Year: 1869




writer's Imagination is always wide
awake and while his assertions will
usually bear examination, some of his
speeulations and suggestions are more
curious than trustworthy. He refuses.
indeed, to give the Hyperboreans the
credit Of anticipating DR.. franklin :
famous kite, on the ground that Hero
dotus tells Us that they shot arrows into
the clouds to destroy the lightning. But
ne thinks the Pyramids may have been
built with a knowledge of the power
their pointed tops have to withdraw the
electric fluid from the clouds and he
discovers In the wild speculations of an
cient philosophers the strongest analo-
gies to truths first established by investi-
gators In very recent times.


The terrible force stored up in the
form of electricity in every storm-eIoud
is foreibly demonstrated by him. The
smallest OF these clouds gave, on testing
1t, 4" fame capable of dealing death to
at least three thousand men in a single
hour, before it had produced the slight
est thunder" :" This force is constantly
distributing itself anew and even when
its movements are imperceptibIe to US
they may often be detected BY tests more
delicate than our vision.


INVISIBLE LIGHTNING.


0ftentimes these lightning flames
are invisible, and slip away unobserved
without any indisereet spark revealing
their presence; but sensitive photo
graphic paper then acquires traces which
chemistry can render indelibIe. The
following may serve as lesson to those
who believe that they see everything
which occurs around them on this world.
A photographer Of Berlin had taken a
negative image Of the bronze statue of
an Amazon yanquishing a serpent with
her lance. On obtaining the positive
proofs ne was excessively surprised to
seek dark streak standing out from the
upper end of the lance. An obscure in
visible lightning fame, but endowed with
immense photogenie power, had occurred
whilst he took his photograph Of the
statue. He had taken in the act an an
onymous fire, and had photographed,
without knowing it, the first fash of
lightning that was ever fixed upon sensi-
tive eollodion."


But it is sometimes not only visible,
but very conspicuous indeed One of
the most singular appearances which
natural electricity puts on is that Of me-
teors or balls Of fire. These are not
very uncommon at sea, and many in
stances of these have been known and
closely observed on land


Some peculiar cases of death by strokes
of lightning are also given, one of which
IS as follows


Jerome Cardan relates that eight
reapers, who we're eating their dinner
under an oak tree, were all struck By
the same fash of lightning, the explosion
of which was heard far away. When
some people passing by approached to
see what had happened, they found the
reapers, to all appearance, continuing
their repast.


One still held his glass in his hand,
another was in the act of putting a piece
of bread into his mouth, a third had his
hand in the dish. Death had come upon
them suddenly whilst in these positions,
when the thunderbolt fell.


Ten reapers, who had taken shelter
under hedge, were likewise killed alto
gether during a violent storm.


Like those mentioned above, they had
proGted by this necessary suspension of
labor to enjoy a frugal meal. A touch
ing detail, related by the Rev. Mr. But
Ter, who narrowly J escaped being victim
to the same storm, shows with what IA
pidity the whole Of this joyous group
had been deprived Of life. One of the
unfortunate beings had dog in his lap
at the moment the lightning fell. Whilst
be earessed the animal with one hand,
with the other he offered it piece Of
bread. Both the man and the dog were
petrifed as it were, in this position.
The paralyzed hand still held the piece
of bread, and the expression on the ami
malls face seemed to say, Give me some
more, come, give me some more = <


To die with the rapidity Of lightning
is to die as rapidly as thought itself
for the fash which kills so quickly lasts
a time as brief as that which but shows
US the spokes Of the wheel of loeomo-
tive-as that which but enables us to
see immoyable in the air the ball which
flies through darkness from the eannon's
mouth


COLoR-BLINDNESS COMMON.


Color blindness is much more frequent
than is generally supposed, for those who
are afflicted with it are mostly ignorant
of the defect, and frequently practice
trades or nrofessions in which perfect