American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1878-07-06
SCIENCE GOSSIP.

AN extremely cheap and simple way
of protecting houses from the effects of
lightning is reported to have been re-
Gently made in France. 1t consists
merely in bundles of straw attached to
sticks or broom handles and placed on
the roofs of houses in an upright posi-
ton. The first trials of this simple APP
paratus were made at Tarbes (Hautes
Pyrenees) by some intelligent agricul-
turists, and the results were so satisfac-
| tory that afterwards eighteen communes
of the Tarbes district provided all their
houses with these bundles of straw, and
there have been no accidents from light
ming since in the district.
A NUMBER of Chinese plants and ami
| mails have been introduced into France
through the efforts of M. DAIRY de
Thiersant, the French Charge d. Afaires
He is now making arrangements for the
importation of large quantity of the
setz, one of the most valued fish found
in Chinese waters. The fish belongs to
the carp family, and when fed on sea-
plants in ponds attains with great rap
idity weight of forty pounds. During
the past three years experiments made
on the fish in the JardiN d'Acclimita-
ton have shown it to be well adapted
| to a European climate, and, as it in
creases rapidly, it is hoped that within
few years it can be introduced extern
sively throughout all Europe.
DURING the delivery of a course of
lectures at the Sorbonne, on atmospheric
electricity, by NJ. Mascart, he succeed
ed in reproducing the phenomena of
thunder-storms. The dull explosions of
thunder and the fulgurations in the heart
of clouds preceding fulminant dis
| charges, as also the latter, were initiated
by means of powerful Holtz machine,
charging batteries and condensers suit
ably arranged. The singular move
ments of thunder-clouds, which, obey
ing electric attractions and repulsions,
are often observed to move in the at
mospheric ocean in counter currents,
were illustrated with the aid of bal
loon of hydrogen gas, to which was
Suspended piece of metallic wire. The
weight of the wire was such that the
small aerostat, rendered slightly heavier
that the displaced air, would descend
but when it was electrified, it rose
again as if freed from its burden. NJ
Mascart did not attempt an explanation
of this curious phenomenon, which has
not been repeated since the time of Var
Marum.
NEPTUNE, the most remote of the
planets in the solar system, is abou
2,7OO, 200, 900 miles from the sun. 1t i.
supposed that Mercury has mountains
higher than our Himalayas, and volca
noes in state of activity. Out of al
the myriad lights in the heavens thu
earth is only visible to the Moon, Mars
Mercury and Venus. The earth is 74'
times smaller than Saturn, and its mair
distance from us is over 81 600, 900 miles
Uranus can never see us at all, as it il
1853 ZOO, 900 miles from the sun. Tht
temperature in Mercury is supposed t.
be seven times hotter than our torrit
zone; therefore if it is inhabited it mus
be by people very differently constituted
| ITOtJl OuESclNcS. ~ ID DCliCNCN thAe y
nus has an atmosphere much like ours
and mountain peaks five or six time
higher than the Teneriffe, their side
bright with flowers and birds of brillan
plumage. The moon never leaves GU
globe; therefore it is called our satel
lite. Though to US it appears large
than the stars, it is really smaller thai
any of them, but much nearer to us
Astronomers have calculated that tn
mountains and extinct volcanoes in TIL
moon are higher than any on our earth
If there were any one on the moon t.
. see it, the earth would appear to them
magnificent ball. The planets and SUI
would move behind it in brilliant sue
cession. Our globe appears to Mars a
the morning and evening star.
>