MISCELLANEOUS.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1580, 13 March 1879, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

A novel thermoscope and hydroscopc, tho invention cf Colonel Aristide Gerard, has recently been patented botli in America and in Europe. This invention is designed for the speedy detection of abnormal heat or water in steamers and other vessels, and is said to be very effective. Loss of life by yellow fever in the South last year is estimated at about 15.000 persons, and of money and trade at from 175,000,000 to 200,000,000 dols.—as great as the loss from the Chicago lire. But some good is likely to come out of this calamity. It is thought | that henceforth quarantine regulations will be more thoroughly established than they have ever been. Apart from death and human, suffering, negligence is the worst kind of political economy. Expenditure of one-twentieth part of what the fever has cost might have prevented it altogether. At a meeting of the Paris Academy of Science, MM. Feil and Fremy read a paper describing a new process for the manufacture of rubies and other precious stones, The sensation created by these wonderful experiments ha 3 been so great that the Association of Jewellers have written to some of the papers asserting that it is impossible for human art to compete against nature, and that all the productions of art are valueless when set beside the natural product. M. Fcil has already produced, by the same process as rubies, an immense number of stones, which can be compared with the most admirably crystalline productions; and M. Doubree, director of the School of Mines, has expressed a wish to open, in the public museum of that establishment, a gallery for the exhibition of artificial copies of minerals. Some of the new gems are so inexpensive that they may be used for ordinary decorative purposes.

In order to protect as far as possible the submerged portions of vessels of war from the effects of a torpedo, or the results of plunging fire, many suggestions have been sent to the Admiralty, and experiments have been made to test their value. Amongst the means thought to be practicable was a kind of bung of compressed cork and oakum for stopping such holes as would be made by a shot passing the decks and the bottom. The expansion of the cork and oakum was, however, found to be insufficient to close holes made by plunging projectiles, and an experiment is now to be made with indiarubber. An iron tube will be closed with a cap of rubber eight inches thick, and ihj sealed end will be sunk in the water the tube being in such a position that G4-p under shot can be fired through it. As a shot would probably leave a jagged hole, and as the tube will be smooth, it remains to bo seen whether the experiments lead to any successful result.

M. Schradcr has just brought under the notice of the French Academy a new method of orography, on mountain representation, whereby the outline of a horizon is given by automa ic operation. Taking the horizon as a cylinder, in whose axis the observer is placed, this cylinder is transformed into a circular plane. A telescope attached to a sieve on a vertical support, rising from the middle of a circular disc, covered with paper, is directed to follow tho outlines of the hills, &c, and the movements of a lever connected with it are transmitted by means of an are and a horizontal rack to a pencil or style which transform them to out-andin movements on the paper. If the telescope describes a circle round the horizon the style gives a corresponding circle on the paper, and if it rises or descends the trace of the pencil is further from or nearer to the central axis. The telescope being brought to a horizontal position by means of a spirit level a circle is described round the central axis, and this afford a means of measuring the profiles of the hills. Apropos of some recent researches in dimensions of cranium, a writer in the " Bibliotheque Universello" remarks on the substantial similarity of the human mind everywhere, and the differences between races more or less advanced being merely of degree. He cites in illustration a passage from an old Chinese philosopher named Li, recently translated. This tells of one Yin, a man of high birth and great wealth, who worked his servant very hard. One old servant was sorely tried thus, and at night he went to sleep completely exhausted. But every night he dreamed he was a sovereign prince; he walked about in a sumptuous palace, and had all he desired. When compassionated about his lot he dwelt on this fact as a reason for contentment. Tho master, on the other hand, toiled all day in search of pleasure and increase of fortune, but at night, in big dreams, became a miserable slave. Thus the one was happy by night, the other by day. JMow, Pascal, who could not have seen Li's writings, has a passage to the same effect. If we dreamt the same thing every night, he says, it would perhaps affect us as the objects we see every day. And if an artisan were sure of dreaming every night for twelve hours that he was a king, I believe he would bo almost as happy as a king who should dream twelve hours every night that he was an artisan. The mystery which has hitherto attended the propagation of eels has at last been cleared up by the discovery of ripe ovaries by Professor Baird, and more recently Professor Packard's discovery of a ma'e eel, Professor Baird's observation was made last year, but it was confirmed until Mr Eugene G. Blackford pointed out tho oviaries to fishermen, fish dealers, and others, about Fulton Market a little while ago. Curiously the charged ovaries have been in plain sight from the first, the minuteness of the eggs causing their character to be unsuspected. "Oh, yes ; that is what we call eel /at ; it j is always plenty at this time of the year," said the fishermen, when their attention was called to the egg mass. After showing tho ovaries to his eel dressers, Mr Blackford directed them to watch for any departure from the usual appearance—thus far without success. The question of the eel's sexoa'ity has been set at re3t, h wovcr, by Professor Packard's discovery. The male eel appears to be very rare. The ovaries of an eel weighing six pounds were recently examined by Mr Frederick Mather, who found the eggs to average 1-Soth of an inch in diameter. Mr Mather then proceeded to estimate the number of eggs contained in the eel, which was done by carefully subdividing tho mass until a quantity which could be counted was obtained, and then the number of eggs was multiplied by tho number of divisions. Tho mass was halved, quartered, &c., seventeen times, making tho last section 1-131,072 of the whole. To avoid error, this was done three times, giving the first time OS eggs, or 5,912,5% iu the whole. The second trial gave 77 or a total of 10,002,544, while the third yielded 71 eggs, which showed the mans.to contain 0,300.112. Considering the minuteness of the eggs, these different results aro remarkably near each other, and Mr Mather fixes the numb; rs contained in this individual fish at 0,000,000, which, when we consider that each ■ f the ovaries was nearly a foot in length, and about a half inch in diameter at the thickest part, do> s not seem to be at all exaggerated. S-'omc short time ago it was found possible to so anneal glass as to make it practically unbreakable, aud most of your readers no doubt have had decanters and tumblers made ot this material in their bands. It is now proposed to use this toughened glass in an entirely different manner, and if we can accept as true what is said of certain experiments made recently in France, it is probable that ere long this news sheet may be printed from glass instead of leaden types. It is said that this glass, which need not be made so transparent as when required for wine glasses and tumblers, can be cast easily in typo mould?, and that being harder than the

old typo metal, it cannot bo destroyed so soon by any of those small accidents winch daily occur in a print'ng ofiicc. It i? also capable cf being cast in more delicate shapes, and in this way the h dr lines and the thick strokes can be more clearly defined. This new material can be ca t in precisely the same moald as the old metal, so that, should it be found by practice to be applic able to printing, there will he no expense inc rrcd in altering the machines aud implo meats now used in the manufacture of type. The "Patrie" declares that all experiments hitherto made have been eminently successful, that the new type is cleaner, easier to distribute and to set, and that its face is not damaged by a pressure that would completely change the appearance of ordinary type. The City Councils of Philadelphia have ordered the removal of telegraph pole 3 from the streets, and experiments have been mule at the National Tube Works, M'Keesport, to produce a wire which can be laid underground and worked satisfactorily. The wire is being made in sections of 10ft., but it can be made as long as 13ft. In making the wire a copper telegraph wire is inserted in a glass tube of the s:uno length, and sufficiently large to admit the wire easily. The glass tube is inserted in an iron tube, just large enough to admit the glass tube. They are all placed in the furnace, and heated to a red heat, and run through the rolls, compressing copper wire, glass, and iron tubes all into one mass, but without crushing them, of course. The ends are then ground to a convex surface, and the 10ft. sections coupled together like gas pipe, the convex ends, of course, allowing the centres 4 ,0 strike first, establishing the electric connection. _ The pipe will be enamelled before being laid, so that when onco put down it will be extremely durable. A correspondent writes as follows about the sanitary power of a well-known plant:— "I have discovered a remedy for pulmonary consumption. It has cured a number of cases after they have commenced bleeding at the lungs and the hectic flush was already on the cheek. After trying this remedy to my own satisfaction, I have thought philanthropy required that I should let it be known to the world. It is the common Mullein (grown in Canada), steeped strong and sweetened with coffee sugar, and drank freely. The herb should be gathered before the sth of July, if convenient. Young or old plants are good dried in the shade, and kept in cleati paper bags. The medicine mu3t be continued from three to six months, according to the nature of the disease. It is good for the blood-vessels also. It strengthens the system, and builds up instead of taking away strength. It makes good blood, and takes inflammation from the lungs. It is the wish of the writer that every periodical should publish this receipt for tiie benefit of the human family. Lay this up and keep it in the house ready for use."—"Christian Advocate." Considerable amusement was caused by the trial at Sydney of "The Vagabond" v Joe Thompson, the well-known bookmaker, for blander. The defendant had said : ' You are loafing, not working ; you never pay your way anywhere; you gj about the country cheating people ; you are living on the public, and never pay your bills ; you owe Gammon money, and he turned you out; you owe money wherever you go; we subscribed to pay your board in Melbourne, —it wasn't a testimonial, it was to get you out of the country; you have dishonored bills everywhere ; Sam Lazar will say what a rogue you are, you have borrowed money off him and never paid him ; I have seen dishonored bills of yours which he has in his hands, —you owe him £SO; I'll bet you £IOO, if you can put up the money, that Lazir has dishonored bills of yours." £2OOO was claimed, Under cross-examination " The Vagabond " stated he he did not know whether he was born in Virginia or England. He explained his impecuniosity when he first arrived in Australia, that a San Francisco firm owed him 75,000 dollars, which he never got any of. Alter a long consultation, and having a:ked the Judge whether the costs were divided, and being told it, was not their business, the jury gave a verdict for plaintiff of Is. The Judge granted costs.