Miscellanecus Intelligence. 445 
' Don Bartolome Puig, M.D., naturalist, who is to assist in preparing 
and preserving the collections. 
_ Don Juan Isern, 2d inspector of the museum, naturalist, who will at- 
tend to botany. 
Don Rafael Castro, photographer and draftsman.—Sandwich Island 
10, Vegetable Ivory Vegetable ivory, in contact with concentrated 
_ sulphuric acid, takes a splendid red color, almost equal to magenta, At 
first it is pink, but gradually becomes deeper until it attains a purple, 
when the acid has been allowed to act for twelve hours. 
11. Hrpedition to the Desert of Sahara, under Messrs, Martins and 
Escher von Linth.—A brief notice of the starting of this expedition is 
given at page 146 of this volume, r. Desor, who was one of the 
pry states in his letters, published in the Swiss journals, that from 
h 
going from Biskra and returning was about three weeks. Although 
ef, Mr. Desor regards the expedition as having accomplished important 
results. Tis attention was especially directed to the geological age of 
the Sahara; and he cencludes, with Escher von Linth, that it was a vast- 
sea at the commencement of the present epoch, and that only recently 
has it become dry. He is established in this opinion by the frequent oc- 
currence of a marine shell, the Cardium edule, found to-day on the shores 
of the Mediterranean. r. Desor is of the opinion that the elevation of 
the Desert above the sea though a recent was not a sudden occurrence, 
but was gradual and marked by successive steps. The party brought 
home a number of fish from the Artesian wells of the Desert, belonging 
emy on the subject of periodical meteors. The facts are dec rom 
his own repeated opera and those of A. Herschel, Esq., in England, 
nx; the 5th-13th of December, (having been of late years a fine 
ses) radiant half way between Alpha Gemint and eo patie Bir 
Mentioned, together with others requiring observation. He remarks 
