Intelligence and Miscellanies. 381 



Prof. Dana read ar} account of some experiments on the 

 Sanguinaria Canadensis, from which he had obtained a pe- 

 culiar vegetable principle, termed by him Sanguinarina. He 

 suggests that the coloring matter of the root is a peculiar al- 

 kaline salt. The paper was referred to the committee of pub- 

 lication. See An. Lye. Vol. 2. 



The same gentleman presented a large mass of sulphuret 

 of copper from Franconia, Vt. He communicated an anal- 

 ysis of this substance, with remarks on Pyritous copper. Re- 

 ferred to the committee of publication. See An. Lye. Vol. 2. 



5. Tioga Coal. — The following additional facts, respecting 

 the Tioga bituminous coal are furnished to us, by Dr. T. 

 Romeyn Beck, of Albany, who read a paper on its topo- 

 graphy and analysis, before the Albany Institute in the win- 

 ter of 1 824-5. " It is found at and near the head of the 

 south branch of the Tioga river, in the town of Covington, 

 Wayne county, Pennsylvania, and about thirty miles south 

 from Painted Post, and fifty miles southwest from Elmira, 

 (both in Tioga county,) in the State of New Y'ork, following 

 the course of the river. It was first discovered about the year 

 1796, by a Mr. Benjamin Patterson, while crossing the coun- 

 try with a party of German emigrants. In the course of a 

 hunting excursion, he found the coal on the top of a hill, 

 where the wind had blown over trees by the roots. 



The abundance of wood in this district of country has, un- 

 til late years, prevented much attention to it. Blacksmiths, 

 in the immediate vicinity, have, however used it for some time. 



The quantity of carbon obtained, in several experiments, 

 was rather larger than that stated by Dr. Meade. 



While making these experiments, it was deemed worthy 

 of examination, whether the Tioga coal was calculated for 

 the production of carburetted hydrogen. An ounce in powder 

 was put into a stone ware retort, and the heat of a portable 

 furnace applied. Gas soon came over, which had the peculiar 

 smell of carburetted hydrogen, when obtained from bituminous 

 coal, although there was less of petroleum floating on the sur- 

 face of the water than is usually observed. The gas was pass- 

 ed through water, not lime water, and hence its impurities 

 were not removed. We had obtained two gallons and up- 

 wards, when the process was stopped. It burnt with a yel- 

 low flame, occasionally mixed with blue, the latter doubtless 



