The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-12-09
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

The next transit Of Venus course in
1892, but after thst there will not be an
other for hundred years.
On the slopes of Amethyst mountain,
in the Yellowstone Park, are exposed at
different levels large number OF silici-
| fed trees, many being rooted in the posi-
ton in which they grew, and from
twenty to thirty feet in height. Some
| lying down are of immense size. The
series of sandstones and conglomerates
! in which the trees are imbedded is more
than FIVE thousand feet thick, forming q
vertical mile of fossil forests. The
woody structure is we'll preserved.
Where cavities have been formed by the
wood they are filed with crystals of
amethyst and quartz.
With new photograph" for record
ing the intensity OF the suns radiation,
Mr.. d. Winstanley has observed a curl
Gus thermal twilight" The instrument
shows rise in the temperature before
sunrise, owing to solar radiation. A
more remarkable circumstance, how
ever, is that fall OF temperature being
indicated little afer sunset, the index
mysteriously rises ust before midnight
and sinks again, although the sun is
then directly over the opposite hemi-
sphere.
The heat OF the springs of Chaudes-
Argues, which reaches about one hundred
and eighty degrees Fahrenheit, is used
by the inhabitants for purposes of cook
ing and heating their dwellings. M.
Berthier has estimated that the heat fur
nished daily by these springs equals that
produced by the combustion of more
than four and lalf tons of coal, and it
is sufficient to comfortably warm the
houses of the vill,ge, and even the streets
throughout the winter season.
It is said that adulterated sugar may
be detected by . very simple little test.
A little pure sugar is taken in the mouth
and when dissol Jed is replaced by lit
tie of the suspected article. If the latter
contains starch. glucose or chloride Of
tin, distinctly litter taste will be pres
| emit.
Statistics of hgish morality show
that during the last thirty years more
women have reacled the age of seventy
five or eighty yeah than men. The latter
suffer more from nng, heart and kidney
diseases, which b We of late been on the
increase in Englad.
A few years agdastronomers witnessed
two remarkable appearances. In 1866 a
tenth magnitude tar in the constellation
of the North Gro IN suddenly shone as a
second magnitude, and in 1876 a new
star became visibe in the constellation
of Cygnus, subse uently fading so as to
be only percepti pe by means of tel
escope. Like albthers, these stars are
doubtless great s ms, glowing with in
| tense heat and cQstantly cOnvulsed by
the most prodigids internal commotion.
Proctor, in his latst work, considers the
effect of a changeln our own sun such
as was witnessed the case of each Of
these two stars. he star in the North
ern Crown shone Nth more than eight
hundred times its former lustre; while
the star in Cyngp became, perhaps,
thousands of times q brilliant as before.
Now, if our sun vee to increase even
ten fold in brightness, all tho higher
forms of animal liielnd nearly all forms
of vegetable life on he earth would un-
questionably be destoyed.
In Chan terpentib, a rare and much
adulterated produc DR.. John Clay, of
Birmingham, Englah, believes he has
discoveries specifcpr cancer. By its aid |
he claims to have cred several severe
cases without resortto surgical opera
tions,
1t is estimated tina about 500, 600, 000,-
900 tons of sedimen are yearly carried |
to the Gulf of MexD Icy the Mississippi |
river.
Common Sense, Bays Prof Huxley,
sis science exactly far as it fulflls the
ideal of common see, that is, sees facts
as they are, or any rate without the
distortion of prelude, and reasons from
them in accordance 18th the dictates Of
sound judgment. Al science is simply
common sense at best ; that is rig
idly accurate in obsvation, and msrci-
less to fallacy in log"
Experiments withhe solar engine are
yet being made byI Mouchot in AL
geria. With conca, mirror twelve feet
in diameter he conntrates the heat of
the sun upon q nall boiler. within
which he obtains steam pressure Of
about one hundred nj twenty pounds
in an hours time. the preparation OF
chemicals he makespractical use of the
heat from the boiler
Increased attenti to the laws of
health has considnbly reduced the
death rate in Lopn during recent
years. The chief anitary evil of the
metropolis now is aimpure water sap
ply, to secure immunity from which the
health authorities astriving.
A German physi.n asserts that rail
way employees are ire liable to affec-
tions OF the spinal I'd than other men.
Insects, althouglhaving no voice,
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