The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-06 00:00:00

ROYAL POLYTECHNIC INSTITI7TIOX.

Pressure of other matter has prevented us from notic-
ing the very popular and pleasing novelties introduced at
this institution under the auspices of the indefatigable
manager, J. H. Pepper, Esq. In addition to musical
entertainments Dr. Rae-lectured a few days since on,:the,
Arctic' regions, and on his Arctic journeys, with special
reference to the probable fate of Sir John Franklin .and
his party. His lecture commenced with Churchill's jour-
ney to the Copper Mine River in 1771, and he took an
instructive glance at &1 succeeding travellers in sledge?,
&c., down to the present period. The lecture being given
in the theatre where the relics of the Arctic discoveries
are placed added greatly to its effect. On collating all in-
&satiation which bas been obtained, Dr. Rae fixes 1850
as the year in which "the white men "died; and he stated
that even Esquimaux sometimes die of starvation ; and
that some years ago he lost several of his own party
owing to the scarcity of food. Dr. Rae considers that,
although the graves of Franklin's officers were found on
Beechy Island, that yet Franklin proceeded westward of
13arrow Strait. He- thinks that the vessels were lost at
the north-west end,of Peel Sound ; and, from drift wood
having been found in Victoria Strait, that the party had
proceeded southwards towards Black River ; and that,
from the slight chance they had of meeting deer, Alley,
in the absence of any means of supports died of starva-
tion. In reference to the present expedition, which is
now on its way to explore the spot described by Esqui-
maux as the place where " the white men" are to be
found, he ventures to hope their journals may be disco-
vered; for although the Esquimaux stated that many of
their books had been destroyed, yet he believes, from
the knowledge he has of the careful character of the Es-
quitnaux, that the books may yet be found hidden under
stones, in accordance with the custom of Esquinsaux
when they wish to conceal things.
The experiments in illustration of the Russian iafers.
nal machines are complete and very interesting,; and. we
now' enjoy an exhibition of filthy Thames water taken
from London, Hungerford, Vauxhall, and Richmond
Bridges, as seen through a splendid oxy-hydrogen micro-
scope, abounding with horrible slimy worms called
ordii. These are now the denizens of the once good
bed of the River. Oh, shade ,ot Isaac Walton, where
would now be thy piscatory delights 2 The salmon
that graced the Thames, and others of a aninor
tribe, are no longer hooked, but are foully murdered
We pray that Faraday may find a bearing and a remedy
for this state of things.. Our limited space forbids us to
do more than to advise our friends to see these most in-
structive and pleasing novelties: We can enumerate
many others.

On Saturday evening Mr. Pepper invited a large
party of scientific gentlemen and others to a. private
inspection of a bar of the new metal Aluminium, which '
is made from clay or brick. This speoinien, which has
excited a vast amount of interest in the scientific world,
was graciously presented to Mr. Pepper by his
Imperial Majesty the • Emperor of the French,
and was obtained from the Emperor's private labo-
ratory. Mr. Pepper a,ddresaed a letter to his Impe-
rial Majesty, expressing the wish that he would
favour. the. Polytechnic Institution with a specimen. and
on Thursday last it was received through the French
Embassy. The bar is considered a magnificent speci-
men, and was produced under the scientific process of
M. IL St. Claire Deville. The fiat specimens which
were produced of this metal were very small : then they
attained the size of the top of the finger. The- nature
of the material was first discovered by Sir Humphrey
Davy, in the year 1-08, when it was assumed to be a
metallic oxide ; but it could not then be obtainel in such
quantities as to test its properties ; and, indeed, it re-
mained almost unnoticed until the subject was again
brought before the scientific world in the year 1827 by
the celebrated Swedish chemist, (Ersted, who endea-
voured to produce the metal in a detached form, by the
employment pf chloride of aluminium ; and' about thirty
years since Wohler, more successfully availing himself of
the plan pursued by lErsted, succeeded in obtaining a
few grains of the metal. At the Museum of Econo-
mic Ueology, in Jermyn-street, Dr. Percy laboured
strenuously in endeavouring to obtain the metal
in appreciable quantities from cryolite, a mineral which
exists in considerable quantities in Greenland ; but the
practical results fell considerably short of the theoretical
amount. It has been reserved for M. St. Claire Deville
to obtain aluminium in such a quantity as to be enabled
to give to the world some of the qualities and peculiari-
ties of this very extraordinary metal ; whilst generousi.y
acknowledging the efforts which were made by his pre-
decessors. Mr. Pepper in his introductory lecture de-
tailed at length the results of the various experiments
which have been made by M. Deville, into which we
will not, as non-practical chemists, attempt to follow
him, but we may venture to give the following facts :
—The specific gravities of platinum, the heaviest of all
metals, is 20.98, gold 19.26, mercury 13'57, silver
10.47, iron 7.79, zinc 65. The new metal then (for
such it may in effect be called) being 2.56, is about 1-Bth
of the density of platinum, or 1-3 d that of iron. Its
colour resembles that of silver, but possesses a some- .
what bluish tinge when placed by the side of that
metal, and it reflects the light with a clear and soft radi- '
ance. The aluminium is malleable and ductile almost
without limit, may be beaten into the thinnest possible
plate, or drawn out into the most attenuated of wires.
When passed through the fingers it exhales a slight
odour,. somewhat similar to that of iron. It conducts
electricity in the most perfect manner, and is expected
to prove a much better conductor of that fluid than any
metal at present known. It melts at a temperature
somewhat higher than that of zinc, 'to which metal, in'
this respect, it approaches closer than silver. The,che-
mical properties of the metal would appear to be invalu-
able. M. Deville states it to be an unalterable metal,
and places its position as intermediate between, the prey
cious and the more common metals. It does not easily
oxidise ; water has no perceptible action upon it at any
temperature • roofs of houses might be made from this
material, and even sulphuretted hydrogen exercises
no destructive power on its surface. Aluminium exists
in a metallic state in almost every description of
clay, earths, and rubies, sapphires, and topazes are but
crystallised compounds or oxides of the metal.
Having arrived at this point of his lecture Mr. Pepper
stated that the eminent firm of Messrs. Hunt and Res-
kell, of Bond-street, with their characteristic kindness
and love of science, had lent him a collection of those
precious stones, which was valued at nearly 6,000/. ; it
consisted of au Oriental topaz, valued at 2301. ; two
rubies, one valued at 2,2001., and the other at 580/. ;
three sapphires, 1,4001.; one ruby, 400/., and four small
rubies, at 1,000/. Teese, when shown under as intense
tight, dazzled the eye with their extreme brilliancy. By
way of contrast there were placed upon the same table
pieces of the apparently valueless clay in which in the
most minute forms this beautiful metal is found. By the
side of these substances was placed under a glass the
bar of the beautiful white metal which chemical science
had extracted from the shapeless lumps of clay ; and
there were the glittering forms which nature in her
own laboratory had bestowed upon the particles of
that worthless dust and,clay which was trodden un•
der and di-regarded by man. The cost at which
the aluminium may be extracted from the earths,
and the purposes to which it may be applied, whether
far industrial or scientific purposes, yet remain to be
trsited. Of thie, however, there can be no doubt, that a
metal passessing the valuable qualities which are ascribed
to it may be applied to many useful objects, if it can be
obtained in sufficient quantities and at anything like a
reasonable, cost. The first use to which the metal bias
been applied has been the striking of some medals simi-
lar to the five-franc pieces
.of France, and also some deli-
cately-formed watch wheels, which have been presented
by the Emperor to her Majesty and Prince Albert, and •
the principal crowned heads of Europe. The readiness
with which his Majesty the Emperor of the/renoh has
responded to the private appeal of Mr. Pepper for a spe-
cimen of the metal is highly gratifying, and affords the .1
best possible evidence of his Imperial Majesty's earnest
desire to promote the cause of science. This bar of
aluminium will form another addition Co the many novel-
ties which this institution offers to the public.
The entertainment on Saturday included the view of
the night attack on the trenches at Sebastopol, the effects
of the infernal machines used by the Russians in the,
Baltic, and a display of specimens of Thames water taken
at London, Hungerford, Vauxhall, and Richmond
Bridges. Mr. Diver also explained his patent for re-'
ceiving all the sewage manure on the banks of the river,
converting it into guano, and discharging the water pure
into the river. The simplicity and inexpensiveness of
his plan (which is well known) are such that we are led
to believe that some overpowering and hostile influence
prevents the full development of a plan which, if carried
out as it ought to be, would prove an inestimable bless-
ing to the community.

MURDER IN DEVONSHIRE.-1 revolting murder has
just been committed at Northam, a village in the north
of Devon. A man named Robert Hanc,ek, A labourer,
being jealous of his wife, struck her with a hammer
several times, and afterwards cut her throat. He was
apprehended on Thursday, and on Friday a coroner's
inquest was held, when Hancock was committed orris
hl
charge of wilful murder.
[AvvEaTisEmENT.]—Holloway's Pills a certain cuie
! hr Pains in the Head and Stomach.—Miss Sarah Har-
graves, of 3, Hewson-street, Carlisle, states, in A letterhe
to Professor Holloway, dated Sept. 10, 1853, that she
was afflicted for a number of years with severe pains 1'
the head and stomach, dizziness, weakness in tbteseY‘ ._
Dp
ai 'iLalbi 1°o:18i1?5,0
and the other usual disagreeable accompanimenronew,..",
disorganised system. She tried every knov,:nno
beat
and had the best medical advice, but derived
TrollowaY's Pills
' whatever. At last she resolved to give
she was
a trial, and, after using them for a slio,i:to
restored to perfect healtb,twhich she !!./,_..ggist,, and at
wily to the present time. Sold 133 :sail ""
york.
t ra
affections o
ytfirnuneinterrupt•
'i3i.i—fiaNmao:astoi,r4yBd2is,
Deals..elsvwuhrzicelii..
Lon-
Professordon;
and isiof: l Imo wa iitdye' an
-el
as tnueb, I iNs hovinwie.,t-vt.ei, 2sto4n,
Stone,
[ADVERTISEMENT.]—
been perfectly cured by
tmheedliiciitillie4eayls,azdsoiaota_hgerar
va-ticnta Arabica Food. We quote with
Du Barry'
followingill,lej‘tautelyr,ou this subject from the famous
Bonn, in confined habit of body, as also iu
It is particularly us
pleasure the e:elie- -ug
complaints, inflammatory irritation,
elucountracts effectually the troublesome
Cramp,
Also in bronehiail and pulmonary con-
and hem() .
tf ea c t A
r a trothbe
a t i
so eaxdpaip.etsesa thet to
' tinption, in whichdiarrlicea,ubhuowids.
hectic •
convictiono'ugb;aitlhl/Dn.
teinßaabrlreyi,swriwthvapleeii;
the cure of incipient complaints and consumption. Da.
BUD. WURZEU, Counsel of isledieineandpracticarsi.D.in Benn.
In canisters, 11b. 2s. 9d.; 21b. 4s. 6d.; 51b. us. ; 121 b. 22r..
The 121 b., carriage free, on receipt of Post-office order. Barry
Du Barry & Co., 77, Regent-street, Loudon; also at 182,
Piccadilly ; 60, Gracechureh-street ; 330, and 451, Strand;
4, Cheapside ; and
60 6B, Cornhill ; 49, Bishopsgate-street;
55 Charing-cross ; 54, Upper Baker-street; 63 and 150,
Oxford street ; 89, High-street, Camden-town ; 18, Pall-
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' Paul's Churchyard; 6 Edward-street, Portmau-square. ~