Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-08-14
DEVELOPMENT OF INSECT LIFE.
Letter from f. B. OGDEN, Esq, american Consul
al liverpool, to isJriead n Washington.

i lcoMMuNIcArED FOR THE NATIONAL IsTELLIaENc
not long since made very interesting acquaintance
Mr.. ANDREW CRossE, of Somersetshire, wen known in
the scientific world as one of the first electricians of the
age He is manof large fortune and like Lord Rosse,
deyotes his time and means to abstract science at the
same time cutvating refined taste for literature and
poetic composition His father was an intimate friend Of
DR. Franklin. He the village Hampden of the dav
and transmitted all his liberal sentiments to his SON He
invited 7 and myself to pay him visit at his old
Manorial House, about forty miles distant We were
most cordially received by him and by his accomplished
wife. We were made at home at once and found in
select few ike ourselves invited guests delightful So
ciey Mr. Crosse has given great attention to atmosphe
rio electricity He has surrounded his house by con-
Quoting wire elevated sixty and seventy feet on poles
with metallic points to attract the fluid making circuit
of three thousand feet All the collected electricity
is brought into his laboratory and is there as subservent
to his management as if he ruled the cause A heavy
thunder storm while was there The discharges
between the balls inch apart were In rapid success
son and like the firing of many pistols each one of
which would have killed OK. 1t was tremendous; but
m an instant the balls being brought into contact the
whole fluid conducted noiseessy into pond of wa
ter few yards off, Under such protection impossi-
BILE that his house should be struck by lightning
Some Of Mr. Crosses chemical discoveries are of great
practical Importance We witnessed great variety of
interesting experimentshe formation Of artificial crys-
tails IN various stages ond the putrescence by
gavanic action which is applied with great advantage to
tanning He placed pair of fresh soles in cistern Of
water through which there constant flow Of gayanc
fluid, where he let them remain fortnight On taking
them out the cook called to examine them Mr. Crosse
pretending to doubt whether they were quite fresh
" They have not been two days caught" was her reply
" but when skin them can tell you positively Her
report that they perfectly fresh She cooked
them for dinner, Mr.. Crosse and scientific friend being
the only ones in the secret They were served without
comment to the guests, and both the gentlemen tasted
them with great curiosity young lady made the first
remark, "Why, what curious fish; it has not the least
taste in it it is like boiled chips" Such was the fact
All the essential oil had been destroyed and it was left
an insipid mass.
But the most wonderful Of all his experiments is that
which has created such sensation would have made
Calico of him in former times. The result has been
doubted by some and positively denied by Others but its
reality has been abundanty by various experiment
ters Mr. Crosse laughs at the idea that he ever pretended
to create animal e He has only promoted its develop
ment by accidentally bringing together the mysterious
causes You have no doubt read book that caused no
little sensation some four or five years SINCE called The
Vestges of Creation" the author of which still remains
much uabra as Junius himself In it there is some
notice taken Of this wonderful development own to
utter ncreduity until had the opportunity of thorough
examination of the process and full explanation of the
means. No room was left for doubt. No delusion no
sedecepton, no avorite hypothesis to be carried out
had any influence in the result On first witnessing it
Mr. Crosse would not believe his senses He locked
up his laboratory and took along walk in the open
assure himself that he not laboring under iu
sion. On his return he behed the actual living insect in
various stages of its formation The apparatus pre-
pared for the purpose of producing crystals from the sill
cate of potash. This is its arrangement: