perintendents, &c. They are supported, for the most part, by government.

There are also agricultural, or rural, schools, in Switzerland, Ireland, &c., which are usually designed for the poor, who will devote themselves to agriculture. The instruction is confined to the inferior branches, and is connected with manual labor in the field. The celebrated institution of Fellenberg, at Hoffwyl, is of a higher character.

Special schools of arts, mines, and manufactures, are also established, which give ample courses of instruction in elementary learning, with a particular reference, however, to some one art or class of arts. Of this nature, is the polytechnic school of Paris, which educates those who are intended for military service, civil engineering, &c.; the school of roads, bridges, and mines, in France, the school of mines, in Saxony, the industrial school of Lyons, in France, connected more especially with the silk manufacture, &c. &c. &c.

Theoretical instruction is combined, more or less, in these schools, with practice. The student goes through the manipulations in chemistry, modelling, drawing, &c., and also (in Germany, not in France) in the particular art of trade for which he is destined. Much difficulty has been experienced, however, in conducting the latter branch of instruction. Experience, in Germany, seems to have taught, that, in the case of some arts, (such as masonry, carpentry, joinery, &c.,) the manual and theoretical parts cannot be combined, and hence young men, intended for these, are, in some schools, required to have served an apprenticeship at their trade before entering. In other arts, (such as dyeing, glass-cutting, carving, engraving, machine-making, &c. &c.) a certain portion of time is given to practice, either in workshops belonging to the establishments, in large manufactories in the vicinity, or in smaller shops, occupied by mechanics, in the town, who, in consideration of being allowed to attend lectures, &c., will teach the pupils for a few hours, weekly, the use of

tools, the operations, &c. Of these three methods, the last is probably the best, as involving less expense, and yielding more real instruction, than the first, and securing a greater variety of practice and instruction, than the second.

The only institution of this kind, known to us, in the United States, is the Rensselaer Institute at Troy, New York, founded, and for many years sustained, by the late Stephen Van Rensselaer, of Albany.

NOTE ON THE COTTON MANUFACTURE.

Since the preceding pages were in type, we have received a highly interesting work by Mr. James Montgomery, superintendent of the York Factories, in Saco, Maine, and published in Glasgow, Scotland, on the Cotton Manufacture of the United States, contrasted and compared with that of Great Britain. We have not room, in the short space allowed for this Note, for even a summary of the very important facts presented in this volume. We might otherwise have drawn from it many striking illustrations of the principle which it has been our object to enforce,-the connexion of science and intelligence with improvement in the arts,especially in reference to the condition of the manufactures in this Country, and the prospects which await them on the expiration of legislative protection. The comparative expense of manufacturing cotton in this Country and Great Britain is exhibited in detail, with a description of the machinery and processes that are peculiar to either country, and their cost in each. From this comparison, it appears that nothing but a high degree of skill can hereafter enable our manufacturers to compete, successfully, with their more experienced rivals abroad. The cost of buildings and machinery, and the expense of working the cotton, is considerably less there than here. This, however, is somewhat more

than counterbalanced by the diminished cost of the raw material to the American manufacturer. But it may well be doubted, whether this difference will be sufficient to protect any manufactories, but such as are managed with that high degree of skill which adequate knowledge alone can impart. The immense amount of the interests involved renders this a question of vast consequence to our whole community, and the accumulation of facts here presented has a very important bearing upon it. It were foreign to our purpose, even if we had room, to speak of the value of the details in this volume, to the manufacturer himself, in conducting his operations, although we conceive it must be of great advantage to him, by enabling him to compare his own processes and their results, with those of others, both in our own Country and Great Britain.

Mr. Montgomery says, that the preliminary processes of assorting and preparing the cotton, and the picking and spinning, are better done,—that is, with more care, and with better machinery, and therefore more perfectly, in Great Britain, than in America; but that the weaving is quite as well done here, as there. If this observation is well founded, there must be ample scope among us for the exercise of ingenuity and skill, until the improvement in one department shall be at least equal to that in the other; and until a reduction shall be effected of the cost of manufacturing, which is now nineteen per cent. greater here than it is in Great Britain.

GLOSSARY

OF WORDS AND PHRASES

NOT EASILY TO BE UNDERSTOOD

BY THE YOUNG READER.

[Many names of persons and places, terms of art, &c., which occur in this Volume, will be found explained in one of the passages where they occur. For these, see INDEX.]

Abusion, abuse, impropriety.

Ad infinitum, to infinity.

Adze, or Addice, a tool of the axe kind, used by coopers and carpenters for cutting thin chips from timber, having its blade thin and arching, and its edge at right angles with the handle. Aeriform, having the form or nature of air.

Agincourt, a village in France, celebrated for a battle, fought October 25, 1415, between the French and English, in which the latter, commanded by King Henry V., were victorious, though the French army was seven times more numerous than the English, and the latter, destitute of almost every thing, and reduced by sickness, had, before the battle, requested peace on disadvantageous terms. The French lost twenty-four thousand men, the English sixteen hundred. Albumen, a substance found in living bodies, which coagulates, or becomes hard, by heat. White of egg is an example. Alchymists, the professors of Alchymy, an art which originated in Arabia, in the fourth century, and was afterwards much cultivated in Europe. It had for its object the transmutation or change of other metals into gold, and the power of curing all diseases, and renewing and prolonging life. This was to be effected, as they supposed, by a substance of which they were in search, and which they called the elixir of life, or, the philosopher's stone. Though engaged in what is now known to have been a visionary object, they rendered great service to science, and particularly to chemistry; many really valuable discoveries having been made by them, while in the fruitless pursuit of the imaginary philosopher's stone.' Alcuin, (Flaccus Alcuinus, or Albinus,) an English scholar, the most learned and polished man of his time. He was born A. D. 732, and died A. D. 804. He was Abbot of Canterbury, but in 782, on the invitation of Charlemagne, (or Charles the Great,) he went to France, where he became the instructer and confidential adviser of that monarch, and continued to be so till A. D. 801. He established various schools, and labored to diffuse through Europe a knowledge of the sciences. He left numerous works in theology and philosophy, which were published in 1617, and again, in a more complete edition, in 1777. The Academies of Tours, Paris, and many others, were either founded, enlarged, enriched, or instructed, by him, or through his influence with Charlemagne. Alkali, (plural alkalies,) a substance that has the property of combining with, and neutralizing the properties of, acids, producing salts by the combination. Alkalies change most of the vegetable blues

and purples to green, red to purple, and yellow to brown. Caustic alkali, an alkali deprived of all impurities, being thereby rendered more caustic and violent in its operation. This term is usually applied to pure potash. Fixed alkali, an alkali that emits no characteristic smell, and cannot be volatilized or evaporated without great difficulty. Potash and soda are called the fixed alkalies. Soda is also called a fossil, or mineral alkali, and potash, the vegetable alkali. Volatile alkali, an elastic, transparent, colorless, and consequently invisible gas, known by the name of ammonia, or ammonical gas.

Ammonia, see the preceding article.

Anacharsis, a Scythian philosopher, who flourished about B. C. 582. He was brother to the King, Saulus, and went to Athens, on an embassy, in the time of Solon, by whom he was much esteemed. He was admitted by the Athenians to the honor of citizenship, being the only stranger upon whom that honor was ever conferred. On his return to Scythia, he attempted to change the customs of his country, and introduce the civilization and worship of Greece; but he was slain by the king, before he was enabled to put his design in execution. He was esteemed one of the seven wise men of Greece. Anderson, (James, LL.D.,) a celebrated Scotch agriculturist and author, who was born near Edinburgh, A. D. 1739, and died Oct. 15, 1808. At an early age, perceiving the importance of a scientific acquaintance with agriculture, he entered upon the study of chemistry, and pursued, at the same time, several other branches of useful knowledge. He published many valuable works on agriculture and other subjects, among which, was a 'Correspondence with General Washington.' Anglo-Saxon, an appellation given to the language spoken by the English Saxons, or inhabitants of England in the latter part of the fifth century, (A. D. 450, and after.) The name England is derived from the Angles, a tribe who settled there about A. D. 440. They formerly inhabited ancient Germany, as did also the Saxons, who came over to England about the same time.

Anthracite, one of the most valuable kinds of mineral coal. It is very abundant in the United States.

Appert's process, a method of preserving articles of food from decay, brought into notice by M. Appert, in a work published by order of the French Minister of the Interior, and entitled, 'The Art of preserving all Kinds of Animal and Vegetable Substances for several Years."

Arai, or araie, array, pomp, splendor, show.

Archil, (or archilla, called also rocella, and orsielle,) a whitish moss, which grows upon rocks in the Canary and Cape de Verde Islands, and yields an extremely beautiful and rich purple tincture. When prepared for dyeing, it is called litmus, or lacmus. Archimedes, the most celebrated among the ancient geometricians, born at Syracuse, in Sicily, about two hundred and eighty-seven years before the birth of our Saviour. He was the inventor of several of the most important mechanical powers, such as the compound pulley, the endless screw, &c.; and is reported to have said, he would move the world, if he could find a fulcrum, or point, without it, on which he could stand and place his lever. He is also said to have constructed lenses or burning glasses, of such great