The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1861-01-18
their devotions, grateful for their Prescrva-
tInn
Curious Facts.

The principal mouth Of the Rhine, during
the Roman sway, is all but obliterated, anC
fortress of hewn stone, which commanded
the mouth Of the river, is now buried undei
the waves, more than mile from the pres
ent shore. The whole coast Of Holland has
greatly reccded from its earlier tide marks
In 1881, there was great submersion in the
southeast of Holland. when the waters OF the
IIeuse and Wal suddenly overwhelmed -
villages, destroying 100, 900 human beings ;
and the subsoil sunk ut the same time, and
since the whole region has remained beneath
the surface.
Out of four thousand known volcanic
cratcrs only about one hundred are now
active. There are about two thousand
eruptions in century, or twenty per an.
mum.
Human growth, according to Prof. Quote
lot, is not completed until the twenty.iifth
year, at least in Belgium. But this period
Is supposed to be shorter in other countries,
certainly so, within the topics, and in very
warm regions, where developemcnt and de-
cay are universally allowed to be rapid.
Water that is slightly frozen may be made
to bear heavy wagon by cutting reeds,
strcwing them thickly on the ice, and pour.
ing water upon them the whole by degrees
becomes frozen into solid mass.
Frcckles, tan, &C., are produced by ex-
ccssive light, which acts chemically on the
skin, producing sometimes blsters even.
In cases Of small pox, it is necessary to keep
the patient in darkened room, or the light
will aggrlvate the pock.mark.
Whenever there is shallow water green
will be produced by the underlying yellow
sand which even in the absence of yerdure
on the shore of sea-weeds beneath, always
imparts grecnish tingc to the sea. The
blue of the sky and yellow Of the sands
meeting and intermingling in the water. form
the green of the sea the water acting as
the medium in which tho mixing or fusing
of the colors takes place.
We are accustomed to think OF heat only
in that in which il affects our senses ; but
in fact the greater part Of it is in hidden
or latent state, and no body is so cold but
that great amount of heat can be elected
from it, either chemically or mechanically.
IF, for instance, says President Hitchcock.
: all the heat contained in the snow and
leo that has mantlcd New England during
the past winter had been, suddenly extricated,
there can be hardly doubt but a general
connagration of the surface would have been
the result
Water gives out 40 deg. of heat in frccz-
ing, which becomes sensible. The great
amount of congclation in cold countries is
one of the principal causes that
render them habitable and comfortable, for
the harder the frost, the greater the amount
Of heat given out. On the other hand, when
water eyaporatcs, it takes up into latent
state nearly l00S deg OF heat and this
probably It is chiefly that renders the torrid
zone tolerable, since the heat Of the vertical
sun must produce vast amount of cvapora-
ton. Thus beautifully is our system bal.
anced, to secure the welfare Of man and the
inferior tribes.
The body Of middling.size man contains
pound of phosphorus, which, IL in free
state, and inflamcd, would burn him up and
around him.
The quantity water Of cvaporatcd from the
surface Great Britain annually amounts to
80 inches, or l42 thousand millions Of tons
while the quantity of rain that falls is 80
inches, or lG0 thousand million tons.
There are few Of us who do not remember
the childish wonder we once felt on hearing
the resonance produced by placing a sea-
she'll to the car-an effect which fancy has
likcned to the roar of the sea. This is caus-
ed by the hollow form of the shell and its
polished surface, enabling it to receive and
return the bcatings of sounds that chance to
be trembling in the air around thcshcll.
The cicada spumara, a species OF locust
can leap two hundred and fifty times its
length. If q man could leap the same dis.
tance in proportion to his length, he would
be carried a quarter ola mile; or II h, could
leap us far in proportion to his weight, he
might jump around the globe at one bouud.