The Express.
London, England, 1867-01-21 00:00:00

BOUND AND PLAYS.

cint/ous meraummall.
The evening meetings of the members of the
Royal Institution commenced for the season on Friday,
on which occasion Dr. Tyndall delivered • lecture " On
Sounding and Sensitive Flames." The effect of certain
vibrations of the air in causing different dames to emit
musical sounds has been for some time past investigated
by Dr. Tyndall in the laboratory of the institution, and
manyof the curious results of his investigations werestated
on } riday evening. It is well known that, when a tube is
placed over a flame, under certain circumstances, a musi-
cal sound is produced, which is louder or sharper accord-
mg to thelength of the tube and the size of the dame. This
effect is produced by the vibratory action of the air as it
is heated and passes over the dame through the tube.
Several experiments were shown to illustrute this action.
A gas flame introduced into • tin tube three feet long pro-
duced a rich musical note ; when introduced into a tube
six feet long the note was an octave deeper, and in a tub*
15 feet long the sound became extraordinarily loud. By
varying the size of the flame the tubes might be made to
emit harmonic sounds, the musical notes rising in pitch as
the tubes diminished in length. The flames, when thus
causing the emission of sounds, are separated into nume-
rous tongues of fire, as was shown by the reflection on a
screen of dame thus vibrating, the vibrations consisting
of • series of partial extinctions sad revivals of the flame.
Many very curious illustrations were given of the sensitive-
ness of flames to musical sounds. Flames variously dis-
posed over tubes and bells burned without any
sound until • sympathetic note was struck, and
then they darted into action, producing the
same musical sound. It is immaterial what instrument is
employed to sound the note ; whether it be • tuning-fork
or the human voice, the dame responds to the sympathetic,
note; and it was very curious to observe that the flame,
after having been called to without effect several times,
instantly responded and continued sounding when the note
with which it was in unison was uttered. After illustrating
the sounding of dames when in connexion with tubes, Dr.
Tyndall proceeded to show how naked dames may be simi-
larly affected by vibrations of the air. A gas flame moved
to and fro near a tuning-fork mounted on a resonant case
exhibited merely a continuous band of light, but imme-
diately the tuning-fork was sounded the band of light broke
up into a eerier of distinct images of dame. The fiat dame
from a fish-tail gas-burner was brought over a glass tube
in which • dame was sounding, and the fish-tail dame in-
stantly emitted a musical note of the same pitch ss that of
the singing flame, but of a different quality. In another
experiment • current of air issuing from • thin slit was
made to impinge against a brat last's-wing gas flame, when
a musical note was emitted. A jet of air from • blow-
pipe was urged through the flame of • candle thereby pro-
ducing an incipient flutter, and when in that sensitive
state &whistle was sounded the flame jumped. The expe-
riment was repeated with a gas dame from • fish-tail
burner with still more remarkable effect. With a bat's-
wing flame of gas under considerable pressure, so as to
make it on the point of roaring, at the sound of • whistle
the flame roared and thrust up several long quivering
tongues, and it did the same on striking an anvil with •
hammer. When longer jets of gas were employed the
effects were still snore remarkable. Two dunes were burning
at the same time, one of them being long, straight, and
smoky, and the other short and brilliant, and when •
whistle was sounded the long dame became short and bril-
liant, and the other was converted into a long, dull, and
smoky flame. By increasing the pressure of the gas a jet of
flame about 20 inches long was produced which was pecu-
liarly sensitive. On the slightest sound it sunk down to
eight inches • and the crumpling of paper seemed to pro-
duce convulsions. By some sounds, however, it was not
disturbed, and it was interesting to observe when Dr.
Tyndall repeated • few lines of poetry how the dame
was affected by some of the exptession,,, and was learn-
'ibis to others. On uttering the word " hoot" the dame
remained steady ; at the word " boat " it started ;
"beat" threw it into violent commotion • and it was yet
more powerfully affected by the exclamation " ah !" Sibil-
lant sounds were particularly effective ; a hiss sent it down
to the lowest point, and when a musical snuffbox wee put
in action the flame danced up and down to the tune.
Notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather the
tare was very well attended.

"Vittoria Hotel. Hull, Jan., 18G7.
"My dear Mr. Mayor,— Wishing you and all the
town and corporation • happy and prosperous new year
and many of them, I cannot leave for town without
offering a practical suggestion to yourself and every house-
holder in Hull, which may at leest show my good-will
On that suggestion I have profitably acted for seven
lears, the
ull be:ilelti,tthat tLarithout te coal. Lo yoolfl e''ithry !Lb; voef coal
you pay for ; to save nearly one-third of your
ordinary
. consumption ; to have • fire lit in the inerning,i
with a little care will last nearly the whole of the day,
with possibly a single replenishing and no save trouble as
well as coal, and have warmth equally distributed through
your apartment, great or small ?—then attend to the fol-
lowing practical suggestion, upon which I have acted at
bane with complete success, for, as I have said, seven
years and with • like result reconausended to very many
frienas. The suggestion is not my own ; I met with it
seven years ago in the 8.. idler, a valuable London journal.
Ordinary tire grates have open grates at the bottom, the
result of which of course is to place the coal between two
draughts, one from below and the other from above, up the
chimney, and ensure two things, rapid consumption and
diminished heat in the apartment. When I arrived at my
hotel last Wednesday afternoon,—a bittereold day—l found
; • large fire, which was twice replenished before I went to
bed. The coal was excellent, but could scarcely get
I warm. I prevailed on nay worthy landlord to try my
experiment on my tire grate here. He has done so, and
with what remit ? Ask him. But I will tell you that
to-day toy fire was made up at 10 a.m. It is now 5 p.m.
• I have enjoyed, and am enjoying a most comfortable
warmth, without having to sit w,thiu a yard of the fire.
Not an ounce of additional coal has been placed on it,
nothing having been required but now and then, at long
, intervals, • poke from beneath abd a pressing down from
above. Now, how is this brought about? I will tell
you. Send for an ironmonger or blacksmith, and order
him to take the measure of the bottom of your grate
and make you a sheet iron plate of about the onemxth
of an inch in thickness, or even less, which if your grate
be large, will cost you two shillings. Simply lay this,
and light your tire as usual. It will soon burn up, but you
must keep pretty open the lowest bar, so es to secure a
slight draught. When the fire has begun to burn poke
it gently from beneath and the flame will gradually get
through the entire mass of coals, the iron plate beneath
gets red hot, and so keeps up a ..,onstant combustion, at
the same time dispersing the heat through the room, in-
stead of its being sent up the chimney, thus entirely con-
suming the coal, instead of filling the hearth with ashes.
In my own house I tried the experiment for • week in
the breakfiet-room, then in the dining-room, then in the
kitchen, with uniform and complete success ; and then I
had the sheet iron plate put into every fire-plaos—and
there are many throughout the house—vntli equal success.
So I do with the fireplace in my official residence.
When the tire Is once made up, ;lay about 10 a.m., for
the clay, an occasional poke and possibly • single replen-
ishment suffices for the day. In Diy own case, and also
at my hotel here, where three scuttles were required, one
now suffices. You must not smile at the simplicity of
my suggestion, but attribute my offering to • sincere
desire to contribute what little is in my power to pro-
mote the comfort of, and lessen expense to, every house-
holder in the good old town of Hull. Try the experi-
ment fairly, I beg of you, at our fine Town Hall, and
begin with my friends the town clerk and the clerk of
the peace, and if that experiment fail. I will pay the cost
of the two little sheets of iron. Before beginning, come
and ask my worthy host, Mr. !Whiten, bow the experi-
ment has answered here. As I write fee the general good
of the town, for householders gnat and small, I hope you
will take the trouble of giving publicity to this letter, for
the winter is now, and may continue to be, aevere the
m price of coal is high, and the pressure of -11Zlieve
me, my dear mayor, sincerely yours.
" Sant ct. WARREN, Recorder.

MYsTERIOES DISAPPEARANCE FROM PARIS OF AN
AmERicAN Ltnr.—Our Paris correspondent writing on
Friday says :—" A story appeared in the papers two days
ago of a young American married lady having mysteriously
disappeared from her residence in the Champs Elysies
leaving some children of tender years and her servants
without any knowledge of her whereabouts. The husband,
who had the greatest confidence in his wife—a confidence
according to all accounts entirely justified by her charm-
ter—came over from America the moment be heard the
sad news, and has, with the aid of the French police, made
fruitless researches. He ascertained that she was in the
habigof goingfrequently to a well.known convent situated
in a beautiful park at Auteuil, with the ostensible object
of letting the children play about the grounds.
One day last autumn, after returning from a
drive to the convent, she put on her bonnet
and shawl and left the house, telling her servants
in a tone of voice betra,:ng annoyance that she was
obliged to pay a visit on business. The newspapers not
having given her name, and referred to her only as
Madame X—, the tale might well have been suspected
to be a canard ; but now a communique in the Prrme
infers that the police must know something about her.
The object of the rumnuniqui is to upbraid the Prase
for having reflected upon the vigilance of the French
police in this, as well as several other matters. The
administration,' it is said with a mystery quite on a par
with the disappearanceof the lady, ' feels compelled to
maintain an extreme reserve on the subject, but is enabled
to state that Madame X— has not been the victim of
any personal assault.' "
Ma.% PROUDIE IN FULL PANOPLY. —Mrs.
Proudie always went to church on Sunday evenings, mating
a point of bearing three services and three sermons every
Sunday of her life. On weekdays she seldom heard airy,
having an idea that week-day services were an invention of
the high church enemy, and that they should therefore be
vehemently discouraged. Services on mints' days she re-
garded as rank papacy, and had been known to accuse a
clergyman's wife, to her face, of idolatry, because the poor
lady- had dated a letter St. John's-eve. Mr. Thumble, oa
this Sunday evening, was successful in finding the bishop
at home, and alone, but he was not lucky enough to get
away before Mrs. Prondie returned. The bishop, perhaps,
thought that the story of the failure had better reach his
wife's ears from Mr. Thunible's lips than from his own.
" Well, Mr. Thumbler said Mrs. Proudie, walking into
the study, armed in her full Sunday-evening winter pauoidy,
in which she had just descended from her carriage. The MADAME STI)DARE'S ENTERTAINMENT.-- An addi-
church which Mrs. Prondie attended in the evening was tion has been made to the little company of magicians and
nearly half a mile front the palace, and the coachman and ventriloquists under the direction of Madime Stodare
groom never gut a holiday on Sunday night. She was gor-
geous in &dark brown silk dress of awful stiffness and ter- by the engagement of Herr Al,hert Frikell, sou of
rible dimensions ; and on her shoulders she wore a short Professor Wiljalba Frikell, who made his first appearance
cloak of velvet and fur, very handsome withal, but so at the,Egyptian-hall on Saturday aftenapn. Herr Frikell
swelling in its proportions on all sides as necessarily to is • young man of agreeable manners and address, and he
create more of dismay than of admiration in the mind of
vend of his father's tricks, such as trans-
any ordinary man. And her bonnet was a monstrous helmet Pmf."'n°d
guard menu actunug coffee, milk, anti sugar out of paper clip-
with the beaver up, displaying the awful face of the 'ernuti lad.ys pocket handkerchief intc • I•dlow candle,
warrior, always ready for combat, and careless to
itself from attack. The large contorted bows which she pings. and, slices of potato, and catching halt-crowns m
the suriwith considerable skill and adroitness.
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE HONPITAL. —A contribU-
she carried her armour all complete, a prayer-book, • bible, tion of 100/, to the funds of this charity has been received
db"eoubtless were, "buta mg:jesytieill ancreatd fuemP°-noom her
pell cagling. ue in beautiful,
bee uhatifnudl,
and a book of hymns. Thee. the footman had brought from Mr. John Hibbert, of Brayairk-lodge, Maidenhead,
for her to the study door, but she bad thought fit to enter making, with former gifts of the like amount by the same
her husband's room with them in her own ottstody.—ne generous benefactor, 1,;.:00/., 1,1h)(1/. of which has been
Leaf CAroside of Barort, No. I, by Anthony Trollops. invested.

" P.S.—lf this plan do not an.wer, and there limy be
chimneys of such peculiar construction av to prevent it,
all that you have to do is to withdraw the iron plate,
which is not tined, but simply laid on the lowest lar. Mr.
Minton is going to bare all his grates .applied with these
plates.
" Vittoria Hotel. Hull, Gth Jan., 1 '4;7."

-- - -
MR. SAMUEL WARREN ON ECONOMY IN DUEL.

♦ TINILY SUGGINTION.
Mr. Samuel Warren, the recorder of Hull, and
the author of " Ten Thousand a Year," "The Diary of a
late Physician," &c., has addressed the following letter to •41
thlll Mayor .t 11.11, as a sabjast of importenos to every
householder: _ _

LIFEBOAT SERVICES.—During the storms of '
-1i../ the pan C=EO) the National Lifeboat Institutiou, by
its lifeboats an means, contributed to the saving of 913
meow from different wrecks on our coasts. The institution
also expended £31,430 in the same period on Its lifeboat eats-
blishments, In addition to grunting £t,173 for rewards.
The Committee of the Institution earnestly APPEAL to the
public for ASSISTA !WE to enable than to meet the coatlased
heavy demands on the 170 Ifthnot tletions of the institution.
t attributions are reecisW by the London and tletalgt
Bankers: and by the `4 rotary, RICHARD LEW IS, Esq., Id the
lesineliat, IS, Johnitreet, AdelphL London.

JOHN BROGDEN'S.d.ILD CHAINS by troy
Weight, at realisable value, and the woriunandalp at
wholesale nuiftfacturers' prices. The gold In the chains gun-
ranteed, and repurchased at the prlcc charged.

ere's-the note.
How much your own weighs to the utmost carat,
The fineness of the gold, and charge for fashion."
KNAKESPLAKB.
Manufactory, in, Henrietta-street, Coventitaden, W.O , London
BENSO'NB WATCHES.
68 and GO, Ludgate•hill; 25, Oldßondntraet.
BROWN and POISON'S CORN FLOUR
for CHILDRIMS DIET.
To obtain extra profit by the sale other kinds are sometime
offered Instead of BROWN and POLIO:VS.
"John brown," "John Poison," Is signed by the makers on
each packet.