Daily Republican., 1885-05-27
sCxER rIFTC.

According to the report of Fl. G.
Hank the total number of mineral
spices already found in the State of
California Is 1el.
The richest vesicating species ofinsect,
II. Beauregard says, is the Myiabris
pustelata, of India, which may contain
as much as Il 80 grams of cantharidine
per kilo.
Mr.. William T. Brannt states that in
the United States there are 81 factories
engaged in the manufacture OF glue,
and that they employ altogether about
2, 900 hands. The value of the product
it about $500, 900 year.
Prof. Mosley, Of the famous Challen.
ger expedition around the world, has
discovered eyes in the shells of clinton
ide, no less than II 900 being contained
in the shell of a single animal.
At recent meeting of the Society for
Encouraging Russian Navigation, q
paper was read by M. Valdemar, on
the carriage of naptha, kerosene, etc.,
In bulk as new and abundant source
Of profit &c the owners of vessels trading
in the Black sea.
Near jena, Germany, there are beds
of phospboriferus gypsum. K. Reich
ardt says that these deposits contain
2.94 per cent. of phosphoric acid of which
so Is soluble water. rs soluble In ana
monium citrate, and the remainder not
attacked by that solvent.
Spots, facule, eruptIons, and protu.
beranoes were last year more numerous
In the southern hemisphere of the sun,
according to the tabulated observations
Of M. p. Tacchini. Such solar phenom
ems occurred also in wide zone stretch
ing NORTH and south Of the go uator, where
as In preceding years there was a notable
absence Of them close to the equator
Itself.
M. A. Villiers has extracted from the
remains of two cholera patients we'll
characterized alkaloid. Its reactions
and the experiments made with it he
describes in the Journal de Pharmaoie
ct de Chemie. In treating frogs with it
the most prominent result was q slight
and temporary decrease in the mum Der
Of beats of the heart. Guinea pigs
yielded to its influence in the course of
four days.
A large outlay will shortly be made
on the canals and harbors of France.
The sum of S79, 600 000f is to be ex.
pended, of which 7l3, 900, OO0f are for
canals, LOG, 900 ,000f for ports and har
bors, and &c, 900, 0O0f. for rivers. In ad
dition there has been a supplementary
grant of loc, 600, 0O0f. for the ports and
80, 600. 000f. fer the canals. Havre aud
Bordeaux are to have large amounts
spent on harbor works.
The Triboulet system of photograph =
ing all the country as seen from cap.
tive balloon has succeeded well. A very
small balloon carries up to the necessa-
ry height the Photographic apparatus,
the panoramic object glass of which is
provided with a valve which can b.
opened through an electric current man.
aged by the operator, who remains on
the ground. 1he impressions obtained
are useful for military purposes
The result Of the labors of the COM
mittee appointed in England to inquire
into the relative efficiency of oil, gas
and electricity for the purpose of light.
house illumination is, in effect, that the
combustion illuminants have much the
same properties, their relative values
being chiefly affected by questions of
cost, heat aud facility of employment,
and that the electric light il not only
the best for clear weather but for pene'
tratiDg fog.
A German engineer is said to have
made an important improvement in
:eronautics by which he is enabled at
will to expand or coBdenss the gas in a
balloon. The gas he is-efsrs is com.
pressed carbonic acid. and he 40 en-
ploys it that he Is able TO make the
ballon ascend or descend at pleasure,
and hopes thus to direct the course in
any desired direction By placing the
balloon under the influence of a favor
able current wherever it may be stu.
a'ed in the atmosphere.
The Bulletin des Mines records the
explosion of a heavy blast of dynamite
which produced but little effect. The
failure was attributed to an insult cient
charge, on account of the exceptional
hardness of the rock, or to a crevice by
which large portion OF the gas had
escaped. Neither of these causes was
The trSe one. One of the halves of the
original charge had remained unex
ploded, and it went off some days
afterwasd at the moment when several
other blasts near it were fired.
Mr.. j. Bailey Denton has predicted
that the year 1885 will be remarkable
for a sort OF water dearth in the East
and South of England. He shows that
the rainfall ia 1884 was not more than
two thirds that of tho average, while
The proportion of rain evaporated was
unusually great. and he therefore main
tains that this year there must be a
lowering OF the Su bterranean water sup.
ply, and reduction of the yield of the
springs which supply the rivers, entail.
ing n increase of the evils of the pollu.
ton of thestreams,