378 
into the composition of thismarble. Mr. 
Parkinson supposes, that it must have 
been animal charcoal, from shells and 
corallines being visible in the marble; _ 
but this does net prove the absence of 
vegetable coal; nor is it, indeed, easy to 
determine the nature of the coaly sub- 
siance, since we know that vegetable 
coal, lying in contact with animal sub- 
stances, acquires all the characters of 
animal coal, sufficiently to be mistaken 
for it. The composition of calcareous 
cements may derive improvement from 
these discoveries of the real state, in 
which the component parts of marbles 
and limestones exist 10 them. 
Dr. Wititam Rricuarpson has 
called the attention of the public to the 
valuable gualities of the fiorin grass, 
which have long been known to the com- 
mon tarmers of Lreland, but have hitherto 
escaped the notice of scientific agricul- 
turists. This grass is indigenous in Ire- 
Jand, and is found in the greatest abun- 
dance, naturaily, in the morasses and 
mountains, because on rich soil, the 
other grasses contend with it to advan- 
tage, but are not hardy enough to endure 
the wet and cold,in which the fiorin grass 
thrives. It sends out long white strings, 
after the manner of the strawberry ; these 
bud at the points, and produce green 
shoots, which soon form a sod completely 
impenetrable to weeds and every other 
species of grass. Some experiments 
made by Dr. Richardson, prove that 
cold sour bottoms may at a small ex- 
pence be converted into the most valu- 
able pasture or meadow, by the fiorin 
grass. Ona thin dry soil also, it thrives 
as well as on a wet one: It grows spon- 
taneously very far up the bleakest and 
wettest mountains of Ireland, and this is 
perhaps the most important fact relating 
to it. This property must certainly 
render it peculiarly applicable to the im- 
provement of vast tracts of thin, elevated 
soil, in the west of England, which are at 
present little more productive than the 
deserts of Africa. The extensive forest 
of Dartmoor is mostly of this descrip- 
tion, and great part of Exmoor is nearly 
in the samc state, There are also many 
other tracts of land in England, where it 
“would be found beneficial; but in Scot- 
‘land, of which so large a portion consists 
of land of the above nature, the intro- 
duction of the fiorin grass seems to pro- 
mise more proportional advantages, than 
in any other division of the United King- 
dom. It appears rather extraordinary 
Literary and Philosophical Intelligence. 
[May i, 
that the fiorin grass should not be known 
in England; at least no mention is made 
of it by any Evglish agricultural writer : 
but Dr. Richardson thinks it highly 
probable, that ic is the same grass whieh 
has been so much admired in the ce- 
-lebrated. Orcheston meadow, near Salis- 
bury, which was first noticed by Ray, 
who says its shoots were twenty-four 
feet long, and which so many-botanists 
have visited without making any attempt 
to cultivate it. ~ 
Mr W. Wexpon has analized the 
water of a mineral spring, two miles to 
the south of Dudley, in Worcestershire, 
“which has been famous from time imme- 
morial, in the surrounding country, for — 
its efficacy m various scrofulous and ~ 
cutaneous diseases. In scrofula, in par- 
ticular, it has been considered an almost 
infallible remedy. The spring flows into 
a well, about thirty-six feet in depth, and 
§ in diameter. The bottom is a ferru- - 
ginous, -argillaceous sandstone, through 
which is perforated a hole, whence the 
water issues and rises to about four feet 
from the surface. The sides of the well 
near the top, are covered with a yel- 
lowish ochrey substance. When the 
water is fresh taken up, it is perfectly 
transparent and colourless. It is little 
refractive of light, nor can it be said to 
sparkle; but after standing for a short 
time, numerous small bubbles of air are 
seen adhering to the bottom and sides of 
the glass. After a time, it becomes 
rather turbid, and at length a pale 
ochreous precipitate falls down, leaving 
the water transparent. In large quan- 
tity, the water smells of sulphuretted 
hidrogen; but if half a pint, or less, be 
examined, the odor is scarcely percep- 
tible. The taste very much resembles 
sea-water, From a wine-gallon, or 231 
cubic inches, were obtained: 
Of muriate of soda - - 483. 
| lime - =I. 
magnesia & alumina 145. 
- iron = =" RB 
Of carbonate of iron - = 9. 
Of silica = * be 
Of earthy carbonatesabout - 45. 
Of carbonic acid and sulphu-) 45, i, 
retted hidrogen, the latter nt 23.735 
small] proportion 
Of azote - = a. 
Mr. W. Cook, of Birmingham, has 
published some ingenious observations 
on the benefits that would result from 
the employment of an indigenous mate- 
rial, as a substitute for mahogany a 
other. 
