Miscellaneous Intelligence. 



301 



uaily filling the pores and consolidating the surface. Doubtless, while 

 this process is proceeding, rains carry back a part, which is to be raised 

 anew, until finally the surface-rock, no longer pervious, becomes cemented 

 into the compact state it now presents, by this action of capillarity." 



7. JSfeo-Macropia. — In vol viii, p. 442, 2nd Series of this Journal, I 

 gave a brief notice of this kind of abnormal vision. Since that time, 

 1849, I have found many other cases. Dr. DeForest of the Syrian Mis- 

 sion describes to me a marked instance of it in a native girl belonging to 

 the mission at Beirut. A striking instance in this city is now before me, 

 a boy near fourteen years old. He never saw objects distinctly, till he 

 happened to put on the spectacles used by his grandfather. He now uses 

 constantly the convex glasses suited to ordinary eyes of persons eighty 

 years of age. Indeed the focus is much too short for my old eyes, as his 

 glasses have the principal focus less than six inches, while mine is four- 

 teen inches. Without glasses he can see very little, and with them at 

 all distances distinctly. c. n. 



8. Artificial light for taking photographs. — A very brilliant light has 

 been produced by directing a stream of oxygen gas into the flame of coal 

 gas which had been previously made to pass through cotton and naphtha 

 in order to surcharge it with carbon. With this light, using a reflector, a 

 photograph of an engraving could be taken by the camera in a very short 

 time. — Roy. Cornw. Polytech. Soc. 1855, xli. 



9. Waters of the Dead Sea. — Analysis by F. Moldenhauer (Ann. Ch. 

 u. Pharm., xcvii, 357): Solid portion 13-6111 percent; composition: 

 chlorid of potassium 2*3910, chlorid of sodium 2-9575, chlorid of mag- 

 nesium 6-8121, chlorid of calcium 1/4719, bromid of magnesium 0*1838, 

 sulphate of potash, 0*0627 = 13-8790. Specific gravity 1*1160. The 

 water was collected in June of 1854. 



10. Density of the Waters of the Caspian Sea ; by A. Moritz. — Mr, 

 Moritz visited the Southwest coast of the Caspian in the summer of 1850, 

 and obtained the following determinations of the density. — At Derbent, 

 1-00524, at 22° R. ; at Baku, 1-00616 at 22-1° R., and 1*00976 at 8-1° 

 R. ; at Persien, 1*00583, at 22-6° R.— Bullet. St. Petersb. Phys. Math., 

 xiv, 162-168. 



11. Well in the Desert of Sahara. — A well sunk at Tamerna in the 

 Sahara to a depth of 66 yards, gave on the 9th of June last a jet or flow 

 of water amounting to 3600 litres per minute. 



12. Composition of the Water of the Delaware River; by Henry 

 Wurtz. — The water analyzed by Mr. Wurtz, as cited in this volume, page 

 124, was taken from the Delaware River at Trenton, New Jersey. 



13. Aluminium. — A watch whose works were made of aluminium was 

 on exhibition at the Paris Exhibition. 



14. Officers of the Academy of Science of St. Loitis, for 1856. — Presi- 

 dent, George Engelmann, M.D. ; 1st Vice President, Hiram A. Prout, 

 M.D. ; 2nd Vice President, Nathaniel Holmes ; Secretaries. Benj. F. 

 Shumard, M.D., Wm. H. Tingley, M.D. ; Treasurer, J. B. Eads. 



15. Obituary. — Professor John Locke. — Professor Locke of Cincinnati, 

 died on Thursday the 10th of July last, at the age of 65. He had long 

 been distinguished for his zeal and successful labors in many departments 

 of science. His papers in this Journal treat of topics connected with 

 galvanism and electro-magnetism, in which he invented some new pieces 



