JVea) Metal, provisionally called Vanadium. 07 



Thursday 26. After breakfast set out for Harper's Ferry, dis- 

 tant thirty miles ; passed through, and dined at Charleston ; 

 much rain had lately fallen in this vicinity, and the roads, bad at 

 best, are almost impassable ; two miles per hour we found to be 

 rapid travelling, in their present state. The black hme rock con- 

 tinued almost to Harper's Ferry. The view at this gap sudden- 

 ly burst open before us in all its glory, as we gained the summit 

 of a hill about a mile distant, and richly repaid us for all our fa- 

 tigue and toil. The rocks which overhang the river, are com- 

 posed of green slate, somewhat talcose, which disintegrates rather 

 fast in exposed situations, and masses are continually falling. 

 This slate rests on a fine-grained, solid granite, very appropriate 

 for the great rail road, which is to pass here. 



Friday 21. We left this enchanting scenery about 10 A. M. 

 lodged the same evening at Leesburg, and arrived at Washing- 

 ton at 1 P. M. on Saturday 28th, one of the hottest days expe- 

 rienced the present season. The last four miles previous to 

 entering Georgetown, the road leads along the Potomac canal, 

 through gneiss and granite rocks : higher up the river, it is said 

 that anthracite has been discovered. 



NEW METAL, PROVISIONALLY CALLED VANADIUM. 



Extract of a Letter from M. Berzelius to M. Dulong, read before the Academy 

 of Natural Sciences at Paris, Feb. 7, 1831. 



" M. Sefstrom, director of the school of mines at Fahlun, whilst 

 engaged in examining a variety of iron remarkable for its ex- 

 treme softness, observed the presence of a substance, the proper- 

 ties of which differed from those of all other known bodies ; but 

 its quantity was so small as would have rendered it tedious and 

 expensive to collect sufficient for an examination of its properties. 

 This iron was from the mine of Taberg in Smoland ; the ore 

 merely contained traces of the substance. Finding that the pig 

 iron contained far more of this principle than the wrought iron, 

 M. Sefstriim thought that the scoria formed during the conversion 

 of the pig iron into wrought metal, might be a more abundant 

 source — a conjecture confirmed by experience ; so that sufficient 

 having been procured, he went to Mr. Berzelius during the Christ- 

 mas holidays, to complete its examination. For the present the 

 substance is called Vanadium, after a Scandinavian divinity. 



