ORIGINAL MISCELLANY.

SCIENTIFIC DOINGS.-Prof. Farrar's last lecture on astronomy, Thursday evening, at the Temple, and Mr. Fowle's, at the same place, the week before, upon the phrenological characteristics of the skull of the celebrated Whitfield, may be considered as the last of the series which have been given in the city, the present season.-Beside the foregoing, there have been no interesting scientific doings.

POPULATION OF THE WORLD.-From the Christian Philosopher, we take the following curious statistical calculation. If we suppose that, before the close of time, as many human beings will be brought into existence as have already existed, during by-past ages of the world, there will, of course, be found at the general resurrection, 290,000,000,000 of mankind. Vast as such an assemblage would be, the whole of the human beings here supposed, allowing six square feet for every individual, could be assembled within the space of 62,400 square miles, or on a tract of land not much larger than that of England, which contains, according to the most accurate calculations, above 50,000 square miles.

According to the inquiry of Dr. Hales, 7235 years are to be reckoned from the Creation to the present time; and, consequently, two hundred and twenty thousand millions of human beings will have existed since the Creation, which is more than 226 times the number of inhabitants at present existing.

TYRIAN PURPLE.-When the shell of the purple fish is carefully broken open, there appears a white vein lying transversely in a cleft, next to the head. In this tube is the fluid which gives the celebrated purple dye, so costly at one period in the history of the world, that Roman emperors monopolized all the articles of dress which were stained with it. Some recent experiments on this subject are quite interesting. When the vessel is punctured the liquor is of a light green, but soon changes to a dark green by exposure to the sun, and in a few minutes more, to a sea-green; then blue. Scarcely an hour elapses when it assumes a purplish red, and in one hour more, it takes the beautiful purple which is

never afterwards changed. Even under glass three inches thick, all these varieties of hue progressed as if nothing intervened between the cloth and the rays of light.

RINGS OF SATURN.-One of the rings of Saturn is 204,000, and the other 184,000 miles in diameter, and both move round that planet every ten hours, diffusing a light which must be equal to that of several thousand moons of the size of the earth's. Beside this source of light, Saturn has seven magnificent moons, of different magnitudes, all larger than ours, placed at different distances in celestial space, revolving about that beautiful world at different periods of time. Having within a few evenings had the happiness to witness the appearance of that splendid world and all its accompanying pageantry of attendant globes, through a telescope of only moderate powers, we involuntarily exclaimed, in the language of a well known writer, 'This is a visible and permanent emblem of the Majesty and Glory of their Creator!'

IDEA OF DISTANCE.—It has been computed, ayss Mr. Dick, that the earth, supposing it a solid globe, contains about 30,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, or 30 septillions of grains of sand, supposing a hundred grains of sand to be equal in length to an inch, and, consequently, a million of such grains for every cubical inch. If we use this number as a standard for estimating the number of cubical miles contained within the space which intervenes between us and the nearest stars, we shall find that the number of cubical miles comprehended within this space, is more than ten thousand millions of times greater than the number of the grains of sand contained in the globe on which we dwell.

PLANTS. The immense collection of Natural History, which may be seen at the Museum of Paris, shows that botanists are already acquainted with about fifty-six thousand different species of plants; and it is probable that these form but a very small proportion of what actually exist. Probably the industry of future ages will discover several hundred thousand species more. Some naturalists have supposed that there is not a square league of the earth's surface, that does not present some one vegetable production peculiar to itself.

A CITY IN THE MOON.-Schroeter conjectures the existence of a great city in the moon, to the north of Marius, (a spot marked by astronomers,) and an extensive canal towards Hygena, (another spot.) He believes a place, named by the learned, on the face of the moon, Mare Imbrium, to be as fertile as Campania. Professor Frauenhofer, of Munich, a few years since, announced the discovery of a fortification in this satellite! However, such is the perfection of telescopes, at this time, that an edifice as large as the capitol at Washington, might be clearly and distinctly seen. A vast celes tial field yet remains to be explored; for astronomy is really only in its infancy.

BRILLIANT SCINTILLATING FIRE, FOR FIREWORKS.-In China, the art of Pyrotechny is far better understood than in Europe. Instead, for example, of throwing in iron filings to give brilliancy to fireworks, they pulverize old cast-iron pots, till the grains are about the size of radish seed. They then sift the mass, and so, by sieves of different degrees of fineness, get several sized grains, which are used according to the nature of the exhibition. With these grains, however, mixed in the common rocket composition, the sparks are so exceedingly brilliant that the eye can scarcely endure the sight. Can any correspondent explain this fact, why old pot metal should possess this quality?

A WHISPERING TUNNEL.-Don Gauter proposed to build horizontal tunnels, widening at the remote extremity, through which, by actual experiment, he found that the ticking of a watch might be heard distinctly at the distance of four hundred fathoms, equal to half a mile. He calculated that a series of such tubes would convey sounds or articulate language, nine hundred miles an hour. His object was to supersede telegraphic communications. In the great wall of China, it is said that pipes were laid, and through them the sentinels hold conversation, from one post to another.

HITCHCOCK'S GEOLOGICAL REPORT.-A second edition of Prof. Hitchcock's valuable Report on the Geology, Mineralogy, Botany and Zoology of Massachusetts is in progress, by order of the State. Corrections and additions will unquestionably be made, that will render it one of the most valuable scientific works this country has produced.

MAMMOTH LENS.-A Mr. Parker, of London, a few years ago, constructed a lens three feet in diameter, which had a focus of six feet eight inches, weighing 212 pounds. By it, twenty grains of gold were melted in four seconds; ten grains of platina were fused in three seconds. This magnificent instrument was purchased by the British Government, we believe, to be sent as a present to the Emperor of China; and at this moment, without doubt, it lies among the rubbish of the celestial palace of Pekin, a memorial of English barbarian ingenuity.

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ANIMATED BEINGS.-Probably, there are 500 species of quadrupeds on the globe, and every species contains, perhaps, many millions of individuals;-certainly it is so of some. For example, of birds, it is thought there are 4000 species; of fishes, 2500; tiles, 700; and 44,000 different kinds of insects, beside many thousands of species altogether invisible to the eye. Who can say, and be rational, this vast variety of animated beings were the result of chance.

FOSSIL SHELLS.-At Touraine, in France, a hundred miles from the sea, is a bed of shells stretching nine leagues in extent, and twenty feet in depth, in which are included species not known to exist in the neighboring ocean. Humboldt found sea-shells on the Andes, at an elevation of 14,120 feet above the level of the sea. All the islands in Boston harbor rest on beds of marine weeds and the common shells found at their bases. These are all positive evidences of a general deluge.

MUSKET BALL IN A MAN'S BRAIN.-Dr. Heunen has recorded the following case of a French soldier, wounded at Waterloo. The ball entered the right eye; the left, though not in the slightest degree injured, to appearance, was nevertheless completely blind. Dr. Heunen felt carefully in the neighborhood of the wound, but could never find the ball. The patient was confident that it was in his brain, and under these circumstances he returned to France.

SOUND. In the war between England and Holland, in 1672, the noise of the guns was heard in those parts of Wales which were estimated to be two hundred miles distant from the place where they were fired.

POISONOUS FISH.-Eels, salmon, herrings and clams are the only fish, in this country, that are poisonous; and happily, it is only when individuals of these families have been feeding on something particularly injurious to themselves, that they are thought to be injurious to man. Sudden heat, distension of the stomach, fever, severe headache, nausea, vomition, with a rash, and a burning and intolerable itching of the skin, are the certain effects from this cause.

A MONUMENT TO PHILOSOPHERS.-In the city of Quang-Ping, which is of the first rank in the northern part of the province of Pe-tcheli, 212 miles south-south-west from Pekin, is a temple dedicated to the memory of those renowned philosophers who have discovered the secret of rendering themselves immortal!

WOLVERENE, Gulo arcticus, inhabiting northern Europe and America, is distinguished for its voracity. Usually, its size does not differ materially from that of the Badger. When a sufficient supply of birds and small animals cannot be procured, it is said to conceal itself on the horizontal branch of a tree, from which it drops on deer and other large quadrupeds which are passing beneath, and sticks so closely, that it cannot be shaken off. By extracting blood in considerable quantity, their prey becomes weakened, and finally is overcome by exhaustion. According to Dr. Richardson, the wolverene is extremely annoying to hunters, by devouring their stores of provision, and carrying off their martin traps. It has been known to visit daily a line of traps extending upwards of two miles, and to rob the whole of them of their baits, and of such animals as had been caught.

GREEN MONKEY. Simia sabæa.-In captivity it displays considerable malice as well as intelligence. Adamson found them in immense numbers in Senegal. Though in large troops, upon trees, he did not at first notice them, until his attention was aroused by their flinging branches of trees towards him. They were not at all frightened by the discharge of fire-arms, and preserved the most profound silence, even when they were wounded. The one which has been figured by M. F. Cuvier, was remarkably gentle. He was fond of being handled by those whom he knew, and expressed his satisfaction by a gentle grunt.