Polynesian., 1851-04-19

1ANVs 1C'
Now what change. A steamship arrives
at Halifax, Boston, or New York this MORN
ing; and the European news is published in
the New Orleans papers in the evening. The
speeches delivered in the halls Of Congress
to-day are delivered to the readers OF the
newspaper in all our important cities next
morning. Our astronomers, "pale watchers
of the rolling spheres" employ the lightning
pen to register their observations. The
whole science af Voltaism, Electro-magne-
tism, and .Electrotyping, are trophies of the
discoveries made during the last fifty years.
Volta's letter to Sir Joseph Banks, announc-
ed the discovery of the Voltaic Pile, Is dated
March Doth, 1900. The splendid discovery
of the Electro Magnet, by Oersted, is dated
1921; and the beautiful art of Electrotyping,
whereby electricity is made to resolve the
metals from their liquid solution, and copy,
with The utmost accuracy, the medals ofDuer,
the most delicate etchings, and even write in
permanent characters of gold Us but few
years old Electromagnetic has been em-
ployed to separate metals from their ores,
to drive machinery, to make huge bars Of
iron dance in mid-air, like the fabied coffin
of Mahomet, and what it may accomplish IN
| future times, (for there are still mysteries
connected with it,) it is no: possible to pre-
| dict
Before the beginning of this century, were
was the printing press driven by steam, now
there is not a paper with large circulation
printed without it. From printing 1000,
900, and A 900 copies per hour, the latest
improved press can print lO,OOO, and the
time is at hand when single press will be
throw ing off l6, 600 copies per hour. In other
departments of Typography the improvements
are equally striking and beneficial.
In what may be termed minor machines,
the inventions and improvements have not
been of minor Importance. Fifteen years
ago pins were all made by hand, each was
made of more than one piece, and number
of persons were required to finish each one.
A single machine now completes the opera
tion from beginning to end aud, in Water
bury, Conn, 4, ,O3O, 900 are finished every
day, and the machinery for counting and
sticking them in paper, is equally ingenious
In all kinds of machinery for manufacturing
textile fabrics, the improvements made during
the last half century, would require volumes
to describe them in all their numberless va
rieties. In weaving, especially, we behold
intricate patterns, woven by few rods and
cams, without the finger of man touching
them, after they are set in motion. The
rich carpets of Brussels are now made by
steam, and iron fingers lap the wires, to raise
the figures with more accuracy and speed
than the most skilIful weaver. In some de-
partments of manufacture, improvements
have succeeded one another with such ra-
L. xL-k Of oob
calculated to last only three years.
In Chemistry, what discoveries have been
made; in fact the whole science has been re-
lmoddled. The discovery Of the valtaie
battery was to chemistry what strong man
is to great law giver, in executing his man
dates In the hand of Davy, chemical COM
pounds of what were supposed mere earthly
CRYSTALS, were resolved into metals in 1903,
and since that time the most astonishing pro-
gress has been made in the science
Agricultural chemistry, is but few years
old, and bromine, iodine, palladium, rho
dunn, &c, arc discoveries Of very late years.
The Animal Chemistry of Leibeg has been
but recently given to the world cotton and
saw dust are now made to propel cannon
balls, and rend rocks by spark from bat-
tery. and Chlorolorm has come to the aid OF
Isurcerv, and arms and limbs are amputated
from men and women every day, and they
are ignorant of the operation performing to
them as the dead in their graves.
Gas Light was unknown in 1900. II was
not until two years after that Murdoch made
: his first public exhibition at Soho; since that
time his discovery has encircled the earth,-
in Europe and America all the principal cities
are lighted with it, and even New Zealand
villages, where no white man had built his
residence in 1S00-are now illuminated by
1.-The same subtle agent Of human comfort and
| happiness. We have II asserted also, that
but of Yesterday, that water Is now made IN
a New England city, at but little expense,
ito give both light and heat. to cold, blind and
errine mertals In the department OF Che
Imistry there is still as great an ocean before
us as there is behind, in physical discovery.
, In Astronomy the advancement has been
:, Ieoually rapid and wonderful: Mechanics has
come to the aid Of lnaihematics-new and
powerful telescopes have drawn the stars
|, down to earth, and opened up the secret
/, chambers OF Orion TO the ken OF mortals, and
so refined have the disauisitions Of philosophy
become. that the planet Neptune was recent
lly discovered, even before ray OF ITS hight
> had entered the human eye; and, as SIR David
brewster has well observed, 'by the law OF
1.-The Solar System; just discoyeredby Mr..
lDaniel Kinkwood, an humble American
6 me chanic. who, like Kepler, struggled to
! find something new among the arithmetical
! relations Of the planetary elements, we can
. determine the broken magnitude of the orIgi-
nal planet, long after it had been shivered te
atoms.
: There is not single department in science
3 and art, but has been greatly enriched with
$ splendid discoveries during the last nifty
wears; and these discoveries, although so
RI many are blind TO their value, have been the
r means of conferring great benefit upon all
? classes. Look at the simple article OF i.nci-
8 fer matches twenty years ago we knew