Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-05-18
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

ELECTRICAL exhibitions are likely to
become epidemic. Close upon the Paris
Exhibition came a proposition to hold
one at the Crystal Palace, London; and
like project is now on foot at ST. Peters
burg. Americans are singularly back
ward in organizing such an enterprise.
FREQUENT impurities are found by mi
croscopic investigations to exist i'll the
diamond. Organic matter, carbon and
bubbles Of gas are common impurities.
Quartz, chlorite, pyrite and hematite
have recently been discovered in dia-
monds, and small crystals of topaz have
also been seen.
PAUL MARCoY has described leaf of
the giant water lily Victoria Regia)
found in Lake Nuna, Peru, as measuring
twenty-fo feet nine and half inches
in circumference and weighing between
thirteen and fourteen pounds. One of
the flowers was four feet two inches in
circumference and weighed three and
half pounds The outer petals were nine
inches long.
SOME valuable relics discovered at
Ninevah i'll the form of fine ivory cary
ings showed signs of crumbling on ar
irving in England. Concluding that loss
of albumen was the cause of the decay,
Professor Owen boiled the articles. The
experiment proved entirely successful,
and the ivory was restored to its original
firmness and solidity.
NJ. GAYoN has been studying the
phylloxera of the French vineyards with
the object of discovering, if possible,
some parasitic organism which might be
propagated and made to destroy the
phylloxera. He has found such organ
isms, and has striven to cultivate them,
but with doubtful results. He is pursu-
ing the investigation further. The raw
ages of the phylloxera have become a
source of great loss to the vine-growers
of France, and any researches promising
ultimate relief from the pest are eagerly
encouraged.
REMARKABLE wind pressures are ex-
perienced in India. On October 5, 1864,
two passenger trains, one of eight
vehicles and the other of twelve, were
upset on the Eastern Bengal Railway, all
the cars being overturned. Several cars
were started from sidings by the force of
the wind On September 81, 1878, a
long train was travelling on the same
railway at speed of about eight miles
an hour, and was brought to e standstill
by heavy storm and forced back about
a mile with full steam and brakes against
it. It was found difficult to proceed
after detaching half of the train. In
stances of this kind are said to be fire.
quent on Indian railways.
THE great red spot on the planet
Jupiter still attracts large share of at
tention from astronomical observers.
This spot is of an elliptical form, with
tapering ends, and covers vast area,
being 20, 900 miles long and 1900 broad.
This mysterious appearance was first
observed more than three years ago,
since which time its form seems not to
have materially altered, although the
ordinary dark hands crossing Jupiter's
disc are in a state of constant change.
Speculations as to the nature of the red
spot have been numerous, but not very
satisfactory. The dark lines across the
planet are believed to be due to the
atmospheric movements, and the sug-
gestion that the red spot is portion of
the body of the planet which has in
some unknown way become visible
through the atmospheric envelope seems
as plausible as any offered.