182 Miscellaneous Intelligence. 
Report of Dr. Fiedler states, that being anxious to investigate the 
circumstances and formation of these tubes in the sandy istricts 
of Austria, he passed over those parts from Vienna towards Hun- 
gary, and from thence to Stampfen, in search of them, and was ul- 
timately fortunate enough to find one on the most elevated part of 
one of the hills, in the neighbourhood of Zankendorf, about a league 
north of Malaczka, n 
This tube was half an inch (of Leipzic) at the longest diameter 
at the upper part. On carefully removing the sand round it, com- 
mencing at some distance, it was found that at the depth of two 
ells a thin bed of quartz, in large grains, occurred, and immediately 
beneath that, a yellow plastic clay. The sand was now removed 
round the tube, and it was found that although above it formed 
an angle of about 80° with the horizon, yet it soon became 
vertical, and continued so to its lower extremity. It was probably 
at first some feet longer, but had been destroyed by the wind, for 
fragments were found lying about, which, however, could not be 
adapted to the upper end of the tube. At six inches from its upper 
extremity a small branch, about 4} inches, passed off from it, and 32 
inches lower the trunk was divided into two branches, The N. E. 
braach was 7! inches long and terminated on the clay by a length- 
ened swelling, hollow within, its surface being composed of fused 
siliceous sand. In many places the course of the electric fluid 
could be perceived on the clay by the various red tints it had pro- 
duced, which penetrated the clay to a depth of eight inches. The 
fusion appeared to haye ceased when the electricity gained the 
clay. The S.E. branch was 14 inches longer than the other; be- 
fore arriving at the clay it passed close round one side of a piece 
of quartz, an inch in diameter, and was fused to it. It terminated 
on the clay just as the other branch did, the extremities being 
removed about 2£ inches from each other. 
In many places the tube was contracted to a small diameter, in 
which places long bulbs had been formed, but the tube itself was 
hollow within to a considerable extent. It resembled exactly the 
tubes of the same kind found in the lands of Senner, and like them 
was surrounded with red sand*. Just beneath the point of separa- 
tion lay a quartz pebble, but as it was entirely surrounded with 
sand, it probably had no influence in producing the division. 
The following is from the account given by M. Hagen, of a tube 
formed by lightning, and which he examined soon after its forma— 
tion, Itoccurred at the village of Rauschen, on the shores of the 
Baltic, in the province of Sarnlande. A storm occurred on July 
17, 1823, which, about evening, approached the village; near 
seven o'clock the clouds descended towards a young birchetree, 
about twelve feet high, and the lightning descended along its trunk 
* The sand in the neighbourhood became red by heat. 
