Volume 13 (1866) (424 pages)

—— The Blining and Scientific Press. 99 Where the conditions ora anything like favorable 03 nt Badger Hill, Relief Hill, Moore's Flat and other points, ${0 per day may he coosidered a low average, even ot hydraulic woshing at Columbia Hill, where they aro embarrassed for the want of a sufficient ootlet for their tailings, the claims have puid in tho gross, a3 1 was informed, principnily hy the owners, from $2,000 to $f2,000 per mouth, . and havo netted frum $5 to $15 per day to the man ; and in certain instances have runns high a3 $40 per day. Some better idea of their true worth inuy be formed from the amnant paid monthly by sone of the leading claims for water alone. Claim of Mr. Wm. Weighel obout $3,500; Woods & Co. $1,f00; Nixon . & Co. $3,000; Nichola & Co. $3,000 The claims of Nottall & Co. and Trude & Co.,are paying similar amounts. When it is remembered that these componies are but skimming off the upper and poorer strata, ond leaving the temptinzly rich atores uearer the bed rock fortuturo operations, requiring much larger oatluys of capital, the result is truly astonishing. ‘I'hese immense gold deposita, mony miles square, and in places not fess than 340 feet lecp—suid to be capable of alfurding profitable employmont for seventyfive companies—lying, ng they evidently do, at the junction of two distinct chasnels ; the one coming in from the direction of Moore's Flat, the other from Grizzly I1ill, where the blue gravel mukea its nppearanco, cannot bo searched uid advantngeously worked except hy means of large tunuels, handreds if not thousands of feet in length, to be cut throagh the hardest class of slute or granite, from the banks of the South Yuba, ond that too at great cost; which, however, must cnnsequently nfford a large field for the investment af capital, with the olmost certain promise of both apeedy and profitable returns. ‘The same muy he said, with a little quatification, perbops, of Cherokee, three milea west,oud Lake City, North Bloomfield and other points to the east, tbe details concerning which must he omitted, os this letter has already grown quite too long. At Woolsey’s Flat, near tho most oortheastern point of the section described, Messra. Mills, Reid, Shalto, Wells and others, are said to be doing well, while at. Moore's, the locality from which I uow write, there are several claims considered very valuable; one ot least, belonging to Mr. J. M. Hickey, paying os high os $40,000 in @ aingle seasoo; and being in most respects similar to those of Columbia Hill and Nortb Bloomfield, but laboring uoder less impediments as regards an outlet, and genernily possessing greater present facilities for advantageous working. Interesting stotis tics concerning tbese places,I should have heen plensed to record, but lor the same reason already ossigned must forhear, being limited to ooe general atatement which in itself apeaks volumes for their past prosperity, inspiring hope and confidence for the future. Mr. W. D. Loog, a large and successful operator in the mines hore, assured me that tbe gold yield, tbe greater portion of which bad passed through the Baoking House of Marks & Co., had averaged. during the past ten years, ia the oeighhorbood of $1,000,000 per annuta. Ag Orleaos Flat, one of the chiel sources af aupply, has heen in a measure worked out, the amount has now fallen a little short, but will probahly reach, the ensuiog aeasoo, some $600,000 or inore. . Hoping that this place may continue for long years to pour forth its glittcriog streams into the great arteries of trado, after first gladdeoing the hearts of many here, and that the prospects of my frieod Moore, of the Moore’s Flut Hotel, who, io the douhle capacity of both landlord and lawyer, seems to handie a brief or bill of fore with equal grace, and to give full satisfaction alike to guest or client, inay continue to grow more aad more flattering, I suhscrihe myself, as ever, a Prospector. Moore’s Flat, Aogust 1st, 1866. Ir our readers will consult their maps of South America, and trace up the coarse of tho gigaotic river Amazon, they will find one af ita priocipal, perhaps its most important affluent, to he the river Ucayali, whicb rises amoog tbe Andes of Peru. It is a long and, in its lower part, a hroad and wide stream. Its honks are occupied here and there by Iadians, some of whom are partially civilized, and who do a little io the way of commerce. This is carried 00 with the towns lower down tbe river, or on the Amazon proper, through means, oot of boats or steamers, but rafts of light wood, 00 which are placed hates of cinchona bark, froia which the medicioe koown as quinine is made, bales of deer skins, sacks of inaize, ete. ‘Ihe Indians are fond of pets, auch as monkcys, parrots, ete., and almost invariably have a collection of them oo their rafts—each one of which, with its wild owner and his acarcely less wild companioos, is a real curiosity—a traveling menagerie. Tr yoa have but ordinary capacity, aad wilf set to work with heart and soul, aad stick to it, you caa do almost anything. Scientific Miscellany. ALCOHOL AND ITS PROPERTIES. Thero ore vorions kinds of alcohol. Common vinic alcohol is prodeced by tho fermentotion of any saccharine matter, and constitutes the intoxicuting principle of all “ spirituous liquors.” ‘Vhe proportino of alcohol in brandy is abunt 53 per cent.; in rum, 42; in whisky, 59; in port or sherry wine, ahout 21; in ale, 10 to 1] ; in cider, 6 to 7. {t is very difficult to obtain o perfectly pure alechol, on accoant of tne strong nffinity which it has for water. It cannot he obtuined by distillation, except in the presenco of some substance which lias o stronger nffinity for water than it hns itself, The proof spirits of commerce contains but 48 per cent. of nbso‘. lute alcohol; rectified spirits, 83 per cent. _ Pure alcohol is very mobile ; hence it is esed in spirit levels. It never freezes, even in the most intense cold; hence it is used ia thermometers for low temperatures. It is very inflammable. Powder, when wet with underproof spirits, will not explode, oo account of the woter present with the nlcohol; when wet with pare nleohol it explodes readily, showing the absence of water ond the proof of the alcohol. Pure alcohol is exceedingly volotile, und if ponred into a jar ol oxygeo gas, forms a powerfully explosive vapor. It is burning and dry ta the taste, owing to its power of rapidly ahstracting moisture from the tongue, or any other animal tissue. It does not cooduct electricity. A singular mode of concentrating alcohol is sometimes employed, founded npon the ahovementiooed fact that it will oot moisten animal tissue. If a hladder, filled with 90 per cent. alcohol, he hing up for a few days io o worm room, it will he found to hove increosed its per centage from 90to 97. The water has permeated the bladder and evaporated from the outside ; hut as tho alcohol will oot moisten the tissue of tbe bladder, it caooot get through, and consequeotly remaina hcehind freed from 7 of the 10 per ceot. of water which it cootained. When the alcohol of commerce is exposed to the air, it gradually ahsorhs oxygen, aod acetic and other ocids are formed. Under the influence of these acids it loses aa atom of woter, aod compounds are formed called ethers. Upon this principle ethers are manufactured, varying according to the acid employed. ‘The uses of alcohol in chemistry ond pharmacy, are numerous and importont. Its manvfacture is one of the most importaot arts, aod forms the hasis of a greot oomher of the other marofactures. Alcohol consists of carhon, hydrogeo and oxygeo. Its formula is C*# H® O?. Tue Iriaoscore is the aame given to a oew instrument which has recently heeo invented, and by the aid of which ao individual is able to see all that is going on in his owo eye. It is simply aa opaque shell to cover the eye, pierced io the centre with a very small hole. On looking through steodfastly at the sky, or ut any diffused light, tho observer may watch the tears streamiag over the glohe of the eye, and aote the dilation and cootraction of the the iris, aod even sce tbe aqueous humor pouredin whea the eye ia fatigued by a long ohservation. It is needless to aay that with the aid of this instrumeat a mao caa eosily fiod out whether he bas a cataract or not. If he hoa, he will only see a aort of veil coveriog the luminous disk which is seea hy a healthy eye. The instrament is certainly aimple aad curious, and will no doubt excite attentioo in those who are aoxious to kaow more of themselves. Aa “iridoscope” that will give a very good idea of what a more perfect instrument cau accomplish, may be readily extemporized hy making a bole with a fine needle in the bottom of a small pill-box. Guass.—By carefully attackiog glass with hydrofluoric acid microspopic crystals nre developed, whieh proves that we are not yet acquaiuted with,the trae composition of thia suhstaace. The crystals vary with differeat glasses. Cumots Errecrs on tar Vision.— Saotolina” is the hatanical name of a flowering plant found in the south of Murope,an extract af the Howers of which is sometimes nsed ns o vermifuge to drive oway insects from wardrobes. ‘Iho flower itself, when dried, is sometinies sold as a substitute for camomile. The juico of the plant hna sometimes been opplied as o remedy for weak eyes, Quito rerecently it has been ascertained that the acid, known ns snotonic acid, on extract from the flowers of this plant, produces a most singular effect upon the organs of vision, when taken inwardly. .A Puris phyaician hua discovered that when n dose of eight or ten centigrammes hus been taken, a speciea of intoxicotion is produced, during which all ohjects seen appear to be yellow ; when a stronger dose is administered, everything assumes a violet-colored hoe! This remarkable property has induced M. I. Rose, the chemist, to mako some examinations into the character of this acid, hy means of the aolor spectrum. The resolta of these exominations have not yct, so far as we have learned, heen fully communicated to the public; possibly they have oot yet been fully completed to the satisfactioo of the experimenter. Chromatism ond achromatiam, aa applied to ihe vision, are not yet fully understood. It is well koown that they may he modified bya variety of circumstaoces, and hove not yet heen subjected to any general law. An iovestigatioo into the aingular effects above described, of this well known extract of saniolina, oiay poasihly lead to some important discoveries with regard to the visual organs. Waar we Eat.— Chemistry oiakes aome queer revelations. Take, for isstance, the commoo orticle of tahle-salt, ooe of the few things io nnture which is considered ahsolutely essential to ourexistence. Salt isa compovod of one atom of the metal sodiom, and ooe atom of a, greeoish yellow gas called chlorice. Sodium is the daogeronsly active compouod with which miners have of late hecome so fauoiliar, hy reason of its forming a valuahle amalgam with quicksilver. A small quaotity of this metol, when placed oo the surface of water, and kept in one position for an instant, produces a violent explosion. If you place a few groioa of it in contact with two or three oances of quicksilver,aod warm the quicksilver a little, ao explosioo will follow as loud as the report of a pistol, producing a volume of flame like the explosion of guavowder. It is a dangerous experiment to try. The resnlt is a compouod metal nearly as bard as hlock tin. This sodium,as we have already aaid, is oae of the equivalents of salt; the other equivaleot is chlorine gas, oae of the most powerfully corrosive gases known. This gas dissolves gold. Now, when you have eaten fifty-eight ouacea of salt (and it doa’t take a very loag time for a persua to coosume that much), you have taken into your stomach twenty-three ounces of sodium, and thirty-five ounces of chlorioe gas! Some people will coosume nearly or quite a full ounce of salt every day—that ia, a little over one-third of an ounce of sodium aad a little less than two-thirds of an ounce of chlorine gas combined. Aun iofioitesimal part of either, taken separately, would produce ioataat death. Tanotztum.—A suhstance is now being manafactured from flaxseed called linoleum. It is said that it will supersede Iadia rubher— which it very much resembles, aod of which it poasesses most of the properties—in the voriova manufactures nf water-proof clothing. It caa be used for the coating of iroa or wood, or for coatiog ship bottoms. It is as good as commoa cement, having properties similar to the marine glue made from India rubber aod shellac. It is readily vulcanized hy exposure to heat, and hy this means becomes as hard as the hardest wood, and capable of a fine polish. The variety of uses to which it can be applied io this form will at once auggest themselves to the reader. Hitberto it bas heen made solely to produce floor cloth, for which it is well adupted. Carzonic acid bos been resolved hy Mr. Deville into an explosive mixture of carhonic oxide aad oxygen. Tbe traasformatioa was effected at 2,372° Fahreaheit. Nocrcrxat Growra or Puanta—M. Da chortre, af Paris, has recently heen making some careful comparative experiments designed to show the relative growth of plants by night and hy dny. It has generally been taken for granted that plonts grow more rapidly during the daytime, hut exact meaanrementa have not often been made, and the results of tha few hotanists who have given attention to this point are contradictory and snconclusive. M. Duehurtre made continuous observations daring the month of Augest of last year, upoa six plnnta, belonging to different families, nnd growing in the same aoil under normal conditions, hut without any special care. ‘The plants were a grape-vine, a hollyhock, a strawberry-vine, a hop-vine, nnd two varieties of glndiolas. ‘The elongation of each plant was nieasured three timea a day—at aix a. M. at noon, and six r.s. At each time of observation the general atmospheric conditions and the state of the thermometer wera noted. The result of the ohservations thua made was, with very few exceptioos, the growth hetween six P.M. and six A. 3f., was mach greater thao hetweeo six a.m. and six p. u. Io maoy iastances the elongation of the shoots during the night wes double or triple thot during the day. M. Duchartre offers at present no explanotioo of these phenomena, and does not ventore to affirm that what was troe of his six plants is troe of oll plants, at all seasons and in all stages of vegetation. He calls attention to facta which must be maltiplied heTore any general conclusions con he hased apoa them, and he arges all persona, io conditioo tn prosecnte auch researches, to accumulate observations for the elucidation of the law nf dioroal asd oocturnol growth. Brack Rary.— The Aherdeeo (Scotlond) Journal givea the following acconot of tbe black raio showera which are aow so well koowa in Scotland, and which scarcely necasion greater astooishmeot io the regioos where they occnr than would a soow storm io New England : Between the heginning of Jaooary, 1862, and the middle of January, 1866, there have heen no fewer than eight autheoticated hlack showers in Scotland. Seven nf these fell ia Slaios, and the extensive surrounding district. Two of them wero accompanied with pumice stones, some of the balls mensured eight to ten inchea in diameter, aud weighed upwards of a pound avoirdnopois. The first four, including the Carluke shower, and the eighth, were cntemporaneous with outbursts of Vesuvius, aod the intermediate three with those of Etna. But now, through the instrumentality of the Rev. Mr. Rust, of Slains, who was the first to draw general attentioo to the Scottish ahowers, it haa beeo discovered that Englaod gets her share, likewise, of black showers, although ahe did oot think that she was so distingnished. Oo the 3d of May, of the preseot gear (1866), the towa of Birmingham, and the surrounding country, were twice, for three-quarters of an hour, each time, eoveloped with hlack clouds producing darkness and roio. Accideots took place io the atreets, vehicles were upset, gaa bad to he lighted at some of the crossiogs, aod nearly ia all places of business. Mr. Rust, writing for information, got inquiries instituted, and the result is found to he that a large quantity of black rain, similar to the Scottish, fell, and hlackened rain water io taoks, aod clothes on greens, aot only in Birmingham itselt, hut at rural places inany miles distant, onaffected by soot and smoke, aod eveo windward of thot town. So laras known, however, no word has yet arrived of any volcanic outhurst, although, judgiog Irom what has taken place in Scotland, a probahility exists that some volcano haa beeo in a state of activity, emitting its coateats, whether it he heard of or oot. STENOORAPHY AgAPTED TO HesRew.—Successful attempts bave been made io Germaoy to apply Arend’s syatem of stenography to Hehrew. Verbatim reporta of speechea delivered in that ancient language have already heea made at Luxembourg. SomeTHiNoO NEW 1X PsoToorapay.—lIt has been discovered that simple pressure of raised surface upoa a sensitized photographie plate will produce an image. The whole is performed in the dark, and mechanical means thus made to produce the same effects os light. Tis Botanists or Europe, taking advantage of the International Horticultnral Exhibitioa in London, have come together iv a Botanical Congress, wbich is presided over hy the fa. mous Caudole.

—— The Blining and Scientific Press. 99 Where the conditions ora anything like favorable 03 nt Badger Hill, Relief Hill, Moore's Flat and other points, ${0 per day may he coosidered a low average, even ot hydraulic woshing at Columbia Hill, where they aro embarrassed for the want of a sufficient ootlet for their tailings, the claims have puid in tho gross, a3 1 was informed, principnily hy the owners, from $2,000 to $f2,000 per mouth, . and havo netted frum $5 to $15 per day to the man ; and in certain instances have runns high a3 $40 per day. Some better idea of their true worth inuy be formed from the amnant paid monthly by sone of the leading claims for water alone. Claim of Mr. Wm. Weighel obout $3,500; Woods & Co. $1,f00; Nixon . & Co. $3,000; Nichola & Co. $3,000 The claims of Nottall & Co. and Trude & Co.,are paying similar amounts. When it is remembered that these componies are but skimming off the upper and poorer strata, ond leaving the temptinzly rich atores uearer the bed rock fortuturo operations, requiring much larger oatluys of capital, the result is truly astonishing. ‘I'hese immense gold deposita, mony miles square, and in places not fess than 340 feet lecp—suid to be capable of alfurding profitable employmont for seventyfive companies—lying, ng they evidently do, at the junction of two distinct chasnels ; the one coming in from the direction of Moore's Flat, the other from Grizzly I1ill, where the blue gravel mukea its nppearanco, cannot bo searched uid advantngeously worked except hy means of large tunuels, handreds if not thousands of feet in length, to be cut throagh the hardest class of slute or granite, from the banks of the South Yuba, ond that too at great cost; which, however, must cnnsequently nfford a large field for the investment af capital, with the olmost certain promise of both apeedy and profitable returns. ‘The same muy he said, with a little quatification, perbops, of Cherokee, three milea west,oud Lake City, North Bloomfield and other points to the east, tbe details concerning which must he omitted, os this letter has already grown quite too long. At Woolsey’s Flat, near tho most oortheastern point of the section described, Messra. Mills, Reid, Shalto, Wells and others, are said to be doing well, while at. Moore's, the locality from which I uow write, there are several claims considered very valuable; one ot least, belonging to Mr. J. M. Hickey, paying os high os $40,000 in @ aingle seasoo; and being in most respects similar to those of Columbia Hill and Nortb Bloomfield, but laboring uoder less impediments as regards an outlet, and genernily possessing greater present facilities for advantageous working. Interesting stotis tics concerning tbese places,I should have heen plensed to record, but lor the same reason already ossigned must forhear, being limited to ooe general atatement which in itself apeaks volumes for their past prosperity, inspiring hope and confidence for the future. Mr. W. D. Loog, a large and successful operator in the mines hore, assured me that tbe gold yield, tbe greater portion of which bad passed through the Baoking House of Marks & Co., had averaged. during the past ten years, ia the oeighhorbood of $1,000,000 per annuta. Ag Orleaos Flat, one of the chiel sources af aupply, has heen in a measure worked out, the amount has now fallen a little short, but will probahly reach, the ensuiog aeasoo, some $600,000 or inore. . Hoping that this place may continue for long years to pour forth its glittcriog streams into the great arteries of trado, after first gladdeoing the hearts of many here, and that the prospects of my frieod Moore, of the Moore’s Flut Hotel, who, io the douhle capacity of both landlord and lawyer, seems to handie a brief or bill of fore with equal grace, and to give full satisfaction alike to guest or client, inay continue to grow more aad more flattering, I suhscrihe myself, as ever, a Prospector. Moore’s Flat, Aogust 1st, 1866. Ir our readers will consult their maps of South America, and trace up the coarse of tho gigaotic river Amazon, they will find one af ita priocipal, perhaps its most important affluent, to he the river Ucayali, whicb rises amoog tbe Andes of Peru. It is a long and, in its lower part, a hroad and wide stream. Its honks are occupied here and there by Iadians, some of whom are partially civilized, and who do a little io the way of commerce. This is carried 00 with the towns lower down tbe river, or on the Amazon proper, through means, oot of boats or steamers, but rafts of light wood, 00 which are placed hates of cinchona bark, froia which the medicioe koown as quinine is made, bales of deer skins, sacks of inaize, ete. ‘Ihe Indians are fond of pets, auch as monkcys, parrots, ete., and almost invariably have a collection of them oo their rafts—each one of which, with its wild owner and his acarcely less wild companioos, is a real curiosity—a traveling menagerie. Tr yoa have but ordinary capacity, aad wilf set to work with heart and soul, aad stick to it, you caa do almost anything. Scientific Miscellany. ALCOHOL AND ITS PROPERTIES. Thero ore vorions kinds of alcohol. Common vinic alcohol is prodeced by tho fermentotion of any saccharine matter, and constitutes the intoxicuting principle of all “ spirituous liquors.” ‘Vhe proportino of alcohol in brandy is abunt 53 per cent.; in rum, 42; in whisky, 59; in port or sherry wine, ahout 21; in ale, 10 to 1] ; in cider, 6 to 7. {t is very difficult to obtain o perfectly pure alechol, on accoant of tne strong nffinity which it has for water. It cannot he obtuined by distillation, except in the presenco of some substance which lias o stronger nffinity for water than it hns itself, The proof spirits of commerce contains but 48 per cent. of nbso‘. lute alcohol; rectified spirits, 83 per cent. _ Pure alcohol is very mobile ; hence it is esed in spirit levels. It never freezes, even in the most intense cold; hence it is used ia thermometers for low temperatures. It is very inflammable. Powder, when wet with underproof spirits, will not explode, oo account of the woter present with the nlcohol; when wet with pare nleohol it explodes readily, showing the absence of water ond the proof of the alcohol. Pure alcohol is exceedingly volotile, und if ponred into a jar ol oxygeo gas, forms a powerfully explosive vapor. It is burning and dry ta the taste, owing to its power of rapidly ahstracting moisture from the tongue, or any other animal tissue. It does not cooduct electricity. A singular mode of concentrating alcohol is sometimes employed, founded npon the ahovementiooed fact that it will oot moisten animal tissue. If a hladder, filled with 90 per cent. alcohol, he hing up for a few days io o worm room, it will he found to hove increosed its per centage from 90to 97. The water has permeated the bladder and evaporated from the outside ; hut as tho alcohol will oot moisten the tissue of tbe bladder, it caooot get through, and consequeotly remaina hcehind freed from 7 of the 10 per ceot. of water which it cootained. When the alcohol of commerce is exposed to the air, it gradually ahsorhs oxygen, aod acetic and other ocids are formed. Under the influence of these acids it loses aa atom of woter, aod compounds are formed called ethers. Upon this principle ethers are manufactured, varying according to the acid employed. ‘The uses of alcohol in chemistry ond pharmacy, are numerous and importont. Its manvfacture is one of the most importaot arts, aod forms the hasis of a greot oomher of the other marofactures. Alcohol consists of carhon, hydrogeo and oxygeo. Its formula is C*# H® O?. Tue Iriaoscore is the aame given to a oew instrument which has recently heeo invented, and by the aid of which ao individual is able to see all that is going on in his owo eye. It is simply aa opaque shell to cover the eye, pierced io the centre with a very small hole. On looking through steodfastly at the sky, or ut any diffused light, tho observer may watch the tears streamiag over the glohe of the eye, and aote the dilation and cootraction of the the iris, aod even sce tbe aqueous humor pouredin whea the eye ia fatigued by a long ohservation. It is needless to aay that with the aid of this instrumeat a mao caa eosily fiod out whether he bas a cataract or not. If he hoa, he will only see a aort of veil coveriog the luminous disk which is seea hy a healthy eye. The instrament is certainly aimple aad curious, and will no doubt excite attentioo in those who are aoxious to kaow more of themselves. Aa “iridoscope” that will give a very good idea of what a more perfect instrument cau accomplish, may be readily extemporized hy making a bole with a fine needle in

the bottom of a small pill-box. Guass.—By carefully attackiog glass with hydrofluoric acid microspopic crystals nre developed, whieh proves that we are not yet acquaiuted with,the trae composition of thia suhstaace. The crystals vary with differeat glasses. Cumots Errecrs on tar Vision.— Saotolina” is the hatanical name of a flowering plant found in the south of Murope,an extract af the Howers of which is sometimes nsed ns o vermifuge to drive oway insects from wardrobes. ‘Iho flower itself, when dried, is sometinies sold as a substitute for camomile. The juico of the plant hna sometimes been opplied as o remedy for weak eyes, Quito rerecently it has been ascertained that the acid, known ns snotonic acid, on extract from the flowers of this plant, produces a most singular effect upon the organs of vision, when taken inwardly. .A Puris phyaician hua discovered that when n dose of eight or ten centigrammes hus been taken, a speciea of intoxicotion is produced, during which all ohjects seen appear to be yellow ; when a stronger dose is administered, everything assumes a violet-colored hoe! This remarkable property has induced M. I. Rose, the chemist, to mako some examinations into the character of this acid, hy means of the aolor spectrum. The resolta of these exominations have not yct, so far as we have learned, heen fully communicated to the public; possibly they have oot yet been fully completed to the satisfactioo of the experimenter. Chromatism ond achromatiam, aa applied to ihe vision, are not yet fully understood. It is well koown that they may he modified bya variety of circumstaoces, and hove not yet heen subjected to any general law. An iovestigatioo into the aingular effects above described, of this well known extract of saniolina, oiay poasihly lead to some important discoveries with regard to the visual organs. Waar we Eat.— Chemistry oiakes aome queer revelations. Take, for isstance, the commoo orticle of tahle-salt, ooe of the few things io nnture which is considered ahsolutely essential to ourexistence. Salt isa compovod of one atom of the metal sodiom, and ooe atom of a, greeoish yellow gas called chlorice. Sodium is the daogeronsly active compouod with which miners have of late hecome so fauoiliar, hy reason of its forming a valuahle amalgam with quicksilver. A small quaotity of this metol, when placed oo the surface of water, and kept in one position for an instant, produces a violent explosion. If you place a few groioa of it in contact with two or three oances of quicksilver,aod warm the quicksilver a little, ao explosioo will follow as loud as the report of a pistol, producing a volume of flame like the explosion of guavowder. It is a dangerous experiment to try. The resnlt is a compouod metal nearly as bard as hlock tin. This sodium,as we have already aaid, is oae of the equivalents of salt; the other equivaleot is chlorine gas, oae of the most powerfully corrosive gases known. This gas dissolves gold. Now, when you have eaten fifty-eight ouacea of salt (and it doa’t take a very loag time for a persua to coosume that much), you have taken into your stomach twenty-three ounces of sodium, and thirty-five ounces of chlorioe gas! Some people will coosume nearly or quite a full ounce of salt every day—that ia, a little over one-third of an ounce of sodium aad a little less than two-thirds of an ounce of chlorine gas combined. Aun iofioitesimal part of either, taken separately, would produce ioataat death. Tanotztum.—A suhstance is now being manafactured from flaxseed called linoleum. It is said that it will supersede Iadia rubher— which it very much resembles, aod of which it poasesses most of the properties—in the voriova manufactures nf water-proof clothing. It caa be used for the coating of iroa or wood, or for coatiog ship bottoms. It is as good as commoa cement, having properties similar to the marine glue made from India rubber aod shellac. It is readily vulcanized hy exposure to heat, and hy this means becomes as hard as the hardest wood, and capable of a fine polish. The variety of uses to which it can be applied io this form will at once auggest themselves to the reader. Hitberto it bas heen made solely to produce floor cloth, for which it is well adupted. Carzonic acid bos been resolved hy Mr. Deville into an explosive mixture of carhonic oxide aad oxygen. Tbe traasformatioa was effected at 2,372° Fahreaheit. Nocrcrxat Growra or Puanta—M. Da chortre, af Paris, has recently heen making some careful comparative experiments designed to show the relative growth of plants by night and hy dny. It has generally been taken for granted that plonts grow more rapidly during the daytime, hut exact meaanrementa have not often been made, and the results of tha few hotanists who have given attention to this point are contradictory and snconclusive. M. Duehurtre made continuous observations daring the month of Augest of last year, upoa six plnnta, belonging to different families, nnd growing in the same aoil under normal conditions, hut without any special care. ‘The plants were a grape-vine, a hollyhock, a strawberry-vine, a hop-vine, nnd two varieties of glndiolas. ‘The elongation of each plant was nieasured three timea a day—at aix a. M. at noon, and six r.s. At each time of observation the general atmospheric conditions and the state of the thermometer wera noted. The result of the ohservations thua made was, with very few exceptioos, the growth hetween six P.M. and six A. 3f., was mach greater thao hetweeo six a.m. and six p. u. Io maoy iastances the elongation of the shoots during the night wes double or triple thot during the day. M. Duchartre offers at present no explanotioo of these phenomena, and does not ventore to affirm that what was troe of his six plants is troe of oll plants, at all seasons and in all stages of vegetation. He calls attention to facta which must be maltiplied heTore any general conclusions con he hased apoa them, and he arges all persona, io conditioo tn prosecnte auch researches, to accumulate observations for the elucidation of the law nf dioroal asd oocturnol growth. Brack Rary.— The Aherdeeo (Scotlond) Journal givea the following acconot of tbe black raio showera which are aow so well koowa in Scotland, and which scarcely necasion greater astooishmeot io the regioos where they occnr than would a soow storm io New England : Between the heginning of Jaooary, 1862, and the middle of January, 1866, there have heen no fewer than eight autheoticated hlack showers in Scotland. Seven nf these fell ia Slaios, and the extensive surrounding district. Two of them wero accompanied with pumice stones, some of the balls mensured eight to ten inchea in diameter, aud weighed upwards of a pound avoirdnopois. The first four, including the Carluke shower, and the eighth, were cntemporaneous with outbursts of Vesuvius, aod the intermediate three with those of Etna. But now, through the instrumentality of the Rev. Mr. Rust, of Slains, who was the first to draw general attentioo to the Scottish ahowers, it haa beeo discovered that Englaod gets her share, likewise, of black showers, although ahe did oot think that she was so distingnished. Oo the 3d of May, of the preseot gear (1866), the towa of Birmingham, and the surrounding country, were twice, for three-quarters of an hour, each time, eoveloped with hlack clouds producing darkness and roio. Accideots took place io the atreets, vehicles were upset, gaa bad to he lighted at some of the crossiogs, aod nearly ia all places of business. Mr. Rust, writing for information, got inquiries instituted, and the result is found to he that a large quantity of black rain, similar to the Scottish, fell, and hlackened rain water io taoks, aod clothes on greens, aot only in Birmingham itselt, hut at rural places inany miles distant, onaffected by soot and smoke, aod eveo windward of thot town. So laras known, however, no word has yet arrived of any volcanic outhurst, although, judgiog Irom what has taken place in Scotland, a probahility exists that some volcano haa beeo in a state of activity, emitting its coateats, whether it he heard of or oot. STENOORAPHY AgAPTED TO HesRew.—Successful attempts bave been made io Germaoy to apply Arend’s syatem of stenography to Hehrew. Verbatim reporta of speechea delivered in that ancient language have already heea made at Luxembourg. SomeTHiNoO NEW 1X PsoToorapay.—lIt has been discovered that simple pressure of raised surface upoa a sensitized photographie plate will produce an image. The whole is performed in the dark, and mechanical means thus made to produce the same effects os light. Tis Botanists or Europe, taking advantage of the International Horticultnral Exhibitioa in London, have come together iv a Botanical Congress, wbich is presided over hy the fa. mous Caudole.