the colorless alkaline liquor is neutralized with acetic acid till an acid reaction, and then alcohol be added, the liquid becomes milky and clears again very soon, because the potash combination of the new formed acid separates itself at the bottom of the vessel as a concentrated, clear, oily liquid. All attempts to get the potash salt in a crystalline form failed; mixed with water, it gives an abundant white precipitate with nitrate of silver, becoming black on boiling. To estimate the combination of this new acid, to which may be given the name hydallantoinic acid, I used a lead salt. Allantoin was solved in cold concentrated potash ley; after two days standing neutralized with acetic acid till an acid reaction, there was then added to it a solution of acetate of lead; the liquid remained at first clear; but very soon the walls of the vessel were coated with a light white precipitate of a peculiar form, and the liquid became very soon troubled with a thick flocculent, dazzling white voluminous precipitate of the new lead salt, which quickly deposited itself and was easily washed out. The precipitate presented after drying, a white light powder easily soluble in acetic acid, even on boiling with it. The lead salt dried at 100° C. was analyzed:

1. 0:3745 grm. substance gave 0.199 grm. sulphate of lead = 0.1464 grm. oxyd of lead; atomic weight = 286.

11

2. 0-286 grm. substance gave 0-153 grm. PbO, SO, = 0·1126 grm. PbO; atomic weight = 284.

3. 0-449 grm. substance gave by combustion with soda-lime. 1.3635 grm. Plat. chl. ammon. = 0·08552 grm. nitrogen.

4. 0.5275 grm. substance gave, burnt with oxyd of copper, 0.324 grm. carbonic acid and 0.138 grm. water.

From these numbers, the following formula for the hydallantoinate of lead may be calculated:

PbO, C, N, H, 0,

8

4

as the comparison of found and calculated numbers shows.

1 equiv. of hydallantoinic acid = C, N, H, O,.

8

8

By treating with sulphuretted hydrogen, this acid could be removed from the lead salt as a colorless solution of a very acid

taste; it could also be obtained, by decomposing the lead salt with sulphuric acid.

The acid was evaporated in a water-bath to a thick syrup, which could not be crystallized; the same was precipitated by absolute alcohol, (in which the acid, and as it seems the salts of it, are insoluble,) as a white brittle mass, which however very soon, attracted moisture again, and deliquesced; mixed with cold potash ley, ammonia was given off, and evaporated, insoluble flocks separated; mixed with a drop of ammonia, and adding nitrate of silver, a white precipitate resulted, which dissolved for the greatest part by heating. With baryta water there was no precipitate; but after the addition of alcohol a flocculent white precipitate, again disappearing after addition of water. Neutralized with ammonia and evaporated in the water-bath, ammonia escapes, and the solution retakes again its acid reaction; with chlorid of barium under addition of ammonia there is a white precipitate; with acetate of lead, a thick white precipitate; mixed with carbonate of soda or potash, no carbonic acid was given off; on heating, the alkaline solutions became turbid with separation of white flocks. These reactions, and principally the behavior with alkalies and silver, indicated that this acid had suffered already an alteration during evaporation by the heat; nevertheless the silver salt was prepared from it, dried at 100° C. and analyzed; the amount of oxyd of silver was found to be 45.31, and by combustion with soda-lime were obtained 13.12 nitrogen; these numbers give a relation of equivalents of oxyd of silver to nitrogen nearly as 2: 5, which proves clearly, that an alteration of the acid had taken place.

I did not follow this subject farther, because it was less my intention to investigate the products of decomposition of allantoin, than to study the process of oxydation of uric acid by means of ferridcyanid of potassium and caustic potash. The similarity of these products, obtained by decomposition of allantoin, with the allanturic acid obtained by Pelouze from the decomposition of allantoin by acids, is not questionable; but a comparison of the analytical results was not possible, because in the paper of Pelouze on this subject, only the formula without the details of analysis were given.

I cannot conclude without expressing my thanks to my friend Professor Horsford, for kindly tendering to me the use of his Laboratory and apparatus for the completion of a few experiments unfinished in Europe.

Lowell, July 13th, 1848.

ART. XXXVI-New Mexico and California.

Ar the last Session of Congress there were four Reports presented relating to Northern Mexico.

I. Memoir of a Tour to Northern Mexico, connected with Colonel Doniphan's Expedition in 1846 and 1847; by A. WISLIZENUS, M.D.

II. Notes on a Military Reconnaissance from Fort Leavenworth in Missouri, to San Diego in California; by Brevet Major W. H. EMORY.

III. Report and Map of the Examination of New Mexico; by Lieutenant J. W. ABERT.

IV. Geographical Memoir upon Upper California; by J. C. FREMONT.

The last of these four Reports is briefly noticed on page 280 of this volume. We offer here an abstract of such information from the others as relates to the structure and resources of the country.

Dr. Wislizenus was physician to Colonel Doniphan's column. His object in visiting Mexico and California was scientific; and with this end in view, the rocks, mines, and plants of the region were carefully studied, and many important acquisitions to science were made. It had been his intention to travel in a private expedition; but the war with Mexico commencing, his plans were frustrated. After a detention of six months, Dr. Wislizenus accepted a situation in the medical department of the army, and was thus enabled to accomplish in part the main object of his projected tour.

The route led from Independence, Missouri, near latitude 39° N., and longitude 94° 20′ W., by Council Grove, (long. 96° 40') to Osage Camp on the Arkansas (long. 984° W.); thence along the Arkansas to a few miles beyond the Pawnee Fork (98° 55′ W.), Fort Mann (100° 10′ W.); here crossing the Arkansas and passing south of west to the banks of the Cimarron, and thence onward by a track leading to the southeast of the Raton mountains, crossing in succession Cedar Creek, McNees Creek, Cottonwood Creek, Rabbit Ear Creek, (head waters of the Kio Nutria,) then more southeasterly, passing Rock and Whetstone Creeks and the head waters of the Colorado, to St. Miguel, and around to Santa Fe, (35° 41′ N., 106° 2 W.) From Santa Fe, which is on a small stream near the Rio del Norte, within one hundred and fifty miles of the head of the latter, they followed down to El Paro del Norte, (32° 15′ N.) thence south to Chihuahua (29° 20′ N.), and Cadena (26° 10′ N., 104° 40′ W.), thence south of west to Saltillo, (1010 W.) and west to Monterey and Matamoras. The author gives the following account of the rocks observed in the course of his journeyings.

The geological sketch which I have drawn, [alluding to a map ac companying the Report,] does not make any pretensions to a geological map, which even a more able geologist than I am could not give in the short time and haste, in which I travelled through that country; but it may elucidate and concentrate at least what little information I have acquired in relation to that subject. To make it more intelligible, I will add a short summary of the various geological observations spread over the whole extent of the journal.

Independence, near the western frontier of the State of Missouri, is situated in the great Missouri coal basin, which occupies more than onethird of that State.

The first rock in situ which I saw in the prairie, after leaving Independence, was on Rock creek, (about 79 miles from Independence.) It was a yellowish-brown compact limestone, with encrinites and simlar fossils of the carboniferous limestone, to those found in Missouri.

On Pleasant Valley creek (125 miles) the bluffs are formed of two different limestones: one is white and compact; the other grayish, soft, and argillaceous. The first contained some indistinct fossils, but in too imperfect a state to determine what formation they indicate.

In Council grove (143 miles) a horizontal, grayish, argillaceous lime. stone prevails, without fossils.

Leaving Cottonwood creek, (185 miles,) irregular heaps of bog-ore are seen in the prairie, and a ferruginous sandstone of yellow, brown, and blue colors, extends from here to Pawnee fork, (a distance of about 100 miles.)

The bluffs of the Little Arkansas, consisted of a spotted, yellow, cal. careous sandstone, and isolated pieces of ferruginous sandstone.

Between Camp Osage (the first camp near the Arkansas river) and Walnut creek, (263 miles,) I met with a very porous and scoriaceous rock in situ, apparently the product of action of subterranean fires upon the ferruginous sandstone. Most likely a large coal-field lying beneath here, has become ignited, and produced this change of the rock. 'The so-called Pawnee rock (between Walnut creek and Ash creek) consists of the same ferruginous sandstone, changed by fire. On Pawnee fork (292 miles) I saw the last of it; the ferruginous sandstone there was more compact, and deep red.

On a branch of Big Coon creek, (332 miles,) I found the bluffs to con. sist of common sandstone below, and a white, fine-grained marl above it. This marl resembles very much some from the cretaceous formation of the Upper Missouri; but finding no fossils, I could not ascertain the fact regarding it.

Two miles beyond that place, (341 from Independence,) I had the first chance to examine the bluffs on the Arkansas; the rock was a grayish, conglomerate limestone, with a few small fossils, that were rather imperfect, but seemed to belong to the cretaceous formation. The neighborhood of the above mentioned marl raises this presumption nearly to certainty. I have, therefore, not hesitated to lay it down as cretaceous formation. About 20 miles higher on the Arkansas, I saw, upon a second examination, only a coarse conglomerate of sand and limestone. At the usual fording place (373 miles) where I left the Arkansas for the Cimarron, no rocks in situ were visible.

SECOND SERIES, Vol. VI, No. 18.—Nov., 1848.

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Having crossed the Arkansas, I met with the first rocks again, on the "middle springs of Cimarron," (468 miles ;) it was a sandy limestone above common sandstone.

Six miles west of the Crossing of Cimarron, (500 miles from Independence,) light bluffs rise in the prairie, of a yellow, reddish, and spotted sandstone, combined with lime and argile.

A few miles beyond them, a large isolated mountain of boulders stands in the plain, composed of heavy blocks of quartz and quartzose sand. stone, and many erratic rocks were afterwards found on our road.

On Cedar creek, McNees' creek, and Cottonwood branch, a yellow sandstone prevailed.

On Rabbit-ear creek I met for the first time with amygdaloidal basalt, a black, heavy, basaltic rock, with a great many irregular, vesicular cavities, that are generally hollow-but sometimes, filled with lime; in rare instances, with olivine. This rock is very common throughout the high mountains of Mexico. It occurs in irregular masses, and in whole mountains, as well as in millions of pieces strewn over the surface of the country. Here it rose in high perpendicular walls, as bluffs of the creek, and a very compact quartzose sandstone was below in horizontal layers.

The round mound, a mountain in the prairie about three miles farther west, which I ascended, is formed of a brown, decomposed basaltic rock.

On Rock creek, and Whetstone creek, amygdaloidal basalt with underlying sandstone was found.

In going from there to "Point of Rocks," (600 miles,) extensive strata of a yellow, compact quartzose sandstone were passed, dipping gently towards the east. Point of Rocks itself, a spur of the western mountains, is a mass of syenite.

Some twelve miles beyond it, rises a hill in the plains, composed of very compact, black basalt, with underlying white sandstone.

The bed and bluffs of the Rio Colorado and Ocaté creek, (627 miles,) are formed by quartzose sandstone.

The Wagon mound, an isolated mountain in the high plain, consists of a compact, black, and spotted basalt, rising in columnar shape.

On Wolf creek, (664 miles,) the amygdaloidal basalt and quartzose sandstone reappeared, both in horizontal layers.

Reaching the Gallinas creek, near Las Vegas, (690 miles,) I met, after a long interval, with limestone again. It was a dark blue, with casts of Inoceramus of the cretaceous series.

From here we penetrated into the very heart of the mountains. At first we met with sandstone alone, common and quartzose, and of va rious colors.

Near San Miguel, (707 miles,) a coarse conglomerate was found of decomposed granite, sandstone, and lime; and large blocks of decomposed granite lined the Pecos river, opposite the old Pecos village, (737 miles.)

In the cañon leading from here to Santa Fe, at first sandstone was found, common, quartzose, and calcareous, of various colors and granulations, till about fifteen miles from Santa Fe, granite in situ appears, and continues all the way to Santa Fe. Near where I met for the