LUelligence aiid Miscellaneous Articles. 395 



Science, which assembled for the first time at York in September 1831, 

 the next meeting of that society is appointed to be held at Oxford 

 during the week beginning on Monday the 18th of June ; and re- 

 quest that you will signify as early as possible, by a letter addressed 

 to the Secretaries at the Museum, Oxford, whether it will be con- 

 venient to you to attend ; and whether you have any paper to com- 

 municate, specifying its length, and the subject to which it relates ; 

 also, that you will have the goodness to intimate the contents of this 

 letter to any of your scientific friends to whom we may have inadvert- 

 ently omitted to write. 



Strangers on their arrival in Oxford will find at the Museum a per- 

 son appointed by the local committee, who will give them intelligence 

 respecting the meetings, references to lodgings, and other requisite 

 information. 



We have the honour to remain your obedient Servants, 

 C. Daubeny, Professor of Chemistrv,! c. a ■ 

 B. rowELL, rroressor oi Ueometry, J 

 Oxford, April 16th, 1832. 



NEW SUBSTANCE PROCURED FROM OPIUM. BY J. P. COUERBE. 



In 1830, while superintending M. Pelletier's chemical works, 

 M. Couerbe, '.vhile treating opium for the separation of morphia, ob- 

 tained a substance which appeared to be new ; and he mentioned it 

 to M. Robiquet in a letter. Since that period, he had not observed 

 this substance, and it had, as it were, escaped him ; when co-opera- 

 ting with M. Pelletier in an analysis of opium, he again found it, and 

 can now always obtain it. The distinguishing characters of this body 

 are the following: it is perfectly white, and crystallizes in needles. 

 Boiling water, aether, and alcohol dissolve it ; it crystallizes equally well 

 in all these liquids. It fuses readily, the temperature of boiling water 

 being sufficient. When heated in a bent tube and fused, it is per- 

 fectly transparent, and a higher temperature than that required for its 

 fusion renders it slightly yellow, distils a great part of it, and occa- 

 sions a slight carbonaceous deposit. Distillation does not appear to 

 change its nature ; for by re-dissolving in any of the above-mentioned 

 fluids it again crystallizes in its original form. 



This substance is called by its discoverer Meconin : when burnt with 

 oxide of copper it yields only carbonic acid and pure water ; these are 

 properties which distinguish it essentially from narcotine and mor- 

 phia. It is acrid, and on this account is suspected to have some action 

 on the animal oeconomy. 



It appears that this substance had been previously discovered by 

 M. Dublanc, who about four years ago read an account of it to the 

 Academy of Medicine. M. Couerbe having examined the product 

 obtained by M. Dublanc, finds that it is identical with meconin. — 

 Journal de Pliartuacie, Mars, 1832. 



ON BROMIDE OF SILICIUM, &C. BY M. SERULLAS. 

 This substance is prepared very readily in the same manner as 

 that employed by M. Oersted for the corresponding chloride ; that is 

 o E 2 to 



