302 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



act degree of the heat ; but from holding our hand over several of them, we have 

 no doubt that the thermometer would have shown ' boiling heat ' in some of 

 them." 



MANUFACTURE OF SALT IN THE UNITED STATES. 



It is known that in the south-eastern part of Ohio, salt water is found 

 abundantly; but heretofore the water has been found too weak to compete 

 successfully, for more than local use, with the salines of Kanawha, or of Syra- 

 cuse. Hence the quantity manufactured in Ohio lias been comparatively 

 small. But of late the tables are likely to be turned. The difficulty in the 

 old wells was, in not boring deep enough. The real saliferous rock in that re- 

 gion, lies about 1,000 feet in depth. The old wells were generally dug about 

 400 or 500 feet in depth. They got water but it was not the original springs, 

 but a diluted quality. Recently, however, boring has been carried to the salt- 

 bearing rock, and salt water in great abundance is obtained, and of strength 

 sufficient to compete with other western salines. The most successful experi- 

 ments of this kind have been made at Pomeroy, Ohio, where wells have been 

 sunk to the depth of 1200 feet. The strength of the brine is from 9 to 10 

 B. From some of the wells sufficient carbureted hydrogen gas issues to 

 supply the furnaces with a large amount of fuel. From a well at Coalport, 

 Ohio, there is at times a copious flow of petroleum. The greater portion of 

 this mineral oil is sold at 25c. per gallon for the purpose of making the patent 

 medicine " Mustang Liniment." 



The product of salt in Ohio, according to the census of 1850, was 550,350 

 bushels. The amount estimated for the year 1855 is 1,300,000 bushels, which 

 exceeds the product of any State, except New York and Virginia, 



REMARKABLE BRAZILIAN DIAMOND. 



The largest and finest diamond which has as yet been found in Brazil, has 

 recently been imported into Paris, and has received the name of the " Star of 

 the South." In its rough state it weighs 807.02 grains, or 2544 carets. "When 

 cut it will be reduced to about 127 carats, and will therefore exceed the Koh- 

 i-noor in size. Independently of its magnitude, it possesses much scientific in- 

 terest from the regularity of its crystalline forms, and the indication it affords 

 of the mode in which the diamond occurs. The general form of the " Star 

 of the South" is a rhomboidal dodecahedron, having each of its faces beveled 

 by a face set on very obliquely, so that it has in all 24 faces. On one of its 

 faces there is a pretty deep cavity obviously produced by an octahedral crystal 

 which has been implanted in it. The interior of this cavity when examined 

 with a lens shows octahedral striae, and it can not therefore be doubted that 

 the crystal which has left its trace was a diamond. On the posterior face of 

 the crystal there arc two other cavities of less depth also showing stria 5 , and 

 one of them even exhibits traces of three or four different crystals. On the 

 same side of the crystal there is a fiat part where the cleavage appears, and 

 which M. Dufrenoy considers to bo a fracture, and possibly as the point by 



