The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-01 00:00:00

KISS EN GEN, ITS SOURCES AND RI
SOURCES, with Observations on their Use and
Efficacy in the :Treatment of Disease. By A. B
Granville, M.D., F. R.S.
Dr. Granville has here given us a complete hand-
book to Kissengen, pointing the various routes from
London to that far-famed spring, and detailing the
expences of a journey to, and a residence at Kissen-
gen. Although Kissengen is situated some hundreds
of miles from the sea (it is in the kingdom of Bavaria),
yet the visitors enjoy all, the benefit of sea air, by a
curious contrivance at one of the springs, which is
thus described by Dr. Granville.:—,
"It may truly be said that one of the great lions of
Kissengen is the Sprudel, and its whole establishment
for the manufactory of salt. Often have I escorted par-
ties of patients to both paces to explain the phenomenon
of the one and the pr ceedings of the other, with a view
of showing how th y have been made applicable to me-
dicinal purposes.
"The daily produce of the spring just mentioned, at
the rate of 2,000 cubic feet of salt water per hour, must
be evaporated in order to obtain the salt held in solution.
It is evident that such an evaporation, wholly conducted
by means of fire, would be: too costly to be profitable.
The well-known plan of spontaneous evaporation has
been preferred. by suffering the salt water to drop from
twig to twig, off vast open stacks of thorns, so arranged
as to present a very large surface to the air, and thus
carry on evaporation at an ordinary temperature.
" These stacks of thorns, regularly piled up in stages,
forming a wooden platform of twelve or fourteen feet
from the ground, rise to a height varying from twenty-
four to forty two feet, being disposed in two separate
parallel ranges, one foot in thickness, with a space of
about one foot between. They are covered over with a
wooden roof, under which are the hydraulic contrivances
for the circulation of the water, and suff ming it to drop
through the stacks of thorns is hen necessary. At the
bottom of the stacks forming the central part of the
wooden platform before mentioned, are wide continuous
troughs, into which the dropping water falls, to be again
earried up by suitable pumps to the top of the stacks,
from which it is again suffered to trickle down into the
troughs below. This operation is repeated not less than
five, and very frequently as many as six times, when at
length the
.water having attained the required concen-
trated degree of saltness, is conveyed to the boiling house
for the concluding part of the process necessary to ex-
tract the salt.
" Those singular leokirg ranges of wooden building
which the spa visitor beholds for the first time, on directing
his steps from Kissingen!alongthe valley towards Hausen,
and which attracts his curiosity, without finding him
able to guess at their destination, are the evaporating
sheds I have endeavoured to describe, and to which the
name of Gradiren houses has been given. Nothing can
be more admirably suited to the intended purpose of
evaporating water by the ordinary temperature of the
air. By an ingenious contrivance (which it is needless
here to explain more minutely, but which, as well as
the rest of the hydraulic apparatus, will amply repay the
visitor to examine, by ascending to the top of the gra-
duating houses) the salt water is made to trickle down
the sides of the stacks of thorns to leeward of the wind.
Without this contrivance, the wind would scatter the
drops cf water and disperse them through the atmo-
sphere. Two parallel rows of stacks are placed under
each gradiren-haus, that the salt may trickle down t,e,o
surfaces. The stacks are seven thousand feet in length ;
so that a space equal to two English miles and a halt is
traversed by the water bef ere it reaches the boiling-pans,
where the final crystallization of the- salt rakes place.
" During this progress of the salt water forwardathe
quantity of oxide of iron which it holds in solution, and
a large proportion—indeed nearly the whole—ef the
earthy matter is deposited on the thorns, which become
incrusted with those substances, and present to the ob-
ierver the red and dusky-white appearances observed in
the Gradiren house'. This process of depuration saves
a subsequent troublesome and very expensive operate )ti
of re-dissolving the salt and crystallizing it afresh h,r
purposes of purification, which the ordinary mode of
obta'ning salt from sea water renders necessary. Ne
thing can be purer or whiter in appearance than the salt
drawn from the boiling pans or tanks after the first
Crystallization.
" What a vast charge of moisture the atmosphere has
carried Off during the period of spontaneous evaporation,
may be inferred from the fact that the salt water is seven
times stronger (2.5 : 17 5) after, than before that. opera-
tion. Analysis gives 14 grains of salt water for 976
parts of water. Hence in the course of the year, 210
millions of pints of water are dispersed through the air
in the form of invisible vapour, in the neighbourhood of
these graduating or evaporating houses.
"Advantage has been taketei-Of this circumstance to
establish a marine promenade for the benefit of such in-
valids as require to inhale a moist air, ehirged wick stic-11
saline particles as are found by the sea-side, but con-
si•lerably stronger. Accordingly a footpath is established
on each side of the whole length of the graduating-
houses, on the elevated platform, guarded by a
parapet, along which the patient is made to walk
fur an hour or so in the middle of he
day—sometimes early in the morning—selecting that
side on which the sun happens to be shining at the time,
and avoiding the side to the wind, a matter easy to
accomplish, as the graduating-houses are placed at
various angles of incidence to each other.
" The patient, or indeed any person thus engaged, is
not long in perceiving that he takes into his mouth salt
air, inhaling and smelling that peculiar aerial principle
which consists of chlorine or bromine exhalations, and
which mark marine atmospheres, until he cheats himself
into the belief that he is really by the sea-side—a belief
confirmed rather by the view of certain confervce or
marine plants that grow in those troughs of the gradua-
ting-houses in which the more concentrated water is last
dropped from the thorns."

A young lady, named Fitzgerald, had a narrow
escape on Monday, while taking equestrian exercise on
the Marine-parade with her brother and another gentle-
man. Owing to some unexplained cause the horse on
which she rode ran away, and the lady, after many in-
effectual attempts to save herself, was at last unhorsed
by her saddle slipping round, and she came to the ground
and was dragged some little distance before the animal
was stopped by a Hyman. Wo are gratified to add, that
though her situation was one of imminent danger, she
escaped with a few slight bruises.—Brighton Guardian.
CORONER'S INQUEST. A MANKSCALDED TO
DEATH.—On Tuesday night, Mr. Payne entered into an
inquiry at Guy's Hospital relative to the death of Wm.
Minter, aged thirty-two. The deceased was a stoker in
the service of Mr. Chapman, Francis-street, Lambeth.
On Monday morning, about ten o'clock, he was em-
ployed at the copper in which was about seven feet of
water nearly boiling, and in which he dropped a 'ID:NiI
He put a ladder into the copper, and was descending,
when he fell into the water. Assistance was promptly
obtained, and he was got out. He was instantly taken
to Guy's Hospital, where he died in a few hours, nearly
the entire surface of his body being scalded. Verdict—
" Accidental death."
COMPLETION OF THE MARLEY TUNNEL.—The
last piece of maspnry of this tunnel, on the South Devon
Railway, was laid on Wednesday last. On Thursday
the contractor and :sub. engineer went through the tun-
nel, for the purpose of inspecting it. After the most
minute inspection, the engineer declared himself per-
.tectly satisfied, and he has made his report to the dire .-
tors accordingly.
EXPLOSION OF GAS, AND NARROW ESCAPB.—Wed-
nesday ferenoon, shortly before 11 o'clock, an expLsion
of gas ocsairred in the private residence of Mr. R Bax.
ter, No. 43, Cadogau-place, Chelsea, by which had a very
narrow escape of losing his life. It appeared that the
lad took a lighted candle into the knife-room, in the front
area, which was filled with gas that had escaped from
the .main. The party had no sooner entered the roam
than the gas exploded, with a loud report, knocking
down the lad and burning himself most severely over 64
arms and face.

RI.-APPEARANCE OF MR. CARTER, THE " LION
Kisc;."—Mr. Carter has just imported a number if
value ble animals from their native forests, for the pur-
pose tlf forming an extensive menagerie at the Egyptian-
hall, Piccadilly. The arrivals at present consist of four
splendid African lions, three fine Bengal tigers, four
beg utiful spotted leopards,. two magnificent South Ame-
rica tri tigers, and two (hitherto conceived untamable)
hyt•nas. The principal object Mr. Carter has in view in
marking this zoological collection is to exhibit the modus
oparundi adopted in subduing these wild denizens of the
fori..sts. Mr. Carter will appear in the dens with the
anitmals ; and his celebrated" Mammoth horse" and dog
" Leo" (the largest dog in the world) will also be it.-
eluded in the exhibition. It is understood to be the in-
tention of Mr. Carter to give a series of pcses plastiques,
such as Daniel in the Lions' Den, and other scriptural
subjects which have been delineated by the great histo-
rical painters.
SINGULAR POLICE NOTICU.—The following sir
gu tar information was on TuPs thy circulated throughout
the, divisions of the metropolitan and city police :—" P
Di vision, December 28, 1846. At 3 o'clock p.m., this
da r, a coachman and footman, with carriage, set down at
King's-cross, and have not yet returned. It is supposed
they are locked up at some station. Description : A
yellow-bodied chariot, arms painted red, a pair of light
bay horses, 16 hands high ; harness brass, mounted
crest a tree ; the servants in green livery, with drab
great coats."
At the Norwich Consistorial Court, on Monday,
the case of Beckham v. Bluck again came on. The
defendant is rector of Walsoken, Norfolk, and the pr( -
ceedings were instituted by the Bishop of Norwich fi r
the purpose of appropriating a portion of the incou
(1,5861. per annum) to the support of a resident ch rgy-
man, to perform the spiritual duties of the parish, the
incumbent being non-resident. Three different suits
have been commenced, and Mr. Block is in conten- pt.
A fourth suit stands fixed for the Ist of January. Ttie
first proceeded, on this occasion, only as far as the
allegation.
The Glasgow, Dumfries, and Carlisle Railway Com-
pany are about to meet to consider the propriety of uniting
with the Glasgow. Paisley, Kilmarnock, and Ayr.
Also to determine on the expediency of branching out
into the counties of Cumberland, and Dumfries, and
Lanark, with diverging lines from Kirkcudbright. This
e-mprehends in brief their measures ifl meditation for
next session.

FEMALE CURIOSIT Y.
A naval officer, who lately came to resCde in Elia-,
burgh, having engaged a la: ge :wins 0:1 it s:ort lease,
despatched his butler 4'l. -ittire, and 'lava
the house put in order. The )-utiet• ngaged a •yonng.
woman, residing in.thc neighbourLood, to ele!n wit the.
rooms and arrange'part of the furniture) ; and he assisted.
her himself to carry up a large chest of tivber singular
appearance. This gigantic boa hiS master had purs.hased,
as a curiosity ; bLit, unlike that described in the
song of the "Mistletoe B.:ugh," it did not shut,"
but opened with a spring attached to the lack,
wnich being touched, the lid fjew open, and a tall
brawny Higif.attiman, in full costume, stood erect,-
and struck out his right arta, •in which was a
wooden sword. '1 he gentlementurclia,ed it as a
piece of curious mechanism, and was wont to amuse.
hiS children with it. "That's a heavy chest," said tfo'
. woman, as they placed it on the floor. " Yes," answered
the butler, who was a wag of the first water, " There's
something heavy in it, certainly ; but there's something
mysterious about it also, for although the key hangs at
the end of it, not one of us is allowed to open it." " Did.
you ever see the inside of it ? "• replied she, walking
round it. "Never," said he. "It's as much as any of
our place is worth even to speak about it." So saying,
the knight of the corkscrew lo;:ked first at the woman,
then at the chest on the floor; and • then retired slowly
down stairs, whistling, to work, on the ground flat. The
girl proceeded to put things to rights in the room ; but
every time she passed the chest she thought it looked the
more odd. "Frailty, thy name is woman !" She rapped
on the lid with her knuckles-.-it had a curious, hollow
sound—very! And none of the servants had dared to
open it! What on earth could it contain? Well, it
Was none of her business; so she went diligently to
work for five minutes, at the end of which time she saw.
herself standing, with her arms akimbo, gazing on the
.chest. "It can do no harm to look into it," thought she;
so rho quietly took the key from the nail and applied it
to the lock. Of course- she heard footsteps on the stairs
—as every one will do when afraid of detection in the
commission of some act they wish to keep secret.
Again -she regained confidence, and returned" to the
chest ; she stooped, and turned the key. Up
flew the lid; and the wooden Highlandman, kilt,
and philabeg, sprung on his legs with more than
human agility, and fetched the petrified girl a sharp:
whack across the shoulders with the fist of his " .Apdrea
Ferrara." A prolonged shriek, ending-iirvintian ordilFr".7l*"..*
spair, indicated that the poor woman had sought relief
in a swoon. In the course of a few minutes the woman
rose on her elbow, lOoking wildly round the.room, till her
eyes caught the Highlandman bending over her. Seeing
nothing but destruction awaiting her, two springs took
her to the door ; down stairs she went, nor did she
slacken her pace till she: found herself standing in the
house of &lady in the neighbourhood. The poor woman
did not recover from her fright for several days.

AN OCEAN PENNY POSTAGE.—It is now some-
what extensively known that in America and on the
continent, schemes have been proposed, th. 7 object of
which is to bring letters from any inland town to any
town on the sea-coast for the charge of one penny. Now
suppose this was carried, which it is 'mire ultimately to
be, is it not an imperative duty incumbent on the Eng-
lish nation to introduce throughout the wkole.world an
" Ocean Penny Postage ?" Thus, suppose., a friend in
the far west of America wishes to write tti'e, friend in
Newcastle-on-Tyne, England.. He puts birm:elf in pos- '-
session of three penny stamped envelopes.-'• On the first
he writes the following address i—Jamer.:„Green, book-
seller, Newcastle-on-Tyne ; that is enclo'3,ed in another,
addressed James Green, England ; and that in another
addressed James Green, England, to 1)) sent peilfirst ,
from Boston. Now h-re for three postage stamps the .
letter will be conveyed from the centre of America to
Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, and will also be prepaid.
The first envelope to be taken off at Bosfon, the second
at Liverpool, and the latter enclosed in the third,
wculd reach the of A n r in Newcastle. No other nation on
the fact; of the earth is capable of (I, ing this';:fome po!'
tion of her item 4 tn,c, navy might im profitably employed
for this purpo,e, and thus he the m nos not o:.1;' of en-
riching herseh, but of scattering the blessings of eivkli.7_
sation throughout the whole world.. We i,ay siXpence
for the carriage of 64 lb:, of rti he,,t m America to
England, and can we not, when w. ate into ateirint the
immense increase there will be in. correspondence
sequont on such a plan, carry letters from r:ation to nation! -
letters rleiehitg only half an ounce, for One penny.--,
Essex Herald.

NOVEL MODE OF SMUGGLING SPIRITS INIO A
WortimousE.-- On Tuesday, at the mei Ong of el e di
rectors and guardians of the poor
.at Pancras,
chnree was preferred by Mr. Cooper, the workhouse sur-
geon, against a nurse of one of the sick wards, named
Lloyd, that she was in the habit of getting intoxicated,
and that on Wednesday last she was so much so, as to be
incapable of performing her duties. Lloyd admitted the
" soft impe.tch went," but expressed her entire ignorance
of how she obtained the " three half- quarterns" within
the walls of the workhouse. Mr. Chadborr, the super-
intendent, was called, and, in answer to questions, said
he knew the inmates of the workhouse got gin somehow, .
but how they got it was a perfect mystery, unlees it was
brought in by these paupers who Rent in and out on
errands for the workhouse, such as the unety.takers. In
answer to further questions, Mr. Chadbern admitted that
he had a strong belief when the undertakers went out to
fete' a body for interment by the parish, that they
managed to smuggle large quantities of spirits in the
19.falla .;Ct.4l"'aL-1741 1-51 e *PA for the-
future to search Corns on their-'arrive, and.th'aind
females coming in to the matron for a similar purpose.
UNFOUNDED CHARGE OF MURDER.—OiI Tuesday
afternoon an inquest was held before Mr. William Baker,
at the George public-house, Mansell-street, Whitechapel,
on the body of Mary Fitzhenry, an infant, aged five
months. The parents of the child, Thomas and Caroline
Fitzhenry, were brought before Mr. Yardley at the
Thames Police Court, on Monday, on a charge of causing
the death of the child by unfair means, but after a long
investigation they were discharged, and the magistrate
directed a post mortem examination of the body, tor the
purpose of ascertaining the precise cause of death. Mr.
John Liddle, a surgeon, stated that he was celled to see
the deceased on Sunday morning last. There was an
extensive burn on the left thigh. He had since made a
post mortem examination of the body, and discovered the
viscera to be healthy, with the exception of the lungs,
which were highly congested, resulting from suffocation,
and quite sufficient to cause death. The Coroner said it
was a very peculiar case, and should advise the jury to
return a verdict of " Found dead, apparently from suffo-
cation," which was, after a short consultation, agreed to.
COMFORT TO SECOND-CLASS PASSENGERS FORBID-
DEN.—The directors of the Eastern Union Railway have
lately placed on their line second-class car:iages of a
greatly improved construction, and in which the comfort
oft he passengers has been studied, in a manner worthy
of imitation. They are inclosed with glass, and the seats
are of stuffed leather, and they altogether approximate
much nearer to the English elysium—comfortable—than
those in general use. But, unfortunately, the Eastern
Union authority extends only 17 miles of the 68 between
Ipswich and London ; and, on Tuesday, a peremptory
order from the magnates of Shoreditch was received at

the Colchester station, that the new Eastern Union
second-class carriages should not: be suffered to proceed
beyond Colchester. The passengers were accordingly
obliged to resign their warm seats in the Ipswich car-
riages, and locate themselves in the Eastern Counties

ltailsvay tumbi ils for the remainder of the journey. The
comfortable second-class carriages will, therefore, for the
present, be only available for the local traffic 1-etween
Colcht.ster, Ipswich, and Bury.—lpstvich Journal.

If
FISHING AT THE CAPE.—By• no means the least
singular circumstance in connexion with Cape Town is
the apparently inexhaustible su 1 ply of fish which its har-
bour furnishes. There are a great variety of species, all
different from European; but though several of these are
wholesome and fine flavoured, they are not worthy to be
ranked with English sorts. The two most abundant
kinds seem to be Cape salmon, a heavy fish, in S. X 3
and in external aspect somewhat resembling ; s
British namesake; and the snook, a mc,st ferocious
marine pike. Boats, after an cietasion of a few hours,
often return laden with these fi 4/, which though
rarely below five or six pounds w,_icht, gem.rally sell
for less than a penny a piece, and dispile the great
cheapness of butchers' meat, constitute the principal
market to which this commodity is es:ported. The mar:
gin of the bay is strewn in all directions with the heads,
tails, and refuse of fish. In lark of other amusements,
a fishing excursion will be found no bad way of passing
away the time here. Snook are the roost ravenous,
and rarely fail to give good sport. They may be caught
either while the boat is in motion, by trailing a laden
heck astern, with Si:me white strcainers of rag on it,
or when at anchor, by alternately casting the bait to a
distance, and drawing is quickly back through the water.
They will almost spring into the boat in put suit. of the
hook, and in the clear water are of a beautiful
purple hue, and way- bo seen with their back fins
erected rushing to destructiop, like furies. Their teeth
are very formidable and they know how to use there,
which n nders the awkward process of knocking them on
ttehlisp bl
adewnistahbe step batons,.
Muchbefore s
iait,irao,dluiceniogtittenmds oti
r.n i
inthis
which appears highly exhilirating to the fishermen it Lot
the fish. Penguins, Cape hens, and albatrosses, with
some kinds of seagull, surround the boat on those occa-
sions so closely, that it is barbarous to shoot them, and
an unjustifiable breach of confidence. Gannets and cor-
morants also fly around in great numbers.-Methuen'
Wanderings in South Africa.

"Coast AND TRY MY
. _
TAP,"—An anecdote not
inappropoiate to the season is related to have occurred
the other day within 100 miles or so of the pretty little
village of B-. A worthy inhabitant thereof is pos-
sesed of a better half, whose personal proportions are
on a scale of magnitude very superior to those of her
spouse. Of this superiority the lady made too great use
tor the comfort at home of her meek and quiet partner,
who was thus'driven to seek more peaceful society in
the comfortable parlour of the neighbouring tavern .
here he met many hearty good fellows, and on the event-
ful evening of our story mine host's excellent cheer so
far overcome his natural shyness, that in the plenitude of
his valour he invited a boon companion to " come home
with me and try my tap," an offer, of course. too good to
be rejected at the time when " stout October" may be
looked far ; and home accordingly they went. Ar-
rived at the house, " knock," says our hero, and his
friend knocked ; the door promptly flew open, and the.
astonished guest was instantly saluted with a tremendous
whack on the head from the doubled fist of the lady of
the house. "There ! how do you like my tap ? that's
what I get every night !" laughed out the successful
practical joker. We regret to hear that the unfortunate
victim has taken so strong a dislike to our friend's
" tap," that hocannot even bear to hear of it. ----Lancas.
ter. Gazette. .

v WOLF
AT PEcKnAm.—A large and ferocious wolf,
supposed to have escaped from stirsetravellingmenpgerie.
was on Wednesday morning cle,natched in a field near
Peckham. The skins of sLwral do.zs and can, found
near the animal's lair, suffiCiently showed hOW the was-
ter wolf " got his living."

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