TRAVELLING IN THE FUTURE.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1630, 14 December 1882, Page 4

TRAVELLING IN THE FUTURE.

An serial trip. from London to New York in 24 hoitrs I'Such a feat, says the Ewopcmi Mail, can hardly be said to have been dreamt of before, and certainly never ' ' extended into our philosophy prior to the experiments recently made in Paris, where a new rerostat or balloon has been tried with most remarkable results. The new .•urostat is cig.ir shaped. At either end is a fan affixed to a transverse shaft worked by live horse-power engine. The engine emits neither sparks nor flame. It works the fans between seven dan eight hundred revolutions a minute, and has been found to impart an incredible speed to the balloon, even when steered dead in the eye of tlie wind. The first experiments having proved successful, and shown that balloons could bo made to move against atmospherical currents, the construction of the jcrostat was improved upon. The cigar was divided internally by means ot a transverse cloth bulkhead or deck, leaving the upper part for gas and the lower for machinery and passengers. But thia has stgaia been improved upon, and pians have jusfc been completed for the construction of a fchin steel balloon, with air-tight compartments, to be worked by horizontal and vertical centrifugal fans. Thisajrostat is designed to carry 1000 passengers, and to make to journey betweou Paris and London and New York in less than 24 hours. The machinery has been designed, and will be constructed for the inventor of the balloon, Mr Edison. Mr Charles Norbeck the well-known Eussian engineer, is conducting the experiments in France.

A number of Chinese naval officers have arrived at Berlin for the purpose of couducting to China several gunboats, ■which have been constructed in Germany for the Chinese Government. It is asserted that the friends of Mr Bradlaugh have determined on raiding the question of hits right to sit and vote in the House of Commons by nominating him, in the event of a dissolution, for nearly 20 constituencies, not so much in the hope of securing his return in each case as with view of arousing public interest in the matter. A fund, which is termed a Parliamentry Fund, has already been started Of the 91, 819 applications to fix fair rents from Sept. 1, 1881, the date of the commencement of the Land Law Act, to July 31, 1882, 26, 309 have already been disposed of, so that at the present rate of progress it will requite about 27 months more to finish the list. Of the applications to declare leases void between the same dates, 1076 out of 1509 have been settled ; and of the appeals lodged under both heads, numbering about 3000, 968 have been heard or withdrawn. " I often cross the street to avoid meeting a man," says Mr Beecher ; "not because I have anything against him, but simply because I do not feel like speaking to him. I suppose all men are this way." Yes, nearly all men are this way, Mr Beecher, retoits the Arkausaw Traveller ; and we are glad that you have mentioned the subject, for it gives us a chance to agree with a great man. We sometimes cross the street and climb « fence to avoid meeting a man, not because we have anything against him, but because he lias something against us— a bill Mr Beecher. A you>g student of Jena, who had been reading Darwin's works, found that they raised religious doubts in his mind. They could not fail to do that, provided their philosophy had gained control over him. Accordingly the young man wrote to the late Mr Darwin, who replied as follows :—" Sir, I am very busy, and am an old man in delicate health, and have not time to answer your questions fully, even assuming that they are capable of being answered at all. Science and Christ have nothing to do with each other, except in as iar as the habit of scientific investigation makes a man cautious about accepting any proofs. As far as I am concerned, I do not believe that any revelation has ever been made. With regard to a future life, everyone must chaw his own conclusions from vague and contiadictory probabilities. Wishing you well, I remain your obedient servant, Charles Darwin." A Vkgbtahlk Fja'-killkr. — The British Midieal Junmcd contains a description of the accidental discovery of a natiual fly-killer, which is woi thy the attention oi shopkecpeis whoso wares are so much exposed in hot w cither to one of the p'.igiu's> ot JSgypt, and indeed the house dwellers geneially, as well ab of horticulturists and maiket g.udeners, whose plants and Iruit trees are liteiaUy eaten up by injects of vauous kinds. A o.istor-oil plant, it appears,, was placed accidentally inaioom b\\ arming with {lies, which of court>e came in hundreds through the open window, but &•> soon as it was deposited in its place iiics disappeared as if by enchantment. On examination they' weie found under the castor-oil plant, or clinging to the under surface of its leaves, perfectly dead. The leaves, ■we undeistand, give out an essential oil or tovic piinciple, which possesses the strongest insecticide qualities, and it would be well woith the while of many persons who suffer from the ravages of Hies to provide themselves with one of these plants, which, in addition to their ornamental appearance, resist variations of atmosphere of temperature very well. We are told that the Chinese woiship the .sunflower, not, like out tethetes, because it is too utterly precious as an ait object, but simply because they hold it to be the most useful vegetable in existence. There would, indeed, appeal to be but few purposes to w Inch the sunflower cannot be turned with advantage to mankind. Scientifically dealt w ith, it will supply us alike with our morning 101 l and our evening cigar. It is equally susceptible of conversion into a cake of soap, surpassingly emollient, or into a rich and lustious silk-diess. As oil, it may be consumed no less freely iv the salad-bowl than in the table-lamp. Cattle will fatten sooner on sunflower-cake than on liu-sced-cakc. The little busy bee improves each shining hour more profitably in connection with the girasol than with any opening flower. In fact, so numerous are its "excellences and so beneficial its virtues that th« sunflower may with great propriety be designated the friend ot man. People in the country will hardly go the length of worshipping it for its versatile utility, after the Celestial manner ; but we understand that its cultivation upon British soil is about to be undertaken upon a large scale. Several acres of ground will be laid down with sunflowers in the Thames valley next year. ./Esthetic pilgrims Avill flock to those ineffable plantations, eager to steep their souls in the yeliow beauty of countless sunflowers, but caring little for those characterestics and capacities of the vegetabe which endear it to the " heathen Chinee." The more prosaic amongst us will view acres of sunflowers with justifiable complacency, on the ground that we can scarcely have too much of a plant furnishing the wherewithal for eating, smoking, washing and dressing ourselves, lighting our rooms, lubricating our let- ' tuces, and imparting a healthy obesity to our oxen. Where shall I buy my furniture and c.irpets ' You cannot do better than purchase from Garlick and Cramvell, who have now a very large assortment oi iron bedsteads, varying jn price from 10s tid to to ten pounds, and keep in stock bedding of all sizes and kinds. Their large factory is completed, and machinery in full s>wing, enabling them to turn out furniture quicker and cheaper than hitherto. G. &C. always have , ready a large variety of drawing and dining-rooro ' suites. Special attention is paid to bedroom furniture, suitable to all classes., Great variety of carpets, Kidderminster, Brussels, and tapestry from a? Cd per yard. Linoleum and oil cloth for halls, rooms, ,and offices. G. & C. keep all kinds of Manchester goods. Sheetings, calicoes, hollands. towellings, flannels, blankets, curtains, ' cretonne's, damauik, Bee, &c. Book catalogues sent post free. ;Ladje9,and gentlemen about to marry will find our catalogue of great service. Garlick £ri4;QrahtfeJl,;Pitjr Hall, Arcado.Qucenltreet Auckland^., , ,-, , *