The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-06 00:00:00

CHEMISTRY IN RELATION TO

COMMERCE.

(From the Chemical News.)
To discover a new, chemical combination which
shall produce a brilliant dye at a cheap rate is
enough to gladden the heart of any chemist and to
fill his pockets with gold. To find out the art of
manufacturing diamonds would likewise, for a time,
be a profitable discovery; but neither of these dis-
coveries would be comparable in value with one
which would preserve beauty, unimpaired by time,
or, at least, preserve a fresh and clear complexion.
The attempt to manufacture a cosmetic, which will
effect this, is as laudable as an attempt to unite
England and America by a telegraphic cable, and
success would be quite as useful in the former as
in the latter case—provided, however, that in
beautifying the faces of our ladies it did not
destroy their health. At the present moment
there are cosmetics enough manufactured to float
a man-of-war, and skin-powders enough to fill
it. The names given to these substances
would fill a volume, though the actual number
of ingredients which go to their formation are very
few indeed. Unfortunately, the greater portion of
these are of a highly injurious character, and their
evil effects are not lessened by their being applied
externally.. That ladies should endeavour to make
their personal appearance agreeable is excusable,
not to say praiseworthy ; and such an endeavour is
quite in accordance with their self-denying charac-
ter, since it cannot be for their own pleasure that
they employ such means to heighten the effect of
their natural charms, but solely because they think it
gratifies the eye of the harder and uglier sex torest
on what is called a brilliant complexion. Laud-
able, however, as such a motive is, we cannot but
think it to be our duty to point out at what
possible cost this result is obtained. For example :
—lt cannot be beneficial to the skin of the face to
have its pores stopped up with a mineral com-
posed chiefly of flint and magnesia, such as talc,
a substance extensively used under the name of
French blanc : neither can oxide of bismuth,
or a combination of fluorine and bismuth, be an
advisable application to the countenance, not-
withstanding its innocently sounding name of
blanc de perle, or in vulgar English, pearl white.
Being insoluble in alkalies, it can only be removed
from the skin on going to bed with, great difficulty,
and indeed after a time it is doubtful whether it can
be thoroughly removed at all. As to its effects,
without wishing to be alarmists, we cannot refrain
from stating that its continued employment pro-
duces a twitching of the muscles of the face, which
is by no means unlikely to end in paralysis. There
is another objection to its use, which may perhaps
have more weight with those who think that
" sufficient for the day is the evil thereof," than
that we have mentioned, and this is that it blackens
when exposed to sulphuretted hydrogen, a gas fre-
quently met with in badly-ventilated rooms, and,
indeed, everywhere where gas or sewers exist.
Many a lady who would not hesitate to use a face
powder would, we will venture to say, pause before
laying on her delicate skin a hydrated silicate of
magnesia, which, under the name of steatite, is
extensively used in the manufacture of such
powders. As to the colours used for giving a rosy
tint, and sold under the name of bloom of roses, or
plain rouge, it is impossible to enumerate all the
substances which enter into their composition ;
suffice it to say that they are most frequently made
of a mixture of talc and carmine, a compound
which is so various in its composition that no two
specimens are alike. Beside the substances we
have mentioned, there are others which are largely
used in the manufacture of face-powders, and which
are quite as, if not more, injnrious than those we
have mentioned. For the benefit of those ladies
who consider they must use a powder of some kind
to prevent the skin from becoming rough in cold
weather, we may mention that the most harmless
is that known as violet powder, which is formed of
wheat-starch and orris-root powder, with the addi-
tion of a little scent. What chemist who reads the
numerous advertisements of hair-dyes of marvellous
properties, or, still more, who notices the number
of persons who disfigure their hair with such ap-
plicatiop,7can have helped asking himself how far
the use of these may account for the increase of
that obscure class of diseases which the physician
finds it so difficult to deal with. Some of the most
extensively used of these hair-dyes are composed of
a mixture of quick or slaked lime, powdered white
lead, and litharge. The mode of using these powders
is to mix them into a paste with water, and plaster
the head with it,-covering it with oiled silk, or
some other waterproof tissue, to keep it moist, and
letting it remain on for several hours. Now, there
cannot be a doubt that during this time a consider-
able portion of lead must be absorbed into the
system through the pores of the skin, which are
rendered more than usually absorbent by having
been previously cleansed, and by the heat which is
engendered while the head remains covered with
this impervious tissue. The poisonous property of
lead when taken into the body in any form is well
known, but it is only reasonable to conclude that
its effects must be peculiarly injurious when ab-
sorbed through the skin so near the brain. These
effects exhibit themselves in various forms ; some-
times by inflammation of the alimentary canal ;
at other times by spasm of the muscles ; but,
its effect in this particular instance under conside-
ration would probably be on the nervous system,
which might ultimately lead to apoplexy or partial
palsy. Neither can the use of hair dyes, which
are composed of nitrate of silver, sulphide of potas-
sium, sulphate of copper, or prussiate of potash, be
otherwise than injurious ; and when we have men-
tioned these substances, we have not nearly speci-
fied all the deleterious substances used in their
preparation.

THE LAW OF LANDLORD AND TENANT
IN FRANCE.

Three cases of some interest to landlords and
tenants were submitted to Ow courts on Thursday,
last. The first was this t—A person named Du-
plessy, who held on lease certain buildings in the
Quai de la Gare, sublet, in 1854, part of them to
one Chevallier, on lease for six or nine years. The
Orleans Railway Company, in 1859, bought the
buildings, and gave Duplessy notice to quit ; he, in
his turn, gave Chevallier notice to leave on the Ist
of January, 1860, and that person formally ac-
cepted it in writing, as putting an end to his lease.
Subsequently Duplessy took the buildings on a
new lease from the railway company, and he
allowed Chevallier to remain in the portion occu-
pied by him. But on the 30th of June last he gave
him notice to leave on the 6th of January next.
Chevallier refused to accept that notice on the
ground that by leaving him in occupation he had
tacitly annulled the acceptance of the former notice,
and had virtually renewed the lease for the same
length of time as that which he (Duplessy) had
obtained from the railway company. An action
having been brought before the Civil Tribunal,
judgment was given in favour of Chevallier. But
the Imperial Court yesterday, on appeal, holding
that this decision was bad in law, quashed it, and
declared that the notice to quit on the Ist of June
last was valid. The second case was as follows :
—A lady named Geoffrey, some time back, let to
one Cherre a garden attached to a house in the Rue
Vaugirard, and authorised him in the lease to raise
against the wall of the garden any construction he
might please, subject to his paying the expense.
lie built some sheds against it, and then the pro-
prietor of the adjacent garden, a M. Durand, who
had paid for the construction of the wall, de-
manded that, as Madame Geoffrey derived as much
advantage from it as ho did, she should pay him
323 f., or half the expense. Madame Geoffrey did
not deny that, as the wall was a party one, the sum
was due, but she contended that it was Cherre
who ought to pay it, as he profited by the wall for
his constructions. Cherre, however, refused, on the
ground that the expense of a party-wall falls by
law on the landlord, inasmuch as it is he who de.
rives permanent benefit from it; and that, besides,
the lease, though throwing on him the expense of
any construction he might make, did not render
him liable to pay for the wall itself. The case Was
yesterday argued before the Civil. Tribunal, and,
after long pleadings for the different parties, judg-
ment was given to the effect that Madame Geoffrey
must pay the 323 f. The third affair Was of a dd.
ferent kind. A lady named Gerard lately took on
lease an apartment in a house in the Faubourg
Poissonniere, and, after sending in her furniture,
slie went to
sthakeehridssien herssien, accompanied by a lap-
dog, arms
but the concierge
positively refused to let the animal enter, and after
eaanl
dt
she
et hteh e
adpl
po landlorde
dshe o
teho
eu r
eosbi tdaein t
oi of.
a long altercation she was obliged to send it away.
trOhenderCeasipsviil Tribunal sitting in Ch'ahers to order
that, as her lease did not contain any Etipulatura
that she should net
be allowed to enfeekeorti a deg the animal shP,uld
.
shoull be The Piesident granted the
application, and,
the commissary omforeover directed that if need be
armed force police' of the district and the
employed to compel obedience.

The 807122. Gazette of the 30th ult. states that
Professor Dahlmann had on the previous day an attack of
t •
apoplexy, but hopes were entertained that it would not be
atteuded with fatal results,

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

CROYDON STEEPLECHASE-WEDNESDAY.

The Croydon' Stakes (Handicap) of 5 sous each, with 30

added. About three miles. 21 subs.

Mr. T. Golby's Johnny, 5 yrs, 9st 101 b.... (Nightingall) 1
Mr. B. Land's Heads or Tails, 6 yrs' lOst 21b (J. Land) 2
Mr. W. Smith's Chester, 6 yrs, lOst 21b (Bennet) 3
The following also ran :—The Curate, The Tattler ,
Doubtful, and The Fawn.

Betting-5 to 2 each agst Heads or Tails and Doubtful,
4 to 1 agst Johnny.
At the third jump from home Johnny took the lead,
followed by Doubtful, who afterwards fell, and Johnny ran
in the winner by 10 lengths ; a bad third.
The Railway Stakes of 3 sovs each, with 25 added, 12st
each. Selling allowances. About two miles. 3 subs.
Mr. C. Searle's Harlequin, aged (£5O), llst....(Owner) 1
Mr. Drake's Surprise, aged, list (Stinton) 2
No betting.
Harlequin made all the running and came in alone. The
winner was bought in.
The Innkeepers' Plate (Handicap), of 60 sovs. About two