Scientific Intelligence—Mineralogy. 183 
The Mountain Gauges. 
In 13 Months, Summer Winter Months. 
Fort at sGeren aad iat May to sist Ape tess, Ba 
No, Trees Si Seas Octaier "Nov. & Dec. 1848. 
Inches. Inches. Inches. 
21. Seca Fell Pike, é ; 3166 *64:73 49°46 ie 
From Ist May. 
22, Great Gable, . 5 5 2928. 91°32 46°81 44°51 
23. Sprinkling Tarn, . ‘ 1900 148:59 70:95 77°64. 
24. Stye Head, . : 5 1290 138-72 60°35 78:37 
25. Brunt Rigg, : 4 ~ 500 109719 43°18 66°01 
14. Valley to the west, Wastdale, 127:47 50°16 77°81 
18. Do. to the S.E., Eskdale, 95°71 37°69 58°02 
26. Seatollar Common, } esi ta 1334 139-48 57:97 81:51 
19. Valley, Seathwaite, dale, 17°55 68:96 108°59 
From the table for the summer months, it appears that between the 
Ist of May and the 31st of October, the gauge at 1290 feet has received 
2021 per cent. more rain than the valley; at 1334 feet, 15} per cent. 
more; at 1900 feet, 414 per cent. more; at 2928 feet, 6 per cent. less ; 
and at 3166 feet, 1 per cent. less than the valley. 
In the winter months, the gauge at 1290 feet has collected 0:5 per 
cent. more ; at 1344 feet, 53 per cent. more; at 1900 feet, 1 per cent. 
more ; and at 2928 feet, 42} per cent. less than the adjacent valley.{— 
Observatory, Whitehaven, June 7, 1849. 
MINERALOGY. 
3. Black Oxide of Copper of Lake Superior.—Mr Whitney made 
some remarks on the remarkable vein of black oxide of copper 
which was formerly worked at Copper Harbour, Lake Superior, but 
which was abandoned after some forty or fifty thousand pounds of 
this very valuable ore had been raised. It was the only vein of this 
substance, and perhaps the only locality known in the world, and 
specimens will be highly prized by the mineralogist hereafter. 
The substance called copper black, and sometimes black oxide of 
copper, which occurs in an earthy, pulverulent form, is not to be 
confounded with the pure oxide of copper found at Copper Harbour. 
Copper black is a mixture of various hydrated oxides, especially of 
iron, manganese, and copper, of which the latter forms but a small 
portion ; it occurs in an incrustation on other ores of copper, and is 
* The fall of rain on Sea Fell during the winter of 1847-8 was lost, in con- 
sequence of injury sustained by the receiver from the frost. The receivers at 
the mountain stations have since been renewed. They are made of extra-heavy 
sheet copper, double lapped at the seams, and with the bottoms convex inwards, 
the better to enable them to resist the expansive force of the water during its 
conversion into ice. Such an accident is therefore not likely to occur soon 
in. 
+ The above details were given in an interesting memoir read before the 
Royal Society, which will soon appear.—EZadit. 
