53* 



Proceedings of Public Societies. 



[July I, 



nents, lliat 7733 miles diameter of the 

 ceiitriil mass of the earth is melting 

 hot matter, like that in the glass- 

 blower's crucible. 



We pass over several communica- 

 tions which, in onr jddgment, migiit 

 as well have been omitted ; and pro- 

 ceed (o notice, with much satisfaction, 

 the rapid progress which is making in 

 collecting, in the Museum of the 

 Society, numerous specimens, every 

 one marked with its precise locality, 

 of all the known species and varieties 

 of minerals, those of Cornwall in parli- 

 cular. A report of the curator of the 

 Museum is inserted, in page 461, 

 wherein he enumerates forty-seven 

 varieties of metallic ores, and forty 

 varieties of other minerals, which yet 

 are wanting "to complete the cabinet," 

 as he expresses himself: we hope and 

 trust, however, that the Society's Mu- 

 seum will not be considered complete 

 whilst any distinguishable variety of 

 stone or earth, however homely or 

 plentiful, wants a place in it, espe- 

 cially all those or tiic county which 

 serve or are converted to any useful 

 purpose whatever. 



As long as Cornwall continued to be 

 considered and treated of as a primi- 

 tive and unstratified district, those 

 persons of other districts, who occa- 

 sionally enquired of the natives or of 

 Iravellers returned from thence, con- 

 cerning its subficial structure or stra- 

 tification, were answered, that the 

 county admitted of no such ready 

 elucidation by maps and sections, as 

 could easily be made and exhibited 

 relative to (letz or secondary districts : 

 we arc therefore nnich pleased at 

 length to see, that Dr. Forbes has 

 furnished a highly interesting and 

 useful description of the stratification 

 of the Land's-end district, as far east- 

 ward as a line drawn from the estuary 

 of the Hayle at St. Erlh. to the south 

 coast, a little east of Cudham point, 

 accompanied by a maj), and a section 

 of Gurnard's-liead. Equal praise is 

 due to Mr. Carne, for an excellent 

 description and map of the strata and 

 mineral veins, on a scale of near 1| 

 inch to a mile, of the parish of St. Just, 

 in the Land's-end district before men- 

 tioned. Besides wliich, in tlie way of 

 maps, we are h.nppy to see the liberal 

 conduct of the council, in strenuously 

 reconnnendiiig to pubNc encourage- 

 ment llie map of the principal mining 

 distiict of Cornwall, published by Mr, 

 Thomas, unconnected Milh the Sp- 



ciety ; and wc cannot avoid contrasting 

 this with the conduct of anothcrsocicty, 

 in relation to Mr. Smith's geological 

 maps, sections, and works. 



On the phenomena presented by the 

 melallifcrous veins ov lodes, and by the 

 stony veins or dykes (Elvan channels), 

 and the clayey dislodlMing fissures or 

 faults (lliikans and slides), and their 

 various intersections, in Cornwall, 

 there is an excellent and highly useliil 

 paper by Mr. Carne ; the productions 

 of whose pen we should have been 

 glad to see in a greater number of 

 instances, though it had been to the 

 exclusion of several of the ])apers 

 (seven in number,) which one indivi- 

 dual has contributed to this vohmie. 

 On the whole, this is a valuable and 

 cheap work, and we cannot doubt but 

 its circulation will be commensurate 

 with these circumstances. 



In conclusion we venture to remark, 

 that it appears premature, and of little 

 use, to attempt to draw inlcrences of a 

 general nature, as to the modes in 

 which dillerent mineral veins were 

 opened, dislocated, and filled, or 

 whence their peculiar matlcis were 

 derived, without carefully contrasting 

 with the Cornish observations those 

 which have been made in severalother 

 metalliferous districts, by Mr. John 

 Williams, and published ia his "Mine- 

 ral Kingdom;" with others by Mr. \^'. 

 Forster, on the mines of the east of 

 Cumberland and west of Durham, iji 

 his "Treatise on a Secfiijn of Strata ;" 

 with others by Mr. J. Farey, on Iho 

 Derbyshire and Stafl'ordshire mines, in 

 his "Keporton Dirby&Iiire ;" together 

 with the particulars, as to various 

 mines besides those of Cornwall, 

 published by several other British 

 observers: all which should be tid<en 

 into the account, as well as what 

 foreigners may have written rcspe<;ting 

 their mines, who alone seem to be 

 referred to. 



COMMITTEE OF PURLIC INSTRUCTION 

 AT HAYTI. 



The laic king, Christophe, was par- 

 ticularly attentive to the education of 

 his subjects. He established a royal 

 college in the capital, with liberal 

 endowments, for public instruction in 

 all the languages, arts, and sciences, 

 which are usually taught in the Euro- 

 pean universities. A royal Dec-school 

 was established at St. Mark's, and 

 twelve public schools in the prinei})al 

 towns, in which several thousand chil- 

 dren 



