562 Proceedings of the 



had confirmed his opinion of the non-existence of circulation in 

 celandine, by placing a small quantity of the yellow juice in a glass 

 tube, taking' care that the space occupied by it not being* beyond 

 the field of vision of the microscope, he could see both extremities 

 on exposing this liquid to the action of the direct rays. The ap- 

 pearance of a rapid current flowing along the tube was produced ; 

 but the liquid did not, in fact, change its place in the slightest de- 

 gree. This molecular trepidation was no longer visible when a 

 diffused light only was employed. It does not, however, appear 

 that M. Dutrochet has entended his experiments beyond the celan- 

 dine. It appears, however, certain that the circulation cannot be 

 asserted to exist in plants with milky juice, (a sue laiteux,) as a 

 class, but that it is a phenomenon existing partially and arbitrarily, 

 which must be traced and examined in each individual case. 



CHEMISTRY. 



New Metal Vanadium. At the meeting of the Academic des 

 Sciences, on the 7th February, M. Dulong read a letter from M. 

 Berzelius, announcing the discovery of a new simple substance by 

 M. Sefstrom, director of the mines of Fahlun, in Dalecarlia. M. 

 Sefstrom having occasion to examine an iron remarkable for its 

 softness, observed the presence of a body which appeared new to 

 him, and which he succeeded in separating, but in too small a quan- 

 tity to determine its properties. He afterwards observed that cast- 

 iron contained much more of it than wrought iron, which induced 

 him to suppose that he should find still more in the scoria, in which 

 he was not deceived, as he obtained it in considerable quantities. 

 It appears to be a new metal, to which he has given provisionally 

 the name of Vanadium, derived from an ancient deity of the Scan- 

 dinavians. 



At the meeting of the Academy on the 28th February, M. de 

 Humboldt exhibited a specimen of this new metal. He stated that 

 the same metal had been discovered in Mexico, by M. del Rio, in a 

 brown lead ore found in the district of Zimampas. M. del Rio gave 

 it the name of Erythronium, but was afterwards induced to suppose 

 that it was not a simple substance, but merely an impure chrome. 

 Since the discovery of M. Sefstrom, however, the brown lead ore of 

 Zimampas has been again analysed, and a simple substance, pre- 

 cisely similar to that found in the iron by M. Sefstrom, obtained 

 from it. See page 625 of Miscellanea. 



Magnesium. 21st February. A report was made to the Aca- 

 demy on the mode adopted by M. Bussy, for obtaining magnesium 

 in a metallic state, which is, by decomposing chloride of magnesium 

 by means of potassium. Magnesium is a brilliant metal, of a sil- 

 very whiteness, perfectly ductile and malleable, fusible at a compa- 

 ratively low temperature, and, like zinc, capable of sublimation at a 

 temperature very little higher than that of its fusibility, and con- 

 densing under the form of small globules. It does not decompose 



