Affairs in Prussia, and
undeniably one of the most brilliant Germans now living, recently
appeared with great success in the character of a philologist before the
Academy of Useful Sciences at Erfurt. A much larger audience than usual
present, drawn thither by the oratorical reputation of the General, who
was announced to deliver an essay on the Development of the Celtic Race
in England, and especially in Wales. Great was the astonishment, when,
instead of the usual thick manuscript, the General drew forth a single
sheet containing his notes, and proceeded to speak from it for above an
hour. He dwelt with pride on the fact that a German (Dr. Meyer, the
private secretary of Prince Albert) had cast a reconciling light on the
long contest between English and Erse archaeologists. He then said there
had been two Celtic immigrations, an eastern and a western. The latter
was the more ancient and important; its route was through Syria,
Northern Africa, and Spain, to England, where it appeared in three
phases, one under _Alv_, whence the name of the country Albion (_ion_, a
circle, an isolated thing, an island); another under _Edin_, whence
_Edinburgh_, in old documents _Car Edin_ (_Car_ Breton, _Ker_ burgh, as
in Carnaervon, Carmarthen, &c.); and the third under _Pryd_, whence
_Britain_ (_ain--ion_). Such etymologic analyses marked this brilliant
discourse. _Fingal_ he derived from _fin_ fair, and _gal_ a stranger,
and proved the affinity between the _Gauls_ and _Gael_, the later word
meaning vassal, while Gaul comes from _gal_. In the second part of his
essay he demonstrated that the Celts were the inventors of rhyme, and in
the discussion which followed maintained this position against several
distinguished philologists who were present.

* * * * *

MR. CAGNIARD LATOUR has brought to the notice of the Paris Academy of
Sciences a process for making artificial coal, by putting different
woods in a closed tube, and slowly charring them over burning charcoal.
The coal varies in character according to the age and hygrometric state
of the woods employed. The wood of young trees is converted into a
glutinous coal; the old wood, of dry fire, into a dry coal. But these
last, if soaked in water before being placed in the tube, give a
glutinous coal like the young wood, and sometimes a brown rosin, similar
to asphaltum.

* * * * *

A scientific Congress has been sitting i