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Microscopic forms m Chicago water. — Mr. Babcock, of Chicago, 

 has contributed an interesting article to the " Lens," upon the effect on the 

 hydrant water of the reversal of the current of the Chicago River. It 

 is well known that during the past year an engineering enterprise of 

 much magnitude, initiated some time since, was completed, namely, the 

 connecting of the Chicago Eiver with a tributary of the Mississippi, by 

 which its stagnant waters were carried southward toward the Gulf of 

 Mexico, and their place supplied by a continuous stream of pure water 

 from the lake. 



One desired effect of this enterprise, namely, an improved sanitary 

 condition of Chicago, was speedily accomplished ; and not only did the 

 effluvium from the river measurably diminish, but the hydrant-water 

 has been greatly improved in purity. The shaft through which water 

 is admitted to the tunnel from the water-works is situated in the 

 lake, some two miles from the shore, and although so far removed 

 from the drainage of the city, more or less of impurity continually found 

 its way into its mouth. This was proved both by chemical and micro- 

 scopical examinations, numerous forms of infusorial objects, such as dia- 

 toms, vegetable and animal germs, &c., being readily discernible. Some- 

 what to the inconvenience of microscopists, the new arrangement has 

 tended to reduce the number of such objects very materially, so that the 

 water sometimes scarcely repays the labor of searching for microscopi- 

 cal material. 



Mr. Babcock is inclined to believe that so long as a moderately rapid 

 current is kept up in the Chicago River from the lake, the city will be 

 provided with water nearly equal in purity to that at Mackinaw, which 

 has become proverbial for its excellence. 



Peculiarities of the past winter in Europe. — The past winter 

 has been a very remarkable one in England. The cold weather set 

 in unusually early and severely with the commencement of November, 

 and from that date to December 13, Mr. Glaisher's weekly tables 

 of meteorological observations, taken at Greenwich, show the temper- 

 ature to have been uniformly below the mean of the last fifty years, 

 with the break of only a single day, the mean depression for the 

 whole period being 0° 5' Fahrenheit. The coldest day was December 8, 

 when the thermometer fell to 18° 6' Fahrenheit, and the temperature of 

 the twenty-four hours was 19° 3' below the mean. Throughout France 

 the month of November was very 'severe, the mean temperature of the 

 month having been lower only four times during the last century. 

 According to statistics presented to the Academy of Science by M. 

 Ch. Sainte-Claire Deville, the thermometer fell as low as 11° Fahrenheit 

 at Montargis on December 3, while even at Marseilles the remark- 

 ably low temperature (for that locality) of 27° 5' Fahrenheit is recorded 

 on November 23. During the early part of December the frost con- 

 tinued still more severe in France and Italy, where much snow fell. At 

 Rome and throughout France trees and shrubs which had survived 

 many winters were entirely destroyed. M. Delaunay remarks that the 

 cold advanced, as is usually the case, from northeast to southwest. 

 The minimum temperatures were recorded at Groningen, in Holland, 

 on December 7, 14P Fahrenheit ; at Brussels, 9° 5/ Fahrenheit on the 8th ; 

 and at Paris, 6° Fahrenheit on the 9th. This extremely low tempera- 

 ture appears to have been confined to a very limited tract of country, 

 between Paris and Charleville. On the same day the temperature was 

 above the freezing point in Scotland, within reach of the influence of 

 the Gulf stream, as far north as Nairn, and in the greater part of Eng- 



