PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTLONS, ACCOUNT"_ Preſent Undertakings, Studies, and Labours, _ o F T H E . I N G _ E N I O U 8, ' - I N M A N Y Conſiderable Parts of the W O R L D. VOL. LII. PART l. For the Year 1761. 'LOND'ON: Printed for L.DAV1S and C. Rz YM na s, Printers to the ROYAL Socrx'rv, againſt Graſs-[un Gate, in Holbom. M.DCC.LXII. A: BZCGZI -. -* E R R A T A. Page 21 I, Line 6 from bottom, read June inſtead of 5. Page 212, Line 3 from bottom, read 55" inſtead oſ 5" . ' u'L---.__-_-4_.' .. ADVERTISEMENT. l HE to direct Committee the publication appointed ofby thethe Royalsz'lcybpbzſical Society Tranſtzctiom, take this opportunity to acquaint the public, that it fully appears, as well from the council books and journals of the Society, as from repeated declarations, which have been made in ſeveral for mer Trarzſtzctzbm, that the printing of them was al; ways, fromtime to time, the ſingle act of the re . ſpective Secretaries, till the Forty-ſeyenth Volume. And this information was thought the more neceſſary, not only as it has been the common opinion, that they were publiſhed by the authority, and under the di rection, of the Society itſelf; but alſo, becauſe ſeveral authors, both at home-and abroad, have in their writ-t ings called them the Trarffactinm qf the Royal Sociegr. Whereas in truth the Society, as a body, never did intereſt themſelves anyf-'fiirther in their publication, than by occaſionally recommending, the revival of them to ſome of their ſecretaries, when, from the par ticular circumſtances of their affairs, the Tranſtzctiom. had happened fOr any length of time t_o be intermitted. And this ſeems principally to have 'been done with a. vkw to ſatisſy the public, that their uſual meetings were then continued for the improvement of know ledge, and benefit of mankind, the great ends of their firſt inſtitution by the Royal Charters, and which they have ever ſince ſteadily purſued. - But the Society being of late years greatly inlarged, and their communications more numerous, it was thought adviſeable, that a Committee of their Mem bers ſhould be appointed to reconſider the papers read before them, and ſelect out of them ſuch, a: they VoL. LII. a ſhould I 5-' .'.ADVER'TISEMENT. ſhould judge moſt proper for publication in the future Trarffiactiom; which was accordingly done upon the 26 of March 17 52. And the grounds of their choice are, and will continue to be, the importance or fingu larity of the ſubjects, or the advantageous manner of treating them; without pretending-to anſwer for the certainty of the ſacts, or propriety of the reaſonings, contained in the ſeveral papers ſo publiſhed, which muſt ſtill reſt on the credit or judgment of their re ſpective authors. - lt is likewiſe neceſſary on this occaſion to remark, ' that it is an eſtabliſhed rule of the Society, to which they will always adhere, never to give their opinion, as a body, upon any ſubject, either of nature or art, that comes before them. And therefore the thanks, which arefrequently propoſed from the chair, to be given to the authors of ſuch papers, as are read at their accuſtomed meetings, or to the perſons, through 'witeſe hands they receive them, are to be conſidered. 'in no other light, than as a matter of civility, in re tprn for-the reſpect ſhewn to the Society by thoſe Communications. The like alſo is to-be ſaid with 'regard to the ſeveral projects, inventions, and curio fitiesof yarious kinds, 'which are often exhibited to the Society; the authors whereof, or thoſe who ex-= hibit them, frequently take the liberty to report, and even to certiſy in the public news-papers, that they have met with the higheſt applauſe and approbation. And therefore it is hoped, that no regard will here after be paid- to ſuch reports, and public notices; which in ſome inſtances have been too lightly creb dited, to the diſhonour of the Society. CON CONTENTS PART I. V'OL. Lll. I. N Account of the Uſe of' Furze in fl'ncing the Banks of Rivers : In a Letter to the Re-verend Stephen Hales, D. D. F. R. S. from the Reverend Mr. David Wark. p. I II. An Account of a remarkahle Han .* In a Letter to the Re'verend William Stukelcy, M D. F. R. S. from Thomas Barker, Eſg; p. 3 III. An Account of a Meteor fien in New England, and of a I/I/hirl-wind felt in that Country : In a Letter to the Re-v. Tho. Bitch, D. D. Secretary to the Royal Society, from Mr. John Winthrop, Profeffir of Phi loſophy at Cambridge in New England. p. 6 IV. A Letter from the Reverend Nevil Maficelyne, A. M Fellow of Trinity College, in the Univerſity of Cambridge, and F. R. S. to the Re-verend Dr. Bitch, Secretary to the Royal Society; containing a 'Theorem zff the Aherration of the Rays of' Light re fiacted through a Lens, on account ty" the Impe'fiction of the ſpherical Figure. p. 17 V. Extract of' a Letter ſrom the Ahheſi De la Caille, of the Royal Academy (ſ Science: at Paris, and F. R. S. to William Watſon, M. D. F. R. S. recommending _ to the Reverend Mr. Nevil Maſkelyne, F. R. S. to ' a 2 make CONTENTS. rnahe at St. Helena a Series of Ohſhr'vations for diſl _ covering the Parallax oſ the Moon. p. 2 l VI. A Letter from the Re-v. Nevil Maſkelyne, M A. F. R. S. to William Watſon, .M. D. F. R. S. p. 26 VII. A Diſſertation upon a Samnite Denarius, never' before puhliſhed: In a Letter to the Rev. Thomas Birch, D. D. Secretary to the Royal Society, from the Rev. John Swinton, B. D. of Chriſt-Church, Oxon, F.R. S. p. 28 VIII. 'An Account of an Eruption of Mount Veſuvius '. ' In a Letter to Philip Carteret Webb, Eſh; F. R. S. from Sir Francis Haſkins Eyles Stiles, Bart. F. R. S. p. 39 IX. Another Account of the ſame Eruption of Mount Veſuvius : In a Letter to Daniel Wray, Eſg; F. R. S. from Sir Francis Haſkins Eyles Stiles, Bart. F. R'. S. p_ 41. X. to Extract the Right of Honourable a Letter from the Earl Mr. ofMorton, Robert Mackinlay, F. R.ſſS. dated at Rome, the 9th January 1761, concerning the late Eruption of Mount'Veſuvius, and the Dtſtovery of an antient Statue of Venus at Rome. p. 44, XI. A Letter to the Re-v. Dr. William Brakenridge, Rector of' St. Michael Baffiſhaw, London, and F. R. S. concerning the Term and Period of Human: Life : In which the Inequalities in corffiructing, and the faffi' Conclnflons drawn from Dr. Halley's Breſlau Tahle are fully proved ; the ſitþpoſed extraordinary Healthſulnefi of that Place is. particularly examined, and confuted; and its real State egualled by divers Place: in England 3 the Imperfection of all the Tahles formed upon looo Lives is ſhewn 3 and a none-1 Method CONTENTS. propoſed to ohtain one much hetter : By T. W. A. M. p. 46 XII. of ExperimentsFrmſit-Trees, on tending thee/king to the diffitye too luxurFant them to Growthproduce Fruit : In a Letter to Mr. Peter Collinſon, F. R. S. from Keane Fitzgerald, Eſg; F. R. S. p. 71 XIII. An Account (ſ the Urtica Marina: In a Letter to Mr. Peter Collinſon, F. R. S. t from Joſeph Gaertner, M D. p. 75 XIV. A Catalogue of' the Fiſty Plants from Chelſea Garden, preſented to the Royal Society hy the wor ſhipful Company ofſſApothecarz'es, ſor the T ear 1760, A pzz'ſhant to the Direction-of Sir Hans Sloane, Bart. ,iſſ vMea'. Wilmer, Reg. M.' &5' D.Soc. clariffiReg. nuper Societatis Preeſes Phar'naceut. 5 hy John Lond. Soc. Hort. Chelſean. Prefectus Cs" Preelector. Botanic. - p. 8 5 XV. An Account of the Cicuta, recommended hy Dr. Storke; by William Watſon, M.D. F. R. S. p. 89 XVI. An Account of anuAnthclion ohſtrved near Ox ford: In a Letter to the Rev. Tho. Birch, D. D. ' Secreta'y'to'- the Royal Society, from the Rev. John Swinton, B. D. tffChriſt-Church, Oxon. F. R. S. - ' P- 4 XVII. An Account' of a Production of Nature at Du9n bar in Scotland, Iihe that of' the Giants-Cauſeway - 'in Ireland 5 hy the Right Reverend Richard Lord Biſhop ofXOſſory, F. R. S. ' . p. 98 XVIH. An Account of a remarkahſe Meteor ſeen at Oxford: In a Letter to the Rev..Thomas Bil'Ch, D. D. Secretary to the Rgral- Society, from the Rcv. john Swinton, B. D. oſ Chriſt-Church, Oxon. 'F- R- S- .P- 99 _ XlX. CONTENTS. XlX. An Account of ſome Productions of Nature in Scotland, reſtmhlz'ng the Giants-Cauſeway in Ire land: In a Letter to the Right Rewrend Richard Lord Biſhop of Oſſory, F. R. S. from Emanuel Mendez da Coſta, F. R. S. p. 103 XX, Elements of new Tables of the [Motions of Jupiter's Sole/lite; : In a Letter to the Rcv. Charles lVIaſon, Maſon, D. D. Woodwardian Profefflo'r in the Uni verſity of Cambridge, and F. R. S. from Mr. Ri chard Dunthorne. p. 105 £.XXI. Dz'fflertatio de Zoophytis, guam Regiee Societati Scientinru'n Anglia: Iegendam et judicandant prehet Job Baſter, Med. Doctor. dead. Cceſ Reg. Soc. An gl. et _H0lland. Sociur. _ p. 108 XXI I. An Account of an uncommon Pheenomenon in Dorſetſhire: In a Letter from John Stephens,.M.