7 
America is, with these two exceptions, a region of almost extinct 
volcanic action. 
Another discovery of perhaps greater interest, though of less 
importance, has been the revelation of a new lake dwelling, by the 
drainage of the large turf moor of La Lagozza, in Upper Italy. 
The building, which was discovered beneath nearly a metre and 
a-half of peat and mud, is rectangular, and between the still upright 
posts, lie beams of half burnt planks, the latter having been 
obtained by splitting the trees without the aid of a saw. Polished 
stone hatchets, arrow heads, and flint knives were found; also 
kidney-shaped thread weights and spindle rings of burnt clay, 
whereas in the Swiss lake dwellings spindle rings of stone only 
have been met with. Both large and small earthen vessels were 
discovered, the former, which are rough, are made of clay mixed 
with pounded pebbles, quartz, and mica. The latter contain only 
a sprinkling of pebbles in the clay. Traces of animals are altogether 
absent, and the inhabitants seem to have lived exclusively on vege- 
table diet. Grains of barley and two sorts of wheat were found, 
also cherries, walnuts, acorns without their shells, and small apples. 
No beast of burden seems to have been used by this primitive 
people, and there is no evidence which points to cattle rearing, or 
even hunting or fishing. 
To turn to a discovery of a more practical nature, that of a con- 
tinuous vein of uranium in Cornwall seems to have been the event 
of the year. Although cheaper than gold or silver, it fetches the 
immense price of £2,400 per ton, or upwards of one guinea per 
pound. It is of a steel-white colour, and has hitherto been 
extracted but sparingly from other ores, principally in Bohemia, 
Saxony, and Hungary. In this new vein, however, at the Union 
Mines in Cornwall, the assays have yielded from twelve to the 
almost unprecedented amount of 30 per cent. Of course a larger 
per centage even than this has occasionally been met with in 
Bohemia, but then only in minute quantities, whereas this vein 
appears so far to be continuous. The oxides of uranium are used 
in porcelain painting, and also in colouring glass, while in photo- 
graphy they are used as a substitute for the more costly chloride of 
gold. Uranium also forms alloys with platinum and copper, both 
of which have the appearance of gold itself, so much so that they 
have been used as a cheap substitute for gold in electro-plating. 
Moreover uranium, from its high electrical resistance, is an invalu- 
able material for many electrical purposes. ; 
This recent discovery of a comparatively unknown metal shows 
us how impossible it is to foretell what new metallurgical curiosi- 
ties yet remain to be found and utilised for industrial or commercial 
purposes. Gold and silver have so long represented to all nations 
