598 IntelUi'ence and Miscellaneous Arliclis. 



•to 



By means of long calcination at a bright red heat in a covered cru- 

 qible, the specimens were not altered ; they retained their aspect, 

 hardness and weight ; they do not therefore contain any substance 

 volatilizable by calcination out of contact of the air. This result 

 certainly does not prove the igneous origin of these diamonds, but 

 renders improbable the idea expressed by M. Liebig, that diamonds 

 are derived from the transformation of organic vegetable matter. 



The three specimens were successively burnt in pure oxygen gas 

 in the apparatus employed by M. Dumas for the combustion of the 

 diamond. The oxygen obtained from chlorate of potash was con- 

 tained in a gasometer ; it was dried and purified before it reached 

 the combustion- tube by passing through two tubes containing sul- 

 phuric acid and pumice, and one tube with potash ; employing this 

 method with the precautions indicated by M, Dumas, 100 of the 



In the combustion of the first specimen only one bulb-tube with 

 potash was employed, so that a portion of the carbonic acid produced 

 by the combustion was lost ; but in the other two experiments, in 

 which two bulb-tubes containing potash were used, the second in- 

 creased in weight some centigrammes. 



The two last analyses prove perfectly that the specimens are com- 

 posed entirely of carbon and ash. The ash was yellowish, and in 

 the first specimen it had retained the form of the diamond. When 

 examined by the microscope, the ash appeared to be composed of 

 ferruginous alumina and small transparent crystals, the form of 

 which could not be ascertained. — Ulnstitut, Mars 2, 1849. 



ANALYSIS OF THE WATEll OF THE MEDITERRANEAN ON THE 

 COAST OF FRANCE. 



M. J. Usiglio analysed the water taken from the foot of Mount 

 St. Clair, about 4000 metres from the port of Cette. 

 100 parts gave — 



Chloride of sodium 2-9424 



Bromide of sodium 0-0556 



Chloride of potassium 0-0505 



Chloride of magnesium 0-3219 



Sulphate of magnesia 0-2477 



Sulphate of lime 0-1357 



Carbonate of lime 001 14 



Peroxide of iron 0*0003 



Water 96-2345 



100000 

 Comptes Rendus, October 1848. 



