PA ; : Le + + o “6 7 ; he ; ‘ i sa coll aA ee ratty sy § ir a J we Ay, ees a? * . . Sharpulicafe. = Pave z é. enna THE. «> WEST OF ENGLAND JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND LITERATURE. Nos. I. II. III. IV. and V. . 1835—6. «‘ Que non fecimus ipsi Vix ea nostra voco.” r Ovip. t- ie BRISTOL: _ PUBLISHED BY W. STRONG, CLARE STREET; E. COLLINGS, BATH; W. STRONG, EXETER; BIRD, CARDIFF; LONGMAN & Co., anp J. NICHOLS, LONDON. , MDCCCXXXvVI. PREFACE. Tue Periodical of which the present number seems likely to prove the last, was established about a year ago by twenty-four of the inhabitants of Bristol and Clifton. By these gentlemen the present Editor was requested to undertake ye that office, and by them the expenses of the Journal have been supported, that is to say the expenses of printing and publishing, since none others have been incurred. The general, and a very just cause of complaint against this Journal, has been the dryness of its articles; nor can this be wondered at when it be stated that, in the absence of other contributors, the greater part ef the work has of necessity proceeded from one, and that an inexperienced pen; so that some of the papers are crude and ill arranged, and others written with a degree of obscurity, due rather to the want of complete knowledge of his subject on the part of the writer, than to any abstruseness inherent in the subject itself. In the multitude of clear and able living writers, it is hardly necessary to appeal to the works of Mrs. Somerville or Sir John Herschel, to prove abundantly that sciences of a far higher character than any here treated of, admit of being both adequately and popu!arly explained. But however justly these censures may apply to the Editor's share in the work, they do not apply to the whole. There will be found in this volume a few contributions from those who have reached the summits of their res- pective branches of knowledge, and whose writings are therefore to be treated with attention and respect. Had not the dedication of an incomplete periodical appeared almost to be a burlesque, the names of Mr. Conybeare _ and Dr. Prichard would have been selected by the Editor, both on public and private grounds. 45, Bripce Srreer, Westminster, January, 1836. ts ee Eee nid . ; 0 a) a dd ae ey wudcrioys fos bh 328 ihe Be ath rt bt Sa ’ (CAE Sty, sng foun : CONTENTS. PART I—SCIENCE. Page ADDRESS : : : : ve Essay on Geology. By Rev. w. D. Gonuteae ‘ z 3 Appi ley el Essay on Zoology : zp 4195 TO} On the Formation and Gaowith of Coral Reefs es Telandt, by S. Stutchbury . i f é é : 45 Professor Faraday’s Reseat Biceavatice : : 2 56 On the Interferences of Aerial Waves. By R. ‘Addeana : ‘ 60 Horticulture . ; 6], 134, 187 Observations upon the Poldurs of lenders : 5 , . 64 On the Relations between Mind and Muscle. By Dr.Symonds . 112, 168 On the Reflection and Refraction of Light. By T. Exley, A. M. 141, 197 Giant’s Cave . : : : : : ‘ ; 148 Tahitiin 1826. d : ; ; 5 2) 150 Botanical Catalogue. By H.O. Stephens. : : = 1585, 237 Queries respecting the Culture of Ferns . : ; ; yy hl'66 On Luminous Wood. ByJ.S.D. . 167 On certain Objections to the Hypothesis whit epee the Central Mass of the Globe to be ina state of Igneous Fusion. By the Rev. W.D.Conybeare . : eenOz On the Anatomy and Physiology of the Creda of the aces i 210 On the Structure and Functions of the Organs of Respiration . 217, 279 On the Cultivation of Wheat within the Tropics. By W. Hamilton, M.B, 229 Observations on the Dyke on Clifton Down. By S. Stutchbury . ae 8 A Geological Description of the Parish of Portishead : 261 Short Notes upon the Diluvial and Alluvial Deposits of the Taffe Valley 272 On the Sense of Feeling . 287 A Sketch of the Present State fol our Macnee of the Late of Chendibal Combination, with some of their more important Applications. . 310 Some Account of the Mer-de-Glace ; 320 On the Practicability and Advantages of a Communicaiion Netwebn the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, across the Isthmus of Central America. By W. Hamilton, M. B. ; ; : 4 ; 323 Moral Statistics of France ; , P : : wed vi. Contents. REVIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS. Page T. P. Thompson’s Geometry without Axioms. By W. F. Newman . 68 Beaufoy’s Nautical and Hydraulic — a , 3 : weary Allan’s Manual of Mineralogy : ; ib. Mathematical Researches. By G. B. J areard, A.B. c 121 Outlines of Comparative Anatomy. By R. E. Grant, M. D., F. R. S; &e. 124 Elémens de Zoolugie, etc. Par M. H. Milne-Edwards ; : 125 A History of British Fishes. By W. Yarrell} Eoass = ae Essai sur la Statistique Morale de la France. Par A. M. Goeee : ib. Geographical Transactions :—Col. Jackson on the Classification and Nomenclature of Rivers P 129 Professor Olmsted on Meteors, from the Goupareun to the Anenioe Almanac . 182 M. Aime on a New Method oF Making Memnets, Fait Les ‘Kose de Chimie : ; 4 3 . 185 Simms on the Use of Mathemarieal pisiihelts : é 7 186 Professor Phillips’s Guide to Geology. : TNA Mrs. Somerville on the Connexion of the Physical saeieay f : 247 M. Agassiz, Recherches sur les Poissons Fossiles : 250 Senior’s Statement of the Provision for the Poor in America and Europe 253 Fitzherbert’s Translation of Dr. Raciborski’s Manual of Auscultation and Percussion : : 4 : : : . 255 / LOCAL OCCURRENCES, &e. Local Geology . : 83, 255 Saurian Remains in the Maraeaen Couviamrne) of Bristol . : 84 Ichthyology. —M. Agassiz’ Visit to Bristol : : 4 85 Tide Gauge Register . s 86, 189, 257, 369 Books purchased by the Bestel insnnen since id Michnelims: 1834 : 86 Meteorological Tables. By E. Jones é ¢ 87, 136, 193, 260, 374 Quarterly Horticultural Report, from the Bristol Nursery. . 134, 187 Donations to the Bristol Institution : . . - 137, 194 Contents. vii. PART II—LITERATURE. Page Essay on the Writings of Hesiod. By the late Rev. J. J. Conybeare 1, 37, (PAPA! Ethnography of the aevane Nations. By Dr. Prichard . sae ELacAry Essay on Caerphilly Castle : ; 2 : 62, 101, 135, 185 On Comparative Philology . 90 Essay Introductory to the Archeology of the West OF Bhgland 95, 130, 199 Letter from Cairo. F 3 Z 2 5 o) LOd A Letter from Exeter Change F : 143 Essay towards a Grammar of the Berber Tamed ‘By F.W. Newman 161 Observations on English Castles . , : : Od iv Visit to Antwerp at the Capitulation of 1933 . . Z . 228 Remarks on the History of Inventions. i : : su 24 Translation from the Arabic . : 3 e : - 248 REVIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS. Select Remains of Rev. C. F. Ramftler . y 2 r ; 29 Prout’s Picturesque Antiquities of Bristol . é : : 30 Britton and Brayley’s Westminster : 31 A Historical and Descriptive Catalogue of the European aad Agate MSS. of the late Dr. A. Clarke. By J. B. Clarke, of Trin. Coll. Camb. . 2 71 Russia, or Miscellaneous hccrvations on the be aad Present State of that Country and its Inhabitants. By R. Pinkerton, D. D. : 73 Researches and Missionary Labours. By the Rey. J oseph Wolff. 113 The Temple; Sacred Poems and Private ie By George Herbert - £ . 145 Rickman on the Styles of ‘eechitsdee in ‘England ; ; 154 History and Antiquities of Somersetshire. By the Rey. W. Phelps = + 155 Davyidson’s British and Roman Remains at Axminster > 157 DOMESTIC OCCURRENCES, &e. Singular Inquest . : ; ¥ : i ‘ 32 Monument to Bishop Biltler 2 : ; : - : 33 Notices of Institution Lectures, &c. f ° ; : ’ 36 Discovery of the Site of Prior’s Hill Redoubt ‘ : ; 157 Vill. Contents. ’ POETRY. Epitaph, by H. More . : : " A . ae Imitation of Cowper - 3 : - 3 . je Specimen of a Poetical Summary of History : 4 ate Epitaph on an Infant . - : : Mr. Baily’s Statue of “Eve at the Fountain.” Morning : . : : a “ e z Specimen of a New Translation of the Latin Poem of Isaac Hawkins — Browne, on the Immortality of the Soul A Birth-Day Hymn for a Child . : : : d Charade : : . : : 1 Corinthians xiii. 13. * ‘es =, ADDRESS. f __ Ir has been intimated to the Editor, by those in whose opinions he is accus- hd tomed to confide, that upon the appearance of a work altogether of so new a _ character as the present, some preliminary Address is expected. Such an * J ddress, if it states any thing, ought, it appears to him, to confine itself prin- ipally to three points—The causes which gave rise to the establishment of a * Journal—The objects which, when established, it is intended to accomplish— _ And the manner in which its plan is to be carried into execution. These three ‘points, then, he shall now attempt to develop more clearly and more at length, than the brevity and conciseness necessary to a Prospectus has hitherto permitted him to do: and in whatever is stated upon any of these points, or throughout ‘the Address generally, the Editor wishes it distinctly to be understood, that he ne not his own sentiments alone, but those collectively of the body of which y 2 is the organ, and by whom the Journal has been placed under his immediate _ and unfettered superintendance. 3 | - Those who are conversant with the city of Bristol and its suburbs, are aware, ? The first indications of this change are to be sought for in the City Library, an ancient and respectable establishment, but which has undergone during the last few years a very marked improvement, both in the sum and the character ol ‘the volumes added to its stores. The number of its supporters has increased, » books are more generally read than they used to be, and their style is cer- ily higher. This collection, now containing many thousand yolumes, is . wperior as a Library of reference to any similar provincial establishment in-the Lt No. 1.—Vol. I. j A ll. ADDRESS. ee kingdom, and with reference to the great practical objects of circulation, is on the whole more liberally conducted. A second indication of this change is to be found in the history of the Bristol Institution. Twenty years ago, when the plan of this Institution was first set on foot, the project was laughed at by many as chimerical; but since its establish- ment, a period of twelve years, it has been progressively increasing in import- ance. Its Reading Rooms are invariably much frequented; its Museum and six subordinate apartments were formerly ridiculed as absurdly large—they are now too small for the Collection, a large part of which remains necessarily © packed up. The Collection itself is a large and respectable one, containing nearly complete Zoological, Conchological, and Mineralogical series; its unri- valled series of Crinoidea is by the monograph of the late able curator, Mr. Miiller, too well known throughout Europe to need particular mention here. The collection of Egyptian Antiquities also is a respectable and an increasing one. The manner in which the Theatre attached to the Institution has been oecu- pied, is a strong proof of the justice of these remarks. In that Theatre there have been delivered annually, since the period of its opening in 1823, not fewer than from four to five courses of lectures, many of them by members of the Institution, for its benefit, and all attended by numerous and sometimes over- flowing audiences. Among the members of the Literary and Philosophical Society connected with the Institution, are many persons eminent in their respective spheres; and the papers read at the monthly meetings have been of a character often high, and always respectable. Considering all these points, and taking into account the fact that these ad- vances have been made during years of heavy commercial and domestic distress, in which Bristol has largely participated, we are surely warranted in assuming, that her inhabitants are not indifferent to either Science or Literature, and as a further consequence, that the present Journal, as it will encourage and direct those pursuits, will be in turn supported by them. Nor are the prospects of such a Journal confined to Bristol. The neighbour- . ing city of Bath possesses also her Institution, her Museum, and her Library ; and boasts many inhabitants from whom, without at all wishing to interfere with the harvest of our neighbours, both scientific and literary communications may be expected. ADDRESS. lil. But if we take a wider range, and include the extent of country of which our city is the Metropolis, we shall find still further corroboration of our views. To the Geologist, the Mineralogist, the Zoologist, and the Botanist; to the student of Natural History in any of its ramifications, our rocks and valleys afford ample material; and the man of practical art will find both occupation and instruction in the great manufacturing operations of the district, and in the business of a commercial port. At a greater distance, the county of Cornwall and the province of South Wales, offer objects of intense interest to the man of Science, the general Antiquary, and the Philologist. The iron works of Mon- mouth and Glamorgan are the largest in the world, and the mining operations in Cornwall, among the most extensive. The ancient language of both these districts—still preserved in all its purity in the Principality—its grammatical construction, and its general analogies to and connexions with other tongues, are well deserving attention; and every fastness is crowned by the traces of some British habitation, of some Roman encampment, or of some Norman fortress. _ Such then are the causes out of which the prospects of our Journal originate ; and such being the causes, the objects of the work are almost self-evident—the work should be the echo of the causes. It has been produced by the increasing local diffusion of a taste for science and literature ; it wil! endeavour still further to promote that taste, by rendering more efficient and more available all the local facilities which our neighbourhood so amply presents for its cultivation. It will open a channel for the publication of the most valuable original commu- nications, which may from time to time be made to the Philosophical Society attached to the Institution at Bristol. And—as many similar bodies are dis- persed through the neighbouring counties—it is trusted that, should our Journal become permanently and respectably established, it would afford equal advantages to them, and thus become the centre of a system of union and co- operation, which must greatly increase the efficiency of Institutions of this description. But while it will be one great object with us thus to give publicity to valuable materials of local origin, it will be equally our endeayour to supply brief but comprehensive announcements of all the most important works, whether British or Foreign, which may contain original discoveries, or throw material light upon any of the subjects which this Journal professes to include. It can only be necessary to say a very few words on these subjects, under the iv. ADDRESS. great divisions of Science and Literature. It has been our object in the present number, to introduce some of the principal of those subjects which appeared likely to display the widest field of interest, by preliminary dissertations, calcu- lated to indicate our views of the actual state of those branches of Science, and the spirit in which it will be our wish to treat them. With regard to Science, we shall endeavour to avail ourselves of all the pecu- liar local advantages afforded by the very interesting Geological situation of this Metropolis. Placed in the centre of a rich coal field, and yet on the edge of the great range of the oolites, and within a few miles of the cretaceous Downs of Wiltshire, on the one side, and the transition chains of the Quantocks and Exmoor on the other; we have, taking Bristol as a centre, within a circle of thirty miles, every Geological formation, from chalk to transition slate. Every walk through the lovely dales which diversify our scenery, is as rich in Geological interest as in picturesque beauty; and we may hope to open to our readers a new and copious source of instruction and pleasure in their daily excursions. In Zoology it will be our object to enable our readers to consult with increased interest and instruction the ample collections already formed in our Museum ; and by diffusing more generally a taste for such pursuits, to lead the way to that extension of those collections which may be well expected in a city whose inhabitants are commercially connected with every quarter of the globe, and where, therefore, the facilities afforded to the establishment of a superior Museum of Natural History must be proportionably great. In the rapidly expanding and intimately connected sciences of Chemistry and the various branches of Electricity, we would fain hope to contribute to the forming a spirit among the members of our Philosophical Society, which might induce them to avail themselves of the advantages which the Laboratory and Apparatus belonging to our Institution are so well calculated to afford. The conveniences of private houses and private means, will scarcely ever afford opportunities for the successful cultivation of such pursuits; but it is one of the great advantages which Institutions like ours afford, that they fully supply this deficiency. Our apparatus already is ample; but it ought to be kept up to such a pitch, as to enable all our members (replacing of course any damage which might be occasioned,) to repeat every new experiment of which they read, and to prosecute original ones. This end will easily be attained, if a more general interest in such pursuits shall prevail among us. To excite that interest, there- fore, will be our constant aim ; and in proportion as we may succeed in directing ADDRESS. V. the intellect of Bristol more warmly to such subjects, we do not doubt that the city where, in his early life, Davy started as the assistant of Beddoes, will again yield an efficient supply of labourers in the advancement of science. Every other branch of science will meet with due regard; but we have more particularly specified those only to which peculiar local advantages at_present more especially direct our attention. With regard to Literature, it will be rather our endeavour to seek for critical illustrations of classical Poetry, Philosophy, and History, than to overwhelm our readers with what are called ‘‘ Original Essays ;”’ well aware that in such com- positions mediocrity is intolerable, and that it is very rarely permitted to the small literature of the provinces to attain that elevation which “‘ Gods, men, and the columns,” alone sanction as allowable. It will be by no means our ambition to open a foundling hospital for weak and unprovided offspring of this descrip- tion. In scientific communications, provided the facts be important and accu- rately stated, the literary composition is comparatively of little consequence; but in essays of pure literature, indifference in this respect must be insufferable. Our pages will ever be open to the interesting subject of Archeology ; and we shall ever regard this subject in its widest extent, as including Ethnography, or the general history and antiquities of nations, their ancient mythological systems, and the like; topics obviously requiring a very different spirit of philosophical research from that which would restrict the pursuit to a mere “‘ chronicle of old vessels or brass farthings.” Actual Statistics, no less than Antiquarian researches, will demand our notice. From this positive enumeration of the subjects we contemplate, it will be negatively evident that we do not propose at all to enter upon any ground, which can possibly introduce controversial subjects, whether of Politics or Theology. But in thus disclaiming controversial Theology, we shall ever be anxious that every line we pen may be found throughout marked by a general Christian spirit and Christian tendency. Tt is not at all the intention of the promoters of this Journal to exercise any assumption, nor in any way to set themselves up in judgment over their fellow- citizens; they desire to promote the public welfare by the furtherance of those tastes and pursuits from which they have themselves reaped many advantages ; and they have only joined together to do that more effectually which it is the duty of every man as a private individual to attempt. Vi. ADDRESS. In a work like the present, pecuniary gain is of course with all parties entirely out of the question; the only attempt has been to guard against heavy pecuniary loss. To those who do not agree in what has been written, and who by conse- quence disapprove of our Journal, we cannot of course look for support; but upon those who do approve of our plans, and who do think favourably of the manner in which they are being carried into execution, we have a strong and equitable claim; nor need we remind them, that at the outset of a periodical publication, and that upon new and untried ground, all support is doubly valuable. If such persons exert themselves and support the work, there is every reason to suppose that it will succeed and flourish ; but if they do not support it, the funds upon which it at present rests becoming of course speedily dissipated, its career must be limited to a very few numbers. Whatever the event shall be, whether the West or ENauanpD JourRNAL shall attain to a wide and flourishing circulation, or whether, after having lived through a few numbers, it shall cease and be forgotten, its promoters cannot of course say. But of this they can assure the public, that although they may not obtain, they will at least endeavour to deserve success; and that if they fail, they shall fail with the consciousness of never having pandared to the public mind, nor descended from the high and independent ground upon which they aspire to take their stand. *¢ Servetur ad imum Qualis ab incepto processerit, et'sibi constet.” Cuirron, JANUARY, 1835. CONTENTS. SCIENCE.—PART I. Page. Essay introductory to Geology. By Rev. W.D. Conybeare ........++s++-+> 1 An Introduction to Zoology ........... ds stolfciesah Morale: