ant addition to the present knowledge of our native forests, and of the various purposes to which they may be applied.

Bruce's American Mineralogical Journal.

The first number of the American Mineralogical Journal, conducted by Archibald Bruce, M. D. Professor of Mineralogy in the university of the state of New-York, has lately issued from the press of Messrs. Collins and Perkins. Believing that this country, in the variety and importance of its mineral productions, is not exceeded by any other in the world, and that a journal devoted exclusively to the elucidation of the geology and mineralogy of the United States, has been long wanting, we cannot but congratulate the public on the appearance of the present work.

Spafford's Gazetteer of the State of New-York.

A Gazetteer of the state of New-York, by Mr. H. G. SPAFFORD, Will in all probability appear during the present season. Judging from the author's circular address, this publication will embrace a more minute detail of the numerous objects of importance which claim the attention of the scholar and the man of business, than any work of a similar kind heretofore offered for public patronage.

Vanderdonk's History of New Netherland.

The Rev. Dr. BASSET, of the Boght, near Albany, is at present engaged in preparing for the press, a translation, from the original Dutch, of Adrian Vanderdonk's work,

first published at Amsterdam in 1665. This book, which contains much curious and authentic information of our early history, and many interesting particulars relative to our animal, vegetable, and mineral productions, has now become so extremely scarce, that the antiquary himself will in vain search for a copy of it. These circumstances, as well as its being written in a foreign tongue, have induced Dr. BASSET to favour the public with the present translation, which we are confident will be received as a valuable document by every lover of American history.

American Edition of John and Charles Bell's Anatomy.

An American edition, (printed entire) of the Anatomy OF THE HUMAN BODY, by John and Charles Bell, has lately been published by Messrs. Collins and Perkins, of this city. The acknowledged celebrity of the authors and of the work itself, is such, as to require no commendation from us. We should however do injustice to the enterprising editors who have issued this edition, not to notice the correctness and elegance with which they have compleated this great undertaking. The type and engravings do credit to our country, at the same time that the work is offered at a price less than half of that at which the London copy is sold. Both the student and practitioner of medicine will doubtless avail themselves of an opportunity of possessing this inestimable work.

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

Pearson's Experiments on Expectorated Matter.

We have just received from that celebrated physician and chemist, Dr. George Pearson, of London, whom we are proud to enumerate among our correspondents, a copy of his valuable paper on this subject, lately read before the Philosophical Society. We regret that, through want of room, we are unable to give a minute account of the numerous interesting experiments which Dr. Pearson has instituted, in order to obtain a correct knowledge of the properties of the matter secreted by the bronchial membrane. We, however, shall insert the result of his observations, believing with him, "that the investigation of the properties of the animal fluids will afford gratifying instruction to the researcher in natural science, and important practical information to the physician."

The varieties of expectorated matter, according to Dr, Pearson, may be arranged under seven different heads.

I. The jelly-like semi-transparent kind of a bluish hue, excreted in a healthy state.

II. The thin mucilage-like transparent matter, so copiously expectorated in bronchial catarrhs.

III. The thick opaque straw-coloured, or white and very tenacious matter, coughed up in a great variety of bronchial and pulmonary affections; especially in that of tubercles.

IV. Pariform matter secreted without any division of continuity, or breach of surface of the bronchial membrane, very commonly occurring in pulmonary consumptions.

V. The matter which consists of opaque viscid masses, together with transparent fluid; or the second sort above stated, with nodules of the third or fourth kind.

VI. Pus from the vomica of tubercles.

VII. Pus from vomica by simple inflammation of the lungs, and without tubercles.

" Other kinds of matter, adds Dr. Pearson, are occasionally coughed up, such as calculi, masses of self-coagulated lymph; serous fluid; blood itself, and perhaps the vascular substance of the lungs; but I do not write on these matters, because they either do not belong to any particular recognised disease; or they are rare occurrences in some well known disease, and are too obvious to require description.

After having detailed at some length the sensible properties of the first five varieties of matter, to which Dr. Pearson has in this present paper restricted his attention, we are presented with an account of the action produced on them by caloric. Caloric has no effect of importance unless the temperature of the expectorated matter is raised to about 150 degrees. At 155, coagulation commences in the first, third, fourth, and fifth kinds. At the temperature of 160 or 170, a large portion of curd is formed. The second kind of matter does not afford the curdy masses at the temperature above mentioned; its viscid texture is destroyed, and it becomes a whey-like liquid. "After this agency of caloric, the expectorated matter is much less prone to putrefaction."

The several forms of matter were also subjected to the action of sulphuric ether; water, cold and hot, and acetous acid. The author's conclusions we shall insert entire.

"From the preceding experiments and observations, and from others which I might have related, it does not appear that the various kinds of expectorated matter differ in the ingredients of their. composition, but merely in the proportion of them to one another.

1

"2. It has been shown that expectorated matter consists of coagulable, or, as it is also now frequently termed, albuminous animal substance, and of water impregnated with several saline and earthy bodies that the largest proportion of the animal substance which may justly be called oxide, amounts to one twelfth, and in some very rare cases to one tenth of the expectorated matter, reduced to a brittle state by evaporation; and that the smallest proportion of this ox ide, in rare instances, amounts to one forty-fifth of the expectorated matter; but that the usual proportions of it vary between one twentieth and one sixteenth of this coagulable oxide to the evaporable water, that is, between five and six per cent. of the expectorated mat

ter.

"3. The impregnating substances have been shown to be muriate of soda, varying commonly between one and a half to two and a half per 1000 of the expectorated matter-Potash varying between one half and three fourths of a part per 1000-Phosphate of lime about half a part of 1000-Ammonia, united probably to the phosphoric acid; phosphate, perhaps of magnesia; carbonate of lime; a sulphate; vitrifiable matter, or, perhaps silica, and oxide of iron. But the whole of the last six substances scarcely amounting to one part in 1000 of the expectorated matter, it would be useless to estimate the proportion of each of them. It is very probable that the proportion and quantities of these ingredients, vary much more than now represented in different states of diseases and health.* It is very probable also, that some of the ingredients may occasionally be absent, and others of a different kind be present, agreeably to the different states, on different occasions of the other secretions.

4. It is manifest that the different states of consistence of expectorated matter are owing to the proportion of albuminous or coagulable oxide, but I purposely avoid giving an account of the different conditions of health, on which the differences of consistence depend.

"5. The thicker the matter, the smaller I commonly found the quantity of saline impregnation. Hence in sudden and copious secretions of the bronchial membrane, the matter is asserted to be salt, and to feel hot. In such instances, the proportion of coagulable mat

* In one case, the opaque expectorated matter in a pulmonary consumption having been exsiccated to brittleness, became almost liquid after a night's exposure to the air.