Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 399 



nature, one of which was from Dr. Friedrich Bialloblotzky of Hanover, 

 giving an outline of his intended journey into a totally unknown 

 part of Africa. The position of the sources of the Nile is a problem, 

 which, from the earliest ages down to the present time, has given 

 rise to numerous geographical inquiries. Hypotheses of various kinds 

 have been formed and rejected ; and all that is certain is that nothing 

 positive is known on the subject. The recent expeditions up the Nile 

 have reached only the 4th degree of north latitude, beyond which, ac- 

 cording to the statements of the natives, the river extends a distance 

 of thirty days' journey further to the south. In a valuable commu- 

 nication made by Dr. Beke to the British Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science at the late Meeting at Swansea*, the infor- 

 mation collected by himself in Abyssinia was compared with the 

 results arrived at by other travellers ; and it was clearly shown that 

 the essential point to be determined is, whether the Upper Basin of 

 the Nile is not bounded towards the east by a continuous mountain- 

 range, stretching from north-east to south-west, as far as the fourth 

 degree of south latitude, or even further ; the waters from which 

 mountain range are received into the main stream of the river flowing 

 from south to north. At the instance of Dr. Beke, Dr. Bialloblotzky 

 has now undertaken the task of attempting the solution of this 

 problem by a method directly opposite to that hitherto adopted. 

 For this purpose, he will proceed by the way of Aden to Mombas, 

 on the east coast of Africa, in about 4° S. lat. ; which place will be 

 regarded as the starting-point of his journey. Having hastily crossed 

 the unhealthy districts near the coast, the traveller will penetrate 

 more slowly into the upper country, making friends with the native 

 tribes as he proceeds, so as to ensure a more favourable reception 

 from those residing further in the interior. This is expected to oc- 

 cupy him a twelvemonth : he then calculates on being engaged two 

 years more in exploring the mountain country ; and should circum- 

 stances prove favourable, the enterprise may possibly be completed 

 by a voyage down the Nile to the Mediterranean. 



ON THE DISTILLED WATERS OF CHERRY-LAUREL AND BITTER 

 ALMONDS. BY M. LEPAGE. 



The author having made numerous experiments on the above pre- 

 parations, the following is a summary of the inferences deducible 

 from them. 



1. Volatile oil and hydrocyanic acid pre-exist in large quantity in 

 the green leaves of the cherry-laurel ; these two products are readily 

 separated by means of aether. 



2. Exsiccation completely dissipates the volatile oil and hydrocy- 

 anic acid, and consequently deprives them of their medicinal and 

 poisonous properties. 



3. There occurs, however, a principle in the dry leaves which 

 cold water is unfit to remove, but which is taken up by boiling 

 water, or still better by alcohol. This principle, put into contact 

 with milk of sweet almonds, acts like a solution of amygdalin. 



* Since printed in the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, No 90, for 

 October 1848, vol. xlv. pp. 221-251. 



