The southern press., 1852-01-22
TELEG RAPHIC.
DelenLion "a Llle PaLmelto.

CHARLESTON, Jan. l8-The steamer Pal
metto sailed again at noon to-day for Baltimore,
and after proceeding some distance her ma.
chinery broke, and she was compelled TO return.
II is uncertain when she will be able to sail
again.
Great Fire al Brandon, Miss.--ylostoft the town
destroyed
LOUISVILLE, KY, Jan ia fire occurred
last night at Brandon, Miss, destroying great
amount OF property, nearly all the town being
IN runs The following houses are unnured:
The railroad depot, Brandon house, Richardson
& 20, Maxey " Shelton, Chambers a. CO.,
Lowery Il O., and J Strands. The following
are among tn ,se whose establishments were de.
stroyed: A. Livens, w. e. Oakley, w. Sand.
ford, G. Aiken, G. i. Reedus, Norvel Middleton
2. Harris d Co, J. Doham, R. Oakley, VIM
Thornton, ID. Wilkinson, Manus & Lurson.
STANDARD a. Brothers, J. Kreiss Crawford ~
Kirby, Todd d Train, Mason IL Co., ]. a. N
Kirkland, Hackett's hotel, The Court House and
the Office of the Brandon Republican.
Another Steamer burnt on he Mississippi.
MEMPHIS, Jan. 1.-THE steamer Teppah,
bound from Tallahassee to New Orleans, with
a cargo of 1913 bales Of cotton, was burned to
the waters edge few days since, twenty-five
miles from Vicksburg.
Several persons are supposed lost among
them the I'd engineer. The captains wife
jumped into the river and succeeded in swim
ming ashore The papers, books and baggage
on the boat were all lost.
Smithsonian INSTITUTE. On Saturday even
ing, Rrof. RoDGERs delivered his third lecture.
which he illustrated by experiments AT the
close Of that on Thursday evening, he had adj
verted to the solvent properties of water, I'M.
pregnated as 1t isl particularly rain water-with
carbonic acid gas and the effect of his expert
ments on Thursday, was to introduce this gas
into glass vessel containing water having quite
milky appearance, owing to an admixture Of
powdered limestone, which the gas almost i'm
mediately dissolved, when the water became
perfectly limpid The carbonic acid gas, which
IS combined with rain water derived from the
atmosphere, escapes from volcanoes after an
eruption has taken place.
Not only does water give to calcareous rooLs
that property as was stated in the last lecture.
but it disintegrates even those of granite: and.
Prof RODGERS said his brother and himself had
ascertained by ample experiment, that no rock.
however hard, can resist the action of water, in
which there is a portion of carbonic acid pas
Hence arises the continual changes that are
taking place in the structure of the globe
He then showed by experiment, how water
may be formed by the combination of HYDROGEN
with OXYGEN gas and subsequently, introduced
small stream of atmospheric air into a glass
vessel containing hydrogen gas, when fame
was produced, which was increased in bril-
liancy, by the introduction of small piece of
carbonate of lime.
The lecturer then went on to state, that there
is really no distinction between supporters of
combustion and combustible bodies. as thew act
reciprocally on each other. To illustrate tbis
he performed the experiment alluded to. Of
burning atmospheric air, by introducing it into
hydrogen gas. This was followed by two or
three other experiments, to prove that ammonia
possesses alkaline properties, and carbonic acid
gas those of an acid, with view to establish a
principle which it would be necessary to bear in
mind hereafter.
Alusion was again made to the combustion
OF iron, which must have taken place when the
globe became solid body; evidence of which
is to be found in the prevalence of oxyd of iron
that forms the coloriDg matter of great pro-
portion OF the earth and rocks of which il is
composed, which are the result of oxygen com
blnlng with some metallic base ; combustion
that Is evidently still going on in the interior of
the globe TO which water and atmospheric air
find their way; and there act upon mineral sub-
stances not yet entirely burnt M.
Professor RoDGERs then passed from the con.
sideration of inanima.e nature to the transfor-
nation OF the atmospheric into forms Of living
things, and dwelt at much length upon the eel.
lular substance, which connects and supports
all the various parts and structure of the body:
the minute wonders Of which have been dis
covered blythe microscope, and which he thought
might still make further revelations, which exists
in the frat stage of deopnent until it reaches
the highest form of animated creation-even
man himself, with his towering intellect and no.
bier powers Of mind, shaping his destiny in this
world, and that which is to come. And the lee.
turer concluded with personaton, snch as
could only emanate from mind, in which
knowledge of the wonders ofcreation had caused
corresponding emotions Of reverence and graft
tude towards that Almighty Being, who had
thus manifested his goodness and his power
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Mr.. Buchanan and Kossufh.