MISCELLANEOUS.

Wellington Independent, Volume II, Issue 111, 4 November 1846, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

Magnificent Charitable Bequests. The late John Scott, Esq., formerly the celebrated surgeon oculist of the Royal Opthalmic Hospital, Moorfijld, who died on tbe 11th of April, posses, sed of funded and personal property amounting to £103,000, has by his will, made only in February last, bequeathed to trustees all his stock in the new three-and-a-half per cent. Bank Annuities, and also a policy on his life for £1000 to pay immediately after his decease the clear money arising therefrom to the treasurers of the undermentioned institutions, in the following proportions: Threetwelfth parts to the Church Missionary Society ; three-twelfth parts to the Church' Pastoral Aid Society; threeswelfth parts to the British and foreign Bible Society • onetwelfch-part to the London City Mission, one twelfth part to the London Missionary Society, and tbe.remaining one-twelfth part to the Clerical Education Society,'' Sergeant's Inn, Fleet-street. He leaves also to the same institutions, in the like proportions, on the decease of his wife, allpioperty, stocks, and funds under their marriage settlement over which he had a power of disposition. The charitable feeling of this worthy individual is highly commendable, and worthy of immitation. We refer more particularly to the unfettered character of these bequests, extending his l.berality alike to the Church and the Protestant Dissenters, the first, second, and last named of these institutions or societies being supported by members of the EsUbbsbed Church, and the fifh supported chiefly by Dissenters alone; whiht the two others, namely, the third and fourth, are maintained by both denomi'ations' The following clause tiken from the will, will show better his own motive for this his last act of benevolence: —" I make the foregoing disposition*, not with any vain ho|ie of,pe forming a meritorious act in the sight of a holy God, nor of .rendering the slightest' return for the unmerited mercies 1 have received, but with a view of extending to" the Redeemer's

brethren upon earth, the blessings of that free salvation purchased by a Saviour's blood, which has been so precious to my own soul.'' To lug executors the Rev. F- Storr, of Ottley, Suffolk, the Rev. R. C. Savage, of Nuneaton, Warwick, and Alfred Hamilton of Broad-street buildings, surgeon, he leaves £200 each. A pecuniaiy bequest To his sister, Mrs. Ann Ogle, who is amply provided for from his father's property. ■ He directs i his real copyhold and leasehold estates to b3 sold, excepting the house in' Park-lane, and to invest the proceeds in good securities, first paying thereout, and making provision for nil such calls and obligations ai he shall be liable to in respect of any railway shares actually standing in his name, and held by him or otherwise. And leaves the residue of his property to his wife, for her absolute use. The Manufacture of Crown and Flint Glass.—lt is well known that there is no country ia the world where the making of glass, of every description, has been brought to so high a perfection as in England. Her telescopes are considered as a little treasure by every nautical man throughout the world, for their purity and correctness of power. In optics we aie looked upon by all nations as the first, and of late years many foreigners have been over to this country, for the purpose of studying our method of fabrication. The French Government has offered high premiums in the improvement of this important branch of industry, and not very great ameliorations have been recently made in the manufacture of glass by M. Bontempts, director-in-chief of the extensive glass manufactory of Bhoisy le Roi. The following are the proportions employed in the composition of flint glass : — Flint Glass —sand, 43.5; oxide of lead, 435; carbonate of potash, 10 ; nitrate of potash, 3-— 100 portions. Crown Glass—silicum, 60; carbonate, of sod* at 90 deg., 25; carbonate of lime, 14; arsenic, I—loo. Tbe carbonate of soda, or part of it, may be substituted by borate of soda, as in this case crown glass is less likely to attract tbe humidity of the atmosphere, that being one of tbe greatest defects of this description of glass, and only overcome by a lengthened fusion. Pure crown glass can also be produced, and less subject to devitrification, in employing carbonate of potash instead of carbonate of soda ; but by this method, the opticians complain that it is not sufficiently dense, which oblige them to make too lengthened focusses. Great improvements are making ia the manufacture of glass in this country, and by the wise measure of Government, taking off tne obnoxious duty that oppressed this branch of industry, it is becoming daily more prosperous.—Alining Journal.

A Mossical Bed. — The last novelty from Germany is a musical bed, which receives ihe weary body, and immediately ' laps it in Elysium.' It is an invention of a mechanic in Bohemia, and is so constructed that by means of hidden mechanism, a pressure upon the bed causes a soft and gentle air of Auber to be played, which continues long enough to lull the most wakeful to sleep. At the head is a clock, the hand of which being placed at the hour the sleeper wishes to rise, when the time arrives, the bed plays a march of Spontoni, with drums and cymbals, and, in short, with a noise enough to rouse the seven sleepers.—London Mechanics' Magazine.

A New Metal.—There is a natural feeling of pleasure in communicating to others the first tidings of any new invention which is likely to be useful, without waiting till all the particulars cm be learnt. What I have now to inform you of is a new metal, which promises to be of very extensive use. The invention is that of a gentleman well versed in chemistry, who discovered it, I believe, iv making some other experiments. As it is being patented, the nature of its composition is not yet divulged, but I have been favoured with a sight of the opinions of three first-rate judges on its capabilities, which I will briefly state: —It is an alloy, not malleable— not more brittle than cast steel, which, in appearance, it much resembles, and may be used for nearly all the same purposes, as well as many others It is fusible at a much lower temperature, and is so hard as to mark glass, and the hardest steel. _ It is very close in the grain, and takes the very highest polish, which is a peculiar feature of it. It takes the finest cutting edge, and is very highly sonorous. With these properties it is obviously applicable to an immense number of things, among which may be stated all cutting tools, and, from the very high polish, to specula— to making bells of superior tone and size—and ornamental casting. Add to this, that its cost will be about half that of steel. I fear it will be thought that this is one of the too common over-statementß of expected capabilities, but from the position of the inventor, and those from whose opinions I have quoted, it may be expected to stand the tests to which it will be shortly put when the patents are completed.—lbid.

Sheffield—Extraction ov Needles from the Flesh.—A striking illustration of one of this class of cases, has just occurred in Shefiield. The subject, in this instance is a female servant, in the family of Mrs. Heppenstall of Upperthorpe, aad about 2Lor 22 years of age. It seems the young woman was recently under the care of a medical man, whose treatment produced salivation, subsequently to which she fanoieu that needles were slowly progressing from her laft shoulder to the arm, at some depth in the muscular substance. On Monday tbe pain became excruciatine, and presently one, and soon afterwards three, small needles were extracted frcm the fleshy part of the arm; and on the following morning two more, with part of a third ! They made their appearance partly above and partly below the elbow, and were perfectly bright and uncorroded. Mr. John Hep.' penstall, who drew out the latter portion of the needles, says they did not by any means easily come away; and that no blood followed from the "punctures. Next in interest to the curious fact of the undoubted extraction of so: many needles, is, the question howi they got into the young woman's flesh. Of this she can give no account, having no recollection of ever having either ,|Bwa|lowed them or received them into her body from any external accident; but she says that sometimes Bhe has felt the pricking of needles in. her chest,, while their progress down her arm was quite perceptible. She states also, that seven yeara since, or when about thirteen years of age, she recollects not fewer than fifty similar needles, - and pieces of needles, being extracted from one of her fingers in the course of a fortnight.—Sheffield Mercury.—(We mugt be excused for doubting the. accuracy of the latter part of,the statement.)—BsU's Messenger. -±,; :'■•-