146 On the IrrUahUitij of the Stamina of' the Barberry. 



to beyond Scherm el Moie. The porphyi-y colour occupies all 

 the mountains between Wadi Firan, Scherm-es-Scheech, and 

 far to the north of Wadi Bedda. The same formation re- 

 appears in Arabia, between Magne and Mode in the high Gebel 

 Schar, a chain estimated at from 6000 to 8000 feet. The 

 islands of the Gulf of Akaba and that of Schedoan are terti- 

 ary. Petroleum and mineral pitch are indicated at the eastern 

 base of Gebel Setie in Egypt. Between Ras Muse and Suez is 

 marked the passage of the Jews through the Red Sea. It is 

 still frequented at low water, and is called Dorb el Jahudi, or 

 the Jews'' Road. This map is accompanied with profiles of the 

 two shores of the Gulf of Suez, the islands of Sanafer, Remahn, 

 Schusche, Maksure, Jobc, Wale, Schedoan, Jobal, and Barcan. 

 The latter is a coral bank, while all the others are composed of 

 a limestone which the author doubtfully refers to the tertiary 

 class, probably on account of their recent characters. That of 

 Tiran differs from the above, in having its principal mass com- 

 posed of a tertiary marl, associated with tertiary sandstone and 

 limestone. 



On the Irritability of the Stamina of the Barberry. 



Jyl. GoEPPEiiT of Breslau, has published, in the Linnaea, July 

 1829, a memoir on the irritability of the filaments of Berberis 

 vulgaris, in which he first gives an historical account of the ob- 

 servations made on the phenomenon in question by Linnaeus, 

 Covolo, Kaelreuter, Smith, Schkuhr, Humboldt, Rafn, J. W. 

 Ritter, and Nasse. Linnaeus was first informed of it by a gar- 

 dener of Montpelier, named Baal, of whom little else is known. 

 M. Goeppert, after confirming most of the observations of au- 

 thors, made three series of experiments, with the view of deter- 

 mining the influence of various poisonous and other substances 

 upon the irritability of the stamina. 



1. In the first experiments, he deposited clusters of barberry 

 flowers in different substances ; he then observed that prussic 

 acid, and other concentrated acids, aromatic waters, alcohol, and 

 ethers, destroy the irritability of the stamina more or less rapid- 

 ly. Metallic salli; produce the same effect, whereas the property 



