72 Scientific Intelligence. [Jan. 



view of determining their geognostical structure and relations, 

 found in the Island of Unst considerable masses of that valuable 

 substance the chromate of iron. 



V. Botanical Specimens from Switzerland. 



J. C. Schleicher, of Bex, in the canton de Vaud, who has 

 long been known as a dealer in seeds and dried specimens of 

 Swiss plants, is now in London, for the purpose of furnishing 

 the herbaria of English botanists with the Alpine, and other in- 

 digenous plants of Switzerland. He has published a catalogue 

 of genera and species, from which persons may select whatever 

 specimens they wish at a very moderate price. 



VI. Davy's Safety Lamp. 



An addition has been made to this valuable apparatus by Mr. 

 Newman, by which it appears probable that its utility will be 

 increased. It consists in attaching to the lower part of the wire- 

 gauze a convex lens. The effect of this is, that the miner will 

 have it in his power to direct a strong light upon any particular 

 part where it may be required, while the lens has the further 

 advantage of covering a portion of the gauze, and preserving it 

 from the coal dust and oil, by which, without considerable care, 

 it is liable to be obstructed. 



VII. Effect of Hot Water on Flotvers. 



The following fact, as far as we know, has not yet appeared 

 in print. It is, however, deserving of record, as an interesting 

 contribution to what has hitherto been discovered on the subject 

 of vegetable physiology, and as enabling the lovers of flowers to 

 prolong for a day the enjoyment of their short-lived beauty. 



Most flowers begin to droop and fade after being kept during 24 

 hours in water : a few may be revived by substituting fresh water ; 

 but all (the most fugacious, such as the poppy, and perhaps one 

 or two others excepted) may be completely restored by the 

 use of hot water. For this purpose place the flowers in scalding 

 water, deep enough to cover about one-third of the length of 

 the stem : by the time the water has become cold the flowers 

 will have become erect and fresh : then cut off the coddled end 

 of the stems, and put them into cold water. Probation est. 



VII. Third Volume of the Memoirs of the Society of Arcueil. 

 The third volume of the memoirs of this respectable society 

 has been lately received in London. It contains a number of 

 valuable papers ; but many of them have been written for some 

 time, and their contents have been already made public: an 

 account of several of them has been given in the preceding 

 volumes of the Annals. We .shall embrace an early opportunity 

 of communicating to our readers an abstract of the more recent 

 papers : in the mean time, it may not be uninteresting to have a 

 list of the whole : 



