that the circulating blood is decomposed on the interior surface of the choroidea, leaving there its colouring matter, which is required for the purposes of vision, and conveying the remainder to the inner part of the eye perfectly limpid and colourless. Need I add that the received opinion of the presence of gelatine and albumen in the lens is erroneous? The existence of free lactic acid in the humors of the lens proves nothing with regard to its supposed muscular structure; but only shows the presence of absorbing vessels to convey the products of the spontaneous decomposition of animal matter, one of the most important of which appears to be the lactic acid. (To be continued.) ARTICLE XI. Magnetical Observations at Hackney Wick. By Col. Beaufoy. Magnetical Observations. Latitude 51° 32′ 40′′ North. Longitude West in Time 6" 84 100 Sept. 18 8h 55' 24° 15′ 43′′ 2h 10′ 24° 21′ 56′′ 6h 00′ 24° 15′ 12′′| Sept. 30.-The wind blew hard from the east, the weather fine; and at noon the needle became unsteady, and vibrated three minutes. Oct. 10.-The variation was remarkable, the day fine, with a pleasant breeze from the west; fifteen hours after it blew very hard from the same point, with rain. Oct. 15.-The wind blew strong from the south-west, with a drizzling rain; and the needle, at intervals, vibrated at noon five minutes. Rain fallen Between noon of the 1st Sept. 0.961 inches. Between noon of the 1st Oct. Evaporation during the same period, 2.000 inches. ERRATA IN NUMBER X. P. 302. Sept. 3, for 24° 13' 11" read 24° 23′ 11′′. ARTICLE XII. Some Mineralogical Remarks on Greenland. By Thomas Allan, Esq. F.R.S. E. SIR, (To Dr. Thomson.) In your second Number you were so obliging as to insert some remarks on a collection of Greenland minerals which fell into my hands a few years ago. I then mentioned, that the Gentleman who collected them would be here this season; and I have now the pleasure to announce to you the safe arrival of Mr. Geisecké, after a residence of seven years and a half in Greenland, where he has been occupied in examining the coast and numerous islands, from Cape Farewell, in lat. 5910, all along the west side of the peninsula, to 76°. It is with much satisfaction that I find the losses, which he sustained in consequence of the war, have, in a great measure, been repaired by his industry and perseverance, although they added one year more to his detention in the country. Mr. Geisecké is possessed of a great deal of interesting intelligence, not only with regard to the mineralogy and geology, but also the zoology and botany, of the country: the former were his principal objects; and from his accurate knowledge of every part of the science, we have reason to expect a great deal of most useful and interesting information, as he is about to publish an account of his travels in Greenland. With his permission, I am now enabled to give you some information respecting cryolite, and the other new minerals mentioned in the note I formerly sent you. Cryolite is found only in one place, in a very remote and unfrequented quarter, in a fiord, or arm of the sea, distinguished by the name of Arksut, situated about 30 leagues from the colony of Juliana Hope, in South Greenland. It occurs imbedded in gneiss, in two thin irregular seams: one of these contains the pure white cryolite, and is entirely uncontaminated with any admixture; the other is wholly composed of the brown discoloured variety, mixed with galena, pyrites, &c. They are situated very near each other: the first is washed, at high water, by the tide, and a considerable portion of it is exposed, the superincumbent gneiss being removed. It varies from one foot to 24 in thickness. From the degree of decomposition which it has undergone, this curious fossil could not be procured attached to the matrix, particularly as it was always separated by a thin layer of mica in a state of disintegration. The mineral to which you have given the name of sodalite likewise occurs only at one spot, but in a more accessible situation, at Kanerdluarsuk, a narrow tongue of land upwards of three miles in length, in lat. 61°. It is found in an extensive bed, varying from 6 to 12 feet in thickness, and dipping south. It occurs between beds of mica slate; these rest on gneiss; and in the upper one the graphite, noticed in the list of minerals formerly sent you, is found disseminated. The coasts are here precipitous, but the land nowhere in this vicinity above 1000 feet high. The allanite occurs in granite at Kakasoeitsiak, near Alluk, between Capes Discord and Farewell, on the east coast, the extreme point of Mr. Geisecké's, travels in that direction; and he consequently was unable to revisit it. Of your analysis of these two minerals Mr. Geisecké had heard, by means of a Hull paper, and had them noted in his catalogue under the names you have given them. Besides these, Mr. Geisecké has been so fortunate as to find a great variety of other minerals, entirely new, specimens of most of which he had the kindness to place in my cabinet. It is not, however, my business to rob him of the satisfaction of making them known to the mineralogical world himself, which, besides, I could only do in a very imperfect manner. After arranging his affairs in Copenhagen, where proposes to place a suite of the minerals of Greenland in the Royal Cabinet, he proceeds to his own country, with the intention of immediately preparing for the press. he Your readers will probably be anxious to know the kind of country Mr. Geisecké met with in Greenland. So far as he saw, the continent was entirely primitive, excepting the peninsula of Norsoak, in 71°. The large island Disco is composed of trap rocks, resting on gneiss and mica slate. Hassen Island, and one or two others in that neighbourhood, are also composed of trap; and among the immense group of the Vrouwen Islands, which are principally primitive, he found a few small ones belonging to the floetz class. The difficulties Mr. G. had to contend with were innumerable and the dangers continual. He frequently had to walk 30 or 40 miles, carrying on his shoulders the fruits of his labour; and in going from one island to another, he had nothing to convey him but the miserable seal-skin boats of the country, and these always managed by women. I have, therefore, more reason to be surprised at his being able to form a collection at all, than that his minerals should have been in the dirty and uncouth state in which I found them. He however, informs me, that they were in a very different condition when they were sent from him; and has pointed out several specimens which he had carefully packed up at the time although they were loose and dirty when they came into my hands. I am, Sir, your most obedient, Edinburgh, Oct. 12, 1813. THOMAS ALLAN. ARTICLE XIII. Proceedings of Philosophical Societies. IMPERIAL INSTITUTE OF FRANCE. Account of the Labours of the French Institute for 1812, (Concluded from p. 311.) MEDICINE AND SURGERY. AFTER twelve years of experiments, made in every civilized country, since the discovery of vaccination, the Class conceived that it would be useful to collect the result of the observations on an object so important to humanity. Another motive rendered this undertaking necessary: objections and doubts had been raised by well informed men, whose testimony was calculated to influence public opinion. It has even been questioned, whether small-pox inoculation, considered as a preservative, and in some cases as a remedy for various diseases, was not preferable to vaccination, or at least entitled to be preserved as well as it. MM. Berthollet, Percy, and Hallé, commissioners, undertook the necessary researches to satisfy the intention of the Society; and presented, by means of M. Hallé, a long report, which the Class ordered to be printed. They bring the different points of discussion to six principal questions. Under these different heads they unite, as far as possible, every thing that has been accurately ascertained respecting the effects of vaccination in Europe, and in the countries where Europeans have been able to introduce vaccination. They have collected a great many facts, observed particularly in France, England, Italy, India, and America, and observed in individuals of all classes, constitution, mode of life, habits, and manners, exceedingly different from each other. On the other hand, they endeavour to estimate the value of the principal facts upon which have been founded the most plausible objections, which they neither attempt to elude nor conceal. Thus, by comparing together the observations, they have been led to the conclusions with which they terminate their report: namely That vaccination does not introduce into the body a matter |