118 Inflammable Gas from Salt-Borings, 



near Epsom, where Zilium Martagon occurs ? as well as the 

 time of its flowering there ? — fV. A. Bromficld, M.D. Has- 

 tings, March 3. 1834. 



Asperula arvensis L. obsolete in the only British Habitat of 

 it known. — We have given, in VII. 272, 273., Dr. Brom- 

 field's evidence on this point. 



'Narcissus (Aj'ax Haworth) moschdtus has been found wild in 

 the adjoining parish of Meriden ; and has been communicated 

 to me by its discoverer, Miss Gresley, of that place. It is 

 quite a new plant to the British flora, I believe ; and you 

 may announce it as such, if you like. Poor Haworth 

 would have jumped for joy at the intelligence, had he still 

 been among us. {Extracted from a Letter from the Rev, W. 

 T. Bree, Allesley Rectory, near Coventry, Warwickshire, dated 

 May 20. 1834.) 



Geology. — Inflammable Gas arising after boring for Salt, 

 — In Jameson's Philosophical Journal, iv. 40., reference is 

 made to the Transactions of the Philosophical Society of New 

 York for a fact of this kind. It appears, also, from the first 

 work, that from a salt mine at Rheine, in Germany, a con- 

 tinued current of inflammable gas has issued for sixty years ; 

 which is used not only for light, but as fuel for cookery. 

 Currents of inflammable gas, issuing from perforations in 

 rocks which have been bored for salt water, often occur in the 

 United States. 



1. In the year 1824 a company were boring through a 

 rock in Elk cr. [? creek], Ohio, and, at the depth of 24 ft., 

 struck a large vein of very cold water, and a little brackish. 

 At the distance of 1 1 6 ft. they passed through a rich vein of 

 copper, about 4 ft. thick ; and at 180 ft. they opened a strong 

 vein of air, which instantly found vent at the top of the Well, 

 in a loud roaring and spouting of water, to the height of 

 30 ft. For some distance round the perpendicular sheet of 

 water plays a gas, so inflammable as instantly to take fire 

 whenever a torch is applied to it. The verge of the circum- 

 ference of this gas is not perceptible ; therefore, those who 

 are not acquainted with its inflammable quality have found 

 themselves enveloped in flame when attempting to set it on 

 fire. The intervals between the spouting are uncertain. 



2. In the year 1824, Mr. Denton, in boring for salt, about 

 three miles from the village of Sparta, in Tennessee, struck 

 upon a vein of gas, which, in ascending, found another vent 

 than the tube, through a rock in the bed of the " Calf-Killer 

 river," forcing a passage through the surrounding waters, 

 which boiled with considerable violence round the place of 

 escape. A torch being applied, a column of fire, nearly 40 ft. 



