70 Notices respecting New Books. 



i.,«Lnow TO the Use of the Mout/i-Bluwpipe. By Dr. T. 



ScHEERER. Translated, with additions, by H. T. Blanford. 

 Leipsic and London, 1856. 



It is unnecessary here to remark on the advantages of the Kow- 

 pipe in the investigation of mineral substances. From the ^1™^ of 

 Swab to that of Gahn, it was an instrument more or le^'i applied 

 in chemical research; to Berzelius, however, we are indebted for 

 extending and improving its application, and his worl.:, ' The Use of 

 the Blowpipe,' 18:21, was translated into most of tlie European lan- 

 guages, and was long considered a standard work on the subject. 

 C. F. Plattner, continuing the researches of Harkhort, and having 

 devoted some years to the use of this instrument, published about 

 twenty years since. Die Probirkunst mit dem Lothrohre, of which, two 

 much-extended editions have subsequently appeared, and have been 

 translated into English by Dr. Muspratt. 



The Lothrohrbuch of Scheerer is intended as an introduction to the 

 use of the blowpipe ; the first part of that work, containing the 

 use of the mouth-blowpipe, being only translated by Mr. Blanford. 

 This part includes a short description of the apparatus for researches 

 with the blowpipe, and instructions for the qualitative examination 

 of substances so as to ascertain the presence or absence of certain 

 bodies ; and to which is appended two Tables, the first containing 

 the various metallic oxides arranged according to the colours they 

 impart to borax and microcosmic salt respectively ; the second on 

 the behaviour of metallic oxides and certain metallic acids, with the 

 same reagents, this table being extracted from Plattner's larger work. 

 To this has been added by the compiler a second part, and which 

 occupies more than half of the remainder of the book, containing the 

 charactetg presented before the blowpipe of many of the most im- 

 portant and frequently occurring mineral species, these being 

 arranged according to the basic system ; their chemical formulae are 

 also given from Kammelsberg. The various minerals are usefully 

 tabulated under the different bases, the blowi^ipe characters being 

 arranged in eight columns, according to the phsenomena presented 

 either alone, or by the action of different reagents. This part is 

 principally com))iled from the work of Plattner, with additions from 

 those of von Kobell and Rammelsberg. With these additions the 

 work forms a useful and concise hand-book for the student, and is 

 also valuable to those who cannot readily consult the larger and 

 more important volume of Plattner. 



Some slight typographical errors occur, as Epromite for Epsomite, 

 MO^ for TO^ ; and at p. 1-29, under Silica, " Nickel is present in the 

 green anhydrous variety Chlorophane," instead, we presume, of Chry- 

 sopruse. The reactions with nitrate of cobalt might have been more 

 usefully extended, according to colour, than that given at p. 91. 

 The compiler has verified many of the statements, and has supplied 

 details (where in some cases deficient) from personal experiment ; 

 circumstances prevente"d him from examining the metallic minerals ; 

 but we do not see why on that account Mr. Blanford should regret 

 being " obliged to rely principally o?i the authority of Professor Platt- 

 ner," the first of assayists, instead of his own observations. 



