The Express.
London, England, 1857-09-04 00:00:00

BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOB THE
ADTANCIIMINT of 801INCIL
.....

The businees of three oot of the sews sections
hash( his Wald is Trek, ownelmr, way her wet on
Welnewier mad the perm reessining to be nut in the
were dirpoeed of in the coons of the dry, so that the pro-
eseibp of the met* ef the inseeterloe, so fur es the lee-
demi nastiest levee ceesemell, were leetight to a dole that
efteenown

Ye section of mathemathel end Amen senate,
M. C. Ft LLSIIOOX Mid • paper "Oa the Varieties hi the
Qinmatity at rain doe to the Moon's Entice in reference to
the Pine of the Earth*. Orbit." He produced results new-
img thet during the period immediately preceding and after
the nese of the area the plane of the earth's ambit
hum 8 be If, among =tby of rain Sell than had fallen
dp2tetioterepending period of the moon's decent through
the of the some orkit. He soppossd that what hap-
sonthoni lattletast was exactly the reverse.
Mr, J. J. 1111/11PKT rend • paper containing " A proposal
ter the establishment of a mike= richest*, of time over the
world, in connexion with the Electric Telegraph." The
period, in all probability, was not remote when the tele-
graph wend effect an almost instantaneous commanicatioa be-
tween parts of the world which were emigrated by an exten-
sive re of longitude, and differed in their solar the by several
be.., The system which was introdemed all over Great
Brenda, of beeping Onnewich time, Lord not be applied over
extensive arcs of longitude. A difference of hellos, hour be-
tween solar time an clock time at any place wee no inconve-
nience, but • difference of six hours would be much too great.
It would to necreare for distant plans to continue to
hasp their local solar tide, but in ordr to time the receipt
andisnatch of telegraph temages, it would he neorsary
dame lie nee the time of one place to that of say other
with white It communioated, or to advt s infer reckoning
ef time far all. Mr. Mutphy proposed • simple self-acting
mind for meeting the requirement. of the ens. Let every
rune telegraph station that oommunicates with distant
striae be furniehed with • clock similar in other maned
to • snare clock, provided with • double circle of dome
en the Mel, the inner circle being fixed as in the 0011111110111
don, but the outer one being capable of babe moved
mead. Let some one meridian, my that of Greenerka, he
cheese se that to which all others shall be reined. Let
every etch clock throughtout the world indicate Greenwich
I time on the inner or etationmy circle of figures; bat
when • clock is set up at say station let the outer circle be
i moved round and set so that while the how had shows
Greenwich time at the sane circle it nay show local
elar tines on the outer circle. The perfect convenience of
this plea le obviate. It reconciles the necessity of keeping
oral time with the advaatags of uniform lines, and Feta
rid of any trouble in reducing the one to the other. The I
oyster might be rendered more workable still by abolishing
the &sanction amen and west longitude, reckoning either
ell mat or all west fres 0 to 360, end by abolishing the
distinctions of Lat. and P.M., reckoning time from midnight
up to 24 o'clock.
M. ?Abbe Moron° observed that & practice of th kind
was shield, ia use la Frazee. •
In the &mind /CUM Mr It L. Jonsson rood • paper
ea s Per fins,' of which the subjoined Is en abstract It is now slant half • century rues a parliamentary cor
minion, appointed to report on Irteh pest, named the town of
Sligo aed the Hill of Howth, as two extreme points of •
straight line, and Galway and Wicklow Head as two extreme
points of another stndght tea, between which two right less
by senvonithe of all the peels Ireland, the renethe nes
@math being distributed through sonde an either side of
tees Was. The extent of peat in Ireland Y little short of
the asonsone quantity of 30,000,000 acres or teswoommai '
of the sagorlimal ens of the country. varying la depth twee
one to 40, sad sometime. 60 and 60 fest. The may et
Lough Mesh, from Ben to Ban, is filled with per ; thrum,
we am told, has no fewer than 90 pester, or small bags. •
There are peened, too, in Fermanagh and Doane, and
turning euthwerd we find that the old kingdom of Earl
contained little lees than 160,000 statute sires of pest Defoe
One patch in the junior of Clan coven 20,000 scree. Tippe-
rary may boast of several thousand acres, and the peat of
Desmond ening over an area of more then 400,000 sena.
Mr. Johnson then reed statistics prepared by Mr. O'Gredy,
which went to show the reran True of peat and coal at the '
mere pnor-law union workhones of Ireland, end cautioned
—A neer' so very armee in Ireland, end en widely
distribute( throughout Europe should demand coneideration,
especially am 0 is regarded in Imbed es • stain on the mon-
try—a mourning wax Deering the imps.= of a frowning Pro-
views. I eminently het, therefore, the • rem:intent of
my moraince tending to show the possibility of pet being I
capable of tiff *ding sufficient " light for rind& investiga-
tion may prove interesting to the section. In making taboo
!story experiments I was inured to try the effect of de-
structive distillation on pest. Thu. I did by placing a quan-
tity 04 pulverised peat In sa ordinary Seek. fitting a stop
emit to the not of the Bath, luting it tightly, rod then sub-
jecting the flask to the calorific action of an ignited epirit
Leap, the result waa simply larrewona flown. I next did,
se on to former omens, and haying iterated the calorific
action on the flask, obtained as the result impure hydrogen
cithl next got • piece of iron piping, about 15 incisein
and 3 incite/ in diameter, stopped off one end of it,
Seed a enable stopper to the other end, heated it to rad-
ars, and filled it about two-thirds with est. From this sr-
t yielded • large quantity of gas, principally
some liquor , and taro sad oil., which I shall, for
desigmere Oftener matter. I repeated the let
experiment, ad then drawled on metering the quantity
of gas . the eeeolt surprised me. I found teat tor every pound
wekbt. of pest dintitled, there was yielded in gas from
3 to 41 cubic feet ; also a quantity of this liquor and oleagi
sons matter, sod front 25 to 43 per cent. of • endue in the
distilling mewl. This reader, I need not any, woo charnel.
I now determined on getting up a little distilling apparatus
complete, and in my own fermi. My distilling ravel, or
retort wee of iron, It Inches long and :1 in diameter. My re-
ceivers for °leant:ions wetter, condeomble matter and ire-
/nein were tin boxes, 10 inches by 6 inches. The pipes I
easected them by ems three-quarter and half-loch bare.
My holder for gas was capable of containing one rabic foot
of gee. My °brat was to ascertain if an Manuring gee
nag poribly kis ableind from per. This little "city gm
works," which slaegether occupied • epee of four feet by two
het, operated very porieetly in inducing a gas wantinglomi-
atty. I got oissenens matte, liquor, and charcoal, but no
illasolnanste gat It is quite unnecessary fur me to enter
into a dateline scene of my experiments with this little
separate, of say eery little difilcultsee—dtfficultre which I
press sorry eaperimentalist may well leonine, sod of the
per beg& of ties it wee before I had much prosprrt of
Crenear. It is sufficient for me to illy that I summed
sing • highly laminate gas how common pest, and
thee works for. its production are erected is two distinct poe-
tise of this king&m. Mr. Candy, who bes need pest gee
ice March let, writes to ray that "from whet I have see
easwere my expectation.. The gas is gad, and the
of fuel red appear. very mall.' Db. We
of
VesQinth, rays "the gee supplied from It (pet) la auperior
la ma pa The prone is very simple sad sent cheaper
Ann east I look upon Mr. Johnson's inmation as • very
kepelost ems for Ireland." In the former plane there
lira Ines nerard over 430 cubic feet of gas from six-
preeethalfrany mirth of peat, and • residue of charcoal lei
MI fret of the peat distilled. In the latter places fact hat
come seder my °Memel Mix worthy the attention of the sec-
tion; it J. thie—that a distilling noel 6 feet 6 inches long,
sad weighing lien. Oqr. 241 b.., ha. been heated to redeem
Is MI boar. by 2 en. of
.peat. Thin fact he interned
who hare nod tientices to the compared's
=lir7pow re of both peat sad coals. I dated that I sac- I
emakel Y producing a brilliant gam from net ; it remains
hr me to state the mode by which I obtained that clearable
math I believe the experimentalist who is not an enemas
sakes wrens. I believe it is by looking at visible thing.. I
tangible things, computing measurable things, and '
by Suiting bedtimes me of ell things which the glorious
limM of nature places within the reach of sensible observation,
that generally inverts surreal to the experimentalist. From
imbesemetes, I became impromesd with the idea that if I could
posethly decamp.se the oleaginous matter which the peat
peen revonte to its leaving the distillery man, and coon'
Maid it with the erode gas a good Illumioating gas would
his the molt. I wan also of opinion that could I repel or
Ater pee the liqueur vapour of common peat, previous to
its *urine action on the gas, I certain! should benefit it.
I attempted to do those things and od, and the malt
was a very brilliant, illuminating gas, awl it is • modiffoittime
of
my Ira arrangement for the double decomposition of the
'urethral* of prat that I employ, nod that I think only na-
sals to be employed, in economically producing illaniinating
gee Ikea common peat. Here he entered into • detailed de-
iof the rood • by which the ps may be produced
(Zsa sseened to excite much interest is the section) and
ssalhesed And if from one and of past, weighing 16 ounces,
es bewe's light. equal to many sperm or we: candles, may be
ebtaleed, and which I have obtained, end that the sum total
of the on of this light for 300 boors be not more them 25.,
es derbered by my friend Mr. ('wide. steely the section wilt
bear with me when I reiterate the language of en entire
ebeatiet. that "Orr bogs may become, under the influence of
an enlightened erjey, sources of wealth and industry,
eseinently peed.,
After gr. Johnston had concludier the reading of his
pepee a very animated and breading discussion took
plasmas the comparative coots end value of peat and coal pa
a bind.
Preform Pi. LI.IVAN aged Mr. Jordon to state bow the
PM of pest in the several poor law unions in Ireland was
retrained ?

- -
Yr. Joinrwrore replied that be had addrered a note to
earl of the pcnr-law unions, wporetiag the information, sad
the Bataan be made lie to the prise of cal sad post we
the revolt of the replies he wane{ to whisk the pate per
tea of coal woo nand, and the price per load of turf, the lewd
Wog of a sprcilled weight, which gar hls the vane date.
Prawns Sc 'Argus stand that he pm the gouda' foe
the parptwe of elicit* pre we data, his object bnag tint tho
patio might bats bonnet@ raformatios on a point of such
peat wosoutie interest a. that brought ante the sada by
Kr. lassies. He had himself szarelared the prat p. pew
= del Hr. Joluteros'e arnsavasst. and le Mal eh+
pan end brllllmul ; ttetd be we Mend ley • pa.