The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1866-07-04

into the cabin to make slight temporary
sketch. When these. sketches were,
few days afterwards, recopied, 1 began
to have better insight into and 10 classify
them.
'Imagining that part Of the horizon
where the lightning took place, as on a
large theatrical current of dark color,
the simplest form of electric meteor which
appeared thereon was
GA sort of light corruscation, or n
glare, Illuminating that vast portion
of the horizon which was dark
before. / think that, at times, the en-
tire horizon was not thus illuminated, but
there remained circular segment on tho
top of the atmosphere in its original dark
ness. Almost all the species of real
flashes did not begin from the upper part
of the atmosphere, but all seemed to come
from the surface of the sea.
"Our observations were made during
night, and exclude, therefore, the seizing
images by present photography. But in
reference to day-lighnins, it becomes a
question whether this could or can be
| seized think il may, under the follow
Ing circumstance Lightning never takes
place in glar:ng sunshine and in an at
mospherc the least dmmed, the electric
light is so vivid, that it -trikingly shows;
and then, certainly, it could or can be
seized. The difficulties may be overcome
in the following way:
The cases where lightning takes place
in several parts of the compass are rare,
and even then, the most interesting could
be selected. The new panoramic lens in
cludes an angle of one hundred and
twenty degrees-in fact, an enormous field
OF view. Thus, the first difficulty, of
embracing sufficient area of electric ac-
tivity, will be obvated. The next may
seem still more serious, namely, to move
the slide Of the camera contemporaneous
with the electric flash, which may oc-
cupy, perhaps, less, than second An
observation, however, made by Goethe
on Vesuvius, may smoother the difficulty.
The German philosopher observed, that
during the eruption OF the volcano which
he witnessed, there was a certain we'll
measurable interval between the single
explosions of the crater and the ejacua-
ton OF stones and scor'e In the interval
between two such volcanic teverish par
oxysms, Goethe went quite close to the
briIn of the crater. We should be much
mistaken if, in the generality of cases, a
similar rhythm Of electric meteoricty shall
not take place as well.'
TIE Sun PHOTOGRAPHED BY A WOMAN.
Miss Beckley, daughter of the mechan-
zeal assistant at the Kew Observatory in
England, has taken some admirable pho
tographs of the sun. A local paper says:
During the day she watches for oppor-
tuniies for photographing the sun with
that patience for which her sex is distin-
guished, and she never lets an opportunity
escape her." Careful examinations of
these photographs have led the astrono-
mers TO the following conclusions: l.
When Venus is to the left, there is most
atmospheric effect to the right. 2. When
she is in conjunction or opposition, there
is tendency to equality. 8. When she
is considerably TO the right, there is most
atmospheric effect to the left.
PROTECTION OF oxALlC ACID.
Oxalic acid being much used in Poto-
graphy, attention has been directed by
tho easy production of this substance.
Three French chemists-M M. Laurent,
Castheler and Basset-have succeeded in
obtaining it from the waste Of sboema-
kers' and saddlers' shops and where
leatheris used; also from wollen rags,
horn, hair, &c. For this purpose these
residues are treated with one part of sui
phuric acid and four of water, and the
mass thus obtained is subjected to the
action of one part of nitric acid and
three OF water, at a temperature OF about
eighty degrees centigrade. From the di-
gesion of this, oxalic acid is easily ex-
tracted.
! NlErCE's NEW DISCOVERIES.
Mr.. Niepce de ST. Victor has obtained
new and interesting results from expert
ments in Photography. lie can now pro-
duce deep jet black, whereas hitherto
the utmost he could obtain was very
dark, brown but his latest prints give
the illusion of ieliet with almost as great
power as the stereoscope itself. NJ.
Nlepce has chosen small colored engrav-
ings tor his originals, his object being the
reproduction Of colors, or heliocchromy;
yet his prints have strong lights and
shades as it he had operated on basre-
llcts Though unable for the present to
explain this singular phenomenon, he can
/ produce it or avoid it at pleasure. A fter
chloridzing the plate AMI applying var
nish of ,xtrinc and chloride of lead, he
exposed the plate under the original to
the sun without applying heat. A few
inmates isolating are sutiiricnt the or
iglnal (Which in ordinary Photography
would be called the negative) is taken
away, and his image appears, but very
iaintly colored, only the blue, red and
green becoming visible. 1t is now heat
is applied, whereby all the colors and the
illusion of relief are brought out. The
original is now laid on once more, and
I now pxnOsura IN tla ann af,,ntad th;s