Scientific Intelligence. -^Chemisiry, 401 



tain tliis property in the lunar rays, will be communicated after- 

 wards. M. W. 



CHEMISTRY. 



7. Animal Matter in Mineral Waters. — A green matter is 

 deposited from the water of the hot alkaline springs of Vichy, 

 in France. It was analyzed by Vauquelin, who found it to re- 

 semble the white of an egg. It is worthy of remark, that springs 

 in the south of France, and in the north of Italy, which issue 

 from primitive rocks, should contain this substance, whose com- 

 position is so nearly the same as that of organic matter. 



8. Crystals of Oxalate of Lime in Plants. — M. Raspail has 

 read a memoir to the Academy of Sciences, to prove the analogy 

 which exists in arrangement between the crystals of silica, which 

 are found in sponges, and those of oxalate of lime occurring in 

 the tissue of phanerogamous plants. The latter crystals were 

 observed, for the first time, by Rafn and Jurine, who regarded 

 them as organs of which they knew not the use. They were 

 then observed by M. de Candolle, who called them raphidesy 

 and gave a figure of them, which, however, is inaccurate. These 

 crystals are really very regular tetracdrons. In many plants, as 

 Orchis, Pandanus, Oi-nithogalum, Jac'mthiis, Phytolacca decan- 

 dra, Mesembryanthemum deltoides, &c. they are very small, 

 not being more than jj^ of a millimetre (.0002 of an inch) in 

 width, ^'5 (.004 of an inch) in length. But, in the tubercles of 

 the Florence Iris, they are as much as 3?^ (.0008 of an inch) in 

 width, and J (.01312 of an inch) in length, so as to be easily ca- 

 pable of examination. — Bullet. Univ. B. xi. S76. 



9. Iodine in Cadmium. — Iodine is found in the great zinc 

 foundry at Konigshute, in Upper Silesia, in the cadmium which 

 accompanies the zinc ores. — Poggcndorfs JotimaL 



10. New Mode of preserving crystals of Salts. — Mr Deuchar, 

 in a communication to the Wenierian Society, mentions, iliat 

 crystals of efflorescent and deliquescent salts can be preserved 

 from decay, if the air in the jars in which they are kept is im- 

 pregnated with oil of turpentine. This is effected by pouring a 

 very small quantity of the oil over the bottom of the jar. 



GEOLOGV. 



1 1 . Inflammable Gas arising q/ler boring for Salt. — In bo- 

 ring for salt at Rocky Hill, in Ohio, about a mile and a half 



