The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-09 00:00:00

POULTRY.

Turkeys, 4s Od to 108 6d : geese, 5s Od to 8s Od each
goslings, Os Od to Os Od ; duels' 2s Od to 3s Od ; ducklings,
4s Od to 55 6d; rabbits, is Oc. to is 9d each; wild do., 9d
to is 2d ; pigeons, Os 6d to Ni 8d each; Surrey fowls,
8s Od to 148 Od; chickens, 5s Od to 8s Od; barn-door fowls,
4s Od to 6s Od; capons, Os ; hares, 3s Od to Os Od ;
ptarmigan, Os Od to Os each ; pheasants, Os Od to 4s Od ;
partridges, is 6d to 2s 6d ; woodcocks, Os to 2s 6d ; snipes, Os
to Os 9d; teal, Is 6d to Os Od : wild ducks, 2s 6d to Os Od ;
widgeons, is 3d to Os Od; plovers, is Od to Os Od each;
guinea fowls, Os Od to Os Od ; roasting pigs, Os Od to Os Od
each; Ostend fresh butter, Os lld to is Id ; English, is ld
to is 4d per lb ; English eggs,
lOs Od to 12s Od per 100 ; leverets, Os Od to 2s Od ; grouse, Os
Od to 2s 3d. • 12s Od to 14s Od ; French do.,

FORECASTS OF STORMS.

M. Coulvier-Gravier, like Marshal Vaillant does
not appear to have any faith in the present
system of predicting storms by simultaneous obser-
vations of the barometer at different stations, a
system organised in England by Admiral Fitz-
roy, and now adopted in the Paris Observaiory.
In a note recently published, he says :—lt is
imagined by observing barometrical altitudes at a
multitude of stations, gales and hurricanes may be
avoided ; all this being founded on a theory which
becomes more than hypothetical when it is con-
sidered that these terrible meteors occur as well
when the barometer rises as well as with those from
the south. This was the case, for instance, inthe tem-
pests of Oct. 5, 1852, and of May 16, 1853. More-
over, to understand all the defects of the system, we
need only cast a glance at an article of the Journal du
Havre, inserted in the illoniteur of the 21st Dec.,
and in an articlee of the 22d of the same month,
showing the extraordinary number of casualties on
the coasts of France which occurred during a decade
of that month when the system was in full opera-
tion. According to this same system, must not the
storm break oat somewhere, in order to be able to
warn the neighbouring localities or countries ? What
will then become of the services the country Las
a right to expect when the tempest comes upon
us directly from the sea, and we are deprived of
electric communication to announce its approach ?
And, lastly, what service does it render to a ship
at sea, which, being deprived of telegraphic corn,
munications, and therefore of warnings, might per-
haps, in less than 4S hours, had she received a warn-
ing, or by observations on board, have escaped the
danger."—We confess we do not see the force of
most of these arguments. That the system is im-
perfect, and cannot perform all that might be
desirable, but might also be impossible, we all
know; but it is not the less a step in the right
direction, and certainly better than nothing.

Collodion in Inflammations,

The Unton Medicate publishes a letter from Dr.
Benoist, of Nieuville (Vienna), in which he describes
a most carious and valuable application of collo-
dion, founded on the theory that inflammations are
promoted, and fed, as it were, by the ambient air.
Collodion, it is well known, is perfectly impene-
trable both to water ana air, and hence a coating of
collodion laid on the skin with a brush effectually
excludes the air from it. We subjoin some of the
results obtained by Dr. Benoist. A man of 45,
generally in the enjoyment of perfect health, was
attacked with phlegmonious erysipelas which spread
ever the hand and forearm. In the course of six
hours these two parts had become nearly double
in size, and their surface was covered with
phlyctmnas or watery pimples. The whole in-
flamed part immediately received a coating of
collodion, and on the following day the diminu-
tion of the swelling became apparent by the
collodion being separated from the skin, and
having the appearance of an empty shell I Three
days later, the man returned to his work perfectly
recovered. A few months after the same affection
returned to the same place, but this time accom-
panied with fever; collodion was again applied, and
with the same success. In a second case the inflam-
mation and swelling were produced by a thorn, and
the tumefaction was so great that the thorn could
not be got at. The swelling disappeared as if by
enchantment under a coating of collodion, and the
thorn was afterwards extracted by means of
an incision. In a third case, that of a youth of
16, diffused phlemons were complicated with
rheumatism in the joints and typhus fever. The
illness was long and severe; and had not the
phlegmons been conquered by the application of
collodions, the patient would most probably have
died. In a fourth case erratic erysipelas was the
affection and it yielded to the same application ; but
collodion proved ineffectual in an inflammation of
the bunco museosse of the knee-joint, where it be-
came necessary to employ emollient poultices, and
to open the way to suppuration by incision. The
fifth case was that of a woman aged 32, who was
attacked with a peritonitis in consequence of her
having been jolted for a long time in a cart on an
excessively uneven road. The inflammation ex-
tended all over the region of the periton mum, not-
withstanding the application of leeches and opening
a vein ; at last collodion was resorted to, and the
effect was astonishing. In a few hours all the symp-
toms disappeared. But before the patient was
entire recovered, she had the imprudence to pick off
the collodion by bits, and immediately the inflam-
mation reappeared. Collodion was, however, im-
mediately reapplied, and with definitive success.