The Smallest Current Coin.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8000, 11 December 1905, Page 4

The Smallest Current Coin.

The smallest coin now current in Europe, and the one having the least value, is the Greek lepton. The lepton is, according to the decimal monetary system, current money in all countries belonging to the Latin union. Some idea of this valueless little disc of copper may be gathered from the fact that the lepton ia the one-hundredth part of s drachma. About Wooden Shoes. Wooden shoes in France are produc d to the extent of about 4,000,000 pirns yearly. They are made in Alsace and Barriers by machinery, and in Lozerc by hand. In the last named province lTOOpersons are englged in this manufacture, and the yearly product is more than half a million pairs- The best arc made of maple; in the provinces nearly every lady possesses a pair of the finer sabots for wearing out in damp weather. These have monograms and other designs carved on the vamps, and tbey are kept on the foot by ornamented leather pieces over the instep. The manufacture of these pieces of leather is a regular business in France. The Use of Tails to Animals. The tail, or more strictly speaking, the caudal fin, of a fish, is, says Professor Seeley, " the great organ of motion," and among the mammalia we find several useful tails. The most remarkable is, perhaps, that common to most American monkeys, which is as good as a fifth hand, owing to its prehensile powers. The yellow-tailed Howler, if it is shot when hanging by the tail, will remain suspended for some hours, so tight is the grip. Humboldt noted in South America how spider monkeys form themselves into clusters by means of their limbs and tails, the whole group being suspended from a bough by the tail of the strongest. The long, thick tail of the kangaroo, which serves as a balance against the heavy hind-quarters, especially when the animal leans forward to browse, and als u aids in supporting it when in its characteristic upright position, is also a msH valuable appendage. New Process of Treating o?bs. A new process for treating rebellious ores and extracting their gold and silver has been discovered by M. Vagouny, an assistant in the chemistry department of the University of California. If this process should prove a commercial and practical success it means a saving of millions to the mining industry, Mr. Vagouny says his process will be especially valuable in the exploitation of silver mines. " Like the cyaniding process," said Mr. Vagouny in describing his discovery, " this is essentially a wet process. A stock solution is made up as follows: Some 2-3 per cent, ferric chloride (chloride of iron) of commerce, about 20 per cent, common salt and £ per cent hydrochloric (muriatic) acid; second, this solution is made to pass through electrolytic cells with carbon electrodes, where it is charged with chlorine under the influence of the current; third, then the solution is continuously led over into ore vats containing crushed ore', and there it is given a chance to act upon the sulphereted silver and gold, dissolve these latter and thus remove the values from the mass of on by simple leaching or filtration. Fourth, this rich solution is now made to flow through electrolytic vats again, where not only are the silver and gold readily obtained in the metallic condition on the cathodes, but the solufica itself is made to become richer with simultaneous regeneration of the ferric chloride. Fifth, this solution, now being ready to do more dissolving, it is again led into the ore Vats, leached electrolyted and resent over into the ore vats, and so on cycle after cycle. Furthermore, as I found out that even this scheme may sometimes fail to obviate the difficulty in fresh hands, I hava thought of another means by which I can always get out a solution in a very satisfactory, shape and under all circumstances." The <<rigicjtor of this plan has been engage! sometime in preparing a scientific treatise on the subject with a view to presenting hi! ditoorery to (ha mining world.