The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1880-07-24

Statistics of English mortality show
that during the last thirty years more
women have reached the age Of seventy
five or eighty years than men. The latter
suffer more from lung, heart and kidney
| diseases, which have of late been on the
increase in England.
a few years ago astronomers wit
messed two remarkable appearances. In
1866 tenth magnitude star in the con.
stellation Of the Northern Crown sud
denly shone as o second magnitude; and
in 1876 new star became visible in the
constellation Cygnus, subsequently IA
ding 50 as to be only perceptible by
means Of a telescope. Like all others,
these stars are doubtless great suns,
glowing with intense heat and constant
" convulsed by the most prodigious in
ternal commotion. Proctor, in his latest
work, considers the effect of change in
our own sun such az was witnessed in
the case of each Of these two stars. The
star iii tile Northern Crown shune with
more than eight hundred times its former
lustre; while the star in Cygnus became,
perhaps, thousands Of times as brilliant
as before. Now, if our sun were to in
crease even tenfold in brightness, all the
higher forms Of animal life and nearl, all
forms of vegetable life OH the earth would
unquestionably be destroyed.
I'm Chan turpentine, rare and
much adulterated product, DIR. John
Clay Of Birmingham, England, believes
he has discovered q specific for cancer.
By its aid lie claims to have cured sever
al severe cases without resort to surgical
operations.
1t is estimated that about 100000
0OO,0OO tons Of sediment are yearly car
ried to the Gulf of Mexico by the Missis-
sippi river.
-"Common sense" says Prof. Huxley
lis science exactly so far as it fnlti!ls the
ideal Of common sense that is, sees facts
as they are, or at any rate without the
distortion Of prejudice, and reasons from
them in accordance with the dictates of
sound Judgment And science is simply
common sense at its best that is, rridly
accurate in observation, and n,erciless to
fallacy in logic"
Experiments with tho solar engine are
yet being made by NJ. Monchot in AL
geria. With u concave mirror twelve
feet in diameter he concentrates the heat
OF the sun upon small boiler, within
which he ebtains steam pressure of
about one hundred aud twenty pounds
i'll an hours time. In the preparation of
chemicals he makes practical use of
the heat from the boiler.
Increased attention to the laws of
health has considerably reduced the
dcath-rate in London during recent
years. The chief sanitary evil Of the
metropolis now is an impure water-sup-
ply, to secure immunity frem which the
health authorities areetrivins.
"A German physician asserts that
railway employees are more liable to af-
tections Of the spinal-cord than other
men.
Insects, although having no voice,
possess the power Of occasioning sounds
by certain movements which to some ex-
tent arc characteristics of the various
species. Tho shrill trumpet sound Of tile
mesquite and the busy hum Of bees and
flies are produced by the rapid motion of
the wings while flying The harsh shrek
of the srasshopper is caused by the fric-
ton OF the legs against each ether. The
ominons click OF the "death- watch /" is
caused 10y the jaws in the act of masti-
eating