New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-05-12

Japan has been having corvette bulit LOT
her navy at Hull England The contract speed Is 10
knots per hour engines 2,500horse power The vessel
is barkrgged and carries 1900 square yards OF can
vas or, with extra sail, 1900 The armament is IL
Krupp guns of which some throw l42pound shells She
Is called the kOnsO.
There is at last prospect of a rest for the
astronomers Of searching for the ntramer-
cural planet. At recent meeting of the Royal Astro
nonical Society," which the failure of the March OBJ
servati0ns reported from number OF different local
ites LORD Lindsay made the statement that NJ lie Yer
er thinks it will be useless TO look for Vulcan for the
next six years As the searches which have been made
were instituted wholly at NJ II Verriers sugges
ton, is likely that they viii ne extensively re-
newed during the period in which he discourages them
DIR. Fuchs, in the intercollegiate MiHheitun-
gen. gives detailed statistics for 1875 Of earthquakes
throughout the world The number Of shocks recorded
liz 81 occurring on 100 different days. The greatest
numbers in January next greatest In. December
and March the least were in October and September
Tho of lives lost by earthquakes In 1879 was
900 the most destructive of these occurrences were
the earthquake OF Cucuta New-Granada, May 1913
which destroyed several towns and villages and OF st.
Cristobal and GuadaaIara, Mexico, Feb. IL when ex
teuded from the Pacific Ocean to- Leon Oi yoc" ih
crupuon those which took place IN Iceland "ele INC
most important
A tug boat was recently exhibited in the
water, and capable of speed of ten miles per hour
which was propelled solely by means OF pump. Water
is pumped In al and ont az the stern with sum
Client energy o drive the boat forward stceraSe Is "D-
tanned by DETECTING the nOzLlcs through which the water
is flowing The general plan has often been tired ne
fore but never with such success. The inventor mas
devised various improvements OF detail. As the ma
chincry is very simple, its cost for sucG boat Is only
81 oc0 The intention Is to Try It on inc canals as
SINH lar size and ordinary means OF p-Opu'Soh
As time-balls seem likely TO be introduced
In some Of our cities, it will probably be Of interest TO
mention that in the British navy the practice of dropping
a ttueJa az noon IL carried ogt win great precision
II more than ore naval vessel is in company the senior
in rank has to attend 20 the mebai business Rear
Admiral de Horsey commander of II. b. ". squadron in
the Pacific. while stationed at Valparaiso last March,
gave notice TOR the benefit OF ship captains AMI otAers
having chronanetcrr) ~ 10 regulations under which
The bali is orupped hostct Eat the DIP at about
i!'''i i-" az . T,c 4oi',raI n.usr5s tht this
signal tr more Trustworthy for u.s. 10 set watches by
tnan the evening gun which only marks time approx
matcly.
People who have been annoyed by the
chan, of the weather AMI have settled upon behef
that its vacrcs beyond all calculation, NAY have to
revise their opinions. A Russian weather st1drht, NJ
K6ppcn IN the Repor)rism f'r Noeoro'ogis gives an
account Of an extended comparison Of weather changes"
are that tied weather the rule change the exccp
ton Thus il d Hyc-Iay cold period sets in after warm
weather, the chances to that the following period
will also be cold If a cold spell mas lasted two months
the nearly To that the first I'VE days OF
the month following viii also he crl In general net
ting subject OF tAe weather a. some dtie on-
distance alead may hc conducted IN hc estimate that
ihee are tTo chances t. one dsaln.t tn. P.up'lH oi
e change IN the weather on any particular ga!
Astronomers have been long at work in map
pu2 with accuracy tie Posiiiosot an te stars me
work divided between aryaJies in various parts 81
the world each observatory having assigned portion
of the cclc. al vault field OF wora The new c5ta-
l0suc OF stars known the GcSJliScaft 10 II a. yet
Only partially coua,.e, but already IS undergoing al
,ni,s 10 tcrlurc be prubnbitics uf IA It's Oh
scrvat.us Prof Flrkcruc uow o. Harvard O'serva-
tosyhas arinaking Jcatiou, in conn elton with
Prof WIidu A. Rogers, concerning seilatic errors IN
star decnaton For Tins purpose y >'ar catalogues,
lrom Bradley. 1888, TO Harvard COLLEGE, 1877, have
been compared with the preliminary catalogue q th9
ah.cII tuc latter ~ new method tn s,st'u matte
errors arc thu, almost ~hoi5 t.Hiihht a. u'jA con-
p.r>1u with th. Icu Doth ~ tie earlier ANA tAc later
catalogues Tier. go be- good reason Tor susiectie
systematic errors III The Ges.i!sc"siI catalogue.
1t il admitted that the earlier gas engines.
,uci rs the Ieuor and the Hn;on, failed To give aatls
faction In OF these, which vas trled for pumping
water IN Il l-H hUij,g in HassaU-St. ~ this city 1c"
Years ago. the chief defect Of the action III occa-
Two Successive revolutions, thc mHtiiHe might he
brought to staujstil running slowly. These engines
were found yet unsatisfactory the LJr>croWercT
cccdcd 2ia or3. writer N f"J"cer"g claims tG. the
defects 81 tie old conriy1uc. including their noise aud
bad smells. have been entirely overcome ~ thc modern
siSt'gre Thc lattrr c,n be made of any capacity up
Ia - hcrse power theoret'c comparison = made hc
the cost 81 rlEniu; tdF'Ee water wheel III Ion
dou and of TIE gas engines. The results stated
are that tc water power IS from 800 10 1000 per cent
dearcr .,n gas = oneiuSr p'"rr gas clslhr NHoeli
.ifj 90 foot q cost OF - cents. iui ii Is 10 be
considered that gas ia End costs FROM third To two
hths of The prices charged in Amcrcaa elites.
Harvard University has taken hold Of the
system n schools in earnest course OF In
strcOn ia zoJoeY for teachers and other adults, will
b. given al tle Museum Of Comparative Zoology, he
ginning July AM lasting six weeks The course viii be
conducted by Aiessrs. w. K Eroobs and Waller Fixon.
1t will consist of laboratory wori supplemented by lee
lures The large collections OF the Museum together with
fresh living material procured during tie term Of In
strucon, will afford the means Of acquiring personal
knowledge of the principal forms Of animal hc. Tie
laboratory VIII be op'H daiy rom a. ~ 80 r. w. ON ON
five days OF TIE week Frequent excursions WIZ De
made various points Of the srcoast near Boston iCf
III purpose collecting ana OF observing the habits Of
marine animals. Those VINO desire 10 iolo" sIr'M
line OF investigation viii find IN the laboratories, coec
tons and libraries Of Cambridge the essential melhs
places In the laboratory should be made 70 Mr. walter
FNun, Cambridge, Mass before JuLc Inc ice Tor the
course is 80, payable IN advance.
A writer in TIE Japan Nal handles the sub
ect or the silk trade Of tho year with ski! than is
customary in such essays, and says; " Trade, Ike
science, only thriycs facts. What mary ob'cur,
writers like ourselves are doing IN all departments of
science, do for trade collect facts some ~ the
observations arp very Suggestive. The export silk
worm Eggs from Japan had when II very large, the
effect discriminating the quality of silk When japan
was t!rogu open TO foreign trade, the provinces in
which both tea ana silk could be produced tea the