Untitled

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume IX, Issue 460, 11 March 1867, Page 3

Horrible Superstition. The Alta California of 27th October, says —“Some months since, a mao calling himself a Spiritual Doctor—the city is becoming overrun with such humbugs—came here from Victoria in company with a woman and her little daughter, some ten years of age. The woman, as we are informed, left a husband, the father of the child, in Victoria. Both the man and the woman were affected with spiritualism, and something put it into their heads that if the woman would submit to starvation, up to a certain point, she would be developed into a “ seeing medium.” She determined to devote herself to the work, abstained from food until she was unable to <it up, took to her bed, and persisted in the effort to attain the beatific point until death released the poor victim of a wicked imposture from mortal sufferings. It would be but natural to suppose that the man—if he can bo called such—would have become satisfied of the criminal folly of Lis proceedings by this time, and would desist from further operations of the kind. Instead of this, however, the spirits demanded another victim, and assured him that if he would subject the child to the same treatment to which the mother was subjected, the progress made by the mother towards the desired point would be credited to the child, and she would become a “ seeing medium” in a short time. The child was actually placed under the starvation treatment, but the neighbours becoming indignant put a stop to the matter yesterday by taking out a warrant for the arrest of the child, and her examination for the Industrial School. The child was taken into custody last evening, and taken to the county gaol, and placed in the custody of the good matron of the establi-hment ponding the examination. This is a D. 1860.

A Tale of Horror.—The following strange story is going the round of the Paris journals : —“ M do R , having acquired a fortune in business, n-tired to a handsome properly he possessed near Fontainbleau. Soon after his daughter Julie, twcnfy-ono years of age, was asked in marriage by a gentleman in the net >h borhood, and in spite of Inn- opposition and avowed repugnance, the wedding took place. In the evening the bride was missed, and the result of the researches made was only to find that the groom’s man, who had been a friend of the young lady’s from infancy, had likewise disappeared. The father-, like every one else, believed in an elopement, and all the usual means were employed to trace the fugitives, but unsuccessfully. This occurred .five years ago, and M. tie R having lately purchased some adjoining property ort which was a quarry long out of use, set some men to work, who found at the bottom of an old excavation two skeletons, which from the remains of the clothes and the jewels, were recognised as the missing bride and her lover.”

INSTANTANEOUS PHOTOGRAPHY BY Ahtificiae Light. Some experiments have been recently made by Mr. Skaife in taking photographs by artificial light instantaneously. A plate, carefully prepared, is put into a camera; the sitter in a partially dark room, engages in conversation with anyone, so as to secure a natural display of expression ; a little powder on the pan of a lamp of peculiar construction is set off in a puff, like the flash of n charge of gunpowder, and thus an instantaneous picture is taken. Tho powder is composed of certain parts of pulverized magnesium and chlorate of potash, and is set on fire by being heated by a spirit lamp under the pan, which has a hole in it, and file light is brought into contact with the dry powder when the pan is slightly shaken by means of a wire. The pan having a reflector at the back the light is thrown full on the sitter; and the. negative is said to bo obtained in about the fiftieth part of a second.

Preparation - of Oxygen Gas. A | new process has been patented in France for obtaining a supply of oxygen gas from common air by means of highly oxygenated compounds, such as chromates and Di-chromates, manganales, and permanganates, which, if deprived of a portion oi , their oxygen fey mean; of steam, have the power of absorbing oxygen again when exposed to a current of dry, heated air. The improvement consists in making the action continuous by placing in the retort a current of steam. A current of oxygen is carried off and collected in a gas holder, while the steam is condensed to water. When oxygen has ceased to be eliminated, s current of dry. heated air is forced into the retort. The compound absorbs a por-

tion of oxygen, end is again ready for the action of steam. Thus by tho alternate action ot sir ana stcaiQ) tus sstns com 9 pound produces oxygen for an unlimited period. The process is said to work with great regularity and may yet be of considerable importance in metallurgy. OzoNE,--Thi3 substance, the sufficient supply of which in the atmosphere is supposed, from the observations recorded in the Vital Statistics of this and other countries, to be essential for the preservation of health and life, is believed to bo oxygen in a particular condition through electrical action. The name is derived from ozo (smell) ; and was applied on account of the peculiar smell observed when there is a discharge of electricity- The identity of ozone with oxygen is inferred from the fact that when an electrical current is caused by a battery in which metals that rapidly oxidise are employed, no ozone is perceptible; whereas when metals that do not really oxidize are used ozone is produced. So that tho absorption of oxygen prevents the production of ozone. The exact nature of ozone is not, however, as yet a matter of certainty. If it is, as supposed, a form of oxygen, a deficiency of ozone, which has been observed to be coincident with injury to the general health, is in fact a deficiency of electrical action in the atmosphere. And when there is such a deficiency in any part of the atmosphere. the abnormal state incites the storm that rectifies it. Hence the oppressiveness of the air before a thunderstorm and the freshness of the air afterwards. Narrow Escape of the Ship Electric from; Fire.—This vessel, which arrived safely in harbour from England a few weeks ago, had, as it now appears, a narrow and providential escane from destruction, which was passed through unknown to her officers and passengers during the voyage, and which has only come to light within the last few days. It appears that a case was shipped from London to a party in Auckland, as part of a shipment of drysaltry, which really contained muriatic and nitric acids. When got up from the hold the outside even of the case was quite soft, saturated with the acid, and which, on examination, proved to be nitric and muriatic. In all probability the acid has damaged a considerable portion of tho cargo, and the only wonder is that it did not set the ship on fire, as was the case with the John Duthie. The penalty for shipping dangerous goods under a wrong designation is £SOO, and we think that this case should be further investigated, and an example bo made to prevent the repelilion of an occurrence, the results of which might bo so disast rous to life and [property. Wo understand that the agents here intend referring the matter home, with a view of prosecuting the shippers.—N T .Z. Herald.