406 Miscellaneous Intelligence. 



markable in the bark or on the surface of chara vulgaris. 

 Having accidentally observed one instance of this nature in a 

 very unexpected situation, I thought it deserving of record as 

 adding another illustration of a remarkable fact in vegetable 

 physiology. 



A few years ago, when some uneasiness was produced by the 

 rapid consumption of oak in the navy, commissions were sent 

 to various places to procure such woods as appeared to be 

 adapted for ship-building. Among others; many specimens 

 were brought from Sierra Leone in Africa; and, from these, the 

 singular wood under review was selected. Unfortunately, no 

 description of these trees was furnished; so that it is impossible 

 to conjecture to what genus the specimen in question belongs, 

 or whether indeed it belongs to any known genus. 



The size of the timber, which is probably still lying in Dept- 

 ford yard, proves, at least, that it is a large tree. The colour 

 of the wood is that of mahogany, which it much resembles on a 

 general view ; being, at the same time, equally hard. But the 

 longitudinal split shows a larger fibrous structure, and, in the 

 transverse smooth section, the grain is coarser, from the large 

 size of the vessels which form the interesting part of this wood. 



These vessels, or tubes, are so numerous that they amount 

 to 1,600 in the square inch. Their form is very irregular; 

 seldom round, occasionally oval, but more commonly of a long 

 irregular shape. Sometimes also, two or more ovals are con- 

 nected by a narrow line. These vacuities in the wood are filled 

 with a yellow carbonate of lime, which bears slight marks of 

 irregular crystallization. But they are not always entirely filled; 

 the wider ones being perforated by a circular tube running 

 through them, and surrounded by the calcareous matter. These 

 orifices are of such a size as just to admit the point of a human 

 hair ; it frequently happens that two or more are contained in 

 one of the deposits of the carbonate. 



I need scarcely add that the application of an acid excites an 

 active effervescence over the whole section of the wood. 



3. Breaking out of a Spring. A remarkable phenomenon oc- 

 curred at Bishop Monckton, near Ripon, on April 18th, on the 

 estate belonging to Mr. Sharnock. About two o'clock in the 

 afternoon the attention of a person in that gentleman's service 

 was attracted by a rumbling noise which apparently proceeded 

 from the stack* yard, distant thirty yards from the house. He 

 supposed it to proceed from children throwing stones against 

 the doors and wall ; but on looking up the avenue, formed by a 

 row of stacks, and leading to the house, he observed a small 

 portion of the ground in motion, which, after continuing in a 

 considerable state of agitation for some minutes, suddenly pre- 

 gented an opening of about a foot square, whence issued a great 



