New-York tribune., 1877-06-23
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.


efforts t. stir up general interest through the cities OF
Tennessee and ncighboring States, in the coming meet
inc If the American Association tor the Advancement oi
Science II good viii aud hearty effort can oheoI '"o
object they are likely to make 1t representative
meeting Of the science OF that region. As the British
Association win hold its meeting about the md"e oi
Aucus, aud the American the end o. the IN Mn inc
reports Of tic two win reach NewY9rk nearly al & hnr
same timc which will b. 10 The advantage OF e'her
In the matter OF prompt publication he'e
A conference has been recently held at the
Arthropologcal Institute London, to discuss the ques
ton OF the antiquity OF man. The discussions were oaSeu
upon papers read 1T the meeting from men OF emnfnce
in this line research but the argument was pncauy
confined 10 discoveries made in the British Islands
Nature regards the evidence adduced iusuicieni TO
prove the existence OF man in the glacial epoch The ad
vocaes OF such extreme antiquity do not however To-
gard their position all endangered by the discus
at the conference aud In case the British @ qscoyees
faii give them support they can iall Daeh upon tle
more important evidences obtained in Continental Eu
rope.
II is not yet decided whether an opportunity
for deep dredging and the sady of sea animals NS be
afforded this year to naturass accompanying the l. =
Fish Commission. One element of uncertainty is aS 10
whether the location viii be Salem Mass, or Halifax,
Ms as Prof S T. Baird NAV be summoned to the latter
station 10 assist in furnishing evidence 10 the lntepa-
tonal commissioners who to determine the question
Of damages fishing Interests that is to be seted De
tween the United States and Canada just at present
tUo OF the best known naturasts Of Salem, Mass are
absent Prof 4 : Morse having gone TO Japan and Prof
A : Packard. H., benz at the west eXdulhl < the
9rasSboppcr N his br hplace; while bid member OF
most OF ms time at Cambridge
Mr.. Richard s. Floyd, one of the trustees of the
Lack estate has been yesI past Europe, nvcsigat-
ing the comparative merits OF ref ectors and reirachS
lenses for the great telescope For varions reasons
which he gives in detail he decides against large re-
fcctor one point being that even the extreme nicely OF
adjustment which the reflector requires Como be az
tanned in the new observatory it would be
liable TO arrangement in the high winds of
n mountainous position. II a refractor is de-
cidcd ulon bids should be asked, Mr. Floyd says
from Cook a Brothers Of Ncw-Y orS from Alyan Clark
CO. I,r abro9S - aont eolal The story Of Mr. Lcks
millions had preceded Mr. Floyd and he has iouud II
difficult 20 bring down the estimates OF European
opticians TO the basis OF ordinary business proh'
The Rev. Mr.. Gass has added to his Indian
antiquities discovered the Cook farm Iowa, an object
almost as the pictured slabs about whose au
thenticty there has been so much discussion The new
speoimen found Oh the surface while pioWhf ana
there are Of asceriainng how deeply il may
have been buried Obviously il its authenticity is ques-
toned there II much be said in favor OF the cir
cunsfanccs Of it's discovery than in the case OF the tab
lets VII c ere found in mounds The figure Ia Of abon
The size and form Of mouse, with eyes Of crystal tha
the snog las shape of tho hill Of an Olnthorhynchus
(somethig Ike ducks hilD. Ii Is evident tbat uie
waole tmug "a great extent curious natural lorna,
ton; sandstone e9hcfctl'h III MllG, me anu ~ u, m % "
together by oxide being naturally mounted on
slab Of flint lu irout there mas b,cn no attempt pa a,
but the lower pdlts 0l tAc DOu! nav pet'
Tudey represent ta aud huls Ihc Whoie speel-
mcu the appearance of being worn ON The imore eA-
posed p0r,ious as If II had undergone much hahulh2'
Many of our citizens doubtless remember the
Sitting odors the Line process that used to be en-
ploycd foI purifying by our gas companies Nothing
oould be simpler than this device. The gas Was kept
standing over lime tin the impurities absorbed 10y
the lime 80 lar so good Then the lime put out in
TIE open air the impurities eyaporated from it, and II
was ready for again. But these hnpuriues-the
yilcst part Of the gas-lad 10 go somewhere
and they ala. 1t the custom OF the gas
manufacturers 70 expose the line TO air little after
midnight Al least two miles away from the gas-houses
In The direction where the wind blowing, people
would be walked mp with choking sensation, ana sup
pose that s in their houses was leaking Many
whose house Law III the path OF TINS invisible MIN
has gone from gurct TO cellar in Ills night clothes trying
10 find out where the gas escaping. Happily that
mode of purifying gas has been stopped in
this city, olher methods may cost more,
but that was uncomfortable. II seems, how
ever. from the report Of "a Commission appointed by
the common Pleas Court PhadelDha, that t'e pro
cess is st M use IN that city. The Commission recon-
men1s that before the gas is brought to the line, u
shoud be passed through sa%dHst moisienea WIN VIZ SUI
phurc acid of 30 Bcaume This is said 10 0e checiual
In absorbing tine volatile doors. but tultlluStN V'S-
uou about the River Rhine aier II had Wi>ieu NO2she;
il Lcxt What To be done with the sawdustt
Snip 10 % Hunters Point, perhaps.
A crayon artist of celebrity, being asked
whether IL was not possible to produce drawing the
relief OF the stereoscOpe, replied, " could do it
1 could draw simultaneously on the same spot III the
paper with both hands" Something like this to
have been accomplished bwMr. William Matthews OF
Bristol England In an inyeEiion which he calls the
idcntOsc0pe" Ii is modification Of much simpler in
strumeut sometimes used in copying plans and the
like The Orginal contrivancc consists simply OF
right mirror OF which lies the original drawing,
aud 10 right of it the paper which the drawing is
20 he cOped-napor for the purpose beng usually ruled
in squares Upon looking into tie mirror from the left,
both images are supepOsed, the drawing being ap
paIeuiy utorscted by the squares The position OF
each pant OF tie drawing in the squares being thus at
laud. the process Of copying is much simIlihcd.
The Hew modification of the apparatus consists in sub
shutting two similar photographs of object for,
respectively. the drawing and the ruled paper
bringing powerful hglt 10 bear upOn the photo
graphs and carefully adjust NJ their positions
That fnc reflection from each comedies ln TIE mirror
When these precautions carefully compiled Wtn, AT
tnr instant that tie reflections precisely overlap
leliie s.eIeoscopc image appears in The mirror Mr.
Matthews ate that be las used The instrument with
remarkable result by making the reflection oi picture
YOUNG Roger IcbD0luc overlap one Of The Ichhornc
Claimant or otherwise not stated. There is mnt III
device flrm OF pdriO aluu.cueht ana Tor
an optical apparuus That VIII bc less i&tguDS u the
eyes than tAc ordinary steIeoscope
RELIGIOUS INIEIIIGENCE.