CHEMICAL SCIENCE. 205 



physicians established three observatories for ozonometric, thermometric, and 

 other meteorological observations, morning and evening each day, and also 

 for keeping statistics of diseases and deaths. Dr. Berigny, of Versailles, has 

 in charge a reduction of the observations, and the following are his conclu- 

 sions on the subject of ozone. 



1. The more the ozonomctric test-papers were colored in the open air, the 

 more numerous were the sick that were taken to each of the hospitals. One 

 of these hospitals was situated at the general quarters at Sebastopol (Obser- 

 vatory No. 1), the second at the south border of the Inkerman plateau (Ob- 

 servatory No. 2). 



2. The higher the temperature, the smaller the number of sick entered, and 

 also of deaths. 



3. At the three observatories, the ozone curve was essentially the same; 

 and 4, the same was true for the temperature. 



5. At observatory No. 1, the less the ozone, the greater the number of 

 deaths, whilst at observatory No. 2, it was the reverse. 



This is almost the only positive result which science and humanity have 

 derived from that destructive Avar, which has cost so much money and so 

 many lives. Silliman's Journal. 



THEORY OF THE FORMATION OF DIAMONDS. BY M. SIMMLER. 



Brewster, in 1826, called attention to the expansible fluids frequently 

 inclosed in minerals, mostly in topaz, quartz, amethyst, but also, at times, 

 in calc-spar, celestin, heavy-spar, fluor-spar, and in diamonds. By examin- 

 ing these liquids, and the cavities of the last mentioned, Brewster was led to 

 the conclusion that the diamond was the congealed gummy secretion of a 

 vegetable ; but, although the observations he made on the physical proper- 

 ties of those fluids are highly interesting, he came to no definite opinion as 

 to their nature. 



The author, on the strength of the observations of Brewster and others, 

 advances the theory, that in most cases these fluids are liquid carbonic acid. 

 This assumption is, firstly, strengthened by the concurrent expansiveness of 

 those fluids, and liquid carbonic acid, which, for temperatures of from 1(P to 

 27 C., is almost evenly O'Olo for each degree of temperature. When Brews- 

 ter investigated the subject, liquid carbonic acid had not been discovered by 

 Faraday. He, however, noticed that the liquids possessed the property of 

 refraction, in a much smaller degree than water, which Davy and Faraday 

 found to be the case, also, Avith condensed carbonic acid. Thilorier and 

 Mitchell further describe this acid as not mixable Avith water, the same 

 property which Brewster noticed on the more expansible inclosed fluids, Avhile 

 he found those of a less degree of expansibility to be chiefly water, or aqueous 

 solutions of solids or gases. These data induced the author to presume that 

 the inclosed fluids, especially Avhen expansible, were liquid carbonic acid; 

 and that it possesses the property of dissolving other substances, reconciles 

 this assumption AA-ith the fact that those mineral fluids, on evaporation, at 

 times deposit a precipitate. He further concludes, that the diamond is the 

 product of condensed carbon, crystallized from liquid carbonic acid. It is 

 known that diamonds not rarely show cavities, in which, according to all 

 appearances, a considerable pressure must haA r e taken place. Supposing 

 these cavities to contain some kind of gas, there is no reason AV!IV this mi-rht 

 not be carbonic acid under a high pressure, and this theory Avould furnish a 



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