234; London Institution. 



Compact limestone, forming the summit of 



the mountain, about 100 feet. 



In a break in the side of Gebeel Suneen, and extending for some 

 distance along the upper part of the lower conglomerate, is a basaltic 

 dyke, which shoots upwards into the compact limestone. It is about 

 100 yards wide, and begins, as well as terminates, very abruptly. 

 Except a small hillock near the sea of Tiberias, this is stated to be 

 the only trap seen by INIr. Heugh or his friends throughout the 

 whole of Syria. 



The fossils from the middle bed of limestone are generally casts, 

 but are assigned by the author to the genera Dolium, JBuccinum, 

 Nerincca, Turritella, Venus, Crassatella ?, Hippurites, Trigonia, 

 Cardium, Lucina, Nucula, and Spatungus. 



In a soft limestone at the village of Ba-abda, and also on the banks 

 of the Zamies, are found large drusy geodes of quartz, and some- 

 times of chalcedony. 



Among the other fossils contained in the collection, are specimens 

 of Clupea hrevissima (Agassiz, Tab. LXL, f. 6-9.). They occur 

 in great numbers a little above Tripoli, on the way to the Cedars, 

 and about thirty miles north of Beyroot. 



None of the fossils, except the fishes, having been identified with 

 described species, Mr. Williamson does not venture to determine 

 the precise age of the beds from which they were obtained; but he 

 is of opinion that the fossils are more nearly allied to the organic 

 remains of the cretaceous series than to any other. The Dolium, 

 he says, bears a strong resemblance to the D. nodosum of the En- 

 glish chalk, and a species of Venus to the V, angtdata of the green 

 sand. Nerincea, he states, on the authority of Mr. Daniel Sharpe, 

 are found near Lisbon associated with Hippurites. 



LONDON INSTITUTION. — CONVERSAZIONI. 



Jan. 20. — Mr. Grove on a powerful Voltaic Combination. 



In reviewing the history of the voltaic battery from its first dis- 

 covery to the present daj% Mr. Grove showed how the chemical 

 theory had led to all the improvements of that instrument. The 

 original pile was defective, as, from the small intervening stratum of 

 liquid, chemical action was soon exhausted ; hence the troughs of 

 Cruickshank and WoUaston. A second defect was the waste of 

 local action, now remedied by amalgamated zinc, the inactivity of 

 which is explained by the chemical theory. A third defect was the 

 reaction occasioned by the precij)itation of cations upon the nega- 

 tive metal, remedied by Mr. Daniell's introduction of sulphate of cop- 

 per. However, as the chemical theory supposes that the power of 

 this voltaic combination is as the afiinity of oxygen or chlorine for 

 zinc, minus its affinity for copper, a wide field was still ojien for 

 the increase of power ; thus solutions of silver, gold or platina, 

 would be efticient did not their expense preclude their practical 

 employment ; the nitric, iodic, chloric and bromic acids, whose ele- 

 ments are united by a very feeble affinity, are still more eff^ectual 



