160 Miscellaneous Intelligence. 



able facts already stated, it would appear very extravagant to ask 

 whether this white frit, and these limpid spheres, could arise from 

 carbon volatilized in a white state, even from charcoal itself, and 

 condensed in a form analogous to the diamond. The rigorous and 

 obvious experiments necessary to determine this question, it is not 

 now practicable for me to make, and I must, in the mean time, 

 admit the possibility that alkaline and earthy impurities may have 

 contributed to the result." 



With respect to the passage of matter from one pole to the other, 

 the eyes being protected by green glasses, " I can distinctly observe 

 matter in different forms passing to the zinc pole and collecting there 

 just as we see dust, or other small bodies, driven along by a common 

 wind: there is also an obvious tremor produced in the copper pole 

 when the instrument is in vigorous action, and we can perceive an 

 evident vibration produced as if by the impulse of an elastic fluid 

 striking against the opposite pole." 



Such were the experiments with the deflagrator; the following 

 relate to the same subject, and were made with the compound blow- 

 pipe. The diamond was supported on a piece of limestone, and 

 when subjected to the heat rapidly consumed, but when removed 

 from the flame exhibiting marks of incipient fusion. The surface 

 became dull and irregular, as if softened and indented by the stream 

 of gas, or as if irregularly removed by combustion. 



Anthracite under similar treatment consumed rapidly, but still had 

 an evident appearance of being superficially softened, and there could 

 be distinctly seen, '• in the midst of the intense glare of light, very 

 minute globules forming upon the surface. These when, examined 

 by a magnifier proved to be perfectly white and limpid, and the 

 whole surface of the anthracite exhibited like the diamond, only 

 with more distinctness, cavities and projections united by flowing 

 lines, and covered with a black varnish" like a slag. 



Plumbago presented numerous globules to the naked eye, seen 

 through a glass they were perfectly white and transparent spheres. 

 In some experiments they were as large as small shot; scratched 

 window-glass, were tasteless, harsh when crushed between the teeth, 

 and not magnetic. They resembled melted silex, and might be sup- 

 posed to originate from impurities " had not their appearance been 

 uniform in the different varieties of that substance," which has never 

 yet presented any combined silex, and no foreign substance could be 

 detected either by the glass or the fingers ; " add to this in different ex- 

 periments I obtained very numerous perfectly black globules on the 

 same pieces which afforded the white ones. In one instance they 

 covered an inch in length all around, many of them were as large 

 as common shot, and they had all the lustre and brilliancy of the 

 most perfect black enamel." Here and there were globules of the 

 lighter coloured varieties. 



After some further arguments and statements, in which the non- 



