FOOTNOTES:
[1] I trust the public will pardon me for stating, that various scientific friends, despairing of the revival of the Journal of Dr. Bruce, had, for some time, pressed me to undertake the editing of a Journal of Science. Considerations of personal friendship prevented me from listening to such proposals till the decline of Dr. Bruce's health, attended by the most alarming symptoms, rendered it very obvious that his Journal would not be revived. Towards the close of last November, in a personal interview, I communicated to him the design of the present work, at the same time offering to waive it, provided he considered it as probable that his own Journal would be resumed. Of this, however, he gave no encouragement; but, on the contrary, expressed his warm approbation of my undertaking, authorized me to consider him as a contributor, and to make public use of his name as a patron. It was not till after this that the annunciation of this work took place; and it is certain that had not all hope of the resumption of Dr. Bruce's Journal been completely cut off, this would not have appeared.
[2] The efforts of Stephen Elliott, Esq. of South Carolina, in regard to the botany of the Southern States, are particularly worthy of imitation and praise.
[3] From the MS. papers of the Connecticut Academy, now published by permission.
[4] See Kollmann's Harmony, p. 13, &c.
[5] Tilloch's Phil. Mag. Vol. XXVIII. p. 140.
[6] The propriety of making 25 : 36 the true ratio of the 5th will be manifest, when it is considered that this is the value of that interval as sounded by voices and perfect instruments; when the 3ds which compose it are made perfect. This interval, as found in the scale which has the fewest tempered concords possible referred to at the beginning of this essay, ought to be regarded as the true 5th, flattened by a comma, in the same manner as one of its component 3ds will be allowed by all to be flattened.
[7] The propriety of this limitation will be manifest, when we consider that in organ music, the chords are generally played more full, and are more protracted, than in music for other keyed instruments. It is harmony which constitutes its character, in a higher degree than in music for other instruments. Hence the harmony of the organ ought not to be impaired by including in our computations any music not adapted to it. If a similar examination of music for the piano-forte would afford a set of results essentially different from those of this proposition, this is no proof that it ought to have any concern in a system of temperament designed primarily for the organ, but merely that the same temperament cannot be equally adapted to different instruments. If, as is probable, such an examination would give essentially the same results, to introduce them would be superfluous.
[8] The smaller works of Phillips and Aikin were not then published; had they been, they could not have superseded Cleaveland; the same may be said of the respectable work of Professor Kidd, of Oxford University.
[9] A vast region in the interior of New-York and Pennsylvania is now fertilized by inexhaustible beds of sulphat of lime, (plaster of Paris,) which, till a very few years since, were not even known to exist.
Near New-Haven immense beds of green marble were discovered in 1811, during a mineralogical excursion: this beautiful material, closely resembling the verd antique, is now, on the spot, wrought into tables, fireplaces, and many other ornamental forms; and although the farmers had made fences of it for 150 years, no one suspected what it was till the study of mineralogy, in Yale College, brought it to light.
[10] See Tilloch's Phil. Mag. Vol. XLII. p. 182.
[11] In the Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia this plant is called limosella tenuifolia.
[12] No return of this tree was made from Brunswick. The date of the cherry-tree is therefore substituted, which is usually in blossom at the same time.
[13] Mr. Correa de Serra, Minister of the King of Portugal.
[14] Communicated by a friend at Paris.
[15] See Transactions of the Connecticut Academy, and Bruce's Journal, Vol. I. p. 199.
[CONTENTS.]
| Page | |
| MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY. | |
| Art. I. Remarks on the Geology and Mineralogy of a section of Massachusetts, on Connecticut river, with a part of New-Hampshire and Vermont, by Edward Hitchcock, A.M. Principal of Deerfield Academy | [106] |
| Art. II. On the Prairies and Barrens of the West, by Caleb Atwater, Esq. | [116] |
| Art. III. Account of the Coal Mines in the vicinity of Richmond, Virginia, by Mr. John Grammer, Jun. | [125] |
| Art IV. Sketch of the Geology and Mineralogy of a part of the State of Indiana, by Mr. W. B. Stilson | [131] |
| Art. V. New localities of Agate, Chalcedony, Chabasie, Stilbite, Analcime, Titanium, Prehnite, &c. | [134] |
| Art. VI. Account of the Strata perforated by, and of the Minerals found in, the great adit to the Southampton Lead Mine, by Mr. Amos Eaton, Lecturer on Geology, Botany, &c. | [136] |
| Art. VII. On the Peat of Dutchess County, by the Rev. F. C. Schaeffer | [139] |
| Art. VIII. Notices of Geology in the West-Indies, by Dr. Nugent | [140] |
| Art. IX. Discovery of Native Crystallized Carbonate of Magnesia on Staten-Island, with a Notice of its Geology, by James Pierce, Esq. | [142] |
| Art. X. On a curious substance found with the native Nitre of Kentucky and of Africa, by Samuel Brown, M.D. | [146] |
| BOTANY. | |
| Art. XI. Description of species of Sponges observed on the shores of Long-Island, by C. S. Rafinesque, Esq. | [149] |
| Art. XII. Memoir on the Xanthium maculatum, by the same | [151] |
| ZOOLOGY. | |
| Art. XIII. Description of the Phalæna Devastator—the Insect that produces the Cut-worm, by Mr. John P. Brace | [154] |
| Art. XIV. Description of the Exoglossum, a new genus of Fresh-water Fish, by C. S. Rafinesque, Esq. | [155] |
| PHYSICS, MECHANICS, AND CHEMISTRY. | |
| Art. XV. On the Revolving Steam-Engine of Mr. Samuel Morey, communicated by John L. Sullivan, Esq. | [157] |
| Art. XVI. Cautions regarding Fulminating Powders | [168] |
| USEFUL ARTS. | |
| Art. XVII.[16] Account of a Parisian method of obtaining Gelatine from bones, by Mr. Isaac Doolittle | [170] |
| Art. XVIII. On the use of Distilled Seawater for domestic purposes—from the Annales de Chimie, &c. | [172] |
| FINE ARTS. | |
| Art. XIX. Essay on Musical Temperament, by Professor Fisher | [176] |
| Art. XX. Notice of Col. Trumbull's Picture of the Declaration of Independence | [200] |
| INTELLIGENCE. | |
| Art. XXI. An Address to the People of the Western Country | [203] |
| Art. XXII. Extract of a letter from Col. Gibbs, on the effect of light on the Magnetical power | [207] |
| Art. XXIII. On a new Lamp, without flame—from the Annals of Philosophy | [ibid.] |
[16] ERRATUM.
In the text this Article was, by inadvertence, numbered XIX, and all the succeeding Articles of this Number are marked two higher than they ought to be.
THE
AMERICAN
JOURNAL OF SCIENCE, &c.
MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY.
