The Russellville Democrat., 1877-03-22
Scientific Miscellany.

Scientific Miscellany
 An inventor proposes vessel that will not be affected by waves at sea. A hollow body is to be submerged several yards below the surface of the water; and above the surface, supported by strong posts is to be the part of the yes sel for passengers. The propclling ma chinery is to be in the submerged portion.
 In washing table-linen, it has been the custom in some places to sprinkle little lime-water on the cloth before pressing as it gives the linen hard and brilliant surface. This practice has been found to destroy the fabric in a short time, through the grinding action of the crys- tals of hydrate of lime formed in the threads.
 A piece of sandstone from Stuben, in Tyrol, containing twenty-four fossil lizards, with an average length of thirty two inches each, has just been acquired by the royal cabinet of natural history at Stuttgart. The bodies of the lizards are so inter-twined as to suggest that they met their death by some sudden catastrophe. They do not belong to any existing species of lizard, but have heads like those of birds, covered with scales resembling ring armor.
 The beautiful colors of the agates which come from the celebrated agate works at Oherstein in Germany are not the natural hues of the stone, but are imparted artifcially. The process of staining, which was known to the an clients, consists in immersing the agates successively in honey.syrup, sulphuric acid and oil, and exposing them to diff. ferent temperatures at different stages of the treatment. Some agates can not be colored in this or any other way but those from Urugay, whence Oberstein receives the largest supply, usually take the color in few hours.
 MT. Richard A. Proctor, in his recent addresses and writings, has considered the objections to the theory that the planets Jupiter and Saturn are still so intensely hot as to shine, to some extent. by their own light, and he pronounces the objections untenable. He thinks it demonstrated that these giant planets are really in a state of intense heat, and says that if they are ever to be the abode of life they will probably not be ready to subserve that purpose for hun. dreds of millions of years. He thinks that one fifth of Jupiter's light is due to the inherent luster of the planet, and the rest to reflection from the clouds which surround it.
 Copper has lately been discovered in canned peas in London. Singularly enough question has been raised as to whether the presence of this metal is or is not injurious to the customer. The health officer thought the quantity found by the analysis could not fail to injure health if taken repeatedly, while, on the other hand, Dr. Pavy, a we'll known authority on food, asserted that if the canned peas did any hurt it would be due to the peas themselves rather than the copper in them. He thought that a grown person could take thirty one hundredths of grain of copper daily without injury. A correct deter imitation of such questions is very i'm portant 10 the public, and it seems to us that the medical colleges ought to be able to ascertain and promulgate the truth in regard to them.
 Nine snails. of the species known as Bulim,s palidior, were collected by Prof. George Davidson, of the United States coast survey, in Lower California, in Marcl, 1873. Mir. Robert E. c. Stearns now writes to the American Naturalist that they were kept in box undisturbed until June 23, 1875, when he took them out and placed them in glass jar, with some chickweed and other tender veget- able food and small supply of tepid water, so as to give them warm and damp atmosphere. They showed their marvellous vitality by waking and moving about after having slept and lasted two years, two months and sixteen days. Afterward they all died except one, which Mir. Stearns speaks of as be- ing now in pretty good health, though not very active.
 A remarkable remedy for bydropho- bia was lately brought to the attention of the Chronological society of France. It consists If the dried bodies of two species of Meloid beetles from Tunis, which are used by the inhabitants of Amerma in the treat ment of rabies. This remedy is mentioned in Arabic medical works under the name of Derdona, with direc- tions to administer it in meat soup, be- tween the twenty-first and twenty seventh day after the patient has been bitten, as otherwise it will be of no avail. Several members of the society express ssed the opinion that experiments ot ght to be made to test the value of this supposed curative agent, and reference was made to the recommendation by LinDeus that should be treated with the common blistering beetle.
 Blue.tilass MOsaics.
 A Lanesborough, Massachusetts, phy.