The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-01 00:00:00

for so doing. "Philip Basil" is a Officietit affectation
of this. Will -he revert to the original dic-
tates of his ambition, and forsake, as iTicrli-
sistent with his talents, such conventional
frlb-
hies as Courtxll in "Rebecca and her Daughter'
If he acts thus, and restrains the superfluity of his fanny,
and imparts a more artistic sequence to his plots, h e
may produce something worthy of himself, and not un-
worthy of forming another link in our chain of literary
treasures. The two volumes before us, amidst an
abundance of valueless matter, justifies us in anticipat-
ing much. Mr. Stephens has it in his power to realise
or disappoint those anticipations. May they be
realised I

ACADEMY OF SCIENC&
SITTING OF JUNE 22.—M. Pelouze, who rec-ently
communicated to the Academy his experiments for the-
purpose of ascertaining with greater celerity and cer-
tainty the component parts of mixed metals, and particu-
larly the quantity of copper contained in any substance
of which it forms part, this day made a communication
on the subject of the copper, bronze, and boll metal
coins in circulation in France, and the amount of copper
that is represented by them. The nominal value of this
circulating medium is estimated at thirty millions of
francs. Of the total weight, the sous, according to M.
Pilouze, amount to 6,191,100 kilogrammes, and as his
analysis gives him for copper coin 929 of copper to the
1,000, he estimates the total weight of copper at
5,732,750 kilogrammes. M. relouze divides the copper
or mixed coin, of which copper forms the base, into three
classes. The first comprises the reri sous of the reigns of
Louis XV. and Louis XVI. They contain 995 of pure
copper to the 1,000. In the second class he ranges the
two-sous pieces of bell-metal, copper, and tin. His esti-
mate of the copper is 860 to the 1,000. They contain
also a very small portion of zinc, lead, and antimony,
and sometimes traces of iron and arsenic are found in
them. The third class consists of the red sous and
double sous, with the effigy of Liberty. These contain
960 parts copper to the 1,000. The information given by
M. l'elouze, although not of much apparent use now,
may subsequently be very useful to the Government
when it shall call in the various copper and mixed
money in circulation, for the purpose of replacing it by a
uniform coinage. As to the calculations about the total
nominal value and real weight of the copper coinage is
France, it must be out of the power of M. Pilouze, or
any other man, to estimate it correctly. It is easy, by
consulting the public records, to ascertain what quanti-
ties acre issued from the Mints at different periods ; but
nobody can guess at the amount which has disappeared

from circulation.
A very pretty model of a turbine, stated to be the
invention of M. Fouval, but manufactured by Messrs.
Kmechi n and Co., was presented to the academy at this
sitting, and an account was given of the effects of the
machine, by the scientific persons appointed to witness
the experiments. This was favourable to the inventor,
for it appears that he has made many important im-
provements upon the turbine hitherto in use, but which
was nevertheless marvellously powerful as a means of
raising water. The turbine, however, will be eclipsed,
if half that is said of another and very recent invention,
by aM. Letellier be true. This gentleman has, accord-
ing to the report of two commissions of scientific bodies,
made improvements upon the screw of Archimedes as
an instrument for raising water, which increases its
power at least one-fourth, with the same degree of
manual labour.
Another and very curious invention by an Italian en-
gineer was also spoken of at the Academy. It is a
water-mill of from five to fifty-horse power, worked by
an artificial waterfall, and which can be placed up as a
motive power in any manufactory, occupying a small
space, requiring little labour, and, of course, producing
vast economy as compared with the steam•engine, as
it requires no combustible. By the description given
of this machine, a large model of which is, we learn,
in operation, we find that it consists of eight pumps
worked with great ease by a single man (it is said
that two men would suffice for an eigllt-horse power
machine), by means of an admirably disposed coun-
terbalance system. The pumps supply a reservoir
placed at a proper height above the water-wheel, as in
the case of a natural fall, and the water falling
upon the wheel to which the strap of the machinery of
the manufactory is affixed, the whole goes round, and
puts the machinery in motion. The paradox of this in-
vention is the return of the water to the fountain head
in such a way as to keep up a continuous fall. If we
had not been assured by scientific men who saw the mo-
del at work for nearly two hours that this was accom-
plished we should say that it was impossible. There is
no difficulty in creating a waterfall by artificial means,
and making it a motive power, but we do not understand
how when the force has been supplied to work the ma-
chinery of a factory, and when it would appear to be ex-
pended, the water should by the same action be forced
back to the reservoir to renew the operation, without
the necessity of employing further manual labour.
A paper was received from M. Bonjean, a chemist, of
Chambery, on the medical properties of the ergot of
rye, particularly as a remedy in the case of external
hemorrhage. M. Bonjean does not pretend to have
made the discovery of this application of the ergot. It
was in fact discovered long siiVle, and tried by Dr.
Wright and M. Muller. M. Boolean, however, claims
credit for having carried his experioeists to a greater
extent than either of those gentlemen, and gives a num-
ber of cases which scarcely leave a doubt of .`.lle efficacy
of the remedy. We give one of his cases :
"On the sth instant (says M. Bonjean), a stx:-)ng
woman, aged 40, in uncorking a bottle, which broke in
her hands, received a dreadful wound in the palm of the
left hand. A portion of the artery was cut, and the
blood rushed out with such force as to cause a je:
of nearly four inches in height. After all the
ordinary- means of stopping the effusion of blood had
been tried without effect, the wound was tightly ban-
daged, and the woman proceeded to the house of a
physician, who immediately sent for M. Bonjean to ad-
minister his remedy. The latter gentleman uncovered
the wound and laid upon it a piece of lint saturated
with a solution or the ergot of rye, at the same time
using only gentle pressure. In two minutes the blood
ceased to (flow ; in five minutes the pressure was re-
moved. and the lint left upon the wound, and in twelve
minutes even that was removed. The wound was now
found to be self-closed by a mass of coagulated blood,
and another piece of saturated lint being laid over it
and the hand gently bound up, in two days the wound
had c;catrised.
A letter was received from Dr. Blandet complaining
of the delays in getting rid of the odious establishment
of Montfaucon, and pointing out the serious inconve-
nience and danger of the putrid emanations which arise
from it. The public ought really to be grateful to Dr.
Blandet for the energy with which he has taken up this
subject and the manner in which he treats it. The
inhabitants of the environs of Paris, in the direction
of Montfaucon, to even a considerable distance,
are dreadfully annoyed by the stench when the wind
sets towards them, and we may justly conclude that
in certain states f the atmosphere a portion of the
capital must also be affected, although insensibly so by
these putrid emanations. This, however, is not the
only evil of the kind of which we could complain. We
would direct the attention of the authorities to the
shameful way in which the
.poor are interred in some of
the cemeteries. The air is actually poisoned in hot
weather by the emanations from the pits in which the
bodies are heaped upon each other with only a few
inches of earth to cover those that are uppermost. In a
city where so much has been done for the public health,
where the cleansing of the streets is so perfect, where
the supply of water is so great, where common sewers—
one of the greatest triumphs of the present peaceful
reign—have been made, where the authorities appear to
be laudably on the watch to ameliorate this dreadful
system of interment, is an anomaly which cannot too
soon be removed, if the persons who are charged with
the public salubrity would entitle themselves to our un-
mixed gratitude.
We shall conclude our report of this sitting with a
notice of a curious but really important paper, addressed
to the Academy by M. Busson de Maurier. We call
the paper important from the subject, and the
evident care with which it is treated, although we
cannot bring ourselves to believe that the plan
suggested by the author is, under all circumstances,
practicable. M. Busson de Maurier complains of the
annoyances of the passport system ; who that has ever
had to take a passport has not ? Who is there that
has not fretted under the delays in procuring a pass-
port, and the occasional pertness of the officials whose
duty it is to examine them ? Latterly, indeed, the
Government has done all in its power to render the
passport system as little vexatious as possible, and it
is not now an uncommon thing for a man to travel
from one extremity of France to another without being
required to produce his passport. But the system
exists ; it is in itself essentially vexatious, and, under
certain circumstances, the vexation may again become
habitual. We are quite of opinion, therefore, with
M. Busson, that it would be a delightful thing to do
away with the necessity, of passports. He does not
pretend that this is to be accomplished without finding
a substitute for the passport system ; he would be very
foolish if he did. But is the substitute that he recom-
mends one which would give general satisfaction. He
recommends that every person should be registered,
that each registry should have a number
course from the extent); and that the number on the
registry should be represented by medal to be con-
stantly worn by the person who is registered. The
mere exhibition of this medal is to be the passport of the
individual. The registry, according to the plan pro-
posed by M. Busson, is not to be gratuitous; indeed, his
estimate of the revenue that even a very small registration
fee would yield is enormous, and thus far his plan must
be agreeable to governments. But is there not something
inquisitorial, in idea at least, in this compulsory regis-
tration ? And would it as means of police be quite
satisfactory? It would, we admit, be, notwithstanding
the infractions to which it would be subject. a great
check upon thieves, and even upon bad servants, who
introduce themselves into families with false characters
and assumed names. It would, however, require many
years to reconcile the public at large to this registration
system. Still, we must thank M. Bussen for having
written upon the subject, and devoted so much attention
to it. Our opinion may be an erroneous one. We re-
commend him, therefore, to publish his plan, and ascer-
tain what is thought of it generally.

DEATH OF LADY BLACKETT,—Her Ladyship died,
on Friday last, at Sir Edward's seat, Matfen Park, North-
umberland. She was daughter of the present Sir Charles A.
Monck, Bart., of Belsay Castle, and married, 1830, Sir
Edward Blackett, Bart., by whom she has left a numerous
family.
MANSLAUGHTER BY AN ENGINE DRIVER.—A num
named George Hocker, engine-driver at the Grace Mary Col-
liery, Rowley Regis, has been committed to take his trial
for manslaughter, in causing the death of a collier through
his negligence nn Monday last. It appears that the de-
ceased was being drawn up from the pit, and Rocker having
neglected to slacken the engine, the skip struck with great
violence against the pulley of the pit-frame, and the deceased
was jerked out of the skip, fell heavily on the ground, and
Waged.