The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-23 00:00:00

THIS DAY'S SHIPPING.

LONDON, Jan. 23.—Wind this day at noon—South-
Easterly; moderate breeze and fine weather, but rather
cloudy.

CLYDE, don. 22.—Wind S.E.—Arrived—Hope, from
Quebec.

DARTMOUTH, Jan. 22.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Don
Jose, from Bremen for Porto Rico.
CowEs, Jan. 23.—Arrived—Borussia, screw steamer,
from New York, and proceeded for Hamburg.
NEWPORT, Jan. 21.—Wind E., with snow.—Arrived...
Gleaner, from Hamburg for Callao. Sailed—Thornhill,
for Halifax, N.S.

DUBLIN Jan. 22.—Arrived—Allen Kerr, from St.
John's, N.B.

(BY SUDISARINE AND MAGNETIO TELEGRAPH.)

GRAVESEND, Thursday Morning.
Arrjved, Jan. 22—Arona, from St. Valery; Planter,
from Berbice.

Sailed, Jan. 23—William, for St. Helena ; Alexandria,
for Smyrna; Leon Ramondo, for St. Michael's ; Josephine,
for Dunkirk.
DEAL, Thursday Morning.
Passed, Jan. 22—Parthenon, screw steamer, from Lon-
don, for Jamaica.
Passed, Jan. 23—Wayward, from Woosung, for London.

The Count de Castries, brother of the Duke de
Castries, and father of the Duchess of Magenta, died in
Paris on Friday last, in the 54th year of his age. His
funeral obsequies were performed in the Church of St.
Clotilde on Sunday with great pomp. The church was
crowded with the elite of the Faubourg St. Germain.
PITO,SPHORESCENCE.—It is well known that cer-
tainaubstances,
after having been exposed to heat, and even
under other circumstances, become visible in the dark like
phosphorous, whence the name of phosphorescence given
to the phenomenon. Recent investigations instituted by
Baron Von Reichenbach tend to prove that phosphorescence
is a usual consequence of all molecular action, and not
merely the result of combustion or oxidation. Mr. Phipson
proved this point some time ago, when he showed that dead
fishes shine in the dark, even under water, and in the ab-
sence of oxygen. According to Von Reichenbach, there is
phosphorescence during fermentation or putrefaction, cry-
stallisation, evaporation, condensation of vapours, the pro-
duction of sound, and the fusion of ice ; a considerable glow
is remarked when a galvanic pile is in activity, a block of
ice in fusion, or a solution of sulphate of soda in the act of
crystallising is observed in the dark. The human body it-
self is stated by our author not to be devoid of phosphores •
cenee, and to emit a yellow glow in a state of health, while
a diseased state of the body is revealed by a reddish glow,
an observation which, if correct, might be of some use in
diagnosis. But to perceive these phenomena, the eye must
have been previously rendered sensitive by remaining some
hours in perfect darkness, and even then all eyes are, not
equally impressionable ; but if several persons unite in per-
forming the experiment together there will be always a
certain number who aro able to see the phenomenon. The
well-known minuteness with which Baron Reichenbaoh
generally conducts his observations induces us to Euppose
that he has taken irlto account the liability of our organ of
vision to become illusive when strained for experimental
purposes. The eyes, when kept long in the dark, gradually
collect all the feeble rays of light from which even the
densest obscurity is not entirely free, and objects thus be-
come faintly visible, their outlines being generally fringed,
an appearance which, we think, does not strictly come
"Within the mewling of phosphorescence,—Gorlignant.