The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1880-01-10
Scientific Miscellany.

illusions: AS with any other drug, there
, is a proper and an improper use of it
, In moderation it is a mild and pleasant
, stimulant, followed by no harmful reae-
ton. Its continued and immoderate
use leads to o very serious group of
symptoms, such as headache, vertigo
ringing in the ears, RIGHTEOUSNESS, perv-
business, exhaustion Of mind and body,
with disinciination to mental and physi-
cal exertion, increased and irregular
action Of the heart, and dyspepsia. Many
Of the symptoms Of immoderate tea
4 drinking are such as may occur without
a suspicion of the real cause.
RECORDS exist of the near approach
to the earth of several comets, but the
least distance Of only two have been de-:
termined with any degree Of accuracy.
On July l, 1910, a comet was within
1870, 900 miles of the earth-the closest
approach of one Of these bodies of which
astronomers have any certain knowl-
edge. Its apparent diameter was two
and one-half degrees, or nearly five times
the apparent diameter Of the ,1nqon. 1t is
not surprising that the apparition of
such monster should cause a panic of
terror among unenlightened and super
stitious inhabitants of the earth.
After some 5000 examinations Dr..
Iefries affirms that about one male in
twenty-five is color blind to a greater or
less degree. He finds the defect to be
largely hereditary, although sometimes
caused by disease or injury. In the
former case it is incurable, but in the
latter it may be only temporary diff
Guilty.
"A recently discovered fossil animal.
dmphtcaclias .jragilissimus, is described
as monster considerably more than one
hundred feet in length, with spinal YER
tebr;e SIX feet across, hind legs forty feet
long, and a large and powerful tail.
Imagine the monster standing on its
hind legs III the water and catching its
prey with it's fore paws, and d picture is
presented from the ages long agone.
According to Commander Cameron.
OF the British navy, q system of tel.-
gfaphy by sound has long been in use
III Africa. He has found tribes that by
statloning drummers at intervals, CARR
lhte1ilsence tor miles with great rap
ldlty, the beats Of tile drum being made
N accordance with pre-arranged signals.
Regent comparative measurements
OF the crania of eminent men and Grim
lnals show that, while q, capacious intel
lect requires ii large skull, large era
mum ls not always attended by high
order OF Intelligence. Tie cranla Of >
considerable number oI criminals, yare
found to have capacity much above
the average.
RUSSIAN government commission
has decided that the old form of ink.
made from gall nuts and a salt of iron. is
the best for official purposes. Aniline
inks are especially undesirable from the
ease with which they may be washed
away.
"A recent estimate of the date of the
neollthlc period by Mr.. Sidney h. j.
an English scientist, furnish
Is good illustration of one of the pro- /
cesses by which the ages of the different
ep0chs in the existence of mankind are
alphabetically determined. It is known
that during long period prior to his
toric times the implements Of the human
race were made solely Of stone. These .
relics, with the bones of prehistoric men {
and contemporary animals, are now ,
found covered by the earthly deposits of
ages. The earlier forms of stone imple-
ments were very roughly fashioned,
whlle at much later date they were
We'll formed aid polished. From these
[acts the stone age is considered in two
instinct periods-the poleolithic Gold
'tone) aud the neolithic (new stone.)
The latter period, although of much
shorter duration than the former. ia
with greater interest ON ac-
count OF its nearer approach to historic
Times. 1t is the probable date of this
period which Mr.. Skertchly discusses.
The European district of the Fen,and
occupies al area of thirteen hundred
'qnare miles bordering the great bay of
he Wash. The inland portion consists
IT peat, buried in which are found
'eolithic implements. Between the peat
md the sea wide stretch of silt land
las been gradually deposited by the
waves. AS this land has been built up. >
rom the time Of the Roman occupation I
" least, banks have been erected to re-
lain the newly formed ground. The
lates of these banks are known. and
hus very accurate estimates can be
made OF the rate at which the deposition
going on in different parts. The c
maximum rate is SO feet per annum. The
geological evidence shows that, as the
lifting went on and the area became
inverted into land, peat grew and
radually spread over the land In the
curse Of time, however, the climate be- 4
anne untitled for the growth of peat,
'hich ceased to form. Hence, a wide
tretch borders the Wash, on which DO
eat ever existed. From the Roman
A' W 'n0 S0a Is d Instance o1 TOUR in
llleS, for the accumulation of which tn