The Sun.
London, England, 1846-09-10 00:00:00

FRENCH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.

SITTING OF AUGUST 31.
A communication was made respecting an extraordi-
nary improvement in the boring of artesian wells. by M.
Fauvelle. The process has hitherto been one of great
time, and consequently of great expense, for it was
necessary, after boring for a few inches, to draw up the
instrument, in order to clear away the earth, stones, &c.,
through which it had pierced. By M. Fauvelle's pro-
eess the boring is never interrupted, for the instrument
clears itself, and continues its course of perforation.
This is effected by an injection of water through a hol-
low tube, so contrived as to cause a powerful rush under
the borer, and clear away the accumulated contents by
driving them to the surface. The injection is produce)
by a force pump, worked simultaneously with the
instrument of perforation. Our readers must conceive
at once that the labour of boring is greatly accelerated
by this process, for not only is it unnecessary to discon-
nect the borer from time to time, in order to clear it,
but the cutting point is kept continually free. The
account given of the success of this new invention would
be regarded as fabulous, if it were not well authenticated.
We are assured that, at Perpignan, M. Fauvelle bored,
in the presence of M. Arago, to a depth of 170 metres,
for an artesian well, in the short space of 15 days;
whereas workmen have been engaged in the same town
in making an artesian well of the same depth for a period
of 11 months, and their labours have not yet been com-
pleted. This is certainly one of the most valuable dis-
coveries of the present age, for it will enable priva'e
persons to make artesian wells at even a smaller expense
than common wells, and to go to such a depth as to obtain
pure water for domestic purposes. We hope to see the ex-
periment repeated in Paris, and that too upon an extensive
scale. There were several papers on astronomy commu-
nicated to the Academy at this sitting. One was from
M. de Gasparis, containing two equations on the orbits
of comets and planets; another was from M. Leverrier,
on the probable situation of the planet which produces
such anomalies in the motions of Uranus; and another
from M. Faye, producing new means of observation
every ten years, in order to arrive with more certainty
at the relative positions of the celestial bodies. Notice
was given by the Government of an intended expedition
by Lieutenant Tardy de Montravel, to the Amazon
river, and its branches, with the steamer Alecton and
the Astrolabe corvette, and inviting this learned and
scientific body to prepare a programa with a view to
facilitate the researches which M. de Montravel is
charged to make. A paper was received from M.
Daubre?, on the subject of the gold..that is found in the
bed of the Rhine. This gentleman had already ex-
pressed an opinion that the gold came originally
from the crystalline scoistous rocks of the Alps, and
now communicates a series of experiments to prove that
his conjecture was right. Some time ago an interesting
paper was received from M. Rossell, on the diseases
caused by the phosphoric vapours of manufactories of
phosphorus and chemical matches. M. Dupassier, in a
communication which was this day read to the Academy,
doubts the correctness of the facts stated by M. Rous-
sel, but he deals rather with hypotheses than with po-
sitive facts, in opposition to the statement of M. Rossel.
Several communications were received from the de-
partments of the Loiret, Calvados, Seine- et Oise, &c.,
announcing that the disease which attacked the potatoes
last year has again manifested itself, although to a more
limited extent. Some of the members of the Academy
expressed a wish that experiments should be made as to
the means of exchanging the nature of the soil in which
potatoes are grown, so as to remove the origin of the dis-
ease. We do not know how this is to be effected, and think
that if there had been any prospect of eradicating the
disease by changing the nature of the soil, the attempt
would have been made this year by one at least of the
philanthropic gentlemen farmers who are so numerous in
England. As we see, however, by a letter in a London
journal, that the truly illustrious chief of the French
nation is about to convert a large portion of one of his
estates in Normandy into a model farm, we would take
the liberty of recommending to him a series of experi-
ments on this truly important subject, as regards the
welfare of the human race. The French owe much to
Parmentier for the introduction of the potato as a ge-
neral article of food in France ; but still more will they
be indebted to their Sovereign, if he will turn his atten-
tion to the means of checking a malady, which threatens
to deprive millions of a cheap and wholesome food.