472 NEW METAL. — GRANITE FLOATED ON ICE. 



the point of crossing is always immediately underneath the 

 raised dots in the centres of the plates on the outside. — John 

 Edw. Lee. — Torquay, 1838. 



Interior. Exterior. Each magnified 4 or 5 times. 



New Metal. — Mr. Kersten, Professor of Chemistry at the 

 College of Freiberg, in Saxony, has lately received a letter 

 from Prof. Berzelius, in which it is stated, that Prof. Mosan- 

 der of Stockholm has discovered, in the ore called cerite, a 

 new metal, to which he has given the name of Lantanum. 

 Its colour is grey, and it appears to be soft and ductile. It 

 is also contained in the oxide of Cerium which Prof. Kersten 

 has lately found in Monazite, a new mineral from the Ural 

 mountains, which was determined by Breithaupt, and sent by 

 Mr. Kersten to Berzelius for further analysis. Prof. Kersten 

 has since discovered the same new metal in an ore from Swe- 

 den, called Godolinite. This fifty-fifth elementary body has 

 therefore been found already in minerals coming from very 

 distant localities, and it is somewhat remarkable that the 

 north of Europe has come in for so large a share in furnish- 

 ing the simple bodies of modern chemistry. — W. Weissen- 

 born. — Weimar. 



An immense erratic block of Granite has been floated on 

 the ice, during the winter 1837-38, from Finland to the Island 

 of Hochland. It weighs about a million of pounds, accord- 

 ing to the estimation of M. de Baer, who lately communicated 

 the circumstance to the Academy of St. Petersburgh. — Id. 



An Entomological Society has just been formed in Stettin, 

 whose chief object is to promote our knowledge of the habits 

 and economy of insects. It is partly on account of this pecu- 

 liar feature of the Society, and partly as one of the most re- 

 cent instances of the liberality with which the Prussian go- 

 vernment encourages every scientific undertaking, that this 

 Society appears to deserve being more generally noticed. 

 For M. de Altensheim, the Minister of the Cultus, besides 

 other liberal support which he has given to it, has carried the 

 measure, that the Society do 7iot pay for postage throughout 

 the kingdom. — Id. 



