196 Miscellanies. 



A cabinet consisting of mineralogical and conchological speci- 

 mens, with a variety of curiosities natural and artificial, has been 

 formed and is progressively augmenting. 



The members of this institution have avoided a public announce- 

 ment in any of the Scientific Journals, until its permanency should 

 be thoroughly ascertained ; and our principal object in desiring a 

 place in the Am. Journal is to propose a correspondence, and an 

 exchange of minerals, he. with other societies and individuals. Sit- 

 uated as we are in a region abounding with minerals, (some of which 

 have not yet been discovered in other states) we can at any time fur- 

 nish specimens from nearly all our localities. 



Articles intended for the society may be directed to " the Cab- 

 net Keeper of the Franklin Society, care of Peter Grinnell and 

 Sons, South Main St., Providence R. I." 



From a personal knowledge of some of the members of the 

 Franklin Society and of their zeal and activity, we believe that this 

 institution will prove efficient and useful, and that it has already been 

 beneficial to the cause of useful knowledge. — Ed. 



9. Circular Scale of Equivalents, by J. Finch. — I have recently 

 received from a friend in England a circular Scale of equivalents, 

 which, although it has been published some years, has not, I believe, 

 been noticed in any Scientific Journal in the United States. It con- 

 sists of two circles, of which the outer one is fixed, the inner one is 

 moveable. The margin of the inner moveable circle is marked 

 with a logometric scale, which passes twice round in a distinct line, 

 and is numbered from one to a thousand. The inner margin of the 

 outer circle is also marked in a similar manner, and the numbers 

 extend from one to a thousand. When the circles are in their origi- 

 nal place, the numbers on both correspond. 



The exterior of the scale is marked with a list of chemical sub- 

 stances, which, instead of being placed opposite to the numbers 

 which represent their combining proportion, are arranged alphabet- 

 ically. An opportunity is thus ailbrded to give a list of near three 

 hundred substances and their atomic weights, and the list is much 

 enlarged in a pamphlet which accompanies the scale. What seems 

 very superfluous is that two atomic numbers are given for each sub- 

 stance, the first line has reference to hydrogen, and the next to oxygen 

 as the unit. These two are so easily approximated in the scale more 

 commonly in use, that two sets of numbers are unnecessary. The 



