224 
-In the church of the Ascension of 
Mary, I saw the famous stone about 
which so much has been written; it 
bears the inscription, that in the year 
6576 (1060 after Christ) Prince Gelb 
measured the sea on the ice, and found 
it to be 30,054 fathoms from Tumutar- 
Kanto Kertch. Another stone lies over 
this with a Greek inscription, of which 
I could only make out the word Bos- 
phorus. On both sides of it are human 
figures in tunics, holding garlands in 
thei: raised hands, sculptured in low 
relitf. 
At Kertch, I saw one of the most 
ancient churches in Christendom, hav- 
ing probably been built 1,500 years ago. 
Four columns of Persian. marble sup- 
port the cupola; and although some 
parts are added to the original building, 
the!whole is of a light and handsome 
architecture. They preserve here a 
copy of the Gospels and the Acts, in 
Greek, beautifully written on parch- 
met more than 500 years ago. We 
visited the mountain which goes by the 
name of the Chair of Mithridates. The 
town of Kertch contains about 4,000 
inhabitants of both sexes, for the most 
part Greeks ; and the place is, alto- 
gether, rising in importance, its situation 
being very favourable for trade.—Y. Z. 
—— 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
Sir: 
HEN at Cambridge, I availed my- 
self occasionally ofthe privilege of 
attending the admirable Lectures of the 
late Dr. E. D. Clarke, mineralogical 
professor in that University. Few lec- 
turers have devoted themselves more 
enthusiastically to their science than did 
this able and much-regretted man; and 
my mind still dwells with much satisfac- 
tion on the evidenced energy and delight _ 
with which he expatiated upon the sub=> 
ject immediately before him: nor was I 
less amused when, for the purpose of 
introducing a droll—but always enter- 
taining, and sometimes historically in- 
structive—anecdote, or even jest, he not 
unfrequently dismounted for a moment 
from his more serious hobby, and proved 
himself, not only /aughter-loving himself, 
but a cause of laughter in others. 
But (pardon this digression) my intent 
on the present occasion was merely to 
observe that, in one of his lectures, the 
Doctor particularized what the modern 
Romans call Elastic Marble ; describing 
it as of a saudy or gravelly texture, 
thereby easily imbibing a large portion of 
moisture ; which being the case, a nar- 
“Elastic 
Marble. (Oct. 1, 
row piece, of not very. cuepdeynic 
length, might be lifted to some h 
above a table on which it had been i 
by the middle, while the ends would s still 
rest upon the flat surface. In this posi- 
tion, however, the fragility of the marble 
was so great that suddenness of motion 
would break it. Dr. Rees, in his Ency- 
clopedia, mentions flexible or elastic 
marble as a “rare mineral ;” but in 
America, it seems, a considerable quan- 
tity has been found, and a notice of some 
large slabs of it has been furnished by 
Dr. Mitchill. It is found in a quarry, 
extensively wrought, in pieces five or 
six feet long by seven inches broad, and 
is described as of various colours, nearly 
white, with a reddish tinge, or gray, or 
dove-coloured ; some specimens being 
fine grained, others coarse and of loose 
texture, In some large blocks one side 
is flexible, the other destitute of that 
property; if takes a) good polish, and 
appears to bea lime-stone, not a magne- 
sian carbonate. 
Dolomieu attributed the flexibility of 
some marble he examined to évsicca+ 
tion ; and Bellevue ascertained that un- 
elastic marble might be made otherwise 
by this process; but does all flexible 
marble lose this property on becoming 
dry? When thoroughly wetted by saw- 
ing or polishing, it must be handled with 
great care to prevent its breaking, and 
large slabs of it cannot be raised without 
support at the middle as well as ends, 
Have we no elastic stones in our Own 
country ? and how is the elastic stone- 
beam in Lincoln Cathedral to be ac- 
counted for ? * 
If, Sir, any of your correspondents 
will take this matter into consideration, 
and furnish you with the result, its ap- 
pearance in your columns will oblige 
more, perhaps, than your’s, &c, 
25th Aug. Canrannrerensts, A.B, 
* T took occasion to ask a solution of this 
difficulty from the professor one day after 
lecture ; he was unable to explain the cir- 
cumstanee, and answered with great) but 
wonted urbanity, that he would make it‘a 
point to inquire further, if not to visit, Lin- 
coln Cathedral himself, for the purpose, of 
more particular examination. His death, 
however, occurred not long after the conver- 
sation alluded: to. The professor - ete 
did I when, six years ago, I visited Wand 
the guide told me what I considered acock- 
and-bull story on the subject ; but; to ‘assure, 
myself, I (at some risk, \as it was} said) 
jumped upon the beam, and, felt, it shake 
and ‘spring beneath me, like the aoriat.a a 
modern drawing-room. OY aay f 
