"The dura mater belonging to each brain was continued acròfs, at the part where the two fkulls joined, fo that each brain was invested in the ufual way, by its own proper coverings; but the dura mater, which covered the cerebrum of the upper brain, adhered firmly to the dura mater of the lower brain." P. 30. A number of large arteries and veins were found paffing through the union of the duræ matres; it was therefore through those blood-veffels that the upper brain received its nourishment. V. Obfervations on the Manners, Habits, and Natural Hiftory of the Elephant. By John Corfe, Efq. P. 31. It is a matter of wonder, that though elephants have been long fought after, employed, and admired, on account of their fize, fagacity, and docility, yet the knowledge of their œconomy, manners, &c. has been always involved in mystery and doubt. A refidence of upwards of ten years in Tiperah, a province of Bengal, where herds of elephants are caught every feafon, afforded the writer of this paper opportunities fufficient to ascertain several interefting particulars, and enabled him to contradict many vulgar errors relative to thofe animals. It has been repeatedly afferted, that elephants poffefs the fentiments of modefty in a high degree; and that they are fo much affected by the lofs of their liberty, as to refufe to propagate the fpecies whilft they remain in a state of captivity. The ufual fize of thofe animals has likewife been much exaggerated. It has been afferted, as an inftance of their great fagacity, and retentive memory, that if an elephant once escapes, it is not poffible to catch him again by any art. Mr. Corfe's obfervations contradict thofe vulgar notions; he reduces their fize to the real standard, and afcertains feveral other particulars relative to thefe animals. We fhall endeavour to condenfe the moft remarkable particulars into the following paragraphs: Several elephants, to Mr. Corfe's certain knowledge, after having effected their escape, have been retaken, and often in a very easy manner. In India, the height of female elephants is, in general, from feven to eight feet, and that of males from eight to ten, meafured at the fhoulder. One elephant only, among thofe that came within Mr. Corfe's knowledge, exceeded the height of ten feet. The dimenfions of this elephant were as follows: "From From foot to foot over the shoulder Feet. Inches. 22 101 10 6 12 2 From the front of the face to the infertion of the tail 15 11.” Tame elephants copulate without hefitation, provided the females are in a proper ítate; and Mr. Corfe, befides a great many other perfons, has been repeatedly spectator of the fact. The females begin to give evident figns of impregnation within about three months from the time of their having been covered. Their ufual time of gestation feems to be about 21 months, or 20 months and 18 days. The elephant, at the time of its birth, feldom exceeds the height of thirty-four inches; and they generally obtain their full fize between the age of eighteen and twenty-four years. The young elephants begin to nibble, and fuck the breast foon after birth. "Tame elephants," fays Mr. Corfe," are never fuffered to remain loofe; as inftances occur of the mother leaving even her young, and efcaping into the woods. Another circumstance deferves notice; if a wild elephant hap pens to be feparated from her young, for only two days, though giving fuck, fhe never afterwards recognizes or acknowledges it. This feparation fometimes happened unavoidably, when they were enticed feparately into the outlet of the Keddah. I have been much mortified at fuch unnatural conduct in the mother; particularly when it was evident the young elephant knew its dam, and, by its plaintive cries and fubmiffive approaches, folicited her affiftance.” VI. On the Decompofition of the Acid of Borax or fedative Salt. By Lawrence de Crell, M. D. F. R. S. &c. P. 56. The acid called fedative falt, is one of the constituent principles of a well-known natural production, called borax, and is fparingly, or seldom, found in any other substance. Numerous, but ineffectual, experiments have been inftituted by different chemifts, for the purpofe of forming this falt by compofition; nor had a decompofition of the fedative falt been effected by any perfon, when Dr. de Crell began his experiments; which, indeed, can hardly be wondered at, if it be confidered that this falt may be kept fluid in a very hot fire, until it becomes a vitrified substance, without loofing its effential properties. Dr. de Crell began, by confidering in what manner the decompofition of this falt might be effected, and, after due confideration, he attempted it by means of oxygenated muriatic acid, and of a gentle heat, long continued, which, as experience had shown, is more efficacious in difficult decompofitions than a violent heat. He He then relates 66 experiments, for the particulars of which we must refer our readers to the paper itself. The conclusion is as follows: "Here," fays he, "I will ftop, for the prefent, in the defcription of my experiments, which fufficiently tend to prove, in a general way, the decompofition of fedative falt, and to fhow, that one of its component parts is inflammable matter, which may be converted into coal. I obtained of true coal, mixed with fome earth, 30 grains in the whole; and by other experiments, often repeated, in general, one grain and a half, more or less, Every other fubftance liable to be changed into coal (as gum, tartar, fugar, &c.) fuffers this change by a gentle heat, and deflagrates with nitre, in the degree of heat neceffary to melt the former. But fedative falt can bear a red heat for many hours, without fhowing any figns of becoming coal, of burning, or of defla gration. Aftonishing phænomenon! What menftruum preferves it fo fecurely against the affault of force, in a diffolved ftate, and yet fuffers itfelf to be feparated from it by more gentle means? What power exifts here, to protect the inflammable particles (which afterwards turn to coal) fo effectually against a degree of heat, which nothing elfe can refift? Of what nature is the falt obtained in conjunction with the coal? Thefe are all queftions which excite great intereft, but which are not easily answered. How far I have been fuccefsful in refolving them, fome fubfequent effays will show; which I fhall have the honour of laying before the Royal Society, as foon as I fhall have fufficiently repeated the experiments I have already made." P. 72. VII. & Method of finding the Latitude of a Place, by Means of two Altitudes of the Sun, and the Time elapfed between the Obfervations. By the Rev. W. Lax, A. M. Lowndes's Profellor of Aftronomy in the Univerfity of Cambridge. P. 74. Mr. Lax's method is rather more operofe, though it approximate more nearly to the truth, than any other method that has hitherto been offered for the folution of the fame problem. His paper is of confiderable length. The writer gives the neceffary rules, fhows the grounds upon which thofe rules depend, and illuftrates them by means of fuitable examples. He likewife fubjoins feveral neceffary tables. VIII, A Fourth Catalogue of the Comparative Brightness of the Stars. By William Herfchel, LL. D. F. R. S. P. 121. This Catalogue being formed exactly upon the plan of the other three, that have been already published in the preceding volumes of the Philofophical Tranfactions, and of which due notice has been taken in former numbers of the British Critie, we have nothing more to mention with refpect to it, than the bare names of the conftellations, whofe ftars are registered in it, which are, Auriga, Draco, Lynx, Lyra, Monoceros, Perfeus, Sextans, Taurus, and Triangulum. This Catalogue is followed by a variety of notes relating to the above-mentioned conftellations. IX. On a fubmarine Foreft, on the Craft of England. By Jofeph Correa de Serra, LL. D. F. R. S. and A. S. P. 145. The common report in Lincolnshire, of a large extent of iflets of moor being visible all along its coaft, at the time of the lowest ebbs, induced the writer of this paper to examine the place itself, in order to afcertain the fact. Accordingly, in September, 1796, Dr. Correa de Serra went, in company with Sir Jofeph Banks, to vifit thofe iflands, on which they landed, it being then the time of low water; and, on examination, found "that they confifted almoft entirely of roots, trunks, branches, and leaves of trees, and fhrubs, intermixed with fome leaves of aquatic plants. The remains of fome of these trees were ftill standing on their roots; while the trunks of the greater part lay fcattered on the ground in every poffible direction. The bark of the trees and roots appeared generally as fresh as when they were growing; in that of the birches particularly, of which a great quantity was found, even the thin filvery membranes of the outer skin were difcernible. The tim ber of all kinds, on the contrary, was decompofed and foft, in the greatest part of the trees; in fome, however, it was firm, especially in the knots. The people of the country have often found arong them very found pieces of timber, fit to be employed for feveral economical purposes, The forts of wood which are fill diftinguishable, are birch, fir, and oak. Other woods evidently exilt in thefe iflets, of fome of which we found the leaves in the foil." P. 140. The foil is foft greafy clay, over which there is a layer, many inches thick, confifting almost entirely of rotten leaves. By carefully washing a piece of this foil in water, fome perfect leaves may be feparated from it; and by this method Dr. C. obtained fome perfect leaves of Ilex Aquifolium. This chain of iflets extends at least twelve miles in length, and about one mile in breadth, oppofite to Sutton thore. It is very remarkable, that by digging in various places, a fimilar fubterraneous ftratum of decayed vegetables has been traced nearly on the fame level with that of the iflets, over all the Lincolnshire fens, as far as Peterborough, more than fixty miles to the fouth of Sutton." Little doubt," fays this author, can be entertained of the mooty iflets of Sutton being a part of this extensive subterraneous ftratum, which, by fome inroad of the fea, has been there ftripped of its cover ing of foil. The identity of the levels; that of the fpecies of trees; the roots of these affixed, in both, to the foil where they grew; and, above all, the flattened fhape of the trunks, branches, and roots, found in the iflets (which can only be accounted for by the heavy preffure of a fuperinduced ftratum) are fufficient reafons for this opinion." P. 148. Two questions, as Dr. C. obferves, are fuggefted by the above mentioned facts; namely, What is the epoch of the deftruction of fuch forefts of vegetables? And by what means was it effected? After a variety of geological obfervations, Mr. C. is led to fuppofe, "That the foreft here described grew in a level high enough to permit its vegetation; and that the force (whatever it was) which deftroyed it, lowered the level of the ground where it flood." And, a little further on, he adds the following words : "This force of fubfidence, fuddenly acting by means of fome earthquake, feems to me the most probable caufe to which the actual fubmarine fituation of the foreft we are speaking of, may be ascribed." The 16 feet of foil that now exift over the ftratum of decayed trees, juftly fuggefts the fuppofition, that the epoch of their deftruction must be removed far beyond the reach of any hiftorical knowledge; fince, as Dr. C. obferves, it appears from a variety of documents, that the level of the North Sea is the fame at prefent, as it was in Cæfar's time. The last article of this part of the Tranfactions, which is inferted under the name of an Appendix, is The Meteorological Fournal, kept at the Apartments of the Royal Society, by Order of the Prefident and Council. This Journal, which begins with the 1ft of January, and ends with the 31st of December, 1798, is divided, as usual, into 11 columns for the following particulars; namely, days of the month; Six's thermometer, leaft and greatest heat; time of the day; thermometer within; thermometer without; ba rometer; hygrometer; rain; direction and strength of the wind; and, laftly, the weather. Two obfervations are given for each day; namely, one for eight in the morning, and the other for two in the afternoon. It appears from this journal, that the greatest height of the thermometer was obferved on the 28th of June, when it amounted to 86°; the leaft was obferved on the 29th of December, and it amounted to 11°; the mean height for the whole year is 51°. The greatest height of the quickfilver in the barometer, namely, 30,76 inches, was obferved on the 7th of February; the leaft, namely, 28,69 inches, was obferved on the 7th of November; its mean height for the whole year is |