Astronomy. — Ayapana. 285 



•water. It did not become hot, remained perfectly clear, 

 and floated on the water, without decreasing sensibly in 

 quantity. It was consequently ether. As this liquid had 

 a very acid odour and taste, I added to it a diluted solution 

 of caustic soda, till the acid was saturated ; in consequence 

 of which, the ether, by the large quantity of silex which 

 was separated, formed itself into a consistent jelly. It is 

 singular, that the water did notdecompose this combination, 

 while it separated so easily the silex of the fluoric acid*. 



The jelly was put into a retort, and distilled to dryness. 

 The distilled fluid had a smell approaching near to that of 

 sulphuric ether, and weighed 0*720; but its taste was bit- 

 ter, and very much analogous to that of bitter almonds, 

 though much weaker. I shall repeat this experiment, with 

 the necessary precautions, to remove all suspicion that the 

 sulphuric acid may have had an influence on the formation 

 of the ether ; and I confess that this suspicion, in my ex- 

 periment, is not without foundation, considering the smalt 

 space, in regard to its great weight, occupied by the fluatcd 

 lime in the mixture of alcohol and sulphuric acid. 



ASTRONOMY. 



March 24., 1S05. 



There appeared, a few days ago, on the sun, a large spot 

 with two nuclei, which I observed nine degrees to the north 

 of the solar equator. It differs little from the spots which 

 enabled me to determine the time of the sun's rotation, in 

 the Memoirs of the Academy for 1 770; and it seems to me 

 to confirm the discovery f then made, by proving that there 

 are in the sun points where large spots are formed, rather 

 than in others. They are perhaps mountains, which attract 

 and retain the scoriae of that innnense fuinacef. Thsi 

 parallel, which is at nine degrees south from the solar 

 equator, is the most fertile in large spots. These spots, 

 with two nuclei, which have appeared at diflcrent periods, 

 seem to me to destroy the system of volcanoes proposed by 

 Dr. Herschel : there cannot be two volcanoes so near sub- 

 sisting without mixture, and always separated by a line of 

 light. Dklalandk. 



AVAPANA. 



Bory dc St. Vincent, in his Voyage anr principals lies 

 dcs Altrs d'Afriqiu, relates that the captain of a Danish 



• The substance stparated by wntir from the flante of silcx is a ter- 

 rulous filiate of that earth, and the rcm.iining liquid is lluatc strongly 

 iciduious.— ■Noll' of M. "va^ Mans. 



t nil we read this, wc Relieved that all modern philo'.ophcrs had given 

 Up the iiica of the iup bting a niais of fire I Kui i. 



ship. 



