1815. Scientifie Intelligence. 315 
pleted, the Report of the Committee shall be transmitted to your 
Journal. 
Iam, Sir, your obedient servant, 
Ricnarp Lovett EpGEeworrn. 
XI. On Curbonate of Bismuth. 
(To Dr. Thomson.) 
SIR, 
I observe in the last number of your Annals a notice relating to 
the discovery of the carbonate of bismuth in Cornwall. J am in- 
duced to trouble you with a few-words upon the subject, because I 
find it mentioned nearly six years ago, and some particulars relative 
to it, with a coloured engraving, given in a work which, notwith- 
standing its general utility, and the encouragement it has met with, 
has perbaps in scarcely any instance been cited by mineralogical 
writers : 1 mean Sowerby’s British Mineralogy, containing coloured 
engravings of the minerals of Great Britain, accompanied by de- 
scriptions and remarks. From the account given of the substance 
in question in that work,* it appears to have been detected by the 
Rev. W. Gregor, and that it was brought from St. Agnes. It is a 
white earthy substance, rather harsh to the touch, with scarcely any 
lustre ; and the specimen sent to Mr. Sowerby was considered by 
Mr. Gregor, from his chemical examination of it, to be mixed with 
oxide of iron and stony matter, The following passage, taken from. 
Sowerby’s account, will serve as a reason that this substance should 
have escaped detection before the latter part of the year 1809, the 
period at which the specimen was forwarded to Mr. S. “ We think 
it of much consequence to figure such a substance as the present ; 
for by remembering the figure we shall not too hastily pass over 
things which at first have common appearances, but examine them 
- with attention, which will habituate the judgment to the easy discri- 
mination of obscure characters, and teach us to suspect what is not 
quite usual, and therefore to examine it, if necessary, by means of 
chemical agents,” 
Sept: 9, 1815. G. B. 
XII. Table Mountain at the Cape of Good Hope. \ 
From a description of this mountain by Capt. Hall, published in 
the last volume of the Edinburgh ‘Transactions, it appears that the 
lower part of it is composed of granite, that the granite at the 
_ boitom is covered with clay-slate, and that veins of granite pass 
through this slate. ‘The summit of the mountain consists of red 
sand-stone. 
* Vol. iv. p. 77, pl. 344, published Dec. 1, 1809, 
