Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-03-18
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| DIR Pfaf. the aut. Sor of the latest Ger.
man treatise on the :. 'rehistoric earth, Is
quoted by the Nation as saying that
there is no evidence to fiA the age Of the
human race at over 1900 y. as; Ibis Is
quite falling of from Lye.T US 2z4.OOu
years; but the tendency now Is 70 CUES
ton the extreme antiquity whie. % was
Insisted on five years ago.
As the result of their inyestieatioIsl
onthe light of the fixed stars, two Ger
man physicists, Leidei and Zoilner. dis
tlnguish hye stages in the evolution of
star: L, glowing gaseous. state, like
tnat OF planetary nebula; 2, a glowing
fluid state, like that of the fixed stars:
3, shaggy state, ike that of the MANY
red stars; an eruptive state, like that
Of flashing or twinkling stars; 5. COM
Pietely cool and solidifiedstste, likethat
- SA'ed sie eaitn. lH4u 80 - ana ,sfr1alsi
The College Courant states, as an ex.
ample Of the extreme accuracy of as
tronomIcaf observations, thai the aver
age dIfferenee of two sets of observations
on the position of long list of stars
made at Greenwich and Paris amounted
10 only .O01 OF single second. A re-
cent study OF the proper motion of the
star 90 pOphinehi proves its distance to
De I2l3,o0Os times as great as our dis
tanee from the sun. q Il takes light over
twenty years to traverse this distance.
Professor o. Heer, the celebrated geo-
logical botanists, suggests. as one possible
explanation of the higher temperatllre
of the polar region of the earth in early
periods, that perhaps the solar system
was then passing through portion of
space u higher temperature than that
through which it Is now passing. This
would explain the tropical flora found
In the rocks of Greenland; but the alter
ed character of the gaReous envelope OF
the earth Is a much more plausible ex-
PLANTATION. i'1 esq
Sitka is the place where the traveller
either gains or looses one day in the
week. A person going eastwardly
around the world, gains the day which
Is lost by one who goes to the west, and
Sitka is the point at which the two
reconings meet. The Russians who have
ljourneyed toward il eastward through
Siberia celebrate their accustomed Sab
bath, while the Californian, who has
reached it by a westward journey across
America, finds the shops shut and BUSH
mess suspended on his Saturday.
. IT has been the fashion to speak of
the Americans as nervous, feeble, and
short-lived; but all statistics prove that
we compare fsyorably with any other
people. According to life insurance
men, the average expectation of life ia
greater in America than in Europe. In
the Registration Report for Massachu>
.setts, 1858, DIR. George Derby, q high
authority on this subject, declares EN-
phatically that "the prospect of long life
IN Massachusetts is at least as good to-
day as that enjoyed by any civilized
country" confirming his statement by
elaborate and comparative Statistics
These figures prove that brain-work is
really more healthy than muscular
The highest average, GA years, Is with
farmers who manage their own estates;
while next come clergymen, lawyers,
physicians, and professors, 55.4S years;
active mechanics out-of-doors, 51.64
years; merchants, 4S26 years, active me-
chanics in shops, ;47.93 years; laborers,
46. 40 years; inactive mechanics in shops,
AZ. SO years. OF the professions, clergy
men average go years, lawyers 81, and
doctors 81. zs.si ss.z s.ifI s'stiiF 3itl ih
H. .I. HnH HHa j..
GREAT INTEREST is felt In. England
in reference to the newly Invented, al
ready patented, procedure ofMr. Heaton,
Director of the Iron Furnaces in Lang
lay, near Nottingham, by which COM
mon raw iron is converted into steel.
A few years ago the German Bessemer
invented a method through which, by
pneumatic processes, iron was converted
into steel, since called Bessemer steel.
That procedure requires, however, the
best of iron, and is inapplicable to ordi-
nary iron, which contains much phos-
phor or sulphur, and the Importance Of
the new invention consists of its being
applicable to almost every kind Of iron.
The procedure is of a chemical, and not
mechanical nature, and it saves much
time and labor, and reduces the cost OF
production several pounds sterling for
each ton. The main ingredient in the
process is nitrous natron. Experiments
made lately in presence of Professor
Miller, of Kings College, and Robert
Matlet, Vice President of the Royal So-
ciety, and other chemists Of reputation,
splendid results as to the tension
and strength of the steel produced. a
has been Termed in London
for the use of the new patent in exten-
sive iron works.
DISEASE OF THE HEART.-The Jour-
nal des Connaissances Medicales con-
tains an interesting article on Doctor
Papillaud's views concerning the rela-
tive merits of foxglove and arsenic in
the treatment of disease of the heart,
which affection he conceives more easy
to cure than is generally believed. He
is of opinion that both foxglove and the
froouenf hIaadiuU sO oOnmon in ITALY
in such cases are highly injurious. The
drug alluded to exercises no action Oh
The mOrbose state of the orifices, valves,
Or external surface of the heart, and can
therefore exercise, none on its. organic
diseases; all it can do is to influence the
functions of the ergan, and this by 3
paralyzing action, by depressing Its VI
taiity and esntractility, and its power OF d
resistance to causes which prevent II
from performing its regular functions
Hence, whenever the heart is making
an effort to counteract the evil effects of
1 contracted Orifice, or of some other or
sanic defect, foxglOve steps.in to damp
is energy, and consequently to promote
The disorder In such cases, the drug
merely causes a.momensary relief from
| necessary over-excitement, which Will
reappear as soon as this foreign, infiu-
snce has ceased to operate, This treat
nent is therefore nothing but an inces-
amt struggle between the organ and the
Medicine, which must end either in
poisoning the patient to the very verge
# death, or in q victory of the disease
,ver the drug, the power of which is at
ength weakened by habit, while at the
anne time it has acted injuriously on
Nevartbaiess although foxglcye can