from burning depths below, and being carried by the winds eall the regions I wished to traverse. Almost immediately af the opening, which revealed to me the profound depths of the fr abyss, the whole pit was packed and darkened with still den clouds of smoke, which the fitful wind began to drive upon me made a hasty retreat to the northwest, where I reached the orig black-terrace, and, mounting an inactive cone some twentyfeet high, rested in a current of cooler and purer air, and surveye the marvelous scene I had just left. There is a great body molten matter in this pit, recognized by its sullen mutterings, splashings and surgings, and by the bloody glow thrown upon t uprising columns of smoke at night. But the heat and smoke ar so great, that it is unsafe to approach the rim of the crater, a usually impossible to see the bottom even could you reach th margin of the pit.

The immense quantities of lava which came from this pit we not all thrown over the upper rim. After this rim had been raise with all the surrounding area, to a great height, the molten floodformed subterranean passages to the lower parts of Kilauea, when they burst out, and spread seas of liquid fire over the surface.

An active Crater on Mauna Loa.-While at Kilauea, the atmosphere being clear at night, I had a view of an active volcan on Mauna Loa some 13,000 feet high, and about four miles south by west of Mokuaweoweo, the summit crater. This volcano has bee burning for weeks, though not often seen at Hilo on account clouds. Its bearing is about southwest from Hilo, and, as I judge. about north from Kahukulin Kau. It is said that several Hawaiians of Kau have visited it. They say that it is a small lateral crate: of Mokuaweoweo, about four miles distant. It has long been extinct, but it now boils in fiery swirls, much like Kilauea. Its action is unequal, sometimes throwing up brilliant jets, and clouds of smoke, and anon seething quietly in its deep caverns. not overflowed its rim, or rent its mural walls, or found any subterranean vent by which the molten lake passes off. From week to week and month to month it burns in solitude, and shines like a beacon light upon the dark mountain. Most of the time it is hidden from us by clouds; but when the old mountain-the mother of volcanoes-removes her misty veil, we can then see its distant light.

It has

Some thirty-five or forty miles from Kilauea, and about 9,000 feet above it in altitude, how is it that we can see no sympathy that proves a subterranean connection?

We have occasional shocks of earthquake. From Kilauea I went down to the coast of Puna, and followed its shores to Hilo. The great subsidence of April, 1868, still remains. In most places the people have removed from the shore and built half a mile to two miles inland. In some places they now catch fish where once they cultivated vegetables and grazed their horses. The debris of that little cataclysm is still strewn along the shores of Puna and Kau.

SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE.

I. CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS.

1. On the sensitiveness to light of the haloid salts of silver, and e connection between optical and chemical absorption of light. -SCHULTZ-SELLACK has published with the above title a very inresting memoir, the principal results of which are, in the author's ords, as follows:

(1.) In the case of a mixture of chlorine and hydrogen the curve the chemical intensity of the spectrum which shows the relative emical action which the different colors exert when completely sorbed, has a course different from that of the curve which dictly expresses the observations of Bunsen and Roscoe, and probly more nearly resembles the curve of heat-intensity.

(2.) The sensitiveness to light, determined by photographic exsement, extends in the case of chloride of silver from the ultraolet to HG; in the case of iodide of silver to GF; in the case bromide of silver to GF, with iodo-bromide and iodo-chloride silver to beyond E.

(3.) The dark coloration of haloid salts of silver exposed to the ectrum takes place in the case of chloride of silver within the tent of the photographic excitability; this is probably also the se with the other haloid salts.

(4.) In the case of the haloid salts of silver the absorption of ht is always accompanied by chemical decomposition. These Its exert a perceptible absorption upon the spectrum only within e above mentioned limits of photographic excitability.

(5.) Only a small fraction of the absorbed light is converted co chemism. This fraction is different for different colors, but

never zero.

(6.) A thin film of iodide of silver absorbs the light which is ore refrangible than G very strongly, the light between G and F but feebly; this last is, however, photographically active. photographing upon iodide of silver, the interposition of a thin n of the iodide acts like illumination with light approximately mogeneous from G to 4 GF.

(7.) At a higher temperature the coloration of the haloid salts silver becomes deep brown. The sensitiveness to light then bably extends to the red of the spectrum.

(8.) The application of the term chemical rays to the more ongly refrangible rays of the spectrum has no other significan than that known substances sensitive to light specially absorb ecisely these rays.-Pogg. Ann., cxliii, p. 161.

W. G.

2. On the proteine series.-HLASIWETZ and HABERMANN have ken up the study of this somewhat neglected subject, and have ived at results of much interest. The authors in the first place ss in review the results obtained many years since by the study the products of the action of various reagents upon members of

the proteine group. These they compare with the products the action of the same reagents upon the so-called carbon-hyd gum, starch, &c., pointing out the close relationship between two classes of derivatives. The substances selected for exam tion were caseine, albumen and fibrine, vegetable albumen and gumine. These substances were treated with bromine and w as long as the bromine appeared to exert an action, and the p ducts of the action of bromine separated by processes for w we must refer to the original paper. The results finally reache showed that under the circumstances the products of the decr position were

together with some ammonia and humus-like substances. Tyros was not found in any case; but the authors suggest that it wa converted by the action of bromine into bromanil. The products were qualitatively the same for all the substances examined, bu: quantitatively different, so that the authors infer that the member of the group do not contain a common base like the proteine of Mulder. The action of bromine upon the proteine bodies, like that of other agents of decomposition, yields two classes of preducts-those which belong to the fatty and those which belong to the aromatic group. Neither of these groups contains more tha six atoms of carbon in the principal chain, so that they may be considered as derived respectively from the hydrocarbons, H1. and H. Only the highest terms are characteristic of the proteine bodies, namely-leucine, asparagic acid, glutamic acid and tyrosin. All the others are merely derivatives of them.-Ann. der Chemie und Pharmacie, clix, p. 304.

6

W. G.

3. On the products of the reduction of silicic ether and some of its derivatives.-LADENBURG has studied the action of zinc-ethy and sodium upon silicic ether. The first product of the reduction is the silico-propionic ether of Friedel and Ladenburg, Si¤2H, (0€2H). When this is repeatedly treated with zinc-ethyl and sodium, a second product is obtained which has the formula

2

The density of this liquid is 0.8752 at 0° C., and its boiling point 155°5. The author terms it silicium diethyl-keton-ether. It is unchanged in the air, insoluble in water, soluble in alcohol and ether. By long boiling with caustic alkalies it is decomposed, and silico-propionic acid may be obtained from the solution. By treating with chloracetyl or chlorbenzoyl the ethyl groups are exchanged for chlorine, while acetic or benzoic ether is formed. Thus in the latter case we have

7

Si(€2H ̧)2(→¤2H5)2+2¤‚H,→Cl=Si(¤‚H;)2Cl2+
2(€ H Ꮎ. ᎾᏮ.H).

7 5

With one molecule of chloracetyl or chlorbenzoyl, the reaction is fferent; thus we have

3

Si(¤2H ̧)¿(→¤2H ̧)2+¤2H ̧→Cl=Si(€2H5)2Cl(→¤2H ̧). licium-diethyl-chlorethin, Si(CH), Cl(→€2H), boils at 148° ; silicium-diethyl chloride, Si(CH)2Cl2, at 129° C. Both

e liquids which fume in the air, and burn with a green borred flame, leaving silica. By the action of water upon the ethyl chloride the author obtained a viscid syrup, the analyses which agreed tolerably with the formula, Si(CH ̧)20. The thor considers this substance identical with that obtained by riedel and Crafts by the action of fuming nitric acid upon icium-ethyl, and for which they proposed the same formula. By e further action of sodium and zinc-ethyl upon silicium-diethyl ton ether the author obtained an ether having the formula, (€2H2) (→¤2H), which he terms silico-heptyl ether, boiling 153° C. Iodhydric acid reacts with this body according to the uation:

2

Si(¤2H ̧) ̧(→¤¿H ̧)+2IH = (Si(€2H5)3)20+2¤2H ̧I+→H ̧. licium triethyl oxide, (Si(€2H5)3)2, was first obtained by iedel and Crafts. The new reaction furnishes a method of obining it more easily. In conclusion, the author points out a cerin regularity in the physical properties of the best known memrs of the silicium-ethyl series. We have

166°.5

0.9676

158°.5

0.9207

155°.5

0.8752

153.

0.8414

152°.5

0.7657

Berichte der Deutschen Chem. Gesellschaft, Jahrgang iv,

6.

W. G.

II. GEOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY.

1. Triassic Sandstone of the Palisade Range.-The Triassic (or iassico-Jurassic) rock, in New Jersey, as well as Connecticut, is nerally a distinct granitic sandstone, that is, it is largely made of pulverized granite or gneiss. This rock in the Palisade ge, New Jersey, is very fine-grained, and has been called site by Prof. Wurtz, and also by Dr. P. Schweitzer, in a paper its composition in the American Chemist, July, 1871, p. 23. ve specimens were analyzed, and all were granular, and feldir could be readily distinguished under the microscope. Mr. hweitzer found the first four to contain ingredients correspondto 30 to 60 per cent. of albite, showing that the granitic rock t of which these New Jersey fine-grained sandstones were made s albitic. The rock from the Newark quarries consists, accordto him, of albite 50.46 per cent, quartz 45 49, soluble silica

0:30, water 114, bases dissolved out by hydrochloric acid 21 100-30. It would be of geological interest to find the locality the albitic granitoid rocks that afforded the material for th sandstones (as we should call them, the term felsite being not for a rock of a peculiar constitution, but rather for one of t like or impalpable texture). The Triassic sandstones of the vic of New Haven, Ct., contain orthoclase instead of albite, and material is evidently from the rather coarse granites that lie f1⁄2 west of the sandstone.

2. Martius, Flora Brasiliensis.-Fascicles 51, 52, 53 and Ehave all appeared during this current year; the first bears date of February, the last of July, 1871. The enlightened Erperor of Brazil, while in Germany this year (where he visited grave of von Martius, and plucked and preserved some flowers a souvenir) had the satisfaction of observing the rapid progress this great national work, under Dr. Eichler's efficient directic Dr. Eichler has this year been called to fill the chair of Botany Gratz, with which is combined the directorship of the Botanic Garde But he is able to carry on the Flora of Brazil, which will still be printed at Munich. With the fascicles now published, title-pages are issued for the volumes or parts of volumes (when the size t the volume calls for a division) already completed. It appears that eight volumes, or rather six half-volumes and two full volumes. are now ready for the binder.

Fascicle 51, by Doell of Baden, commences the Graminea, br includes only the small tribes of Oryzea and Phalaridea, the later in the Kunthian rather than the Brownian sense. The squ

mule are maintained to be some of them perigonial, but others c stipular nature, i. e., stipules of paleæ. Oryza is made to includ Leersia as a section. Oryza sativa and O. monandra, Coix lachry ma, and Zea Mays are figured, as also a few rarer grasses.

lobis

Fasc. 52, besides Meissner's supplement to Convolvulace (Ge graphy and uses) contains the Cuscutacea by Dr. Progel and Hydrolencea and Pedalinea by A. W. Bennett of London. Dr. Progel claims for these plants the rank of an order, on the ground of the structure of the embryo, the amount of albumen, and the simply imbricative æstivation of the corolla. Yet in the diagnosti: character we read; "corolla per ostivationen contortis." With good judgment, he refers all to the one gen Cuscuta, and gives a conspectus of all the tropical and subtropics! American species, after Engelmann. Eighteen Brazilian species are described, one figured at large, and the flowers, seeds, &c., of all of them after the manner of Engelmann's original monograph, which led the way to the present understanding of the genus, an whose more recent and elaborate "systematic arrangement almost implicitly followed.

The Hydroleaceae are equally maintained by Mr. Bennett as an independent order, a matter which may almost equally well be de cided either way; but we have before alluded to a connecting link between this group and the Hydrophyleacea which our auther