MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES. 
357 
wliich what are called the floating whins of Scotland are found interspersed 
■with the coal-measures lying in a semi- stratified slate, and which are sup- 
posed to have emanated from a chimney and overspread the coal-measures, 
has caused them to be quoted as of igneous origin. For himself he had 
never met with a chimney, nor with any person who had seen one. He 
had sunk shafts through these trap or basalt rocks, and had seen no differ- 
ence as he proceeded downwards. There has been uniform structure 
throughout. He had also made many experiments with them ; and he 
found generally there is a difFerence in what is obtained after melting, 
there being on the whole a more glassy structure obtained. The variation 
of the crystalline structure which Mr. Plant had pointed out was certainly 
very interesting, but it may possibly be accounted for otherwise than by 
the manner of cooling. He knew that the structure of certain metals 
became varied by different processes of cooling, and that certain metals 
when mixed together become crystallized sooner than others, and have a 
tendency when cooling to form aggregations ; and upon this beautiful law 
is founded Pattinson's method of extracting sdver from lead. By analysis 
he had found out that when there is a granular structure of the scoriae 
from the blast furnaces of iron works, they generally contain more iron 
than those which have a glassy structure, and by this structure he could 
tell to within one or two per cent, how much of iron the cinder contained. 
He thought under all the circumstances we should do wisely to regard 
facts and observations simply as such, without being too hasty in jumping 
to conclusions. The scoria) and remains of volcanos are diflerent from trap 
rock. 
Another paper, " On the Liberation and Drainage of Gases from Coal- 
Mines," by Mr. Joseph Goodwin, was read. 
MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES. 
The Fifteenth Annual Report of the llegents of the University of New 
York on the Condition of the State Cabinet of Natural History and the 
Historical and Antiquarian Collection annexed thereto (Albany, 1862), by 
Professor Hall, has the merits of conciseness, one page sufficing to state 
all that is wanted to be given on the general state of affairs. In the other 
portion of this report, which more immediately concerns us, it is stated, 
some of the results of Professor Hall's investigations in palfeontology are 
communicated in anticipation of the publication of the volumes on the 
Natural History of the State. The species described by Professor Hall 
are : — 
Gasteropoda — Plati/ceras suhrentum, P. attmnatum, P. concavum, P. conicum, P. 
thetis, P. erectum, P. carinatum, P. Bucculentum, P. symmfitricuui , P. rictvm, P. Cf/m- 
bium, P . foniicatam, P. crassum, P. ammon, P. rlumosum, P. echinatam, P.argo, Pla- 
tyostoma lineaia, PL stroj)hus, Stropho.iti/lus unica, Plearotomaria arata, P. lucina, P. 
doris, P. unisiilcata, P. lineaia, P. capillaria, P. trilijr, P. siilcomarginata, P. rolalia, 
P. euomphaloides, Cyclonema HamiltoncB, C. lirata, C. multira, Macrocheihis HehCy 
M. Hamilfoma, M. macrostomus, Murchisonia desiderata, M. tarricula, Loxonema 
solida, L. ? subaltenuata, L. robusta, L. De/pJiicola, L. Hamiliovce, Etiouiphalus cly- 
menioides, E. faxus, E. Ehorace^isis, BeUerophan curviJineaius^ B. pelops, B. acutilira^ 
B. patiilus, B. rudis, B. leda, B. lyra, B. otseyn, E. tka/ia, Phragmostoma natator^ 
Cyrlolites pileutus, C. i' miielia, Tlieca liyea, Conularia undulata. Ckphalopoda — 
