276 Chronicles of Science. [April, 



was discovered at trie depth of 250 feet, amongst little blue and 

 white topazes, hyacinths, zircons, tourmalines and stanniferous 



The phosphoresence of hexagonal blende has recently claimed 

 the attention of M. Edmond Becquerel. Although no really new 

 fact has been discovered, a step has been taken towards establishing 

 the relation existing between the solar phosphorescent rays and the 

 other rays of the solar spectrum. We refer our readers to the 

 original paper.* 



A Californian newspaper informs us that about three miles 

 north of lone in that country, there is an isolated mountain, which 

 might be called a mountain of Agates, so thickly is it covered with 

 those concretionary masses. They are described as being like large 

 potatoes, generally of an oval, but sometimes of a globular form. 

 When cut and polished, it is said they are of exceeding beauty. 



A communication has lately been made to the Academy of 

 Sciences of Paris, on the remarkable Selenides which were dis- 

 covered some six years since at Cacheuta, in the province of Men- 

 doza, at the lower part of the Andes, and which have lately been 

 examined by M. Domeyko. The seleniferous minerals appear to be 

 of three varieties, in combination with silver, copper, and lead. The 

 percentage of selenium varied between 22 • 4 and 30 • 8 per cent. 



Metallurgy. 



The past quarter has been singularly barren of results in any of 

 the processes of smelting or preparing metals. The two following 

 notes are the only ones, indeed, which even the scientific periodicals 

 of Europe enable us to give. 



At the meeting of the Chemical Society, on February 7th, Dr. 

 Matthiessen read an interesting communication on Alloys. Many 

 of the examples given appear to promise to be of much practical 

 utility. This paper has been more fully noticed in the report of the 

 Proceedings of the Chemical Society. 



M. H. Caron has been making some interesting experiments on 

 the Absorption of Hydrogen and Oxygen by Copper during fusion. 

 Many of the results are of considerable interest; but as the 'investi- 

 gation is incomplete, and as M. Caron promises to publish shortly 

 the result of his experiments relative to the action of carburetted 

 hydrogen and of carbon upon copper in fusion, we postpone our 

 more detailed notice until the whole question is before us.t 



* See 'Les Mond.es/ tome xii., p. 521. 

 f See ' Les Mondes,' vol. xiii., p. 42. 



