38G Intelligence and Miscellanies. 



and have been most severe where there was the greatest ac- 

 cumulation of alluvial. May not they have been caused by 

 the evolving of elastic gases, arising out of the fermentation 

 of large masses of vegetable matter, deposited during a long 

 accumulation of the drift wood, from the great rivers ? If so, 

 is it not probable that these earthquakes will become more 

 frequent every day, as the mass of fermenting matter in- 

 creases? 



Extracted from French and English Journals for this Journal, by C. U. 



Shepard. 



19. New Minerals. 



I. MurcJiisonite, described by Mr. liCvy ; a feldspar lam- 

 inated substance with a peculiar nacreous cleavage, which 

 does not belong to any of the varieties of feldspar hitherto 

 examined, not being parallel either to any known modifica- 

 tion of that substance or to any unobserved modification 

 which might be derived by some simple law from its primi- 

 tive form. It is composed of 



Silica 68-6 



Alumino - * - - - 16-6 



Potash 14-8 



lOO-O 

 It is found at Dawlish in the conglomerate of the new red 

 sand stone. — Philosopldcal Mag. and Annals of Philoso- 

 phy, June, 1827. 



II. Berthierite, described by Mr. Haidinger, is an ore of 

 antimony, occurring in elongated imbedded prisms with a 

 single pretty distinct longitudinal cleavage. It consists of 

 four atoms of sulphuret of antimony and three atoms of pro- 

 tosulphuret of iron. It is found at Chazelles in Auvergne, 

 in a vein which promises to be very productive. Its color is 

 a dark steel-gray, inclining to pinchbeck brown. — Edinburgh 

 Journal of Science, Oct. 1827. 



III. Sternbctgite, described by Haidinger also. Funda- 

 mental form a scalene four sided pyramid. Cleavage high- 

 ly perfect in one direction. Lustre metallic. Color dark 

 pinchbeck brown. Streak black. Tarnish often violet blue. 

 Very scctile. Thin laminae perfectly flexible. Hardness 

 = i'0 1-5, little superior to Talc. Sp. Gr. —4-215. 



Generally several crystals are joined together in an irreg- 

 ular manner, being fixed to their support with one of their 

 Bides, so as to produce rose like aggregations and globules 



