Miscellaneous Intelligence. 427 
e 
least none felt at Roseau. There was no flow of lava and not 
much evidence of fire, the eruption consisting of ashes and a gray 
mud, of which an enormous quantity was thrown out. The ashes, 
a pint measure of which without compression weighed 21 ounces 
and 15 drachms, were analyzed and found to contain ‘ferric sulphide, 
magnesia, potash soda, aspaiee sulphur, paiens oxides . sti 
lead and alumina, with traces of other substances, 
The Microphone as a «_Selamometer. Piss a aes in “abe 
Japan Gazette, quoted in Nature, xxi, p. 382.)—It appears that 
Professor Minwx of Tokio, has plexed a special form of micro- 
phone to detect seismic tremors too slight to affect the ordinar 
seismometers. The similar use of the instrument by Professor 
. di Rossi at Rome, two years ago, has already been noticed in 
this Joniuat XVill, p. 159. Professor Milne’s microphones, the 
Special form of which is not described, were buried in pits round 
about the house and at a distance from roads , precaution being 
taken to exclude insects, which might disturb the eiciive appa- 
ratus. Under these circumstances, it would seem, that for some- 
crackling in the earth as if it were exposed to an increasing 
strain, under which it puns gives way, and produces the vibra- 
tion of the earthquake 
OBITUARY. 
The naturalist Wm. Ph. Schimper died at Paris on the 20th of 
March. This oper ek ity author was born at Dosenheim, a village 
of Alsatia, Jan., 1808. At the time of his death he was "Professor 
3 Geology and Dieoiae of the Museum at the University of 
trasbur. 
As botahiat he first gave especial attention to the study of 
Mosses. With the coéperation of Ph. Bruck and Th. Gimbel, 
two of his countr ymen interested in the same a of researches, 
occupied twenty years of This work, a grand scientific 
monument, contains in six eis volumes a detailed description 
of all the species of Mosses known in Europe, each raaesie he by 
D 
quarto volume with Fiterbieek plates, ‘splendid mdb ott of the 
account of their derivation from a prothallus like the chien. 
