those that are tainted, by applying to them, with a brush, a layer of pyroligneous acid. They absorb it very speedily, and it occasions no injury nor diminution of their value.-Rceuil Industrielle.

11. Action of heat upon razors.—It has been asked, why, in time of frost, a razor, unless it be warmed, will not cut without irritating the skin? It is because, when it freezes, the edge of a razor, examined by a microscope, is like a saw, and, as soon as warmed, becomes smooth.-Idem.

12. Substitute for India ink.-Boil in water, some parchment or pieces of fine gloves, until it is reduced to a paste.

Apply to its surface while still warm, a porcelain dish which has been held over a smoking lamp: the lamp black which adheres to it, will become detached and mingle with the paste or glue. Repeat the operation until the composition has acquired the requisite color. It is not necessary to grind it. It flows as freely from the pencil as India ink, and has the same transparency.

13. To destroy caterpillars.-To 15 gallons of water, add 11lbs. of common soap, the same quantity of flowers of sulphur, and 2lbs. of mushroons (the poisonous kind). Put the whole over a moderate fire and keep it stirring. Caterpillars, grubs, &c. watered with this liquor, immediately perish.

This recipe is said to come from Gerinany, where it has extraordinary success.

Notices by Dr. Alexander Jones, of Mobile, Alabama, addressed to the Editor.

14. American Gypsies.-l see Prof. Griscom, has translated from the "Revue Encyclopedique" an article on "Gypsies" for your Journal, in which he remarks that there are no "Gypsies" in America or that," they have never appeared in America." In this, the writer is mistaken. There is a colony of "Gypsies" on Biloxi Bay in Louisiana, who were brought over and colonized by the French at a very early period of the first settlement of that state. They are French Gypsies" and speak the French language, they call themselves Egyptians," or "Gypsies." The French call them indifferently, "Egyptians” or “Bohemiens."

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What is remarkable, since their colonization in this country, they have lost the distinctive character of their idle and wandering habits.

They are no longer strolling vagrants; but have, in the lapse of time, become in all respects, like the other French settlers found in Louisiana. They appear equally polite, hospitable and intelligent. They also possess all the industry and enjoy all the ordinary comforts of settled life, that belong to the French inhabitants generally.

The only striking difference between them, is seen in their complexion and in the color of their hair, which is much darker in the "Gypsies," than in the French population. Their hair is also coarser and straighter, than that of the French.

Their intellectual vigor, appears to be as great, as that of any people. A young man of this colony, received a collegiate education at Georgetown, D. C., and is residing in New Orleans; and there are probably few men to be found in the United States of his age, whose knowledge, and learning are more profound and varied than his. He is also a good and ready writer. The most of the foregoing facts were derived from an eminent and learned lawyer of Mobile, who speaks the French language fluently, and has travelled among, and conversed familiarly with these "Gypsies."

15. Bituminous Coal.-This state, is very rich in bituminous coal, of a most excellent quality. It is in every respect, equal, if not superior to the best English coal. I am using some of it in my little laboratory. It is very heavy, and burns with a good flame and gives out much heat. It also yields the carburetted hydrogen gas, in immense quantity. The vein, or formation of this coal, is very extensive. It is first seen in the bed of the Black Warrior River, near Tuscaloosa, and next appears on the surface of the ground, to the north east, and east of that town, and pursues that course till it crosses the Alabama and Coossa Rivers at their falls, or just above them. It passes on probably, for some distance into Georgia, and not improbably in its south western or west direction into Mississippi.

Its principal width is found in Shelby and Bibb Counties, where it is forty miles wide; it occupies the whole ground just under the surface, and is covered by superficial patches of hard or soft slate stone, or shale, other minerals being rarely found near it. Blacksmiths in its neighborhood, dig it up, and work it in their furnaces. It is also used in an iron foundery in Shelby County.

The land is smartly broken. The growth consist principally of chesnut, oak and pine, and being more or less poor, it has never,

much of it, passed yet out of the hands of the General Government, and can therefore be bought by any one, who wishes to own it, at $1.25 cents an acre.

In the winter season, this coal is brought down the river to Mobile from Tuscaloosa, in flat bottomed boats, and sold at the same price as the Liverpool coal, or at from $1 to $1.50 cts. a barrel. The strata of this rich and extensive coal bed, have an inclination of a few degrees, to the south south east.

I presume you will ere long, receive a correct geological account of this extensive and interesting coal formation, from some gentleman of the Alabama University at Tuscaloosa, which is a very favorable point for observing it.

The facts which I have communicated, were obtained from an eminent lawyer of this place who had visited the region and from a laboring man, who had worked the coal in a blacksmith's shop which he owned in that region. He informed me, that having worked at the coal mines in Virginia, near Richmond, he considered this coal deposit the richest and as containing the best coal he had

ever seen.

16. Miscellaneous facts.-The diluvial region in the lower part of this state, contains numerous quarries of ferruginous sand stone, often including pebbles of pure quartz of various sizes. In many places, this sand stone is used for building; I have a specimen, obtained from a quarry within a few miles of Mobile. At Blakely, opposite to this place, are found some very interesting petrifactions, of different kinds of wood, among which, are specimens of petrified live oak.

The region of country just around Mobile, is very rich in botanical productions; many insects, are inhabitants of the swamps. This is a fine field, for the student of natural history, and as yet scarcely explored or cultivated at all.

17. India Rubber Carpets.-Having some India Rubber varnish left, which was prepared for another purpose, the thought occurred to me, of trying it as a covering to a carpet, after the following manner.-A piece of canvass was stretched and covered with a thin coat of glue, (corn meal size will probably answer best,) over this was laid a sheet or two of common brown paper, or news paper, and another

coat of glue added, over which was laid a pattern of house papering, with rich figures. After the body of the carpet was thus prepared, a very thin touch of glue was carried over the face of the paper to prevent the India Rubber varnish from tarnishing the beautiful colors of the paper. After this was dried, one or two coats, (as may be desired,) of India Rubber varnish were applied, which, when dried formed a surface as smooth as polished glass, through which the variegated colors of the paper appeared with undiminished, if not with increased lustre. This carpet is quite durable, and is impenetrable to water, or grease of any description. When soiled, it may be washed, like a smooth piece of marble, or wood. If gold or silver leaf forms the last coat, instead of papering, and the varnish is then applied, nothing can exceed the splendid richness of the carpet, which gives the floor the appearance of being burnished with gold, or silver. A neat carpet on this plan, will cost (when made of good papering,) about 37 cts. a yard. When covered with gold, or silver leaf, the cost will be about $1,00 or $1,50 cents a yard.

18. Stereotype Metalagraphic Printing.—I offer this name, as I have nothing better to designate it by. It means simply the transferring of printed letters, from the pages of a book, or news paper to the polished surfaces of metallic plates, especially of soft iron. My experiments are not yet completed, yet I feel satisfied that the result is entirely a practicable one, if carefully conducted with proper instru

ments.

The best plan on which to conduct the experiment is as follows:Take two plates of very soft iron, of moderate dimensions, give one face of each a very true and fine polish, so that when applied by these faces, they shall uniformly fit and adhere together. Moisten two slips of printed news paper, or parts of a leaf from a book of the size of the plates, apply one to the polished face of each plate, and interpose between them a fold or two of silk paper, and then clamp the plates together. Give them a gentle heat over the fire, then place them in a vice, and apply a strong screw power. On separating them and gently removing the paper, the letters will be seen, distinctly formed on the faces of the two plates. Now as printer's ink, is formed of lamp black and oil, upon which acid acts very little, the faces of the plates may be slightly touched over with diluted sulphuric or nitric acid, which if skilfully applied, acts on the iron and leaves the letters

raised. When the printer's ink contains some bees wax, the experiment is more complete. These plates once formed, may be converted into steel, on the plan of Mr. Perkins; after which they would probably print from 10,000 to 20,000 copies without being materially defaced. An expert mechanic, with proper machinery, could in a day or two, form a sufficient number of plates to print off 20,000 copies (500 pages) of an octavo volume.

Other metals, as copper, brass and type metal with slight variations, can all have letters transferred to them in the same manner, and can be used as printing plates; but none of these will have the durability of iron.

19. Materials for paper.-By a series of experiments I have ascertained that paper, of an excellent quality, can be prepared not only from the husks of Indian corn, but also from a pulp made from various kinds of wood and bark, particularly from the bark of several kinds of poplar, and from the wood of birch and some other trees. In conducting my experiments, my plan has been, first to select the vegetable matter, then, if it required whitening, to bleach it in chlorine gas, and afterwards to reduce it to a fine pulp, by pounding, and filing in water. When properly prepared, I would place a small portion of the pulp, between polished steel plates, slightly warmed, and strongly compress them by screw power; the degree of consistency and polish, assumed by the pulp, under such compression, would indicate the quality of paper capable of being prepared from the vegetable matter used. I trust, that the time will soon arrive, when rags, will not be considered as indispensable in the manufacture of paper, and will be, when economy or convenience requires it, superseded by different kinds of vegetable substances, which are so cheaply, bountifully and universally furnished by nature.

OTHER NOTICES.

1. Notice of a work entitled Experiments and Observations on the Gastric Juice, and the Physiology of Digestion. By WILLIAM BEAUMONT, M. D., Surgeon in the U. S. Army. Plattsburgh, 1833, pp. 280.-This work of Dr. Beaumont, which has been for some time announced, is, to say the least of it, equal in interest to any one upon the same subject, that has ever been presented to the public. The opportunity afforded to Dr. Beaumont, to institute experiments upon the important and interesting subject of digestion, was VOL. XXVI.-No. 1.

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