182 
Scientijic Intelligence. 
hazard into the rent whence the vapours, &g. issued* I there 
succeeded in collecting a portion of liquid matter, in the act 
of forming from the condensed vapours, and having seal- 
ed the small phial containing it with wax at the burning lava, 
brought it to this country. The liquid altogether did not 
amount to more in bulk than about f th of a fluid ounce, and 
consequently was too small a portion to determine its numeri- 
cal constituents. The solid matter deposited by rest from this 
liquid, I have not yet examined, but it will aflbrd me the op- 
portunity in question ; and this substance I may at a future 
period describe. I mentioned this circumstance to Signor 
Monticelli, who told^me he had observed a similar liquid depo- 
sited round the crater after great eruptions, &c. that he pre- 
sumed it to be a mixture of sulphurous and muriatic acids. This 
liquid seems to me unusually interesting. It certainly gives no 
colour whatever to the assumption of a central fire, while it seems 
to infer some subterranean communication with the waters of the 
ocean ; and we may from hence collect an argument in favour of 
the Wernerian theory. The lava over which I passed was con- 
stantly exhibiting an efflorescence of muriate of soda in cooling, 
— and this substance I found also encrusting the cavitiesof the new 
formed lava, nay, the very atmosphere through which I passed, 
was highly impregnated with salt. The prickly sensation on 
the skin denoted its presence, even if it had not been more une- 
quivocally determined by a rigid chemical examination. The 
liquid was of an amber colour, and of greater specific gravity 
than distilled water ; — a globule sunk in that fluid. The fol- 
lowing are the tests to which it was subjected, with their re- 
sults : Litmus paper 'was very slightly afiected ; the salts dis- 
solved seemed almost in a neutral form. Alcohol occasioned a 
slight opacity, and a sulphate was from hence inferred. The 
chromate of potassa, proto-nitrate of bismuth, proto-acetate of 
icad, and nitrous acid, occasioned no change. The nitrate and 
acetate of baryta denoted the presence of a sulphate. The 
nitrate, acetate, and sulphate of silver, by a copious curdy pre- 
cipitate, demonstrated the existence of a muriate. The tincture 
of galls, prussiate of potassa and ammonia, and succinate and 
benzoate of ammonia, clearly demonstrated that iron existed. 
Oxalate and fiuate of ammonia proved the existence of Time in 
