212 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XII. No. 293. 



Pages 22-26. Astronomy. Enquiries 

 on the Sidereal, or Upper Spheres, by Pro- 

 fessor C. S. Rafinesque. [Among other 

 things the author recognizes three kinds 

 of comets, and brings forward the names 

 Dromets and Tychomets. For ' revolving 

 stars ' he proposes Geophosies. Dated, Tran- 

 sylvania University, 22d October, 1820] . 



Pages 27-29. Meteorology. Letter on 

 Atmospheric Dust, addressed to Governor 

 De Witt Clinton, Albany. [Signed by C. 

 S. Rafinesque, Transylvania University, 1st, 

 October, 1820] . 



Pages 29-31. Physics. On a New Prop- 

 erty in Light, by Captain For man. With 

 Notes, by C. S. Rafinesque [pp. 29, 30]. 

 Synopsis of some Discoveries on Heat, 

 made in 1818 [pp. 30, 31. Signed M.]. 



Pages 31-33. Mathematics. On Des- 

 criptive Geometry [p. 31. Signed M.]. On 

 Isomerical Numbers, or Common Multiples 

 [pp. 31-33. Signed Archimedes]. 



Pages 34-37. Chemistry. Synopsis of 

 the Principal Discoveries, etc., made in 

 1818 [p. 34. Signed M.]. Chemical Art 

 of Converting pure Woody Substances 

 into Gum and Sugar, etc. (Abridged by 

 Professor Rafinesque) [pp. 35-37] . Selec- 

 tion of late European Discoveries in Chem- 

 istry [p. 37. Signed M.]. 



Pages 37-38. Mineralogy. New Min- 

 eral Species discovered or ascertained in 

 1818 [pp. 37, 38. Signed M.] . Notice on 

 the Hydraulic Limestone, by H. De Witt 

 Clinton, Governor of the State of New York, 

 etc., in a letter to Professor Rafinesque. 

 [p. 38. Letter signed by D. C, and dated 

 Albany, September, 1820. The chemical 

 analysis of the limestone is given by Clinton 

 as follows : 35 parts carbonic acid, 25 lime, 

 15 silex, 16 alumine, 2 water, 1 oxide iron, 

 6 loess = 100. An appended note by Rafin- 

 esque further describes the material.] 



Pages 38-40. Original Scientific Intelli- 

 gence, or Discoveries and Remarks on Na- 

 tural Sciences ; extracted from a letter of 



Dr. John Torrey, * * * to Professor Rafin- 

 esque. [One of the large tuckahoes from 

 the southern States is given the name of 

 Sclerotium giganteum, being the largest spe- 

 cies known ; the substance of the fungus 

 is a new principle for which the name 

 ' Sclerotin ' is proposed. The discovery of 

 Datholyte at Paterson, N. J., is recorded, 

 and a new mineral from Schooley's Moun- 

 tain, N. J., is described and named Sidero- 

 graphite. Oryzopsis melanocarpa Muhlenb. 

 and 0. asperifolia Mich, are differentiated ; 

 the latter is not an Oryzopsis, and Muhlen- 

 berg's species is referred as a synonym to 

 Milium racemosum Smith. The letter is 

 signed J. T., and dated N. York, 28th 

 July, 1820.] 



Pages 40-43. Botany. Botanical Discov- 

 eries made in Kentucky in 1820, by Professor 

 Rafinesque, extracted and translated from a 

 letter to Professor Decandolle of Geneva, 

 * * * [pp. 40-42. Dated Lexington, 1st De- 

 cember, 1820. The genera Enemion and 

 Stylypus are characterized, the latter evi- 

 dently the same as Stylipus Raf. (1825), the 

 t3'pe being S. vernus, in both instances. A 

 new genus allied to Sedum, but differing in 

 ' having 4 unequal petals and 4 monosper- 

 mous capsules,' is named Aectyson, with A. 

 sagittatum, which has ' cylindrical scattered 

 leaves, sagittate at the base, the flowers in a 

 polystachyous umbel, the petals white lan- 

 ceolate carinate acute, etc. , as the type. ' The 

 author suggests that this plant is close to 

 Sedum pidehellum and the latter may be con- 

 generic. The relationship of Jeffersonia binata 

 to the ' family of Berberides ' is noted ; that 

 Rhamnus lanceolatus Pursh, belongs to the 

 genus Frangula; that two species of Buck-eye 

 trees are blended under the name of Pavia 

 pallida, which he calls P. oehroleuca and P. axil- 

 lata, but gives no descriptions. The genus 

 Cubelium is named for Viola concolor, which 

 makes the date of establishment of the 

 genus 1821, instead of 1824, as has been 

 quoted. He has ascertained more than 



