180 Miscellaneous Intelligence . 



tain of Provislava, in Poland, and at the depth of ten ells, has been 

 discovered a back-bone of the great length of twelve ells. It is now 

 under scientific examination, and an account of the organic remains 

 with its site is promised. 



7. Charcoal in the Cinders of Vesuvius. — M. Vauquelin stated to 

 the Academy Royal des Sciences, that he had found charcoal in the 

 cinders thrown out from Vesuvius during the last eruption. 



8. Observations made on Vesuvius and its Products. — An account 

 has been published by MM. Monticelli and Covelli of Naples of the 

 phenomena presented by Vesuvius, in the years 1821-22. It abounds 

 with interesting facts and observations, several of which we are in- 

 duced to select at this time, from the abstract given of the work in the 

 Bibliotheque Univcrselk, xxiii. 



Examination of recent Lava. — On the 11th Feb. Vesuvius began 

 to emit much smoke, scoria, fyc. §c. ; on the 22nd about an hour 

 and a half after sunrise an eruption commenced, and soon after, a 

 current of lava descended from the top of the mountain, and moved 

 over that of 1S10, forming a cascade of fire; this current was re- 

 newed by others thrown out from the mountain, and attended by all 

 the phenomena of a magnificent eruption. On the 24th MM. Mon- 

 ticelli and Covelli visited the lava to make their experiments. Being 

 covered by cooled scoria, it did not appear in any part to be ignited, 

 but it moved on a nearly horizontal soil, at the rate of 15 feet in 34 

 minutes. At about 12 feet from the lava the thermometer stood at 

 93° F., whilst in the free air it was 59° F„ but at three feet distance 

 it could not be measured, far surpassing that of boiling water. 



Nitre in powder thrown into the crevices of the lava fused without 

 detonating or scintillating. The atmosphere about the lava was not 

 in an electric state, and a chemical examination proved that the lava 

 taken whilst still glowing, contained no free acid, but only some sub- 

 stances soluble in water, amongst which were muriatic acid, sul- 

 phuric acid, and lime. 



The vapours exhaled by the lava, had no action on paper tinged by 

 turnsole or syrup of violets, they appeared to be composed of steam, 

 with a very small quantity of salts of iron and copper. The vapours 

 had no other effect on the neighbouring lava than to change its 

 colour. The saline efflorescences which deck the surface of the lava 

 with the most brilliant colours, only appear when the lava cools, and 

 when the vapours previously disseminated over the whole surface, 

 concentrate into small fumaroles. These efflorescences which have 

 been erroneously considered as sublimations appear to have existed 

 ready formed in the lava, they were mixtures of chloride of sodium, 

 muriate of iron, and peroxide of iron, as well as carbonate and sub- 

 carbonate of soda, sulphate of soda and of potash. 



With regard to the presence of sulphur and sulphurous acid in the 



