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litary order; and we may hope that a few real patriots cultivated the returning friendship of the army and the fenate, as the only expedient capable of restoring the republic to its ancient beauty and vigour.'

The generous enthusiasm of public virtue, by which the army feems to have been actuated at this time, proved of very short duration; and if any doubt should remain whether the legions imbrued their hands in the blood of the venerable Tacitus, who was unanimously elected emperor by the senate, in confequence of their request, it is certain, at least, that their infolence was the cause of his death. This excellent perfon, who claimed his defcent from the philofophic hiftorian, and was reluctantly invefted with the purple at the age of feventyfive, enjoyed the imperial dignity only fix months and about twenty days.

The niftorian proceeds to recite the reigns of Probus, Carus, Numerian, and Carinus, which were fucceeded by that of Dio. clefian, who affociated into the government of the empire, Maximian, Galeries, and Conftantius. This fingular innovation is no lefs memorable for the harmony which fubfifted during the quadruple partition of the executive power, than for the change it produced in the ancient conftitution of the Roman ftate. Rome, which, from the earlieft ages of the republic, had hitherto remained the feat of government, and the object of popular veneration, was now abandoned by the emperors and Cæfars, who fixed their refidence in the provinces, and for ever laid afide the policy recommended by Augustus to his fucceffors, of confulting the great council of the nation. From this epoch the Roman fenate, as Mr. Gibbon obferves, lofing all connexion with the imperial court and the actual conftitution, was left a venerable but useless monument of antiquity on the Capitoline hill. The civil offices of conful, proconful, cenfor, and tribune, were now entirely abolished, and the title of imperator henceforth understood to convey an idea of more abfolute dominion than had formerly been annexed to the appellation, under the government of any preceding emperor. Dioclefian even affumed the royal diadem, which, from the time of the Tarquins, had been held in univerfal deteftation by the Roman people; and the subjects of the empire were now oppreffed with accumulated taxes, to fupport the dignity of four contemporary fovereigns, who vied with each other in all the pomp and fplendor of eaftern magnificence. Yet the fame Dioclefian, who had not fcrupled to trample on the laft furviving remains of the Roman conftitution, has acquired the glory of giving the world the first example of a voluntary abdication of empire; an a&ion, as our author justly

ob.

obferves, more naturally to have been expected from the elder or the younger Antoninus, than from a prince who had never practifed the leffons of philosophy either in the attainment or in the use of supreme power.

[ To be concluded in our next. ]

1. Philofophical Transactions, giving fome Account of the prefent Undertakings, Studies, and Labours of the Ingenious, in many confiderable Parts of the World. Vol. LXV. for the Year 1775. Part II. 4to. 75. 6d. ferved. L. Davis.

THIS

"HIS Part of the fixty-fifth volume begins with the fixteenth article, which contains an abridged State of the Weather at London in the year 1774, collected from the Meteorological Journal of the Royal Society.

Number XVII. Extract of a meteorological Journal for the year 1774, kept at Bristol.

XVIII. Extract of a Register of the Barometer, Thermometer, and Rain, at Lyndon, in Rutland, 1774

XIX. An Account of fome thermometrical Observations, made by fir Robert Barker, at Allahabad in the East Indies, during the year 1767, and also during a voyage from Madras to England, in the year 1774.

XX. A fecond Effay on the natural history of the Sea Anemonies.

XXI. Account of the Sea-Cow, and the use made of it. By Molineux Shuldham, Efq. This animal is native of the Magdalen islands, St. John's, and Anticofti in the Gulph of St. Lawrence. They refort very early in the spring to the former of thefe places, which is particularly adapted by nature to their wants, abounding, with clams of a large fize, and the most convenient landing places, called echouries. Here they crawl up in great numbers, and fometimes remain fourteen days together without food, when the weather is fair; but on the first appearance of rain, they immediately retreat to the water with great precipitation. They are represented to be very unwieldy, and, when out of the water, move with great difficulty. They weigh from 1500 to zooo pounds, producing, according to their fize, from one to two barrels of oil, which is boiled out of a fat fubftance that lies between the fkin and the flesh. Immediately on their arrival they calf, and engender again about two months after, carrying their young nine months. They never have more than two at a time, and feldom more than one. The skin of these animals is exported 4o America for carriage traces, and to England for glue. The

The teeth are an inferior fort of ivory, and manufactured for the fame purposes, but very foon turn yellow.

XXII. The process of making Ice in the Eaft Indies. By fir Robert Barker. It is thus related by the author.

The ice-maker belongir g to me at Allahabad (at which place I principally attended to this enquiry) made a fufficient quantity in the winter for the fupply of the table during the fummer feafon. The methods he purfued were as follows: on a large open plain, three or four excavations were made, each about thirty feet fquare and two deep; the bottoms of which were ftrewed about eight inches or a foot thick with fugar-cane, or the stems of the large Indian corn dried. Upon this bed were placed in rows, near to each other, a number of fmall, fhallow, earthen pans, for containing the water intended to be frozen. These are unglazed, fcarce a quarter of an inch think, about an inch and a quarter in depth, and made of an earth fo porous, that it was vifible, from the exterior part of the pans, the water had penetrated the whole fubftance. Towards the dusk of the evening, they were filled with foft water, which had been boiled, and then left in the afore-related fituation. The ice-makers attended the pits ufually before the fun was above the horizon, and collected in baskets what was frozen, by pouring the whole contents of the pans into them, and thereby retaining the ice, which was daily conveyed to the grand receptacle or place of prefervation, prepared generally on fome high dry fituation, by finking a pit of fourteen or fifteen feet deep, lined first with ftraw, and then with a coarse kind of blanketing, where it is beat down with rammers, till at length its own accumulated cold again freezes and forms one folid mafs. The mouth of the pit is well fecured from the exterior air with ftraw and blankets, in the manner of the lining, and a thatched roof is thrown over the whole. It is here neceffary to remark, that the quantity of ice depends materially on the weather; and confequently, it has fometimes happened, that no congelation took place. At others, perhaps, half the quantity will be frozen; and I have often feen the whole contents formed into a perfect cake of ice : the lighter the atmosphere, and the more clear and ferene the weather, the more favourable for congelation, as a frequent change of winds and clouds are certain preventives. For I have frequently remarked, that after a very fharp cold night, to the feel of the human body, fcarce any ice has been formed; when at other times the night has been calm and ferene, and fenfibly warmer, the contents of the pans will be frozen through. The frongest proof of the influence of the weather appears by the water in one pit being more congealed than the fame preparation for freezing will be in other fituations, a mile or more

diftant.'

XXIII. Of

XXIII. Of the Houfe-Swallow, Swift, and Sand-Martin. By the rev. Gilbert White, Concerning the swift, or black martin, Mr. White advances an extraordinary opinion, which is faid, however, to be the refult of many years attentive obfervation. It is, that this fpecies of birds tread or copulate on the wing. I could with, fays the author, any nice obferver, that is ftartled at this fuppofition, to ufe his own eyes, and I think he will foon be convinced.' In confirmation of his opinion Mr. White remarks, that in the infect tribe, nothing is fo common as to fee the different fpecies of many gemera in conjunction as they fly. The fwift, he further obferves, is almoft continually on the wing; and as it never fettles on the ground, on trees, or roofs, would feldom find opportunity for amorous rites, was it not enabled to indulge them in the air.

XXIV. Account of a Machine for raising Water, executed at Oulton, in Chefhire, in 1772.

XXV. Extract of a Letter from Mr. Lexel to Dr. Morton, dated Petersburgh, June 4, 1774; containing some researches concerning the difference of the Meridians of the principal Obfervatories of Europe.

XXVI. An Investigation of a general Theorem for finding the Length of any Arc of a Conic Hyperbola, by means of two elliptic Arcs, with fome other new Theorems deduced from this inquiry.

XXVII. Obfervations made at Chiflehurst, in Kent, in the year 1774, on the Motion of a Clock.

XVIII. Of Triangles defcribed in Circles and about them.

XXIX. De Polygonis Areâ vel Perimetro maximis & minimis, infcriptis Circulo, vel Circulum Circumfcribentibus.

XXX. An Account of an extraordinary acephalous Birth. In a letter from Dr. Cooper, to Dr. Hunter. After reciting the history of the labour, the author gives the following account of the fubject.

This extraordinary animal production is of the fize and appearance of a common twin child at its full time, excepting the particularities now to be pointed out. When first born it was very plump, but foft and flabby, and the bones remarkably fmall and tender. It has neither head, neck, hands, or arms. In the place where the neck should originate, is a little mamilla, fomewhat larger than a woman's nipple, but quite foft. And on each fide, in the place where the arm should begin, there is a small papilla, about the bigness, and very much like the extremity of a common quill. The fpine feems perfect, but ends abruptly at the upper vertebræ colli. Below the navel

the

the parts are nearly entire, except the feet, where the toes are of an irregular form and fize, and fome of them united together. The external parts of generation, which indicate it a female, are alfo perfect. Upon a careful infpection internally, there is evidently no brain nor fpinal marrow. A few nerves,

The

however, are fcattered about the abdomen; but their origin, for fear of destroying the preparation, is not traced. uterus is perfect; but only one ovarium could be found. There is alfo the appearance of a bladder; but it is fo contracted as to have no cavity. A large inteftine arifes from the anus; is a good deal convoluted when it gets above the brim of the pelvis, and ends in a blind pouch, or cul de fac, on the left fide of the abdomen. This vifcus appears to be about fix or feven inches in length, varies its fize in different parts, gra dually becomes fmaller towards its fuperior extremity, and feems fully diftended with a colourless mucus. All above the navel is extremely defective. There is no heart, lungs, diaphragm, ftomach, liver, kidnies, fpleen, pancreas, nor fmall intestines. However, there are three fmall glands in the place of the thymus, whofe fubftance, when examined with a microfcope, Mr. Hewfon remarked, exactly resembled that of the thymus itself. And on each fide of the vena cava, just under the navel, are two little glandular fubftances, which feem to be fomewhat like capfulæ renales, only very fmall to what are commonly found. There is a large artery running upon the fpine, which may be called the aorta. As this approaches the upper extremity of the little animal, it is divided into fmaller and fmaller branches; and in its courfe it diftributes lateral ones also to the contiguous parts of the trunk. Below the navel it fends off two branches that conftitute the umbilical arteries, one of which is confiderably larger than the other. And then below thefe, two other branches defcend to the inferior extremities. A large umbilical vein comes in at the navel, and is immediately divided into two confiderable branches; one afcending, the other defcending. Each of thefe is again fubdivided into fmaller and fmaller branches, which, as they pafs upwards and downwards, feem to correfpond with the different ramifications of the afcending and defcending aorta. The funis umbilicalis was only about two inches in length, and fo very tender also, that it unavoidably separated near the navel of the child during the delivery. Whether, therefore, there was any pulfation in this fhort funis I am not able to determine. The placenta was not particularly examined.'

XXXI. Obfervations on the State of Population in Manchefter, and other adjacent Places, concluded. By Dr. Pereival.

XXXII. An Account of the Effects of Lightning on a Houfe, which was furnished with a pointed Conductor, at Tenterden, in Kent.

XXXIII. Let

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