New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-03-24
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.

Some stupcndous figures are furnished by the
the British Empire. It's total population 23i4
millions very nearly double that OF the Roman En-
Iire It's paIniesj days; the territory, "a million
square mites rccst Eve tines e great About sixth
o. Queen V.corias subjects Christians IL per cent
Molau.iellns ~ yer cent Hndoos, nld lohrIs
hcaagns oi vieus sccts. The titled pfOpcrtyOwncs Of
Great Britain are numbered at l6s,OOO
Progress is reported at the Greenwich Ohsor-
vatory in reducing the observations made on the last
transit OF Venus Two 81 the most recent calculations
required the use Of 100000 figures. The French
attempts % obtaining figures Tor the sums distance
by ,pdy Of tbc photographs taken during the transit
have been reported running ont badly; II Is even
uunMtG Iee rnu,oa.pnS o n oe rr at Wasb
ioston ToTa The rhoto1aps taken by the Angr can
expeditions iut the woS proceeds very slowly hec9nso
Tho propTiions Ivy Congress were much smaller than
lad been expected
Very valuable information on the subject OF
sever gases was communicated by Dr. Eransland 81 The
February meeting Of the Royal society The direct con
Occ,On OF tho outbreak Of presidential diseases Win tl'
exposure OF a locality to the gases frcm sewers was
shown y some remarkable instances Tho conclusions
from careful experiment are That the ordinary ana
proper row q sewage agtate the liquid that
the gases viii escape bat If the No" Is thechyd ana
ia.uy DE evolved Hence it is Of prime importance That
steady and flow shO'Id be kept UP at al thtS
through sewers
There is fresh instalment of the endless
controversy between DE- BaStian ana NJ PaSteur con-
esrng spontaneous generation. In the latest phase OF
conflict Dr. B2Stim declares that after he bad heated
solution Of cgGsc potash TO IOo above boinG-point
and kept az that heat for 20 hours the addition OF that
solution previously sterile LIQUID caused eventually
sHeh rtsut canuo: be attained Il The solution he heated
10 that deree for 70 minutes Inc frehsh AeaHehy o.
and BousSiGgauta committee to decide this question OF
tact on which the doctors disagree.
After silver-plating factory closed its busl-
ness not long ago. Ncw-Havcn, the floor Of the plating
ROOM taken up and burned, and 1881 worth OF s
ver extracted from the ashes Both gold and silver
are very APT De distributed in invisible particles in the
garments Of workncn employed upon ieweiFy. plating
and assayng tatercd vest belonging to sneh WORK
man has been found caicmaOn to contain $50 worth
OF tie precious metals Ii the Office OI one OF tie largest
tnc piece aud the water in which the employees washed
tier hanos after counting money %eIs ca,1 a ST
silver 10 repay extraction.
The important discoveries of Prof. Marsh Of
New-lIayen are The subject OF many complimentary
notices abroad. The Geological Society of London has
recently put some compliments into tangible
shape by awarding TO Prof Marsh the Bgsby medal ac-
companied with apprecatiyo remarks The researches
OF Prof referred to IN some detail ana several
o. the fossil vertebates whose forms lie has described
are mentioned ny name Tho resolution says lie has
ISIS 800 oreat rr3r, q; Inc ycrtebrIta from the
World Tic fe!d OF his research Las been immense, bat
A. mas been very correct and his descriptive and
cassihcat1ry archaeological work Indicate his C.
fectiye grasp OF anatomical details, and Lis great power
as "a comparative OsteO.OElst"
About as startling proposition rs has yet
been devised by modern engineering is the seleine
gravcy advocated by fhe liverpool Post to block NJ the
Straits Of Belle 1he object is to divert the passage
Of the ice which comes down every year from
Bsfn Bay through the Straits, and makes the shores
past which the ccbcrgs float many degrees colder than
those the eastward that face the ocean and get TIC
brneht of The Gun stream IL is believed that, II the
project cvuld carried the entire climate OF Anti
costa aud Ot the Gulf OF ST. Lawrence would be LARGELY
modified aud navigation through the nel@hbOlS waters
could be kept upen during ts whole ye4r ~ tle h,T
miles. II the Canadian authorities should ever tainN
sIOus!y OF is project II might I've ~ell TO tcahG teii
gIoJu,a ases and street refuse, and cou'd u1is1
enough OF material n few months 70 make very
consiIeiaDe ban almost any where along the coast
In 4 review of Nelson's recent work on the
aspect OK moon, TIE Ieid"y mentions some Of the
reasons for believing That wafer cannot remain on the
snrac3 has planet u liquid Day and night on The
neon are each fortnight long. On night side any
water would solid When the suns rays need
this ia lupar morning there would be 10 liquid pro-
duced. hut instead Invisible yapor. II We assume
taat the moon has atmosphere OF hundrcdth of the
density air. tic boingpOint OF water on the moon
wCud I've Il ~ BGt il RcgTaut's estimate be cor
ret and lie moons Atmosphere has Only taT'c-nai-
Ta,cT On Ire n5oD below lie meitiaS io'.t Of ce
All titIrOo 10 wtcI could maze lt &ie@raace on Tue
maOi'A .u.tate There j. wide tich FOR conjecture
hygcNsr IS tu The changes which might tlEe place IN Ice
and glacier, under sac! STRANGE conditions me notion
that the lunar >Cr;G's may M more or !GSs capped WIN
tee seeiaS 70 be gaining favor
Mr. II. \. MoSelcy, Who was by tito the
Naturalist Of tie Caa nger Expedition, mas recently
presented the rcrl; Of lis SscIcacs on The coora OF
the aniaas 81 rte seq. The COi0Fi matter studed
under tn s,carolcope and found to be ALMOST as
varied ", material a n appearance. HGmoElOb!n
Gle eoiaPn. Batter OF olOod is OF course tbc chief in
fu-1,sa; ,;:rous sHaes Of rcd; bile pigments yield
several Lu-s more than 90 other substances mo-t OF
which cva Itle known theoretically 20 chemists
Eunvlv tc other ;n;s. sorie OF these substances ale
very con,leS II l. belle cd by Mr.. Aoseiey thai NOR
eSieadcd iOtC" III ANNUAL COLI may ,:l"" hgdt URIC
al yic.i re Il -l.t., Tor tie dyvsiOpn:"n; thsd'
descent s. sc. OF SIC dcc3sea shilH3!. nave bclca
c.!oss, AJ.h to- * Jar less frequent THh ut'c l-h
Va rtcai.es Is, i Tie surface Vnee there l.
l.Li s.o;e>crac. Is largely deve"Dea II Eisng o.
~ cceDse hFeicis. iaosi Q! t1en are Lini; &c
IIps t gqls Win .arse eyes assemble Ee'I the EhG
IDOics,rut ones, 70 ScacAt b '"e hSaI
At Mount Washington the weather last De-
erm,cr was the worst Ass Uec: experienced in th7
scyen winters during watch the sdnnit has hrer ceYc-
ed by Signal sS,ct .ia;ion. The fc'r gsts OF 'ba
month Oecurrcd almost eNseiy al intervals Of week
alsrt and were Of unprecedented violence. On Dee 10
toe wind had velocity 'f $50 miles per EoOS Ice
wrsnclcd from ncighhUrng rucAs was hOUn asJis
the buildings ia tgeGei,ss oofnbartIacnt for several
hours Tho tbc1ino-irier fer 70 to below zcroa cold
that is only c.o1I With Encountered on few
of The Arctic eNpelitioH The Incau temperature Tor
fine moh was hinfc than 60 h,lOU zero, AM tue highest
poiut reached ~ 'he tA'tin 'ilo,er va ony -; ~
MIN for fouuduc a Cguuy the Ar lie regiJEs have
Sacrally suggested tltt the chef dAety Ia Inc wy
lee lind WHO Wiling - cGii.t tdc i't- IL
si.p ana cold Of resdcHc" in The iriaI zn2e Ji,i "a