184 Scienttfic Intelligence. — Geology. 



detached. It has all the character of native copper ; the perfect 

 colour and lustre of that metal ; the occasional incrustation with 

 green carbonate of copper ; numerous rudiments of crystals of 

 copper, with triangular faces ; occasional cavities, swellings, and 

 knobs, and great malleability. Its form is rudely planoconvex, 

 with an irregularly elliptic base, arched below, and standing 

 upon two projections, thus allowing it a rocking motion. It is 

 fifteen inches long and fifteen broad ; in the narrowest place 

 twelve inches; it is nine inches high, and it bears strong marks 

 of having been entangled in a veinstone, or a rock. Mr Catlin 

 has been credibly informed, that there lies in the bed of the 

 On-ta-naw-gaw, a mass equally pure, weighing a ton. Whether 

 this is the celebrated copper rock described by Mr Schoolcraft, 

 vol. iii. p. 205 of this Journal, we have no means to determine ; 

 but the numerous and important facts mentioned by Mr School- 

 craft, render it certain that native copper is frequently found in 

 that region, and lead to a strong presumption of the existence of 

 valuable mines of copper. — SiU'unans Journiil. 



5. Earthquakes. — At present, as during our stay in the pro^ 

 -vince of Santiago, certain minor earthquakes are regularly re- 

 peated every two or three weeks. A general alarm then seizes 

 the inhabitants, and all desert their houses with loud cries of 

 Miseticordia ! Miserieord'ia ! il tiembla. Some months after- 

 wards, we found ourselves in the northern part of Chili, in the 

 Partido deCopiapo, in a country where earthquakes rank amongst 

 the most ordinary phenomena. Here the inhabitants were fa- 

 miliar with this dreadful curse ; they sometimes remained the 

 whole night within doors, whilst the houses were rocking and 

 the trees waving to and fro. To such a degree can man accus- 

 tom himself to the greatest danger. — Meyen. 



6. Fossil Marine Plants. — The fossil marine plants of the 

 family Fucoides, present an acceptable addition to our geologi- 

 cal knowledge. The existence of marine plants in the region on 

 lhe Juniata, was first announced, several years ago, by Dr Har- 

 lan. Mr R. C. Taylor, F, G. S., now confirms the existence of 

 very extensive deposits of fossil fuci in the greywacke group of 

 Central Pennsylvania. Several species have been observed in 

 the brown sandstone of Tussey mountain, near Alexandria, in 

 Huntington county, and farther south, in Bedford county. In 

 the white sandstone of the Swan mountains in Centre Country, 



