The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-01-31
MORNING STAR AND CATHOLIC NEsRNGER
NEW ORLEANS. SUNDAY, JANUARY 81 1859. .
ARTS, SCIENCES, ETC.


Hsadoo Writing.-Writing is curious art as |
practiced by the Hindoos. They may be often |
letter. An iron ssyie and s palm isaf are lie
implements. In writing neither chair nor table
is needed, the leaf being supported on the
middle finger Of the left hand and kept steady !
by the thumb and forefnger. The right hand
does not, as with Ms, move along the surface,
but, after fnishing few words, the writer
fxes the point of the iron in the last letter,
he may finish the line. The characters are
rendered legible by besmeaEing the leaf with
ink-like fluid: letter is any,finished ona
whereupon is the address. - - q
Gas Wells-In Erie, Pa, s0lhe branches Of
manufactures, such as soap -makings are carried
y the burning ss from t wells e. the depsa
hame being made available by heating the
kettles. These streams Of gas can be quickly
lighted, cause no trouble, there being neither
as every particle Of fire can be shut of in an
4 curious discovery has just been made st
an oven was found closed with IN iron door, on
opening which . batch Of eighty-one loavee,
put in nearly eighteen hundred years ago, and
even the large iron shovel with which they hsd
been neatly laid in rows. The loaves were but
slightly overbaked by the lava heat, having
the door. There ia NO. bakers mark on the
ioaves they are circular, about nine inches in
diameter, rather fat, and indented (evidently
slightly raised at the sides, and divided BY deep
lines radiating from the centre into eight seq
ments, they are now of deep brown color. and
hard, but very light. = In the same shop were WEI;
with O great quantity Of corn in excellent
preservation, has also been discovered.
Peculiar Fsh.-" We have" says Sir Charles
Bell, /" o curious instance of the precision of
the eye and of the adaptation of muscular action,
in the beaked chetodon, Q fish which inhabits
the Indian rivers, and lives the smaller
upon twig, or flying over (for it can shoot
them ON the wing), it darts q drop Of water
with so steady an aim as to bring the fly down
viii hit a fiy at the distance Of from three to
six feet. Another fish of the same order, the
seas, has the power of forming its mouth into
tube, and squirting at flies, 80 as to cucumber u
the water. In these instances, q difficulty will
readily occur to the reader. How does the fish
Judge Of position, since the rays of light are
refracted at the surface of the water Does
instinct enable it to do this or is it by expert
enceT Now, Sir Charles Bell was one of the
closest observers and the most trustworthy
writer of his time, SO that the authority is un-
questionable.
The Mansard Roof.-People who have recently
had occasion to visit the leading cities Of this
! the style of roof called the Mansardn ROOT
l is gaining ground. New houses ere very gen.
orally supplied with this roof, and the roofs OF
Viaced by It. This roof-variously known by
the titles of s. Grill" roof, French roof, and
"Mansard - roof-was the invention Of eel
ebrpted French architect of the name Of Fran
co.'s Mansard, who was horn in Paris In 1878
It has undergone many qualifications since
The original form first introduced was gen
orally one STORY, but occasionally OF two o.
three stories in height. In the latter case thu
. upper stories were constantly lower in pro
portion ascending towards the peak OF tn
much better than loop-holes, meant for
olimmering light in, and the ventilation o
etowage chambers or mere lofts. The lowe
story, in the roof, that is the hrst story nDov
Is equal to and quite as desirable as those I'm
smediately beneath it. The form and construc
ton of these old French roofs are always sue
as to secure a plumb or perpend1cuiaT wal
within the rooms, with a very trihing loss o
space, the inclination from q vertical line, il
the entire altitude of story, being scarcely
more than the thickness of the wallis
-. This ancient style of Mansard roof has bee
improved and modified to the point of con
bininC great architectural beauty, externally
with economy of space and neatness OF hn,s
internally. Departing from the original ide
of an additional range of rooms with horizonta
ceilings and walls Faplomb, this roof is no,
forms the walls, with highly finished balu'
trades. etc The smaller windows are oval an
snmetimes round, with exterior loop holes fo
ornament. The chimney stacks, carried up
a considerable height are usually mafKe
feature of the Partisan modern Mansard roo
Slate is commonly employed for the covering
viii tin for all cutters and weatherings Ba
mstrades, as elsewhere mentioned, are seldol
omitted in these roofs by the French. I'M
ans Of The .nest Salient and indispensap
Observation-Disclosures, is entirely overlooked by mo-
of the, Msnsard roofs in this country!-Ame''ot
artisan.
-, Tzs N,,s Lord Lsertenant.-The new Lol
Lieutenant of Ireland is q brother to the La
Father Ignatius Spencer, who died but sno
time ago. He belonged to the band q Ne
man, Faber, Wilberforce, Manning, and tho
other great lights whose names shed undyll