ARTIFICIAL ILLUMINATION.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5017, 23 April 1877, Page 2

ARTIFICIAL ILLUMINATION.

Mr. H. A. Severn delivered a most interesting lecture on the above subject on Saturday evening. His Worship the Mayor presided, and made a few practical remarks as to the importance of science, and then introduced Mr. Severn, who at once began to experiment on the matter of combustion. His manner of carrying on descriptive experimenting is very effective, and there can be no doubt that our scientific friend drives his arguments, backed up as they are by the most conclusive experiments, right home to the brains of his hearers. The experiments with the simple candles, the theory of the wick, difference between the mould and compo. caudle, oil lamp, gas works, throe kinds of lime light, Eude, magnesium, and electric lamp, were all thoroughly well explained. Mr. Severn puts a good deal of good humor in his conversation, and this, along with the capital experiments and the manner of performing them, really enables our friend to charm his audience. On Monday and Tuesday next the lectures will be on light and spectrum analysis, and we understand that it is treated in fine style, the experiments of fusing the various metals in the electric lamp and throwing their spectra upon the large screen were so successfully conducted at Dunedin that the lecture had to be repeated a second time. As the treatment of such a subject as light and spectrum analysis involves much careful experimenting, to say nothing of the large expanse incurred in working the electric lamp, we sincerely hope that our citizens generally will attend to testify their appreciation of such lectures as these.