The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1883-03-10

1881, Herr Kortazzi las concluded that
the great red spot must be either Of a
liquid or a solid nature. III the former
case it may be considered as Il large lake
in an ocean of other liquid. If it is Al
solid body it must be Il floating mass OH
the surface Of an ocean, as it is only on
this hypothesis that we can account for
the changes in its position which are OBJ
| served.
| Prof COIN, of Breslau, Germany, has
! observed that children are obliged to
hold dark colored states much nearer the
eye to read writing thereon than is nee
essary with white paper, and finds that
| writing OH white paper is as distinct at a
! distance of twelve inches from the eyes
as that on states at eight inches. 1t
would therefore be we'll to Danish States
| from school-rooms, for the eyesight of
| pupils is strained quite enough by other
| means.
| SO vast is the weight Of the atmosphere
| resting upon the surface of the earth
| that it is not surprising if the consider
able local fluctuations Of it's pressure, as
shown by the barometer, produce some
effect upon the earth's crust. 1t has been
| found by Mr.. Baldwin Latham that the
streams flowing through the chalk yield
an Increased supply of water when the
pressure upon the everything earth is de-
| creasing, and diminished supply when
| the pressure is becoming greater-nr, in
other words, when the barometer is ris
ing.
| Attention was first given to double
stars by Sir W. Herschell, who discov-
cred /, large number Of them. The APP
| course caused when two of the heavenly
ba;iies are very nearly in a line with the
| earth, one Of them being much farther
| away than the other; but repeated OBJ
servations have shown that many of
them are really systems i'll which one
| component revolves around the other.
The numbered discoveries of double stars
made up to the present time considerably
exceeds 10000.
The removal of tho electric lamps
| which light the foreign settlement at
Shanghai has been ordered by the Chi
nese' Governor Of the district, who says
he has heard of the terrible accident is
which have been caused by electricity,
and he cannot allow his people to be ex-
posed to the frightfnl risk Of having
hundreds of thousands of houses de-
stroyed, millions of persons killed, or the
walls Of the city blown down, by any
irregularity in the working of tho cleo
trio machines!
The discovery of so-called lignifed
snake in Brazil caused sensation among
scientific men few months ago. Tie
specimen was found between the bark
and wood of a tree, and If it was ever
snake the animal structure had been on
tirely replaced by woody growth, DR..
Gray, to whom the find has lately been
shown, thinks it more probable that it
was produced by the filing up with
woody growth Of the reptilian shape of
some, wood-eating insects track. Or it
may be an aerial root which was grow
ing under the bark.
1t was at one time believed, &C cortling
to DIR. Keller, that the opening of the
Suez Canal would be followed by rapid
and extensive interchange of fish be-
tween the Mediterranean and the Red
Seas, but such has not been the case
Some Of the smaller Mediterranean fish
have been found in the Red Sea, and for
some unknown reason the tide of mi.ra-
ton appears to take that direction in
preference to the other. The pearl oys-
ter is said to be now moving toward the
Mediterranean with very slow progress
but in considerable number.
In Germany, the increasing, consump-
tion of rice has led Prof Volt, as we'll as
DR.. Konis, to Investigate the question of
the relative nutritive value of this arti
Gle and other kinds of food-especially
potatoes. The conclusion reached is
thai rice is a very efficient food, while
potatoes largely consumed fail to salts
factorily noursll tho body, making the
muscles weak and the blood watery. DR..
KONG estimates that, when equal guam
titles of the two articles are considered,
rice has four Times the value Of potatoes
in really nutrtive properties. A further
advantage of rice is that its quality is
always the same, while great variation
in potatoes is caused by the state Of the
weather during their gro'st1i.
Communicated
THE MATERIAL RESOURCES OF LOUISIANA |