be transmitted to the Society before the end of September 1819.

New Mineral, Hydrate of Silicia and Alumina.-M. Leon Dufour has found a mineral in the neighbourhood of Saint Sever, which appears to be new. It occurs in an argillaceous gravelly soil, in detached pieces, from two to four or five inches in diameter. It is generally of a fine white colour, without lustre, but is found sometimes with the semi-transparency of opal. Its hardness is between that of limestone and lithomarga, and in many characters it approaches to the latter substance. Its fracture is dull; its composition homogenous. It is easily cut by a knife, and yet is singularly fragile: when struck by a hammer, it breaks into very angular pieces. It is soft to the touch, and may be polished very highly by friction. It adheres strongly to the tongue, but has no argillaceous or earthy odour when breathed upon. It does not effervesce with acids, nor form with water a ductile paste. Its colour is not changed by heat. It has been observed to diffuse a very singular smell of apples, particularly when newly fractured.

An analysis, made by M. Pelletier, has given the constituents of 100 parts of this mineral, as silex 50, alumine 22, water 26, there being a loss of 2 parts.

Siliciferous Sub-sulphate of Alumine.Dr Henry of Manchester has described and analysed a peculiar substance, apparently the result of slow chemical action, found in the old hollows of a coal mine. It has exactly the appearance, as well as consistency, of hogs-lard, and was mistaken at first for it by the miners. Its taste is subacid. It dries in the air, splitting like starch. When heated strongly, it becomes so hard as to scratch glass. An analysis gave its proportions as follows: Water, Alumine,

88.1

6.5

It has been called siliciferous sub-sulphate of alumine.

Sliding Mountain.-A large portion of mountain, covered with rocks and fir trees, separated from the highest region on the 4th of April, near the village of Soncebos, in the valley of St Imier in Switzerland, and covered, with its stupendous wreck, more than 300 paces of the great road to Brienne. A few moments later, a party of travellers, who were witnesses of this terrific spectacle, would have been its victims.

Embedded Diamonds.-An aggregate substance has been found in the Diamond Mines on the banks of the river ligitonhonha in Brazil, containing or enveloping diamonds, gold, iron, &c. The rock consists of an aggregate of small quartz pebbles, firmly set in indurated iron sand; but it is

doubtful whether this be the true matrix of the diamond, or only a consolidation of particles around it.

Zircon. This mineral has, we understand, been discovered by Dr MacCulloch in Sutherland. It occurs in a compound rock, formed of copper coloured mica, hornblende, and felspar. This rock forms one of the occasional beds in the gneiss, and bears a resemblance in its composition to the zircon syenite of the north of Europe: the crystals, a quarter of an inch in length, are well defined, and their colour is an obscure crimson, approaching to that of cinna

mon.

Dr Bouée last summer met with the same mineral in gneiss, near Fort Augustus in Inverness-shire.

Newly discovered Membrane in the Eye. -Dr Jacob, Demonstrator of Anatomy in the University of Dublin, has discovered, and demonstrated in his lectures on the diseases of the eye, this spring, a membrane covering the external surface of the retina, in man and other animals. Its extreme delicacy accounts for its not having been hitherto noticed. He arrived at the discovery by means of a new method of displaying and examining this and other delicate parts. He argues from analogy, the necessity of the existence of such a membrane, parts so different in structure and function, as the retina and choroid coat must otherwise be in contact, in contradiction to the provisions of the animal economy in general. A detailed account of the discovery, with the method of displaying the membrane, is in preparation, and will shortly be laid before the public.

as

Plate presented to Dr Paris.-On Tuesday, the 16th instant, a deputation of noblemen and gentlemen of the county of Cornwall, waited upon Dr Paris, at his house in Dover Street, with a magnificent present of plate for his acceptance. The inscription, which is engraved on a massy silver waiter, records the services for which it was given. "To John Ayrton Paris, M.D. F.L.S. Fellow of the Royal College of Physcians of London, this plate is inscribed by the noblemen, representatives in Parliament, and gentlemen of the county of Cornwall, in testimony of their grateful sense of his services, in originating the plan, and promoting the institution of the Royal Geological Society of the county, which has rendered their home the school of science, and their native riches increasing sources of prosperity."

Iron in Caithness.-There are strong appearances of iron upon the coast, about the Ord of Caithness, and in many places between the Ord and Wick, and to the northward of Wick. The coast of Caithness is remarkable for pretty high rocky cliffs, in which great numbers of veins or perpendicular mineral fissures appear, many of which contain iron ore. Some of these have been observed near the old ruinous castle of Girnigo, and the Castle of Arkergil. These

veins appear to be bold and roomy, and to contain plenty of good iron ore, from the abundance of a bright red iron earth found in the surface of them. There is great abundance of bog ore over all the low country of Caithness. In many places it almost covers the whole face of the ground to a considerable depth. It is easily known and distinguished by the friable constitution of its misshapen masses, by its external blackish and rusty colour, and by its internal blackish gray colour and granulated porous texture. It is always found loose on the surface of the ground in the same manner as float ore, without any connexion with the vein or stratum.

Discovery of Antimony in Banffshire.A promising appearance of antimony ore has been lately discovered on the estate of Lord Fife. This ore, we understand, has been examined by Professor Jameson, who finds that it is the radiated gray antimony, and contains 70 parts antimony and 30 of sulphur. We trust this very promising discovery will be vigorously pursued.

Two New Minerals. We understand that Dr Macculloch has discovered two new minerals in Scotland, an account of which will be given in his work on the Hebrides. We have obtained the following sketches of their prominent characters.

The first is easily recognised by its resemblance to indurated steatite or noble serpentine, and by its green colour, on a fresh fracture, shortly turning to black, when it can scarcely be distinguished by the eye from jet or drycoal: it is also infusible before the blowpipe. Dr M. has given it the name of chlorophacite, from its most obvious property. It occupies amygdaloidal cavities in the trap rocks.

The second is a white powder, of a harsh feel, but incapable of scratching glass, and nearly as fusible as that substance, producing a transparent colourless bead; characters sufficient to distinguish it from any mineral hitherto described. It occupies similar cavities in trap, and he has given to it, from its leading character, the name of conite.

Caducium. Another New Metal.-M. Gay Lussac communicated, in the last sitting of the French Academy of Sciences, a note upon a new metal, which has received the name of caducium, discovered by Professor Stromeyer of Gottingen. The

caducium is white as tin, very ductile, combines easily with other metals, fuses and vo latizes in less time than zinc. It is found in abundance in the mines of this last metal. Its specific weight is 8.65. This discovery, M. Gay Lussac expects, will be of great consequence to the arts, on account of the properties which the new metal possesses; and of those which it can communicate to metals with which it is capable of amalgamating.

On ascertaining the heights of Mountains in India.-Lieutenant Webb, of the Bengal Establishment, has transmitted to Eu

rope the result of his operations for ascer taining the heights of some of the principal mountains in the Nepaul country; from which it is found, that many of those mountains much exceed in height any before known; that out of 27 peaks, 19 are higher than Cimboraso, and that the highest exceeds the mountain of the Andes (heretofore supposed the highest in the world), nearly 5,000 feet. Lieutenant Webb's results were transmitted by a correspondent, to the Editor of the Madras Gazette, and published in that paper, from which we copy the following table, in which the altitude above the sea is calculated.

Copper in Caithness. Many of the mineral veins on this coast contain copper, several are hollowed by the waves of the sea washing out the softer mineral soils. There are several fine rake veins tending towards the north and south, and others towards an east and west direction, near the castle of Old Wick. These veins intersect one another at right angles, and in some of them pretty good copper ore is found. The veins at Wick are remarkably good and promising, and regularly open between the sides, containing some copper ore, even at the surface, with various other mineral soils, both hard and soft. One of the places is on the cliff of the sea, about half way down from its summit, in a strong bold vein containing some copper ore; but as most of the mineral soils in this vein were hard, there was but little done in it. The other vein was found open and good, immediately below the upper soil, containing spar and vein-stone, and a blackish brown chun, or soft mineral soil, with some copper ore at the very surface. The copper was found in small masses on the chun, and mixed or blended through all the vein-stones and spar. It did not ap pear to be very rich in quality; but, perhaps, that is not ultimately against it. In Cornwall, where they have the richest copper mines, the ore is generally poor in quality, which defect is compensated by the great quantity produced; and if we may judge from appearances, Old Wick promises to be a productive copper mine, when the best veins are opened and effectually explor ed.Inverness Courier.

the north of England; and can promise their readers much original information on a vast variety of subjects.

Consolations for Mourners; five Sermons, by the late Rev. John Hill, are in considerable forwardness.

The Meditations of a Neophyte are in the

press.

Translations of Memoirs of Lucien Bonaparte, and of Anecdotes of the Court and Family of Napoleon, are just ready for publication.

Mr Harris of Walworth, will, in a few days, publish the Algebraist's Assistant, written upon the plan of Walkingame's Arithmetic, and intended to follow that useful work in the course of instruction.

Dr Carey has in the press, an improved edition of his larger work on Latin Prosody and Versification.

EDINBURGH.

We are happy to inform our readers, that Dr M'Crie has in the press "The Life of Andrew Melville, containing Illustrations of the Ecclesiastical and Literary History of Scotland, during the latter part of the Sixteenth and beginning of the Seventeenth Century; with an Appendix, consisting of Original Papers." 2 vols 8vo.

This work may be viewed as a continuation of the history of the Scottish Church given in the Life of John Knox, by the same author; but as Melville, besides taking an active part in the public transactions of his time, was successively at the head of two of the universities of Scotland, it will enter much more fully into the state of education and the progress of literature than the author found himself warranted to do in the Life of the Reformer.

We understand that Dr Brewster is preparing for publication a Treatise on the Kaleidoscope, containing a full account of the Principles and Construction of the Instrument, and of its application to the numerous branches of the fine and useful arts.

Preparing for publication, An Essay on the Office and Duties of the Eldership in the Church of Scotland. To which is added, an Account of the Management of the Poor in the Parishes of Paisley and Greenock. Together with a variety of Observations on the Comparative State of the English and Scotch System of Poor Laws; on the Plans proposed in the Glasgow Report; on the Reasonings of the Edinburgh Review; on the Causes and Cure of Pauperism; and on various other topics connected with the general Business of Charity and Provision for the Poor; by the Rev. Robert Burns, Paisley, author of a Letter to the Rev. Dr Chalmers on the Distinctive Character of Protestantism and Popery, &c. &c.

Campbell, or the Scottish Probationer, a Novel, in 3 vols 12mo.

It will be gratifying to the lovers of Scottish literature to be informed, that a volume. VOL. III.

of Poems and Songs, chiefly in the Scottish dialect, by the late Richard Gall, is in the press. Mr Gall died several years ago, in the bloom of youth, when his genius and taste had introduced him to the notice of gentlemen eminent in the literary world. He enjoyed the friendship and correspondence of Burns, Campbell, Macniell, and other celebrated poets of the day. It is said that his Poems breathe a tenderness and simplicity honourable to the head and heart of the author.

The Elements of Euclid, viz. the first six books, with the eleventh and twelfth, in which the corrections of Dr Simpson are generally adopted, but the errors overlooked by him are corrected, and the obscurities of his and other editions explained: also, some of Euclid's Demonstrations are restored, others made shorter and more general, and several useful Propositions are added; together with Elements of Plane and Spherical Trigonometry, and a Treatise on Practical Geometry; by Alexander Ingram, Mathematician, Leith, 8vo.

Ruddiman's Latin Grammar, edited by Dr Hunter, Professor of Humanity in the University of St Andrews, 12mo.

Sentimental Scenes, selected from celebrated Plays, &c.; by John Wilson. Third edition, 12mo.

Early Genius, exemplified in the Juvenile Pursuits of Eminent Foreigners, 18mo.

In the press, and speedily will be published, Elegant Selections in Verse; consisting of short Extracts, chiefly from the Works of Scott, Byron, Southey, and other popular Poets of the present age; by David Grant, Teacher of English, Writing, &c. in Aberdeen.

The late Rev. Mr Scott of Perth is well known to have paid a great deal of attention to the earlier periods of Scottish history, and particularly to those transactions which had any cornexion with the city in which he was long a useful and much respected clergyman. We are happy to learn that he has left, in a state fit for publication, a History of the Life and Death of John Earl of Gowrie, in which he gives a variety of new and interesting details respecting what is commonly called the " Gowrie Conspiracy." To the History he has prefixed some Preliminary Dissertations illustrative of his subject. The work is already in the press. It will appear in the form of an octavo volume, handsomely printed on royal paper, and containing nearly 350 pages. The price will be One Guinea in boards; and as only a limited number of copies will be thrown off, it is hoped that such as are desirous to obtain it will lose no time in giving orders for it to their booksellers.

Historical Account of Discoveries and Travels in Asia; by Hugh Murray, F.R.S.E. Author of Historical Account of Discoveries in Africa, 3 vols 8vo, with maps. Sermons, by the Rev. C. R. Maturin, Curate of St Peters, Dublin, 8vo. 30*

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The Journal of Science and the Arts, edited at the Royal Institution of Great Britain. No. X. Svo. 7s. 6d.

BIOGRAPHY.

Memoirs of Richard Morris, late pastor of the Baptist Church, Amersham, Bucks; compiled by B. Godwin, Great Missenden, 12mo. 2s. 6d.

Authentic Memoirs of Lucien Bonaparte, Prince of Canino, in French and English; embellished with a likeness; 2 vols 8vo. 18s. Recollections of Curran and some of his Contemporaries; by Charles Phillips, Esq. Svo. 12s. with a portrait.

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DRAMA.

Memorial to the Lord Chamberlain, from the Theatres Royal Drury-Lane and CoventGarden; with Mr Elliston's Reply, Svo. 3s.

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The Schoolfellows; by Miss Sandham, author of the Twin Sisters, 12mo. 3s. 6d. Jauffret's Father's First Lessons, with Ave engravings, 18mo. 3s. 6d.

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The Philosophy of Elocution elucidated and exemplified by readings of the Liturgy of the Church; for the use of young Clergymen, and Students who are preparing for Holy Orders; by James Wright, of Magdalen Hall, Oxford, &c. 8vo. pp. 376.

Un Dictionnaire des Verbes Français; or a Dictionary of French Verbs, shewing their different Governments. To which is prefixed, a Table of the Irregular Verbs, and some Remarks on the Tenses of the Conjugation and the Article; by J. C. Tarver, 8vo. 10s.

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