278 



Ensaio Corografico sobre a Provincia do Para, por Antonio Ladislau 

 Monteiro Baena, &c. &c. 8vo. Para, 1839. — From the Author. 



FOR THE CABINET. 



Sundry Specimens of Minerals, &c. from the southern and western 

 parts of the Union, from Mr. C. G. Forshey, of Louisiana. 



1. A coal recently found on the Arkansas river, about 300 miles beyond the 

 capital of the State. The stratum crops out on the bank of the river, between 

 high and low water mark, in a line of hills called " Spadra Bluffs," one of the 

 Ozark range. A shaft has been sunk by John Walker, the discoverer, an en- 

 terprising citizen of Natchez, Miss. At the depth of 35 feet, he found the 

 coal 4 to 5 feet thick. The following analysis is from Professor L. D. Gale, 

 of Jefferson College, Mississippi. 



" Extracts from the Journal of the Laboratory. 



" Specimen of coal furnished by Prof. Forshey, of Natchez, February, 1840. 

 100 grs. of the coal, (Specific gravity = 1.336, and of jet black,) were put into 

 a close vessel and heated to redness for two hours, and weighed while warm. 

 Amount lost = 9.75 grs. The residuum, consisting of coal and earthy mat- 

 ters, was again heated, but in an open platinum crucible, until all the carbon 

 was burned away. Loss by the combustion = 80.81 grs. The earthy matters 

 left, removed from the crucible, weighed 9.44 grs. The specimen, then, is 



composed of volatile matter per cent. 9.75 



Carbon, per cent. - - - - 80.81 



Earthy matters, .... 9.44 



" The volatile matters were found to be composed chiefly of water and car- 

 buretted hydrogen, with a mere trace of sulphur. 



" The coal belongs to the class called Bituminous Coal, but has not enough 

 to admit of coking by heat. ***** It is richer in carbon than any 

 of the four varieties of English Bituminous Coal." 



It ignites easily without the aid of charcoal, and burns with a clear white 

 blaze, without smoke, leaving a very small quantity of white ashes and earthy 

 matter. 



2. A Shell, Unio Asperrimus, Lake Concordia, La. 3. Two Shells, Unio 

 Trapezoides, Lake St. Joseph, La. 4. One Shell, Unio Pustulatus, Lake 

 Bruin, La. 5. Single valves of two Shells, U. Subrotundus, Lake St. Joseph. 

 6. Two Shells, Unio Parvus, Lake Concordia, La. 7. Five species of fossil 

 Coralloides, from Jackson County, Iowa Territory, 1838. 8. Two Cyathphylla 

 and an Orthocera, from the Chert, above the mountain limestone of Copper 

 creek, Iowa, 1838. 9. Specimen of Alabaster, laminated sulphate of lime, 

 from a cavern near Charleston, Iowa, 1838. 10. A cast, in Chalcedonic 

 Quartz, of a Pentamiris, from the Chert of Iowa, 1838. 11. Three Iron Ores, 

 Hematite, Crystallized Nodular Oxide, and Pipe Ore, Jackson County, Iowa, 

 1838. 12. A Cyathphyllum, and a Coralloides, from Calloway County, Mis- 

 souri, 1839. 13. A specimen of Lignite, and the laminated Gypsum which 

 enveloped it, in the form of a concretion. From the base of the Natchez 



