Miscellanies. 397 



lished or destroyed. This condition is fully proved by the following 

 singular experiment. A long copper wire covered with cotton was 

 wound tightly into a flat spiral. After making forty turns, the whole 

 was firmly fixed by a smearing of common cement, and mounted 

 vertically between two upright supports. The ends of the wire 

 were then brought down into mercury cups, which were connected 

 by copper vi^ires with the cups on the battery, which was a single pair 

 of zinc and lead plates, excited by sulphate of copper. When one 

 of the connecting wires was lifted from its cup a bright spark and 

 loud snap were produced. When one or both poles of a large horse 

 shoe magnet, are brought by the side or put astride the spiral, but not 

 touching it, a distinct ringing is heard in the magnet, as often as the 

 battery connexion with the spiral is made or broken by one of the 

 wires. Thinking that the ringing sound might be produced by agita- 

 tion or reverberation from the snap, I had the battery contact broken 

 in a cup, at considerable distance from the field of experiment ; the 

 effect was the same as before. The ringing is heard both when 

 the contact is made and broken ; when the contact is made, the 

 sound emitted is very feeble ; when broken it may be heard at two 

 or three feet distance. The experiment will hardly succeed with 

 small magnets. The first used in the experiment, consisted of three 

 horse shoes, supporting ten pounds. The next one tried was com- 

 posed of six magnets, supporting fifteen pounds by the armature. 

 The third supported two pounds. In each of these trials the sounds 

 produced differed from each other, and were the notes or pitches 

 peculiar to the several magnets. If a large magnet supported by 

 the bend be struck with the knuckle, it gives a musical note ; if it be 

 slightly tapped with the fingernail, it returns two sounds, one, its 

 proper musical pitch, and another an octave above this, which last 

 is the note given in the experiment. 



18. The American edition of Dr. BucklancVs late Work on Ge- 

 ology and Mineralogy, considered ivith reference to JVatural The- 

 ology. Carey, Lea &, Blanchard, 2 vols. 8vo. Phil. 



We are happy to see this admirable work laid before the Ameri- 

 can public. We have already recorded our favorable opinion of it, 

 and a reiterated perusal and study only confirm the conviction of 

 its high claims to the attention of the scientific and religious world. 

 Botli its physical and moral demonstrations are of the highest order, 

 and it has settled forever (if it had not been settled before,) the great 



