Lyceum of the Arts, Paris. . 9 1 



deflroys the animalculse attached to the feeds, and that the 

 reafon of its not entirely extirpating the fmut is, becaufe it 

 cannot aft on thofe fmall infeds which occafion it, and 

 which happen to be fcattered in the ground. 



Having analyfed forty-fix grains of fmut, he found in this 

 fubftance an acid eafy to be demonftrated by fuch an analyfis 

 as could not poflibly produce it in the courfe of the procefs. 

 Thus, boiling water infufed over it, gave a ftrong tinge of red 

 to tinfture of tumfole, while the remainder of this linfture 

 retained its former chara6ler. Smut, deprived of its acid, 

 and calcined in the open air, emitted the odour of burnt 

 corn, and gave a refiduum fix times as large as the fame 

 quantity of the farina of wheat treated in the fame manner. 

 This joined to microfcopic obfervations, fays C. Chantran, 

 proves the animal «nature of this fubftance, and a difference 

 between it and the farina of wheat, greater than could arife 

 merely from difeafe. 



The acid of fmut is not volatile, and may be concentrated 

 by diftillation. With lime and with ammonia it forms an 

 infoluble fait. This laft charafter diftinguifhes it from the 

 phofphoric acid. Combined with pot-afh, it gave a fait cryf- 

 tallifed in fmall deliquefcent needles of a bitter tafle. It de- 

 compofes carbonat of lime. 



LYCEUM OF THE AKTS, PARIS. 



In the fitting of the 24th of Pluviofe, Feb. 13, C. Bruley 

 read a note rcfpecling the Nopal, called commonly in the An- 

 tilles Bois des hides, and which nourifhes the infed that pro- 

 duces cochineal. He announced at the fame time a very 

 fiiigular phenomenon, which is, that in the Jardin des Plantes 

 at Paris there are feveral nopal plants, brought to France by 

 C. Delahaye, covered at prefent with infefts exceedingly vo- 

 racious ; from which it is expefted that cochineal may be 

 cultivated in the neighbourhood of Paris fufficient for the 

 confumption of the French manufaiSlures. C. Bruley pro- 

 mifcd to prefent, at the next fitting, nopal plants covered with 

 the living infedls, and a piece of fcarlet cloth dyed with Pa- 

 rifian cochineal, which, lie faid, was equally beautiful as that 

 dyed v.ith American cochineal. 



N Z CHILD 



