New-York tribune., 1877-10-13
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.

Professor watson.
did not at tho time identify it as such; few nights
sfterward he saw il again. and claimed il as his discov
covery hut in the meanwhile NJ Borely, OF Marsees'
had found the object, recognized It as planet ana hus
acquired the right OF discovery for himself. Also "
happened about this timc that NJ. Borcy succecdeu Ill
seeing telescope, or both OF the satellites Z"
Mars which Professor Asaph Ham, oi Washington pao
discovered In announcing all the foregoing to the
French Academy of Sciences, NJ Faye got matters 50
strangely mixed IN his mind as TO state that NJ
Borev had discovered or both OF the satellites "l
Mars before Professor Watson. That tange has been
all straightencd ont. and now the denouement
Nm Which bad boen abciled No ia and credited
Borey. ne crossed Of the Inst altoseter t turns
out t. be be a9 "d on' pr n9rrf n",IhS "So X" III dis
covered January l3, 1870.
1t is now stated very confidently by the OIL
Gers of the Woodruff Scientific Expedition, which is to
make voyage around the world, tnat il will sail within
few days OF the date announced for starting october
25 AZ a recent meeting Of the NewYOrk Academy ot
Sciences resolutions passed commenting the eApe
dfion as aIordng valuable means OF education to siu
dents, and promising important conirouions 81 10 SGnce
Tire resolutions also expressed commence h the h"'7o
ment OF the enterprise.
A scientific survey Of the State Of Maryland
IS in progress having special reference to geological ana
biological features The work is conducted uud'r the
auspices the Maryland Academy of Science oil when
Professor Philip r. Uhcr is president Having accom-
NAMED some of the Hayden expeditions, Professor Uhler
Is especially fitted for the conduct Of this survey me
Baltimore ipcrico,, in calling attention to the WORK
already done, states Professor Uhcrs opinion from
the survey OF St. Marys County, that the vacant Ian
there would exceed thatOr Kansas in fertity properly
drained and titled. Tn, land be bought at 50 per
acre ana as an showing how sparScy Is occu
pied it is stated that only three buildings We're found IN
radius of twenty miles. In connection with the work
of the survey by o. funds contributed by the
members OF the Academy in addition 70 the sum deVoieI
from lts income. collectors have been set ~ Work
throughout tha state and Fepr"s htltlV' spec' ,s .
and minerals nave ne
for a muse8m. The fauna and fora Oi MARYLAND are
said to embrace great majority or all the species ls
eide oil The MISSISSIPPI
Recently the Aquarium in this city has be-
come possessed Of large octopus or dev-hsh" One
of the pecula1es of this strange creature Is the shed
ding OF little bony rings about large enough TO slip on
ones finger These rngs are found at the bottom OF
the tank They have formed the interior lining Of some Of
the numerous suckers with which the of the animal
are provided Each ring has edge serated in points
and IN W bc readily eoncc tcd tnat the close embrace of
an octopus thus armed, must be more penetrating than
pleasant
The reason for the sudden death of the fish
In the Passac River last Summer has never been salts
factoTy ascertaincd Tho prevailing theory at int
time was that decaying vegetable matter had been sud
denly washed down from the marshes; but there had
been SO little rain previously, in the upands where
the river obtains its supply that the explanation ap
pcared Inadequate The subject is again under discus
sion in The Manufacturer and Buider that journal at
trhuing the pollution Of the river chiefly to the waste
from factories on It's banks specified that certain
print works beachories and shodly mills produce a
great amount filth the black current from one OF them
being Doticed thirty feet wide and foot deep for
more than mile, though running with great velocity
Several Of these factories chemicals containing ar
To the argument tha dead sa were found a92ye
the factories, answered that when the nsh had I'M
bbed the poison, they swan ~ stream IN search OF
clearer water, and died after arrival Certainly Iae
that pOsons cannot be fit for human beings ana yct
this what is supplied To the people oi Newark ana Jr
SOW Cy through their aqueducts The death OF e hSh
has odded to e danger since their and In purifying The
water can no longer be expected.
There is, for horses as well as for human
dyspeptcs concentrated food" 1t Is used in Russia
where transportation difficult oats scarce.
paste made Of pounded oats and the -four OF peas with
some hempseed oil and salt This paste ia shaped into
cakes pierced with small holes, and baked The holes
assist afteward cakes to be soaked in water
but the horses are like tie biscuit wet or dry
Two pounds Of such rations equal to five pounds OF
"a hri orrcsS eou9Ilv caaable of work The invention
should. the fitness Of hings have originated in Scot
land, the land OF cakes, odt neal ana economy
1t is perhaps worth while to ascertain
whether brandy is or not artifcialy coored. An
easily applied test has been suggested by German
chemist Herr Caes. 1t is based the suppOstion tnat
artificial coorng matteris burnt sugar. the natural
hue Of dark brandy being evidence Of age, since it
should De due to long standing in the cask the liquor
gradually extracting color from the wood The test is
simply TO add 10 the brandy sixth part OF abumen-
e. the wlhe " Of eggs. The mixture will at first be
turbid: when il settles. the pure brandy viii have lost
color; the aracIay cOlOred brandy VIII retain its
hne There is another test, vet more decisive add
10 the suspected brandy a solution Of the suphate
Of iron vtrio) II the brandy was darkened from
the cask IL will then yield q blacksh green with the
ytri0: If cOOrcd with caramel VIII not change But
the latter experiment spoilS the brandy.
The danger of aduteratIng kerosene OIL with
naphtna or benzne is recognized abstractly by most
dealers in the article but few know how little aduera
tlon may make the kerosene unsafe. report TO the
NewOrean Board OF Health states that when Kerosene
that would not fash below 1872 Fab had per cent
OF benzine added to It, il flashed at 1882; with two
cent at 92o; with five per cent at $780, with ten per
cent at j9o This that mixture OF the lighter
product OF dstation. such might not seem OF much
Significance TO the manufacturer dealer, viii produce
oil that gives of an nftmmable yapOr IN the ordinary
of apartmentsdu OIL more dangerous to the con-
suDer than keg Of gunpowdcr
neat little eght-paged monthly, called
The Science puoshe by the Boston Anateur
Scientific society The information furnishes ia chiefly
astronomical the number containing valuable
essay by 5 c. Chandler jr the diameter of the sate
ltes Of Mars Comparison with the light from other
satellites gives results vary little less than
two 10 about and three quarter miles for the diam
eter OF the outer Mars. The conclusion is that
The outer satellite cannot be over fO1r miles thick and Is
probably less while the minor one beng fahter Is yet
smaller. IL almost incredible that such small
masses can ref light enough to be with even the
best telescopes UuqucstOnahy. these Martial moons
hy far the smallest OF celestial OBJECTS yet dis
covered.