New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-08-31
SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE.

liam Spottiswoode his admirable inau sural ADDRESS
before the recent meeting Of the British Association TOT
the Advancement OF Science held at Dublin thus reiers
70 a new calculating machine: Mr. Babbage, when
speaking OF the difficulty Of insuring accuracy in the
long numerical calculations Of theoretical astronomy
remarked that the science which in itself IS the most
accurate and certain Of all had through these dlncu
ties become inaccurate and uncertain in some OF us
results And Il was doubtless some such consideration
Ms this coupled with his dislike Of employing skilled
labor where unskiled would suffice, which led nm 70
the invention of his calculating machine The idea OF
subttatng mechanical for intellectual power has not
lain dormant; for besides the arithmetical machines
whose name is legion from NapieT's bones, Earl r'an-
hopes calculator, to SchutS's and Thomass machines
now in actual use invention has lately been designed
for even a difficult task Professor James Inon-
con has in fact recently constructed machine which,
nv means of the mere friction Of Disc cylinder and
ball is capable Of eecting variety Of the complicated
calculations which occur in the highest application OF
mathematics 70 physical problems. BY its aid II seems
that an unskied labOrer may In given time perform
the wock OF ten skilled arthmeticians. The machine is
applicable alike 10 the calculations Of tidal OF magnetic
1T and perhaps also Of all other periodic
phenomenal IL Will solve diherentia equations OF the
second and perhaps OF higher orders And through
me same Invention the problem OF finding the free
motions Of any number Of mutually attracting pafcles
required In tie treatment Of the lunar aud planetary
theories, Is reduced 90 the simple process OF turning
part OF physical problem ana desired lnat u snouIu
IhencefOrwdrd be treated mathemacaly, ne useG
ereutly to say, Hand II over TO the cacultOrs d
truth Is ever stranger than fiction and II he nad Yea
until our day. he might with perfect prOprety nave
said, Hand it over to the machine"
AROUND THE NORTH AND SOUTH POLES
The question whether possible that there can be OF
ali times or at any time anything in the form OF an
open Polar sea seems virtually settled and in the
most unsatisfactory manner imaginable From the OBJ
servatons Of Count Wezek in 1871 and Weyprecht and
Payer the following year. and from those OF Dr. Hayes
in 1861 and Captain Mares in 1s7576 it is evident that
the Polar basin is neither open sea nor con-
tinuous ice but a fatal compromise between the
two; and there seems TO be only two plans,
one nearly as hopeless the other to choose between
in any future attempt 20 reach the North Pole
either to establish permanent stations. as proposed by
Lieutenant Weyprecht and already ioitiated at one
point by Captain Tyson aud Captain Howgate, ana to
the opportunity Of running north in early Autumn
from the station whore the appears most opcn or to
run far north possible at enormous expense, with
great force Of men, and abundance Of provisions, and
Kerosene oil, end push DOrthward during the Arctic
Winter by chain Of communicating stations, with ice
built refuge huts But little progress has been made
tgatiOn Of the conditions of the Antarctic regions tIop
information derived from all sources up 10 the presen
IL NAV be gathered that the unpenetfated area or
400 900 square mites surrounding me South POle is D
means continuous continents bat consists mnc9
more probably partly OF comparative low continental
land and partly OF series OF eonneI Cal ISLANDS Drdgeu
between and combined and covered u depth OF about
AtaoV ANSt ~ "SNA'+N'ANN' ~ w.
CHANGE IN THE EARTH's AxIs.-The general
opinion OF physicists the probability OF change
IN the position Of the earhs axis has recently under
gone notifications. Different mathematicans who
have OF late gone into the Queson-as for instance
the Rev j. F. Twisdan, Mr.. George Darwin, Professor
Haughton, the Rev. E. HILL and Sir William Thomson
AL agree IN the theoretical possibility of change In
the geographical position of the earhs axis of rotation
being affected by redistribution Of matter on the sur
face they do appear be all in accord as to the
of such changes Mr. Twisden. for instance, ar
rives at the conclusion that the elevation Of belt 20
degrees in width would dspace the axis by ten miles
only while Professor Haughton maintains that the ele
walton Of two such continents Europe and Asia would
displace by about sxynine miles and sir W. Thomson
has not only admitted but asserted as highly probable
that poles may been in ancient times very far
from their present geographical position and may have
without as any time any perceptbe sudden disturbance
OF either land water. In recent however frO
fessor HaughtOn has maintained that the north pole
has not senslby changed its position during geological
periods.
GASOLINE AS A DIsINFECTANT.-Mr. Thomas
Taylor, microscopic to the Washington Agricultural
Bureau points out the value Of gasoline dsinfeetant
OF general application, remarkably effective and yet
cheap Applied to the Of fungi Of other eryp
togaInic plants gasoline, be says, instantly de-
stroys them, although it fails TO deodOnze
gases. Being a solvent of oils and fats it de-
TO it. It may be employed in full strength to wash
delicate and tender plants ard without pro-
ducng pain. II is wholly devoid Of the caustic
prinelpe; even when applied to the tongue 1t pro-
duces no dsagreeabe sensation. single drop APP
piled TO any insect will kill it, and even IT'S vapors
have a most destructive effect on the lower
forms OF animal life When gasoline is applied to
wound or 10 any delicate part OF the body, evapora
tiOn it produces tn sensation OF cold, followed
soon after by a sensation OF heat. or course
all ehOUld bq madB in tho absence
OF artificial light, as It is a very explosive
gas asii mater spPPoSeo TO 10 tIetp can De
either by immersion by spOnglng the surfaces IL
pepetrates %lth hgnthg rSpo,,y az por0us
silk, cotton and linen, evapOratng In itT minutes
without injury to the goods
THE FIGURE OF THE EARTH-The results of
modern measurements to prove that the enptcty
OF the figure Of the earth larger than had been pre-
viously supposed. sixty years ago Walbsck found
elipticy OF 1:3O2S Later Sir George Airy, the Eng
sh Astronomer Royal, found 1t TO be 1888 ana Bes
sell the German mathematician made 1t 1;299.L5 In
1855 however Colonel Clarke using greatly extended
and improved data dedueed the most probable value
OF the eptioity 1:29475, or according to a later
determination. 1:2949s. Some OF tie data upon which
this was based having shown to be erroneous he
has recently gone over the calculations again with these
semlaxs 20s54s95 feet elllpticity, J:293.465. The
polar semaxs 226 feet shorter than the corresponding
figures in Colonel Clarke's previous calculations.
PERSIAN HAIR DYE.-The Persians are
known greatly skilled in the art Of dyeing the hair
They chiefly use the plant called henna Dr. ThOozan,
physician to the SHAH gives the following information
about this practice: Hot water is added to a
powder OF the leaves. and the paste is applied to the
beard hair, and the nails (we washed previously
This is done in vapor BATH As the paste has TO be
kept constantly moist, this first application lasts
hour and half to two hours then the parts are washed
with plenty Of water. The henna gives orange red
cold r. very beautiful white beard that many old
men use but recently with great persOnages II has
become more common 10 keep the beard white. Henna
fa largely nsed oven by peasants. To change the