The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-28
THE SUN, SUNDAY. DECEMBER 2s 1902.
10 the bottom OF the chasm, and they may be
considered as authoritative and final.

10 the bottom OF the chasm, and they may be
considered as authoritative and final.
EGYPTIAN FAINT PALETTEs or $500 D. c.
Prof. Petrie has recently described some
OF his discoveries at Hierak on polls. In Egypt.
among the tombs Of the first pre-dynastic
kings about 5000 to 5000 b. C. Among the
finds are paint palettes used by the royal
ladies for grinding face paints. The artistic
execution ofthe carving is excellent and shows
very high skill. CuTiouslv enough the carv-
ings are OF interest TO biologists as they e1-
hiDit animals long since extinct In Egypt
the hartebeest. &c Tie warriors are bearded.
and are armed with bows. with arrows
feathered or two sides with spears. javelns.
double-headNd axes and with weapons like
boomeranRs. Two have lassoes. That the
race who made these objects had very high
artistic taste and a knowledge OF technique
Whlch proves Ion q practice is apparent from
an inspection of the objects themselves which
are rmincntly superior to any later ERyptian
work Woodcuts Of two of them can be
iouhu IN the Scienhhc American Tor Dec 20.
NEW ANEsTHETIc.
The London Lancet announ ces that there
has lately been discovered by Hun ga ran
chemists. valuable local anRsthetic,
the alkaloid nerve cidne Its hydrochloride
has properties like those OF cocaine and il
produces a more lasting effect. The base is
obtained from an Indian plant-Gasu Basu-
WHOSE leaves we're some stree time employed
IN dentistry. The Hlkaloidal hydrochloride
yellow, amorphous. hyRroscopc powder.
easily soluble In water 4 solution Of one
tehth or two-tenths per cent produces marked
a one-t"nth per cent. solution brushed on the
mucous membrane of the cheek has u like
erect SOLUTIONS exceeding fve-tenths per
cent produce liberation of the cornea ard n
per cent solution causes Lucrative kern It'll 3
IN dogs and rabbits which lasts ten davs.
G6u,lnr which period the anRsthesia also lasts
Sup',utaheols Injections apparently do not
produce anRsthesia. The general effect
Is that Of 2 naralyzinR poison. Experts ire Of
opinion that its chief use will be in dentistry.
THE srN's DISTANCE.
In order to calculate the lin ear velocity of
The earth in its orbit We must first know its
distance from the sun, II We can mea sure
the earth = velocity the sun : d stance can be
computed. II the velocity can be deter
mined Withgreat accuracy the resultin value
OF the suns distance is proport ion tely
precise. The methods OF spect roscopy have
been 50 far improved that We are within
measurable distance Of deterininir 2 the solar
parallaN nv spectroScopic observations If
any star near the Z,dia be observed with the
speotroscOpe at the two seasons when it's
lon r'nde differs from that Of the sun by 40
degrees, We can dafuce not only the We
locity OF the star along the line joining star
ana earth, but n 50 the mean velocity of the
tons of stellar velocity ir The line of ScSt re-
now so good that the value of the solar dis
tance which may be had on the prin cple
described is nj lenst of the me order of n O.
REFORMING THE JAPANESE SCRIPT
The opinion Is con stantly growing in japan
that the Chinese script. used in the written
Ian nuaRc of Japan. impedes the effort to
reach the intellectual plane Of the most ad
vanced nations. 4 movement in favor of
substituting the Roman script was started
IN isss nv a society of reformers the Ro-
mliii-kwai. Little ground was gained. how
ever and the society dissolved after printin q
u periodical IN Roman type for some wears
The new inovc''ort has the direct support
Of We Japancsr ID ,partment OF Education an d
II aims al the gradual suppression Of Chin Csc
script. the chief means If eTeCtin g this ban q
TO teach the schooch ildrcn TO read from
Roman types. A mora far-reaching move
iuert is that which aims at u fusion of the
sroken and written languages 50 that the
literary and colloo ua on CUES shall be practi
cally ider teal and expressed on the printed
page by Roman type.
NOVA PrRsEI
Nora Porsci. which was at its maximum
brightness in February 1901 has now dmin-
shed in brilliancv 40 as to emit not above
| one four-thousardth part OF the light sent
| ont twsnty months ago Its color has
changed so that. in long telescopes. there
| i measure bile distance batw"a1 the MONT
Mt which it is in focus and the paint
| Of best focus for white stars This method,
| has been employed bv Prof Barnard Mt the
| ferkes Observatory IN Chica go and exhibits
| the change in question In q striking way
| 4 change OF color indicates. Of purse, a
| change Of spectrum. and u chang Of sre 4 runl
| is the sign of changed physical condition.