Natural History. 433 



21. On Sulphur found in Gypsum. — Whilst digging a well at 

 Malvezy, neat* Narbonne, sulphur was found in soft masses of a 

 clear yellow colour, light, having a scaly structure, adhering to the 

 tongue, and taking a good polish by friction. The gangue of this 

 sulphur was a hard bluish fragile clay, containing traces of bitumen. 

 The sulphur contained about a tenth of bitumen and carbonate of 

 lime. No sulphur was found in the quarry of marly gypsum at 

 Malvezy, but the recent gypsum always possesses a decided odour 

 of sulphuretted hydrogen, and by exposure to air becomes covered 

 with an effloresrence of sulphate of soda. The two strata of blue 

 marl which traverse the quarry are full of sulphate of iron. 



The sulphur of Malvezy is found beneath the gypsum ; the blue 

 clay containing it is connected with the gypsum, and thus makes 

 part of the lower system of the second fresh- water formation. Sul- 

 phur, having the same characters as that of Malvezy, has been 

 found at the old plaster Works near Vidilharn. 



The particular state of this sulphur shews, that it is the result of 

 a deposite formed by the decomposition of some mineral sulphuretted 

 water. I believe it is certain that this formation of sulphur lies 

 upon the first fresh-water formation (lignite and plastic clay). — M. 

 Tournal. — Journ. de Pharmacie. 



22. Falls of the Niagara. — The American papers state, that part 

 of the great fall has gone down into the chasm below, to the extent 

 of about an acre of the rock, on the Canada side. The curve called 

 the Horse-shoe has been thus much extended. The Table rock is 

 not injured, but immediately above it, in the shoe of the falls, the 

 range has become much more straight. The launch took place at 

 nine o'clock in the evening of the 28th December last. 



23. Thawing Power of a small Stream of Water. — M. Huber 

 Burnand went to visit the glacier of Grindenwald ; and the vault in 

 it, out of which flows the black Lutschine. This vault far surpasses 

 that from which the Aveyron flows, and was estimated at 50 feet in 

 height, and the front of the glacier there at 300 feet. The torrent is 

 of considerable size, but at the time of the visit part of the bottom 

 of the vault was dry. On entering the vault as far as the river 

 would permit, day-light was seen to pass through the roof, and at 

 the place was an enormous tube of ice hanging from above, and 

 ready to fall. The cause of the tube, and the appearance of day- 

 light, very soon appeared ; for on leaving the vault and climbing by 

 ladders and steps up the outside of the glacier, so as to arrive at the 

 top and outside of the icy structure, and about 150 feet above the 

 river below, a cavity or crater was seen in the ice, which, upon exa- 

 mination, proved to be a perforation formed by the action of a small 

 stream of water, heated by the sun, and descending from the supe- 

 rior part of the glacier. This was a natural illustration of the fine 

 idea of M. Venetz, applied in the Valley of Bagnes.* The stream 



* Quarterly Journal of Science, O.S., vol. xv. p. 390. 



