186 Aliscellaneous Inlelligence, 



M. Poutet proposes, therefore, this substance as a test of the 

 purity or adulteration of olive oil ; for the resulting mixture, 

 after standing 12 hours, is more or less solid, as the oil is more 

 or less pure. The nature of the white, hard, and opaque mix- 

 ture, formed by olive oil, and the nitrate of mercury, has not 

 been examined. 



12. Purification of Water. — The waters of the Mississippi are 

 very turbid, and yet are considered as very healthy. The fol- 

 lowing simple method of purifying it, is adopted at times. A 

 handful of Indian meal is sprinkled on the surface of a pailful 

 of the water, which precipitates the mud to the bottom, and the 

 superincumbent water is left in a tolerable state of purity. — 

 Schoolcroft,i>. 234. 



13. New Vegetable Alkalies — Brucine. — The discovery of 

 morphium has excited very great attention in France, and 

 active endeavours have been made in search of other bodies 

 belonging to the class of vegetable alkalies. These have 

 been rewarded lately by the discovery of two new ones, called 

 brucine and dclphine, so that, with strychnine and morphium, 

 their number amounts already to four, supposing no mistake 

 has been made in the characters and distinctions of any of 

 them. 



Brucine has been described, in a paper read to the Institute 

 of France, on the 19th of June, 1819. It was obtained from the 

 Angustura bark * (Bruccea anti-dysenterica,) by the following 

 process : A kilogramme (32 oz. troy) of the bark was reduced 

 to powder, and acted on by ether to remove certain impurities ; 

 the ether being withdrawn, alcohol, in successive portions, was 

 made to act on it, and the different infusions, added together 

 and evaporated to separate the alcohol. The extract was 

 then dissolved in water, precipitated by subacetate of lead, fil- 

 tered, and the excess of lead separated from the solution by 

 sulphuretted hydrogen. As strychnine was the substance looked 



' Tbe author constantly calls this the I'alse Angustura bark. 



