The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1881-05-14
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

M. Chappuis suggests that the pres
ence of ozone in the upper regions of
the air may give to the sky its blue tint.
He argues that ozone is constantly being
produced by electrical discharges, and
recent researches have shown that ozone
: is blue in color.
DR.. Delaunay, well-known Paris
sauant, claims the discovery of a curious
means of guaging a PERSONS intelligence.
To ascertain the qualities of an applicant
cook, for instance, it is sufficient to give
her plate to clean, or sauce to make,
and watch how she moves her hand in
either act If the motion is from left to
right, or in the direction of the hands
of watch, she may be trusted if the
other way, she is sure to be stupid aud
incapable. The intellectually of other
people may, in like manner, be deter
mined by askting them to draw a circle
on paper, and noing i'll which direction
the hand is moved. The inferiority Of
the wcak-minded is invariably indicated
by their drawing from right to left.
Mr.. Alex. Adams has made the re-
markable discovery of electric tides in
telegraph circuits. By long-continued
and careful observations, he has deter
mined distinct variations III the earth
currents which are always present on all
telegraph wires, following the different
diurnal positions of the moon with re-
spect TO the earth.
A method of cooking by electricity
is to be exhibited at the Paris Exhibi
ton.
The moon has twenty-eight mount
aims higher than Mount Blanc.
In 1860 Herr Won Bezold inferred,
from observations in Bavaria, that there
was an increase from year to year in the
number of buildings struck by light
ming. There seemed to be also an in
crease in the number of thunderstorms,
| GNU aiao " do hS$A No INV SesaoS' "A
little later, observations in Saxony and
Schleswig lIolstein also showed an in
crease in the number Of houses struck,
but no comparison was made with the
number of thunderstorms. Herr Holtz
has lately made a fuller inquiry on the
basis of dnta from all parts of Germany,
and from Austria and Switzerland He
publishes two tables, one to show the
increase or decrease of thun'lclstorms
since 1884 since 1862, and since 1870 in
the different regions; the other, the in
crease or decrease of lightning risk, esti-
mated from comparison of the number of
lightning-struck houses with the entire
number of houses. 1t appears, then,
that while any increase in the number
Of Thunderstorm is extremely small,
and there is in some cases even a de-
crease, the lightning risk shows a very
large increase, and in no case a decrease.
Thus the increase of risk from lightning
must be regarded as not due, unless i'll
very slight measure, to meteorological
influences. This appears more distinctly
from the fact that the increase of light
ming risk is proportionally greater as the
compared years are further apart but it
IS not so with the increase of thunder
storms (Which, for example, is less since
1,lts ,1,,,,, f1,n y,,
creased risk by telluric changes, Herr
Holtz snpposes the clearance of forest
increase Of raiways-both of these
bringing thundcrstorms more to towns
and villages. Another probable cause is
the increased use of metal in house
building.
Interesting new discoveries have
been made at Pompcii. IN one district
a house has been excavated which was
in the course of construction when The
terrible catastrophe befell the city, ani
which differs materially from all othc1
Pompeian houses in its plan. In another
house a large square piece of black glas!
was found fixed into the wall, which
when slightly moistened, forrns the mos
perfect mirror In Il third house various
wall paintings were discovered, possess
ing an artistic rather than scientific in
terest.
THAT germs Of disease may live for
long period seems to be proven by rccen
experiments, under the direction of NJ
Pasteur. Seven sheep were led daily
for Il few hours, to {, piece of groun'
where some animals that died of an
thracoil disease, or c1Nrbon, had beei
buried tWclre vcars prerionsly. Two o
them caught the disease and died. Their
was no grass for the sheep to eat, and i
is thought those two mus. have received
the germs in the course ofsmclIirs abon
the grognd. On part Of the aroun'
coverin. the remains Of the diseased in
~ Pasteur sought to learn if any pcysol
about the farm had been affected. Th
farmer knew of none, but showed
healed sore Of malignant pustule 9TH
same kind of diseased on his own face
NJ. Pasteur snpposes that if the vegeta
bles eaten had not been cooked ther
might have been a different lie to tel
The feat of seeing the satellites @
Mars with u telescope is said to be equiv
alent to that Of person at New Yor
seeing an Object Only two inches i'll d
n,paffr Rpstn,