1819.] Scientific Intelligence. 315 
Its colour was of a fine shining black, like that of pitch, or black 
sealing wax. Its taste was faint, and somewhat resembling 
gum, and it adhered to the teeth like that substance. It was 
very friable, and easily reduced to powder, and its sp. gr. was 
considerably above that of water. 
Tt was nearly insoluble in alcohol, but readily soluble in water, 
forming a deep brownish red solution. This solution yielded 
copious precipitates by the addition of all the acids and all the 
metallic and earthy salts tried. These precipitates were of a 
ellowish red or brown colour. 
It burned like gum arabic, and left a considerable quan- 
tity of carbonate of potash and traces of an earthy salt, probabl 
the carbonate of lime. ; 
From these experiments it is obvious, that this substance was 
the ulmate of potash, or ulmin in that state of combination in 
which it has hitherto been most frequently met with. 
XI. Meteoric Iron. 
(To Dr. Thomson.) 
SIR, 
The following passage is transcribed from Glauber’s Opens 
Mineralis pars prima, Amstelodami, 1652, 12mo. p. 36. It 
appears to merit insertion in the Annals of Philosophy. 
“« Neque hoc in terra solim metallica generationis aptissima, 
sed et in acre in densis nubibus idem moliuntur: siquidem non 
infrequenter videmus, non modo exilia animalcula bruchos, 
erucas, ranas aliaque insecta, istic locorum concepta et exclusa, 
confertim cum pluviis descendisse, sed et fide dignis testimoniis 
constat plusquam centenarios lapides, ferri etiam massas conglo- 
meratarum guttarum specie, egregie malleabilis ex aére decidisse. 
Uti et varii comete, alizque ignewe substantiz in aére coacta 
accenduntur, materia absumpta, emoriuntur, instar arsenicalis 
fumi delapse terram cum suis fcetibus inficiunt, unde multorum 
lethalium morborum seges felicissima pullulat. Ipsum etiam 
fulmen et fulgur nil est aliud quam subtile nitrum accensum, 
quem admodum et cum fragore cadentes lapides in aere pro- 
creantur.” 
The remarkable resemblance which the concise description of 
meteoric iron above bears to the Count. de Bournon’s in the 
Phil. Trans. for 1802, cannot fail to strike the mineralogical 
reader. 
I do not know whether the subsequent extract from the same 
work be, or be not, worthy notice. I believe it is generally 
considered that Fabbroni first ascertained that gold occurs native 
in a state of purity. 
“Vidi aliquando apud mercatorem Belgam hujusmodi auri 
granum propemodum finum, vel caratorum 24, aliquot pendens 
