XVI NOTES BY THE EDITORS 



be done before this mysterious power can be practically used as a motor. 

 Mr. B. A. Gould's researches on the velocity of the electric current, while 

 they add to the laborious investigations upon this point, reduce the ve- 

 locity within quite narrow limits. It is worthy of remark, that all the inves- 

 tigations upon this subject, except those of "Wheatstone and Steinheil, have 

 been made by American physicists. Prof. Faraday's researches on the mag- 

 netism of oxygen open a new and extensive field for research and theory. 

 The veteran Arago, finding himself threatened with total blindness, has 

 presented to the French Academy the results of his investigations upon 

 light, but as yet only brief notices of them have appeared. The question 

 between the two theories of light seems now to be put at rest, the decision 

 being in favor of the undulatory view, while the absolute identity of light 

 and heat has been rendered almost certain. In photography improve- 

 ments are multiplying so fast, that the time seerns not to be far distant 

 when colored photographs \vill rival the productions of the painter. 



The connection of England and France by means of a submarine tel- 

 egraph across the Straits of Dover was accomplished in August, but the 

 wire was soon afterwards broken. The practicability of the plan was, 

 however, fully demonstrated, and the enterprise will soon be resumed, 

 under conditions which will insure the stability of the connection. A plan 

 has been also matured for passing a line of telegraph across the Irish Chan- 

 nel, and many do not hesitate to predict that the day is not far distant 

 when, by means of a submarine telegraph, the daily news of Europe and 

 the United States will be published simultaneously in both countries. In 

 the trial which has been had of the celebrated patent case of Morse v. 

 House, for infringement, the U. S. Circuit Court has decided in favor of 

 the defendant. The plaintiff has, however, appealed. 



A series of experiments made by M. Despretz proves that almost every 

 solid body in nature is capable of complete fusion and volatilization. It 

 has been also stated, that Despretz has succeeded in artificially producing 

 a diamond ; but this must be incorrect, as he has announced his opinion 

 that the diamond is not the product of any intense heat upon organic or 

 carbonaceous matters. The discovery of M. Ullgren has added aridium 

 to the number of metals, and increased the whole number of supposed 

 elementary substances to 64. The researches of M. Chatin and others 

 show that the distribution of iodine over the earth's surface is far more ex- 

 tensive than has been hitherto supposed, while the method of extracting 

 this substance from marine plants, made known by Mr. Kemp, will rank 

 as one of the most useful discoveries of the year. No little excitement has 

 been caused by the announcement of a discovery claimed by Henry M. 

 Paine, of Worcester, Mass., by which hydrogen gas is liberated by a simple 

 process from water, in great quantities, without any corresponding quan- 

 tity of oxygen, and afterwards rendered exceedingly luminous on ignition 

 by simply passing through cold spirits of turpentine. This claim, so entirely 



