The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-07-25

place filled with freight and Tor some days has de-
cned received any additional goods" The French
commercial world has seen, with no uncomfortable
satisfaction the new tariff which the Canadian Par
lament has recently adopted, and they commences
| to reckon on a large trade with that country, IN
which, from old ties, they still take interest. They
| look at the comparatively low mpost laid on wha
you call merchandise which embraces all the goods
known in the French trading world as articles d.
| Paris, which form so important item in the ex
ports from this country, and the repeal of the Nav
CATION laws which for so long period have fet
tered English colonial commerce, inducements &c
the trading world TO open again those alliances
which subsisted between France and her colony
but which restrictive measures, for certain time
have interrupted They say that they can profit
ably ship the middle and inferior qualities of wine,
of brandy, and Of tissues, at the rate imposed for
the future upon those articles by the Parliament OF
Canada. 1t is understood that several large houses
in Paris, and the four large towns of the INTERIOR
taking steps TO form and open connexion in the
Canadas, which will facilitate this new branch OF
commerce The New York line of packet ships,
the city of New York, and the canal freghters, will
also, doubtless, derive advantage from this in
creased commerce between the Canadas and France;
for large quantities Of goods must be sent this route
offers the advantages of speed, safety and GER
tainty.
The official account of the Bank of France,
during the past week, does not differ essentially
from that of the preceding week, which was trans
mitted you by the last steamer The metallic re-
serve in Paris has increased to nearly the sum OF
four millions Of francs; the reserve in the branch
banks has diminished FIVE hundred thousand francs.
discounts in Paris have increased little over one
million of francs; while the discounts at the branch
banks have decreased one million two hundred and
fifty thousand francs. The bills to order in crcu-
laton are, for Paris three hundred and sxty-three
millions of francs and thirty-three millions offrancs
for the departments. The account current OF the
treasury of the republic has diminished by two
millions FIVE hundred thousand francs. The total
amount ofspecie on hand is three hundred and for
ty-two millions FIVE hundred thousand francs. The
total amount of notes in circulation Is rather more
than three hundred and ninety-six millions of
francs. In speaking of the Bank of France, il may
not be unineresng to your readers to notice the es-
Enlistment, in the city of Constantinople, of
bank of discount and deposite--the first establish
ment Of the kind which ever existed in the Ottoman
empire. The capital is one hundred and twenty
five millions of pastres, about six millions five
hundred thousand dollars, of which the govern
ment subscribes twenty-five millions Of piastres; and
the remainder, one hundred millions of pastres,
be taken by the Turkish subjects or foreigners-of
which forty millions of piasres have been already
taken This bank has already commenced opera
tons and has issued notice that it will give specie
for the government paper money less three per
centum discount A Mr.. Aleon, Frenchman, and
Mr.. Rattazza, an Italian, are the directors.
PUBLIC BATHS
You know the city of Rouen, besides heing the
richest mine to the antiquarian and the student, who
fingers with delight over the quaint narrative Of
Frossart and Monstrelet and Anquetil, and yet can
hear " Ha-Ro Ha-Ro l'aide mon Prince" ring
along the embrowned rafters Of the Palais de JUS
W
grave, possesses attraction which oers equal en-
tertainment to the more practical man, who eyes ma
chimes which work with the intelligence of mind,
and delights in those operations which convert the
rough wool into the delicate broadcloth. Within
the past few days engineer of the mines near the
city has made proposition which will, if followed
out, be in still greater TO the old edihces
which recall countless stories of the power ofthe seig
neur, and the oppression and hard lot Of the vassa
IL may be hoped this practical hint Of plan may
not be lost IN your city, where countless manufac-
tories offer facilities which very few continental
cities possess This engineer proposes that all the
hot water from the steam-engnes employed in the
manufactures Of Rouen, which now daily is wanted
IN the streets of the town, be preserved and con-
Quoted by pipes into buildings hereafter to be erected,
where it shall be placed al the service of the poorer
people warm baths and for washing. The en-
gineer, in his communication to the Municipal Coun-
ell of Rouen, says the cost of the establishment
would be only fifteen hundred francs about three
hundred dollars, and the annual cost Of maintaining
them would not exceed two thousand francs, which
last expense would be met by the persons who
used the baths and water. As measure promotve
Of the public health, this commends itself
TO every community, who cannot feel more than at
this moment, when terrible epidemic is decimat-
ing the world, the high importance Of their duty
take every measure for the conservation OF the
popular health.
ARTS AND SCIENCES.
/ The Academy Of Sciences has been interest
ed recently with some experiments made by
Mr.. Despretz in caloric. As is well known,
the means generally resorted to, so that intense
heat may be procured, either with power
full convex lens, the compound bowpipe, and the
electrical current OF large battery. The employ
ment Of these powerful agents is well known, but
no one has ever essayed to employ all of these
agents at the same time until Mr.. Despretz at
tempted the experiment With the aid of the pow
erfu burning glass in the philosophical apparatus
owned by the Sonbonne, which concentrates on
spot large dime, all the solar light and heat
which a glass plate ninety centimeres in diameter
collects, powerful battery, and Neumann's COM
pound blowpIpe, Mr. Despretz experimental. As
you know, the temperature resulting from the en-
poyment OF either Of these instruments is generally
expressed by degrees, but white heat is
Obtained the instruments used TO determine the de-
gree Of temperature no longer be used, and the
only indication Of the intensity Of the heat its
power over the most refractory substances. Mr.
Desprez by his combination is enabled to yoatillze
msgnesia Immediately, and melt anthracite coal
The melting rather sohening, for no one has yet
liquhed anthracite coal, the most stubborn material
known, was accomplished FIVE years ago by aid Of
powerful battery, but the Immediate volatzation
Of magnesa is a new fact for which the scientific
world is indebted to Mr.. Despretz- Mr.. Despretz
thinks the combination OF the burning glass and the
electrical battery, would be more powerful than the
combination OF the three agents, having nearly
satisfied himself that the heat from the COM
pound blowpipe is Of so much lower a temper
ature than the two former, II becomes actually re-
frgerant Some time ago, as aid to the discovery
Of the theory OF the ocean currents-a question
warmly pursued by our own scientific naval officer,
Lieutenant Msury, who has thrown considerable
| light upon it-Captsin Dupuy, a member Of the
| Academy, presented to his colleagues a map of the
world upon which he had traced the courses Of the
currents Of all the oceans, the result Of his labor
for years This chart fell under the observation Of
Mr.. Bsbinet, who addressed himself TO the facts
with the hope OF sscertaining the true theory Of
these extraordinary rivers which traverse the vast,
Of waters undisturbed by the storms and the tides
Every one has aoticed the bubbles continually arts.
ing in a Dot of boiling water which are replaced