128 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



yields by distillation some thirty-five gallons 

 of oil per ton. The oil so obtained is of ex- 

 cellent quality, and comes over in two or 

 three grades, one suitable for burning and 

 the others for lubrication. The deposits of 

 this rock are supposed to cover an area 150 

 miles long and 50 broad. They overhe the 

 immense coal-beds of that region, and con- 

 sist of sandstone impregnated with oil. 



Thompson's article " On Cremation" has 

 been twice translated into German, and pub- 

 lished once at Cologne and once at Gratz, 

 an Austrian city. The Gratz edition had 

 an introduction by Dr. Kopl, at one time 

 physician to the King of the Belgians. The 

 Communal Council of Vienna has by a large 

 majority adopted a proposal to establish in 

 one of the public cemeteries the necessary 

 apparatus for burning bodies, the use of 

 which will be optional and open to all. The 

 Council of Gratz has passed a resolution to 

 the same effect. 



IMr. J. L. A. Warren, author of a valu- 

 able treatise on " Silk Culture," is now in 

 Europe, with the intention of visiting the 

 different departments of silk culture and 

 manufacture in France and Italy, and of 

 collecting information for use in his new 

 work on •' Silk Culture in Europe and Amer- 

 ica," which is now in course of preparation. 



The Cowles process for the preservation 

 of clothing from moth and mildew, of which 

 much has lately been said in Congress and 

 in the press, is stated by the Sdentijic Amer- 

 ican to be based on the preservative action 

 of sulphate of copper on vegetable fibres. 

 By the addition of alum, the preserving qual- 

 ities of the sulphate are, it is claimed, greatly 

 enhanced ; and, when gelatine is also com- 

 bined, the fibres are said to be not only 

 proof against decay, but also impervious to 

 water. The ingredients are proportioned 

 as follows : Alum, 2 lbs. dissolved in 60 lbs. 

 water ; blue-vitriol, 2 lbs. dissolved in 8 lbs. 

 water, to which is added gelatine 1 lb. in 30 

 lbs. water. A still further improvement is 

 said to made by the addition of acetate of 

 lead, \ lb. dissolved in 30 lbs. water. The 

 solutions are all hot and separately mixed, 

 with the exception of the vitriol, which is 

 added cold. 



Prop. H. Alleyne Nicholson, Profess- 

 or of Xatural History and Botany in Univer- 

 sity College, Toronto, has been appointed 

 to the professorship of Zoology in the^oyal 

 College of Science, Dublin. Dr. Nicholson 

 is the author of several well-known works 

 on zoology, the most recent being a " Man- 

 ual on Paleontology," for the use of stu- 

 dents. 



For the year closing January 1, 1874, 

 the precious metals expressed by Wells, 



Fargo & Co., produced in North America, 

 made the immense aggregate of $72,258,693. 

 This is in excess of the production of 18*72 

 to the amount of $10,000,000. Nevada 

 alone transmits $35,254,507. 



Prof. Gray mentions, in the American 

 Journal of Science and Arl^ the discovery 

 by Mr. E. J. Hill, on an island in the Kan- 

 kakee Kiver, in the northeastern part of 

 Illinois, of the SpJueralcea acerifolia. This 

 mallow was supposed to exist only in the 

 Rocky-Mountain region and Oregon. Dr. 

 Gray says of this plant, it " is one which 

 probably came so long ago as when Lake 

 Michigan dischai'ged into the Mississippi, 

 the lower part of the Kankakee River be- 

 ing in the direct course of the discharge. 

 The present plants may more probably be 

 regarded, not as chance stragglers, but as 

 lingering remnants indicating an ancient 

 habitat." 



Prof. C. V. Riley, Missouri State Ento- 

 mologist, has received the high compliment 

 of a gold medal from the Minister of Agri- 

 culture and Commerce of France, in recog- 

 nition of his discoveries in economic ento- 

 mology, and in particular for services ren- 

 dered to French grape-culture. It will be 

 remembered that Prof. Riley discovered the 

 American origin of the grape-vine louse, or 

 Phylloxera vastairiz, an insect which threat- 

 ens the utter destruction of the great vine- 

 yards of France. The medal is about an 

 inch and a half in diameter, and bears on 

 its face the figure of "• Liberty " in bass-re- 

 Hef, with the words " French Republic." On 

 the reverse is, " To Mr. Riley, of St. Louis, 

 Mo., for services rendered to French viticult- 

 ure, 1873," encircled by " Ministry of Ag- 

 riculture and Commerce." 



We note with pleasure the organization 

 of the School and College Association of 

 Natural History, of the State of Illinois. 

 The objects of the Association are: first, to 

 collect, study, and exchange specimens in 

 natural history, and to contribute to a nat- 

 ural history survey of the State ; second, to 

 form a State museum ; third, to obtain for 

 the schools, with which its members are con- 

 nected, suitable cabinets of specimens for 

 study and reference; fourth, to encourage 

 and assist the rational study of Nature by the 

 pupils of our schools. An election of offi- 

 cers, on December 31, 1873, resulted in the 

 choice of Dr. Richard Edwards, Normal 

 School, Normal, 111., for president; S. A. 

 Forbes, curator ; and Aaron Gove, secre- 

 tary. The State Museum at Normal was 

 designated as the centre of exchange and 

 distribution. 



A RICH discovery of emery is reported 

 to have been lately made in the northern 

 portion of Pettis County, Missouri. 



