REVIEWS, TRANSLATIONS, AND SELECTED ARTICLES. 127 



itself. M. Tchihatchef observes: — "I am the more inclined to 

 believe that carburetted hydrogen is mixed at this locality with the 

 emissions of carbonic acid, since the presence of the former gas will 

 alone explain a phenomenon said to have been witnessed by the 

 inhabitants, and confirmed by Professor Guiscardi, namely the 

 apparition of small jets of flame darting through the crevices with 

 which the streets of Torre del Greco are fissured. The exclusive 

 presence of carbonic acid would, of course, render this phenomenon 

 impossible." 



May not the very constant association of bituminous matters with 

 volcanic outbreaks, and their occurrence in many regions along lines 

 of volcanic disturbance, lead us in some respect to modify our views 

 with regard to the origin of petroleum and allied products ? The 

 almost universal opinion, at present, regards these compounds as 

 essentially derived from the alteration of entombed vegetable or 

 animal matters. That organic bodies may be converted in many 

 instances into bituminous products of this character, no one will of 

 course deny ; but when we find, as in Western Canada for example, 

 such immense quantities of petroleum in rocks far below the coal 

 beds, and destitute in themselves of vegetable forms beyond a few 

 fucoids— whilst the corals, brachiopods and other animal remains 

 which they contain, are not more numerous than those enclosed in 

 other rocks in which no traces of petroleum occur — does it not seem 

 a less forced explanation, to look upon that substance as an original 

 mineral formation produced far down in the earth's crust, just as 

 lead, copper, and other metals must primarily have originated there, 

 (account for their after distribution as we will), than to consider it in 

 all cases as a secondary product derived from the alteration of vege- 

 table or animal bodies ? Modern theory, it is true, is inclined to 

 refer all forms of carbon, even the graphite of meteoric stones, to 

 organic origin — but theory in this case may be pushed a little too far. 

 The non-existence of Benzole in our Canadian petroleums, as shewn 

 by Professor Croft, is apparently in itself an argument against the 

 supposed derivation of these bituminous matters from coal or other 

 vegetable accumulations.* 



3. On Parthenogenesis as Occv/rring amongst Silhworms .- — A tradi- 

 tion has long prevailed around Lyons and throughout the south of 



• Although Canadian petroleum does not contain Benzole, it is quite available, according 

 to Professor Hind of Trinity College, who has bestowed much attention on the subject, for 

 the extraction of colouring materials of a similar character to those derived from coal oils. 



