The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-02-18 00:00:00

Composition- for rendering Canvas and Wk.,- Rabrics,
and Leather; ft aterproof—This•invention, for-which a
patent was taken out in July last, is the property-of Mr.
Jennings, chemist, Great Tower-street, London. It con-
sists in obtaining an insoluble varnish, applicable to the
waterprooffng of fabrics, fromthe decomposition. of any
soluble mineral' or metallic salt; by-any soluble seep, by
double decomposition. The made* operantit'specified by
the patentee-is as follow :—I cwt. of soft soap is boiled in
a copper vessel, in from 25t030-talking of water. When
.dissolved, from 56 to 66 lbs. of sulphate of zinc are added.
Double decomposition ensues, and the alkali of the soap
unites with the sulphuric acidfitnuthe sulphate of zinc,
and forms sulphate of potash. The oxide of the zinc com-
bines with the oil or stearine, and forms an insoluble me-
talk soap,. In the case of hard soap, being used instead
of • soft, sulphate of soda- will result instead of
sulphate- of potash. This metallic.. soap, which is col-
lected•front the solution when colt?, and has the appear-
ance of a white hard mass, is subsequently boiled' to purify
it from any sulphate of soda or potash which mayremain.
Nett, heat SIY gallons of raw linseed ail, as freeas possible
from mucilhge, mixed with 5 lb S, of carbonate of, potash
and, 1' gallon of water, until it saponifies. Then add 10
per cent.. of animal charcoal; and an equal quantity of
water ; continue the boiling for an hour ; filter, to remove
the phosphate of lime and otharinatters which,would tend
to render the oil opaque. This last process need only to
lleused when a colourless waterproof varnish•is required.
TO this quantity of oil, thus-purified or not, add 111 b.
sugar of lead, 21bs. litharge, 4lbs. red lead, 211bs. black
resin maintain these matters at 212 deg. Fahrenheit,
until their mixture is completed, taking care to stir them
all the while for that purpose. Then incorporate with
them 301bs. of the metallic soap, after which, add 48ozs.
ofscaoutchonc, dissolved in 2 gallons of oil eh turpentine.
The mixture may be applied to fabrics at a temperature
of-.from /50 to 160 deg., by a brush. One or more coats
may be applied as required. When coaled. which gene-
rally takes about 36 or 40 hours, the fabric will be water-
proof. To waterproof leather, it should be steeped in a
solution, at 225 deg., of equal quantities oflinseed oil and,
metalic soap, until cold. Then remove, by scraping, the
mixture in excess.—From the Architect,A.b. 8:
The Pine and Cedar Fares* of Califaimia.--Of all the
wonders I have ever seen in the vegetable kingdom,
nothing will bear comparison with the magnificent and
lofty growth of cedars and Pines which embellish the
hills and mountains that-lead to, and make up the great
Sierra Nevada Range. The magnificence and grantieur•
of scenes in which these scenes abound, cannot be ima-
gined by any man who has not seen. them, and felt the
awe and sublimity to which they give rise. I have
counted in a circle of 50 feet in diameter, 13 pine trees,
not one of which was less than three feet in diameter, or
less than 250 feet in height, nor was any one of them
marked by the slightest curve or inclination. They are
the inimitable and lofty monuments of nature, uninflu-
enced by sweeping storms and winds, unbent and undo-
cayed by a centurian age. Not a limb or a knot can be
found upon their bodies until you reach an altitude of-
from 100 to 200sfeet, beyond which height they continuo
to grow until their towering majesty overawes all sur-
rounding objects, and affords a fit refuge for for the noble
bird which adorns the banner of our country. No, man
can travel through these scenes without feeling that the
grandeur of Omnipotence itself is teaching him his finite
and insignificant powers. Such was the moral influence
of those leviathan growths of cedars and pines upon my
mind, I would not have dared to have given entertain-
ment to a fugitive thought against the supremacy, wisdom,
and power of Jehovah. Such are the pine and cedar
forests of California. And when you reflect that they
cover an area of hundreds, if not thousands of square
miles, you are prepared to admit the importance of this
claim, which we would urge upon the consideration of
our friends in the east.—From the Toronto Globe

HORTICULTURAL.
There are few horticulturists who have not heard of the
perfection of gardening in Russia, and as few who have
not wondered at the practicability of the gardening art in
that inclement country ; to such the following sketch will
prove hichly interesting

" SI. Petersburgh, bitilt on the banks of the Neva, in
lat. 59 deg. 56 min. 31 sec. N., and long. 47 deg. 59 min.
30 sec. E. (of Paris), is about 1,535 miles from Paris ; it
covers a surface of more than 16,735 acres, of which about
2,447 are occupied by nursery and pleasure gardens, 2,938
by kitchen gardens, and as many by meadows. The town
being 54 feet above the level of the Baltic, the solar heat
is able to penetrate the soil to a greater extent than would
otherwise be possible, and thus to increase its fertility,
and render it more fit for the cultivation of many flowers
and vegetables
4 4

In-the year 1714, a splendid garden was made, by the
orders of Peter the Great, in the Apothecary's Island,
with a view to promote the study of botany. Some years
later, the Emperor Alexander converted the marshy islands
in the Neva into agreeable promenades, which were soon
surrounded by elegant villas. We shall hereafter give a
more detailed description of these gardens.
" The soil for a few miles around the tom) appears poor
and difficult of cultivation ; the vegetation is weak, and
the woods, composed of the inost part of willows, alders,
maples, aspens, and :.4ecially of fir and birch, attain but
a very moderate size, except in the parks belonging to
the emperor and the principal nobility ; but on the
ether hand, the woods and marshes are full of a great
variety of bushes, with berries, amongst which we recog-
nise rubus and vaccinium. The fruits of the former con-
stitute, even at St. Petersburgh, a considerable article of
commerce; they are eaten instead of strawberries.
"In spite of its poverty, the soil of St. Petersburgh
yields an abundance of market garden plants, and supplies
all the wants of the population of this great city. The
soil was found, on examination, to consist of a siliceous
clay ; the stratum of vegetable earth only covers strata
of turf and pure clay.
" Its Climate.—The total absence of any shelter from
forests, allows the north and west winds to exercise a
fatal influence over St. Petersburgh ; and its climate is
severe and changeable. As to the seasons, as a general
rule, winter affords 162 days of continual frost ; then
follow 40 or 50 days of spring, if that term can be applied
to a season in which it freezes regularly day and night ;
lastly, summer continues for 143 days, and is, without
any intermediate stage, followed by winter. The mean
maximum degree of cold is-16 deg. Farenheit ; but
there are always certain days, on which the thermometer
stands as low as 22 deg. or 27 deg. The heat in summer
is extreme ; in June and July, the mercury often reaches
36 deg. and 91 deg. The frost usually sets in about the
end of September, and continues until the end of April,
or even the middle of May.

" There are, in fact, but two seasons at St. Petersburgh,
viz., summer and winter; for that part of the year can
hardly be called spring, when the Neva is still a frozen
road. Mild weather is first felt in the beginning of May,
and then vegetation is developed with inconceivable
rapidity, and in less than a week summer is at its height.
The real summer ends in the beginning of Augusta In
no place is the value of the fine season felt so much ; as
soon as it makes its appearance, the town is deserted, and
every one betakes himself to the country. It is but sel-
dom that the fine days of summer are interrupted by a
storm ; those we witnessed were short, and not violent.
The summer nights at St. Petersburgh are more beautiful
than anything we can conceive in our temperate climate.
They are like days ; we have often sat reading and writing
at all hours of the night in June and part of July without
any other light than that afforded by Nature. It might
almost be said, that in this season the Russian capital
enjoys one continuous day two whole months long ; for
the soft light of night does not disappear until the sun
returns to the eastern horizon and announces the approach
of day. The greatest length of any day is twenty hours;
but, as we have already said, there is at this period of the
year no such thing as darkness, and the vitality of the
plants is constantly stimulated by light."—Masson's
Report.—Gardeners' Chronicle.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPOTCDENTB

" Anthracite."—Certainly Cannel coal yields more gas,
and that of a purer quality, than any other kind.
" J. V."--Begonia manicata is a stove plant, and re-
quires a good soil and abundance of room. It is insigni-
ficant if cramped, but a glorious species if fully developed.

PORT NATAL.-INTERESTING PARTICULARS

Advicea from Natal hays been received to the end of
November. The last of the emigrants who went out in
1850 had arrived. Two large buildings, 100 and 80 feet
long, had been prepared for the reception of settlers, and
those by the Justina were temporarily lodged in them.
Parties who were entitled to land were taken up to their
vocations by Mr. Edward Morewood, and some of them
had already returned for their families and baggage. The
Phoenix steamer had made an excursion trip from Cape
Town to Natal, and the passengers on t'
favourable account of the colony.
markets were beginning to exhibit tl:

r return gave a
D'Urban the

%FA •
o, the supply of vegetables at reduced prices being
-tie revenue of Natal for the past year was
ainst .£2,919 in 1849; and the expenditure was
ainst £3,865 in the same period. We subjoin
An extract from an isieresting letter, dated Pietermarits-
burg, Natal, South Africa, 24th October, 1850, from a
-entleman at present settled in the colony, and who,
hen residing in the neighbourhood of Liverpool, was
known as a very intelligent gentlp-
'nz the hardships he endured whit.'

ex tensivel

After nom
a long dist

now of

the str

en coal(