The Sun.
London, England, 1846-01-27 00:00:00

r the part of Great Britain to take offence at this Measure. All
these measures, and especially that of the increase of our
minter?, forces, must depend on the notice to Great 'Britain
that this present state of things, which had existed for twenty
ortwenty-five years, should no lorigercontinne; that we would
not have our hands and feet tied on this subject; that the no-
tice must be given, and we must be free to act as we shall
think our interest and the lights of the country require.
He thought it was time for this House to begin to consider
what was due to that portion of our countrymen who were in
one and Another portion of that territory. They ought to
know who they are. He confessed he was very imperfectly
informed on the stubject ; and neither from Lieut. Wilkes's
exploring expedition, or from Lieut. Fremont's journal, could
he gain this information which was the most needed. He
referred to the memorial which had been presented by the
Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs at an early
day of the session, from American citizens in Oregon, and to
another memorial on the subject, which had sot been pre-
sented to the House, as promising to impart something of
the desired information, arid he repeated that he vas in favour
of protecting them as far as we could protect than. He be-
lieved he had said all lie proposed to say on this subject. The
most materiel thread of his observations was tint to givo
notice to Great Britain to terminate this conviption—this
was the first measnre ; and after that would come measures
necessary for the protection of our citizens, such as the esta-
blishment of stockade forts and other measures relating to
the increase of our military establishments—for he WV, against
all these, unless the convention was first terminated?'
Mr. Adams having taken his seat,
Mr. Faran endeavoured to offer a resolution, but the Hearse,
influenced by feelings of intense agitation respecting the sub-
ject before it, immediately moved an adjournment.
On the 3d the debate was resumed by Mr. J. C. Ingersoll,
who, far from considering the notice would precipitate war,
believed it would on the contrary be the means of avoiding
it. He expressed his opinion that the matter could and
would be honourably adjusted, peaceably and without war.
Mr. Darrat was for promptly and boldly asserting ear
rights to Oregon and giving the notice.
And various other Members expressed similar views.
On the 6th Mr. Giddings declared that he was opposed to
war, and thought it would come if the notice was given, yet
by annexing Texas the power of the Government had been
transferred to the slaveholder, and he would therefore go
for speedily settling -the question in order to add to the
number of free states, and thereby restore the balance of
power. He was therefore in favour of giving the notice,
even if war should come. He took it for granted, that if
war should cense, they would, in addition to Oregon, get
the Canadas, out of which we could make five or six free
states, and thus and in that way the' balance of power
could be brought back to the free states.
Other Members made comments of a similar character,
sad the debate was concluded with a braggart war-speech by
Mr. Sims.
The debate was resumed on the 6th by N. Helliard, in
favour of authorising the President to give the notice.
After some further discussion, a motion to make a special
order of the resolution was voted upon and lost. The House
then resolved itself into a Committee of the whole, sued Mr.
Boulin moved to take up the joint resolution, to give the one
year's notice to England closing the joint occupancy. va._.
On the same day, the Bill fir raising two companies-lins,,
mounted riflemen, without objection, was referred to the
Committee of the whole, and ordered to be printed.
Mr. 31-Connell requested permission to introduce a resolu-
tion, which the House—allowed to be read for information.
The reading excited much merriment, and laughter, and was
regarded as an appropriate burlesque upon the recent pro-
ceedings of Congress:—
" Resolved,—That we hail the elevated feeling which now
unusually prevails in our glorious confederacy to strengthen
and consolidate the principles of Republican freedom, and
extend the blessings of our free institutions in every practi-
cable quarter of the universe, in the spirit of Christian love
and peaceful brotherhood.
" Resolved,—That while we hail the admission of Texas
(which fought her way to independence) as a sister state
into our union, we now, with unaffected pride and sa-
tisfaction, hail the resolution of the Executive and Con-
gress of the United States to uphold our title to Oregon,
and in the same spirit we observe the growing desire to
incorporate Mexico, Yucatan, California, &c., into the con-
federacy, and that Ireland is fully entitled to share the
blessings of our free institutions.
" Resolved,—That the Irish people, as a nation, have long
been ground down by the British misrule and misgovern-
ment, and while her people for centuries have been ground
down by a monarchical yoke, they have always cherished
the democratic principles of a republican government—the
only government that has ensured freedom to man.
Itesolved,—That the House will receive with due atten-
tion and consideration any communication that may be for-
warded by that high-minded and liberty-40'ring people with
a view to effect such an object!'

PARIS ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.
SITTING OF JAN. 12.—PRESERVATION
OF WOOD—TANNING LEATHER.
A communication was made by M. Letellier on the pre-
servation of wood. M. Letellier states that, u long ago as
1837, lie pointed out the means of preparing wood by im-
mersion, first, by impregnating it with deutochlorure of
mercury and then with gelatine, which rendered the mercu-
rial salt insoluble, and, in December 1840, he pointed out the
disadvantages of the use of pyrolignite of iron, as recom-
mended by M. Boucherie. There is scarely any subject on
which so muck has been said in the Academy and the jour-
nals as the preservation of wood. There are at least thirty
competitors for the honour of the discovery, and yet up to
this moment we hear of no establishment being formed for
any operation on a large scale. M. Boncherie appears to
have passed six or seven years in experiments only. Mr.
Banner had his patent thre_e years for Payne'sprocess—which
is extensively adopted in England, where it is said to yield
large profits to the patentee--before he could form even the
nucleus of a company, and though he was able at last
to get together a board of direction, embracing some' of
the most eminent and high-sounding names in France, the
affair is still-born, the public, in its eagerness for wild
schemes on the Bourse, having shown no disposition to
take shares. This is the fate of half or two-thirds of the
really useful discoveries and inventions that are announced
in France. Law found plenty of dupes for his schemes; the
proprietors of the bitumen companies let in thousands for
heavy losses with their unfounded pretensions, and even at
ibis moment, in spite of their experience of the past, capital
is to be found for schemes that are equally wild ; but in vain
does the true disciple of useful science call for the tro-opera
tion of the public for assistance to execute his plans.
A very important communication was made by M. Payen,
in the name of Dr. Turnbull, of London, relative to his prac-
tical application of the theory of endosmosis and extosmosis,
discovered by M. Dutrochet, to the process of tanning, and
also the application of the soluble principle of sugar to the
same purpose. We give here a short explanation of what is
meant by endosmosis and extosmosis:—When a membrane
intervenes between twe liquids of different densities, they
produce two currents, the one outwards called extosmosis,
and the other inwards called endosmosis. By this sew
physical law the currents interchange until they become of
the same specific gravity ; thus Dr. Turnbull, by sewing
up a hide filled with one liquid of a certain specific gravity,
and then immersing the hide in another liquid of greater
or lesser density, keeps up this reciprocal action until such
time as the hide is thoroughly tanned. The statement
made by Dr. Turnbull is so extraordinary, that it as-
tonished the Academy, and has equally astonished some of our
Paris contemporaries, who observe that his process, if real,
eclipses everything that has been discovered in the practical
arts for these hundred years. The best answer to the doubts
expressed as to the reality of the discovery, is to be found
in the fact that the process is carried on in London os a
very large scale, and the experiments which Dr. Turnbull
has been performing in Paris for the last month, in presence
of many of the first tanners. By the ordinary process of
tanning it requires eighteen months to tan an ox-hide, and
4001 b. of bark. Dr. Turnbull tans the hide in fourteen days,
and with only 100 lb. of bark. Here, then, is a saving of out-
lay for the process, and the tanner, with the same amount
ecapital, can do thirty-six times as much as under the old
system. And this is not' all. Dr. Turnbull's process gives
an extra weight of leather, varying from 15 to 251 b. per
cent. Calve-skins, which under the old process resistire an
immersion in the vat of five, six, and seven months, are by
Dr. Turnbull's process tanned in two days. But, it will be
asked, is not this rapidity of execution attended with infe-
riority to the leather produced? On the contrary, it is much
better, for all the saturation required for the production of
good leather is as fully effected by the new as the old pro •
cess ; and one of the great causes of bad leather
tanning entirelyf
avoided. The first part of the ordinary mode of
to remove the hair from the skin—to dot:
and before the hair can be detached,
injury to the skin, render-
ehiscoririonleveilacutsieodr;
of the lime always ping it spongy, and thereforer
o
d
u
c
e
readilys
at the same time that
roaearn,oisi susceptible of moisture
when the leather is made up
are
affected
by
loss of weight.
the interests of the tanner
Dr. Turnbull effects the removal of the hair by the use Of
fsugar or any substance containing saccharine matter ; or, if
lime be used, it is removed by the application of sugar, before
it can do any injury, whereas, by the old process, a portion
of it must for ever remain is the skin. Hitherto teary pro-
cess for rapidity in tanning—comparative rapidity, we mean,
for when M. Seguin contrived to turn out oz.-hides tanned
in five or six months, the fact was thought wonderful—has
been atteaded with loss of quality, for the process was ex-
pedited by the use of acids. By the new proem not only
are no acids used, in addition to the usual tanning Materials,
but even the portion of acid which those materials contain
is destroyed. We state all this, as the French say, with
amnaissance de cause, for we have been present at two of the
experiments performed by Dr. Turnbull, and had not only
the evidence of our harida and eyes as to the quality of the
leather, but also the advantage of hearing the tanners who
were present declare, that every part of the process had been
conducted under their own control, and with skins marked
by themselves. A commission of the Academy, consisting
of Messrs. Payen, Boussengault, Dumas, and Dutrochet, was
instantly appointed to visit the tan-yard, where these experi-
ments are going on, and to make its report.

SITTINGS OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS LAST SESSION:.
Yesterday returns were issued by order of the House of
Lords, dated Jan. 22, showing the number of days in each
month the House of Lords sat during the session of 1845;
and also the :lumber of days on which the several public Bills
came from the House of Commons. and the days on which
they passed their several stages in that House during the
same session. From -the former return it appears that the
House of Lords sat 14 days in February, 10 in March, 16 in
April, 11 in May, 17 in June, 20 in July, and 7 in August—
making altogether 95 days their Lordships mot during the
last session. The second partion of the document gives a
list of the various Bills sent from the House of Commons.
the days on which they were brought up to the Lords, and
the days on which each such public Bill passed through its
various stages in the House of Lords.

APPEALS IN THE HOUSE OF—LORDS.—The Appeal
Committee was appointed for the session in the Douse of
Peers on the first evening of their Lordships' meeting a
..: various appeal causes have already been presented o the
House. I bus, on Saturday, two appeals were p roone
namely, Evans v. Scott and the East India Co mpany t :':.
Glasse, in both which cases
the Great
the respondents weravioroardteerread
to answer in a fortnight. In Ranger et.
„. _
Railway Company and in Thorneyicrotfo
answer in a week ;
re-
spondents were ordered peremptory urochett, the
-;a ill'Kenna v. Pope
and in the fifth instance, the aPP,I, . for the (writ of error) the petition of tribge pwisainstirt,
read and referred to
appoint-
ment of an early day for hear!
the Appeal Committee already mentioned. No day has yet
been fixed by their Lordships for commencing the hearing of
appeals. ,r or Tom THUMB'S PONIES.'--011 Satur-
.,. DE ATI!
ao.rO;:rocceding with his suite to Glasgow by rail-
Ray,day last,i,
i hisw 1i0,,,,iF1,
to Falkirk, one of the littl© grey leaders
.....
117. ( suddenly seized, at Natalie station, with the disease
,::,",- in Scotland as the " batts." The animal survived
only a few minutes, thus depriving the General of one of
Is.dwartish team, a loss which will not easily be supplied.—
vr Advertiser.
"a'SHOOTING GAME AT LOWTHER.— On Friday and Saturday last, in the preserves near Lowther, the Earl of
Lonsclale gave a grand shooting treat to a number of his
sporting friends, amongst whom were the Hon. Celonel
Lowther, the Messrs. Markham, &c. About 500 hares and
other game were shot, which his Lordship made presents of
to his fric,nas, tenantry, tradesmen and werkmen, at Penrith,
Eamont-bridge, Clifton, llackthorpe, Askbam and othex
places,— Westmorland Gazette.

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