The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1882-02-09
MisreIlansons. g
FoR THE HERALD.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.

The remarkable discovery has
been made by two German chem
lists that the life principle is capa-
BILE Of producing chemical effect
upon salts Of silver. They report
that living Organic cells readily
reduce solu lions Of silver, but the
action ceases when dead cells are
substituted for the living ones.
Insects are endowed with much
greater muscular energy, in pro-
portion to their size, than other
animals. Had a man OF six feet
muscular power proportioned to
that of a Aea, be could leap more
than three hundred feet, and lift a
weight of ten thousand pounds.
A species of beetle supports five
hundred times its own weight;
and another has been discovered
which is stated on good authority,
to have gnawed hole of an inch
in diameter in the side of an iron
canister by the power of its
jaws.
1t has lately been noticed that
liquors kept in colorless bottles
exposed to the light soon acquire
a disagroeable taste, while those
contained in brown or green bot
ties remain unchanged even if
placed IN direct sunlight. The
effect is due to the chemical &C.
tion of light, and liquids liable to
similar change should be preserv-
cd in red, orange, yellow or green
bottles--these colors excluding the
chemical rays.
, Observers Of the sun believe
that the maximum Of sun.spots in
the 'eleven.year period will be
reached during the present year,
although NJ. Duponcbel thinks it
may be delayed until 1890 or 1892
on account ofplanetary influences.
The use of gas as fuel is sug-
gested as means Of freeing Lon
don from the inLolerabie smoke
with which it is now afflicted. 1t
is thought TO be not altogether
improbable that, with the general
adoption Of electricity as a source
OF light and the employment OF
gas for heating purposes, tho
dream Of a smok eless London may
be realized at no very distant
period.
BY the adoption Of preventive
measures to guard against expect.
ed epidemics III certain English
towns, Nh. Edwin Chadwick esti
mates that tbree-fourths of a
million lives and three million
cases Of sickness have been saved.
This seems a somewhat startling
statement; but the figures arc the
result Of statistical comparisons,
and are probably correct.
DR.. Won Fritsch, ofHalle, main.
taiDs that the cause Of earth
quakes must exist near the earth s
surface, and does not reach a
greater depth than ten or four.
teen miles. They must be pro
duced, he believes by the increase
and decrease of volume of rocks
under the influence Of chemical
and physical forces, and by con.
cussions due to the opening ot
assures in the rocks.
In 1850 the HoaDg .Ho River, oi
China, emptied into the yellow
sea; now this mouth is dry, and
the river has new channel open.
ing to the Gulf Of Pechele, nearly
300 miles north off former out
let, and the stream turned aside
from its old bed at a distance o.
moro than 800 miles from the
coast. This is the last Of many
changes, back and forth, recorded
by the Chinese during the past
$4,000. years. The changes begir
in floods caused by rain 10 the
distant Kuenlan Mountains.
Natures fat that soon or late
all mon must die, fails to Salty
vast number of discontented hu
man creatures who hasten the ex
ecution :of..the stern decree by
prematurely cutting short thei
own existence. DR.. Morselli, o
Turin, has given some curious
and Interesting facts and statistics
concerning suicides, from. which
it: appears that the victims o
self-destruction are rapidly becom
ing more numerous in nearly al
civilized countries. In France. fo