C. GENERAL PHYSICS. 203 



ranged on strings in two series of eight each, one above the 

 other, and each giving out, when struck successively, the 

 system of sounds employed by the ancient Chinese in their 

 music. The size and shape of these stones have been very 

 carefully determined by them after a minute analysis of the 

 sounds peculiar to each one. In order to render the sound 

 graver, the thickness of the stone is diminished to the proper 

 amount, and, to render it more acute, something is cut off 

 from the length. The stones thus arranged remind one in 

 effect of a series of steel bars, as exhibited in acoustic ap- 

 paratus to illustrate the fact that vibrations above a certain 

 pitch are inaudible to the human ear. Frequent endeavors 

 have been made to decide what kind of stones were employed 

 in the fabrication of the pien king, since they were custom- 

 arily paid as tribute money more than two thousand years 

 before Christ by certain provinces of China. Certain au- 

 thors have thought that they recognized in them a kind of 

 black marble ; and the editor of the works of Father Amiote 

 asserts that the king, or musical stone, constructed in France 

 from the black marble of Flanders, was quite as sonorous as 

 those of China. Lately a discovery was made at Kendal, in 

 England, of some musical stones, which, when struck with a 

 piece of iron or another stone, gave out sounds of very dif- 

 ferent pitch, and with eight of which it would be possible 

 to attain a very distinct octave. 13 i?, III., 203. 



REMARKABLE IMPROVEMENTS IX STRINGED INSTRUMENTS. 



Some very remarkable results of persistent investigation 

 have been just communicated to the Physical Society of 

 London by Mr. Hamilton, of Oxford. In prosecuting these 

 researches Mr. Hamilton has for over two years resigned all 

 other work, and he announces finally that, by means of 

 stringed instruments reinforced by reeds, he has been able 

 to secure for these all the advantages of organ pipes, in ad- 

 dition to those which they already possessed. In short, the 

 strings vibrating on the sounding-board are made to imitate 

 exactly in volume, quality, and sustained sound either an 

 open diapason pipe or the largest organ pipe in use, his hear- 

 ers being satisfied that not only can a string do all the work 

 of an organ pipe in volume and sweetness, but also afford 

 the exquisite sympathetic and blending power hitherto con- 



