_Society of Civil Engineers_.
A charter of incorporation has just received the royal signature,
constituting an institution of Civil Engineers, and naming Mr. Telford
its president. The objects of such institution, as recited in the
charter, are, "The general advancement of mechanical science, and more
particularly for promoting the acquisition of that species of knowledge
which constitutes the profession of a civil engineer; being the art of
directing the great sources of power in nature for the use and
convenience of man, as the means of production and of traffic in states,
both for external and internal trade, as applied in the construction of
roads, bridges, aqueducts, canals, river navigation, and docks, for
internal intercourse and exchange; and in the construction of ports,
harbours, moles, breakwaters, and light-houses, and in the art of
navigation by artificial power, for the purposes of commerce; and in the
construction and adaptation of machinery, and in the drainage of cities
and towns."
_Toads as Ant-eaters_.
In the autumn of last year, a pit, wherein I grew melons, was so much
infested with ants, as to threaten the destruction of the whole crop;
which they did, first by perforating the skin, and afterwards eating
their way into the fruit; and, after making several unsuccessful
experiments to destroy them, it occurred to me that I had seen the toad
feed on them. I accordingly put about half a dozen toads into the pit,
and, in the course of a few days, scarcely an ant was to be
found.--_Corresp. Gard. Mag._
_Laying out Part of the Calton Hill as Pleasure-Ground_.
We observe with pleasure plans advertised for in the Edinburgh
newspapers, for this purpose. There is no city in Britain which presents
greater facilities for public walks and gardens than Edinburgh,
notwithstanding the immense injury which it has sustained in a
picturesque point of view by the earthen mound, and the mean buildings
which cover great part of the bottom and sides of the valley of the
North Loch. That valley ought to have been laid out in terraces, some
open, or covered with glazed verandas, for winter use, and others shaded
by trees for summer walking. The great art in laying out walks for
recreation and ease on sloping surfaces, is so to direct them as not to
render them more fatiguing than straight walks on level ground. But the
grand subject of improvement at Edinburgh, in the way of planting in the
public walks, is the hill of Arthur's Seat, which, planted and built on,
might be rendered one of the most unique scenes in Europe.--_Gard. Mag._
_Vegetables._
Watering gives vegetables long exposed a fresher colour, and a more
attractive appearance; but repeated waterings are highly pernicious, as
they neutralize the natural juices of some, render others bitter, and
make all others vapid or disagreeable.--_Ibid._
_Mortar._
The use of lime in mortar, is to fill up the hollow spaces or vacuities
between the grains of sand, and to cement them together, thereby forming
a kind of artificial stone. To add any more lime than is sufficient to
fill up these spaces, seems to be useless, and to add much more must
weaken the mortar; but, if too little lime be used, there will be
cavities left between some of the grains of sand, and the mortar will
consequently be short or brittle: therefore, when we cannot ascertain
the best proportions of lime and sand, it is better to use too much lime
than too little.--_Ibid._
_Treatment of Gold and Silver Fish._
These beautiful objects of the animal kingdom, though long ago
introduced into Europe from China, their native country, seldom breed in
such numbers as they might be expected to do. It has been lately
discovered that in ponds heated by waste water discharged from steam
factories, the gold and silver fish breed abundantly. From this
circumstance, it has been suggested, that, as heating hothouses by warm
water is now so generally adopted, a portion of this, led occasionally
into a garden basin, would keep the water in such a temperament as would
not only always be agreeable to the fish, but promote their
breeding.--_Ibid._
_Climate._
Professor Schow, of Copenhagen, has lately read a paper "On the supposed
Changes in the Climate of the different parts of the Earth, during the
period of Human History," from which, as far as it has appeared in our
language, it seems to be his opinion, that, on a general view, climates
are the same now as in ancient times. The identity of the climate of
Palestine, now and during antiquity, is thus beautifully made out:--"It
will be convenient to begin with Palestine, the Bible being the oldest,
or one of the oldest of books; and, although great uncertainty exists
about the determination of the plants which are mentioned in it, yet two
of them do not admit of any doubt, (and these are sufficient for the
determination of the climate of Palestine, in former times,) viz. the
date-tree and the vine. The date-tree was frequent, and principally in
the southernmost part of the country. Jericho was called Palm-town. The
people had palm branches in their hands. Deborah's palm-tree is
mentioned between Rama and Bethel. Pliny mentions the palm-tree as being
frequent in Judea, and principally about Jericho. Tacitus and Josephus
speak likewise of woods of palm-trees, as well as Strabo, Diodorus
Siculus, and Theophrastus. Among the Hebrew coins, those with date-trees
are by no means rare, and the tree is easily recognised, as it is
figured with its fruit. The vine, also, was one of the plants most
cultivated in Palestine, and not merely for the grapes, but really for
the preparation of wine. The feast of the tabernacle of the Jews was a
feast on account of the wine harvest. From a passage where the
cultivation of the vine is mentioned, in the Valley of Engeddy, it is
evident that the vine not only grew in the northernmost mountainous part
of the country, but also in its southern lower part. Besides these,
there are other ancient testimonies in favour of the vine. This plant,
indeed, sometimes occurs on the same coin with the date palm. The
date-tree, in order to bring its fruit to perfection, requires a mean
temperature of 78 deg. Fahr. The vine, on the other hand, cannot be
cultivated to any extent if the mean temperature be above 72 deg. Fahr.
Such, then, must have been the temperature of Palestine, in former ages;
and by all that is known of its present climate, the mean temperature
seems to be the same now. Nor has the time of harvest undergone any
change. Snow and ice, which were known, though rarely, in ancient times,
are occasionally met with now and at present, as in former times. The
inhabitants make use of artificial heat to warm themselves."--_Dr.
Brewster's Journal_.
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