The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-12-16
scientific saiseeIIany.

of electricity are daily becoming more varied.
Among recent ones are telebarometers,
telethermometers, telemanometers, ielehy-
drobarometers, which respectively record, at
distant points. air pressure. heat, steam
pressure and water stages.
A LENaTHEHlEG LIsT.-While the number
of chemical elements had not reached seventy
a decade ago, Prof. X. @. Bolton has pre-
pared list naming over forty elementary
Substances whose discovery has been an
nounced since 1877. No less than nine OF
supposed new elements have been detected
this year by Orookes.
EUROPEAN AUrIrUDxs-A German esti-
mate places the average height Of Europe
above the sea at 974 feet. Switzerland shows
the greatest mean height. 1884 feet, and the
Netherlands tho least, 81 feet intermediate
are Spain and Portugal, 2,29S feet: Austria,
1893; Italy. 1886: France. 1892; British
Islands, III: Germany, 7ol; Russia. 54S;
Denmark, 10.
SoIESCE AZ AUSTRALIA The colonies Of
Australia and the neighborirg islands have
some twenty scientific societies. with a mem
bership of between $500 ard 5000. These
organizations are TO meet in 1888 for the
purpose OF forming an Australian Associa-
ton for the Advancement of Science, similar
TO the important associations now existing
in England, France and the United States.
THE CAMERA ~ MEDIcINu.-A new sugges-
ton is that photography may become n
useful agent in medical diagnosis disclosing
symptoms of disease before they are other
wise perceptible In a recent negative Oi q
child the face was shown as thickly covered
with an eruption. no trace OF which could be
seen on the child itself until three days
afterward. when its skin became covered
with spots due to prickly heat. u another
recorded case. invisible spots were brought
out on photograph taken n fortnigh, before
an attack of smallpox.
The STUFF or DREAms.-Most dream rep
reservations, according TO the Investigations
Of Wundt, emanate from M actual, though
weak impression on the nerves during
sleep. Thus, an inconvcnient position ex-
cites visions of laborious or painful expert
ences, ditiicnlt respiration produces tue
agony of nightmare, flying IL suggested by
the rhythmic movements OF breathing
nudity 10y q fall Of clothes from the bc6
crawling things by skin irritatiOns, etc. The
reproduction Of past memories is associated
with events which have left profound
mental impression.
SPANISH GEoGRArEY.- The field for geo
graphical exploration il not vet exhausted
even in Europe. Schrader states that in the
north of Spain several ranges OF mountains
exist, some reaching to height of 10000
feet, which have 40 place on any geographic
cal map. In the Aran valley another dis
covery has recently been made. Trungula-
ton showed a gap untitled between two
nf la
different sides, had been supposed To form
single range; and further exploration
proved that the gap contained large and
hitherto unknown lake.
SPEECH RECoRDING.-A promising method
! of recording and reproducing speech il that
of ". Leon Esquille, hy n modification OF
the photophone. The speaking is done be-
fore diaphram having a highly polished
surface from which ray OF light is reflected
and the record of this speech is obtained by
| simply photographing the ray of light upon
travelling band of sensitized paper. After
having been developed, the articulation may
be reproduced 10y projecting the image OF
the trace by means of strong light upon q
selenium receiver, the well-known ap-
paratus for transforming light-impulses into
COMMUNICATIONS, and the speech is then
heard through the telephone connected.
TIE NERVES OF TAsrR.-The discovery
that heat influences one set of nerve-points
in the skin while sensations of cold are re-
ceived by another set, has been followed by
some interesting experiments, by two Italian
phs sioogists, which indicate that the various
tastes result from the exciting of quite
distinct sets of nerve-fbres in the tongue
The prolonged application of ice removed
the sensbility for all tastes-sweet. sour
salt aud bitter. Cocaine observation-disclosures
rarily, of course-scnsbility for bitter only
! Other substances, such as caffeine and
morpha reduced the power of discriminate
ing between different degrees of bitter
Dilute sulphuric acid had peculiar effect
causing distilled water and even quinine
to tssto sweet at the tip of the tongue. al
though the bitter of the quinine was else
where tasted as usual.
VoLAPUK.-The plan for universal
commercial language" originated about five
years ago by Herr Schlayer of Switzerland
seems to be meeting with greater favor than
has been accorded other projects of the kind
1t il reported that Volapuk is already spoken
with facility 10y thousands of Europeans
knowledge of it ia being disseminated by
more than fifty societies scattered over Eng
land, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Holland
Asia Minor and other countries; Volapuk
gramnsrs for the use of the Hottentots and
Chinese, besides all other European nations
are either in the market or in course of
preparation; and two reviews, one entirely in
Volapuk and the other with translation on
alternate pages, are regularly published
The special advantage of the new language
is the ease with which il can be learned
eight Lessons having enabled Partisan class
TO correspond readily with students in foreign