The Sun.
London, England, 1867-06-06 00:00:00

Castillon, in the south of France, has just murdered
a person who slept in the same room with him, after
which he went to the room where his mother was
asleep, and cut her throat. He ran out of the house
almost naked, and he attempted to stab the gen-
darmes who took him into custody. When taken be
was on the pedestal of a statue, and was vociferat-
ing, " There is only one God, and I am he."
The Emperor Alexander and his two sons have
been to the Exhibition. The Emperor did the
honours in the beautiful salon which has been pre-
pared for him, and a repast was served up from the
Russian section. The Baron de Budberg and many
illustrious Russians had the honour of being invited.
The mania for seeing royal personages is still in
full swing in Paris, and the announcement that the
King of Prussia, accompanied by M. Bismark, would
arrive this afternoon at the Northern Railway sta-
tion has attracted half the population thither. The
King, I believe, will reside at the Tuileries.

EFFECTS OF ELECTRICITY OY WIRES.

In a paper addressed to the Academy of Sciences
by M. F. P. Leroux, in which the author examines
certain phenomena which natural philosophers have
either avoided to explain, or have confessed to be-
long to an unknown action of the electric fluid,
one of the most curious of these phenomena is
that of the undulations produced in the wires by
the discharges, and the momentary diminution of
length they experience in consequence. This
shortening in the wires was first observed by
Nairne, whose experiments were repeated by Van
Marum. The latter admitted the diminution of
length, but failed to perceive the undulations. M.
Ed. Becquerel, however, instead of keeping the wire
stretched between the two poles, suspended it by one
end, and simply stretched it with a very light
weight, and in this way he was enabled to ascertain
the existence of very perceptible undulations. M.
Riess carried the matter. further, and concluded
that the diminution of length was but a conse-
quence of the undulations. M. Becquerel found
that under the influence of successive discharges.
the undulations would not only continue but in-
crease ; at the same time, however, there is no per-
ceptible oscillation; for, on observing the wire at-
tentively at the moment when it becomes luminous
enough under the influence of electricity to be-
come visible, its shape appears distinctly defined.
What is the cause of the undulatory deformation it
undergoes? Our author at first suspected it to be
owing to some action of terrestrial magnetism, and
he therefore subjected the wire to the influence of
powerful magnet?, but without success. He then
operated on wires left entirely free at their nether
extremity, and the undulations under such circum-
stances became much stronger, two or three dis-
charges being sufficient to render them quite per-
ceptible ; but their order is so irregular, and they
assume such a variety of shapes, that no rule can
be laid down regarding them. One thing, how-
ever, did not escape our author's notice, viz., that
the temperature caused by the discharges was not
without influence upon them ; for, in order to
obtain deep undulations, it must remain within
certain limits, not below a dark red heat, and not
so high as to soften the metal much. In the latter
case the undulations are exceedingly minute and
close together; platinum wires being then best
suited for the experiment. Our author, therefore,
concludes that the phenomenon alluded to does not
require any new principle for its explanation, and
is a simple question of temperature. As the heat
engendered by the discharge increases, the wire
tends to increase in length by dilatation, but as
this power of dilatation acts also transversely, there
is also a tendency to increase in diameter, and it is
to this double molecular action the undulations
must be ascribed.

'UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENOB.

oxFor,6, JUNE 5.

The following gentlemen have been elected
scholars of Wadham College :—Mr. Bodington,
from Birmingham School ; Mr. Cremer, of Wad.
ham College, and formerly of llighgate School ;
and Mr. Baynes, from Rugby, elected for mathe-
matics.

The Junior Proctor will receive the name of cm-
didates for responsions, from themselves or their
tutors, at Exeter College, on Friday, June 14, from
1 o'clock till 2 ; S.►turday, June 15, from 1 o'clock
till 3.