254 NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 
the academies of Paris and Berlin, by Mr. Fua, and published by them, and since 
the methods involve no new principle or mode of application, no action on the 
part of the President or Government seems to be needful.’ 
“The report was accepted and the Committee discharged.” ®* 
On turning to the Comptes Rendus of the Académie des 
Sciences, Paris, one finds this statement regarding the matter in 
question: 
““M. Fua soumet au jugement de l’Académie quelques détails relatifs 4 un 
procédé qu’il croit propre a prévenir les accidentes causés par les explosions du 
grisou. Ce procédé consiste essentiellement dans l’emploi de spirals de platine 
rendus incandescentes, a certains intervalles, par le passage d’un courant électrique ; 
ces spirales mettraient le feu a des méches de coton soufré, trempées dans une 
pate gommée de phosphore et de chlorate de potasse.” ®7 
COMMITTEE ON THE EFFECT OF CHEMICALS ON INTERNAL 
REVENUE STAMPS. 1870 
Prior to 1870 it was the practice of the Government to print 
internal revenue stamps on ordinary paper in ink of a single color. 
It resulted from this that by skilful manipulation the cancellation 
marks could be removed and the stamps used a second time to 
avoid the payment of revenue. The Government thus suffered 
serious loss, and was under the necessity of devising means of 
preventing the continuance of the nefarious practice. The Com- 
missioner of Internal Revenue, therefore, introduced radical 
changes as regards the kind of paper used for the stamps and the 
ink with which they were printed. Instead of employing ordinary 
paper, a special kind of paper was adopted, which was manu- 
factured under the supervision of the Government. At the same 
time it was made unlawful, as in the case of paper for bank-notes, 
to make any of it, to sell it or to have it in one’s possession. In- 
stead of printing with one kind and color of ink, the stamps were 
printed in two or more colors, and the printing was divided 
between private contractors and the Government, the former 
printing certain tints on them, and delivering them to the Bureau 
"Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., vol. 1, pp. 76-77. 
" Comptes Rendus, vol. 68, p. 805. 1869. 
