216 Miscellanies. 



18. Correction of the statement concerning an alleged "Shower of red 

 matter like blood and mvscle." — We published, at the request of Dr. 

 Troost, (in this Journal, Vol. xlt, pp. 403, 404,) an account of what 

 was believed by him and other competent judges to have been a shower 

 or fall of red blood and muscle from the atmosphere. Our own belief 

 in the facts was never full ; not doubting that Dr, Troost had given a 

 faithful account of the supposed phenomenon as related to him ; but 

 the event seemed so improbable, that we always feared some foul play 

 on the part of the informers. Not long after our account was publish- 

 ed, it was announced in the newspapers that the whole affair was a 

 hoax devised by the negroes, who pretended to have seen the shower, for 

 the sake of practising on the credulity of their masters. They had scat- 

 tered the decaying flesh of a dead hog over the tobacco leaves. We are 

 led at this late day to call attention again to what ought to be forgotten, 

 because we are reminded by a notice in L'Institut for May 15, 1842, that 

 we have never contradicted the statement in our pages, and that it there- 

 fore has been quoted by the editor of L'Institut as authority against a 

 true statement of the facts, contained in a letter from M. de Castlenau, 

 published in " Le National," a public journal. We regret that our neglect 

 should have been quoted in support of error, and beg the editor of L'In- 

 stitut to correct the statement. 



I 



19. Obituary. — It is our painful duty to record the death of Baron 

 Louis Lederer, Consul General for the Austrian States. His death 

 took place on the 22d of December, 1842, at his residence in New York. 

 Baron Lederer has been for many years a resident in this country, and 

 has been long known as a zealous mineralogist. The death of this ex- 

 cellent man will be deeply felt by all who knew him, and particularly by 

 his mineralogical friends in this country, who are under many obligations 

 to him for his uniform kindness, and the important aid he was able to 

 render them by means of his close connection with the imperial cabinet 

 at Vienna. His collection of foreign minerals was purchased three or 

 four years since by the University of Michigan, and his collection of 

 American specimens in mineralogy, which is believed to be unique in its 

 fullness, was offered by him for sale just before his death. 



We had engaged to Baron Lederer, to publish in this number his own 

 specification of the contents of his American cabinet, in relation to its 

 sale in the United States; but not knowing what may be the views of his 

 successors and representatives, we forbear until farther instructed. 



