424* Scientific Intelligence. 
a long time to the rajs of the tropical sun. The detonation of 
this muddy substance is very violent. It is of a black colour, 
soils the fingers, and emits a strong smell of sulphur.— -Hum- 
boldt’s Personal Narrative^ vol. iv. p. ^53. Note. 
33. Meteoric Phenomenon called the Lantern of Maracay- 
bo. — This luminous phenomenon is seen every night on a moun- 
tainous and uninhabited spot on the borders of the river Cata- 
tumbo, near its junction with the Sulia. Being nearly in the 
meridian of the opening of the Lake of Maracaybo, navigators 
are guided by it as by a lighthouse. This light is distinguish- 
ed at a greater distance than 40 leagues. Some have ascribed 
it to the effects of a thunder-storm, or of electrical explosions, 
which might take place daily in a pass in the mountains ; while 
others pretend that it is an air-volcano. M. Palacios observed 
it for two years at Merida. Hydrogen gas is disengaged from 
the ground in the same district : this gas is constantly accumu^ 
lated in the upper part of the cavern Del Serrito de Monai^ 
where it is generally set on fire to surprise travellers. — See Hum- 
boldt’s Personal Narrative^ vol. iv. p. 254. 
34. Hot Springs of La Trinchera. — The hot springs of La 
Trinchera are situated three leagues from Valencia, and form a 
rivulet, which, in seasons of the greatest drought, is two feet 
deep and eighteen^feet wide. Their temperature is 90.3 centi- 
grade, fi^m which it appears that they are the hottest in the 
world, excepting only those of Urijino in Japan, which are as- 
serted to be pure water at the temperature of 100®. Eggs 
plunged in the Trinchera springs were boiled in four minutes. 
At the distance of forty feet from them, other springs are found 
entirely cold. The hot and the cold streams run parallel to 
each other ; and the natives obtain baths of any given tempera- 
ture, by digging a hole between the two currents.-^/d. 
85. Excavations of Ants at Valencia. — M. Humboldt in- 
forms us, that ants abound to such a degree near Valencia, that 
their excavations resemble subterraneous canals, which are fiUed 
with water in the time of the rains, and become very dangerous 
to the buildings. 
36. Bottle thrown out from the Alexander. of the bottles 
thrown out from the Alexander, (one of the ships lately sent 
