, 1875-03-03

villages a few miles down the latter river,
have no other water to drink than that
which receives the total pollution of the
capital, for the Seine enters Paris at Cha
renton nearly limpid, but at Asnieres
where the sewers discharge, it is of a red
dish brown color and positively fetid. 1t
is in this latter stage that it is pumped
up by the famous machine at Marty. to
supply Versailles. 1t is now proposed
to convey the sewage directly to the sea,
forming along the route, basins where the
wa er can be purchased tor irigating pur-
poses or operated upon with suIphate OF
aiumina.
The application of ELECTRIC LIGHT for
public use may be considered as solved,
that is, the light as produced by magnetic
electric machines, which will leave to
objects their natural colols, and exercise
no disastrous influence on paintings.-M.
Fronck has patented a LAMP 0 PHOTO
GRAPHIC IMPRESSIONS DURING II NIGHT,
for the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT or reproduction of
Photographic objects, and or those CON
uected with microscopic matters in rela-
ton with the natural sciences, The prin-
ciplo of the lamp is sulphufct of carbon,
and the mechanism consists chiefly of
safeguards against explosion. The late
Baron Liebig, though an operator Of pro-
verbal ability, could not prevent an ex-
plosion Of this gas, and which wounded
one Of his then hearers, the present Crown
Prince of Germany.
TOBACCO SMOKE can AFFECT the COLOR OF
FLOWERS thus violet becomes green by a
few puf8 from a cigar, the Petals of Shep-
herds Purse, for instance !; this change is
owing to the ammonia contained in the
smoke. Professor Ga55a of Italy, acting
on this idea, covers a plate containing am,
monia with a bell glass, Introducing into
a communicating tube, violet, blue and
purple flowers, which become green
yariegated flowers produce remarkable re-
suits, and il plungel into pure water after
bling exposed to ammonia, they will retain
their new coIors for several hours, and
then return to their original state. The
violet star-Wort which has no smell, be-
comes red and fragrant when thus operat-
cd upon The japanese by secret processes
OF injection can color or Whiten flowers,
and the Chinese are celebrated for dwarf
ing plants. There is in one of the public
gardens Of Paris an orange tree imported
from China, one hundred years old, no
larger than a small rose tree, and bearing
fruit no larger than a cherry.
SEED that has been preserved by chance
in the bottom of the sea, or imbedded
deeply in the soil, has nevertheless germi-
mated, as also wheat and peas found in the
padding of Egyptian mummies. Professor
HeLdrejch Of Athens, in botanizing among
the returned scoria Of the silver mines Of
Laurium, has found quite a crop of horn
poppy now this scoria has not been
disturbed since 1000 years when the
ancient Greeks worked the mines, till a
Franco-Italian Company has recently
commenced extracting silver from the
refuse Some of the plants had double
flowers as large as a ranuncuIus. But Curl
Gus to note, the species accidentally re-
found, is not known in the territory it
had therefore become extinct.
Claude Bernard has just concluded his
brilliant course of lectures on GENERAL
PHYSIOLOGY, and sums up, that each being
is made for itself and that in both of the
two kingdoms of nature, beings live in the
same manner, but perform their functions in
a different fashion. He denies that plants
create in their organism the blood of all