The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1873-04-10
CURIOUS AND sorENTIFIo

f~A~Nt NAAN AANASAAL al "a AAtAALAAAC u
more common form of mercurial admin
istration was the blue mass. Either of
these prescriptions would account for
the presence OF quicksilver; but dosing
with calomel would not.
MAGNETIC DIsrURBAEcE.-A contri-
butor to nature, in an article on Mag
netic Storms in Higher Latitudes," in
which, however, he strangely confounds /
the above with electric earth-currents.
states that in October, 1871, magnetic |
disturbance electric earth-currents) of |
such intensity prevailed that the Exeter
express train was detained sixteen min
utes by the needles Of the telegraph be-
ing detected so powerfully that it was
impossible to ascertain if the road was
clear.
A. PARTY Of American scientists are
still worrying the poor Sphinx, and
peclxing and digging away inside of the
Pyramids, in search Of the toenails of
more of the Pharaohs, and other arti-
cles of interest. A letter from Cairo
says: Our next bore viii be through
a peculiaFly-placed stone in the floor of
the entrance passage, which may be
corling up another passage, as it has
been found that the Golfer IN the Kings
Chamber could not DO introduced by
present known passages. We
have spent many nights at the Pyra-
mids, and have made some important
discoveries. We have opened up two
small passages leading from the Queens
chamber to--we don't know where
These will have to be explored further.
We have also discovered in the ascend
ing passage to the Grand Gallery
some very strange Masonic symbolisms,
which still remain a mystery to Pyra-
mid students"
Mn. FAwCETT really started the inter
esting speculative question: What is
the value of the soil of the United
Kingdom which some seek to NATIONAL
ize2 The estimate which he gave
Sir John Lubhocks-e4, 800, 600, 900, or
about six times as much as the national
debt. He does not give us the data on
which he builds this astounding sum,
but we are enabled to borrow from the
Board of Trade Agricultural Returns
some of the governing figures, which
will help to check such estimates. The
returns show that there are $4,000, 600
acres under cultivation, the total area
of the United Kingdom, being exclu-
sive of lakes, rivers, &C., 10000, OOO
Now the average rent in the United
Kingdom is, taking the figures given in
the Irish Farmers Gazette for 1869,
and striking an average, rather more
than thirty-two shillings an acre. As
Stunning the land to be worth thirty
years purchase very favorable esti-
mate--it would follow that the total
value of the soil of the United King
dom would amount to CO, 262, O0O, 900
that is one half of the sum Mr. Fawcett
names. Making the most liberal allow
anoes for the value of the sites of cities,
it is not easy to see how the aggregate
could be raised to "a, 500, 100000. The
most accurate people, We fear, are loose
and precipitate when they come to mil
lions. The very sonorousness of a
humping string of ciphers is fascinat-
ing, and there is generally the consola-
ton that nobody viii check them.
BRIDGE BUmDrEG.- Lieutenant Glib
bon, who explored the interior noun
famous wonders of Peru in 1851, gives
graphic description of a suspension
bridge which he examined, constructed
of bark twisted into ropes, that was al
most equal to the wire suspension
bridges of our time The cordage al
one extremity was made fost to posts,
which supported the roof Of house.
He does not mention how the other ex.
tremity Of the six parallel ropes was
secured. The bridge was eighty yards
long and six feet wide-spRnning an
awful gorge Of one hundred and fifty
feet above foaming torrent OF blacl
water, coursing over rocks below. Small
sticks lashed to Che ropes, eide by side
made the floor. A woman had charg,
of rude windlass in the house, b.
which any one Of the ropes was tighten
cd when too slack. II is admitted tina
suspension bridges originated in PER-
in the times of the meas. Those o
wire, now common, are limitations o
very humble contrivances for crossing
streams and ravines between mountain
by demi-civilized race long befor
Europeans had placed foot on th
continent of America. Since bot
kinds, the vegetable and iron wire struC
lures, imply thoughtful investigator
irIto the strength Of materials and th
tension to which each could be subiec
ed by the weight of materials in the
composition, the laws of science wen
necessarily invoked.
CHEausrRY OF HENS Eee.-Th
following is extracted from DIR. Niche
las Firoside Science: Within the she
the animal portion of the egg is fount
which consists of viscous, oolorlei
liquid called albumen or the white, an
yellow, globnlar mass called the vite
lus or yelk. The white Of the egg COZ
sists Of two parts, each of which is ei
veloped in distinct membranes. III
outer bag Of albumen, next the shell,
quite thin, watery body, while Il
next, which invests the yelk, is heaN
and thick. But few housekeepers WI
break eggs ever distinguish between Il
two whites, on know of their existen
even. Each has its appropriate OH
to fulfill during the progress of incub
ton or Matching, and acts, in the mysS
rious process, as important a part as Z
other. If we remove this glairy Au
from the shell and place it in gla'
and plunge into il strip of redden
litmus paper, blue tinge is immediai
lyproduced, which indicates the pre-
ence of an alxah The alkah is soda
a free condition, and its presence is
the highest consequence, for without
the liquid would be insoluble. A p'
a.. 30 a.. ..-f.stN ~ ,s~,, ,ylor 1sluf