120 



ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



iron; so that ever}' variety of vessel has been subjected to lightning. In 

 these 280 cases, there were damaged or destroyed, at least 18-3 lower masts, 

 of which 135, or nearly three-fourths, were lower masts of line-of-battle frig- 

 ates. Not less than 100 were completely ruined as masts; 180 top-masts were 

 ruined or damaged; more than two-thirds thereof belonging to ships of the 

 line and frigates, and about 150 top-gallant masts were destroyed. In addi- 

 tion to this amount of damage, large quantities of rigging, sails, and other 

 stores, were either damaged or destroyed. In about one-eighth of the 280 

 cases, the ships were set on fire by the lightning, either in the masts, or in 

 the sails or rigging; and in some instances the ships were severely damaged 

 in the hull. The total loss on these 280 cases, in material alone, has been 

 estimated at about $700,000. 



ON THE ELECTKIC-CONDUCTING POWER OF THE METALS. 



BY M. MATTHIESSEN. 



The following values for the conducting power of the metals were deter- 

 mined in the Physical Laboratory at Heidelberg, under the direction of 

 Professor KirchhofF, by the same method as is described in the Philosophical 

 Magazine , February 1857 : 



Conducting Power at Temp, in Centigrade degrees. 





 16-8 



Silver, 



Copper, No. 3, 



Copper, No. 2, 



Gold, 



Sodium, 



Aluminum, 



Copper, No. 1, 



Zinc, 



Magnesium, 



Calcium, 



Cadmium, 



Potassium, 



Lithium, 



Iron, ....... 



Palladium, 



.1 1 1 1 i * 



Platinum, 



1 /' 'Ii H . * 



Argentine, 



Strontium, 



Antimony, 



Mercury, 



Bismuth, 



Alloy of Bismuth 32 parts, 

 Antimony 1 part, .... 



Alloy of Bismuth 12 parts, 



Tin 1 part, 



Alloy of Antimony 2 parts, Zinc 1 part, 



Graphite, No. 1, 



Graphite, No. 2, 



Gas-coke, 



Graphite, No. 3, . ... 



Bunsen's Battery-coke, 



Tellurium, 



Red Phosphorus, 



100 

 7743 

 72-06 

 55-19 

 37-43 

 33-76 

 30-63 

 2739 

 25-47 

 22-14 

 2210 

 2085 

 19-00 

 14-44 

 12 '64 

 11-45 

 10-53 



7-77 



7-67 



6-71 



4-29 



1-63 



1-19 



} 0884 



} 0519 



0-413 



0-0693 



0-0436 



0-C3S6 



0-00395 



0-00246 



0.000777 



0.00000123 



226 



218 



21-7 



19-6 



24-2 



17-6 



17-0 



16.8 



13-8 



20-4 



200 



204 



17-2 



210 



20-7 



173 



IS 7 



20-0 



1S-7 



228 



138 



24-0 



22-0 



250 



22-0 

 220 

 25-0 

 22-0 

 20-2 

 19-6 

 24-0 



