of its principal manufactures have gone to decay; and that the only one which is on the increase, is the distillation of ardent spirits.
The article New Holland supplies the information, which the publication of Captain Flinders' discoveries has put us in possession of respecting this island, since the article Australasia was written. The author of these articles, however, seems to have known nothing of the journeys of Mr Evans and Governor Macquarrie into the interior—a deficiency which, we doubt not, the attention of the Editor will take the earliest opportunity of supplying. In other respects the article is valuable; containing an accurate and well-digested account of the coasts and bays, the mineralogy, botany, and zoology, of this immense island; of its inhabitants, their arts, manners, and customs.
Our attention is next arrested by a very long article on Horology. We are told by the Editor, that he is indebted for this article to Mr Thomas Reid; and this may be regarded as a pretty sure pledge of its technical accuracy. On the whole, we consider it as the best account of horology that we have seen, so far as the practical part of it is concerned; and as many of the improvements on various branches of the art were invented by Mr Reid himself, no person, surely, could be better qualified to describe them. The departments of this curious art we shall merely mention, in the order in which they occur in Mr Reid's description. 1. The escapement, or 'scapement, that part of a clock or watch connected with their beats—on this part of the machinery Mr Reid has made several improvements; connected with the escapement is the remontoir, the intention of which is, that the movement passing through the wheels should, at intervals, be made either to wind up a small weight, or to bend up a delicate spring, which alone should give its force to the 'scapement; by which means the pendulum or balance was supposed to be always impelled by an equal and uniform force—Mr Reid has described a remontoir which he applied to the clock of St Andrew's Church in Edinburgh; 2. the compensation-balances, intended to counteract the effects of heat and cold on time-keepers; 3. balance or pendulum springs; 4. jewellery of pivot-holes; 5. machinery for going in time of working, invented by Harrison—a contrivance of his own for this purpose is described by Mr Reid; 6. the dividing or cutting engine; 7. equation-clocks, an ingenious contrivance to show both mean and apparent time, invented in London about 120 years since; 8. repeating clocks and watches;. 9. compensation-pendulums, two kinds of which have been invented by Mr Reid, the one with a zinc tube and steel rods, the other with a glass tube; 10. wooden pendulum-rods, on which Mr Reid made some experiments, which he details; 11. on the sympathy or mutual action of the pendulums of clocks; 12. on turret-clocks; 13. on the method of fitting up astronomical clocks; 14. on chimes and bells.
To the amateurs of gardening, the article Horticulture must prove an exquisite treat; while to the practical gardener it will afford much valuable instruction. It is evidently written by a person who not only understands the subject in all its practical details, but who has brought to that delightful study an elegant taste, and a philosophical mind. We cannot afford, at present, to give any analysis of so long an article, or even to mention the various topics which it comprehends. His own definition of Horticulture, however, will give some idea of the principal branches into which the subject is divided. "By the term horticulture," he observes, "is to be understod the whole management of a garden, whether intended for the production of fruit, of culinary vegetables, or of flowers. The formation of a garden may be included also, to a certain extent, under this subject: draining, enclosing, and the forming of screen plantations and hedges, may be considered as parts of horticulture, while the general situation of the fruit and the flower gardens, in regard to the mansion-house, and the position of some of their principal component parts, as shrubberies, hot-houses, parterres, and walks, belong more properly to landscape-gardening."
Thus we have adverted, in a very cursory manner, to the leading articles in this half-volume. It contains, besides, several excellent articles in biography, geography, &c. On the whole, we think that this number supports well the credit of its predecessors.
