The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-16 00:00:00

COUNTY WORKS PRESENTMENTS (IRELAND)

AMENDMENT BILL.

The House then WeniintoC7m—mitteeon this Bill, and re.
sowed, when the report was ordered to be brought up to-
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morrow.

ADMINISTRATION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE BILL.
This Bill wag read a third time and passed.
The House then adjournel at a quarter to Two o'clock.

ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.

SITTING OF JUNE 8.
M. Dames read a long report of the process employed at
the Royal Printing-office for printing upon stone, and in
colours, the large geological map of France. It would be
tedious to our readers generally to follow M. Dumas
through the whole of his report, however interesting it
may be to printers, who are well acquainted with
all the technical details into which he enters. It
will be Sufficient for u 3 to state that which has been done
upon a rather smaller scale, with the most perfect success,
by other lithographic printers, and in particular by M.
Englmann, to whose genius and perseverance so many
beautiful improvements in lithographic printing are
clue, is accomplished at the royal printing office upon a
more extensive scale, by the mechanical precision which
has been attained. Printing in colours, whether from metal
types or stone, is, as our readers may suppose, a repetition
of the process for as many colours and shades as are
required. If in letter-press printing, for instance, it be re-
quired to print a sheet in six or seven colours, there are the
same number of forms set up, each containing the words
which are to be in one particular colour. The press-work
upon one colour being accomplished, another form, containing
the letters to be printed in a different colour, is brought to
the press, and the sheet is so adjusted that the colour may
fall nowhere else ; this process is repeated as often as the
colours are to be introduced. There must be the greatest
care and precision used. It is the same with lithographic
printing. For as many portions of the print as there are to
be portions in different colours, there are so many engraved
stones, and success in the operation depends upon the Ina-
chinery, by which the sheet is made to adapt itself exactly
to each. The novelty at the Royal Printing-office appears
to us to consist entirely in the extent to which this mode of
printing is carried, for it appears that no less than 23 or 24
lithographic stones are used for the same map. The me-
chanical part of the process is evidently, from the description
of M. Dumas, admirably contrived; but whilst due honour
is paid to the art and ingenuity evinced in the process at
this establishment, we think it is only fair to speak in terms
of almost equal praise of the individuals who have, with so
much public spirit, and at so great a sacrifice of money,
brought the art of lithographic printing to its present state.
A long letter was read from M. Boussingault to M.
Arago, relative to a tree struck by lightning last month, and
which the writer saw and examined after the accident. M.
Bossingaul gives a very detailed account of the appearance
of the parts rent or carbonised by the electric fluid, but they
are wholly without interest, for the writer admits that it dif-
tered in no essential point from what has been seen in other
cases of the same kind. What, then, it will be no doubt
asked, was the writer's object in this long letter ? It was
simply to enable M. Boussingault to repeat an opinion which
he has frequently expressed, that the belief that the electric
fluid leaves behind it a strong odour of sulphur is a vulgar
error. He says he was assured by some persons that this
tree gave out such a smell, but that having himself visited
it he was convinced that there was no smell of sulphur,
and that the real smell was precisely the same as that in the
manufactories where vinegar is distilled from wood. These
two odours are very unlike, and consequently if M. Bous-
singault is right, persons who fancy that the electric fluid
leaves behind it a smell of sulphur are wrong. M. Bous-
,ingault adds, that in no case has he found a sulphurous
emanation from any article struck by lightning. In the
present case, however, he candidly admits that a person who
accompanied him in his visit to the tree was of opinion that
the smell was sulphurous, "notwithstanding all his efforts to
dissuade him from it." DI. Boussingault is a great authority
in :scientific matters, but his companion seems to have
thought that, independently of science, a nose is a nose, and
that he had as much right to smell or fancy that he smelled
sulphur as M. Boussingault had to smell or fancy that he
smelled the vinegar of wood.
M. Cornay gave a description of a new sound or probe for
detecting the presence of urinary concretions and other de-
posits, and which he calls a stereoscope. It is an ingenious
contrivance, and will, we believe, be found of practical
benefit.

A communication was received from Monsieur Bouchardat
on the functions of the roots of plants. He states that if
the roots of plants be plunged in a solution of several salts
so weak as to be without chemical action upon the tissues,
the plant will absorb these salts in equal proportions. M.
de Saussure came to a different conclusion, but this arose,
says M. Bouchardat, from his not having taken into ac-
count the secretion which goes on simultaneously with the
absorption.

A Communication was received from M. de Nothomb, on
the use of ammonia in the preparation of plates for
photographic impressions. Hitherto it has been considered
important to carry on the process of photography in places
as free as possible from ammonial emanation. M. de
Nothomb is of quite a different opinion. He says, nothing
tends so much to increase the rapidity of the operation as the
use of ammonia. After preparing his plate in the usual way
with the vapour of iodine, &c., he exposes it to the vapour of
a solution of ammonia, and at the end of twenty or thirty
seconds, it is, according to his account, in a much better state
than it would otherwise be to receive the impression that is
required in the camera obscara.
There was no other paper of general interest read at this
sitting.

INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGI-

NEERS.—PRESIDENT'S CONVERSAZIONE.
The first of a series of four conver sazioni, to be given by
Sir John Rennie, the president of this very useful and
flourishing institution, took place on Saturday evening last,
at his residence in Whitehall-place, and, was most numer-
ously and brilliantly attended by noblemen and gentlemen
connected v ith or interested in scientific pursuits. The
company on their arrival were received, with his usual ur-
banity, by the President, who was supported on the occasion
by the vice-presidents and council and secretary of the insti-
tution, and immediately commenced their inspection of the
many beautiful objects and models that were profusely scat-
tered through the noble suite of rooms fitted up expressly for
the occasion. To enum. rate everything that was interesting would greatly exceed our limits; we must, therefore, be con-
tent to notice a few of the things which struck us as being
most remarkable.
Amongst the models were an exceedingly good one of the
biscuit-baking machinery, invented by Grant, and erected at
Portsmouth Dockyard by Messrs. Rennie. Prosser's machine
for drawing and welding metal tubes. Struve's machine for
ventilating mines by exhausting the upward current in the
air shaft. Mr. M'Clean's proposed method for conveying
railway trains across the river Dee, by means of a platform
travelling upon rails fixed on piles across the bed of the river,
leaving the full depth of water above, by which the ordinary
navigation can be carried on without impediment. The St. Ka-
therine's Point and Menai Lighthouses, sent by the Trinity
Beard. Mr. R. Stephenson's long boiler narrow gauge locomo-
tive, and the Great Western broad gauge locomotive. Several
models from the Admiralty collection, showing Sir W.
Symons forms of steamers and vessels of war, and a very
complete model of the Victoria and Albert steam yacht.
number v ixtcdel4 01191 Ting the arrugemeut§ by Rennie