The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-06-14
TUESDAY. JUNE IA. 1881.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY

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The total eclipse of the sun of May
II, 1882, is awaited with much anxiety
by astronomers, for 1t is hoped that
then the question Of the existence OF a
large planet within the orbit Of Mer-
curry may be settled. Prof. Watson
believed that he saw such a body dur
ing the eclipse Of July %, 1878. The
search is attended by great difficulty
and liability to error, as 1t can only be
conducted during the exceedingly brief
interval of totally, which in the case
of the next eclipse amounts to less than
two minutes at any point on the earth's
surface, while in localities accessible to
scientific expeditions it is scarcely more
than one minute. ,
The new municipal laboratory OF
Paris, for testing food and all articles
having a bearing On health, is already
accomplishing good results. A large
number Of samples of wine have been
found to be adulterated. Watered
milk has been so often found that a
panic among the milkmen has resulted.
French chocolate has been found to be
adulterated with a great variety of sub
stances. The laboratory Is in charge
of an able chemist with competent as
sistants. The articles examined are
those sent In by the inhabitants of the
city, and whenever authorizations are
discovered the matter is Immediately
placed In the hands Of the police for
investigation and prosecution. A de-
partment of the laboratory is specially
fitted up for the examination Of pork
for trichine. a
DIR. Riconx maintains that while
Spaniards. Italians and French can be
acclimated in Algeria, people from the
north of Europe cannot. This result,
If well established, may have q very
important bearing upon the colonial
ton Of Africa in the near future.
NJ. Grehaut has proven in recent
experiments that the quantity of car
bonIc acid gas inhaled by any one in
dividual Of an animal species varies
but little. Irritations and infiamma-
tons Of the respiratory mucous mem
brane decrease the exhalation of
carbonic acid, which then tends to
accumulate in the blood.
A certain Count Hugo yon Engen-
berg, OF Tratzberg, in the Tyrol, is
making use of microphones-sunk in
the ground on the declinity of a hill,
and connected separately with single
telephone and small battery-to dis
cover a source Of water for his castle.
He intends to conduct the experiment
by night, when distnrbing sounds and
vibrations of the ground are less fire.
quent than by day. II a stream of
water flows near the apparatus, it will
pass the sound to the telephone, and
thus reveal the spring.
At the Paris observatory Thollon is
carefully studying the SUMS surface,
and has described a number of inter
esting hydrogen explosions. appearing
like gigantic displays of fireworks, and
sometimes remaining visible for two
days. One Of them sent forth a stream
of fire to a height of more than 1000 0
miles-a distance nearly equal to that
of the moon from the earth-while
explosions reaching a height Of 2h,000
to $4,000 miles are by no means infre-
quent.
-. HN.NH .aU| nil" .N." H".| 80. .A n
Herr Tromholt thinks he can trace a
connection between the frequency of
displays Of aurora and the phases of the
moon. NOM
The great telescope just completed by
Howard Grubb, of Dublin, Tor the
Vienna observatory is the largest re-
tractor now in existence. The steel
tube is s3t feet in length. and Che in
strument weighs nearly seven tons.
The object glass is "a inches In diane
ter, while that of The great telescope at
Washington, hitherto the largest in
the world, measures 20 inches.
The attitude Of Carlyle towards the
teachings Of modern science is a matter
in which Considerable interest is natu-
rally felt. 1t is known that be was for
along time decidedly hostile TO Darwin's
theories, but, according to late state.
ments of Prof. Tyndall, his views were
considerably modified during the last
few years of his life. SO that he even
approved cordially of certain writings
advocating Darwin's IDEAS, while a per.
sonal Interview with the great natural
tst caused him to say that Charles
Darwin wa the most charming of
men.
y The story OF John Duncan, of Afford,
OF England, the "weaver-b otanist, has
been resolved with the wsrmest sym.
patty by scientists and scientific So
cieties the world over. Although only
a poor weaver, toiling at the loom for
his daily bread, he has, by a lifetime of
Industry and earnest devotion 70
science, added very materially 70 the
botanical knowledge OF his country; and
quite recently presented his large and
very valuable herbarinm to the univer.
sity Of Aberdeen. His scientific labor,
however, brought him no pecuniar,
reward, and extreme old age found
him dependent for his daily necessities
upon parochial relief. But during the
past few months the worthy old botan.