Fire-damp. — Geology. — New Book. 4/1 



liardly be hoped to be attained. We have seen, and with re- 

 gret, a most illiberal commiuiication in the Tyne INIercnry, 

 cliarging Sir H. Davy with having pirated Dr. Clanny's lamp 

 (described in tlie Philosophical Transactions, and with keeping 

 the Doctor's name out of view, in his communication made to 

 the Royal Society. Now the fact is, that Sir Humphry made 

 very handsome mention of tlie Doctor's name in the communi- 

 cation alluded to. As to the charge of piracy : — excepting the 

 circumstance of both having a wick (in common with all oil 

 lamps) the two contrivances are not nearly so similar as a blast- 

 furnace and an air-furnace. Indeed they are much more re- 

 mote from each other. — The Doctor rests tlie safety of his lamp 

 on the intervention of water to prevent the transmis'ion of 

 ignition, and supplies the air required to maintain the flame by 

 means of bellows. Sir Humphry rests the safety of his lamp on 

 quite a different principle — the non-conducting ])Ower of tubes, 

 or of apertures below a given size, to transmit .ignition, even when 

 filled with the inflammable gas and in contact with flame; or, 

 in other vvords, — on the power wliich small apertures possess 

 to extinguish inflamed gas; and tiie air required to maintain 

 combustion is supplied, as in a common Argand's lamp, by 

 passing through (projjerly adapted) apertures at the bottom, 

 without the intervention of anv litjuid. 



As to those pseudo-philosophers who take upon them to as- 

 sert (probably because the fact, simple as it is, is beyond their 

 comprehension) that Sir H. Davy's lamp will not anwser, we 

 can offer them no consolation. For ourselves, we seek no better 

 evidence that the sun will rise to-morrow morning, than its hav- 

 ing regularly done so all the yesterdays that are past. 



GEOJ,OGY. 



We have been enabled, by the favour of a correspondent, to 

 give, in the present number, a brief sketch of tlie dilfereut for- 

 mations of rocky strata in which coal has been detected in the 

 North-East of England. — A geological sketch of the Eastern 

 part of Yorkshire from the Tees to the Humlier, offered by owe 

 of our correspondents, will be received with tlianks, and receive 

 instant attention. 



Mr. Bracy Clarke, Veterinary Surgeon, of Giltspur-strcet, has 

 in the press, intended for speedy publication, A Treatise on tlie 

 Bots of Hofses and other domestic Animals; being a reprint r)f 

 Ills Treatise on that subject, formerly published in the Linneari 

 Society's Transactions, with numerous and interesting additions. 

 He has introduced an account of a newly-discovered race of 

 flies bred in the living bodies of animals in America. 



LECTURliS. 



