Prof. Siliiman on the Fusion of Plumbago , $c. 170 
lowest point of their orbit, and quitted, we trust for long, the 
scene of their disturbing forces, we cannot but hail them with 
the liveliest enthusiasm, and regard them as contributing, to en- 
sure the pre-eminence of our industry, to augment the wealth 
and resources of the nation, and, by giving employment to idle 
hands, and direction to idle minds, to secure the integrity and 
the permanence of our national institutions *. 
Art. XX.—, Abstract of Experiments on the Fusion of Plum- 
bago, Anthracite , and the Diamond f. By Professor Sil li- 
man. 
Having succeeded in fusing and volatilising charcoal by 
Dr Hare’s Galvanic Deflagrator, Professor Siliiman applied the 
same powerful instrument to plumbago, and subjected anthracite, 
and the diamond, to the action of the oxy-hydrogeri blowpipe. 
ee From a piece,” says he , cc of very fine plumbago, from Carolina, I 
sawed small parallelopipeds, about one-eighth of an inch in diameter, 
and from three-fourths of an inch to one inch and a quarter in length : 
these were sharpened at one end, and one of them was employed to 
point one pole of the deflagrator, while the other was terminated by 
prepared charcoal. The best were obtained when the plumbago was 
connected with the copper, and prepared charcoal with the zinc pole. 
The spark was vivid, and globules of melted plumbago could be 
discerned, even in the midst of the ignition, forming and formed 
upon the edges of the focus of heat. In this region also, there was 
a bright scintillation, evidently owing to combustion, which went 
on where air had free access, but was prevented by the vapour of 
carbon, which occupied the highly luminous region of the focus, 
between the poles, and of the direct route between them. Just on 
and beyond the confines of the ignited portion of the plumbago, 
there was formed a belt of a reddish-brown colour, a quarter of an 
* It is due to the truth and candour of philosophical history, to mention, that 
Mr Perkins is not our countryman ; but the age of jealousy against America has 
happily gone past, and we hail, with sincere pleasure, any circumstance which con- 
tributes to the scientific renown of our great descendants, and companions in free- 
dom and intelligence, 
j- Professor Siliiman has been so good as to forward to us an account of these 
very curious and highly important experiments, so as to reach us before the arrival 
of the Number (Vol. VI. No. 2.) of the valuable Journal in which they will ap- 
pear. We would have published the full account of this inquiry, but the printing; 
of this Number was too far advanced to admit of this. We trust that the follow* 
ing abstract will convey a complete idea of the results. 
