OUTLINES OF PERIODICAL LITERATURE. 339 



the alternating calculi. Phenomena, both new and curious, are unfolded in 

 Messrs. Coopers' paper on the luminosity of the human subject after death, 

 with remarks and details of experiments made with a view to determine the 

 nature of the fact. As proceedings of the Royal Society, are the twelfth and 

 thirteenth series of Dr. Faraday's experimental researches in electricity -. 

 Mr. Bowring's proposal for a new method of determining the longitude, 

 by an absolute altitude of the moon : Mr. Reade's inquiry into anew theory 

 of earthy bases of vegetable tissues : Mr. Bunt's description of a new tide- 

 guage : and Captain Newbold's account of the Regar, or black cotton soil of 

 India, which he believes to be a sedimentary deposit from waters in a 

 state of repose. At the Geological Society, Mr.Whewell delivered the anni- 

 versary address : one portion only of this is here published, and it records 

 the characters of deceased members. Mr. Westwood's description of several- 

 new species of insects belonging to the family of the sacred beetles, appears 

 as a proceeding of the Zoological Society : Mr. Waterhouse's characters of a 

 new subgenus of mus, and of the reithrodron and abracoma two new genera of 

 rodents : Mr. Sells' observations on the vultur aura, with Mr. Owen's notes 

 of dissections of the heads of two specimens : and Prof. Airy's paper on the 

 intensity of light in the neighbourhood of a caustic, bring us to the miscella- 

 nies. These comprise an outline of Prof. Pullen's astronomical lectures at 

 Gresham College ; Mr. Dutrochet's experiments shewing the influence of 

 temperature, light, and mechanical irritation and chemical agency, on the 

 circulation of the charafiexis ; M. Dujardin's description of a new double salt 

 formed of two acids united to one base, and called by him the oxalo nitrate 

 of lead ; M.D'Arcet on the action of iron at a high temperature on camphor, 

 and on benzoic acid, producing benzin ; M. Ehrenberg on the adulteration of 

 carmine ; M. Rose on tungstate of chloride of tungsten, which he regards as 

 a remarkable compound, because tungstic acid, which is one of the most fixed 

 substances, is rendered volatile. 



June Mr. Rose read an essay on the formation of calc-spar and arrago- 



nite, before the physico-mathematical class of the Academy of Sciences at 

 Berlin, and we have it here in Mr. Francis' translation : this article records 

 the deductions from a course of practical researches, and constitutes an im- 

 portant addition to the stores of experimental chemistry. Of the same 

 character, are the observations on sulphureous sether and sulphate of aether- 

 ine, by Dr. Hare ; and Prof. Johnston's communication on the supposed 

 analogy in atomic constitution between the earthy carbonates and alkaline 

 nitrates. Mr. Potter adds to his former detail of results from his photome- 

 trical experiments, and concludes that they press upon our attention, with 

 full force, the inadecp.iacy of the undulatory theory of light. The first part 

 of Mr. learning's essay on the primary electrical forces, is experimental and 

 inductive : he endeavours to " test the new theory" by reference to expe- 

 riments already known and to facts generally acknowledged. Mr. Hogg 

 submits a specimen of a thermmnetrical diary; and Mr. Wright makes ob- 

 servations on Dr. Buckland's theory of the action of the siphuncle in the 

 Pearly nautilus, with an illustrative figure; and then we arrive at the pro- 

 ceedings of learned societies. Mr. Whcwell's anniversary address to the 

 Geological Society is concluded ; and, among the transactions of the Royal 

 Astronomical Society, are SirJ.F. Herschel's and Professor Henderson's 

 account of a remarkable increase of magnitude of the star * in the eonstclla- 



