British Association. 381 



mineral waters, must be in different electrical conditions or relations 

 to each other ? A general conclusion is, that in these fissures 

 metalliferous deposits will be determined according to their relative 

 electrical conditions ; and that the direction of those deposits must 

 have been influenced by the direction of the magnetic meridian. 

 Thus we find the metallic deposits in most parts of the world having 

 a general tendency to an E. and W. or N. E. and S. W. bearing. 

 Mr. Fox added that it was a curious fact, that on submitting the 

 muriate of tin in solution to voltaic action, to the negative pole of 

 the battery, and another to the positive, a portion of the tin was 

 determined like the copper, the former in a metallic state, and the 

 latter in that of an oxide, shewing a remarkable analogy to the 

 relative position of tin and copper ore with respect to each other, as 

 they are found in the mineral veins. 



The Chairman said it had been observed to them last evening, that 

 the test of some of the highest truths which philosophy had brought 

 to light was their simplicity. He held in his hand a blacking pot, 

 which Mr. Fox had bought yesterday for a penny, a little water, 

 clay, zinc, and copper, and by these humble means he had imitated 

 one of the most secret and wonderful processes of nature, her mode 

 of making metallic veins. It was with peculiar satisfaction he con- 

 templated the valuable results of this meeting of the Association. 

 There was also a gentleman now at his right hand, whose name he 

 had never heard till yesterday, a man unconnected with any Society, 

 but possessing the true spirit of a philosopher. This gentleman had 

 actually made no less than 24 minerals and even crystalline quartz. 

 He (Dr. B.) knew not how he had made them, but he pronounced 

 them to be discoveries of the highest order ; they were not made 

 with a blacking pot and clay, like Mr. Fox's, but the apparatus was 

 equally humble ; a bucket of water and a brick-bat had sufficed to 

 produce the wonderful effects which he would detail to them. 



Artificial Crystals and 3Iinerals. — Mr. Cross then came for- 

 ward, and stated that he came to Bristol to be a listener only, and 

 with no idea that he should be called on to address a section. He 

 was no geologist, and but little of a mineralogist ; he had, however, 

 devoted much of his time to electricity, and he had latterly been 

 occupied in improvements in the voltaic power, by which he had 

 succeeded in keeping it in full force for twelve months by water 

 alone, rejecting acids entirely. Mr. C. then proceeded to state that 

 he had obtained water from a finely crystallized cave at Holway, 

 and by the action of the voltaic battery had succeeded in producing 

 from that water, in the course of ten days, numerous rhomboidal 

 crystals, resembling those of the cave ; in order to ascertain if light 

 had any influence in the process, he tried it again in a dark cellar, 

 and produced similar crystal in six days, with one-fourth of the voltaic 

 power. He had repeated the experiments a hundred times, and 

 always with the same results. He was fully convinced that it was 

 possible to make even diamonds, and that at no distant period every 

 kind of mineral would be formed by the ingenuity of man. By a 

 variation of his experiments he had obtained gray and blue carbonate 

 of copper, phosphate of soda, and 20 or 30 other specimens. If any 



