143 

 E]^GLISH IMPORTS OF BREADSTUFFS. 



A comparative table of the imports of the United Kingdom for the 

 months of January and Febraary, 1870 and 1871, shows that the hite 

 Franco-Prussian war almost entirely arrested the importation of bread- 

 stuffs from France and Germany during the latter period, and pro]ior- 

 tionally increased like importations from the United States. Followiug-^ 

 are the official figures : 



Imports iu cwts. 



Wheat from Germany : 



Wheat from France 



Wheat troiu United States 



Wheatmeal and flour from Germany 



Wheatmeal and tlour from France 



Wheatmeal and flour from United States 



Total 



1870. 



2, 945, 777 



1871. 



3, 138, 740 



BRITISH REVENUE. 



The revenue of the British ^ov^ernment for the year 1870 was £75,434,- 

 25L*, obtained from the following sources : 



Customs £21 , 529, 000 



Excise 21,763,000 



Stamps 9,248,000 



Taxes 4, 500, 000 



Property tax 10, 044, 000 



Post office 4, 670, 000 



Telegrapii service 100, 000 



Crown lands 375,000 



Miscellaneous 3, 205, 252 



Total 75,434,252 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES. 



Weathering of coal. — An important communication has lately 

 been uiade by Ur. Richters to a German journal, upon the influence of 

 atmosi)lieric agencies on stone coal exposed to tlie air in coal yards and 

 other localities. In tins memoir lie slates that the proi)erty which coal 

 has of taking up oxygen, when heated genily, (as to 375° F.,) is modi- 

 fied essentially by its peicentage of disposable hydrogen. This first of 

 all becomes oxidized togetlier with a certain portion of the carbon ; 

 since on the one hand water i« formed and on the other lian<l the oxygen 

 enters directly into combination with the coal. Also, that the carbon 

 of stone coal possesses, at a temperature of about 375° F., a variable 

 affinity to oxygen ; as the smaller portion (5 or (> [)er cent, of the total 

 amount) combines with it and forms carlxmicacid, while the rest, at the 

 given temperature, shows little or no atfinity for oxygen. While these 

 two propositions respecting the oxidation of coal when heated, can be 

 establislied, our author adduces experiments to show that they apply 

 equally well at the ordinary atmospheric temperatures. 



