78 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



powder upon the gauze, and setting it over the strong liquid am- 

 monia, which at once reduces and ignites it, and the ammoniacal 

 gas continues to burn vividly for some time. The Cr 2 O 9 has then 

 the appearance of coarse green tea. The wick of a common spirit- 

 lamp should be pulled up rather extravagantly, and spread open to 

 give a very large flame, in which the Cr 2 O 3 , supported on the gauze 

 (on a ring or otherwise), may be made perfectly dry and warm for 

 successive experiments. 



To ignite hydrogen, the oxide must be made very warm ; if fresh 

 from the lamp, when all trace of ignition has died away, it will set 

 fire to the gas. 



With the prepared sesquioxide on wire- gauze, I have obtained 

 catalytic combustion of the following substances : — 



Alcohol. 

 Mther. 

 Chloroform. 

 Pyroxylic spirit. 

 Acetic Acid. 

 Tar naphtha. 

 Turpentine. 

 Creosote (hot). 

 AMMONIA. 



Oil of orange-peel (warm). 

 Oil of lemon-peel (warm). 

 Oil of bergamotte (warm) . 

 Oil of rosemary (warm). 

 Camphor vapour. 

 Indigo vapour. 

 „ Naphthaline vapour. 



Probably all of the essential oils will burn. Caoutchoucine, eupion, 

 and various other substances should be tried. Students of organic 

 chemistry will probably be able to produce many interesting oxida- 

 tions and transformations, and the results may be collected in con- 

 siderable quantity. 



John Eyre Ashby. 



June 7, 1853, 



ON 8UN COLUMNS OBSERVED AT SANDWICK MANSE, ORKNEY. 

 BY THE REV. C. COULSTON. 



May 18th. About 8 p.m. observed a mock sun having prismatic 

 colours, on the N. side of the sun, with rays on the off side converging 

 to a point. In about 15 minutes another of the same description, but 

 fainter, appeared on the S. side of the sun, and a faint halo appeared 

 over the sun, as if joining there. At sunset there was a faint sun 

 pillar. 



21st. At sunset another sun pillar seen. 



23rd. A sun pillar seen tonight at 8 p.m., about 45 minutes before 

 sunset, at first being a pale whitish beam, shooting up through the 



