824 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 
article on the sea-margin in the southern part of the State, also fur- 
nished boracic acid. I was led to attribute it to the fact of mineral 
springs emptying into the lagoons furnishing the salt. It was there- 
fore a matter of no small surprise when, on a visit to the localities, 
I found no trace of acid in any of the springs in the adjacent district. _ 
This led to an examination of* the sea-water, and a detection of an 
appreciable quantity of boracic acid therein. It was at Santa Bar- 
bara where I first detected it, and subsequently at various points, 
from San Diego to the Straits of Fuca. It seems to be in the form of 
borate of soda, and perhaps of lime. The quantity diminishes towards 
the North. It is barely perceptible in specimens of water brought 
from beyond Oregon, and seems to reach its maximum near San Diego. 
This peculiarity seems to extend no great distance seaward. 
Water taken thirty or forty miles west from San Francisco gave no 
trace of acid. In twelve specimens, taken at various points betwixt 
this port and the Sandwich Islands, furnished me by Mr. Gulich, of 
Honolulu, only that nearest our coast gave boracic acid. In ten 
specimens kindly furnished me by Dr. W. O. Ayres, taken up by Dr. 
J. D. B. Stillman, in a trip of one of the Pacific mail steamers from 
Panama to this place, no acid was observed south of theCortez Shoals. 
I have not as yet been able to obtain specimens of water south of 
San Diego, nearer the shore than the usual route of the mail steamers. 
Neither have I been able to test the breadth of this boracic acid belt 
any further than the fact above stated, of no acid being found at the 
distance of thirty or forty miles west from the Golden Gate. I 
think it probable that it is confined within the submarine ridge run- 
ning parallel with the coast, the southern portion of which is indi- 
cated by certain shoals and island groups. The source of the acid 
is undoubtedly volcanic, and the seat of the volcanic action is most 
likely to exist in this submerged mountain range. It strengthens 
the probability of the eruptive character of the Cortez Shoals. 
I hope hereafter to be able to make more accurate and extended 
examinations, unless some one more capable of doing justice to the 
subject should take it in hand. With this view, I solicited the at- 
tention of Dr. J. S. Newberry to these facts, while he was in this 
city, on his way to join Lieut. Ivés’s Colorado Exploring Expedition, 
hoping he might think it worthy of investigation during his stay on 
this coast. With the same view, I now submit them to the Academy. 
—Journal of the Franklin Institute for February 1860. 
A NEW KIND OF SOUND-FIGURES FORMED BY DROPS OF A LIQUID. 
: BY F. MELDE. 
If a drinking-glass, or a funnel of about 3 inches diameter at 
the edge, be filled with water, or alcohol, or ether, and a strong note 
be made by drawing a violin-bow on the edge, a sound figure will 
be formed on the surface of the liquid, consisting of nothing but 
drops of liquid. If the vessel gives the fundamental note, the figure 
forms a four-rayed star, the ends of which extend to the four nodal 
points; but if the note which the vessel gives be the second higher, 
the star will be six-rayed ; and if the vessel gives still higher tones, 
other more numerously rayed stars are produced,—Poggendorft’s 
Annalen, January 1860. 
