Scientific Intelligence — Geology. 395 



raised as Sir J. Herschel supposes, the heat that would arrive at the 

 earth, or its atmosphere, would be very trifling ; for if the heat of 

 the moon be sufficient to raise the temperature to the boiling point 

 (212°), at 100 miles distance from its surface, even then it could 

 not increase the temperature at the distance of the earth so much as 

 the 2^y part of a degree, which is so trifling, that if the nights about 

 the time of the full moon are clearer than those of the other parts of 

 the lunar month, I submit that it must be caused by some other 

 agency than the heat of the moon ; and it is difficult to conceive how 

 the little heat we receive from the moon can disperse clouds, while 

 the direct action of the sun is insufficient to do so. — (^Communicated 

 by G. A. Eowell, Esq., Oxford, Sept. 9. 1845.) 



GEOLOGY. 



6. Gas Springs in the river Wear, county of Durham. — The 

 river Wear, immediately above and below Framwellgate Bridge, 

 Durham, now presents a singular appearance, as, when unruffled by 

 the wind, it appears to be in a state of ebullition, occasioned by nu- 

 merous streams of air-bubbles issuing from below. On one of the 

 largest of these, Mr Wharton of Dryburn made some experiments, 

 the result of which is, that a large and brilliant jet of flame, arising, 

 as it were, from the river, can now be produced at pleasure. The 

 stream of gas appropriated to the above experiment is one only of a 

 great many others which occupy an area of from 50 to 100 square 

 yards of water, and which must, together, discharge very many gallons 

 of gas per minute. The distance of the extreme clustei's, being up^^ 

 wards of 100 yards, furnishes a strong presumption that the source 

 of this extraordinary discharge of gas is situated at a great depth 

 below the bed of the river. No coal workings are known to exist 

 within several hundred yards of the bridge. Ii must, therefore, in 

 all probability, be traced to one of those extensive natural accumu- 

 lations of gas lurking in the fissures and pores of the strata far below 

 the surface of the ground, which, when tapped by the operations, and 

 fired by the candles of the miner, have been the frequent causes of 

 those dreadful explosions, of one of which the working of Haswell 

 (Jolliery bore such awful testimony last year. It has been proposed 

 to light the bridge from this source, and other parts of the town, if 

 there appears a probability of its continuance. Many persons assert 

 that they have noticed bubbles rising from the water for eighteen 

 months or two years past, and as the remarkable emission of hydro- 

 gen from one of the old shafts of Wallsend Colliery has been burning 

 for many years, and is giving a clear liglit, which is visible at night 

 for miles, it is probable this nafiiiiil supply on tbo Wear may last 

 for years. 



7. Kenawha Gas. — (Jommunicated by Mr .fames A. Lewis, of 

 Kanawha, C.H., Va., being an abstract, soniewliat abridged, from tlie 

 Charleston Republican. 



