Sivut kuvina
PDF
ePub
[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors]

MONTHLY MAGAZINE.

No. 237.]

FEBRUARY 1, 1813.

[1 of VOL. 35.

As long as those who write are ambitious of making Converts, and of giving their Opinions a Maximum of Influence and Celebrity, the most extensively circulated Miscellany will repay with the greatest Effect the Curiosity of those who read, whether it be for Amusement or for Instruction.—JOHNSON.

Our Supplement, completing the 34th Volume, is published with the present Number.

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

SIR,

CCEPT the following easy method

Experiments have been made before the following naval officers, whose unqualified approbation has been expressed

A of dispelling noxious air from large in their certificates, now in my posses

beer-backs, cistpools, the shafts of mines, and such like places. It may be done in any situation, and with very little labour; without any expense, and it is said to be effectual. The method is this Where it is known to be unsafe, or may be suspected of being dangerous for men to descend, it is only necessary for them to throw any cold spring or other water, which is not putrid, two or three pailfuls, into the place con taining the noxious air, in such a man ner as to break the water into a very heavy shower: and, if I am rightly in formed, that will dispel most of the suf focating gas, and correct the air so much to remove every degree of danger. JOHN MIDDLETON.

Lambeth, Dec. 17, 1812.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

SIR,

I am able to dispel the laudable T is with particular sassfaction that anxiety expressed by your correspondent G. P. relative to the probability of means being found to ensure the safety of persons suffering the misfortune of shipwreck.

A patent has within these few weeks been granted to a gentleman of Gib. raltar, for the invention of rendering seamen's beds complete life-preservers. In one character, this gentleman has united two most important objects-a comfortable bed or mattress, possessing in every respect the same appearance, convenience, softness, and pliability, as those now in use, and at the same tinie having the extraordinary property of Abating the budy for any length of timethe simplicity of the construction enables a person to adjust them, in less than two minutes, without any risk of their being removed by accidents. MONTHLY MAG. No. 237.

sion, recommending the invention to the immediate attention of the Admiralty, as of great national importance: Commodore Penrose, Gibraltar, St. Juan. The Hon. Cap. Fleming, do. Standard. Cap. Digby, Mr. Settle,

Admiral Martin, Captain Inglis,

do.

Lavinia. Master of the St. Juan.

do.

Lisbon,

do.

Impetueux. do. Hoy Cap.

[blocks in formation]

Bradford,
Brem,

Duddeleigh,

Kidderminster,

Wilts

Worcestershire

Yorkshire

Pershore,

Jarwall,

Pickering,

Tyckhull,

Total 22.

Agmondesham,

Amersham,

Marlow,

Wendover,

Hertford,
Southampton,

County,

Bucks

Herts

Hants

were among the boroughs which had disused the elective franchise; but have been restored to the exercise of it, as was also the town of Wenebly, after a discontinuance of 300 years.

Agmondesham, and the three next, had discontinued this privilege from 28 Edw. I., Anno 1300, to 21 Ja. I., Anno 1628, being 323 years; when a search by Mr. Hakevill, of Lincoln's-inn, into the Parliamentary Writs in the Tower, terminated in the restitution of their suspended rights, in consequence of a petition to the House of Commons, and a report of their committee adopted by the House: upon which warrant from the Speaker, the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery was directed by his Majesty to issue Writs of Election for these several boroughs.*

I may probably trouble you hereafter with the state of the present population in some, at least, of these places.

It might be obviously possible greatly to ameliorate the present representation, by restoring and modifying the elective franchise in these boroughs, adding to them (as in the case of Shoreham) a sufficient number of votes from the surrounding hundreds, though I think it ought to be greater than in that instance, And, whether there be power by pre. rogative of the crown or not, to create a new borough; the right of election once exercised cannot be lost by disuse: though, for the public good, Parliament As may extend it to a greater number. to the equilibrium secured to the Scotch and Irish nation by the Union, a simple application of the Rule of Three solves that difficulty, with addition of very CAPEL LOFFT,

few members for each.

Troston Dec. 6, 1812.

[blocks in formation]

S your excellent Miscellany has an extensive circulation on the contiment of Europe, the information which I here transmit, may be likely, by its means, to meet the notice of the friends and family of the unfortunate ROENTGEN, whose fate, this communication records.

He arrived at Mogadore in the Spring of 1811; and, in consequence of letters of recommendation from Sir Joseph Banks, Mr. Mitford, and Mr. J. G. Jackson, resided at my house. I was not at home at his arrival, and but a very few hours during his stay in Mogadore, as I arrived home on the Friday noon, and he set off on his journey for the interior early the next morning.

His first intention was, to have remained one year at Mogadore; but, making a journey to Morocco about two months after his arrival, he soon after his return became extremely impatient to commence his very arduous undertaking. The plan which had been recommended by me was, to engage some trader going to Tombuctoo to take him under his protection, and bring him safe back for a stipulated sum; but this proposal carried with it too much the air of restraint.

had had in my service for about a year prior to Mr. Roentgen's arrival, a man born at Beverly, in Yorkshire, of German parents. This fellow, when a seaman on-board a British ship of war, which put into Tetuan or Tangier, ran away, and turned Moor; had been a renegade some years, and was in my employ as gardener. With this man, Mr. Roeirgen unfortunately contracted a very close intimacy; which originated, no doubt, srom his talking the same language, and the fellow's parents being He therefore deternatives of the same part of Germany as Mr. Roentgen, mined to take this renegade for his companion; and, on my arrival at home, I found them ready to set off.

I endeavoured to persuade Mr. Roentgen to put it off for a few days, as I did not like his trusting wholly to a rene gade; but he said things were gone too far; the man was in possession of all his plans, and one day's delay might be fatal.

Mr. Roentgen was accompanied out, the first fifteen miles, by several Euro

* Pret, to Glanville's Rep. lxxxix. xcvi. peans, who returned in the evening.

and the Reports 97-96.

One remained the night with him, ayd

the

1

the next day until they reached the River Tansif, where Mr. Roentgen sunk his European clothes in the river, and put on the Moorish dress; and he then pursued his journey, accompanied only by the renegade.

They were provided with two good mules, a variety of beads, and other articles of merchandise; about five hun dred dollars in money, and each well armed with pistols, swords, muskets, and daggers. Mr. Roentgen was also well supplied with drugs to pass as a physician when it might be necessary in the interior. He carried with him also a very fine copy of the Alcoran, on vellum, which might be of service to him in gain ing the protection of some sheriff.

At parting, Mr. Roentgen promised we should hear of him by every opportunity, if only his name, date, and place, on a bit of paper. We, however, never heard from him.

When they had been gone about three weeks, it was reported here, that the renegade and a Moor were seen passing the river at Azamore, a town to the northward of this; but, it appearing so improbable that they should have taken that route, no attention was paid to the report.

When Mr. Roentgen had been gone about seven weeks, accounts came from Morocco, that a Moor of the province of Shedma had been stopped, offering for sale a watch and various other articles apparently belonging to an European; and the rumour inmediately went forth, that they belonged to Mr. Roentgen, who had been murdered. The governor of this place sent for the articles from Morocco, and they were all identified as having been Mr. Roentgen's, by my brother, and the watch, as one which he always wore suspended by a ribband from his neck. There was now but too much reason to suppose this unfortunate traveller had been murdered, and that within three or four days' journey of this place; but still no one suspected the renegade. We sent to Morocco, to have the examination of the Moor taken. He persisted in declaring that he found Mr. Roentgen dead, and in a very putrid state, under a tree; and that he took from his person the various articles which he had offered for sale.

About seven months ago, I received intelligence that the renegade had been seen at Arzilla, a town about 300 miles to the northward, where he was working as a gardener, and that he was going to

Upon.'

Oran to embark for Europe. sending to Arzilla, however, I could not find him, or ascertain to a certainty that he had been there.

A month afterwards, a Jew who came from Mequinez told me, he saw him in that city, and spoke to him; and that the renegade was very shy of speaking to him.

There is, I think, little doubt but Mr. Roentgen was murdered by the man in whom he placed his entire confidence; and that man an European! The mules, the dollars, and the various articles with which the mules were loaded, were sufficient plunder, without taking the few articles from his person, which were of little value. It is probable, too, that although the wretch could murder his master when asleep. he might not have the courage to strip him afterwards. As Mr. Roentgen had taken uncommon pains to make himself fit for undertaking such a dangerous journey as to the interior of Africa; and, as he was a young man of considerable talents and of great. perseverance of mind, it is very much to be lamented that he should have met with such an untimely end.

As a number of letters have been addressed to him at my house, the writers will have them returned, on signifying their wishes to that effect.

[blocks in formation]

H

SIR,

(AVING been engaged in a calculation of the great solar eclipse that will happen in 1820, and conceiving that some account of the same might not be uninteresting to many of your astronomical readers, I am induced to solicit a corner in your very instructive and entertaining Miscellany.

This eclipse will not be total, even where it is central, for, the moon being near her apogee, or at her greatest distance from the earth, her apparent se midiameter will be considerably less than that of the sun, leaving an annulus, or ring, of light, of nearly half a digit in breadth. The annular boundary will pass very near the eastern shores of England and Scotland; and, on the coasts of Norfolk and Suffolk, this eclipse will be almost annular.

The central tract will commerce in latitude 81° 43′ N., longitude 1490 491 W.; passing over Mayne's Island, to the western coast of Norway, along the B 2 North

Mr. Squire, on the total Eclipse of 1820.

North Sea, and entering Germany, not far from the mouth of the Weser, crossing that country to Trieste; thence down the Gulph of Venice, into the Mediterranean Sea; and, passing near Cape Matapan and the Isle of Candia, it leaves the Mediterranean to enter Palestine: passing between Jerusalem and Gaza, it quickly enters Arabia, where it quits the earth, with the setting sun, in latitude 27° 15′ N., longitude 46° 9' E. But the penumbra will first touch the earth in latitude 59° 40′ 38′′ N., longitude 91° 5' 5" W. and finally leave it in latitude 3° 20′ 35′′ N., longitude 20° 28′ E. Owing to the great northern latitude of the moon, this eclipse will not extend farther south then latitude 13° 26' S., longitude 32° 6' E. But the penumbra will pass far above the earth in the other hemisphere.

At all those places where the digits eclipsed are 11, the obscuration will be as great as where it is central, for the whole of the moon will, in such case, appear upon the disc of the sun. The sun will be central eclipsed on the meri dian, in latitude 77° 20′ 43′′ N., longi tude 16° 37' 45" W.

The centre of the penumbra will be 2b. 15m. in passing over the earth, and the whole duration of the general eclipse, or the time of the penumbra passing over the disc of the earth, will be rather more than five hours and a quarter.

After giving this outline of the general eclipse, I shall proceed to the calculation of it for the latitude and meridian of Greenwich; but let me premise, that the places of the sun and moon are computed with the greatest care, and from the best astronomical tables. Moreover, as the accuracy of all computations regarding solar eclipses, depends entirely upon the nicety observed in obtaining the parallaxes of the moon, I have been particularly careful on this head; and, not wishing to confide in any auxiliary tables, I have computed the parallaxes from the triangles themselves; for, in the present instance, the conjunction happens so very near the nonagesin al degree, a greater exactness was required, owing to the curvature of the apparent orbit; and I have ascertained no fewer than ten points of the segment of the said orbit, which is described during the time of the visible eclipse at Greenwich, so that the beginning, middle, end, and digits eclipsed, will be found to agree with the best observations to a surprising degree of exactness.

[Feb. 19

The apparent time of the true conjunc tion is September, 7d. 1h. 51m. 27.2s., at which time the true longitude of the sun and moon is 5' 14° 47′ 41′′ (happen ing only 43′ 14.6" east of the nonagesimal degree) with the moon's true latitude 44′ 37.9′′ N. descending the horary motion of the moon in latitude 2' 41'94" and in longitude from the sun 27' 1'58"; the horizontal parallax of the moon from the sun reduced to the radius vector, for the given latitude is 53′ 40·08". Hence the longitude of the sun and moon at the visible conjunction is 5° 14° 47′ 37·8′′; and the apparent latitude of the moon 3' 10-73" N. At the time of the greatest obscuration, the angle of the moon's vi sible way from the sun is 16° 56′ 16′′; and the nearest distance of their centres 3' 2.45". Now the apparent semidiameters of the sun and moon are 15' 54 81" and 14' 51.93"; hence the parts deficient are 27′ 44-29", and the digits eclipsed 10° 27' 30'1" on the sun's upper limb; or 17° 18′ 22′′ to the east of the vertical point of his periphery; at the same time, the longitude of the nonagesimal is 5o 14° 20′ 23′7′′, and its altitude 39° 1' 18'3"; the parallax of the moon in latitude 41′ 39-72" and longitude 16-647". The moon is on the nonagesimal at 1h. 55m. 14s. or about 2m. 268. after the time of the greatest obscuration at Greenwich.

At the beginning of this eclipse, the apparent latitude of the moon is 12′ 11.3 N., and her visible difference of longi tude from the sun 28′ 17-27"; the moon's apparent semidiameter is 14′ 53.28′′, and the point of contact of the sun and moon's limbs is 49° 9′ 54.3" to the west of the sun's upper limb. But, owing to the moon's decrease in latitude, and the position of the nonagesimal at the time of emersion, the apparent point where the moon's limb quits the sun is 86° 56′0′′, to the east of the zenith of his disc when the moon's apparent semidiameter is 14' 49.88"; the apparent latitude of the moon 5′ 20′′ and the difference of longitude 30′ 17′′.

Eclipse of the Sun at Greenwich, September 7th, 1820: apparent time P. M.

[ocr errors]

Visible conjunction at -
Beginning at

Middle

End

Digits eclipsed

[ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small]

at

1 52 48

at

3 16 20

10° 27' 30'1"

this eclipse, for such of your readers as I shall here subjoin the elements of

may

3

« EdellinenJatka »