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Influence of the Planets on the Foetus.

affected. The contents of the matrix after injection, partake of the nature of milk during the fix first days; this milkiness is fuppofed to be owing partly to the heat of that receptacle and partly to that of the fubftance injected. After that period, it affumes a bloodcolour, acquiring a confiftence for the fpace of nine days, and at the end of twelve enfuing days, it is difpofed of in the different members of the foetus, which by that time is no longer a fhapeless mafs, having made confiderable advances towards folidity and configuration.

Whether the heat of the fperma be elemental or animal, is a queftion that has been difcuffed, fome contending for the former, others for the latter opinion. That it partakes of the nature of both it is reasonable to think; the animal heat is tempered by moisture, and to this radical heat and moisture fo attempered is to be afcribed the exiftence of every living thing confidered in a phyfical view. What member in the fœtus is first generated, and formed, has been likewise a subject of controversy.

In the opinion of fome, priority of generation is allowed to the liver; becaufe, fay they, here nutrition begins. This their opponents will not admit, infifting that it must be the heart, as it is the firft that receives the vital principle, and the laft that refigns it.

Here it is to be obferved, that the four elements enter into the compofition of the body, whofe parts are correfpondent to heat, moiffure, hardnefs, elafticity, &c. after which the materials are difpofed according to the threefold dimenfions of length, breadth, and depth, which done, the fœtus continues to collect ftrength progreffively in order to facilitate its entrance into the world. Another thing which deferves notice is the gradual formation of the fœtus, under the influence of the planets, which affect all fublunary things as they happen to predominate; a planet is faid to predominate, when the virtues it imparts are greateft; and

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that is when tis in its noufe, or proper fign. Here it cannot be thought foreign from the fubject matter treated of, and the defign propofed to specify the virtues communicated by the pla nets. Saturn, as aftronomy teaches, is removed to the greatest distance from our orb; from it is derived to the foetus, at whofe formation it predominates, cool deliberation. Within its orbit, is that of Jupiter, the planet that beams magnanimity. The next in order is Mars, whofe influence is rather malignant, than friendly, as hatred, animofity, and the most turbulent paffions that fway mankind, are fuppofed to be thence conveyed.

The Sun befows memory and knowledge. Venus begets concupifcence and amorous propenfities. Mercury, from his orb, fheds joy and benignity. And lastly, the Moon imparts the virtue of vegetating, and being the neareft to our orb of any of the pla nets, influences us more immediately.

Such are the effects of the planets on the foul. It is no lefs remarkable that their influence extends likewife to the material fubstance of which man is compofed.

The matter of the embryo is compreffed to folidity by the coldness of Saturn, whence phyficians fay the first months gestation is under his influence. It is the nature of cold to condenfe, as it is of heat to rarify; hence it appears that matter is acted upon by the heavenly bodies and their motions: and it being once admitted that matter is fubject to them, it cannot be denied that it must receive fome particular form, impreffed upon it by fome par ticular part of the firmament fo dif tinetly that it cannot be faid to have received it from any other indifferently We have feen the figure of a scorpion on a stone without the aid of fculpture; what fhould fuch an appearance be afcribed to, but the influence of fome star or constellation?

"Thefe stones," fays Hali, "thus impreffed with the image of certain figns,

have

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Oracles for the Ladies.

have the virtue of curing particular infirmities," and if his testimony may be relied on, a stone marked with the refemblance of a fcorpion, has been known to prove an efficacious remedy for a wound inflicted by that animal. To the heavenly bodies alfo is owing, that bodies which have been buried for ages, are preferved from mouldering

into dust, or exhibiting any figns of putrefaction: to the oppofition likewife of planets to which men are subjet, may be attributed the changes that frequently happen in their affections, their fudden and feemingly unaccountable tranfitions from friendship to enmity.

444 448

THE ENGLISH FORTUNE-TELLER. 'No VIII,

S.

QUESTION FOR THE LADIES.

WISDOM.

Let her friends chufe for her, in or

WHETHER she is to be happy in der to avoid, or at least not to deferve, wedlock? her threatening fate.

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COLOURS are all formed in the folar light. The property which bodies poffefs of abforbing fome rays, and reflecting others, forms the various tinges of colours with which they are decorated, as is proved from the experiments of Newton. But in what manner do the coloured bodies of the three kingdoms of nature acquire the property of conftantly reflecting one determined kind of rays? This is a very delicate question; for the elucidation of which, I shall bring together a few facts.

It appears that the three colours which are the most eminently primitive; the only colours to which we need pay attention, that is to fay, the blue, the yellow, and the red, are developed in the bodies of the three kingdoms by a greater or lefs abforption of oxigene, which combines with the various principles of those bodies. In the mineral kingdom, the firft impreffion of fire, or the first degree of calcination, developes a blue colour, fometimes interfperfed with yellow, as is obfervable when lead, tin, copper, iron, or other metals, are expofed in a state of fufion to the action of the air, to haften their cooling. This may be efpecially obferved in fteel plates which are coloured blue by heating.

Metals acquire the property of reflecting the yellow colour by combining with a greater quantity of oxigene; VOL. I.

SHAKESPEARE.

and accordingly we perceive this colour in most of them, in proportion as the calcination advances. Mafficot, litharge, ochre, orpiment, and yellow precipitate, are inftances of this.

A ftronger combination of oxigene appears to produce the red; whence we obtain minium, coleothar, red precipitate, &c.

This procefs is not uniform through all the bodies of the mineral kingdom; for it is natural to infer that the effects must be modified by the nature of the bafe with which the oxigene combines. Thus it is that in fome of them we perceive the blue colour almost imme diately followed by a black; which may eafily be accounted for, on the confideration that there is a very flight difference between the property of reflecting the weakest rays, and that of reflecting none at all.

To give additional force to the obfervations here made, we may alfo take notice that the metals themselves are most of them colour-lefs, and become coloured by calcination; that is to say, by the fixation and combination of oxigene.

The effects of the combination of oxigene are equally evident in the mineral as in the vegetable (in the vege table as in the mineral) kingdom; and in order to convince ourselves of this, we need only follow the operations in the method of preparing and develop

Rr

ing

t

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Preparation of the Indigo.

ing the principal colours, fuch as indigo, paftel (woad,) turnfole, &c. We likewife obferve that the first degree of combination of oxigene with oil (in combuftion) developes the blue colour for the inftant.

The blue colour is formed in dead vegetables only by fermentation. Now in these cafes there is a fixation of oxigene. This oxigene combines with the fecula in indigo, with an extractive principle in turnfole, &c.; and molt colours are likewife fufceptible of being converted into red by a greater quantity of oxigene. Thus it is that turnfole reddens by expofure to air, or to the action of acids: because the acid is decompofed upon the mucilage, which is the receptacle of the colour; as may be feen in fyrup of violets, upon which the acids are decompofed when concentrated. The fame thing does not happen when a fecula is faturated with oxigene, and does not admit of the decompofition of the acid. Hence it is that indigo does not become red by acids, but is on the contrary foluble in them. It is likewife for the fame reason that we obferve a red colour developed in vegetables in which an acid continually acts, as in the leaves of the oxalis, of the virgin vine, the common forrel, and the ordinary vine. Hence alfo it happens that acids brighten moft of the red colours; and that a very highly-charged metallic oxide is used as the mordant for fcarlet.

We find the fame colours developed in the animal kingdom, by the combination of the fame principle. When flefh meat putrefics, the first impreffion of the oxigene confifts in producing a blue colour; whence the blue "appearance of mortifications, of flesh becoming putrid, of game too long kept. This blue colour is fucceeded by red, as is obferved in the prepa ration of cheefes, which become covered with a mouldiness at first of a blue colour, but afterwards becoming red.

All the phenomena of the combina

tion of air with the feveral principles in different proportions may be obferved in the flame of bodies actually on fire. This flame is blue when the combustion is flow; red when stronger and more complete; and white when still more perfect.

From the foregoing facts, we may conclude that the blue ray is the weakest, and is confequently reflected by the first combination of oxigene. We may add the following fact to those we have already exhibited. The colour of the atmosphere is blueifh: the light of the stars is blue, as M. Marriotte has proved, in the year 1678, by receiving the light of the moon upon white paper: the light of a clear day reflected into the fhade by fnow, is of a fine blue, according to the obfervations of Daniel Major (Ephem. des Curiof. de la Nature, 1671.)

THE PREPARATION OF THE INDIGO VAT.

THIS is the most difficult and the least understood of all the proceffes of the dyer, and the fimple and well known operations on fafflower, or baftard faffron, make a striking contrast in the following paragraph.

The colouring matters of this class (refinous) are all foluble in alkali or lime; and these are the fubstances used to dissolve them in water, and precipitate them upon stuffs. Lime is the true folvent of indigo; but alkali is the folvent of other fubstances of the fame clafs. For example: When it is required to make ufe of the colouring matter of bastard faffron, the first proceeding confists in wàfhing it in much water, to clear it from the extractive and yellowish principle which is very abundant; and the refinous principle is afterwards diffolved by means of alkali, from which folvent it is precipitated upon the stuffs by means of acids. In this manner it is that the poppycoloured filk is made. This refinous principle may also be combined with talc, after it has been extracted by an

alkali,

Anfwer to Queries.

alkali, and precipitated by an acid; in which cafe the refult is vegetable red. To make this pigment, the yellow colour of faffron or carthamus is first extracted by means of wafhing. Five or fix per cent. of its weight of foda is mixed with the refidue; and cold water poured on, which takes up a yellow matter; and this, by the addition of lemon juice, depofits a red fecula. The red fecula, mixed with levigated talc, and moistened with lemon juice, forms a patte, which is put into pots to dry. If the red be foluble

417

in fpirit of wine, it is vegetable; but if not, it is mineral, and is ufually vermilion.

Acids may be ufed inftead of alkalies in fixing fome of thefe colours up. on ftuffs. To make a permanent blue, instead of diffolving indigo by means of lime, it is fometimes diffolved in oil of vitriol. This folution is poured into the bath, and the alumed ftuff is paffed through it. Flannels are dyed blue at Montpelier in this way. This operation depends merely on an extreme divifion of the indigo by the acid.

THE QUERIST. N° IX.

ANSWER TO QUERY THE FIRST IN

NO. VIII. BY BEN ROW.

TO do juftice to this queftion, "Whether the fea encreafes, diminishes, or neither?" I am afraid will be trespassing too much on the bounds of your very entertaining Magazine. But as I have fomething new to advance in the investigation of the fub. ject, your candour, I truft, will excufe my prolixity.

At the fame time I wifh fome abler pen may elucidate it in a more concife or fatisfactorily manner, for the amufement, and information, of your numerous readers.

I must first obferve, that there are ftrong reasons to fuppofe that the whole earth was covered with water, for many centuries, (without deviating in the least from the Mofaic account of the creation) and that every hill in the world was formed in the bottom of the water.

Elfe, how account for the rotten faces of the fea, interwoven on the furface of all unbroken, and uncultivated land?

How account for the different ftrata, and horizontal layers of earth, ftone, clay, gravel, mud, &c. &c. every where produced in the bowels of the earth?

How account for the foffils found there? But above all, how account for the petrified fea-fhells heaped in fuch abundance, and in all parts of the globe upon one another, and fometimes to a very great depth? For inftance, in Holland, which is a flat low country, was funk a well (at Amfterdam) 232 feet deep, of which the following is the manner of the strata's lying arranged one upon another:

"First feven foot of garden mould, then nine foot of black combustible earth, which is called peat, (not unlike that they properly call Dutch turf) then nine foot of foft clay, then eight foot of fand, and four of com. mon earth, then ten foot of clay, and again four of common earth, next that ten foot of fuch fand as the foun dations of the houses in Amfterdam are laid in, then two foot of clay, next four foot of white gravel, then five foot of dry earth, and one foot of mud, again fourteen foot of fand, then three foot of fandy clay or mire, after. wards five foot of fand mixed with clay, and next four foot of fand mixed with little fea-fhells, then there was a ftratum of clay one hundred and two foot deep, and laftly, thirty one foot of gravel, where the fhaft was finifhed."

By the above account, we find the bed of fea-fhells funk to the depth of Rr2 9 feet;

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