The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-02 00:00:00

ordinance also provides for the election of delegates
to a convention to form a constitution. At the
same time, the question " For a new State, or
against a new State," is to be submitted to the people
within the proposed boundary. The election is
appointed to be held on the 24th October. The
name of the new State is to be Kanawha.
COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.
NEW YORK (via Halifax), August 22, Evening.
The money market is easy. Sterling exchange—
bankers' bills, 107/ ; commercial, 1061. Bread..
stuffs, steady—Winter red wheat, 128 dols. ;
Chicago Spring, 108 dols. ; extra State flour, 460
dols. ; Indian corn—mixed Western, 48c. Coffee,
quiet but firm. Lard and Tallow steady. Freights
to Liverpool—flour, 2s 6d. ; wheat, 10d.
LATEST INTELLIGENCE,
NEW YORK, 22, Evening.
The news is unimportant.
The Potomac is swollen by heavy rains.
The rumour that the Confederates bad crossed is
false.

THE REMOVAL 01 THE WATER BARO-
METER TO THE CRYSTAL PALACE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sir,—On the removal of the Royal Society from
Somerset-house to Burlington-house, the council, at
my request, placed the water barometer at my dis-
posal, which had been erected in the hall at the foot
of the staircase by the late J. F. Daniel, Esq.,
D.C.L., in the year 1832.
The directors of the Crystal Palace Company hav-
ing previously agreed to receive it, and to assign
some convenient place in the palace for its erection
where its indications could be seen by everybody,.
its removal from London to Sydenham was speedily
decided upon, but the practical difficulties attend-
ing its removal, the re-boiling the water in the
tubes, and the refilling it, have been so great, that
longer time has elapsed in its remounting and com-
pletion than I had intended. The first operation,
viz., the removal of the barometer from Somerset-
house, was, after much difficulty, effected by them
some months since, all arriving in safety at the
palace, with the exception of the breakage of about.
11 foot from the lower end of the barometer tube.
Originally the tube was filled by means of a copper
steam boiler set in brickwork, over a fire-place im-
mediately under the barometer itself, so that the
tube could be dropped into the boiler, which has
since formed its cistern.
Upon frequent consultations with Messrs. Ne-
gretti and Zambra this plan did not seem to be the
best possible or indeed available at the palace. Int
the first place there was doubt as to the
boiler being sufficiently strong to bear the
necessary pressure, so that the water might
be boiled almost throughout the tube, and kept in
a state of ebullition for some time; and secondly,
no fire could be allowed in the palace. Under these
circumstances it was at last suggested by Mr.
Negretti to use an auxiliary boiler outside the
building. The object in view was first to boil the
water in the cistern, suffering the steam to escape
by a cock for some time, and then by closing the
cock to drive steam through the tube till it escaped
in a strong jet from its upper extremity, and then
to boil the water in the tube till it issued from the
top. By this means all air would be removed from.
the sides of the tube and expelled from the tube
itself. When this operation had continued long
enough to temporarily seal the top while the water
was still flowing out, and ultimately by means of a
judicious use of the blow-pipe to hermetically seal
the top of the tube.
During Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, Aug.
27, 28, and 29, Mr. Negretti was engaged at the
palace preparing everything, and with great dex-
terity joined a piece of glass on the broken end of
the tube of the same diameter as itself, and also
joined another piece of glass on to the other extre-
mity terminating in a small aperture.
On Thursday, August 30, everything was ready
for the experiment, an auxiliary boiler was planted
outside the building for generating steam, a pipe
from which led to the boiler under the barometer
itself, into which distilled water of sufficient quan-
tity had been placed, precautions having been taken
to connect the pipe from the outer boiler with that
in the inner boiler with a portion of flexible tub-
ing, which would first yield if anything went wrong.
After the connection was made, in about half an.
hour a current of steam issued from the cock.
When this had continued for soma tide the cock
was closed, and the steam ascended into the tube,
being at first condensed by the upper part of the
tube, and ultimately rushing out at the top with.
considerable velocity. Water then ascended into
the tube, and it was an anxious moment to watch
the boiling water reach and pass where the tube
had been joined—which, however, had been so ad-
mirably performed that all anxiety on this head
soon ceased; after a time the upper extremity,
while steam was rushing out was closed, when the
water ascended the tube and soon reached a point
32 feet from the surface of water in the boiler
below; after this it was driven up, by steam, to
very nearly the top of the continuation of the tube,
but it did not reach quite up to the sealing point.
A consultation now took place ; it was almost re-
solved to let well alone, but it was ultimately deter-
mined to go through the same process again, as
some practical points had been suggested which.
promised to make the experiment yet more success-
ful.

The top of the tube was therefore opened, the
water fell, and the operation was repeated. It
would be tedious to detail all the steps taken in the
reboiling ; the operation was eminently successful,
and the tube was finally closed by the blowpipe,
and the column of water reached nearly 33 ,fQet
without the slightest speck of air bubble being 'per-
ceptible.

On Friday afternoon Mr. Negretti and I found
the column of water 32 feet 9 inches in length, as
measured from the surface in the cistern ; this is
equivalent to a column of 28.84 inches of mercury,,
considering the gravity of mercury as 13.624.
The reading of a mercurial barometer at the same
time was 29.86 inches ; the difference between these
two readings is 0.98 inch, and this difference should
indicate the elastic force of aqueous vapour at the
temperature at the time, viz., 78 degs. if both instru-
ments be correct. The elastic force of aqueous
vapour at the temperature of 78 degs. is 0.96 inch,
differing by two-hundredths of an inch only from
that indicated by the water barometer, and com-
pletely satisfied me as to the accuracy of the opera_
tion, thus proving that the space above the water
was free from air.

I cannot close without expressing my sense of the
ready resource of Mr. Negretti in overcoming every
difficulty as it arose, and of the facility with which
he performed and conducted every process connected
with the operation.

My thanks are also due to Mr. Grove and Mr.
Rose, of the Crystal Palace, for affording every
facility. The instrument is fixed in an angle in the
tropical department, and near the great tree. The
top of the column of Water can be seen from the first
gallery, and as that which causes a variation of an
inch of mercury will cause a variation of more than
a foot in the column of water, so the changes in the
latter will be more than twelve times as great as in.
the former. Many oscillations therefore may be
seen by the water which cannot be seen by the
mercurial barometer, and in gales of wind or heavy
storms it will be highly
action.—l am, &c., interesting to watch its
JAMES GLAISRER.
Blackheath, August 31.

THE SHIP ALBERT GAELATIN.—This vessel, On
one of her outward voyages to New York early in the pre-
Isaetn.t439,e3ao N.,
year, experienced very severe weather, and when in
long. 42 -W., the captain (Delano) threw a
bottle overboard containing a memorandum to the effect
that the vessel was suffering from a violent gale, and re-
questing any person who picked up the bottle to report tho
circumstance. The memorandum was dated Feb. 9, and on
the 7th March the Albert Gallatin arrived in a leaky and
distressed state at New York. On the 19th ult. the bottle,
was picked up off the island of lona, north of Scotland.
DEATH FROM GRIEF.—The Uloucester Chronicle
announces the death of the Rev. R. C. Greer, curate in
charge of St. Mary do Crypt, from grief. Ile had recently
returned from Teignmouth, where he had lost a child, and
his with dying on Thursday, the 15th inst., he was so over-
whelmed with the double calamity, that he expired on the
following Wednesday, leaving five little children, the
younger of whom, a babe of six months, is not expected to
ive,