16 
REPORT—1854. 
of the diamond on ils arrival in this country. Mr. Tennant then stated that in 1853 
he had given in a report as to the cutting of the Koh-i-Noor diamond; and after 
producing various models, Her Majesty fixed upon the present form, by which the 
widest spread of brilliancy was obtained. When the diamond was exhibited at the 
Crystal Palace it weighed 18G carats; its present weight, reduced by cutting, i»only 
102-jJg. carats. 'I he Persian diamond weighed 130 carats, and the great Russian 
diamond 193 carats. After giving a description of the method of cutting dinroomi*. 
and the plan adopted for cutting the Koh-i-Noor, lie observed that the lair Puke of 
Wellington had been an interested spectator of the operation, and wasafreipiMit 
Visitor during its progress. Jt was finished in September 1832, and occupied thirty- 
eight days in cutting. Diamonds were usually reduced to one-hnlf their weight in 
cutting; and he gave the exact weight of the Koh-i-Noor, in order t>i correct various 
erroneous statements which had been published on the subject. Hie finest diamond 
m France weighed 139 carats, and had cost £130,000; it wna called the Regent, or 
Pitt Diamond. Toavrive at an estimate of the value of the Koh-i-Noor, the suilmr 
stated, that it was only requisite to multiply 102 (it* weiglit) by 102, and then by 8, 
which would give £83,232 as its value. This rulo would not apply tn stones having 
defects, as instanced in the celebrated " Naasuek" diamond, for which the Host liidia 
Company refused .£30,000, and yet this stone, when submitted to public ntictinn, 
fetched hole more than £7000. The Koh-i-Noor is of the purest water. The liiithor 
stated, that in order to test u real diamond, and distinguish between that and n tops*, 
it was necessary tu try it with sapphire (No 9 in hardness), which would marl a 
topaz, but would not penetrate a diamond. He was sorry tn find that so little atten¬ 
tion had been paid to the means of testing diamonds ; and instanced a ring which 
was recently purchased in Regent Street, London, for £'200, which proved to he two 
P‘* 0 ® 8 . rot * F r )’ sU >V " ith an intermediate insertion of coloured glass. In ninny 
'' nt e«‘ng-placcs thu gentry wero imposed upon by parties selling pieces ofghw, 
winch they represented to be sapphires picked up on the beach. 
°ntlte Physiolor/wal Properties of' some of the. Compounds of the Organic 
Radicals—Methyk, Etfnjle, and Atnyle. By James Tuknbuii., U-D. 
C01 ' ltr ieneed by saying, that considering the vast number of new com* 
Lp„ nVi J? VllC< , f,f I , fttc h wee surprising that so few of real value should hn'C 
,i , j. c j y lnc dical nu n to their stores of remedies. The progress of tlicrapeoftr, 
r? elow compared with the advance of organic chemistry. 
_ c V ur d «v by the discovery of a new and most valuable class °f 3 b’ c ,. 
and „„;!r etlC *‘ ** le edi ct* of the narcotic and antipcriodic alkaloids, morp 
ana quinine. were .i ■ . . . . 1 . ...umn n»t 
one of he n' fi.T" f - VfUn ' throw srno light on this subject. AlreaV 
ti os like ouininp ur '"f’'*' n8 been found by Dr. Simpson to possess antipcriodic P r FT 
alluded to - «»,. T^J'^rfogfcal properties of the pure hydrocarbons were 
Br „ m , of the stn,cd to act as local and general stimulnn s, 
demonstrated h i| 0ll c llad keen ^untl to possess anasthetic properties, ns had 
fo fc-i »" a b > 
On the Production of Borucic Acid and Ammonia by Volcanic Action- 
T , , R - Wa kinotok, B . C . S . 
situated aW^1’m!l"* 18 ‘‘ 1 “ ? e " d ^ visited the island called ▼*£ 
is 2000 fecTLa t” mle , 8 11 , or ! , « of Sicily. The height of the mountain Vole*"® 
covered with n w t' f >f ,,1C pmer "00 feet. The sides of this depression . 
