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And trouble of obtaining them was, as we have endeavoured to show, so great, that few could possess them in any quantities, except sovereign princes, or persons of very great wealth. The intellectual power of mankind was consequently completely undisciplined-there was 10 such thing as a combination of moral power-the experience of one age was not woven into the fabric of another-in short, the intelligence of a nation was a fope of sand. Now, how wonderful is the contrast between this picture of the dark age which preceded the invention of printing and the busy establishment which only for a few moInents we have just left!

The distinction between the chrysalis and the butterfly but feebly illus. trates the alteration which has taken place, since by the art of printing, science has been enabled to wing its rapid and unerring course to the remotest regions of the globe. Every man's information is now received and deposited in a common hive, containing a cell or receptacle for every thing that can be deem ed worth preserving. The same fucility attends the distribution of information which characterises its collec. tion. The power of a man's voice is

longer the measured range to which he can project his ideas; for even the very opinion we have just uttered, the very sentence we are now writing-faulty as they may both be -printed by steari, and transported by steam, will be no sooner published than they will be wafted to every region of the habitable globe,-to India, to America, to China, to every country in Europe, to every colony We possess, to our friends, and to our foes, wherever they may be.

Although four centuries have not elapsed since the invention of the noble art, yet the origin of this transcendent light, veiled in darkness, is still, a subject of dispute! No certain record has been handed down fixing the precise time when the person by whon-and the place whence this art derived its birth. The latent reason of this mystery is not very creditable to mankind; for prinfing having been as much the counterfoit as the substitute of writing, from sheer avarice it was kept so. completely a secret, that we are told an artist, upon offering for sale a

number of Bibles, which so miraculously resembled each other in every particular that they were deemed to surpass human skill, was accused of witchcraft, and tried in the year 1460.--Quarterly Review.

WE have always thought it strange, that while the history of the Spanish empire in America is familiarly known to all the nations of Europe, the great actions of our countrymen in the East shouid, even among ourselves, excite little interest. Every schoolboy knows who imprisoned Montezuma, and who strangled Atabalipa. But we doubt whether one in ten, even among English gentlemen of highly cultivated minds, can tell who won the battle of Buzar, who perpetrated the massacre of Patna, whether Surajah Dowlah riled in Oude or in Travancore, or whether Holkar was a Hindoo or a Mussulman. Yet the victories of Cortes were gained over savages who had no letters, who were ignorant of the use of metals, who had not broken in a single animal to labour, who wielded no better weapons than those which could be made out of sticks, flints, and fish bones, who regarded a horse-soldier as a monster half man aid half beast, who took a barquebusier for a sorceror, able to scatter the thruder and lightning of the skies. The people of India, when we subdued them, were ten times as numerous as the vanquished Ameri. cans, and were at the same time quite as highly civilized as the victorious Spaniards. They had reared cities larger and fairer than Saragossa or Toledo, and buildings more beautiful and costly than the cathedral of Seville. They could show bankers richer than the richest firms of Barcelona or Cadiz, viceroys whose splendour far surpassed that of Ferdinand the Catholic, myriads of cavalry and long train's of artillery which would have astonished the Great Captain. It might have been expected, that every Englishman who takes any interest in any part of history would be rious to know how a handful of his countrymen. separated from their home, by an immense ocean, subjugated, in the course of a few years, one of the greatest empires in the world. Yet, unless we greatly err, this subject is, to most readers, not only insipid, but positively distasteful.-Edinburgh Review

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PROPOSITION TO CROSS THE ATLANTIC IN A facility. In 1836, Mr. Green made s

BALLOON.

Mr. C. Green has published the following statement of the grounds upon which he founds his assertion of the possibility of making a journey in a balloon from New York, across the Atlantic, to Europe. He states, that balloons inflated with carburetted hydrogen, or common coal gas, will retain this fluid unimpaired in its buoyancy, and very slightly diminished in quantity, for a great length of time; whilst, on the contrary, the pure hydrogen is so subtile a gas, and capable of so great a degree of temnity, as to escape through the imperceptible pores of the silk, whether prepared in the ordinary manher, or by means of disolved India rubber. These facts are the result of observations made during 275 ascents; on many of these occasions a smaller balloon has been filled by a neighbour. ing, gas works, and has been brought a distance of five or six miles to fill that in which he intended to ascend, containing, in many instances, its contents nearly the same in quantity and quality for nearly a week. The aeronaut has travellled 2,900 miles with the same supply of gas, and could have continu ed its use for three months, if necessary. As to making a voyage from America to Europe, Mr. Green dates its possibility from the following facts:On all occasions in which the balloons in which he and other aeronauts have gained an altitude beyond the lower cur rent of air, or land breezes, they found one uniform current of air coming from the Atlantic, and blowing west, north west, or west by north, whilst the under winds, from different causes, were blowing from points completely at variance with the above; the ascent of the machine into these upper currents is perfeetly easy, and the same altitude may be kept for an indefinite time with equal

proposition at Paris to cross the Atlantie in a balloon, when he received a letter from Admiral Sir Sydney Smith, confiring his observations as to the directions of upper currents, and in which that gallant officer states his conviction of the safety of the proposed undertaking, and his readiness to accompany the aeronaut from New York to Europe in his balloon. It must be kept in mind that a balloon is not borne along as is a ship, by the force of the wind, having to overcome the impediment interposed by passing through a denser element like the water, but is a body, lighter than the air itself in which it floats, and is wafted at the same speed as the air itself travels, as if it were part of the moting body. The wide expanse of sea offers no impediment to the undertaking, and a machine as large as the Nassau balloon could easily be fitted up for the reception of three persous, and victualled for three or four months if necessary. The machine could be lowered to the. earth and ascend as often as it pleased the voyagers, by the adoption of the same plans as those used in the voyage to Germany. Mr. Green, having es tablished the facts of a current of air continually passing round the earth in the direction of west-north-west, the capability of his machine to retain the carburetted hydrogen gas for an unlimitted time, and of its power of sustaining itself in the air for weeksunder these circumstances, and trusting to the faith he has always endeavoured to keep with the public, as to claim their confidence on this occasion. offers. to take upon himself to traverse the Atlantic from New York to England in a balloon to be constructed for that, purpose, and that he will make the experiment without any reward for his exertions.-Mechanics' Magazine.

ERRATA.

Page 5, line 9, for "wanted," read "wonted."

Page 9, Stanza 1, for "jungle,-forest," read "jungle-forest."

REGISTER OF WEATHER AT THE MADAWELLATENNE ESTATE

FOR JULY 1840.

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The early part of this month gave promise of a continuance of very favorable weather for all operations in agriculture, and more particularly for Coffee Planting not only from the steady and copious showers of rain, but from the probability of their continuance owing to the hot weather of the preceeding months; these expectations were, however, not realized, as towards the middle of the month, hot and dry weather set in, and continued for 8 or 9 days, raising great fears in the whole of the seven Korles that the supply of rain would not enable the cultivators to sow their Paddy: however, a few heavy showers after the 16th about the hills on the Kandy side enabled the owners of land to commence ploughing-but on the Kornegalle side enough rain has not yet fallen, for Rice cultivation.

Throughout July however the Planters of Coffee have not been much interrupted in their operations as upwards of 100 acres were planted in the month, all of which give very fair promise.

Only 10 inches of rain have fallen, during this month, a quantity far below the average supply. The season has been one of unprece dented heat and drought, and it has produced sickness to an alarming extent, principally fevers, of which very many cases proved fatal in the early part of the month; but the few latter days produced a change favorable to the sanitory state of this part of the Central Province.

KOBBE GALLA.

Madawellatenne, near Kandy,

July 31st 1840.

DIARY KEPT IN THE VALE OF DOOMBERA-NEAR KANDY.

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July 15th to 22nd.-Strong winds and frequent flying showers have prevailed during this week. Thermometer average 72 6 A. M. 75o 2 p. M. 735 6 P. M. Operations. All the Estates in this part of the country are taking advan. tage of the cool showery weather to form nurseries and plant out young trees, in which considerable progress has been made. The old plants are, with few exceptions, looking remarkably well, and the berries, under the weight of which their boughs are bending, are fast filling out. The health of the neighbouring estates is decidedly better, though there are still cases of fever and dysentry occurring.

July 23rd to 31st-During the early part of this week we had heavy rains and strong breezes, with cool, cloudy mornings: Thermometer average 71 6 A.M. 73 2 P. M. 72, 6 P. M., Operations are confined to planting out, and form. ing nurseries as last week. Every one is busily occupied at this work for we cannot calculate upon a long continuance of these cool days, so favorable to the growth of the young plants. The weather already appears to be breaking up. No decided improvement in the general health of these Estates though cases of fever are less frequent.

August 1st to 7th-During this week very strong winds from the S. W. have prevailed accompanied by clouds and light showers. Altogether the climate has been very cool and pleasant. Thermometer average 72 6 A. M. 75 2 P. M. 74. 8 P. M. Operations same as last week. Though much rain has not fallen the little that has, and the cloudy weather that accompanied it, have been of great use to newly planted parts, nurseries, &c., by allowing their roots to take easy hold of the ground and to draw some nourishment and strength before, the dry weather set in. All trees in bearing are looking well and the, fruit is progressing in size. Notwithstanding the cool weather we have hard, intermittent fevers are still prevalent with colds and coughs; sufficient rain has not yet fallen to produce a healthy state of the atmosphere.

August 8th to 15th.-Fair and dry during this period with a little windy weather and distant thunder on one or two evenings, otherwise is has been fine with a hot, bright sun during the day and strong drying wind from the S, W.-Thermom. aver.. 75. 6 A. M. 780 2 P. M. 76 8. P. M. Operations. This dry weather is all-important for cleaning both old and newly planted estates, on which weeds and jungle have sprung up during the recent rains, also for clearing such land as may be required for planting. In both of these much is being done on the surrounding estates.-Fevers and colds still hang about, though upon the whole, the country is in an improved štätə of health, B. D.

Vale of Doombera, August 16th, 1840.

COLOMBO:

PRINTED AT THE HERALD FERSS.

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AMONG the signs which portended the fall of Roman greatness, the eloquent historian of the Decline and Fall of that mighty empire remarks the state of literature. "The name of Poet was almost forgotten; that of Orator was usurped by the sophists. A cloud of critics, of compilers, of commentators, darkened the face of learning; and the decline of genius was followed by the corruption of taste."

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