Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1851-04-17

some distance from Paris-a violent storm took
place, and when the morning of the day following
broke, the streets were found strewed with fish Of
different sizes the mystery was soon solved, for il
was discovered that fish-pond in the vicinity had
been blown dry, and only the larger fish left behind
Dust, ashes, frogs and other such bodies, have also
been lifted into and dropped from the atmosphere
at different times and in different places. What
marvel, then, if the thin and delicate structures
which form the life-begnnings of an animalcule
or fungus should be forever found floating around
us, present under all circumstances, and ready,
whenever opportunity offers, to drop and be devel-
oped into their highest activity
We are apt to regard the atmosphere as con-
sistng of only of air, orgetful of the innumerabe
organic particles-some living, or ready to live,
and some dead-which float in the folds of its all
enveloping mantle Humboldt's remarks regard
ing microscopic life in the air deserve extraction
wheel animalcues, and a host of microscopic
insects are lifted by the winds from the evaporat-
ing waters below. Motionless, and to all appear
ance dead, they float upon the breeze, until the
dew bears them back to the nourishing earth, and,
bursting the tissues which encloses their transpar-
ent rotating bodies, instills new life and motion
into all their organs. The yellow meteorc sand
or mist duSi nabIuG) often observed to fall in the
Atlantic and not unfiequenty borne in an easterly
direction as far as Northern Africa, Italy, and
Central Europe, consist, according to Ehrenberg' s
brilliant discovery, of agglomeraton of siiceous-
shelled microscopic organisms. Many Of these
float perhaps for years, III the highest strata of the
atmosphere, until they are carried down by the Etc
sian winds, or by descending currents Of air, in the
full capacity Of life, and actually engaged in or
, ganic increase by spontaneous self-dlVsion. To-
gether with these developed creatures the atnos-
phere contains countless germs of future formation
eggs of insects and seeds of plants, which, by
means of hairy or feathery crowds, are borne for
ward on their long autumnal Journey. Even the
vivifying pollen scattered abroad by the blossoms
is carried by winds and winged insects over sea
and land to the distant and solitary plant. Thus
wheresoever the naturalist turns his eye life, or
the germ of life lies spread before him. What an
instructive lesson to the universal presence Of
these minute invisible germs quick with life, and
awaiting the combination Of only few simple cir
cumsances to display their vital energies, is afford
ed us by simply exposing to the air drop or two
of water containing very small proportion of or
ganic matter in solution 1t is one OF the most
wonderful spectacles in the world to behold, after
little lapse of time, the peopling up of this drop
Of fluid with living beings not to be seen in it be-
fore
We shall content ourselves with short review
Of few of the more remarkable phenomena which
reveal to us the fact that the realms Of air are
peoped with germs and seeds Of animal and we're
table life, which float upon every breeze, and are
waited up and down the heavens, round and about
4bo 'lo C{+ +I,o O-J
of fungi supplies many singular instances of the
presence In the air of innumerable PARTICLES ready
TO burst into life Immediately upon their alightng
or a suitable matrix. Nothing, in fact is more
wonderful th2n the apparent omnipresence of fun
gus germs IN the air morsel Of ripe fruit a lit
tie water split a crumb of bread, drop Of stale
ink, neglected bottle Of medicine afford ample
evidence Of the activity Of this teeming life-word
around US In very short time delicate velvet
like covering envelopes the decomposng and pre-
sently acquires the utmost luxurance of growth
What scene is presented when we point the eve
of the miscroscope to such objects! Myriads of
delicate forms stand in launty attitudes; rearing
their delicate flaments over the decaying mass on
which they are living in luxurious plenty Be-
meath the observers eye they multiply they length
en-, they swell, they burst and scatter their light
and invisible germs into the ambient air A
HohucIIuI race are lue edrL SSCaFeIlgerS--tne fuI
gl! Fries, the great fungolist, writing of them,
says, g Their sporules are so infinite Gin a single
individual of RdticuIari marina have rekconed
above l0,0OO000,) so subtitle; (hey are scarcely
visible to the naked eye, and often resemble thin
smoke,) SO light, (raised perhaps evaporation in
to the atmospheric and are dispersed in so many
ways, (by the attraction of the sun, by insects,
wind, elasticity, adhesion &C., that it is difficult
to conceive place from which they can be exclu-
ded" Germs Of minute fungi are in the air we
breathe for they have been found living within the
lungs OF living man. they are in the waters also,
for fungus envelopes with its deadly folds the fish
of our ornamental ponds, and suifocates them they
descend wherever an ingress presents into the bow
els of the earth itself for luminous fungus lights
the coal mines of Dresden, and turns the regions
of darkness into the semblance ola begemmed and
Illuminated enchanter's palace
A LIBERAL OFFER.-The coolest man we know
Of on this continent is the editor of the Lynchburg
Vrginian. Noticing the statement which has been
travelling in the papers, concerning the vast wealth
OF Gen Tarver of Georgia, he offers to relieve him
and another millionaire in Virginia of portion of
their burdens, after the following disnterested plan
he Is certainly model philanthropist, and must
have IN his veins some of !" the blood of the How