Natural Ice-House. 331 
purpose are prepared by dipping the common brimstone 
matches into a paste made by mixing two parts of white su- 
gar with one part of chlorate, (oxy-muriate) of potash. The 
red French matches are of this kind, and answer the purpose 
completely, 
In cases where a light might be wanted, but a constant 
one would be offensive, this lamp would be a great conven- 
tence ; a light being almost instantaneously obtained by 
touching a match to the platina coil, and then to the wick 
of acandle. Physicians, or others, who are liable to be 
called up in the night would also find it convenient. 
The apblogistic lamp, with the proper matches, may be 
obtained at Mr. Charles Hosmer’s variety store in this city, 
(Hartford.) 3 
A description of this Lamp is printed in the sixth edition 
of Conversations on Chemistry, just published by O. D. 
Cooke of this city, with notes, by the author of this article. 
Art. XVI.—Natural Ice-House near Williamstown, 
Mass.* Lat. 42° 38’ N. Lon. 73° 15’ W. from London. 
Brinley Place, Roxbury, Dec. 17, 1821. 
To Pror. Smuman, 
Sir—In the last number of your excellent Journal of Sci- 
ence and Arts, there is an account of a na ice-house, 
which you examined, situated in the township of Meriden 
in Connecticut. Near the close of the article, it is observed, 
that you should be obliged by any information, respecting 
similar facts existing elsewhere. : 
Ta the month of July 1800, in company with several 
young gentlemen, I visited a natural repository of ice, in 
Williamstown, in the north-west part of this State. It is 
near the summit of a mountain, the name of which I do not 
recollect, nearly west from the colleges, on the top of which 
is fixed a pile of stones as the bounds between New-York, 
ermont, and Massachusetts. 
" Country mountainous—more than one hundred miles in a right line 
from the ocean.—Ep..__ 
