C. GENERAL PHYSICS. i25 



C. GENERAL PHYSICS. 



becquerel's electeo-capillary pile. 



At a late meeting of the Paris Academy, Becquerel de- 

 scribed a novel galvanic battery, or electro-caj)illary pile, as 

 lie terms it. The action of the porous diaphragms used in 

 many galvanic batteries has been carefully studied by him 

 since his invention thereof in 1829, and he states that in them, 

 as in his new battery, the principle is the same i. e., the 

 property possessed by liquids adhering to the surface of sol- 

 ids in capillary tubes or spaces of conducting electricity like 

 a metal or solid conductor at the same time that the liquids 

 are decomposed. It results from this that when two solu- 

 tions of proper chemicals are in contact in a capillary tube, 

 tliere is produced an electric current along its length in a 

 direction the inverse of what would take place if the space 

 were not capillary. 6 B, 1873, 245. 



telegraph line to AUSTRALIA. 



It is perhaps not generally realized that Melbourne, Aus- 

 tralia, is now in telegraphic communication Avith London, 

 and, of course, with the rest of the world. The route taken 

 by the Australian portion of the line of telegraph is from 

 Port Darwin, on the northwest coast, overland to Port Au- 

 Sfusta, eighteen hundred miles in a south-southeast direction. 

 This long line leads through a hitherto unknown territory, 

 no one having ever passed over the whole route until the 

 construction companies pushed their way ahead, and, of 

 course, every thing needed had to be transported by camels 

 and other teams. Two years were occupied in building the 

 line through this region, and it was finished in October, 18*72. 

 From Port Darwin a submarine cable extends to the south- 

 east end of Java, the land lines of the Dutch government 

 connecting this point with Batavia. From the latter city 

 another cable stretches to Singapore, whence again a cable 

 is laid to Madras. These cables are all owned, and were 

 laid, by the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Com- 

 pany, of England. Ocean Highways^ January^ 1873. 



