1816.] Scientific Intelligence. 1243 
lime-stone, over this lies a bed of clay-slate, and over this, consti- 
tuting the surface of the whole, is a bed of granite. I do not know 
who the British officer was who sent drawings of these rocks to the 
Admiralty. It is impossible, therefore, to determine how far one 
can rely upon the testimony conveyed in these drawings, 
XVII. Rumford Prize. 
The council of the Royal Society has voted the Rumford prize to 
Dr. Wells for his Essay on Dew. We shall take this opportunity 
of pointing out an erratum in.our last number. Instead of the 
Rumford medal being given to Dr. Brewster, as stated in p. 133 of 
the present volume, it should have been the Copleyan medal. 
XVIII. Caterpillars in Switzerland. 
A very singular phenomenon has lately taken place in Switzer- 
land, at the distance of about nine miles from Lauzanne. The 
whole surface of the snow is covered with a species of caterpillar, 
different from any which are usually observed in that country. 
These animals appear dead ; but when brought near a fire they soon 
recover animation. 
XIX. Composition of Alcohol and Ether. 
According to the calculations of Gay-Lussac, founded on the ex- 
periments of Saussure, alcohol is composed of 
Olefiant gas)... 5... .y< wiahae vere --..1 volume 
Wapogr or Water ha. ree ee oh a ¥ 1 volume, 
the whole condensed into half its bulk. While ether is- com- 
posed of 
OVEURNE BAB se otc eve gss cées cs « oe VOLUMES 
WEPOUE OE WRCEN) on d5:bisiecd ec Sae ee 1 volume, 
the whole condensed into one volume, He considers the specific 
gravity of olefiant gas.as 0'978, and that of the vapour of water as 
0625. The specific gravity of the vapour of alcohol, according to 
his experiments is 1°613 and that of the vapour of ether 2:586. 
(See Annales de Chimie, xcv. 311.) 
XX. Sugar of Diabetic Urine. 
According to the recent experiments of Chevreul, the sugar of 
diabetic urine possesses all the characters of sugar of grapes. (See 
Annales de Chimie, xev. 319.) 
ArTicLtE IX, 
New Patents. 
_ Gronce Morton, Covent Garden, London; for a mode of 
attaching horses to waggons, and all other four-wheeled carriages. 
Nov, 14, 1815. 
