The Sun.
London, England, 1848-04-29 00:00:00

CHEMISTRY OF THE SEA.

The following report of a lecture on the above subject,
recently delivered by Dr. %Villiami, of Swansea, at the
Royal Institution of Great Britain, will be read with
interest :

Dr. Williams commenced by demonstrating, by
means of an apparatus contrived for the purpose, the
effects of pressure on fishes at definite depths beneath
the surface of the sea. Having shown that a gold
fish when the water in which it was placed was
subjected to a pressure of four atmospheres
became paralysed, Dr. Williams stated the following
conclusions:-Ist. That round fishes, having an air
bladder; cannot, without injury, be exposed to a
pressure of more than three at:nospheres. 2d. That the
use of the air-bladder is not so much to regulate the
specific gravity of the animals as to resist the varying
force of the fluid column,• and thus to protect the via
cera and abdominal blood-vessels against excess of
pressure. 3d. (Though in this case the results
are less striking), fiat fish exhibit a limited capa-
city only for sustaining pressure. " From these ob-
servations, Dr. Williams inferred that ,tbe condition of
pressure regulated the distribution of fishes in depth.
Referring to the experimental researches of Pro-
fessor E. Forbes, he 'expressed his conviction
that pressure would be found the most . impor•
tent element in the problem of submarine organic
life. He observed that the lower animals evinced 11 toler-
ance of pressure peculiar to each species, and deter-
mining its zone of depth. The laws oceanic tempe-
rature were newt explained. It was experimentally
demonstrated that the expansion of sea water is consi-
derably greater than that of pure water under equal in-
crements of heat. It was, however, established by the
aerometer that density did not diminish in exact prk.por-
floe with the increase of volume. It was.argued that this
experiment went to account for the expansion sit crystals by
heat, as noticed by Mitacherlich: and that it is also proved
chat in the case of two strata of water of dissitniler tempe-
rature over-lying each other in the ocean, the tendency
to • intermixture by vertical molecular attraction was
greater than would be the case if the sea consisted
of distilled water. It was contended that it was .iu ace
cordance with the principles developed in this experiment
that the warm water occupying the greatest, depths in the
sea (as discovered by Sir James Ross), rose to, the
surface and escaped under the form of vapour, which, by
diffusing warmth through the atmosphere, mitigated
the rigour of polar cold. Referring to the stratum of
water of uniform warmth observed by Sir _J., Ross, the
lecturer stated that he had ascertained by experiment that
water acquires a considerable increase of temperature
under great pressure, and that he thought that the
temperature of the deep sea could only be satisfac-
torily accounted for by the condensation of bulk
which the air of water' underwent. The increase
of temperature measured downwards from the stratum
of uniform warmth to the sea bottom was noticed as
proving that the latent heat of the dissolved air was ren-
dered sensible as the pressure, i. e., the depth, increased.
Dr. Williams concluded by referring to the maximum
density of water, the laws governing the solution of sir
in water, and by explaining, the influence of those condi-
tions on the• existence and distribution of plants and
animals in the sea."

RETEAL MUTING YN MAIIbitIiSTER.—MAIICHEI3-
TER, THURSDAY.—Last sight there was a meeting held
in Carpenter's Hall in this city, called together by pla-
cards, which induced the people of Manchester to believe
that they would have an opportunity (for the first time)
of hearing " that man of the people," .John Mitchell.
But it turned out that, although Mr. Mitchell had crossed
the. Channel and excited some degree of curiosity in
Liverpool, a messenger had on Tuesday evening arrived
to inform him that he must with all speed return to
Dublin, for be.was wanted in the Court of Queen's Bench
on Wednesday morning, a fresh prosecution having been
salginated against him. Thus werethe people who attended
the meeting here last night doomed to disappOintment,
Lind Mr. Doheny, "the ambassador from Ireland," 'Was
the, only orator of any notoriety present. This zeritle-
,,nan,who, we understand, is to favour other towns in this
country with' specimens of his eloquence, said that it
was not his attention to violate the law here, but he
should take an early opportunity of doing sd upon a
fair field at home. The law to which he referred less
passed for Ireland, and in Ireland they were prepared
to meet it. He alluded to recent articles on the question
of Ireland in the Times, and attributed them to the pen
of Mr. Babington Macaulay. The Government Bill, he
said, would not be suffered in Ireland; they would go on
preparing as before, remonstrating as before, arming as
before. And he told those present, whether Englishmen
or Irishmen, if they wished to have their rights observed,
and to have attention paid to their prayers, that they
must arm. There were about 2,000 working men,
principally Irish, at the meeting, and it may be re-
garded, on the whole, as a complete failure.
[A.Dirt.itTisiisixwr.]—Another Person Cured of
Dropsy by. Hollowell': Pills.---nMearr.
BDopsntax,
hand7bextensive
farmer besiding at t it en for
a bwrstate, of health, the diseise'produded a
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he
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:state iss geteriatnect:to try
was I b ov.)tinir ion
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,used their remedies,
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but became worse;
medicine cured him in
and
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ifnrotinhi7l.lsiwchon:die-er doef-ra7lle,dthaPis .slub;el24dir‘iot;
time. Sold by
way's establishment, 244, Strand. London.
all Druggists, at Professor Hollo-