Notices. 



[No. U, 



storms which swept over Europe lately. Of these it gives ample 

 details collected from various sources. It particularizes the ice and 

 snow in Poonah, and the extreme cold at Bombay, Simla and other 

 places in the East Indies, as quite a miracle. It traces the contem- 

 poraneous state of public health ; and concludes by giving, as des- 

 cribed by Dr. Buist in the Bombay Times^ all the remarkable de- 

 tails of an extraordinary thunder storm ; with the meteorological re- 

 cords precediBg, accompanying, and following it, the progress of the 

 storm from place to place, influence on magnetic phenomena, and 

 auroral displays. Dr. Buist on the subject observes, — " Our gales 

 of the 7th April, 27th May, 7th and 19th October, have all been 

 traced to or from the other side of India, travelling very regu- 

 larly across at the rate of 20 miles an hour. The dust storm of 

 Sunday se'nnight noticed in our paper of Wednesday, was merely, it 

 seems, a portion of the Madras gale of the preceding Wednesday, — 

 the fall of the barometer which occurred here on Saturday the 4th, 

 corresponding with that which occurred on the Ooromandel coast oo 

 Wednesday the 1st, — the storm following in both cases the day sub- 

 sequent to ihisr— Ihid. 



Minerals of Ceylon. 



The Members of the Asiatic Society of Ceylon held their usual 

 Monthly Meeting on Monday last, at the residence of J. E. Middletonj, 

 Esq., the appointed subject for conversation being " The useful ores 

 and earths of Ceylon." 



Specimens of Iron ore of various qualities and in various states of 

 combination, of Tin ore, Chrome, Nickel, Cobalt, and Kaolin of several 

 degrees of purity, as well as of smelted Iron were laid upon the table, 

 as being the chief of what were considered by Dr. Gygax as capable 

 of being worked to advantage for commercial purposes. 



A paper by the collector of these substances was then read, from 

 •which we gathered that the Cohalt found in Saffragam was of excel- 

 lent quality, and as this mineral forms the base of a very valuable 

 coloring matter in great request for porcelain manufactures both in 

 Europe and in China, there appears very good reason to believe that 

 the article might be turned to profitable account. Its value in the 

 German markets is from £80 to £100 the ton. Nicliel is found 

 abundantly at Madampe, and elsewhere in the same district, and is 

 also worthy of attention, as it is now in extensive use in the manu- 



