in one capacity he has recently organized the victories of the republic; in another he was formerly crowned as victor in the contefts of rival genius, by a French academy. He has allo diftinguished himfelf as a poet, particularly in the compofition entitled Le Fils de Venus. II. Paul François Jean Nicholas Barras, born in the department of the Var, and fprung from one of the most ancient families of France, is 42 years and 8 months old. When proclaimed member of the Directory, on the 25th of October 1795, be was in the 41st year of his age, having been born at Foxemphoux on the 30th of June 1755 the rumour, therefore, that he had not attained the age prefcribed by law, is totally unfounded. Both his pen and fword were em ployed against the ancient govern meut; and he affifted in perfon at the fiege of the Bastile. Elected to the Convention, he joined the Jacobins, and on all occafions has display. ed an energy of character, both mental and phyfical, characteristic of that political fect. Notwithstanding this, he at this moment protects Bergoieng, the only remaining member of the illuftrious and unfortunate deputation of the Gironde ! III. Letourneur, the fon of an honeft burgher," who had greatness of mind fufficient to refufe letters of nobility," was an officer of engineers, and obtained no higher rank than that of colonel in the army. He has fucceffively occupied the chief employments in the republic, and his conduct is here reprefented as fpotlefs, equally defying the shafts of envy and malice. IV. Jean Rewbell, an Alfacian by birth, and advocate by profeffion, is now 5 years of age. He has act ed as a commiffioner to the armies; a plenipotentiary with a neutral ftate (Pruffia,) and alfo with an allied one (Holland.) He is faid to be cold and even rude in his manners; but, in return, we are affured that he is frank and honelt, and poffeffes a generous and benevolent heart. V. Lepaux, a Vendean, was born August 25, 1753. Bred to the bar, but detefting the infolence of attor nies, and the chicanry of the law, he threw afide his gown, and, retiring to Angers, ftudied natural history, read lectures in a botanical garden, founded by himself. As a public. man, his conduct has always been pure; and he is here reprefented as a pattern in domeftic life, the adored husband of an affectionate wife, the beloved father of a grateful offfpring! Such is the eulogy pronounced by Defpaze, who affures us, that he is actuated with the pureft and moft independent motives. MARQUIS DE BOUILLE. (With particular pleafure we give place to the following Correction of our former notice of this Gentleman.). In fpring 1784, the Marquis having vifited London, the British planters and merchants here who were interested in the islands which had been conquered by the arms of France, but restored by the peace to Britain, after having fent a deputation to him, and prevailed on him to accept of a fplendid entertainment, at the London Tavern, had begun a very handfome fubfcription, in order to present him with a valuable fervice of plate; but the fame having been difcovered by the Marquis, he did very deci fively, though most politely declare, that his feelings would not permit him to accept of any coftly present, in gold or filver; yet he should not have any objection, but thankfully receive, and think himself highly honoured, by any marks of their good will and regard bestowed in fteelwork, in which the English so far furpaffed all other nations. In confequence, fequence thereof, a fteel-mounted fword, of which the hilt was efteemed of exquifite workmanship, faid to have been befpoke by order of the late Emprefs of Ruffia, for a prefent, but by accident left in the hands of Mr Grey, jun. in Sackville ftreet, was purchased; as alfo an epaulette, and a plaque de l'ordre du St Efprit, followed foon after by a very hand. fome pair of steel mounted pistols, in the Highland fashion, and finely ornamented with arms and emblems of war, from the Chamber of Commerce in Glasgow, accompanied with a refpectful complimentary letter, from their chairman; which presents were conveyed thro' the channel of Gen. Melville, as being well known to have enjoyed the friendship and ef teem of the Marquis de Bouillé ever fince 1767, when from Martinico he had paid a vifit to the General, at Grenada; then his Majefty's governor in chief of the ceded islands. What has been reported with regard to that very fword, which was thus prefented, having been rudely fnatched by a custom-houfe officer •ON On the fubject of the Marquis's public conduct, after the beginning of the revolution in France, particu larly with regard to the part he acted refpecting the fecret departure of Louis XVL for Montmedy, of which he was not the advifer, much lefs the projector; and on the confequences of that event, we have judged it to be moft proper to refer our readers to an authentic detail,which we learn, from refpectable authorities, is about to be published, in a new and interefting work on French events, in that period. NEW PATENTS INROLDED IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 1797. From the fame. MR RUSSELL'S Selenographia. N the 8th of November, letters patent were granted to John Ruffel, Efq. R.A. of Newman-fireet, London, for a new apparatus, named the Selenographia. This apparatus is defigned to exhibit the phenomena of the moon. It confitts of a globe, on which are expreffed the fpots on the moon's vifible furface, accurately taken by a micrometer, from the moon itfelf, and transferred to a globe; being carefully eugraved from the original drawings, made by actual and very minute obfervation; the lunar mountains being attended to and expreffed with great exactnefs. This globe is fixed to an inftrument, which is con trived to give it fuch motions as will defcribe the effects produced to the inhabitants of the earth upon the face of the moon, in its different degrees of elongation from the fun, under all ftates of libration, in longitude and latitude; inclination of the moon's equator to the plane of the ecliptic; the firft meridian of the moon, with the plane of the illuminated hemifphere; the apparent motion of the polar axis of the moon; and the motion of the moon's mean centre, while performing her periodical circuit round the earth, and revolution on her axis, during the whole cycle. Upon this globe (when required) are mode modelled the mountains or elevations on the furface of the moon, by which contrivance all the effects will be most completely exhibited together. As an appendage to the lunar globe, which has not the mountains, elevated, a spherical fegment is invent, ed, to be cast in a mould from the original model; and upon this are elevated the various mountains feen on the furface of the moon; and it may be fo coloured that those spots of the moon may be properly reprefented, which owe their respective luminous or their dark appearance, not to elevation, but to other caufes which render them confpicuous. The inftrument to move this globe confifts chiefly of circles, femicircles, and fegments of fpheres and of cir. cles, fo placed that the radius of each would unite in one common centre, which is that of the lunar globe it felf. Befides the evident ufe of an accurate delineation of the moon for aftronomical purpofes, particularly for the obfervations of lunar eclipfes, it cannot but be confidered as an ob. ject of great curiofity, that we should have an authentic record of the appearance of this our fecondary planet at a certain period; for although the face of the moon has not appear ed to be fubject to much change, fince the invention of the telescope has given us the means of accurately inveftigating it, yet there are ftrong reafons for fuppofing that it is not abfolutely immutable; nor is it pof, fible to fay how precious, in future times, fuch a reprefentation as this may become. Hevelius, the diligent obferver of the lunar phafes, at the end of his Selenographia, published in 1647, has strongly recommended fuch a globe as this of Mr Ruffell's; but we do not find any attempts were made towards its execution (though fo much defired by that great man, who fpoke of its utility) until the year 1745, when we are told that it was begun, and for feveral years, purfued, by that most eminent aftrono. nomer, Tobias Mayer. The editor of his pofthumous works obferves, refpecting thefe intended lunar globes, that it may poffibly afford pofterity fome confolation, though. indeed, but fmall, that the work was not ob ftructed by the death of Mayer; but that being engaged in other difcoveries, and for reafons it would concern but few to have related, that learned man had laid it afide a long time before his death; and, indeed, in such a manner, as it is related to me by his friends, that he expreffed himself much difpleafed if any one inquired after his lunar globes.”—Vol. I. page 105. Appendix. The advantages which the lunar globe has over common prints or drawings of the moon, were confidered by Hevelius and Mayer, to be ve ry great; and this opinion will appear the more reasonable, if we confider that, while a flat reprefentation defcribes the moon only at one given moment, from which it is continual, ly deviating, the lunar globe repre fents it at all times, and under all circumftances. It will be difficult to fay how feldom the moon can return to that ftate in which it will have perfectly the fame appearance as in any former inftance. Suppose an absolutely mean ftate of libration is inquired after; the moon must not only be in the line of apfides and of the nodes, but in the fame point of the ecliptic, or in that part of that moon's orbit which is diametrically oppofite; for it can only happen at that time when the points of the lunar axis are in the plane of the visible hemifphere of the moon, a concurrence of circumstances which many centuries together may not prefent us with; and the difficulty is greatly increased, by its being required that, to be per fectly in an apparent mean ftate of libration, the earth muft prefent the fame fame point of the equator to the moon, at the fame time when thofe other circumstances of her fituation may concur; the diurnal libration or parallax being itself very confiderable. If it be objected, that when the micrometer is forming triangles from the moon's furface, a fmall miftake may caufe much incorrectness between thofe parts which are near the general margin or boundary of the moon; it fhould, on the other hand, be confidered, that no greater error can arise from hence than in the first instance, which, with good management, will be very inconfiderable, and not really apparent; because the globe of the moon is viewed in the fame manner as the moon itself. But the above objection will, in fact, be applicable to any reprefentation of the moon whatever. The author fuggefts, that, as the libration gives different views at different times, from hence there is an ability of correcting fuch mistakes when difcover. ed, which the other means of reprefenting the moon does not fo well allow. This might be demonftrated; but a little reflection will prevent its neceffity. To be abfolutely certain that drawing of the moon in plano is correct, we must wait until the moon itfelf is in the fame ftate of libration, to compare it with the print or drawing; but the lunar globe, being view ed with a telescope, at the proper distance, it may be compared with the moon at any time, and its merits or demerits may thus be directly known. Many agreeable as well as ufeful experiments can be made during fuch a comparifon; but, for the fake of brevity, the defcription must be here omitted. Upon the globe of the moon are faintly marked three great circles, the one horizontal, the other two vertical; that which is horizontal reprefents the equator, which is placed upon that fpot of the moon named Cenforinus, and runs within three de grees north latitude of Grimaldus.→→ The fecond is the prime meridian, which, paffing through the poles, interfects the equator at a right angle, in that point which is the mean centre of the moon's libration. The third reprefents the boundary of vifion, when the moon is seen in the mean state of libration, and where this boundary interfects the prime meridian at a right angle, the two polar points of the moon are fituated, of courfe each is at 90 degrees of diftance from the equator.. A particular defcription of the inftrument defigned to move this globe of the moon, with all the uses to which it is to be applied, would be too long to be detailed in a publication of this nature (and without the copper-plates it could not be clearly understood;) but the following will give an idea of both. Upon the ftand, an hemifphere of brafs is placed within, and upon which the globe, and all the parts, are fixed, which give it motion. The bar which immediately communicates to the lunar globe all the motion from the other parts, enters it oppofite to that point where the equator and prime meridian unite. Upon its front are femicircles, which being graduated, determine the quantity of motion given behind. When the globe is moved horizontally, it fhows the libration in longitude; when moved by the pinion vertically, it exhibits the libration in latitude. Upon the edge of the brazen hemifphere are two marks, to denote the pole of the ecliptic, by an imaginary line drawn through them; round which, by means of a wheel, the apparent motion of the moon's polar axis revolves, both points of it being kept at the distance of two degrees and a half, by means of a pin in that wheel, attached to its guide, and placed out of its centre; by which a very peculiar motion is communicated to the lunar globe. On the wheel are the Signs of the zodiac, to fhow the points of fpace to which the moon's polar axis is at all times directed; and a moveable circle, on which are engraved divifions refpecting the periodical revolution of the moon, how ing when the moon's revolution, with refpect to the ecliptic, as feen from the earth's centre, is accomplished. On the fame circle are likewife engraved the divisions of the moon's fynodical revolution, by a continua tion of the divifions, marking the days and hours, &c. in a spiral direction under the former, to fill up the interval which is wanting between the accomplishment of the periodical and fynedical revolution; one index pointing to both. In the front a graduated meridian is fixed within the hemifphere; to this are attached the femicircles before mentioned: one reprefenting the ecliptic; and at right angles to it, another, named the Terminator; which, moving upon hinges, reprefents the boundary of light, in all ftates of the moon's elongation from the fun. This ter minator is defigned to fhow what Spots will appear in the plane of its iluminated hemifphere at any age of the moon, and in every degree of libration in latitude, longitude, and apparent polar obliquity. In front of the lunar globe, and fixed to the bottom of the brafs hemifphere, is an bottom of the brass hemifphere, is an arch, which fupports a fmall terref trial globe, to render familiar the effects of the earth's parallax, or diurmal and menftrual libration. For the convenience of observation, the terrestrial globe is made larger than the proportional angle which our globe fubtends as feen from the moon; but converging lines, upon a plane of brass, reduce it to its proper fize, viz. about two of the lunar degrees, at that end where this plate nearly unites to the large globe of the moon. This is a flight defcription of the Selenographia. Many curious and tructive experiments may be made with it, tending to examine the principles of the rotation and libration of the moon, from the appearances which the furface of the moon exhi bits, and which are reprefented by this apparatus. Befides which, it is apprehended that it will be very ufeful to thofe who are just entering upon the confideration of this subject, being the means of communicating to fuch perfons general knowledge, as well as particular and curious circumftances, in a more ready and agreeable manner than by the usual diagrams. MR THOMSON's Steps for Carriages. In November 1796, Letters PaThomfon, button maker, of Birtent were granted to Mr Edward mingham, for his invention of improved steps to coaches, chariots, landaus, &c. &c. fefs the peculiar convenience, that The steps on this conftruction pofthey may be let down and drawn up with the greatest eafe and certainty, by the perfon within the carriage, and do not require the affistance of a fervant. The conftruction is fimple, and the motion is produced by means of fprings; to explain the application of which, would require the aid of drawings. The patentee conceives they will prove of important fervice, in cafe of horfes taking fright, as the perfon or perfons within the carriage, may let down the steps, and leave it withwould be of confiderable conveniout difficulty. He alfo thinks they ence to perfons who do not keep a footman, not only in private carriages, but in poft chaifes, stages, and hackney coaches. MESS. CULLIFORD and Co.'s Piano- On the 31st of January 1797, letters patent were granted to Meff. Culliford, Rolfe, and Barrow, of Cheap-fide, for their newly invented grand and fquare Piano Fortes. The |