Scientific Notes.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 980, 21 January 1882, Page 2 (Supplement)

Scientific Notes.

The Germans have invented morocco'paper, Professor Pictet, the discoverer of the faction of oxygen, has invented au improved steam vossel with which he expects to attaina speed of thirty-five miles an hour. A model; vessel is being built, and'will shortly,be tried; on tho Lake of Geneva, j From the photograph's of the comet which: has recently disappeared in space, Dr, Henry! Draper infers that the hypothesis' of tho presence of carbon in the constitution of such' bodies receives corroboration, and he adds; with apparent caution, that a part of the spectrum may be due to other elements. Engravers and watchmakers in Germany are said to hardon their tools in Boaling-wax, making them white-hot, and plunging them; into tho wax, withdrawing on the instant and plunging again until -too cold to enter the wax. The steel is said to thus become almost as hard as the diamond, and to be well fitted,; :\yhen touched with a little oil or turpentine,) for engraving or piercing tho hardest metals.l , A German philosopher has been experimet-{ ihg'as to the influence of intellectual : labor upontheeireulatidiJof th'e'bldbd. 1 ' His observations ','siibw that' the' heart'beats''are' in-j 'creased /two or three pulsation's/per second, The greater the labor'and the closer the attention, 'tlie' 'greater' 'thVriumW'r 6f'pulsattbhsj Thus .this '.pnilbsbphef' discovered'that tha ' study'of .geometry;'' toTwhM.h'ii' had never given much' attention';' made his'lie&rt bekfc more.rapidly.than .that of philosophy, with 1 ,which',he; was already'familiar:' Concerning 1 tlib ' ; effe^''of;''arduouß. ! l9vfe%aJdng'updh the Heart -beats; h'e : 'dbe's' ! not'appear''to.h'ave' recorded any observations;' ''■ "< il , :|li '■■"} ■ Recent, investigation respecting ' cal constituents of' tobacco'''fuines, 1 says' the Maryland ' 'Miiiial' { the olden-view of the presence of nicotine, jthas,t been ascertained that nlpotine ap'peaW'mos'tly W the fern"- of •'salts, '• having Jiibblinei for'th'elr'bas'eT; '" Olhe'r substahcbs'bl a similar pbmpbsitioriMgenerate'd in the act of smoking,'which 1 seem : td'fbhfr under the influence of tlie Varying quantity of water in ■the tobacco; and itß ; mbile of combustion.' Thus the use/of thepipb .develops the highly diffusible and narcotic pyridin, while 1 cigar smoking giVes larger'quantities', of colidin'." ,'xhere exists.' only 'one •w,medy''f(nj the cure' oi chronic tob'abcb poisohingj'b'ut that is so prompt and efficacious that none other in heeded,' 'Unfortunately, 1 there exists also a very great and frequently an m'Sur.mountable prejudice among smokers against its; employment, It is the abstinence froni .tobacct.',-' :./':,' ",",' ; , '""'J.'' ''■•'',': : | -it, is believed in England.th'at indigo will apon.'go the way of ihadder. ! In 1869; l the annual' ihipor't of hiadde'r into' Ehglahd'was 'oyer, jel,oot)joo6.''," 'That;'year'a -Ger;riian chemist /discovered' thVmeahs of artificially 'manufacturing madder, 'or, as itis now called, alizarin. The consequence is.that madder is !,rio-longer.raised, and the.-400,000 : acres','of land that had 'been giveri'to its'c'ultivation are.devoted to other cropsl A few moiiths ago, a, mode of manufacturing indigo chemically was discovered. It is not a complete success juslyeVas it is quite expensive,;but tho chemists, who ;have it in charge promise that in a few weeks they will be able to turn out cheap chemical indigo. When this'is done another /agricultural crop, which gives employment to thousands of persons, /arid which was really the cause of the Fren6h colonisation of Louisiana, will be abandoned.