1821.] Report of Chemistry and 
stone, and formed columns out of it.— Silli- 
man’s Journal. 
A paper, by M. Fleurian de Bellevue, was 
read to the academy of sciences last year, on 
meteoric stones, and particularly on those 
which fell near Jonzac, in the department of 
Charente. This paper is long, and contains 
much and minute investigation of those ap¬ 
pearances, which accompanying these pheno¬ 
mena, afford the only means of ascertaining 
their real nature. We shall, probably, take 
an opportunity of abstracting and condensing 
this paper; in the mean time the following 
conclusions are presented as those drawn by 
M. Bellevue. 
1. The appearahces presented by the crust 
of meteorolites seem to prove that their sur¬ 
face has been fused whilst rapidly traversing 
the flame of the meteor, and rapidly solidified 
into a vitreous state on leaving that flame. 
2. They prove that in the first moments 
the movement of the meteorolites was simple, 
that is, that they did not turn round on their 
own axis whilst those two effect* took place. 
3. That the impulse each meteorolite has 
received has almost always been perpendicular 
to its largest face. 
4. That the largest face is almost always 
more or less convex. 
5. Our meteorolites (those of Jonzac) offer 
new proofs of the pre-existence of a solid 
nucleus to bolides or meteors. 
This nucleous could not contain the com¬ 
bustible matter which produces the inflam¬ 
mation of the meteor. 
7. It cannot have suffered fusion during 
the appearance of the phenomena. 
8. The gaseous matter which surrounds 
this nucleus is dissipated without producing 
any solid residuum. No trace of this matter 
appears ever to exist in the crust of the me¬ 
teorolites. 
9. Meteorolites are fragments of those nu¬ 
clei which have not been altered in their 
nature, but simply vitrified at their surfaces. 
10. Many of the irregular forms which 
these fragments present may be referred to 
determine geometric forms. 
11. These latter forms are the consequence 
of the rapid action of a violent fire, according 
to a law of the movement of heat in solid 
bodies, discovered by M. Einer.— Brande’s 
Journal. 
A new Determination of the Proportions 
of the Constituents of Water; and the Den¬ 
sity of certain Elastic Fluids, has been made 
by M, M. Berzelius and Dulong. 
From the mean of three experiments it ap¬ 
pears that 100 parts by weight of oxygen unite 
with 12,488 of hydrogen to produce water; 
which is equivalent to 88.9 percent, of oxygen, 
with 11.1 of hydrogen. Whereas the number 
formerly assumed as the proportion of hydro¬ 
gen to 100 of oxygen, is 13.27 instead of 
12.488, which makes a difference of nearly a 
twelfth part. 
The following are the results of the specific 
gravities of the gases according to these ex- 
Monthly Mag. No. 360. 
Experimental Philosophy. 353 
periments, the gases being perfectly dry; and 
atmospheric air being = 1-000. 
Oxygen - - - 1-1026 
Hydrogen - - 0-0688 
Carbonic acid - 1-524 
Azote - - - 0-976 
The gravities of the same gases, as deter¬ 
mined by Messrs. Biot and Arrago, are as fol¬ 
lows: Oxygen - ]• 10359 
Hydrogen - - 0-07321 
Carbonic acid - 1519 
Azote - - - 0-969 
If we take the above proportions in weight 
of the elements of water, and take the density 
of oxygen as obtained by our experiments at 
1*1026, the specific gravity of the hydrogen 
will turn out to be 0-0688, but by direct ex¬ 
periment it gave us 0-0687. 
Oxygen - 
Specific grav. 
Atm. air = 1. 
1-1026 
Hydrogen 
- 
0-0688 
Azote 
- 
0-976 
Vapour of Carbon 
- 
0-4214 
Carbonic acid 
- 
1-524 
Oxide of Carbon 
- \ 
0-9727 
Olefiant gas 
• 
0-9804 
Carburetted hydrogen 
gas 
0-5590 
Vapour of water 
- 
0-620 
Oxide of azote - 
- 
1-5273 
Nitrous gas 
1001 
Hypernitric acid 
Nitrous acid 
• 
3-1812 
Dr}' Nitric acid 
Concentrated nitric acid 
Ammonia 
0-5912 
Sub-carbonate of ammonia 
Cyanogen 
1-8188 
Hydro-cyanic acid 
0-9438 
Vapour of alcohol 
• 
1-6004 
Vapour of ether 
- 
2-5808 
Dr. Henry of Manchester concludes a long 
Essay on the aeriform compounds of charcoal 
and hydrogen as follows: 
1. That carburetted hydrogen gas must still 
be considered as a distinct species, requiring 
for the perfect combustion of each volume two 
volumes of oxygen, and affording one volume 
of carbonic acid; and that if olefiant gas be 
considered as constituted of one atom of char¬ 
coal united with one atom of hydrogen, car¬ 
buretted hydrogen must consist of one atom 
of charcoal in combination with two atoms of 
hydrogen. 
2. That there is a marked distinction be¬ 
tween the action of chlorine on olefiant gas, 
(which in certain proportions, is entirely in¬ 
dependent of the presence of light, and is at¬ 
tended with the speedy condensation of the 
two gases into chloric ether,) and its relation 
to hydrogen, carburetted hydrogen, and carbo¬ 
nic oxide gases, on all of which it is inefficient, 
provided light be perfectly excluded from the 
mixture, 
3. That since chlorine, under these circum¬ 
stances, condenses olefiant gas wi thout acting 
on the other three gases, it maybe employed 
in the correct separation of the former from 
one or more of the three latter, 
2 Y 
4. That 
