Remarks on the great
On the different pofitions of the Great
Occipital Aperture in Man and divers
Animals. by M. Daubenton.
T HE great occipital aperture, thro'

which the medullary fubftance is
to pafs from the cavity of the cranium
into the bony fheath formed by the vera
tebral column, or fpine of the back, is
the firft and principal of its ufes; but
it has another nearly of equal impor-
tance: Two points placed on the rim
of this aperture, and more prominent
than the reft, touch upon the first ver-
tebra of the neck, and conftitute a kind
of hinge, on which all the motions of
the head are performed.

It is moft probably on account of this afe, that arifes the difference which M. Daubenton has remarked in the pofition of this aperture in man, and in different animals.

The difference is indeed enormous; according to this gentleman's obfervafions, the great occipital aperture is in man, (A fig. I.) very nearly in the middle of the bafe of the cranium, almoft as far from the pofterior part of the occiput D, as the anterior part BC of the lower jaw. The head is well placed in point of equilibrium, as the vertical line paffing in the direction of the neck and body, would, being prolonged upwards, pafs through the top of the head.

The great occipital aperture in man, differs alfo greatly from that of animals in the direction of its plane. I fuppofe that the plane of this aperture paffes on its pofterior fide over the facettes of the condyloid apophyfis, and if prolonged forwards, it would traverse the man's face, and terminate under the orbits E of the eyes. It purtutes an almost horizontal line FG, which cuts nearly at right angles the vertical line of the body and neck, when the man keeps his head erect, without inclining it forward, or turning it backward.

In this attitude, the vifage is in an almoft vertical line, parallel to that of the body and neck; confequently the jaws extend not much forwarder than the forehead they are very short in comparison of thofe of moft animals, for the length of the under jaw, mea fured in man, from the chin H, to the pofterior fide I, of the condyloid apo physis, makes but one half of the length of the whole head taken from the chin H, to the occiput D, and about the ninth part of the height of the body from the anus to the top of the head, or (CENT, MAG. MARCH 1768.)

Occipital Aperture.

121

from head to foot.
the eighteenth part of the whole body

In quadrupeds, on the contrary, in fish and certain oviparous animals, as the toad, the occipital aperture is at the back of the occiput, and its plane makes almost a right angle with the line drawn from its centre to the bottom of the orbits.

Apes, and other animals of that fpecies, who affect equally the pofition of have the articulation of the head placed man and that of quadrupeds, ought to not fo near the bafe of the cranium, nor fo hear the extremity of the occiput as quadrupeds. And this in fact is remarkably the cafe in the Ouran-outang, or Angola ape. Its great occipital aperture (A. fig. 2.) is more than twice as far from the extremity BC, of the jaws, a's from the bottom D, of the occiput: inclined downwards, as may be feen by The plane of the great aperture is much the direction of the pointed line FG.

The pofition of the great aperture, ly the fame in all apes; but those who and the direction of its plane, are nearhave it neareft the bottom of the occiput, with its plane the most inclined,' are the Makis, these have the occiput D. (fig. 3.) more prominent than most animals, except apes. The great aperture A. is placed backward almost under the bottom of the occiput, and its plane FG is more inclined, the angle GAL being 47 degrees; the lower jaw Angola ape, but longer than that of man. CI is not fo long in proportion as in the

In molt quadrupeds, the occiput proplane of the great aperture is more injects lefs than in the Makis, and the clined; for example. in the dog; the angle GAL (fig. 4.) is more open than in the Maki (fig. 3.) horfe it is nearly 90 degrees. In the

Laftlý, birds, though they walk on two legs, are yet obliged to take up their fuftenance from the ground, and therefore the articulation, fhould be at the back of the cranium, as in effect it is. How many facilities muft thefe different fituations of the great aperture afford to animals of various fpecies, to fulfill the views which the author of nature has for them! The more we ftudy his works, the more we difcern the traces of his wifdom and infinite intelligence.

Mr. URBAN,

WHEN we read of an officer of the

crown in a northern court becom

ing a bankrupt for nine or ten tons of
gold,

122.

Mathematical Questions proposed.

gold, the fum feems to be fo immense,
as to be scarce credible; but in Hol-
land, and other parts of the north,
though they abound not in that metal
more than others, a ton of gold is a very
ufual expreffion in accounts. It may
therefore to explain this term
be proper
in few words, and to make it intelligible
to common readers. Now a ton of gold
is 100,000 florins, i. e. between 8 and.
9000l. fterling. But then the question
may be asked, how comes fuch a fum of
money to be called a ton of gold?
From hence, as I imagine, 100,000
florins in filver, weigh about a ton, fo
that it is really a ton of filver. And
accordingly, when they came to exprefs
the fame fum of money in gold, they
called it a ton, becaufe it was equal in
value, though not in weight. We, in
like manner, call two half-pennies in
copper, a penny, though they weigh a
great deal more than the penyweight,
and are only equivalent in value to a
filver penny. The above, Mr Urban,
is but a fhort and rough account, how-
ever it will be fufficient to give your
readers an useful idea of the expreffion
in queftion, whenever they may happen
to meet with it. I am Sir, &c..

T. Row.

Questions to be answered in the Maga-
zine for May next.

I. QUEST. (6) by Mr J. Rose, of
Chefham, Bucks.

a

A Ship certain

a fouth-west courfe, and arrived at the port of Lima, in the West Indies, whofe latitude is known to be 12° 1'S. and longitude 76° 50 W. but the latitude and longitude by the fhip's reckoning, were 12° 40', and 75° 40'; it is moreover known, that the variation of the needle is there 36° 40' wefterly. I demand the true latitude and longitude of the place failed from, and alfo the distance run.

II. QUEST. (7) by Mr T. Barker, of

Willet, in Suffolk.

Eighty pairs of stockings being put fingly, and promifcuously into a bag, I am allowed to take out 90 fingle stockings as they may happen to come up; I defire to know how many pairs there is a probability of falling to my share. I. QUEST. (8) by Mr Jof. Dymond,

of Brierly, Yorkshire.

It is required to cut off (geometrical-
) from a given circle, an arc, fuch,

that the chord and tangent may obtain
a given ratio.

IV. QUEST. (9) by Mr W. Gawith,
of Charter-House-fquare.

y

2

I 2

Given 4 x y ༤

2

2

xz=32y

2

2-47

xy

x = 2x + y2x2 + 2 x 1

Z and ху %=
xy+6%, to deter-
mine x, y, and z by common quadratic
equations.

V. QUEST, (10) by Mr J. Barber, of
Elham, near Canterbury.

Suppofe a given A AVC, whose fides (AV, CV) are uniform flender rods, and bafe (A C) parallel to the horizon, to revolve uniformly with a given velocity round its perpendicular (VD) as an axis; whilft a given ring (W) defcends along CV, and another ring (U) connected with the former by a flexible ftring, moving freely over the vertex of the A, afcends along AV; it is required to determine the time of defcribing C V.

The Speech of the Speaker of the Houfe
of Commons, when he reprimanded
Philip Ward, late Mayor of the City
of Oxford; John Treacher, Sir
Thomas Munday, Thomas Wife,
John Nicholes, John Philips, Ifaac
Lawrence, Richard Tawney, all of
the faid City; Thomas Robinfon and
John Brown, late Bailiffs of the faid
City; upon their knees, at the Bar of
the faid Houfe, upon Wednesday the
Tenth day of February 1768.

Philip Ward, John Treacher, Sir Tho-
mas Munday, Thomas Wife, John
Nicholes, John Philips, Ifaac Law-
rence, Richard Tawney, Thomas
Robinson, John Brown.
THE offence of which you have been

guilty has justly brought you under the fevere difpleasure of this house. A more enormous crime you could not well commit: fince a deeper wound could not be given to the conftitution itfelf, than by the open and dangerous attempt which you have made to fubvert the freedom and independence of this houfe.

The freedom of this houfe is the freedom of this country, which can continue no longer than while the voices of the electors are uninfluenced by any base or venal motive. For if abilities and integrity are no recommendation to the electors; if those who bid highest for

their

Reprimand of the Magiftrates of Oxford.

their voices are to obtain them from fuch deteftable confiderations, this houfe will not be the reprefentatives of the people of Great Britain. Instead of being the guardians and protectors of their liberties, instead of redreffing the grievances of the fubject, this houfe itfelf will be the author of the worst of grievances they will become the venal inftruments of power to reduce this happy nation, the envy and admiration of the world, to the lowest state of mifery and fervitude. This is the abject condition to which you have attempted to bring your fellow-fubjects.

Many circumstances concur to aggravate your offence. The place of your refidence was a fingular advantage. You had at all times the example of one of the moft learned and respectable bodies in Europe before your eyes. Their conduct in every inftance, but efpecially in the choice of their reprefentatives in parliament, was well worthy your imitation.

You are magiftrates of a great city. In fuch a station, it was a duty pecuJiarly incumbent upon you to watch over the morals of your fellow citizens; to keep yourselves pure from venality; and to prevent, by your influence, those under your government from being tainted by this growing and peftilential vice. How have you abused this trust! You yourfelves have fet the infamous example of proftitution, in the most public and daring manner.

Surely you must have felt fome remorfe from the generous difdain with which your corrupt offer was rejected by your reprefentatives. They thought, and justly thought, that a feat in this houfe, obtained by a free and independent choice of their conftituents, was the highest honour to which a fubject can afpire; and that discharging their duty, as fuch representatives, was the nobleft of fervices. Sorry I am to fay, that these confiderations do not appear to have had the leaft weight with you.

However, you have at laft acknowledged your guilt; and, by your petition yesterday, you feem confcious of the enormity of your offence. This houfe, in the terror of its judgements, always thinks upon mercy; nor do they ever inflict punishment but for the fake of example, and to prevent others from becoming the objects of their refentment.

You are

The cenfure paffed upon you will, they hope, have that effect. now the objects of their mercy; and are brought to the bar to be discharged.

123

May you be penetrated with a due fenfe of their juftice and lenity! May you atone for your past offence, by your conftant endeavours to make a right ufe of the invaluable privileges which you enjoy as electors! Confider thefe privileges as a facred truft repofed in you. Discharge it with integrity.

But, before you rife from your prefent pofture, I do, in obedience to the commands of this houfe, REPRIMAND you.

I am now to acquaint you, that you are discharged, paying your fees.

An exact Copy of the Speech made by John Wilkes, Efq; to the Guild of Berwick, on the 16th of April 1754 when he food Candidate for that Borough.

GENTLEMEN,

Beg your leave to offer myself a can

didate to reprefent you in parliament; I came here with the utmoft pleasure, to make you a tender of my fervices, from the affurances I had received of your fteady attachment to the cause of liberty. I early embarked in the fame generous caufe, and have always had it nearest to my heart. I am thoroughly fenfible of the excellence of the conftitution of this happy country, and my utmost efforts fhall be exerted for the prefervation of it. In this, and every other cafe, I hope to be your faithful reprefentative; and while I am delivering your fentiments, and difcharging my duty to my conftituents, I fhall have the fatisfaction of ferving a cause I have ever valued beyond every thing. If I am so happy as to fucceed, I affure you, gentlemen, I fhall ever be watchful over the interefts of this nation in general; but the good of this corporation fhall have my particular attention. It fhall always be my favourite ftudy. My warneft endeavours fhall be employed for you, and I fhall efteem myself happy in every opportunity of doing you a real service. Gentlemen, I come here uncorrupting, and I promise you, I fhall ever be uncorrupted. As I never will take a bribe, so I never will offer one. I fhould think myself totally unworthy of the great and important truft I am now foliciting, if I fought to obtain it by the violation of the laws of my country. I hold them facred; and I think the happiness and fecurity of every man depends on the` obfervation of them, Gentlemen, I have no private views. My fole ambition is to ferve my country, and to contribute to the prefervation of the invaluable