376 Intelligence and Miscellanies. 



composition or violence, and thus obtained for a ballast stone. 

 The surface of the chalcedony is somewhat clouded, as it 

 has been long subjected to the action of sea water. 



16. Uniform nomenclature in Botany. — A correspondent 

 who writes from Georgia, under date of February 26, sug- 

 gests, that a Convention be called of one person or more, 

 from each State Medical School, or Botanical Society, in 

 the United States, to some central place ; and that they adopt, 

 after the manner of the United States' Pharmacopeia, a no- 

 menclature of known plants, which shall be uniform. 



Our correspondent adds — The proceeds of such a work 

 might defray the contingent expenses, and the societies might 

 pay that of their own delegates ; and to this convention may 

 be united all literary gentlemen friendly to the cause. 



It is supposed that it would " throw much light" on the 

 science, by convening members from the different parts of 

 the Union, who may be requested to bring all rare specimens 

 or drawings of plants with which they are acquainted, and 

 a liberal intercourse on the interests of science might be 

 cultivated. ^ 



1 7. Vegetable Chemistry, by C. C. Conwell, M. D, Phila- 

 delphia. — This tract, of thirty three pages, contains an inter- 

 esting exhibition of the principal facts in vegetable chemis- 

 try, whose most important proximate principles are arranged 

 in genera, according to the element which prevails in their 

 composition. They are called 



Genus I. Carbonaria, 

 II. Hydrogenia, 



III. Nitrogenia, 



IV. Oxygenia, 



V. Hydroxygenia — oxygen and hydrogen being in 

 them in the proportion to form water. 



Dr. Conwell has added a number of new vegetable alka- 

 line principles, among which are Quassa, Serpentara, Co- 

 lumbia., Gentia, Gallia, Angusturia, Quercia, ^c. It would 

 appear that Dr. Conwell has very materially simplified the 

 processes by which such principles are obtained, and his re- 

 searches tend to confirm the opinion, that the active powers 

 of medicinal and poisonous plants, generally reside in some 

 principle which is capable of being isolated, and which is in 

 many instances so far alkahne, that it is capable of combin- 

 uig with acids and forming peculiar sahne compounds. 



