that this commencement of a fire could pro-and iron filings kneaded with water. 2. That ceed only from the spontaneous inflammation of the cotton impregnated with boiled oil, since no one ever went into the closet with a lighted pipe, or any thing else burning. "As I found, that several persons belonging to the manufactory did not credit this explanation, I again impregnated a few dozen hanks of some old cotton, that had not been well dyed, in the same manner as I had done the cotton that was burned. These I set to dry in a similar manner in the open air; and as it threatened to rain, ordered them to be hung upon a line under a penthouse, directing one of the watchmen to look at it every quarter of an hour during the night, and throw it into a bucket of water, as soon as he perceived it begin to heat. But this man could not be lieve the possibility of the cotton's taking fire of itself, as he afterward confessed to me, and walked through the manufactory without once looking at the penthouse. At length however he returned to lie down, and found by the great light he saw, that what I had foretold, in case he was negligent, had taken place. Finding the cotton as well as the line was burned, he took the bucket of water to extinguish the posts, which were already on fire. "Though these two accidents did not at all sarprise me, I could the less forgive myself for the first, as, in order to prevent similar accidents, I had made some experiments on spontaneous combustions at a public-house fifteen years before. On that occasion I had spoken of the probability of fires being occasoned by heated substances, or substances that have a tendency to heat, and which are thoughtlessly put in places capable of being set on fire. The substances I mentioned to those of the company, who were not sufficiently acquainted with the phenomena of spontaneous combustion, were roasted coffee and chocolate nuts; fermented plants; ointments made with metallic oxides put hot into wooden barels; bales of raw cotton, as well as woollen yarn or cloth packed up warm, and even linen Then ironed, and put away in drawers while hot; and lastly substances of every kind impregnated with boiling oil, as silk or cotton. I showed them besides, that in all circum stances where the oxigen of the atmosphere is rapidly attracted and absorbed by any cause, the caloric or heat, which serves as a base to the oxigen, and gives it the properties of a , is given out in such abundance, that, if the absorbing substance be capable of taking fire, or surrounded by inflammable matters, spontaneous combustion will take place. "To confirin what I had said of the theory of these sorts of combustions to those present, who were not familiar with chemical operauons, I performed the following experiments. 1. The inflammation of a mixture of sulphur of boiled linseed oil by highly concentrated nitric acid. 3. That of phosphorus by atmospheric air, as well as in pure oxigen gas, placed for this purpose on a china saucer over boiling water, in order to separate its particles by fusion without having recourse to ubbing it. 4. That of phosphurated hydrogen gas by the contact of the atmosphere, an imita tion of the Jack-with-a-lantern. 5. The combustion of pyrophorus, thrown into the open air, and into pure oxigen gas. 6. The reduction of roasted bran, put hot into a coarse bag, to an ignited coally mass by the action of the atmospheric air. "I was not ignorant, that essential or volatile oils become resinous, and that drying oils boiled with metallic oxides grow thick and even hard by their combination with oxigen and this was the reason why my hanks of cotton, impregnated with a mixture of boiled linseed oil, were exposed a whole day to the air, hung separately on poles: but I supposed they were then saturated with oxigen, and consequently incapable of occasioning the least accident. I felt myself so secure in this respect, that I have several times dried a great deal of oiled cotton in hot rooms; and it was owing to chance alone, that it was never put together, till the moment when it was washed in order to be dyed. "I must not omit to observe likewise, that among the cotton I had burned, there was some both times, that had been impregnated with the mixture of weak lixivium of carbonate of soda and boiled linseed oil in the proportion of an eighth, a twelfth, and a sixteenth part. It remains to be proved, whether this cotton will take fire sooner than that which is impregnated with a mixture of the alkaline solution of alumine and boiled linseed oil in the same proportions." JEWISH NAUTICAL FORTITUDE. [Communicated by one of the Parties.] About the year 1796, two or three Jews came over from Poland, for the purposes of trade, of which second-hand clothing formed a considerable part. After having made their purchases, they shipped them on board a Prussian vessel, bound from London to Dantziek, and accompanied them for their better security. At the distance of thirty or forty leagues from the English coast, in a dark night, the vessel was ran on board of by a large ship, the shock of which was so violent, that the terrified captain and crew sought their safety by leaping on board the larger vessel, expecting their own to go down, leaving the Jews the only persons on board.→→ The latter recovering in some degree from the consternation into which they were thrown intention of a noble Lord (which I named 46 New Kent Road, Sept. 1808. THE LA THE GRACES IN LIGHT DRESSES: on discoveing themselves abandoned by the crew, totally ignorant of navigation, and exposed to the mercy of the winds and waves, still had the satisfaction of finding that the ship was tight. A consultation was thereupon held, in which the most experienced of them suggested, that he had observed the point of the compass, and their course, on leaving the coast of Yarmouth, that if they could by any means put the ship about, and endeavour to retrace their course, that they should inevitably fall in again with the English coast. In this they succeeded; and, by the help of pilots, were brought in safety into the port of Yarmouth. There they were, to their great surprise, niet by the original captain and crew, who gladly came ou board, and resumed the direction of the vessel. These circumstances produced a considerable charge on the cargo, in which many persons were interested; and of which the Jews must have borne a considerable share To the Editor of the Literary Punorama. They, however, thought it hard, to suffer in this way, after having been the means of Certainly, Mr. Editor, I shall not underpreserving both ship and cargo, to the advan- take to defend in the LITERARY PANORAMA, tage of all concerned. But the captain was any approach to levity of manners, or to deaf to all accommodation, and refused them looseness of personal appearance, yet being any remuneration for their trouble, and risk. able to recollect the time when the fashions The well known characters of Messrs. were less analogous to the intentions of nature Benjamin and Abraham Goldsmid, in- in the formation of the human figure, than duced the Jews to lay this peculiar case they are at present, I cannot but compare the before them and it appearing to these gentle- then prevalent modes with those which I now men, that there were sufficient grounds to sce, to the advantage of the latter. The claim a salvage of the ship and cargo, they ladies have lately, if I may give my opinion, resolved to defend and support the cause of approached much nearer to the character of their stranger brethren. A long and expen- the Graces, in their flowing draperies, than sive process in the Admiralty Court was how-those who wore the stiff hoop, or the bustling ever prevented; and by the mediation of some mercantile friends with Messrs Goldsmid, it was agreed, that the sum of £300 should be allowed to these poor men, which they ceived with thankfulness, and their generous friends experienced that pleasure, which nust ever be felt by those whose benevolent exertions are attended with equal success. ANIMALS' FRIEND. To the Editor of the Literary Panoramą. SIR;-I should be very much obliged, by your having the goodness to say in your next number, that those philanthropic gentleinen, who have noticed the Animals Friend Society, and wish for its establishment, would think proper to hold a meeting on the subject, I should most readily and Veren thankfully meet them. You know my address and can receive theirs. This would at least evince a readiness to begin so desirable an attainment: and the good effect would be secured of at least either meeting the • For the memoirs of this gentleman, see Panorama, Vol. III. p. 1073. straw petticoat. I beg leave, Sir, to vindicate this opinion from impropriety, by recalling to the minds of your readers, that originally the Graces of antiquity were clothed in light dresses, and that the custom of representing them unclothed is an innovation, and a departure from the true character of those goddes ses, as well as from good taste, and propriety. We learn from Pausanias, that anciently the Graces were represented drest. But he adds, that he was not able to discover the reason or the time of their being pictured naked. This he says in his Beotica. A monument of antique painting confirms the custom, of dressing the Graces. The subject is a dance of those three goddesses.rose ; the second a One of them holds a die; the third weaves a slender twig of myrthe whoever attends will easily conceive the reason. The rose and myrtle are consecrated to Venus, they are emblems of the delicate bloom of beauty. The Graces, it is well known, are peculiarly assigned to Venus. The die is a symbol of the sports of boys and maids; to denote that levity, which sits ill upon more advanced age, but is becom ing to youth. That these goddesses delighted in those nobler enjoyments which may satisfy the most refined, is expressly affirmed of them: their pleasures were never gross; their sports were ingenuous and their recreations were such as Virtue's self might approve and even participate they were mental, not sensual; and placid, not rude. Can we wonder then that Jove himself forsook his Olympus to enjoy such graufication? Let us hear the poet : Ye lovely Graces, hear me and approve! I must even give honour to our ladies for more delicate attention to decorum, than those of ages past in our own island: for when the lusty diet of our ancestors is considered, we shall find a difficulty in believing that it was always free from consequences, that now are seen only among the vulgar.Witness the Maids of Honour, or Ladies of the Bedchamber, belonging to the court of Henry VIII; as appears by an order, signed by that king's hand and directed to the officers of his household, in favor of the Lady Lucye the original is preserved among the records in Westminster; a copy of which may not be unentertaining to your readers; But, may we suppose that the morning beef and ale was intended, not for Lady Lucye, but for her domestics? Henry VIII. King, &c. We wol and commaunde you, to allow wellbilouede the Lady Lucye, into her chaindailly from hensforth unto our right dere and bre, the dyat and fare herafter ensuying. Furst every mornyng at brekefast oon chyne of beyf, at our kechyn, oon chete loff and The chaster sports and joys, of mind, not sense! Pleasure and wealth; while we your praises sing! tic rite! But we have no need to recur to the ages of antiquity for such enjoyments: were Jove living in our day, he would think himself singularly happy, I am sure, in acquaintance with many of our fair countrywomen, whose graceful appearance is the external index of -cultivated minds. The pleasure of hearing their remarks in conversation, the elegance of language in which their conversation is clothed, the ingenuity of their observations, combined with the simplicity of their man*ners; never could be surpassed, not even by those to whom antiquity paid worship as heavenly powers. lone of ale at our buttrye barr. Item, at de ner a pese of beyf, a stroke of roste and a rewarde at our said kechyn, a cast of chete mys-brede at our panatrye barr, and a galone of ale at our buttrye barr. Item, at afternone a maunchet at our panatrye barr, and half a ga lone of ale at our buttrye barr. Item, mo supper, a messe of porage a pese of mutton and a rewarde at our said kechyn, a cast of chete brede at our panatrye, and a galone of ale at our buttrye. Item, at supper a chete loff and a maunchet at our panatrye barr, a galone of ale at our buttrye barr, and half a galone of wine at our seller barr. Item, every morning at our woodeyarde four lanhyds and twoo fagots. Item, at our chaundrye bar in Wynter euery night oon preken and four syses of wax, with eight candells white lights, and oon torche. Item, at our picherhouse wokely six white cuppes. Itemat every tyme of our remoeving oon hole carte for the cariage of her stuff. And these our lettres shal be your sufficient warrant and discharge in this behalf at all tymes herafter. Geuen under our signet at our manour of Est Hampstede the xvith day of July the xiiijth yere of our reigne. But there are agreeablenesses, not to call them virtues, in which our living Graces greatly surpass those of which ancient ages boasted: for, to digress a little, not only the Graces, but the Muses, would sometimes give into excess of wine according to Horace. Öluerunt which is the term he uses, will by no means agree with the delicacy or the practice of the ladies our age a mouth smelling of yesterday's wine would hardly be credited or suffered in these 's e sober days, either as to the fact, of the expression; whatever might have been the practice of the Graces and the Muses of ancient times. The passage of Horace, is, of To the Lord Steward of our Housholde, the Treasourer, Comptroller, Cofferer, or Clerks of our Grene Clothe, and of our Kechyn, I shall not deny that this order indicates a hearty stomach in the Ladye Lucye: but I shall adhere to my opinion in favour of the manners of the present day, when brought into comparison, until cogent reasons to the contrary be adduced by some of your correspondents.-I am, Sir, &c.HOMO, F4 OBSERVANDA INTERNA. LIFE ANNUITIES. Abstract of such of the Provisions of the Act (48 Geo. III. c. 142.) enabling the Commissioners for the Reduction of the national Debt, to grant Life Annuities as may be necessary or proper for the Information and Guidance of Persons desirous of purchasing Annuities under that Act. The consideration must be either in three per-centum Consolidated or Reduced bank Annuities, to be transferred to the commissioners for reduction of national debt. Annuities may be purchased, either on the Lives of the parties themselves, or on the Lives of any other person whom they nominate, not under the age of 35 years; native of and resident in Great Britain or Ireland. But any person, although not a native of or resident in Great Britain or Ireland, may purchase an Annuity on his or her own Life, or on the Life of any person born and resident in Great Britain or Ireland. A declaration must be delivered to the officer appointed by the commissioners for reduction of national debt, of intention to purchase. It is necessary to produce a copy of the register of the Birth or Baptism of the person named as the Life upon which the Annuity is purchased, with a certificate of the minister of the parish, or in his absence (which absence must be specified in the certificate) of any two of the churchwardens or overseers (to be attested by two witnesses) certifying, that the copy of the register is a true copy; to which certificate must be annexed an affidavit, by one of the witnesses, made before a justice of the peace or magistrate of the county, city, &c. within which the place of the Birth or Baptism of the nominee may be, if in England or Scotland, or if in Ireland, then before one of the barons of the exchequer there, that the witness examined and compared the copy of the register with the register, and saw the minister or churchwardens or Overseers sign the certificate; and the certificate must also be accompanied by an affidavit of the purchaser of the Annuity, or by some person on his behalf, (to be made and taken in like manner as the last-mentioned affidavit,) that the person named in the certificate of the register of the Birth or Baptism is the same person who is named as the Life on which the Annuity is to be granted. Should the copy of the register purport to be a copy of the register of the Baptism and not of the Birth, the age of the Life will be calculated from the date of the Baptism. In case the Birth or Baptism of such person shall not appear in the register of the parish where born or baptized, then there must be produced an affidavit of his age, name, surname, occupation (if any), usual place of abode and place of Birth, names of parents or reputed parents, and that the person named is the nominee on whose Life the Annuity is to be granted; this affidavit must be made by the nominee, or by some other person having knowledge of the circumstances; in which latter case there must also be an affidavit by the person on whose behalf the Annuity is purchased, that the contents of the last mentioned affidavit are, to the best of his or her knowledge, true. These affidavits must be made before one or more of the judges of the courts at Westminster if in England, or if in Scotland or Ireland before one of the barons of the exchequer there respectively; and if the person named is a native of Great Britain or Ireland, the affidavit must state the cause why a certificate of the copy of the register cannot be produced. The officer appointed by the commissioners will then calculate the amount of the Annuity, and grant his certificate. And on production and delivery of this cer tificate at the bank of England, and on transfer to the commissioners for reduction of national debt of the stock mentioned therein, the purchaser, or person producing the certificate, will receive a certificate of the cashier of the bank, acknowledging such transfer, and which receipt will be a discharge for the stock transferred. No certificate however will be valid to enable the transfer of stock, unless produced at the bank within five days from the date thereof. Every Annuity must be accepted at the bank by the purchaser, or some other person for him. No less a sum than £100 stock, and no fraction of stock less than £1 can be transfered; and no fraction of an Annuity less than 6d. No Annuity can be granted on the continuance of a single Life exceeding £1,000 per annum; nor on the continuance of two Lives and the Life of the longer Liver of them exceeding £1500 Upon the death of any single nominee or the survivor of any two joint nominees, a sum equal to one fourth part of the Annuity will be payable on the half yearly day of payment next succeeding the death of the single or surviving nominee, provided the sanie be claimed within two years after his or her death. Persons receiving Annuities, after the same ought to cease by virtue of the act (knowing the nominees to be dead), will forfeit treble the value of the money so received, and £500. Copies of registers of Birth or Baptism, certificates, affidavits or affirmations, transfers, acceptances, and receipts for the payment of Life Annuities at the bank of England, are exempted from stamp duties. No fees are to be taken by the officer, for any thing to be done in pursuance of the act. thereof, and the Age of the Nominee at the Time of the Transfer. TABLE, shewing the ANNUAL AMOUNT of LIFE ANNUITIES granted on the Continuance of SINGLE LIVES, which will be payable for every £100 of STOCK transferred according to the Average Price 55 5 15 3566002 2 5 Price of the £3 per Cent. Consolidated or Reduced Hank-Annuities. 67 to 68 to 69 to 70 to 71 2072 60 | 73 to 74 to 75 to 63. 02. 63. 60 to: 61 to 62 to 163 to | 64 to 165 to 60 to 67. 64. 65. 66. 2. 3. L. 3. l. s. 4 15 416 4 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 71. 1555 34578 777774 6 0257 110 1181 0191 01 01 01 11 016 014 011 012 010 0181 6 91 6 21 6 11 6 6 6 4 6 4 6 8 60 6 86878 8 14816 9 8 11 8 13 8 14 8 16 9 19 39 59 2 5 9 7 9 9 9 119 10 110 310 5 910 1110 13 2 4 3 6 9 29 11 9 13 9 16 9 1810 010 310 510 710 10 10 12 10 1410 1710 19 11 211 411 611 9 179 19 10 210 410 710 910 12 10 1410 1710 1911 211 411 711 911 1211 1411 1711 210 110 310 610 8 10 11 10 14 10 16 10 1911 211 411 711 911 1211 1511 17 12 012. 212 512 812 10 12 13 310 10 10 1310 1610 1811 111 411 711 911 1211 1511 1812 012 312 612 9.12 12 12 14 12 1713 013 313 5 411 011 311 611 911 1211 1511 1812 112 412 712 10 12 13 12 1512 1813 113 413 713 10 13 13 13 16 13 19 311 1111 1411 17 12 012 312 612 10 12 13 12 1612 1913 213 513 8.13 1113 14 13 1814 114 414 714 1014 13 6926 9 7 10 7 1 15 7 17 7 19 8 5 8 4 69152 77 471505 447 8 9 8 11 8 13 8 15 O369464942964 14827 409 77 "Tables," calculated to shew the Proceeds of £100, on single and joint Lives, &c. For the Guidance of Purchasers, Mr. FORTUNE, Stock-broker, has published “Additional |