THE DISCOVERIES OF 1846. [From the Morning Herald.]

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume III, Issue 222, 15 September 1847, Page 3

THE DISCOVERIES OF 1846. [From the Morning Herald.]

We apprehend lhat there can be no doubt that the year 1846 will be memorable to the end of time, for the remarkable extensions, or new applications, of human knowledge, which will come before future historians, as rendering illustrious its narrow limits. Most evident is it, that we are now living in the days predicted by the Hebjrei^projft^^-'snieii " many shall run to and fro'; and knowledge shall be increased." 1. Foremost among these may be placed the us i of ether, inhaled for the facilitating surgical operations. Like all other appliances of this kind, it meets with failures and even with evil results, in a few cases. But, for one fatal result, and five failures, \te have five hundred instances of vast benefit; in many of which, beyond all doubt, lives have been saved, which would otherwise have been lost. Without describing it as infallible, or in all cases safe, or to be relied on, there can be no doubt that this discovery has conferred vast benefits on mankind. 2. The substitution of a new explosive material, — the gun-cotton, in place of gunpowder, is another remarkable event. The extent of its utility is not yet ascertained. Whether it will be largely adopted in warfare, is still a point on which no decided opinion has been formed. But of its great utility in all blasting and mining operations, not the slightest doubt can exist. It' is both cheaper and more powerful than gunpowder ; and the absence of smoke is a decisive advantage. There can remain no question, that in all works of this description, the new agent will rapidly supersede the old one. ■ 3. The third discovery of 1846 is perhaps even of greater importance than either of the former. We allude to the lately patented process for smelting copper by means of electricity. The effect of this change will be quite prodigious. It produces, in less than two days, what the old process required three weeks, to effect. And the saving of fuel is so vast, that in Swansea alone, the smelters estimate their annual saving in coals, at no less than five hundred thousand pounds! Hence, it is clear, that the price of copper must be so enormously reduced, as to bring it into use for a variety of purposes, from which its cost at present excludes it. The facility and cheapness of the process, too, will enable the ore to be largely smelted on the spot. The Cornish mine proprietors are anxiously expecting the moment when they can bring the ore which lay in the mine yesterday, into a state to be sent to the market to-morrow, and this at the very mouth of the mine. In Australia, also, the operation of this discovery will be of the utmost importance. Ten thousand tons of copper oie were sent from Australia to England last year, to be smelted at Swansea ; and the result was only 1600 tous of copper. But Australia in future will smelt her own copper, by a thirtysix hours' process, saving all this useless freight of the 8400 tons of refuse ; and saving also the cost of the old and expensive process. In a very few years, Australia will send to market more copper than is now produced by all the rest of the world. But if our' future penny-pieces are to bear any proportion to the reduced cost and value of the metal, they must be made the size of dinner plates.