422 Miscellaneous hitelligeiice. 



III. Natural History. 

 § I. Mineralogy, Meteorology, &c. 



1. Oxalate of Iron found as a Mineral. — This curious sub- 

 stance was found by M. Breithaupt, in friable lignite, and at 

 first supposed to be eisen resin, or mellate of iron ; but M. M. 

 de Rivero, on analyzing it, found it to be a compound of oxalic 

 acid and protoxide of iron. It was found in small flat crys- 

 talline pieces of a yellow colour, and similar in appearance to 

 the protoxalate of the laboratory. It was scratched by the 

 nail. Its specific gravity was 1.3; and when rubbed, it became 

 negatively electrical. All its properties agreed with those of 

 oxalate of iron, and it was distinguished from mellate of iron 

 in the circumstance that when decomposed by ammonia, the 

 ammoniacal solution did not precipitate alum, an effect which 

 does take place with the mellate. When decomposed by am- 

 monia, protoxide of iron and oxalate of ammonia were ob- 

 tained, and the elements appeared to be combined in the pro- 

 portion of 53.86 protoxide of iron 

 46.14 oxalic acid. 



The name proposed for this mineral is Humboldtine. — Ann. 

 de Chim., xviii., p. 207. 



2. Native Copper of Lake Superior. — Silliman's Journal of 

 Science, Vol. III., contains an account, by Mr. Schoolcraft, of 

 the native copper mines on the southern shore of Lake Superior. 

 The first appearances of the copper are found on the head of 

 the portage across Keweena-poiut, 270 miles beyond the Soult 

 de St. Mara, and continues from thence to the river Ontonagon. 

 The copper is metallic, and occurs in the pebbles disseminated 

 in particles from the size of a grain of sand to lumps of two 

 pounds in weight. A strip of alluvial sand extends from the 

 lake up the river two or three leagues, to which succeed high 

 broken hills of a sterile aspect, among which are the copper 

 mines, at a distance of 32 miles from the lake. One very large 

 mass of native copper reposes on the west bank of the river, at 

 the foot of a bank of alluvion, lying amidst blocks of granite, 

 hornblende, and other bodies peculiar to the soil of that place. 

 The copper is pure and malleable, very bright, and lies in con- 

 nection with serpentine rock, the face of which it nearly over- 

 lays, and is also disseminated through the substance of the 

 stone. The rock is of an irregular form, about 3ft. Sin. long, 

 and 3ft. 4in. wide ; it may contain altogether about 1 1 cubical 

 feet. The weight of metallic copper in the rock is estimated at 

 22001b., but the quantity has evidently been much diminished 

 since its first discovery. 



