Miscellaneous. 



437 



month, he will be prepared to supply me gratuitously with an assort- 

 ment of eggs sufficient for my first crop, and will then be able to 

 make arrangements for supplying me regularly in future with eggs 

 that have been wintered in the ice-house. I have also secured the 

 privilege of placing any eggs that may come to me from Europe in 

 their ice-house if necessary. I may here observe, that the few eggs 

 I brought with me from the ice-house, although they had been there 

 for a short time only, and were in several respects under unfavour- 

 able circumstances, yet afforded very gratifying results. Should no 

 unforeseen hindrance occur, it is expected that eight crops of co- 

 coons will be obtained here this year. The mulberries are healthy 

 and full of leaf. (Signed) T. Burke. 



January 1, 1841. 



Metcalfe Ville, July 27, 1841. 

 I have long been aware of the necessity of wintering silk- worm 

 eggs ; and in cases where we have been desirous of reproducing 

 from the eggs of the same season in the United States, we have 

 placed them on the ice. Our eggs are now in the ice-house in 

 Kingston, from whence we shall withdraw them as we need them. 

 I am happy to be able to say, that experience has more than con- 

 firmed my anticipations of entire success in raising silk for export 

 from Jamaica. Our company is progressing steadily, and in due time 

 (a few months) will export the first silk, to be followed by a crop per 

 month, as the trees increase in strength. 



(Signed) Samuel Whitmarsh. 



FOSSIL INFUSORIA FROM THE CHALK OF SALISBURY PLAIN. 



To Richard Taylor, Esq. 



Sir, — Living as I do in the middle of the great chalk district of 

 Salisbury Plain, Mr. Weaver's paper on the composition of chalk 

 rocks and chalk marl, from the observations of Dr. Ehrenberg, 

 has greatly interested me, and has led me to examine the chaik of 

 this neighbourhood ; and it occurred to me that, by taking advantage 

 of the disintegration which chalk undergoes by exposure to moisture 

 and frost, I should get perfect specimens of the various minute or- 

 ganic remains of which it appears to be composed. I have enclosed 

 you some of the coarser particles of the chalk, obtained by washing 

 the disintegrated chalk in the usual way in which the coarser parti- 

 cles of powders are separated from the finer. 



This method answers most admirably, and when a small portion 

 of the powder is mounted in Canada balsam, it forms a most beau- 

 tiful object for the microscope. The larger forms may be as easily 

 separated by the aid of a hand-glass as from the recent sea-sand con- 

 taining analogous organic remains. It is probable, however, that the 

 same idea has occurred to other observers, and in that case I trust 

 you will forgive my ignorance : should any of your friends who are 

 interested in these minute bodies wish for a supply, I shall be most 

 happy to send them as much as they require from the various beds 

 of this district ; what I have enclosed is from the chalk technically 

 called by our masons ' stone chalk,' of which all the inside and often 



