The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-08-07
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
NOTHING NEW


instantaneous photography, generally supposed
to be of very recent date, is said by Mr.. W. Mat
tieu Williams to have been successfully achieved
thirty years ago by the late Charles Breese, the
secret of whose process died with its discoverer.
His picture of the moon, an eighth of an inch in
diameter, was pronounced q painting by many,
who demonstrated Mechanically that the ac-
tinic rays of the moon could not possibly produce
an effect on the sensitive plate instantaneousy as
would be necessary to preserve the circular form
of the image from elongation by the earth's mo-
ton. The genuineness of the photograph was
established by the magic lantern, the magniied
picture revealing details which could not have
been painted.
WORK FOR THE TELESCOPES.
Besides Venus, Mercury and the suspected in
tra-Mercurial Vulcan, Mons. j. G. Houzeau, of the
Brussels Observatory, thinks there may be another
planet between the earth and the sun. A teles-
copic object has seven times been observed near
Venus, the last time in 1854, and an examination
of the data thus furnished makes it appear prob
able that this body is an unknown planet with an
orbit about equal to that of Venus little larger
the latter case making it our nearest planetary
neighbor. 1t must come in conjunction with
Venus at intervals which multiples of little
less than three years. The Hypothetical planet is
called Meth, and ambitious amateur astronomers
are advised to search for it.
A SINGULAR METEOR.
An account has just been given of some remark
able phenomena observed at Tschembar, in ST.
IBERIA, on night of last January. A meteor sud-
denly rushed across the town, accompanied by
gusts of wind and burst with great report, kill
ing horse the highway. Ten minutes later
a loud report as of an explosion was heard, and
was followed directly by still more terrific re-
port, which shook the ground, overthrow several
houses, and broke the thick ice on an adjacent
lake. At the same time shock and report were
ohServed at a town n dozen miles AWAY.
OPENING NEW TRADE.
An important experiment has just been success
fully made in transporting fresh fruit over the
long route from South Australia to England. The
fruit-various kinds of apples, pears and grapes
was packed in sawdust and placedin cold cham
Der kept at uniform temperature of forty degrees.
1t arrived in London in excellent condition.
JAPANESE sEIsMoLoGY.
Regular earthquake observations now made
in Japan according to Prof. Seike Sekiya, of the
University of Toxic, at over 600 stations through
out the empire. From the report sent in by diff
ferent observers maps have been made showing
the disturbed area in every shock, and summary
of observations during last year has been CON-
piled. The total number of earthquakes in Japan
in 1885 was 4S2, or 1.3 day. In Toxic alone
IS shocks were registered. They are most preva-
lent in the northern and central portions of the
main island and on the Pacific coast, while they
are few in provinces bordering the Japan Sea-
Of the whole number, 235 local disturbances were
recorded, which extended over not more than 100
miles of land area. The maximum area of one
earthquake was -, 700 square miles. The aggre-
gate area of disturbance during the year was
10000 square miles, which is equivalent to say
ing that the whole of Japan has been shaken "a
times during the year.
THE PHOTOGRAPHED PLEIADEs.
A recent photograph the Pleiades shows ,42l
stars, while carefully drawn chart, prepared
with about the same instrumental power, gives only
625. Many small objects seen in the photograp b
do not appear in direct-eye observations. The
Importance of the accurate Photographic method
of star mapping is indicated oy the fact that the
hand-drawn chart gives ten stars which have no
existence.
The fairness of Denmark is something remark
able, a recent geographical discussion having
shown that the loftest mountain of the country
is only 535 feet high.
In nine years oaken piles at Mieres, Spain,
have taken on the appearance of stone-coal.
A spring balance for measuring terrestrial
gravity exhibited at a late meeting of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh by Sir W. Thomson.
The apparatus is sensitive that it will indicate
variation of forty thousandth part in the force
Of gravity.
An Italian physician recommends the daily adj
ministration of about rs grains of borax as a pre-
ventive of cholera, his observations having shown
that workers in borax factories in cholera districts
always escape the disease.
Little is known of the effect of solar eclipses on
our atmosphere. To add to our knowledge, Nor
wegan seaman happening to be in favorable To-
calities have been requested to make barometric
and thermometric observations during the total
eclipse of August 29th next.
The worlds "a geographical societies contain
$4,000 members.
About midway between St. Petersburg and
Moscow, Prince Putiatin has made the important
archaeological discovery of an image of the con-
stelation of Ursa Major engraved on grindstone
of the Stone Age. A similar discovery had al
ready been made near Weimar in Germany.
Two human vertebrae found at Sarasota Bay
are regarded by Prof. Heilprin as conclusively
proving the existence of prehistoric man in
Florida at very remote period. = 3