Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-10-23
SCIENTIFIC AND OTHER INTELLIGENCE.
FROM LATE FOREIGN PAPERS.

Extracts from the Proceedings of the British Scfe,
nfc Association, al It's recent session, &c.
Mr. RASKINE read paper On the Recommendation Of
the Mechanical Energy Of the Universe" The mutual
conyertbiity of the various forces of nature is view
which rapidly extending itself among Of science
the experiments of Joue directly prove the conyertby
of motion into heat and Utee According to Mr.
Rankines notion which first expressed by Professor
VIM. Thompson, the tendency regards the motion of
the heavenly bodies to convert motion into heat and
thus to bring the universe to stands and its various
bodies together Even supposing this to occur at
indefinitely future period the author showed the concev
ability of matter being again broken into fragments by
the very agency which it had itself developed, dis
tribution of worlds being the consequence.
An interesting paper was read on Monday, by Sir D.
brewster ON the Diamond, in which he detailed ex-
permens he had made the Koh-iN Moor and other dia
monds in London The result of these experiments and
observations was Sir Davids belief that diamond was
nothing else than fossil gum Many diamonds had cayi
ties exhibiting films or rings of polarzed light such as
could only have been produced by the expansive force of
gas or fluid acting in the cavity when the diamond
was IN soft state He also had observed an amorphous
diamond on the outside of another diamond answering 10
the cavity withnsde Of and had doubt the one had
emerged from the other in fluid state and crysalized in
simultaneously He likewise described black diamond
black not in its substance but from the number of cav
ties it contained, and mentioned similar one cut INV
Dutchman into two, of the cavities containing con-
siderable portion Of which Tavernier calls black yege
table mud
NJ CLAuDEr described new Manifold Binocular Ca
mera The popularity Of the instrument consisted in it's
enabling the photographer to take four pictures in the
course OF few seconds. 1t SO constructed that
the axes OF the collecting lenses belonging to the two
chambers could be readily brought to any required con-
vergence the relation between distance and
was exhibited bya diagram
REsoLUTIoSs-That the thanks of the British Associa
ton be given to the Smithsonian Institution for the COM
muncaton of charts illustrating the plan adopted nv
that institution for deducng the general Of the me-
teoroogy Of North America, bearing the laws of the
great North American storms and that it be referred to
ms he ~ 10
take for the purpose of extending the system of obserya
tons over the British portions Of North America
That most important meteorological data atainable
by balloon ascents and that the council be requested to
soct the cooperation Of the Royal Society in this inves-
igation.
That it is important to have quarterly record of Bri-
tish and foreign scientific publications and discoveries
and that the consideration of the practicabty of obtain
ing them be referred to the same committee.
In the last sitting of the Academy of Sciences at
Paris, NJ Grayier read paper falling stars. 1t
stated that in previous years. the result of his obser
walton was, such had been very few in the first
SIX months OF the year. but towards the middle of June
mad become rather more numerous and had gone
dually increasing until the 10th of August when they
attained their maximum M Dumas announced that NJ.
WurtZ Professor of the Ecole Medicine succeed
ed in extracting from the oil of potatoes new alcohol
which he calls Alcohol Enylque 1t is obtained by
peated Installations and by the adoption of various pre-
cautions Its composition is in the proportion of
bon 10 hydrogen, and oxygen. 1t is without color,
denser than water, and has boiling point different from
that of other cohos 1t is be subjected to further
1t announced that several commu-
ncaons on the maady in grapes had been forwarded to
the Academy, but that none of them contained what
could be considered satisfactory remedy. short dis
cusson ensued but it led to positive result 1t
stated that Nj. Guern Mennevle who is at present
gagged in visiting the vineyards in the south of France
has remarked that the maady appears attack the
vigorous plants and has suggested that what he calls
the bleeding of the plants pruning different period
that at which that operation heretofore been prac
be n Chepo who bas alc
pied himself with the subject has suggested that
the application of water almost boiling may kill the in
seets by which the disease is caused without nurng
the plants fruits Other remedies recommended were
solution of suphate of iron in the proportion Of to 80
Of water solution Of supherot of sodium in the pro-
portion of 30 grammes Ia little less than ounce to
40 tres 40l gallons the employment of sulphur, &c.
AssYRIAS ANTIQUITIES received in Paris from
NJ Place. Consul at Mosul report further excavations
and successes among the mounds of Nneveh. Among
the recent gains from this rich mine of antiquities be-
sides large addition of statues bas-rclefs in marble
pottery and articles of jewelry which throw light on
the habits and of the inhabitants of the ancient
city, the French explorers have been able examine
the whole of the palace of Khorsabad and its dependen
ces In doing they said to have elucidated
doubtful points, and obtained proof that the Assyrans
not ignorant Of any of the Of architecture
NJ Place has discovered large gate twelve feet high,
which appears to have been of the entrances the
city, several constructions in marble two rows of col
umns, apparently extending considerable distance, the
cellar OF the palace still containing regular of jars,
which had probably filled with wine for at the bot
tom of these jars there is still deposite of violet color.
The operations have been confined to the immediate
vicinity of Khorsabad NJ Place has caused excavations
to be made in the hills of Bachieca Karamess Teu Leu
ben, Natal Karakock Digan, &c. the left bank Of
the Tgris, within Ten leagues from Khorsabad In them
he has found monuments tombs, ewery and arti-
Giles Of gold and other metal and in stone AT Dzzran
there is monument which, it is supposed may turn out
to be large that of Khorsabad At Natal and at
place called Barran NJ Place has found bas-reefs cut
in solid rock They consist of number Of colossal fig
and of series of fulengh portraits Of the Kings
of Assyra. M Place reports that he has taken copies
of his discoveries by Of the Photographic process
and he announces that Col Rawinson has authorized
him make diggngs the places which the English
are engaged in examining
1t has been stated that NJ Vaenciennes member Of the
Institute had been charged by the Government
inc the from Havre Bordeaux make inyes-
cations necessary for the application Of the system for
the artificial production Of fish. NJ Valencennes has
just commenced his mission in the department Of the
Finsterre.
NJ Cose, member Of the Institute has Just left Paris
for Mulhouse at the request Of the Minister of the ne-
rior Agriculture, and Commerce. to superntend the
ganzaton Of the establishment for the artificial
Matching Of fish, for which credit of 30 900 francs has
been opened to the chief Of the canal from the
Rhone TO the Rhine.
company is being formed, says the Pays to sink
tesan wells in each of the AZ quarters of Paris for the
purpose of supplying water to baths at 20 confines
EACH to four public washhouses in each quarter TO pr
vate houses and for warming apartments The artesan
well Grenelle, which is 600 yards in depth, gives all
the year round hot equal 80 degrees cengrsde
above zero Csc deg Fahrenheit and Ill calculated that,
tba lie rdo atnd