America is, with these two exceptions, a region of almost extinct 

 volcanic action. 



Another discovery of perhaps greater interest, though of less 

 importance, has been the revelation of a new lake dwelling, by the 

 drainage of the large turf moor of La Lagozza, in Upper Italy. 

 The building, which was discovered beneath nearly a metre and 

 a-half of peat and mud, is rectangular, and between the still upright 

 posts, lie beams of half burnt planks, the latter having been 

 obtained by splitting the trees without the aid of a saw. Polished 

 stone hatchets, arrow heads, and flint knives were found ; also 

 kidney-shaped thread weights and spindle rings of burnt clay, 

 whereas in the Swiss lake dwellings spindle rings of stone only 

 have been met with. Both large and small earthen vessels were 

 discovered, the former, which are rough, are made of clay mixed 

 with pounded pebbles, quartz, and mica. The latter contain only 

 a sprinkling of pebbles in the clay. Traces of animals are altogether 

 absent, and the inhabitants seem to have lived exclusively on vege- 

 table diet. Grains of barley and two sorts of wheat were found, 

 also cherries, walnuts, acorns without their shells, and small apples. 

 No beast of burden seems to have been used by this primitive 

 people, and there is no evidence which points to cattle rearing, or 

 even hunting or fishing. 



To turn to a discovery of a more practical nature, that of a con- 

 tinuous vein of uranium in Cornwall seems to have been the event 

 of the year. Although cheaper than gold or silver, it fetches the 

 immense price of £2,400 per ton, or upwards of one guinea per 

 pound. It is of a steel-white colour, and has hitherto been 

 extracted but sparingly from other ores, principally in Bohemia, 

 Saxony, and Hungary. In this new vein, however, at the Union 

 Mines in Cornwall, the assays have yielded from twelve to the 

 almost unprecedented amount of 30 per cent. Of course a larger 

 per centage even than this has occasionally been met with in 

 Bohemia, but then only in minute quantities, whereas this vein 

 appears so far to be continuous. The oxides of uranium are used 

 in porcelain painting, and also in colouring glass, wliile in photo- 

 graphy they are used as a substitute for the more costly chloride of 

 gold. Uranium also forms alloys with platinum and copper, both 

 of which have the appearance of gold itself, so much so that they 

 have been used as a cheap substitute for gold in electro-plating. 

 Moreover uranium, from its high electrical resistance, is an invalu- 

 able material for many electrical purposes. 



This recent discovery of a comparatively unknown metal shows 

 us how impossible it is to foretell what new metalhirgical curiosi- 

 ties yet remain to be found and utilised for industrial or commercial 

 purposes. Gold and silver have so long represented to all nations 



