ijg Sikx in Dutch Rujb, &c, 



notoriety of a difcovery, and of the difcoTcrer ? Whether the name of the latter could be fald to 

 be before the public ? Whether I, or one in many hundreds, even of my Englifli readers, 

 knew it? And whether Dr. G.'s paper will not malce him pafsfor the difcoverer abroad, till the 

 fucceeding numbers of the Journal ftiall corredl this error ? And he adds, that there can be no 

 doubt of the fimilarity of the Sodbury mineral, to fome varieties of that nearer Briftol. Mr. 

 Clayficld fufpecSts the Red-land, Ham-green, and Sodbury ftrontian to come from the fame 

 vein. 



With regard to the queftions, there is but one which feems to call on me for an anfwer j 

 and to this I reply, that I knew nothing of Mr, Clayfield, and (hould probably have mentioned 

 him in a note, or modification of the title at page 535, of the fecond volume of this Journal, 

 if I had. ____««,___^_ 



Extrait of a Letter from Mr. H. Davy. 



" When I mentioned to Mr. Clayfield theexiftence of filex in the epidermis of vegetables.he 

 requefted me to examine the equifetum hyemale, or Dutch rufh, ufed in manufadldries for 

 policing brafs, &c. A fliort time after, Mr. Notcutt informed me that he had fucceeded in 

 obtaining a globule of glafs from it by the blow-pipe. I have examined this plant, and find 

 that the epidermis of it is almofl: wholly compofed of filex, which is reticularly difpofed like 

 that of the bonnet cane, or calamus rotang. 



*' Since my lafl: letter to you, I have feen a paper of the ingenious Vauquelin,in the 88 No. 

 of Annales de Chimie, On the Excrement of Fowls compared with their Nouri/hment ; lOithfome 

 Obfervations on the Formation of the Egg. He found in the afhes of the oat-grain, filex and 

 phofphate of lime. I have not yet had time to examine any grains or feeds, but it is more than 

 probable that the filex exifts in the epidermis of the oat-grain, and not in the farina. The 

 hufks of wheat and barley, as well as the feeds of graflTes, and hard fhells and capfules of 

 fruit, will, I have no doubt, be found to contain flint." 



The following printed addrefs was tranfmitted to me by the penny-poft, under cover of a 

 letter from Mr. Pepys, jun. to acquaint me that the Society had ordered it to be fent to the 

 Scientific Journals. In return, I fent a letter requefting information concerning the confti- 

 tution and funds of the Society, particularly with a view to inform the public of the 

 regulations under which they might contribute to the defirable objecl held forth, as well 

 ss of the degree of confidence this body might be entitled to. To thefe inquiries I received 

 only a verbal anfwer, that the Society is not yet organized, and that a profpe<Slus will 

 be fent to me as foon as publiibed. 



Britijh Minerakgical Society. 

 The benefits which have refulted to our manufadlures, domeftic economy, and convenience, 

 ■from the great progref* made in other branches of fcience, have, for a confiderable time, called 

 for the eftablifliment of a Society whofe attention {hould be directed to the analyfis and 



reduiJlion of our native ores and minerals. 



The 



