The Sun.
London, England, 1867-11-21 00:00:00

SCIENTIFIC JOTTEVGS.

he French Academy of Sciences has received a
paper from M. Emmanuel Liais, dated Rio Janeiro,
Sept. 6, in which he describes his observation of the

eclipse of the sun of Aug. 29th, which was total at
Montevideo, but partial at Rio. The weather was
splendid, and he obtained both contacts ; he then
took advantage of those data to determine anew
the longitude of Rio from the meridian of Paris,
and found it to be 3h. lm. 43-4 s. M. Liais's
former measurements had given 3h. lin. 32.45.,
which he still considers to bo nearer the truth
than his last one.—When a bullet falls into a
vessel of water, an air-bubble quickly appears at
the point of ingrcli. M. Laroque examines, in
a paper addressed to the Ac,iderny, how the air
came, there. A part of it of course rushes into
the momentary cavity caused in the water by
the p ts3age of thi ballet,- and gals imprisoned
there by the water closing over it ; but M. Laroque
finds from experiment that a certain quantity of
air is also pushed in by the bullet in the swiftness
of its progress. M. Velter, taking up a remark
lately made by M. Peligot, to the effect that com-
mon salt was not so useful to architecture as was
generally supposed, replies that its favourable effects
may be explained from the fact that, iu a calcareous
soil, rich in organic matter, salt or chloride of sodium
is transformed into carbonate of soda ; the chloride
also sinks into the soil in the shape of chloride of
lime, and this, retained by the earth, acts upon the
organic matter it contains, and forms nitrate of
soda.

MASSOWAIL —A suggestion was made yesterday
in the House of Commons, that instead or sending au artily
to fight Theodorus, wo should seizj Massowah or some
other part of Abpsinia, a id hold it until the captives are
released. It app ar however, from the blue bo:ik that
Massowah is clainic,l by the Egyptian atveruninit, which
has despatched a force thither, and although it is doubtful
whether the claim can be substantiated, it is certain that
Thoodorus would no more care for our s._,izing
provided we did not make it the hiss of our advance, than
if we seized one of the Sandwich Islands.

A PUNISHABLE BLUNDER. —oa Tuesday eveniug,
at Itugeley, ia St:afford, a Vuluuteer was shut by uau of

those real ass inistakes which arc never likely to be put
a stop to till magistrates take a more sr•voro notice of the
deaths and injuries which arise therefroni. Sergeau -
Major Kelly, the bAndmaster of tha Ist StAfferishire

la, bought a revolver, which ho had often discharged
during the day, and believing that all the cha►ubers were
empty, went to show a young luau named Woodin (also
a member of the band) how it was fired. One barrel, how-
ever, happened to be loaded, and the ball from it passed
through the head of young Woodin, of whose recovery, of
course, no hope was entertained. Kelly, after being
taken before the justices, was remanded.

Mr. F. W. Dillon, late lieutenant in the Nizatu'i
army, committed suicide in Bombay on the 13th
October by taking a dose of narcotic poison. He
was in distressed circumstances, but there was nr) -
eyideace as to the cause of his suicide.