Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1857-08-07

a difference between the two metals was
invariably found-the difference varying
according to the length of the time the
ship had been at sea. In those ships
that had been the shortest time at sea
the difference was least, and vice rersa.
But why should there be any silver
in the brass and copper used in the cab
in Well, it appears that in these met
ais there is generally little silver-two
or three pennyweights per ton; and be-
yond this, Mr.. Field accounts for it from
the employment of masses of metal
melted from former voyages. One other
experiment Mr.. Field is at present car
rying out. He has granulated some very
pure copper-a portion is preserved in a
bottle, to be compared at future period
with the other portion, which is floating
in wooden box, perforated on all sides,
few feet below the surface of the Pa
cifc. When a good humored captain
puts into Coquimbo, he takes the box m
tow and drags it at the stern of his YES
sci up and down the coast of Chilli
Just as you have tried to catch a mack
erers tail, SO is Mr.. Field trying to catch
silver with his copper bait.
The curious discovery of sea-water
silver gives rise to one or two questions.
Where, for instance, does the silver come
from? Has it been extracted from the
, earth by artificial means, the waste Of
mans diggings, borne to the bosom Of
the ocean by rivers, which, like giant ar
teries, burst from the heart of the earth ?
1t could scarcely be that man, avaricious
o man, could have let two millions of tons
: of silver so slip through his fingers? No!
: we may acquit the world of so egregious
, blunder. That the presence Of silver
. in the sea is more ancient than human
i folly or cupidity, M. Duroacher and hi:
! friends, who first called attention to the
:, subject, have proved by procuring the
i precious metal from crystals of rock salt
which had been deposited anterior to the
existence of man upon this earth.
q One experiment leads to another. 1
v the sea could be made to yield silver
e. where might not the metal be found
" The wood of the oak, birch, beech, horn
s. beam, aspen, apple and ash, grown at lon
is distances from the sea, and which ha
so never been manured with salt or Sc
h, weed, has been burnt, and in the ashe
g, silver has been detected. But if plant
ze contained silver it was not difficult to in
re fer that it existed also in animals. Thi
ch was proved to be the case by an exper
re ment which brought these researches t
triumphant conclusion. An OK wa
ch sacrificed to science, and in his blood wa
ed discovered the same valued metal.
IS. The explanation of these phenomer
u is not very difficult. The sulphide
ms silver, or silver in combination with su
oi phur, is very widely diffused in natur
Ter Salt water attracts the sulphide and COZ
ea verts it into chloride of silver, which
ia dissolves by the agency of common saI
nts So, also, the common salt contained
ks, the water of the earth acts in a simil;
ON manner, dissolving out small quantities
nd metal, which it carries off and transfe
,he to plants, and from plants is received |
animals in their food.
OF What the value of the discovery ms
'id' be remains to be proved. Wiseacr
IN may shake their heads and pronounce
useless. But if no attempt be made
per turn it to account, one or two things W
lils be clearly shown; either that silver
ige not so scarce as some people would ma
sea us believe, or else we can do very W
oa- without it.
of