The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-10-25
SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.
During the past five wears the n

During the past five years the pro-
duction of tin in the Dutch East Indies
and the Straits Settlements has in
creased greatly. The shipments to
Europe and America to the end of Au-
gust, 1894, were A. lis tons, as against
%, 557 tons in 1890. The syndicate which
is trying to corner the market will have
to obtain control of this source of supply
to succeed, as well as of the visible sup
ply, which was over 10000 tons in Au-
gust and only $4,000 tons year ago.
1t has been found after an examina-
ton of $50 domestic cats, as well as the
eyes of the Felid2 in the Geological
gardens of London, that the natural
shape of the pupil in Felis is circular
Although under various degrees of
light one might get every shape from
the circle through all degrees of oval
to perfectly vertical line, yet instilla-
tions of atropin or cocaine solutions
caused every pupil to become a true
circle.
1t has long been known that the
earth's axis varies in an irregular way
as regards its relation to fixed objects
in space; but Prof. Forster announces,
as the result of careful observations by
agents of the international Geodetic
union, that the earth's axis is a bit
loose, as regards the globe itself. The
effect is that the North Pole wabbles
slightly. The variation in position is
not over fifty feet, however. so there is
no danger that any explorers who have
gone to the Arctic regions without
Prof. Forster's warning will get hurt
by going too near.
The French Academy of Medicine
has taken up the question of the health
fulness of bicycling, and at "a recent
meeting decided to investigate the sub
ject thoroughly. Besides number of
sudden deaths from heart disease
ascribed to the practice, cases were re-
ported of tuberculosis being awakened
by cycling, and of vertebral disease.
The academy resolved unanimously
that till the results of the inquiry are
known ''the use of the bicyclette
Safety shoul be permitted only after
a careful medical examination of the
individual" Paris papers irreverently
translate this "a louis a visit, if you
lease"
Railway statistics for the year 1898
in England have receAtly been issued.
Three hundred miles of track con-
structed during the year make the to-
tai mileage for the United Kingdom
20, 646, which represents an authorized
capital of nearly LOO million pounds
There were carried 80 million first class
passengers, GO million second-class. and
7S2 million thir l-class, total of S73
million in all. Two hundred and eight
million tons of minerals and So mil
lion tons of general merchandise We're
transported distance of l42 million
miles. The returns of the capital in
vested are steadily diminishing. being
now SO per cent, a result due in part
to the demands of the public for in
creased accommodation and OF the
workers for higher wages.
In a paper on the sense of smell,
read to the Anthopologists who met
recently at Innsbruck, DR.. Herman. of
Vienna, presented some interesting
facts. Non-carniverous animals have
the faculty most highly developed;
man and flesh-eating animals have lost
it in a large degree. Dwelling in
crowded cities and domeStication are
injurious to the sense. house dogs and
pet dogs rapidly losing it Dress ma
terials vary greatly in their capacity
for retaining odors; silk allows almost
all odors to pass through without leav-
ing any smell behind: linen holds them
fast: wool, though it let's many smells
pass through. retains the odOrs of de-
cay, like that of a corpse. While civil
ization has done much to assist de-
fective sight and hearing, it has done
nothing for smelling.