374 Scientific Intelligence. 



mon temperatures, it appears as a colourless transparent liquid, of specific 

 gravity 0.85 at 60°, having the general colour of oil gas. Below 42°, it 

 is a solid body, forming dendrkical transparent crystals, and contracting 

 much during its congelation. At 0° it appears as a white or transparent 

 substance, brittle, pulverulent, and of the hardness nearly of loaf sugar. 

 It evaporates entirely in the air. When raised to 186° it boils, furnishing 

 a vapour which has a specific gravity of 40 nearly, compared to hydro- 

 gen as 1. At a higher temperature the vapour is decomposed, depositing 

 carbon. The substance is combustible, liberating charcoal, if oxygen be 

 not abundantly present. Potassium exerts no action upon it below 186°. 



Experimenting with the most volatile portions of the liquid, a product 

 was obtained, which, though gaseous at common temperatures, condensed 

 into a liquid at 0°. This was found to be very constant in composition 

 and properties. It was very combustible. It had a specific gravity of 27 

 or 28 as a gas ; as a liquid that of 0.627, being the lightest substance, not 

 a gas or vapour, known. When analyzed, it was found to consist of one 

 proportion of carbon 6., and one of hydrogen 1., as is the case with de- 

 fiant gas ; but these are so combined and condensed, as to occupy only 

 one-half the volume they do in that substance. A volume therefore of 

 the gas contains four proportionals of carbon 24, and four of hydrogen 

 4= 28, which is its specific gravity. 



Beside the remarkable difference thus established between this sub- 

 stance and olefiant gas, it is also distinguished by the action of chlorine, 

 which forms with it a fluid body, having a sweet taste, and resembling 

 hydro-chloride of carbon ; but from which a chloride of carbon cannot be 

 obtained by the further action of chlorine and light. 



The other products from the original fluid do not present any characters 

 so definite as the above substances ; at the same time they appear to be 

 very constant, boiling uniformly at one temperature. They cannot be 

 separated by distillation into more and less volatile parts, so as to afford 

 means of reducing their numbers to two or three particular bodies. They 

 have the general properties of the original fluid, and, like the other pro- 

 ducts, are peculiarly acted upon by sulphuric acid, presenting phenomena 

 in the investigation of which Mr Faraday is now engaged. See Quart. 

 Journ. No. 38. 



III. NATURAL HISTOEY. 



BOTANY. 



18. Overland Arctic Expedition. We have received intelligence from 

 the overland Arctic American Expedition, containing the welcome account 

 of its safe arrival at Penetanguishene, at the eastern extremity of Lake 

 Huron, upon the 22d of April. Our letter, which is from Dr Richardson, 

 announces that the party had a prosperous voyage, of 26 days, to New 

 York ; at which place the naturalists visited Dr Hossack, who seems to be 

 the liberal patron of botany, Mr Le Conte, well known as the author of 

 some Botanical Memoirs in the Lyceum of Natural History of New York, 

 Mr Halsey, a successful student of the Lichens of America, Mr Cooper, 



