Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles* 503 



by directly cotnbininjr the acid wit!) the alkali, or by decomposing a 

 soluble salt of strychnia by an alkaline hydriodate. This salt is 

 white, formed of small laminae or flattened needles adhering together; 

 although but slightly soluble in cold water, its taste is very bitter ; 

 it is more soluble in alcohol than in water. It does not act upon 

 litmus paper. It is a subsesquihydriodate, composed of 



One equivalent of hydriodic acid .... 127 . . 26*6 

 One and a half equivalent of strychnia 351 .. 73*4 



478 100- 

 The following singular reaction, in the opinion of M. Pelletier, 

 throws great light on the theory of organic iodides : When a solu- 

 tion of a neutral iodate of strychnia is poured into a solution of an 

 hydriodate of the same base, no apparent decomposition takes place; 

 but if iodic acid or an acidulous iodate be substituted for a neutral 

 one, a brown precipitate is obtained, formed of iodide of strychnia 

 and free iodine. When this precipitate is macerated in a solution 

 of bicarbonate of potash, the excess of iodine dissolves, and the iodine 

 then assumes the orange yellow colour which belongs to it, and it 

 then resists the action of the bicarbonate. 



In this decomposition the five equivalents hydrogen of the hydri- 

 odic acid of five equivalents of hydriodate of strychnia combine with 

 five equivalents of oxygen of the iodic acid to form water, and the five 

 equivalents of strychnia are precipitated with six equivalents of 

 iodine, one of which is dissolved by the bicarbonate of potash, and 

 five equivalents of neutral iodide of strychnia remain. 



If also an acid be added to a mixture of neutral iodate of strychnia 

 and of hydriodate, either neutral or a subsesquihydriodate, a brown 

 precipitate is formed of iodine and iodide of strychnia. This action 

 is explained by what is above stated. 



An. de Ch. et de Phys. tom. Ixiii. p. 164. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS FOR APRIL 1837. 



Chiswick. — April 1, 2. Fine. fi — 6. Cold and dry. 7. Hail showers. 

 8 — 10. Bleak and cold, with an exceedingly dry atmosphere. 1 1. Clear 

 and fine. 12. Hazy: bleak and cold. 13. Overcast : cold and windy. 



14. Overcast. 15. Clear: fine. 16. Snowing: cloudy and cold. 17. Cloudy 

 and cold. IS. Overcast: slight rain. 19. Hazy: fine. 20. Fine: rain. 

 21. Rain. 22. Fine. 23. Rain. 24. Very fine. 25. Fine. 26. Very 

 fine. 27. Slight rain: fine. 28, 29. Slight rain. 30. Rain : fine. 



Boston. — April 1, 2. Fine. 3. Cloudy : rain and snow early a.m. 



4, Fine ; snow early a.m. 5. Fine. 6. Fine: hail early a.m. 7, 8. Fine. 

 9. Snow : snow P.M. 10. Fine. 11, 12. Cloudy. 13. Snow. 14. Fine. 



15. Cloudy. 16. Rain and snow. 17. Stormy. 18— 20. Cloudy. 

 21. Fine: rain p.m. 22. Cloudy: rain early a.m.: rain and hail p.m. 

 23. Cloudy: rain A.M. 24. Cloudy. 25. Fine. 26. Fine : rain early 

 a.m. 27. Cloudy : rain p.m. 28. Fine. 29. Cloudy: rain a.m. and 

 P.M. 30. Cloudy. 



