etymology of the former is traced to the Persian word Terr, an arrow, which the river, from its velocity, was said to resemble. To this word the Greeks (according to their usual custom of adapting to their own idiom, all foreign, or as they styled them barbarous, words) added the common termination of the nominative case is, and the interpolation of the Greek gamma may be accounted for by the probable gutturality of pronunciation with which the Persians uttered the letter R.

The rapidity of this river's course is alluded to by Sadi, in an elegy which has been published with a Latin translation. "The fame of my verses," says the prophetic poet, "shall spread over the world with greater impetuosity than the current of the Tigris;" and theriver Dejleh is celebrated in a particular chapter of a most excellent geographical poem by Khacani.

The ancient Medes as well as Persians (according to Pliny) called an arrow Tigris, and a learned commentator on Plutarch contends that this is properly a Medic, not a Per. sian word; but the two nations are confounded by most authors on account of their vicinity. Yet, though all ancient writers agree, that the name, whether Medic or Persian, was imposed as expressive of the rapidity of this river's current, we find one traveller who calls them all in question, and asserts, that its stream is less swift, even than that of the Euphrates.

On the banks of the Dejleh, -" am I fallen," (says the plaintive poet Jami) " unfriended, and remote from any habitation, whilst a torrent of tears, like that of the rapid stream, flows from my eyes." This river from its conflux with the

Euphrates, may be said to water the plains of Babylon, and I could never read the above-mentioned passagein the original Persian, without recol. lecting the beautiful beginning of that fine Hebrew psalm or elegy, composed in a similar forlorn situa tion, and expressive of the same feelings.

From the original Chaldaic name פרת The Greeks have formed their corrupt Ευφρατης; for it is vain to seek the etymology of this word in a Greek compound. The Persians and Arabians still call the river by its ancient Hebrew name, which they write, as in the engraved specimen Frat.

The celebrated current of the Euphrates, was divided, according to the Arabian geographer, whom Bochart follows, into five channels or branches, one of which led to Cusa in Chaldea; and on the banks of another, was seated the "golden Babylon," once the proud mistress of the eastern world, being the capital of the Assyrian monarchy, which comprehended Syria, Meso potamia, Chaldea, Persia; in short, except India, all the great nations of western Asia.

נתרוה

On the banks of those celebrated streams, Neheroth Babel, or "rivers of Babylon," of the royal Psalmist, the persecuted Jews hung up their useless harps, nor would gratify " those who had led them captive into the strange land with melody, or with a seng." Those banks were so thickly planted with willow trees, as the learned Bochartinforms us, that the country of Babylon was thence styled" the vale of willows," and or those trees were suspended the neglected and unstrung lyres of the captive Hebrews.

Observations

bservations on Spontaneous Inflammation; with a particular Account of that which happened on board a Russian Frigate in the Year 1781; and of the Experiments made in order to ascertain the Cause of it. In a Letter to the Editors, from the Reverend William Tooke, F. R. S. Member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences at St. Petersburgh, &c. From the Repertory of Arts and Manufactures.

THE following observations on spontaneous inflammations were drawn up, a few years ago, n Russia; they were suggested by n accident which happened onoard a frigate lying in the harbour f Cronstadt. I was then at Crontadt, and consequently had an oportunity of procuring an accuate account, not only of the ccident itself, but also of the exeriments made to ascertain the ause of it. If you think proper to add them to the accounts of sponaneous inflammations which you lave already published, you are at iberty to do so.

The explication of the causes of pontaneous inflammations, in cerain substances and compositions, must ever be an object of consequence to the magistracy; as, by discovering the causes of such phenomena, the suspicion of felonious practices in setting fire to buildings may frequently be avoided, and many an innocent person saved from capital punishment. A bare attempt to lessen the number of victims, that may possibly be doomed to bleed at the bar of mistaken justice, can never be thought either frivolous or impertinent.

I intentionally pass over the pyro

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phori, at present so well known to chymists, prepared from alum, &c. as not properly belonging to my design, though deserving of notice in explaining the causes of spontane. ous inflammation; nor shall I say any thing of those inflammations that happen in the mineral kingdom, in coal-mines, alum-pits, &c. as they are already sufficiently known, and their causes have often been discussed.

Of incomparably more importance, and far less known, are the spontaneous inflammations of substances from the animal and vegetable kingdoms; and these are what I design here briefly to bring together: as I firmly believe, that a more extensive publication of these phenomena may prove of general utility to mankind, by lessening the dangers to which they are exposed.

A recent instance will serve to elucidate what I now advance. A person of the name of Rüde, at that timean apothecary at Bautzen, had prepared a pyrophorus from rye-bran andalum. Not long after he had made the discovery, there broke out, in the next village of Nauslitz, a great fire, which did much mischief, and was said to have been occasioned by the treating of a sick cow in the cow-house. Mr. Rüde knew that the countrymen were used to lay an application of parched rye-bran to their cattle, for caring the thick neck; he knew also, that alum and rye-bran, by a proper process, yielded a pyrophorus; and now he wished to try whether parched rye-bran alone would have the same effect. Accordingly, he roasted a quantity of rye-bran by the fire, till it had acquired the colour of roasted coffee.

This

This roasted bran he wrapped up in a linen cloth; in the space of a few minutes there arose a strong smoke through the cloth, accompanied by a smell of burning. Not long afterwards the rag grew as black as tinder, and the bran now become hot, fell through it on the ground in little balls. Mr. Rüde repeated the experiment at various times, and always with the same result. Who now will any longer doubt, that the frequency of fires in cow-houses, which in those parts, are mostly wooden buildings, may not be occasioned by this common practice, of binding roasted bran about the necks of the cattle? The fire, after consuming the cattle. and the shed, communicates itself to the adjoining buildings; great damage ensues; and the ignorant look for the cause in wilful and malicious firing, consequently in a capital crime.

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Montet relates, in the Memoires de l' Académie de Paris, 1748, that animal substances, under certain circumstances, may kindle into flame; and that he himself has been witness to the spontaneous accension of dung-hills. The woollen stuff prepared at Cevennes, which bears the name of Emperor's-stuff, has kindled of itself, and burnt to a coal. It is not unusual for this to happen to woollen stuffs, when in hot summers they are laid in a heap, in a room but little aired..

In June, 1781, the same thing happened at a wool-comber's in a manufacturing town in Germany, where a heap of wool-combings, piled up in a close warehouse seldom aired, took fire of itself. This wool had been by little and little brought into the warehouse; and, for want of room, piled up very

high and trodden down, that more might be added to it. That this combed wool, to which, as is wellknown, rape-oil mixed with butter is used in the combing, burnt of itself, was sworn by several whnesses. One of them affirmed that, ten years before, a similar fire hap pened among the flocks of wool at a clothier's, who had put them into a cask, where they were rammed hard, for their easier conveyance. This wool burnt from within outwards, and became quite a coal; it was very certain that neither fire nor light had been used at the packing, consequently, the above fires arose from similar causes..

In like manner very creditable cloth-workers have certified, that after they have bought wool that was become wet, and packed it close in their warehouse, this wool has burnt of itself; and very serious consequences might have followed, if it had not been discovered in time...

The spontaneous accension of various matters from the vegetable kingdom, as wet hay, corn, and madder, and at times wet meal and malt, are already sufficiently known. Experiments have likewise repeatedly been made with regard to such phenomena, and it will presently appear, that hemp, or flax, and hemp-oil, have frequently given rise to dreadful conflagrations. Montet says: in the year 1757, а sort of sailcloth, called prelart, having one side of it smeared with ochre and oil, took fire in the magazine at Brest, where it had probably kindled of itself. It is not at all unlikely that many fires in sea. ports have arisen from these selfaccensions; as it has often, hap pened that, after the strictest ell quiry,

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fire broke out, there was found parcels of matting, tied together with packthread, in which the soot of burnt fir-wood had been mixed with oil, for the purpose of painting the ship's bottom, it came into our mind, that, at the fire which happened last year at the hemp-ware. houses, the following cause, among others, was assigned, that the fire might have proceeded from the hemp being bound up in greasy mats, or even from such mats having lain near the hemp: therefore, neglect not to guide your father inquiries by this remark."

As, upon juridical examination, as well as private enquiry, it was found that, in the ship's cabin, where the smoke appeared, there lay a bundle of matting, containing Russian lamp-black, prepared from fir-soot, moistened with hemp-oil varnish, which was perceived to have sparks of fire in it at the time of the extinction, the Russian admiralty gave orders to make various experiments, in order to see whether a mixture of hemp-ol, varnish and the forementioned Russian black, folde up in a mat and bound together, would kindle of itself.

They shook forty pounds of firwood soot into a tub, and poured about thirty-five pounds of hempoil varnish upon it; this they let stand for an hour, after which they poured off the oil. The remaining mixture they now wrapped up in a mat, and the bundle was laid close to the cabin, where the midshipmen had their birth. To avoid all suspicion of treachery, two officers sealed both the mat and the door with their own seals, and stationed watch, of four sea-officers, to take notice of all that passed the whole night through; and, as soon as any

smoke should appear, immediately to give information to the commandant of the port.

The experiment was made the 26th of April, about eleven o'clock A. M. in presence of all the officers named in the the comm commission. Early on the following day, about six o'clock A. M. a smoke appeared, of which the chief commandant was immediately informed by an officer; he came with all possible speed, and, through a small hole in the door, saw the mat smoking. Without opening the door, he dispatched a messenger to the members of the commission; but, as the smoke became stronger, and fire began to appear, the chief commandant found it necessary, without waiting for the members of the commission, to break the seals and open the door. No sooner was the air thus admitted, than the mat began to burn with greater force, and presently it burst into a flame.

The Russian Admiralty being now fully convinced of the self-enkindling property of this composition, transmitted their experiment to the Imperial Academy of Sciences; who appointed my friend Mr. Georgi, a very learned and able adjunct of the Academy, to make farther experiments on the subject, and to him I am chiefly indebted for this account; though, being myself at the time upon a visit to some of my old parishioners at Cronstadt, I made myself acquainted with many of the circumstances on the spot.

The experiments of this ingenious chymist are of great importance. as they form a valuable addition to our knowledge on the subject; and are very remarkable from the occasion that led to these discoveries.

The