The Hawaiian gazette., 1885-09-02
Miscellaneous

coal-mining.
The forests OF the United States com
prise 4l2 species of trees. OF these sixt!
are peculiar TO Florida.
Asbestos as lining for mems hats is ;
new idea. Being non-conductor of hea
the advantage is apparent.
A botanical phenomenon was witnessed
ON the shore of Todos Santos Bay, Lowe
California, where an apple-tree blossomeC
and bore large perfect fruit on IFS trunk
an inch from the ground.
The Columbus Medical journal reports ;
caseof death from poisoning with bromide
of potassium The victim was given doses
of eighty grains each at intervals of foui
hours during four days.
The only land from which the tota-
phase of the solar eclipse of September s
can be seen is New Zealand The totality
lasts only two minutes and half Al
expedition will be sent from Melbourne
TO observe it.
1t has been observed in Russia that ex
treme cold converts tin into semi-crystal
line mass containing large cavities. Ii
one instance the pipes of a church organ
were so altered by cold as to be no Longer
sonorous.
The musk beetle, according to an Eng
lish observer, has the power Of emitting on
Buppressing its odor at pleasure; but when
dying the scent is continuous, and after
death more powerful than at any time
during life.
The attention of the French Academy
of Sciences has been called to new pro
cess of hardening plaster of Paris The
product is recommended for floors, being
as durable as oak and costing only one
fourth as much. .G ~
DIR. Wedding and Dr. Frank have
brought before the Agricultural Society OF
Berlin the question of the value Of phos-
phorus in rural and domestic economy.
They propose the actual trial Of the manu-
rial virtue of ammonia phosphates Of
m,Rgnesia on large scale
II appears from observations made in
France that the development of vegetable
life Is re, 'arded by an average of nearly
four days 1'Nr each additional 100 yards Of
altitude. TIE arrival of the chimney
swallow is della, ed about two days for each
increase of 100 ya,rds in height.
A curious physiological effect produced
by the action of turn. 'ng eggs during IN
cubation has been moi, I'D by M. Dareste.
From experiments made NS1th artificial IN
cub6tors he has found that G, ,Ygs not turned
two or three times day an lnVarlaply
perish. He explains the effect ri tins act
on the embryo, and accounts for tie action
of the sitting bird on purely physiologlcal
grounds.
Malaria is not confined to low-lying dis
tricts 1t climbs to high attitudes, follow
! L.. ,..,rA Al,,, In
rises to the height OF 400 to 500 feet; IN
California. 1000 feet; along the Appala-
chian chain, 5000 feet; in the West Indies,
400 TO 1900 feet; in India, 200O feet On
the Andes it is sometimes found at the
height of IL 900 feet Under ordinary cir
cumstances a moderate altitude will be
found comparatively free from malaria.
Experiments have been made by COM
mittee Of French experts, including Nj.
Pastem, in order to ascertain the best
means of disinfecting chambers IN which
cases of contagious affections have been
lodged. The committee reports that sui
phurous acid gas is the best disinfectant; /;
but recommends that instead OF simply
burning sulphur, as is done in barracks
and such places, bi-sulphide OF carbon
should be burned in rooms, as it Is less in
furious to furniture or metals.
Defective hearing is growing more pre-
valent in the United States, so says DIR.
Sexton. 1t produces in children first the
appearance OF stupidity and then the real
ity. They do not hear sounds distinctly,
ND, of course, they cannot initiate sounds
a. aurately. Defects in the teeth are a
ao cause Of this lamentable calamity in
tor az Vng, and this is fresh reason for
sro;d;n,. sr quack applications of so-called
dant;stse e :, nd keeping to pure soap and
water in Gle, Snsing the teeth.
Ia +,no III 81 birds and insects disap-
-, e., iocal, ties about to be visited by
a. 5a,Jlx , an;Semi, = Testimony of Euro
,,ouns seeps 10 he : tro1gly in favor OF the
b1notbesis. One VIZ, ter says: Il venture
10 sr0gest that the inv 'eshgetlon and col
ioct;on of trustworthy m, neurological data
during the prevalence of ,epidemses, and
~ collateral information bearing there
nnon. have not vet received as much atten-
t;on rs n deserves from observers outside
of the medical profession"
The last invention for the protection OF
aheatre audiences is 'penerabie safety
WALL which has Just been patented by an
engineer at Kottsbus, Germany. Ihs
Man is TO make the interior walls IN al
psrts of the theatre of papier mache, madt
after n certain method. Such a wall VII
Haara the appearance of massive stone; bu
IIv usnessure upon certain parts, where the
words are to be painted in luminous let
T.. ters: ITO be broken open IL case OF 1re,'
acress 70 tie exterior corridors is to b'
obtained, whence escape to the outer al
can be made. fFE f =
.7'be prize of 10000 francs offered by the
Academy for some certain test O
5osfb IN prevent people from being buried
si;-o was t-iven to a physician who an
..ornced that on holding the hand OF thl
.,,,r,osed dead person to a strong light, i
E,s,1r, n scarlet tinge is seen where tn
.SngoTs touch, showing continuous clrcu
iasfou ef the blood-no scarlet beng seeI
DIR. Max Bush announces tina
!. uo., uuoo,.,,t,.,cli7g muscle by electricity 1t
ta,at51re 1n WI rise and be shown by an!
s..fI Su s,,yface thermometer If the person L
% 1;,;rr,. n II does not rise life IS extinct
A tadpole. the larva of the Tog, has
aal aud no legs, gills instead oil lungs,
beS4s, precisely like that OF 1sh' morn.
beak Tor eating vegetable 1000 ana spira
intestine to digest IT. As II natures i ~
hinder legs show themselves, tnen tn
front the DetAh AaAAS VI ~ e"1 !,
-;Ils waste away. the lungs are created
fbe digestive apparatus is changed to SUI
an animal diet; the heart is altered to tn
reptilian type by the addition of anothe
anricle. in fact, skin, muscle, nerves, bone
and blood vessels vanish, being absorbe.
.-t,rn by atom, and new setls substitute
The purest lard oil is said to be tina
vvbich Is manufactured by submitting
soI;d leaf lard to great pressure during tn
ncT;od Of winter. Oil Of this quantity
nse for burning in small mechanical lamps
Il gives a bright fame and does not lncrus
the wick. A lighthouse lamp, however
being Of much larger size and eyeiyln
much greater amount of heat, can COZ
sume oil Of a coarser character; and 1t he
been found that oil containing certal
amount Of solid matter, providing the Ia
Ter is not too much in quantity 70 oe col
sumed by the lamp, gives higher liirlm
nsting power.
The limit OF temperature at which me
can work depends upon the length