

181-1.] Scientific Intelligence. 467 



presume they are French feet, though I am not certain. The 

 highest mountain in Spain, according to Humboldt, is only 5984 

 English feet in height ; and he sinks Mount Perdu, hitherto consi- 

 dered as the highest summit of the Pyrenees, to 5784 feet, which 

 is only about half the height of the old measurements. Ben Nives, 

 the highest mountain in Great Britain, is only 4350 feet above the 

 level of the sea. 



The following table exhibits the heights of some of the most 

 remarkable mountains in America, or the neighbouring islands: — 



Mowna Roa 1CC14 Eng. feet 



Chimborazo 22700 



Pinchinca 1 6545 



Cotopaxi 20325 



Pic d'Orizaba 1J36S 



Popocatapetl 17716 



V. Baron de Humboldt. 



It is understood that this celebrated and enterprising traveller is 

 shortly to set out for Asia to explore the hitherto almost unknown 

 country of Thibet. No object of greater importance can well 

 occupy either a geologist, botanist, or zoologist, or one who is 

 attached to the improvement of geography. This country seems 

 beyond a doubt to be the highest in existence ; some of its moun- 

 tains, if any reliance can be put in geometrical measurements made 

 at a great distance, and consequently liable to the greatest possible 

 errors from refraction, arise to the enormous height of 27,000 

 English feet above the level of the sea. How interesting will it be 

 to learn the nature and structure of these enormous mountains, and 

 the vegetable and animal remains which crown their summits. 



VI. Tantalum. 



I have received the following notice from Dr. Berzelius, in con- 

 sequence of a change which I made in the nomenclature employed 

 by him in his Essay on the Cause of Chemical Proportions. I 

 substituted columbium for lunlalum, and assigned as a reason that 1 

 thought the first discoverer had always a right to impose a name 

 upon what he discovered. To this Berzelius has made the following 

 answer : — 



" You have changed the name tantalum into columbium, because 

 in your opinion the discoverer of it was Mr. Hatchett, and not Mr. 

 Ekeberg, and because you consider the name columbium to be juNt 

 as good as tantalum. Without attempting to depreciate the merit 

 of the celebrated Hatchett, we must do justice to the late Mr. 

 Ekeberg. Now I affirm that neither the properties of tantalum nor 

 of its oxide were known before the experiments of I'lkcheig. Mr. 

 Hatchett described the oxide of columbium as an acid but little 

 soluble in water, which reddened infusion of litmus. It is soluble 



2 o 'J 



