212 Geological Societij : — Mr. Bowman on the 



quick fire to the consistency of a syrup. Although during 

 evaporation the atmospheric air is not excluded, there is no 

 fear of the hyposulphite of soda being more highly oxidized, 

 as the oxygen of the atmosphere must first exert its oxidizing 

 action on the sulphuret of sodium. The liquid thus eva- 

 porated is filtered, if necessary, and mixed with half its vo- 

 lume of alcohol and well shaken ; in a few minutes the liquid 

 separates into two layers; the upper or alcoholic one, which 

 has taken up all the sulphuretj is of a gold-yellow colour, the 

 lower one containing the hyposulphite of soda dissolved in 

 water, colourless. Tlie vessel is now placed aside, that the 

 hyposulphite may crystallize under the covering of the alco- 

 holic solution of the sulphuret, which happens in the course 

 of twelve hours. The crystals obtained, when quantities not 

 too small have been operated with, are of considerable size, 

 and without any yellow tinge ; and when dissolved in water 

 and treated with an acid, let fall a considerable quantity of 

 sulphur with disengagement of sulphurous acid. [Journal 

 fiir praktische Che?nie, xxi. pp. 310-313.) 



Marchand prepares the dioxide of copper in the following 

 manner : very thick wires of pure Russian copper were brought 

 in a Gay-Lussac's furnace immediately to a violent white heat, 

 which having continued half an hour, was diminished to a dark 

 red heat : the oxide was taken out after some hours ; it formed 

 black crystalline masses, which were in part hollow, and gave 

 a beautiful purple-red powder. In the greater part there was 

 still metallic wire inside, around which the dioxide had ar- 

 ranged itself in a crystalline state. Another time the dark 

 red heat was maintained during eight or nine hours. Both 

 products were reduced by hydrogen; the first portion con- 

 tained 88"6 copper and ir4; oxygen, the second 88*65 Cn. 

 and 11 "35 O. [Journal fiir praktische Chemie, xx. p. 505.) 

 [To be continued.] 



XXXIX. Proceedings of Learned Societies » 



GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 

 [Continued from vol, xvii. p. 542.] 

 Feb. 26, 1840. A PAPER was then read, " On the characters of the 

 [Continued.) -^^ fossil trees lately discovered near Manchester, on 

 the line of the Manchester and Bolton railway ; and on the forma- 

 tion of Coal by gradual subsidence ;" by John Eddowes Bowman, 

 Esq., F.L.S., communicated by the President. 



The paper commences with a few preliminary remarks on the 

 theory of repeated subsidences of the land during the carboniferous 

 sera ; and on the drift theory, the author being of opinion that the 



