Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1837-04-06

EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIMENT-
The public are aware that Mr. Andrew
Crosse has been recently pursuing series
of researches into the process of Crystaliza-
lion by means OF his galvanic batteries, and
that he has made discoveries which have
thrown quite new light upon science. Some
weeks ago he prepared siCious fluid for
the purpose of CrystaliZation. lie heated
flint 10 while heat, and then plunged il in
wafer 10 puiverise il. The slick, thus redu-
ced, was saturated TO excess with muria.ic
acid, The mixture was placed in jar, a
piece of flannel was suspended in il, one end
OF which extended over, aud thus. by capil
larry attraction, the liquor was slowly filtered
fell into funnel and thence dropped on a
piece of iron stone from Mount Vesuvius,
upon which were laid the two wires connec-
ted with either pole OF the battery. We
should state that the iron stone had been pre-
viously heated 10 white heat, so that nc
germs Of life could have existed upon it.
MIR. Crosse made his daily observations oil
the wires, to discover the beginning of the
process of cry stalizalon On the l4lh day,
lie saw some small white specks upon the
stone. -Four days afterwards. they had e.
lOngaled and assumed an oval form. He
concluded that they were incipient crystals
Great was his surprise on the 22d day TO find
eight legs projecting from each Of these white
bodies; still he could not believe that they
were living beings. But on the 25;h day,
his surprise was cOmplete-there could be
no doubt they moved, they fed, they were
perfect insects eighteen or twenty of them
have since appeared. Many persons have
seen them, but there is no record of such an
insect Ii is in form something like mite
Ii has eight legs, four hrislles al the tail, and
no odd of ho hpHy iStly Ito
motions are visible to the naked eye, its CO.
lor is gray, its substance is puIpy. 1t APP
pears To feed upon the silicious particles in
the fluid
The most extraordinary circumstance in
this phenomenon is the nature of the fluid in
which this insect lives and thrives The a.
cid Instantly destroys every other living be-
ing. But second trial has confirmed the
fact beyod doubt. Another portion OF 81
lex was prepared in the same manner, and
reduced to gelatimous form, but with the
acid coil Of silver wire was suspended in il
from one OF the poles of the battery, and the
other pole was also immersed, 80 as TO send
through the mass an inceSsant stream of the
electric fluid. About three week S afterwards
Mr.. Crosse examined the poles TO search for
crystals, and in one of the coils of wire he
found one OF these strange insects.
This proves that II is produced from tie ST.
lex and not from acid. Mr.. Crosse, with
his usual mndesiy, has Contented himself
with stating the fact, without attempting to
account for il. He is in correspondence with
Professor Butkland upon the subject, and
The learned professor Las suggested an ex-
PLANTATION, Il will be for future observers, by
repeated experiments, 10 confirm. - We
should state, that the insects were principal
L.. Il Il
a German naturalist has recently descov-
cred that siicious and other rocks are chiefly
composed Of The remains of insects May
not the germs oisome Of them, releas ed from
their prison house, and placed in a position
favorable to the development of vitality have
sprung 10 life after sleep of thousands Of
years. = States Nduocqte.