The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-12-17
scINTILLATlONs OF SCIENCE.

structl0n OF tne astronomical 0bServat0-
ry on the top of Mt. Etna.
.Nordenskjold is to make another voy-
age of exploration, departing from the
River Lena to the New Siberian Isles as
soon as he conveniently can, in order to
obtain the data necessary to render the
coast of Asia on the north safely accessi-
BILE to maritime commerce.
The first book on American plants, Mr..
Frederick Brendell says, was written in
1886 by Jacques Philippe Cornut, a
French physician. Although it was
called by its author History of Cana
dian Plants" it also described plants OBJ
tained from Spain and the East.
The Crossley modification of Hughes
microphone, which has been successfully
used as transmitter for telephones, SO
that church services are enjoyed by in
valids at their homes, is very simple
contrivance. 1t consists of four short
rods of carbon jointed loosely into four
blocks of carbon, SO that the whole forms
a square.
A tree grows in Cyprus, on the mount
aims near Krysokus, which is thought by
some monks to be the same kind of tree
that is called chittim-wood in the Scrip
lures. Sir J. D. Hooker, who had OBJ
tanned specimens of it from Sir Samuel
Baker, finds that it closely resembles the
cedar of Lebanon, having, however,
smaller leaves and other slight differences.
The Municipal Council of Paris has
made arrangements whereby the correct
time is indicated by electricity, day and
night, along the boulevards and the
principal streets, on large number of
dials, thus carrying out in the most lib
eral manner the system of time-distribu-
tion begun by Leverrier A small fee
only is necessary to secure accurate time
in private establishments.
The skull of large cave bear, differ
ing from that of any of the hitherto
known species, but resembling somewhat
that Of the bear of the pampas of Buenos
Ayres, has been discovered in cave in
Shasta County, near the McCloud River,
California, by James D. Richardson. 1t
was buried beneath several inches of cave
earth and stalagmite. Prof. Cope has
submitted the skull to minute compar-
ative examination, and concluding that
it belongs to new Species has named
that species Arctotheriuasimum.
At the meeting of the New York Acad-
emy of Sciences on December 8th Mr.. J.
H. Stebbins read an interesting paper on
some new azo-compounds Of the benzol
series. Mr.. O. w. Mason exhibited a
magnificent photograph of the solar spec
trum eleven feet long, taken under the
direction and superintendent of Mr.. L.
M. Rutherford. Prof. Hunt made some
remarks on the changes effecled in the
constitution of products of sedimentation
at great depths in the ocean under the
influence of pressure.
From an examination by G.. G. Broad
head, of the l@ss at many places along
and adjacent to the Missouri and Missis-
sippi Rivers, it appears that the @olan
or wind-drift theory will not account for
it's origin. Mr.. Broadhead has been led
to conclude that the loess must have been
Sediment in the quiet waters when
the rivers were blocked up below with
ice. Whenthe barrier was melted away
channel was worn through the silt,
leaving the finely comminuted clays on
the neighboriug hills as we now find
them"
Lord Elphinstone and Charles w. Vim.
cent were the joint authors of paper on
magnetic currents in dynamo-electrie
machines, read lately before the Royal
Society, London. They find that the
continuance of the magnetism of electro
magnets does not depend upon the main
tenance of the electro current, but that
it may be retained for an indefinite time
if the iron is made to constitute Gloss
magnetic circuit. Thus, a magnet weigh
ing fifty-eight pounds, fortnight after
the current ceased, was lifted by it.
armature and gave sparks at the ends o.
its helix when the armature' was forcibly
separated from the closed magnetic cir
cult. They promise a description soor
Of dynamo-electric machine of grea
power, which has been constructed OIL
principles based on the results of thei
experiments.
The attention of the French Academ,
of Sciences has been directed by M
Delesse to remarkable and singular ex
plosion of carbonic acid In a coal-pit a
Rochebelle, in the Department Of tn
Gard. There was no fre-damp in tn
mine. AT a depth Of three hundred AM
forty-fve metres two miners heard tw
loud reports, but saw no fame. Almoa
! instantly their lamps were extinguished
Soon the men became so faint that it wa
with difficulty they managed to reac
the cage which brought them in safety
E 1.-THE surface, out three men at muc
' higher elevation in the workings wer
!, smothered. Near the mine there is
i Large mass Of iron pyrites, which give
! Eoff sulphuric acid, and this acid, col
!, veyed by water underground to th
;. triassic limestone, produced the carboni
q dioxide, which became compressed in ii
y coal until the latter could not withstan
6 the resistance. This explanation WI
e supported by M. Dumas. The explosie
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