The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-09-26
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.


the glacial eporh. There is stong evi-
dence of vet earlier human existence
in America.
At the direction of the German gov
ernment, Prof Reinbaum has made q
chemical analysis of American corned
beef, the result being the discovery of
particles of lead therein due to careless
ness in soldering the cans. German
authorities have cautioned their people
against the use of the meat.
A Berlin child has been poisoned by
the arsenic in its dolls green frock.
The difficult problems presented by
the supposed new elements, mossn-
drum, philippium, decipium and other
rccently-announced discoveries, ARE now
being studied in Paris by Prof. j. Law
renee Smith, of Louisville, Ky.
A company has been formed in Eng
land to work Edison's electric light.
Protoxide of nitrogen Laughing gas)
has been successfully applied under
pressure in late experiment by NJ.
Paul Bert. Eighty-fve per cent of
this gas was mixed in rubber bag with
ture produces no effect when inhaled at
ordinary pressure; but if breathed in
the bell of an air-pump, arranged for
the purpose as a closely-fitting mask,
insensibility rapidly supervenes when
the pressure is raised one-fourth of an
atmosphere. Sufficient oxygen being
supplied the lungs by the artificial at
mosphere for the process of blood
| mi h oil
| Consciousness is Immediately restored
by the removal of the mask. The dis
covery is expected to prove most i'm
portant one.
1t is generally believed that large
outlay of capital and considerable en-
gineering skill would be required to
create an inland sea on the African con-
tincnt. After several explorations, how
ever, Mr.. Donald Mackenzie boldly as
serts that by piercing sand-bar three
hundred yards long and thirty feet
deep, an artificial sea may be created
in the Sahara Desert covering 10000
square miles. Communication once es-
tablished with the ocean, he thinks the
in-rush of The water would create Il
navigable channel. The interior sea
would occupy the great basin of El
Joof, depression in the western part
of the desert, two hundred feet in depth
below the level of the ocean.
"A gigantic engineering scheme is
that of NJ. dc Sainte Anne to bridge the
English Channel. AS proposed by him,
the bridge would be about twenty-five
miles long. 1t would rest on at least
| 175 immense stone Diers built to a
o'sn' VI nearly 10y ieet ABOVE the sea
S'.i' H. 'no piers III ,he ueepest por'ion
vi 'ne Channei extending nearly 2oo
ms 1Tel pciow 'he surface OF tne wafer.
hc cos' Is cs'i'hateu at 'oo'ooo francs.
Minor planet No. POI was discovered
Aug. Z, bv Herr Pulissa. at Pola.
,eccn' es'l'ha'e oi ine uaic OF tne
neoil.nc periou oy hir. Hiuhey b. D..
oher'cnly, an eminent Ehgilsh scientisi,
We'i Ilius.ra'es .oc processes py which
JUG aSc Vi tiie ulherent cpochs III Inc
eA,s,cncc vi hiahkinu are hypotneu-
Saily uelcrihiheu' IL Is known that
uurlng iohs periou PRIOR TO historic
.luhcs inc implements OF the human
ir race "erc haue entireiy OF stone.
ihese relics, WIN the bones OF pre-
historic man ana contemporary am
,iiais' ure now lonhu covered by the
earlhy deposits OF ages. The earlier
lorhs Oh stone implements were very
,oushiy 'asnio"eu' Whiie at much
Ia'cr ua'e iney were weil-formed and
polisheu. Iro', .hese lacls the stone
ase Is cohsl1erea II, Two distinct periods,
,ne PalcoiItnic loiu stohe) ana the neo-
ii.nlc lnew stoue). Inc latter period,
ai.hough oi huch shorter duration than
tne loriher, Is Regarded win greater IN
.crest On accouptoi its nearer approach
10 historic uines- III Is ihe probable
ua'o vi ms Periou Which MI okeftchiy
mas cohsloereo; Inc European DIS
.,ic. vi ',ie reniai'u occupies an area ol
.niriech huhireu square ihiIes, oorder-
ing 'ne great Day oi the wash. The
lhiaiu portion consists OF peat, III which
heoii,hic implements are found be
tween thc peat ana the sea Is a wide
S're,ch Oh siii iaiiu' gradually deposited
py ,ne waves. AS this lanu has been
ouilt up rom the ,'ine OF tne ltoinan
occupation at least, banks have been
erecicu 10 reclaim inc hewiy-formed
GROUND. me oates OF 'hese banks are
hhowh' anu mus very accurate estl-
mates can De maze OF the rate at which
tne deposition Is gong on IN different
parts. Inc MAXIMUM rate Is nity-hlne
dence shows tlat as the sitting went on,
and the area became converted into
land, peat grew and gradually spread
over the newly-forlned ground. In the
course of time, however, the climate
became untitled for the grow lh of peat,
which ceased TO form. Hence, a wide
on which no neat ever formed From
the Roman banks TO the sea is a dis
tance of four miles. for the accumnlo.
tion of which seventeen hundred Years
have been reouired. Between ihese
banks and the neat isa stretch of twelve
miles of sill land. which AT The same
rate of formation would be accumulated
in five thousanJ ono hnnJred Years