Quarterly Abstract of European Chemistry. 



183 



coating of urate of ammonia which adheres so firmly to the seams of 

 the clay, serve to strengthen Mr. Francis in his belief that the guano 

 could not have been deposited by the birds as it now occurs, but that 

 water must have acted some part in the formation of this deposit. In 

 conclusion it is stated that from the existence of so much ready formed 

 ammonia in the African guano, it would be extremely stimulating to 

 vegetation at first, but that its power would soon be lost unless it was 

 previously mixed with something to fix the ammonia, as gypsum or 

 charcoal ; on the contrary the species containing the uric acid, from 

 its slow decomposition, would be a constant source of nitrogen propor- 

 tionate to the growth of the plant. 



J. Denham Smith has communicated a very interesting article to the 

 Chemical Society upon the subject of the South American guano. 

 (Chem. Soc. Mem. Vol. II, 140.) All that can be introduced here is a 

 tabular view of his minute analyses. 



Nos. 1 and 2 were in the state of powder ; 3, 4, and 5 were of the 

 concrete variety. 



