232 Miscellaneous Intelligence. 



often flatten under the hammer ; its hardness is nearly that of or- 

 dinary steel ; specific gravity 7.337, highly magnetic and polar ; it 

 melts before the compound blow-pipe flame, giving the smell of 

 arsenic when in the exterior flame, and burning brightly like iron in 

 the inner flame. No odour of sulphurous acid was perceived, and 

 by chemical examination the substance was found free from sul- 

 phur. 



When dissolved in nitric acid, black flakes of plumbago were 

 separated, and, besides the iron, arsenic acid existed in the solution : 

 no other metals were present. The proportions are as follows : — 

 Iron .... 97.05 



Arsenic • , . , 1.55 

 Plumbago • . . .0.40 

 Loss . , . , .1. 



100.00 



20. Muriate of Ammonia in Turkistan. — M. Timkovski states 

 in his Travels in China, (second part,) that there are mountains to 

 the north of the town of Kutscha, containing numerous caverns, in 

 which, during spring, summer, and autumn, flames appear, resem- 

 bling at a distance lighted lamps, but difficult to approach. Dur- 

 ing the winter, when ice and snow abound, the flames disappear. 

 The inhabitants of the country then enter the caves, and collect 

 much sal ammoniac. — Bull. Univ. B. xiv. 220. 



21. New Minerals containing Selenium. — Two mineral substances 

 from Culebras in Mexico were given to Professor del Rio, and by him 

 examined. One was red, like cinnabar, with a specific gravity of 

 5.66, the other gray, like light gray silver ore, with a specific gra- 

 vity of 5.56. Both burnt before the blow-pipe with a violet flame, 

 evolving an offensive smoke, smelling like rotten cabbage, and 

 leaving a grayish white earthy matter. When heated in a retort, 

 mercury, selenium, and a small quantity of sulphur rose, and a sub- 

 oxide of zinc remained. 



The gray mineral being analyzed in the moist way gave 



Selenium 49 • 



Zinc 24. 



Mercury 19 . 



Sulphur 1.5 



93.5 



besides which were also 6 grains of lime from the matrix. The 

 mineral is therefore a biseleniuret of zinc, united to a proto-sulphu- 

 ret of mercury. The red mineral is stated also to be a biseleniuret 

 of zinc, but united to a bisulphuret of mercury or cinnabar, which 

 gives the red colour to it. — Fhil. Mag. iv. 113, 



22. Common Salt on the Coast of CAiZz.— The officers of the 



