Repeal of the existing Corn-Laws, and the Imposition in their stead of a moderate Fixed Duty on Foreign Corn," 8vo, 1841; "A Treatise on the Principles and Practical Influence of Taxation, and the Funding System;" "The Literature of Political Economy: a Classified Catalogue of Select Publications in the different Departments of that Science, with Historical, Critical, and Biographical Notices;" "A Treatise on the Succession to Property vacant by Death, including Inquiries into the Influence of Primogeniture, Entails, Compulsory Partitions, Foundations, etc., over the Public Interest; "A Treatise on the Circumstances that determine the Rate of Wages, and the Condition of the Labouring Classes," post 8vo, 1851; "A Dictionary, Practical, Theoretical, and Historical, of Commerce and Commercial Navagation, illustrated with Maps and Plans,” 8vo, 2d edit., 1834, republished several times, with improvements and additions, in one volume; "A Statistical Account of the British Empire, exhibiting its Extent, Physical Capacities, Population, Industry, and Civil and Religious Institutions," 2 vols. 8vo, of which several editions have been published; "A Dictionary, Geographical, Statistical, and Historical," of the various Countries, Places, and principal Natural Objects in the World;""Smith's Wealth of Nations, with a Life of the Author, Notes, and Supplemental Dissertations," 8vo, 2d edit. 1838, 4th edit. 1850; "A Select Collection of Early English Tracts on Commerce," printed by the Political Economy Club of London for private distribution, from the originals supplied by Mr. M'Culloch, who also wrote the Preface.

NOVEMBER 12TH.-SATURDAY.

Petrifaction in the Grave.—An American paper, the Monongahela Republican, states that, in recently removing the remains of the Mercer family from an old grave

yard to Monongahela, City Cemetery, the body of one, drowned twenty-one years ago, which remained in the river for eighteen days before the burial, was found in a state of petrifaction in the grave filled with water. The feet had fallen off, but the body had turned to stone; the head, which had also fallen off, was petrified, and the hair well preserved. The body was solid, and upon being struck, gave out a dead, heavy sound. The petrifaction was so perfect, that the pores of the skin were distinct, and the proportions of the form well preserved. The adjoining graves were dry, and the bodies in them had returned to dust.

NOVEMBER 13TH.-SUNDAY.

NOVEMBER 14TH.-MONDAY.

University of Edinburgh.—This afternoon, in the Chemistry Class-Room, Principal Sir David Brewster delivered his inaugural address to the students of the University of Edinburgh. The members of the Senatus Academicus were present in their robes; and there was a very large attendance of students. The Atlantic Telegraph and its Construction.-There are seven copper wires to form the conductor. The entire length of the telegraph will be 2300 miles, so that there are 16,000 miles of copper wire. Every portion of this copper wire is subjected to electrical tests to ascertain its quality for conduction before it is allowed to be worked up. The next stage is to coat these wires with eight successive coats of the insulating material, equal to an aggregate length of 18,400 miles. This core is next covered with jute wound round it from ten strands, making 23,000 miles of jute yarn. Then comes the outer coating formed of the ten covered iron wires. The iron wire itself is 23,500 miles in length, and each wire is covered separately with five strands of tarred hemp, 135,000 miles of the latter being required, making together an aggregate length of material employed of 215,500 miles, or very nearly as much as would put ten girdles round the earth, or form a line that would stretch almost from the earth to the moon.

NOVEMBER 15TH.-TUESDAY.

Discovery of a Roman Almanac at Pompeii.—Archaeologists will be interested to hear of the discovery at Pompeii, very recently, of an antiquarian wonder-a Roman almanac. It is engraved on a white marble slab, found in the vicinity of the gate of Isis; it contains the various months, arranged by threes, in vertical columns; each column is headed with the corresponding sign of the zodiac, and curious indications as to the agriculture and religion of the Romans are interspersed here and there. Below the sign of the zodiac and the name of the month, the name of every day in the week is inscribed. Then come the nonæ, which, during eight months of the year fell on the fifth day, when they were called quintana; in the four remaining months they began on the seventh, and received the name of septimana. The ides are not marked, as they invariably began several days after the nona. The diurnal and nocturnal hours are also marked on the almanac. The summer and winter solstice are also indicated, and on consulting his almanac, the farmer was told-quid faciat lætas segetes-the proper time for field operations. The religious festivities are also marked. Finally, at the top of the slab may be seen Apollo driving the Chariot of the Sun; whilst at the foot, Ceres, reaping-hook in hand, is engaged on a field of wheat. This interesting relic has been placed in the museum at Naples.

Statistical Society.-Colonel W. H. Sykes, M. P., President, in the chair.-Messrs. William S. Jevons and George P. Ivey were elected Fellows. A paper, by Mr. E. T. Blakely, “Upon the Commercial Progress of the Colonies,” was read.