130 
Reviews and Extracts,—Natural History. 
presented a frightful display of flame and smoke. At the foot of the hill, in 
which the Volcano is situated, there is a lake of sulphur, and all round the 
lake the ground is inerusted with sulphur. The natives say the Volcano runs 
under the sea, and bursts out again in the interior of New Zealand, about 20 
miles from the shore, in a district, where there is a large hot lake, in which 
they cook their provisions. . 
Map of the Puy de Dome. —A map of this mountain, in twelve sheets, is now 
in preparation, by Bussy of Paris. 
Diamond in the Coal Formation, —The Diamond is said to have been found in 
the Coal formation, of India. 
Splendid Specimen of Megatherium. —A perfect skeleton of the Megatherium, 
has been discovered, 126 miles south of Beunos Ayres. 
Slates of Tarcntaise. —All the slates, conglomerates, and sandstones, of the 
Tarentaise, formerly considered as Transition, are now arranged with the 
Oolite, or Jura formation. 
Deco'epitating Common Salt. Condemation of Gas in it. —M. Dumas has ex¬ 
amined and described a very curious effect, which occurred when some rock- 
salt, obtained from the mine of Wieliczka, in Poland, and given to him by 
M. Bou6, was put into water. It decrepitated as it dissolved in the water, 
and gradually emitted a sensible portion of gas. The bubbles of gas were sen¬ 
sibly larger when the decrepitations were stronger, and the latter frequently 
made the glass tremble. Whep }he experiment was made in perfect darkness, 
no light was disengaged. 
Interesting Discovery of Fossil Animals, —7'here has lately been sent to the 
Jardin des Plants, a collection of Fossil Bones, from the lacrustine deposits of 
Argenton, (Indre) consisting of five or six species of Lophiodon, from the size 
of a large rabbit to that of a horse; also, species of the genus Anthrocotheriumj 
of the Trionyx^ and Crocodile. Indre, is in the centre of France. 
Dr. Turnbull Christie, who has been appointed to examine the Geology of 
the Presidency of Madras, by the India Company, has left Edinburg for our 
Eastern Empire, He travels through France and Italy, embarks for Alexan¬ 
dria,—from thence visits the Holy Land, Mount Sinai, &c.—sails down the 
Red Sea, for Bombay, and from thence by sea or land to Madras, He takes 
with him a painter, for the purposes of Zoology, Comparative Anatomy, Bo¬ 
tany, and Geology, and a complete set of instruments for ascertaining the 
nature of the meteorological and hydrographical phenomena that may present 
themselves to his attention. 
Neiv President of the Geological Society. —Roderic Impey Murchison, Esq. 
has been unanimously chosen President of the Geological Society of London. 
Recent Formation of Zeolite. —The formation of Zeolite, through the action of 
atmospheric water on Dolerite, seems still to be going on. It is observed form¬ 
ing in hollows of a conglomerate, in which Zeolite plays the part of calcareous 
sinter. 
New Metal Discoiwred. —Mr. Dulong, read on the 7th of last February, to 
the French Institute, a letter from Berzelius, which announces the discovery of 
a new simple substance; Mr. Lestrom, director of the mines of Fahlun, in 
Dalecarlia, has given it the name of Vanadium. 
Four-spined Stickleback. —A variety of this fish, (Gasterosteus aculeafus) witli 
four spines on its back, was discovered in a pond in the meadows, by Mr. John 
Stark, in September, 1830. 
Crystals in Living Vegetables. —Mr. Turpin has discovered, in the cellular 
tissue of an old trunk of the Cereus PeruviamiSf in the Garde i of Plants at 
