The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1881-06-11
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

starting point of to-morrow.-Damson.
Recent experiments with the electric
light in photography have met with
much success In some respects it is
said to produce better results than sun
light.
Two physicians Of Paris have for
some time been experimenting with Il
| new method of curing neuralgia. 1t con
sists in causing vibrations i'll the nerves
affected, by means of Il succession of
light tappings. They claim remarkable
| success
"A cypress tree IS feet high, 10 feet in
diameter, and moro than $500 years old,
was recently destroyed near Sparta,
| Greece. This celebrated remnant Of the
life Of bye-gone ages was described by
Pausanias 400 years. before Christ. The
Spartans mourn its loss.
| Prof. Helmholtz expresses the opinion
that cur planetary system must sooner
OF later come to an end by the exhaus-
ton OF its forces. The sun must ulti-
matcly "run down." like clock He
thinks that the existing stock Of power
available may last some II 900, 900 years.
Forty thousand wax candles are in
simultaneously lighted by a single match
in the Royal Palace, Berlin. The wicks
are previously connected by a thread
spun from gun cotton, OH igniting one
end of which all the candles in the 700
apartments are lighted instantaneously
| A curious instance Of the deodorizing
Of illuminating gas was recently cited
by Prof. Rensel. In Dresden a1uantity
Of gas escaped from a pipe outside Of a
dwelling and passed through the earth
into the house with its odor entirely
gone. 1t was breathed unconsciously
and several deaths occurred in conse-
quencc.
MIR. W. H. Preece, tic English cleo
trician, has determined with much ac-
curacy the area protected by properly
adjusted lightning rod His conclusion
is that the protection extends to comic
space whose height is the length of the
rod, the base being q circle having its
radius equal to the height of the rod-an
| which 1,n I,nn,, hall l,,- g.
men for a long time.
Though the invention of the barome-
ter is due to the mathematician Tori
cell, yet i'll England Sir Christopher
Wren was the first to suggest that the
varying weight Of the atmosphere was
the true cause of the variation in the
height of the mercury. This was Il theory
opposed to that of the disciples Of Dcs-
cartcs, who ascribct the variation to the
influence Of the moon.
Some interesting archaeological dis
coverlcs have just been made in Alyiers,
near the sea coast, OH the seat of the
ancient city Of Utica. The remains Of !,
temple consecratcd to the infant Her
cules; statuettc Of the god, iii white
marble, evidently Greek; a Bacchus, life
size, also i'll white marble; and a number
OF fine mosaics, seem to Indicate the
probability of a great " find"
1t is believed that po:osity is 4 prop
erty OF all bodies. An experiment per-
formed some years ago, to ascertain
whether water could be compressed, re
suited III proving that gold is porous
the water enclosed in hollow sphere Of
gold being forced, by the violent pressure
applied, through the sphere and appear
ing on the outside. The parts through
which the liquid was driven could not
have been more than the two millionth
of an inch in diameter.
Military telcgraphy contributed in
40 small degree to the disasters of the
| French in the Franco German war. Re
cent publications show the tlorouyhncss
with which the army Investing Paris
was kept Geographically connected in its
different parts. About 1000 messages
We're sent daily. Automatic signals gave
Immediate notice of the cutting of wires
or other interference with the telegraph
lines, and mounted men were promptly
dispatched to make repairs.
DR.. Beard explained the marvellous
powers exhibited at times By subjects in
u meSmeric or trance condition by the
cNaltation OF one faculty while all the
rest are for the time suppressed. Apel-
mancnt eNaltation of some single facul-
ty-;ls of calculation or m,rsic-witll the
suppression of all other faculties to
Il greater or less degree, occurs some
times in the ease of idiots, whose brain
power appears confined to one line of
effort. In such cases any Improvement
i'll general ability or intelligence is at
tended by . lessening Of the force OF the
exalted faculty. The attention Of the
Medico-Srrsical Society of st. Peters
burg has lately been called to a remark
able case illustrating the principle in
inverse order The subject, Russian OF
-. Was in youth is;inyusliesl for bril-
liant abilities. Disease, brought on by
dissipation. caused the loss Of al his
mental faculties except memory and
the power Of mathematical calculation.
Those increased proportionally as lis
power of logical thinking and Under
Standing vanished. He is now Il living
"'"''''t'"~ MACHINE