Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 479 



degree, that is to say, 4 ;" and ho finds that carbon has a peculiar 

 physiognomy, " inasmuch as it enters into combination with itself, a 

 feature so characteristic tliat," according to him, " it accounts for 

 the important and still unexplained fact of the accumulation of the 

 molecules of carbon in organic compounds. In the compounds in 

 which 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, &c. molecules of carbon are linked together, it 

 is carbon that serves to bind the carbon." 



^ We cannot agree with him that these properties are indicated by 

 him for the first time. In my first memoir (p. 133, note) I have 

 said e-xpressly that carbon was quadriatomic in its nature, that is to 

 say, that 1 atom of carbon (C=12) is equivalent to 4 atoms of hy- 

 drogen (H=I) ; and I have added that consequently the simplest 

 compounds of carbon with elements of the first group (monoatomic 

 elements) were CH*, C Cl^, &c. In my second memoir I have also 

 given a further development to this idea (p. 153), and from it I have 

 drawn the corollary (p. 154), that, in substances which contain 

 several atoms of carbon, this accumulation can only be explained 

 by the hypothesis that the atoms of carl>on itself are linked 

 together, thus neutralizing a part of their general affinity. I 

 thought that this hypothesis might be founded upon various ex- 

 amples too circumstantial to be referred to here ; I shall content 

 myself with pointing out that I also have given a general formula 

 which expresses, for a certain class of compounds, the number of 

 atoms of h3'drogen combined with n atoms of carbon, in the follow- 

 ing terms — « nd -2)+ 



whilst Mr. Couper, on his side, expresses it in this way — 



in which m is < w. 



At a glance, certain features of resemblance will be traced between 

 our two formulEC ; and I prove that mine is only a particular applica- 

 tion of that of Mr. Couper, which is more general, indeed, but also 

 more vague. I shall also remark that H in my formula, like M in 

 that of Mr. Couper, represents all the elements belonging to the first 

 group. 



I shall not dwell upon the discovery of this grouping of the ele- 

 ments, which is developed in more detail in my first memoir (p. 133), 

 and of which the germ may be found in the works of Laurent, Ger- 

 hardt, and Williamson ; but I may be allowed to indicate that it 

 lays down the principle, that, besides the unknown force which is by 

 common consent called chemical aflinity, we must also, for the ex- 

 planation of chemical combinations, attribute a great part to that 

 which I have called the basicity of atoms. If Mr. Couper thinks he 

 lias discovered the cause of this difference of basicity in the existence 

 of a special kind of affinity, I am the first to admit that I have no 

 right to contest his priority in this. — Comptes Rendus, Aug. 30, 1858 



p.'^sys. 



METEORIC STONE OF BORKUT. 

 Tliis stone, according to Dr. Franz Leydolt, fell on the 13th of 

 October, 1852, ut S*" p.m., atBorkut in Hungary. It was found two 



