Volume 17 (1868) (428 pages)

The Mining and Scientific Press, Zoo Mechanical. jramah, Maudslay, Clements, Nasmyth, Whitworth. These five names, in their order, serve to »oint Ont as many steps in the progressive mprovemcent ofacenrate machinery towards ts present state of exact perfection. An .rlicle in Cussells Magazine has the followng notice of the first named: It is said that he first person who invented labor-saviug maelines was Bramah, the maker of the patent lock. Ho fonnd it necessary to give he greatest exactness to every part of the vard and key. This he fonnd it diflicult to jo without employing the very hest workmen; and their charges were so exorbitant hat his invention was in a fair way of dropping ont of use. In this dilemma he was orced to turn his attention to the introdneion of machinery. The workshopin which he many elever contrivances to perform his work with speed were invented, may 1 said to have been the training-sclool for he early machinists whose labors bave vithin tbe present century built up the luechanical greatness of England. Accuney of machine-work before his day was itterly unknown. Watt had the greatest ifliculty in getting his first model of tbe team engine constrneted with sufficient ruth to work ; its cylinder was not hored, at hammered—and consequently was so perfect that it leaked in every direction ; nd, when his ‘“‘ old white-iron man” died, edespaired of obtaining another skilled aan. Even when he had obtained the rained workmen of the Soho Foundry, hoy fonnd a diflienlty at first iu constructng working-engines after his design. The ecuracy and quality of the best workmen f the day may he gauged by what be says j£the working of his steam engine: ‘*The elocity, violence, magnitude, and borrible joise of the engine give universal satisfacon to all hebolders—helievers or not.” Vhat a contrast this to the smooth, irre. istible, noiseless action of a steam engine f the present day, constructed with mathehatical accuracy and perfect finish ! . Maudslay was tbe inventor of tbe famous xed slide-rest. He was a journcyman who earnt his trade. with Bramah. Before its hvention, the turning-latbe depended for $ accuracy upon the steadiness of the hoscles of the workmen. If at any moment, \ turning a eyliuder, for instance, he ned heavier upon the tool than at anther, the whole work bad to be gone over gain. By simply fixing the turning tool, owever, this source of error was entirely jbviated, and mathematical accuracy ohnined. Clements also learned his trade in the jchool of Bramah. He invented the planing hacbine; without which no perfect plane anbe made. “The valne of such a mahine is incaleulable. Indeed, upon the fnth of the plane depends the whole valne /f{modern machinery, Of oldby chipping nd filing, an attempt to approach the plane vasmade, butof course perfect accuracy was ut of the question.” Clements invented the jfeam whistle, also. Nasmyth was a pupil of Mandslay. But or his steam hammer there would have leen no iron-clads, nor any of the monster anuon now built upon the coil system. Joseph Whitworth is the last and best hown of those who issned from the estabishment of Mandslay and Field. His ‘‘Jim row” planer which reverses itsolf, cutting oth backwards and forwards, his rifled un, and his machine for detecting varialons the one-milliouth part of au inch,— re fit results of the training which he unerwent in an establishment with such a istory. itis but little more than half a century ince the hand was all we had to depend pon in the world of mechanics. ‘If the eader wishes to measure the difference hetween the old work and the machine work of the present day, he has only to look down at the splendid specimen of Penn's marine engine on board the Warrior iren-clad. The perfection of the workmanship in this engine may bo estimated by the fact that, when its five thousand pieces wereassem bled together for the first time, such was the mathewatical acenracy of their fit that as soon as steanl was got up, ithegan to move with the utmost smoothness. Let the reader compare this splendid piece of work with the old Newcomen eugine in the South Kensington Museum, and be will at onee see the ages of mechanical genius we have traversed since Watt took the latter in hand, and by patient thonzht built up ont of it the present steam engine.” Enicsson’s Sonar Exainz.—c. H. Delamater writes to the Scientific American that he has recently witnessed the operation of one of Capt. Isriesson’s solar engines, It is ‘‘to be actuated by atmospheric air heated by tho direct intervention of concentrated solar beat.” The working piston of the model makes upward of 300 strokes per minute. He says: ‘Tho simplicity and moderate cost of the means devised to concentrate the solar heat are such that no practical dificulties present themselves to prevent the construction of solar engines of any desirahle power. Much might be cxpected from the versatility of the coustrnetor and his extraordinary mecbanical resonree; yet, the facility with which the radiant beat of the sun may be collected and concentrated from acres of surface, by the means contrived, will alike surprise and interest the mechauical and commercial community.” Tbe writer also translates a portion of a paper upon the subject read last spriug by Capt. I. hefore the Pbilosophical Faculty of the Swedish University of Lund. He does not describe the means by which he concentrates the solar heat; but says that his experiments have showu that the concentration on 100 square feet of surface is more than enough to develop one horsepower. He states also tbat he has constructed three engines,—one of which is actnated hy steam, tbe other two by air; the heat in botb cases heing solar heat. The writer couclndes by asserting that sneh progress is heing made, that before tbe close of the present season, bread will he prepared from flour ground by the power of one of these engines. Urinization oF Wastrt Heat,—Mr. J, Jones, I’. G. S., in a paper read before the British Association at Norwich, descrihes as follows the Newport furnace now in use in Middlesbro, England: ‘‘ A cbamber is built in the ordinary chimney stack, and in this are placed two cast-iron uprigbt pipes, witb a partition reaching nearly to the top of each. The waste gases from the furnace are diverted into the chamber by means of a damper, and raise the temperature of tbe iron pipestoa high degree. Through these pipes the air required for combustion of the fnel is drawn by means of a steam jet; the mixed air and steam heing conveyed to the furnace bridge, aud delivered there by a series of tuyeres; also a portion of the air is sent in lower dowu, underneath the bars of the grate, the ashi-pit being closed so that no air can Feach the furnace except that which has been heated to a temperature of ahont 500 degrees by the waste gases. By this means a regeuerative action is set up, and, it is found in practice, that the comhnstion of the fnelis nearly complete, the only smoke produced being at the time when beavy firing is goingon. The actnal results arrived at by the use of these appli-. ances, show the suving of from twenty-five to thirty per cent. of fnel as compared with the operation of the furnaces of ordinary construction. In the working of several of these furuaces with grey forge irou, six heats per day, the quantity of coal used in producing a ton of puddled iron, has been reduced to 16 cwt., and less; ordinary fnruaces, working under similar conditions, using from 22 to 23 ewt, to produce similar results, In proportion as refined irou or Selentific Misecllany. Wastaromix.—Holm has given the results of bis experiments upon this swbstance. Tbe source whence ho obtained it was the corpora lutea from the ovary of the cow. These were rubbed to a fine pulp with pounded glass; this pulp was tben placed in a flask with cbloroform, and allowed to stand for several days, being frequently agitated. Upon filtration, a deep gold-yellow solntion was obtained, which on spontaneous evaporation, left a semifinid yellowish-red fatty mass. The fat was evidently a solvent of thé haematoidin, since it was not until after some days that crystullization hegan. As it proceeded, the fat gave up its coloring matter to the crystal, leaviug finally single and nearly colorless fat drops, each of which contained a small bnt very heantifully defined hzematoidin erystal. If the formation of tbese crystals be watched nnder the microscope witb a power of 150 diameters, they will first be seen as acute threo-sided tables, one of the sides being frequently curved. Generally, two of these triangular crystals unite by tbeir bases, thus giving the rhombic table, so characteristic of hematoidin, Sometimes there is an indentation at the obtnse angle of tbe rhomh, into which other pairs of twins may grow, producing four pointed stars. Abd these, by tbe filling in of their reéntering angles, pass into square tables, which increase in thickness and resemble enbes. The ohtuse angle of the rbomb, too, is often rounded. Heematoidin is one of the most beautiful substances known to organic chemistry, resemhling murexid very closely. By reflected light, perfect crystals show a magnificent cantbarides green color, and a mettallic luster; by transmitted light they appear red. If not too thick, tbe crystals, as viewed under the microscope, seem to be a pute magenta red; and a number of crystals irregularly aggregated together sbow a ricb blue or violet tint. . Hiematoidin is very readily soluhle in chloroform, giving a gold-yellow solution; and in carbonic disnlphide with a flame-red color, or orange if greatly diluted. ‘Less soluble in ahsolnte ether, not at all in absolute alcohol and water, nor in ammonia, sodic hydrate, dilute mineral acids (nonoxidizing) or dilute acetic acid, Dr. George Barker gives a notice of these experiments in Silliman’s Journal for September, Anrrirtieran Carron Poinrs.—Mr. F. Carre has made pencils of artificial coal, the illuminating power of which, by the aid of electricity, has heen tound much superior to that obtained from the coal supplied from the glass works. To make this substitute he takes various kinds of sea-coal and charcoal reduced to impalpable powder, and then washed in acids; tbey are next ground with fine oilsmixed with resins; lastly, subjected to a powerful pressure, strongly agglomerating them into prisms or cylinders, which are subsequently calcined in close vessels at a white heat. By addition of iron or antimony ‘the electric power is considerably increased. Kansas Fossin Rerrinr.—At a recent meeting of the Philadelphia Academy of Scieuces, Prof. I. D. Cope exhibited several fragments of a large Enaliosaur found at Fort Wallace, Kausas. About thirty-two feet of the vertebral column of this specimen bas heen recovered, besides several ribs, the greater part of the pelvis, and two long bones. The length of the animal is estimated at thirty-eight feet. It was a mariue saurian, allied to tbe Plesiosaurus, and of the Cretaceous Age. Tue Eexirsr.—it is announced by telegraph that tbe German expedition to Adeu, Avabia, is bringing home six photographic views of the recent total eclipse of the suu. Other expeditions which bave heen heard from, report spectroscopic observations of the most remarkable character. AnoTHER New Puaner.—lIt is announced tbat Dr. C. H. F. Peters discovered a uew planet on August 24th, while at the Obseryatory of Hamilton College, Clinton, New lower qualities of pig iron are introduced, . York. -It isin the constellation Pisces, and the proportion of fuel reqnired decreases is now equal to a star of the eleventh magconsiderably,” nitude, Prov. TynpaLtn on Matrrranisu.—In his address before the British Association in Augnst, Prof. Tyudail made use of the following language: ‘‘Altbough I think that the materialist will be able finally to maintain the position that thought, as exercised by us, has its correlative in the physics of the brain, I do not think he is entitled to say that his molecular groupings and his molecular motions explain everything. In reality they explain nothing. Tbe ntmost be can aflirm is the association of two elasses of plicnomena of whose real bond of union be is in absolute ignotance. The problem of tbe connection of bodyand soul is as insolvable in its modern form as it was in the pre-scientific ages. If you ask bim whence is this ‘‘ matter” of which we bavo been discoursing, who or what divided it into molecules, who or what impressed upon them the necessity of running into organic forms, be bas no answer. Science is mute in reply to these questions, Perhaps the mystery may resolve itself into knowledge at some future day. The process of things upon tbis earth has been one of amelioration. Itis 2 long way from the Iguanodon and his contemporaries to tbe president and members of the British Association. And whether we regard the improvement from the scientific or from tbe theological point of view, as the result of progressive development, or the result of successive exbibitions of creative energy, neither view entitles us to assume that man’s present faculties end the series—that the process of amelioration stops at him. A time may therefore come when this ultra-scientific region by which we are now enfolded may offer itself to terrestrial, if not to human investigation. Two-thirds of the rays emitted by the sun fail to arouse in the eye the sense of vision. The rays exist, but the visual organ requisite for their translation into light does not exist. Andso from this region of darkuess and mystery whicb surrounds us, rays may now be darting which require but the developmeut of the proper intellectual organs to translate them into knowledge, as far surpassing onrs, as ours does that of tbe wallowing reptiles which once held possession of this planet.” Tar Watt's Foop—Conor oF THE ARctro Sra.—Mr. Brown read a paper before the Botanical Society of Edinhurgh, giving tbe results of his researches in the Arctic Seas from 1860 to 1867, He expressed the opinion that the deep green color of certain portions of those seas, described hy Hudsou and Scoreshy, is due to immense multitudes of minute silicious diatomucers which furnish the entire subsistence of the Balenamysticetus, one of the largest of the whales. Thus, an animal which, fnll-grown weighs about one hundred tons, being in fact ‘‘ the most gigantic of living animals, is dependent for its existence on a being so small that it takes hundreds, massed together, to be visible to the naked eye.” A New Apxanor.—M. Rosentiehl has discovered a new alkaloid, isomeric with toluidine, a substance contained in aniline of the shops, aud which crystallizes readily. There is, however, another toluidine which is nearly liquid, aud yields, with arsenic acid, a red coloring matter, analogous to fuchsine. It boils at 190 degrees Centigrade, aud if cooled to freezing point, a single drop of water will suffice to determine the solidification of a large portion of it. This proves to be the common sort; but the remaining liquid still possesses the properties of the other kind, thongh it yields a smaller proportion of the new red coloring matter, The discoverer proposes calling it provisionally pseudo-toluidine. Tur Dana NarornaL History Socrery.— The object of this society is ‘‘to awaken and extend among the people generally, and especially among the women of our conutry, a greater love for tbe.stndy of nature.” The first chapter was organized about a year ago, in Ripley Female College, at Poultney, Vermont. Since that time, eighteen additional chapters have been organized in different parts of the conntry. A wew Screntivic AssocriaTION.—An orgauization similar to the British Social Science Association, is projected in our Western States. A call fora meeting at Chicago on November 10th, has been signed by a large number of professional men and others. It will be called the Western Social Science Association.

The Mining and Scientific Press, Zoo Mechanical. jramah, Maudslay, Clements, Nasmyth, Whitworth. These five names, in their order, serve to »oint Ont as many steps in the progressive mprovemcent ofacenrate machinery towards ts present state of exact perfection. An .rlicle in Cussells Magazine has the followng notice of the first named: It is said that he first person who invented labor-saviug maelines was Bramah, the maker of the patent lock. Ho fonnd it necessary to give he greatest exactness to every part of the vard and key. This he fonnd it diflicult to jo without employing the very hest workmen; and their charges were so exorbitant hat his invention was in a fair way of dropping ont of use. In this dilemma he was orced to turn his attention to the introdneion of machinery. The workshopin which he many elever contrivances to perform his work with speed were invented, may 1 said to have been the training-sclool for he early machinists whose labors bave vithin tbe present century built up the luechanical greatness of England. Accuney of machine-work before his day was itterly unknown. Watt had the greatest ifliculty in getting his first model of tbe team engine constrneted with sufficient ruth to work ; its cylinder was not hored, at hammered—and consequently was so perfect that it leaked in every direction ; nd, when his ‘“‘ old white-iron man” died, edespaired of obtaining another skilled aan. Even when he had obtained the rained workmen of the Soho Foundry, hoy fonnd a diflienlty at first iu constructng working-engines after his design. The ecuracy and quality of the best workmen f the day may he gauged by what be says j£the working of his steam engine: ‘*The elocity, violence, magnitude, and borrible joise of the engine give universal satisfacon to all hebolders—helievers or not.” Vhat a contrast this to the smooth, irre. istible, noiseless action of a steam engine f the present day, constructed with mathehatical accuracy and perfect finish ! . Maudslay was tbe inventor of tbe famous xed slide-rest. He was a journcyman who earnt his trade. with Bramah. Before its hvention, the turning-latbe depended for $ accuracy upon the steadiness of the hoscles of the workmen. If at any moment, \ turning a eyliuder, for instance, he ned heavier upon the tool than at anther, the whole work bad to be gone over gain. By simply fixing the turning tool, owever, this source of error was entirely jbviated, and mathematical accuracy ohnined. Clements also learned his trade in the jchool of Bramah. He invented the planing hacbine; without which no perfect plane anbe made. “The valne of such a mahine is incaleulable. Indeed, upon the fnth of the plane depends the whole valne /f{modern machinery, Of oldby chipping nd filing, an attempt to approach the plane vasmade, butof course perfect accuracy was ut of the question.” Clements invented the jfeam whistle, also. Nasmyth was a pupil of Mandslay. But or his steam hammer there would have leen no iron-clads, nor any of the monster anuon now built upon the coil system. Joseph Whitworth is the last and best hown of those who issned from the estabishment of Mandslay and Field. His ‘‘Jim row” planer which reverses itsolf, cutting oth backwards and forwards, his rifled un, and his machine for detecting varialons the one-milliouth part of au inch,— re fit results of the training which he unerwent in an establishment with such a istory. itis but little more than half a century ince the hand was all we had to depend pon in the world of mechanics. ‘If the eader wishes to measure the difference hetween the old work and the machine work of the present day, he has only to look down at the splendid specimen of Penn's marine engine on board the Warrior iren-clad. The perfection of the workmanship in this engine may bo estimated by the fact that, when its five thousand pieces wereassem bled together for the first time, such was the mathewatical acenracy of their fit that as soon as steanl was got up, ithegan to move with the utmost smoothness. Let the reader compare this splendid piece of work with the old Newcomen eugine in the South Kensington Museum, and be will at onee see the ages of mechanical genius we have traversed since Watt took the latter in hand, and by patient thonzht built up ont of it the present steam engine.” Enicsson’s Sonar Exainz.—c. H. Delamater writes to the Scientific American that he has recently witnessed the operation of one of Capt. Isriesson’s solar engines, It is ‘‘to be actuated by atmospheric air heated by tho direct intervention of concentrated solar beat.” The working piston of the model makes upward of 300 strokes per minute. He says: ‘Tho simplicity and moderate cost of the means devised to concentrate the solar heat are such that no practical dificulties present themselves to prevent the construction of solar engines of any desirahle power. Much might be cxpected from the versatility of the coustrnetor and his extraordinary mecbanical resonree; yet, the facility with which the radiant beat of the sun may be collected and concentrated from acres of surface, by the means contrived, will alike surprise and interest the mechauical and commercial community.” Tbe writer also translates a portion of a paper upon the subject read last spriug by Capt. I. hefore the Pbilosophical Faculty of the Swedish University of Lund. He does not describe the means by which he concentrates the solar heat; but says that his experiments have showu that the concentration on 100 square feet of surface is more than enough to develop one horsepower. He states also tbat he has constructed three engines,—one of which is actnated hy steam, tbe other two by air; the heat in botb cases heing solar heat. The writer couclndes by asserting that sneh progress is heing made, that before tbe close of the present season, bread will he prepared from flour ground by the power of one of these engines. Urinization oF Wastrt Heat,—Mr. J, Jones, I’. G. S., in a paper read before the British Association at Norwich, descrihes as follows the Newport furnace now in use in Middlesbro, England: ‘‘ A cbamber is built in the ordinary chimney stack, and in this are placed two cast-iron uprigbt pipes, witb a partition reaching nearly to the top of each. The waste gases from the furnace are diverted into the chamber by means of a damper, and raise the temperature of tbe iron pipestoa high degree. Through these pipes the air required for combustion of the fnel is drawn by means of a steam jet; the mixed air and steam heing conveyed to the furnace bridge, aud delivered there by a series of tuyeres; also a portion of the air is sent in lower dowu, underneath the bars of the grate, the ashi-pit being closed so that no air can Feach the furnace except that which has been heated to a temperature of ahont 500 degrees by the waste gases. By this means a regeuerative action is set up, and, it is found in practice, that the comhnstion of the fnelis nearly complete, the only smoke produced being at the time when beavy firing is goingon. The actnal results arrived at by the use of these appli-. ances, show the suving of from twenty-five to thirty per cent. of fnel as compared with the operation of the furnaces of ordinary construction. In the working of several of these furuaces with grey forge irou, six heats per day, the quantity of coal used in producing a ton of puddled iron, has been reduced to 16 cwt., and less; ordinary fnruaces, working under similar conditions, using from 22 to 23 ewt, to produce similar results, In proportion as refined irou or Selentific Misecllany. Wastaromix.—Holm has given the results of bis experiments upon this swbstance. Tbe source whence ho obtained it was the corpora lutea from the ovary of

the cow. These were rubbed to a fine pulp with pounded glass; this pulp was tben placed in a flask with cbloroform, and allowed to stand for several days, being frequently agitated. Upon filtration, a deep gold-yellow solntion was obtained, which on spontaneous evaporation, left a semifinid yellowish-red fatty mass. The fat was evidently a solvent of thé haematoidin, since it was not until after some days that crystullization hegan. As it proceeded, the fat gave up its coloring matter to the crystal, leaviug finally single and nearly colorless fat drops, each of which contained a small bnt very heantifully defined hzematoidin erystal. If the formation of tbese crystals be watched nnder the microscope witb a power of 150 diameters, they will first be seen as acute threo-sided tables, one of the sides being frequently curved. Generally, two of these triangular crystals unite by tbeir bases, thus giving the rhombic table, so characteristic of hematoidin, Sometimes there is an indentation at the obtnse angle of tbe rhomh, into which other pairs of twins may grow, producing four pointed stars. Abd these, by tbe filling in of their reéntering angles, pass into square tables, which increase in thickness and resemble enbes. The ohtuse angle of the rbomb, too, is often rounded. Heematoidin is one of the most beautiful substances known to organic chemistry, resemhling murexid very closely. By reflected light, perfect crystals show a magnificent cantbarides green color, and a mettallic luster; by transmitted light they appear red. If not too thick, tbe crystals, as viewed under the microscope, seem to be a pute magenta red; and a number of crystals irregularly aggregated together sbow a ricb blue or violet tint. . Hiematoidin is very readily soluhle in chloroform, giving a gold-yellow solution; and in carbonic disnlphide with a flame-red color, or orange if greatly diluted. ‘Less soluble in ahsolnte ether, not at all in absolute alcohol and water, nor in ammonia, sodic hydrate, dilute mineral acids (nonoxidizing) or dilute acetic acid, Dr. George Barker gives a notice of these experiments in Silliman’s Journal for September, Anrrirtieran Carron Poinrs.—Mr. F. Carre has made pencils of artificial coal, the illuminating power of which, by the aid of electricity, has heen tound much superior to that obtained from the coal supplied from the glass works. To make this substitute he takes various kinds of sea-coal and charcoal reduced to impalpable powder, and then washed in acids; tbey are next ground with fine oilsmixed with resins; lastly, subjected to a powerful pressure, strongly agglomerating them into prisms or cylinders, which are subsequently calcined in close vessels at a white heat. By addition of iron or antimony ‘the electric power is considerably increased. Kansas Fossin Rerrinr.—At a recent meeting of the Philadelphia Academy of Scieuces, Prof. I. D. Cope exhibited several fragments of a large Enaliosaur found at Fort Wallace, Kausas. About thirty-two feet of the vertebral column of this specimen bas heen recovered, besides several ribs, the greater part of the pelvis, and two long bones. The length of the animal is estimated at thirty-eight feet. It was a mariue saurian, allied to tbe Plesiosaurus, and of the Cretaceous Age. Tue Eexirsr.—it is announced by telegraph that tbe German expedition to Adeu, Avabia, is bringing home six photographic views of the recent total eclipse of the suu. Other expeditions which bave heen heard from, report spectroscopic observations of the most remarkable character. AnoTHER New Puaner.—lIt is announced tbat Dr. C. H. F. Peters discovered a uew planet on August 24th, while at the Obseryatory of Hamilton College, Clinton, New lower qualities of pig iron are introduced, . York. -It isin the constellation Pisces, and the proportion of fuel reqnired decreases is now equal to a star of the eleventh magconsiderably,” nitude, Prov. TynpaLtn on Matrrranisu.—In his address before the British Association in Augnst, Prof. Tyudail made use of the following language: ‘‘Altbough I think that the materialist will be able finally to maintain the position that thought, as exercised by us, has its correlative in the physics of the brain, I do not think he is entitled to say that his molecular groupings and his molecular motions explain everything. In reality they explain nothing. Tbe ntmost be can aflirm is the association of two elasses of plicnomena of whose real bond of union be is in absolute ignotance. The problem of tbe connection of bodyand soul is as insolvable in its modern form as it was in the pre-scientific ages. If you ask bim whence is this ‘‘ matter” of which we bavo been discoursing, who or what divided it into molecules, who or what impressed upon them the necessity of running into organic forms, be bas no answer. Science is mute in reply to these questions, Perhaps the mystery may resolve itself into knowledge at some future day. The process of things upon tbis earth has been one of amelioration. Itis 2 long way from the Iguanodon and his contemporaries to tbe president and members of the British Association. And whether we regard the improvement from the scientific or from tbe theological point of view, as the result of progressive development, or the result of successive exbibitions of creative energy, neither view entitles us to assume that man’s present faculties end the series—that the process of amelioration stops at him. A time may therefore come when this ultra-scientific region by which we are now enfolded may offer itself to terrestrial, if not to human investigation. Two-thirds of the rays emitted by the sun fail to arouse in the eye the sense of vision. The rays exist, but the visual organ requisite for their translation into light does not exist. Andso from this region of darkuess and mystery whicb surrounds us, rays may now be darting which require but the developmeut of the proper intellectual organs to translate them into knowledge, as far surpassing onrs, as ours does that of tbe wallowing reptiles which once held possession of this planet.” Tar Watt's Foop—Conor oF THE ARctro Sra.—Mr. Brown read a paper before the Botanical Society of Edinhurgh, giving tbe results of his researches in the Arctic Seas from 1860 to 1867, He expressed the opinion that the deep green color of certain portions of those seas, described hy Hudsou and Scoreshy, is due to immense multitudes of minute silicious diatomucers which furnish the entire subsistence of the Balenamysticetus, one of the largest of the whales. Thus, an animal which, fnll-grown weighs about one hundred tons, being in fact ‘‘ the most gigantic of living animals, is dependent for its existence on a being so small that it takes hundreds, massed together, to be visible to the naked eye.” A New Apxanor.—M. Rosentiehl has discovered a new alkaloid, isomeric with toluidine, a substance contained in aniline of the shops, aud which crystallizes readily. There is, however, another toluidine which is nearly liquid, aud yields, with arsenic acid, a red coloring matter, analogous to fuchsine. It boils at 190 degrees Centigrade, aud if cooled to freezing point, a single drop of water will suffice to determine the solidification of a large portion of it. This proves to be the common sort; but the remaining liquid still possesses the properties of the other kind, thongh it yields a smaller proportion of the new red coloring matter, The discoverer proposes calling it provisionally pseudo-toluidine. Tur Dana NarornaL History Socrery.— The object of this society is ‘‘to awaken and extend among the people generally, and especially among the women of our conutry, a greater love for tbe.stndy of nature.” The first chapter was organized about a year ago, in Ripley Female College, at Poultney, Vermont. Since that time, eighteen additional chapters have been organized in different parts of the conntry. A wew Screntivic AssocriaTION.—An orgauization similar to the British Social Science Association, is projected in our Western States. A call fora meeting at Chicago on November 10th, has been signed by a large number of professional men and others. It will be called the Western Social Science Association.