1822.] Dr. Hare’simproved Defagrator. 123 
“< But the most interesting thing remains yet to be stated. On 
examining with a magnifier the projecting point of the positive 
pole, it exhibited decisive indications of haying undergone a real 
Susion. 
«The projecting point or knob was completely different from 
the charcoal beneath. Its form was that ofa collection of small 
spheres aggregated, exhibiting perfectly what is called in the 
descriptive language of mineralogy botryoidal or mamillary con- 
cretions. Its surface was smooth and glossy, as if covered with 
a varnish ; the lustre was metallic, the colour inclining to grey, 
exhibiting sometimes iridescent hues, and it had entirely lost 
the fibrous structure. In short, in colour, lustre, and form, the 
fused charcoal bore the most striking resemblance to many of 
the beautiful stalactitical and botryoidal specimens of the brown 
hematite. The pores of the charcoal had all disappeared, and 
the matter had become sensibly harder and heavier. 
«‘T repeated the experiments until I collected a considerable 
quantity of these fused masses ; when they were placed conti- 
guously upon some dark surface, with some pieces of charcoal 
near them, they appeared when seen through a magnifier so 
entirely different from the charcoal, that they would never have 
been suspected to have had any connexion with it, had it not 
been that occasionally some fibres of the charcoal adhered to 
the melted masses. The melted and unmelted charcoal -differ 
nearly as much in their appearance as pumice stone and obsi- 
dian, and guite as much as common stones do, from volcanic 
scorie, excepting only in the article of colour. It is to be 
understood that the examination is, in every instance, made by 
means of a good magnifier, and under the direct light of the 
sun’s rays, as the differences are scarcely perceptible to the 
naked eye, especially in an obscure light. The portions of 
melted charcoal are so decidedly heavier than the unmelted, 
that when fragments of the two ofa similar size are placed con- 
tiguously, the latter may be readily blown away by the breath, 
while the former will remain behind ; and when tlie vessel con- 
taining the pieces is inclined, the melted pieces will roll with 
momentum from oné side to the other in a manner very similar 
to metallic substances, while the fragments of charcoal will 
either not move, or move very tardily. 
“ It should be observed that during the ignition of the char- 
coal points, there is.a peculiar odour somewhat resembling elec- 
tricity, and a white fume rises perpendicularly, forming a well 
defined line above the charcoal. There was also a distinct snap 
or crackling when the two points were first brought together. 
“‘ Wishing to ascertain whether the alkali present in the char- 
coal had any effect in promoting the fusion, some pieces, of 
prepared charcoal were thoroughly boiled in water, and were 
then again exposed to a strong heat in a furnace beneath sand 
in a crucible, These pieces. when connected in the circuit 
