Whiskers are by no means so uncommon as are generally supposed, but when they appear they are carefully plucked out; and if I can judge of the virility of the Chinese by the prodigious numbers of children (not taking into account the numbers of females which are doomed to death) which every even insignificant village produces, I cannot believe that the east coast of China suffers much from the effects of negative electricity.

ANCIENT GLASS, AS APPLIED TO

DOMESTIC PURPOSES.

Ar a late meeting of the Freemasons of the Church, Mr. George Isaacs delivered a lecture on ancient glass as applied to domestic purposes. After alluding to the arts of form. ing and colouring glass vessels among the Egyptians, Mr. Isaacs explained the nature of their manufacture, and described many of the finest known specimens in existence. Following the art through the histories of Tyre, Sidou, and Etruria, he proceeded to the period of Greek art, on which he dwelt at some length, adverted then to the Portland vase, some specimens in the Bibliotheque Royale, and those exhibited at the last meeting by the Earl of Cadogan, in all of which examples, it seems conclusively demonstrated that the glass was blown of two colours, viz., of deep purple coated with white, and that on the exterior surface were carved those exquisite bas-reliefs, which, from their extraordinary delicacy and precision, have been an enigma to antiquaries of considerable authority. A wonderful specimen of Greek art, in the possession of Mr. Herley, was then described, having a series of gold figures burnt in from the interior of the vessel, and some curious information was given on the subject of malleable glass from Dion Cassius, Petronius, Arbiter, and Isidorus, Ibn Abd Alnolm, Nero, and many other writers. The composition of malleable glass was said to have been discovered in France some months

AT a meeting of the Instititution of Civil Engineers, on the 30th June, a paper was read, describing the "Effect of the deep Wells of the Metropolis on the supply of Water in the London Basin," by F. Braithwaite, Esq. The object was, to direct attention to the fact, that the numerous deep wells sunk in and near the metropolis are gradually draining the chalk basin; and that every additional well driven in search of water has the effect of diminishing the water level in all the wells already existing. As a proof of this fact, it was stated that, in a well at Combe's Brewery, sunk 20 years ago, the water rose at that time to within 70 feet of the surface, but that it now only rises to within 120 feet; showing a diminishing of 50 feet. From this and other instances, it was argued, that the supply of water is rapidly decreasing; and this was attributed as well to the improved under-drainage of the lands which receive the falling rain, as to the thus shown, that the deep springs are not increased demand upon the springs. It was inexhaustible, and that obtaining water from them is attended with considerable expense and uncertainty. It was argued, thence, that it is necessary to consider very carefully supply of water from the chalk of the Lonany attempts for obtaining a considerable

don Basin. A remarkable fact, also shown in one of the tables, is, that, on the 5th of April, 1832, there occurred a sudden depression, of 18 feet, of the springs, which lasted for half an hour; at the end of which time, 13 feet of the 18 were regained. The paper contained many interesting facts as to from the different strata; and was illusthe general amount of the supply of water trated by a series of plans-the first of which was a map, on a large scale, taking St. Paul's as the centre, and describing around it a series of circles, with a radius of four miles. The external circle was divided

into the 32 points of the compass; from which lines were drawn to the centre (St. tions were laid down, exhibiting the vaPaul's). Upon these lines a series of secrious strata down to the chalk, as shown by the deep wells sunk in the districts between those lines, as far as the information could be gathered from those employed in sinking and boring them. These sections exhibit a remarkable contour of the chalk basin; and furnish fertile subject for speculative geology, as well as very valuable information as to the probable production of water from the various strata. In the discussion which en

*Athenæum.

AMERICAN GOLD MINES. THE produce of gold in the two Carolinas is on the continued increase. The quantity brought into the Mint in 1843 amounted to the value of 272,000 dollars. The state has recently turned to account the sands of the river Catawba, flowing through the gold district. A private individual, named Gibson, has obtained from it the proprietorship of the soil lying below the waters of the stream. The sand is withdrawn from the bed of the river by means of long-handled ladles of peculiar construction, for which Mr. Gibson has taken out a patent. Each evening, the sand and gravel are washed on the banks, amalgamated by means of mercury, and the amalgamated gold forwarded to the mint, where it has been recognized as very pure. This gold seems to come from a mine of brown hematite, lying in the district of Centerville, near the Falls of the Catawba, and in the neighbourhood of a coal mine.

NEW REGULATION OF THE SOCIETY OF APOTHECARIES. Ar a meeting of the students of University College, held on Wednesday, July 15th, 1846, for the purpose of considering the determination of the Apothecaries' Company, not to commence the registration of students till after August 3rd-Mr. J. E. Wood in the chair-it was proposed by Mr. Cook, seconded by Mr. Randall, and resolved unanimously:-"That this meeting, having obtained official intimation that it is the intention of the Society of Apothecaries to depart, this year, from their usual custom of registering the attendance of students on the summer courses of lectures, before the termination of the session, and to postpone the same until after the 3rd of August, begs hereby to express its deep regret that the Worshipful Society should so inconsiderately institute a regulation which will detain the students in London at an unnecessary expense and inconvenience, and deprive them of a portion of the short time allotted for relaxtion, and for the enjoyment of the society of their friends."

Moved by Mr. Park, seconded by Mr. Lowe, and resolved unanimously :-"That

this meeting desires, therefore, most respectfully to call the attention of the Worshipful Society to the foregoing resolution, and to solicit them either to continue the practice of former years or to adopt some other plan by which the vacation will not be encroached upon."

Moved by Mr. Ransom, seconded by Mr. Acland, and carried unanimously:-"That a committee of three gentlemen be appointed to transmit a copy of these resolutions, signed by the chairman on behalf of the meeting, to the Society of Apothecaries, and to receive their reply."

Moved by Mr. West, seconded by Mr. Webb, and carried unanimously:-"That the committee transmit a copy of these resolutions to the Editor of the Lancet, with a request that he will use his influence in support of their objects."

REVIEW.

A HISTORY OF INVENTIONS, DISCOVERIES, AND ORIGINS. By John Beckmann, &c. Fourth edition carefully revised and enlarged. By Wm. Francis, Ph. D., F.L.S., and J. W. Griffith, M.D., F.L.S. Vol. 1. London: H. G. Bohn. THIS new edition of Beckmann's well-known work, is a welcome addition to the popular scientific literature of the day; it forms one of the volumes of "Bohn's Standard

Library." The work has evidently been very carefully revised, and such portions sa the light of modern science has proved to be incorrect, have been expunged. In addition to this the work contains many valuable notes and additions, in which more recent discoveries and observations are carefully recorded. Altogether it is one of the most readable books we have recently met with.

TO CORRESPONDENTS. "CRITO "We refer our correspondent to page 19 of The Chemist for 1845. "J. BROOKS "" (Leeds)-The mode of preparing Ebelman's Silicic Ethers has been already described at page 175 of the present volume of The Chemist.

"H. S." (Croydon)-Certainly not; it occurred in the year 1839.

NOTICE.All Communications and Books for Review must be addressed “To the Publisher of THE CHEMIST, 310, Strand, London." Communications must be prepaid, and sent before the 15th of each month, Books for Review before the 10th.

end." The following are the principles laid down in this memoir:-"1. The names of chemical products ought to indicate them on every occasion, without having recourse to circumlocution. 2. The denominations ought, in every case, to be in conformity with the nature of the objects. 3. When we have no certain knowledge of the character which ought principally to determine the denomination, we should prefer a name that has no determinate meaning, to one that may express a false idea. 4. In the choice of the names to be introduced, we should prefer those which have their roots in the dead languages most generally diffused, so that the word should be easily discovered by the sense, and the sense by the word. 5. The words should be carefully selected, according to the genius of the language for which they are formed."

Three orders of facts, dominated by the principle of dualism, particularly fixed the attention of the authors of the celebrated memoir of 1787, the true charta of modern chemistry. It is on acid compounds, basic compounds, and saline products, resulting from the combination of acids with the bases, that the labours of these hardy reformers of science bore. As to simple bodies, they preserved their old names. The four elements of organised nature, alone, lost their ancient names: vital air was called oxygen; inflammable air, hydrogen; phlogistic air, azote; charcoal, carbon. The authors of the chemical nomenclature insisted strongly on the adoption of these new names, as if they foresaw that these four elements, oxygen, hydrogen, azote, and carbon, would some day become the very sanctuary of organic chemistry. The reasons laid down by Guyton-Morveau to justify the new terms applied to the four elementary bodies of organic nature, form one of the most interesting chapters in the history of science.

He explains the name given to vital air in the following manner:-"The logic of nomenclature requires their substance to be named first, in order that the word by which we remember it should become the type of its compounds. We fulfil these conditions by adopting the expression oxygen, derived, as M. Lavoisier long since proposed, from the Greek óğuç, acid, and yɛvoμat, I beget, on account of the well-established property of this principle to convert a great number of substances, with which it combines, into acids. If we say, therefore, that vital air is oxygen gas, that oxygen unites with sulphur and phosphorus during their combustion, metals, during their calcination, &c.; the language will be perfectly clear and exact."

veau laboured, of having considered oxygen as the generator of all the acids, is, therefore, gratuitous. Vital air received the name of oxygen because this gas, by combining with other bodies, begets a large number of acids.

(Tɛivouaι is a barbarism; it is no doubt yiyvoμat he intended to say. But the verb yivopai itself never had the transitive signification of yɛvváw, beget. In fine, the name oğuyεvýs signifies, literally, not the generator of acid, but acidly born, of an acid parentage, which gives an absurd meaning. It is rather žvyεverns, or oxygone. ožuyovos he ought to have said.)

Hydrogen owes its ancient name of inflammable air to a property it possesses, of taking fire when brought into contact with a lighted body. "But this property,' observes Morveau, judiciously, "does not exclusively belong to it, while it is the only body that produces water by its combination with oxygen. This is the character we thought we ought to seize upon to extract the word hydrogen, that is to say, begetting water."

When he created the name azote, Morveau was already acquainted with the experiments of Berthollet, Black and Cavendish; he knew that this gas, then called phlogisticated air, enters equally into the composition of ammonia and nitric acid, and he did not conceal his embarrassment to give a name to a body "which forms the radical of an acid, and assists at the same time in the production of an alkali.' From which of the two compounds should he deduce the name? Must he call it nitrogen or alkaligen? These two names both offered themselves to Morveau's mind, and he finally made choice of the word azote. Here he met with the same difficulty as that which he had taken so much pains to avoid when he invented the word hydrogen. "We imagined," he observes,

that we could not do better than stop at the property of phlogistic air, which is so plainly manifested-its being unable to support animal life." In the same way, as in the case of bydrogen, Morveau would have to observe," but this property does not exclusively belong to it." This he seems to have seen; for in proposing the word azote he hastens to add, "this gas is essentially unable to support life; it is so more truly than the acid and hepatic gases (sulphuretted hydrogen and sulphurous acid) which do not, like it, form an essential part of the atmosphere, and we have called it azote from a, the Greek privative, and Coɛ, life."

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