on the Continent. 175 



with a large and perfectly regular luminous circle, cut by two dia- 

 meters equally luminous : the moon occupied the centre of the circle. 

 Two white semicircles were distinctly traced at the extremities of the 

 diameter, which cut the circle from east to west, and their light was 

 reflected almost as far as the extremities of the other diameter which 

 divided the circle with the same regularity from north to south. To 

 the north of this circle was observed aluminous arch of small dimen- 

 sions. During the whole time of this phenomenon being observed, 

 the atmosphere was pure and tranquil, and the thermometer was not 

 below seventeen degrees (Reaumur) ; a short time afterwards it fell 

 to twenty-nine degrees below freezing point. 



New Mineral. Tn the month of August last, the Academy wai 

 presented with a new mineral found in some government-lands in 

 the province of Perm. It has received the name of Volkonskdite, in 

 honour of Prince Volkonsky. The spot in which the vein was 

 found is in the mountain called Efimiatskai'a, in the district of 

 Okhausk. The bed does not consist of regular veins, but in bits of 

 from one to four verschocks thick, by a quarter to three-quarters of 

 an archine long ; sometimes ten of those bits or patches are found 

 in the space of a single sagene, and sometimes there are three 

 agenes without a single one. The mineral, in colour, approaches 

 the grass-green ; it divides in longitudinal plates, and breaks on the 

 slightest pressure. When plunged in water it separates with a loud 

 noise into angular pieces, on which, when dried, the water no longer 

 takes any effect. This mineral may be employed as a colouring 

 matter to replace some of the most expensive colours, such as molo- 

 chite and verdigris. The fine orange colour of chrome may also be 

 chemically obtained from it, as it contains about seven per cent, of 

 extract of chrome. It is easily worked and at a small expense. 



MlNERALOGICAL SOCIETY OF RUSSIA. 



Native Emeralds. A very fine native emerald has lately been 

 given to this society by the Emperor. Its form is a regular hexa- 

 gonal prism ; it is of a beautiful green colour : one of the planes, 

 which usually terminate the extremities of these prisms, remains in 

 its natural state. The other plane, or base of the prism, is covered 

 by a gangue of micaceous schistus similar, as respects its compo- 

 sition and black colour, to that in which emeralds are found at 

 Herbachthal, near Binsgau in Salzburg; but the crystals of the 

 emeralds have never been found there of such large dimensions as 

 those recently discovered in Siberia, of which the above-mentioned 

 is a specimen. This new vein of emeralds in Siberia is situated 

 eighty-five versts to the east of Catherineburg, and was discovered in 

 the following manner. In January last, a peasant of the canton of 

 Belosersk, in looking for stumps of trees to extract resin, found, 

 among the roots of a tree which had been blown down, several frag- 

 ments of emerald which he sold at Catherineburg. This led to 

 further researches, and a most valuable vein has been discovered. 



