S,S6 Di/lilliition. — Heat and Light. — Antiquities. 



dered the plant fickly, afterwards difuppeared, and the plant 

 fpeedily revived. 2d, A fmall layer of an auricula [Pri- 

 mula auricula Linn.) by the fame means, in the period of 

 fcarcely three weeks, was brought to a confiderable fize and 

 full bloom. This plant the author prefented to the Society. 

 The latter experiment, according to the author, would pro- 

 bably have fucceeded in a fliorter period had not the expan- 

 lion of the plant been retarded by two nights froft. 



In the fitting of December 3, Profellor J. B. Trommfdorff 

 read a paper entitled Collections towards a Chemical Know- 

 ledge of Mineral Bodies; which contained, ift, A chemical 

 analyfis of a black fcld fpar in the bafaltes of an extinguiflied 

 volcano of Unkel : 2d, The anatomy of a blue chalcedony 

 from Siberia : 3d, The decompofition of a dark black obfidian 

 itone from Mount Ilcckla : 4th, The chemical examination 

 of a heliotrope from Bohemia. 



A paper was received from N. Miiller, of Marktwipfcld, 

 on the progrefs of diftilling fpirits from potatoes according 

 to the author's principles ; in which he endeavoured to fhow 

 that the country around Nieuwied had derived great benefit 

 f\"bm this method of diftillation, and from its becoming more 

 general. 



HEAT AKD LIGHT. 



By Dr. ITerfchel's experiments on this fubje£l, and which 

 have been laid before the Royal Society, it appears, not only 

 that the different coloured rays of the folar fpeftrum are en- 

 dowed with very different powers of heating bodies ; but that 

 heat alfo comes from the fun by invijible rajs, which are lej's 

 refrangible than the red rays of the prifmatic fpecirum, 



ANTiaUITIES. 



A peafant of Steyermark, a few months ago, in digging 

 at the laro-e canal near Vienna, found an urn containing 

 298 pieces of the pureft gold, of a ftraw colour, fomewhat 

 fmaller than Imperial ducats, but twice as thick, and confe- 

 quently equal in value 'to about an Englifli guinea. Twenty 

 of thefe pieces he immediately gave to one of his fellow-la- 

 bourers, and with four others he purchafed from a Vicmia 

 pedlar fome clothes, with which, and the remainder of tho 



coins. 



