New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1866-08-25


e b watt, Il 10 uFins companion ofhs b,su'iiul H.
uson TIM. the mob cot virtues which sdofn
Rosd Tbs, te ocnor. scarey Mo be u.Iuc'ei
transmit Of those reso ni,s 70 P,ol and Mrs Bahs
ron adjourned meot in sections
sscIIoS A-ruYsICAL oolEHcfs-PEoP wUBHs DiscoV
BRIfS .
Prof Ienry wur, Of New prcsestsd Pager "on the
Vusihon Of dium nGold and silver naigau alton
paper regarded of tho most Important yet Ursh
the notice Of the Association. -. ,
PId Wurtz stated that very ppoh discussion mas peco
no"ncod discoS.Ty Of tho extraordinary effects of the skal
metals IN amagamston! and much further lug
subject regarded great public Importance me
Investigations made last year by Prof simsa on CS
ono Academy OF Sciences les! Winter ana Wloe occu III
the newspapers continued with 90, ~ % M Ga,
objections 20 the OF sodium for silver ores on the
pat Of California metaliurrist named kuseL were hen
briefly discussed KGsto has erred manly IN oSs
y exrsonr Their sulphur by force of chemical affinity
Ibe rand and nerct collection and separation from slime
or pp o ID and dau.ed silver by the OF
sodium am igam wued alone give an obvious Importance
but nS o ya Been based Pon an idea Of the
Of have hat little applicability pro or cor ana IN
pointed ont in his conclusions kustefs
on that iron pans cannot be used with sodium, for in'
sance shown to be fancious by very numerous working
record. 10 any case Is fortunate that ONE
rssf esult has little weight against concurrent positive
rcsu- many others Mr. Knsel however admits The value
II FOR gold cres and others IN california expee ecu
in amaaten do not concur with Mr. huste In bis opinion
with regard 20 silver
As 10 be expected there are in England also those VINO
cay the tangled" method One correspondent o, tte
same journal objects partly on the ground that tue sooag o.
that the sodium process. IL alike unphi!osophcal s9d com
mercaly impraccable Some words were devoted 10 we
conflicting claim 20 priority OF discovery Wtich Ms
by r CroOke Of the most learned industrious and
aecessu English scientists The graceful concession
of this point which Mr. Crooks considered Of late DOM w
scientists and urss by his silence ana by
publications the journals ostensby autA OrNeu oy m
thought VIII nor prove any hpIitciV ~, go 81 semcal
aures we'll and worthy won by him IN the hed OIL
discovery. , i,
Tn, most surprising articles elected by this discovery In
transatlantic Journals have emanated from certain persons
who denied the authenticity OF the discovery altogether
and claimed that the OF sodium III amaSauatioh OF ores
has already actually been matter Of publicity for centuries
Mr. Calvert another writer (lnOnymous) nave put
forth the astounding assertion thst extracts can be gwen
from than 100 works in various languages showing ua
from time immemorsl Three work are referred 70 ~
nsme-Sshwartzs "Achymia dc ssla6us Aearo o ATs9
Schwartz book probably does not exist upon 'os % SnJ
but Prof "qTH has e osen 80 Of BGTIs referred TO-
in the hands of Prof George j. Brush % a!e
bbiteS II TO the Section AS could been anticipated
there nothing in indicating IN the renoies
knowledge sodiums much less Of its use IN
prof expresses surprise however, 10 lind that at the
time this written in 6iO almost esery reh enen
the art OF amagamation and IN other branches OF eou
silver mcaugy prsctced at the present day excepting the
sodium (and not excepting many Supposed 10 Dc e
peciay OF modern ogin was known ana used Dy baro s
his As regards the still moro ancient WORK oil
schwartz referred TO- Prof w thinks 1t may be SAID WITH
that person Of lively IMAGINATION could h9 PAM
forth in the argon OF the achemst every one oil ne JUS
of the nineteenth century beside multitude oil other
discoveries either vet be made 10 be made
The third work named that Of Roger Bacon IT appears las
the following from passage on The Metal of salt" under
gar understand the good and great art OF salt as we're
known ALL riches would longer be held rare or even
such great doth contain th0i piece OF such size
that will the top of the small finger will work wondous
magic throughout Of such worthless stun that no
man would bay the smallest coin yet when this aud other
metals to all men, shall lovingly and speedily unite
IN one then the adorcd OF all metals heeOns me-
born unto aud true aud real gold may be tke
from those common metals without loss to them
nat lV
enjoyed by good gold never again TO oe os
is transmitted IRON the veSt OF uiossi a ~ % r 80 ~,
from those who have little To lend"
stion Of the original Latin manuscript and interpreted ~
him relating 20 the extraction ~ gold from os p aws
rn-ston regarding il rather rs Thing merely one Of
those obscure and apochryPhal methods OF TRANSMITTING ONT
that en- were an description the
Of sodium in amalgamaon It would still have no bearing
whatever the question at Issue. not being cited from
published work but from which has probably been as
much concealed from the public eve as If it had been newly
exhunled from the catacombs Of Egypt
branch Of the subject touched related 70 the
widely and pesstenty paraded in the pablo press
the amazing eTorenss Of the amngam Of sodium one oil
pie set forth in leading article that while metallic sodium Is
harmless substance erroneous statement 30 Iei grave
of Ignorance on the other hand the teos Of
itself dvnde into insigniheance when compared Win
and that ''one Of sodium amalgam r. eqnsl 70
pounds Of gnPOTds aR se snr
statement Prof W. remarked that, according to THIS
the samples sodium lying the table before BIN
were equal OF gunpOwder and that he had often
made with his hands and in one operation IN one asy
quantity equal 10 900 pounds OF gunpowder HIS cher Cd
feet abiding to matter which be was aware was 70
q chemist merely
"A thing for laughter, 6eers and jeers,
and origin OF such fantastic ana
reny puerile 1t simply IN Ingenious but l
commercial trick the motive for having been the nope OF
embarrassing and Introduction OF amagnms
Of sodium into the mining regions Of those egtmatey en-
titled to Introduce until The completion Of certain arrange
meps infringing upon Me patent rights that have Deen
granted by the United States ia the premises.
10 the course Of Prof Vents remarks be was interrupted
BY questions from Profs Stoddard Perkins aud Hadey.
At conclusion Of the paper Dr. President Barnard re-
marked that felt great interest in the discovery made by
Prof and thought he might be regarded ore Of the
benefaotoTs world making grains OF gold avail
able where there but one before. .
In response inquiry Prof VENT said that the dscov
cry would extensive development OF the manufacture
Of sodium aluminium. msgnesiun calcium &ci 10 render
them cheap and useful metals IN the aris.
Prof Perkins tread paper the 4" Theory OF Meteor
prepared by Mr. Daniel Krkvood Mr. Kukwood argues the
existence u indefinite number q bodies In tie planetary
syste smaller than the asteroids and revolving IN orbits
with eccenricies equal those Of the comets OF shorter
periods These come occasionally within the orbit o. the
earth and become what We term fre.bas or meteerf.
Mr.. ). Bradley read paper on the " Electro Magnet In
which no claimed superior advantages for magnet recently