106 



INDIUM. 



IOWA. 



The Legislature elect stands as follows : 



Senate. House. Joint ballot 



Republicans 30 61 91 



Democrats 20 39 59 



Rep. maj 10 22 32 



As the Legislature of Indiana meets biennially 

 in the odd years, there was no session in 1866. 

 Governor Morton was absent from the State on 

 account of ill health from November, 1865, until 

 the middle of April, 1866, during which time 

 the Executive chair was filled by Lieutenant- 

 Governor Baker. 



INDIUM. Complete accounts of the mode 

 of preparation and characteristics of this rare 

 metal have recently been published in Eng- 

 land. It was discovered about three years ago 

 by Professor Richter and Inspector Reich, of 

 the Freiburg Mining Academy, by the use of 

 the spectroscope. Thus far, Indium has been 

 found chiefly in the dark, ferruginous blende 

 of the Himmelfahrt mine, near Freiburg. The 

 discoverers originally obtained it from the ore 

 direct, but they eventually ascertained that the 

 larger part of the Indium of the ore passed off 

 into the zinc obtained from it, and they now 

 operate upon the finished product of the smelt- 

 ing works. The proportion of Indium to the 

 Freiburg zinc, varies from 0-008 to 0-0448 per 

 cent. To obtain it, the zinc is first dissolved, 

 all but a small portion, in hydrochloric acid. 

 The presence in the solution of a small quan- 

 tity of undissolved zinc, determines the forma- 

 tion in it of a spongy metallic mass containing 

 all the Indium, and nearly all the other foreign 

 metals associated with the dissolved zinc, such 

 as lead, iron, arsenic, and cadmium. The spongy 

 mass must now be dissolved in nitric acid, the 

 lead precipitated by sulphuric acid, and after- 

 ward the cadmium and arsenic by sulphuretted 

 hydrogen. Indium and iron, are now the only 

 :netals remaining in the solution, which is then 

 boiled to drive off sulphuretted hydrogen, and 

 the iron oxidized by means of chlorate of pot- 

 ash, after which the addition of ammonia will 

 precipitate a mixture of peroxide of iron and 

 protoxide of Indium. This precipitate is dis- 

 solved in warm dilute acetic acid ; and sul- 

 phuretted hydrogen will then precipitate nearly 

 pure sulphide of Indium, which may be con- 

 verted into oxide by dissolving it in hydro- 

 chloric acid, and finally reduced to the metallic 

 state by means of hydrogen or of cyanide of 

 potassium. The metal has a specific gravity of 

 7.11 in the granular state, and 7.277 after ham- 

 mering. It resembles platinum in color and 

 lustre, and the latter quality is undiminished 

 by exposure to air, or even by the action of 

 boiling water. It is easily fusible, softer and 

 more malleable than lead, and as volatile as 

 magnesium or zinc. In the spectroscope it 

 gives a beautiful blue color whence its name. 

 Indium forms but one oxide ; all its known 

 salts are odoiless, and impart a decided blue 

 tinge to the flame of a Bunsen lamp. In its 

 electric properties Indium much resembles cad- 



mium, but is more electro-negative. The blue 

 ray of the metal has no corresponding black 

 ray in the solar spectrum. It presents other 

 besides the blue and violet rays, but they may 

 possibly be owing to impurities. 



MM. Kerchlar and Schrotter have discovered 

 the metal in a blende at Schonfeld near Schlag- 

 genwalt. M. Schrotter extracts the metal by 

 treating the blende after roasting by sulphuric 

 instead of hydrochloric acid, and precipitates the 

 Indium directly by zinc, fractioning the precipi- 

 tates; the purification of the metal being ren- 

 dered easier in consequence of this division. 



IOWA. The' Legislature of Iowa convened 

 at Des Moines, on January 8th, and on the suc- 

 ceeding day was organized by the choice of 

 Republican officers in both branches. Edward 

 Wright was elected Speaker of the House of 

 Representatives. On the llth William M. 

 Stone, Governor elect, was inducted into office, 

 and delivered his inaugural address, the chief 

 feature of which was a plea in favor of bestow- 

 ing the elective franchise upon all classes of 

 citizens, regardless of race or complexion. He 

 expressed a qualified approval of the acts of 

 President Johnson, and opposed the admission 

 of the seceded States until they should abandon 

 the theory of State rights recently advocated 

 by them. 



The Legislature adjourned on April 2d, after 

 a session of twelve weeks. One of its first acts 

 was to ratify the amendment to the Constitu- 

 tion abolishing slavery. It also adopted several 

 important series of resolutions relating to na- 

 tional affairs, suggested by the failure of Con- 

 gress and the President to agree upon a recon- 

 struction policy. Of this class was a resolution 

 instructing the Iowa delegation in Congress to 

 use their best efforts to secure the passage of 

 the Ffeedm en's Bureau bill over the President's 

 veto. Another series of resolutions instructed 

 the Iowa delegation to oppose the admission of 

 the seceded States until they should incorporate 

 into their fundamental laws provisions guaran- 

 teeing to all classes of inhabitants equal civil and 

 political rights ; to aid in bringing the Confeder- 

 ate leaders to trial and punishment, and in ma- 

 king the test oath perpetual ; and to insist that 

 the revolted States be held within the grasp of 

 the war power, if need be, until the negro be ele- 

 vated by education, and the insurrectionists im- 

 proved in morals. On the subject of punishment 

 a special resolution was adopted, that Jefferson 

 Davis " is not a proper subject for executive 

 clemency, and that it is the duty of the Presi- 

 dent of the United States to cause him to Ito 

 brought to a fair and impartial but speedy 

 trial before the proper tribunal, and, if found 

 guilty of the crime of treason, suffbr the pen- 

 alty provided by law." Another resolution 

 indorsed the action of Congress in passing the 

 act enfranchising the colored citizens of the 

 District of Columbia. 



At this session of the Legislature preliminary 

 steps were taken to amend the State constitu- 

 tion by striking out the word " white " wher- 



