New-York tribune., 1867-09-27
SCIENCE.
tO the

Nrv, CruPvT-In a communication 10 Jhe
French Academy Of Sciences NJ sorel stats @ n@hle
tvdrSfcd CNychoridc OF magnesium Is WY @ oo
rsneut IL j. the whitest and hardest OF al HSn"ib
utnt~ ana may be nodded ke plaster Oh m ,%,ncd by
n becomes a. solid marble II may n ~ No.
,,rkiuc magncSia with solution ~ tlc i ~ &c,
,'. tc ierser the solution the harder VIII DC te
rSnruf on driving. IL has great agguunauNS pomrr,
One n,rt NJ Tins aCucsm compound ii A',i l'i
, - sai ,yill form a hard and s0d block whereas
lime Viii moi admit of being incOlpOid, ,cd WIN iulS mi
tvo or fhrec ngrfs of sand 10 form ocA o 'q,i
tNo VI ~ LII io ne found 10 he the best material 10 use
In with pebbles in forming Inc walls OF % %ou
inCs This cement might be made ON large cIl3 s
M cLcapIv at syracuse n. Y, and other localtleS
SeiS ytrn ffon, salt works is abundant and lime
stone can be readily converted into Quicklime
AsrrRoDS-The recent discovery, by fToi;;
watson of the University OF Mlchlgan OF d Iunt@r
pl,uet, lying between the OlDlls on tnoHrn o9 There
fuakes tie total number of asteroids now ,aret
m .ms Ieaso ~ t et remain undiscovered. The labor
ofobscrvlng 20 many Of these bodies WIN tio w ,
necessary to compute their orbits mas pecoHc ~ Sv'
m ss very energetic taken by astronomers
rpany of the smaller Will escape their hoee ~"
% and owing 10 the fact that their orbits had not Dee
correctly determined they Will IODaDy neeu 10 De %
covered when wanted. The method Of designating pau,
cts NV names belonging to the ancient lnyuology WIZ
have to be given up should the discovery VI & new u
,ds continue nj the present rate Already these sinai
anets have been numbered, and are better Known 10 as
fronomers by ther numerical eSgIatoh liAh D! 'uo
classic appclatlOnS
Tur BrAyER AS AN ENGINEER.-At the last
meeting Of the American Association Tor the AaNacC @ m
inen OF Science. L. II. Morgan esq 0 Kcchtsier Igu an
Interesting uaper the habits OF the beaver. haNS
made this animal the subject OF study Tor seVeI
he Jble give interesting ldct~ TtSal 'ib
extent of their operations ON the southern shOie O
Lake Superior in Marquette County he fonhd renh O
long canals and dams constructed 10y thein LOT tne pu-
nos1 of Transporting their cuttings consisting O trunks
Of trees two or three feet long, from the place where Ie
trees had fallen their lodges Some OF these canas
were $50 400 and 500 feet long. They were gehera
three feet WIDE with average depth OF three ee III
order 10 maintain continuous depth or water; tuc!
made dams at certain distances and followed tne Oso
plan-to whom the lock unknOwnOt drawing .!e I
cargo from one level TO another. Mr. Morgan nas ect
n lOng-diSpued point regarding species. fIon @ f.b
paris0n of more than 100 skulls OF America DtaEeIs NJ
four or five Of EuTopca origin ne Is euiOeu W s''' Una"
both classes belong 10 the same family
STARIIJTY OF GUN-COTTON.-F. A. Abel +.
has published the results of his experiments WIN
Von IenE's euncOtOu, extending over period OF thee
and half wears, which differ materially from those oD-
tanrd nv PeUuze and Maury, who came 10 the concur
sion that after exposure to light and heat TINS khu OF
suncOttOn liable 10 spontaneous decomposition anu
Explosion Mr. Abel, however, admits that the ORDINARY
0uncottains small proportions of nitTOgenzed
having Unstable properties, which are fol ieu D te
ZION OF nitric acid upon foreign matters contained III e
cotton fiber These impurities give rise 10 Iee aClu
which nav he effectually neutralized ana rehuereu
nasceut by introducing INTO the geOtton Wheh Irst
made one per cent carbonate OF soda 10 guIcOtoh
Gich has NOT been long exposed To the action OF sun
lisht water acts as perfect protector II IL contains
sncent water to feel damp to the touch IL s perfectly
psn-eXplosve and while in this CONDITION IL may pe
stored i'm large quantities transported 10 very distant
plaees The best practice would be 10 ulSSOle Tue
Suired prOpOrion of carbonate Of soda III water, ana
Keen the cotton constantly damp with TINS SOLUTION
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