532 
sorbent matters 5 and probably, as appears 
to us, the effect may arise.im consequence 
of what, M, Venturi denominated 'the-/ateral 
communication of motion, ‘exerted -'by,,co- 
lumns;_of,-moying) fluids); especially as,the 
doctor found the absorption not to be, de- 
pendant on, the life .of the animal. ||We 
strongly, recommend, the perusal of M. Ma- 
jendie’s memoirs to, “every medical, man: a 
translation of itappears in No,8,of Silliman’s 
American Journal, 
i Electrical “Currents may be variously ex- 
citedi-In galvanic circuits; a watery fluid 
is} ‘as’ is Wwell®known, interposed between 
solid“¢onductors: and hence Messrs. Fou- 
rier and Oersted propose to call this the 
hydro-clectric circuit. The recent discovery 
of M. ‘Scebeck, wherein an electric current 
is excited ina cireuit, formed exclusively of 
solid'conductors, merely by disturbing the 
equilibriam ‘of temperature of its parts, by 
heating or cooling them, locally: this they 
ae tial to name’ the thermo-electric circuit. 
Patents for Mechanical and Chemical Inventions. 
(Janel, 4 
More, recently,: M. | Debereinet Hast aigco- 
vered'\that solid condiietors’of iplatiniarni, 
with; interposed! hydrogen «pass alacant 
powerful electrical:|current # to whieh’ last 
mode, of excitation;:perhaps; by + Of dis- 
tinction, the term gasco-clectric circuit “May 
not! be inapplicable. Phe #iéPnbvelectitc 
circuit, wnder its various ‘mddifichtions}" is 
to the number and alternations ‘of the bas 
of metal in closé contact; :forining! theseit- 
cuit, \and as tothe) places) emndodextiees Of 
applying heat or-coldy or both; t6 its varidtis 
parts, has been the’subject of “an elabérite 
course of experiments, by Messrs? Fotirier 
and Oersted, in vol.22 of thevfan, dé\enimniee: 
see also the Quarterly Journal of *Seikiive, 
No. 31. The gaseo-electric ‘eivéuit (if so 
we may denote the very recent’ distovériés 
of M. Deebereiner)) has been the es Of 
two letters by him’ to<M, oSchweig 
which are contained in ‘the’ 'PHil6s0j neal 
Magazine, No. 306. See! also our 57th vol, 
pe. 957, 4 yobmomsi3 
sa} J Dios ov8 wd, 
to stis ori 
PATENTS FOR MECHANICAL AND cHEiMi¢AL al os 
INVENTIONS. sand Yo 
eos 
iif ne anisi = 
oe Lae Wineee of Marylebone» Middlesex ; 
fore Floating Breakwater, for protecting a 
, Harbouns on Shipping -place.—=15th iemak- 
PY AB24n |) 
4 SHE principle of this invention consists 
Inuusing a series: of large open rafts of 
timber, floating on the surface of the sea, and 
confining them there by mooring chains, in 
order to divide and breax the force of the 
waves and swell of the sea, before they 
enter.a harbour, shipping-place, or bathing- 
place, &e.; and the effect of such a mode of 
producing comparatively still water, haying 
(as the patentee observes, in. No. 271 of 
the. “‘ Repertory of Arts,”) little, if any, 
tendency, to cause silt or mud to accumu- 
late in a harbour so protected, as almost 
invariably ,happens behind. fixed piers. or 
breakwaters. 
Each individual raft, or frame, is descrited 
as. composed. of, eleven beams of tim- 
ber, sixteen to eighteen inches square; six 
of them of, the Jength of about thirty feet, 
and the other five thirty-eight ‘to forty feet 
long; the longer beams are disposed paral- 
lel to: eachother; two pair of them (touch- 
ing.one, another), atthe distance of twenty 
feet apart, and the other midway between 
these, piers ; and the six shorter beams are 
disposed jacross these, parallel-wise, three 
‘of them below, and; three of them, above 
_the Jong beams: the two.outerones of these 
_last, .at.. twenty feet apart, and, the other 
intermediate... The -beams-being thus, dis- 
posed, fifteen, strong copper Wolts.are passed 
through the seyeralplaces,, where three 
beams cross and ay upon |.each; other, and 
are, firmly secured, by, sereyy-nutsy! or by 
riveting ; and the ends ef,the timbers; which 
‘Tafts to be disposed at their mdorigs,. 
*caltse, becoming» water eee 
sd eros 
project in pairs, bofne eve volted  éXboal 
places, are further secured: by Heinip tight 
lapped with well-tarred ropes‘! ows ne on 
Such are the dimensions and° modé ’6f 
attaching together the’ timbers of ‘éaeli@6f 
the rafts, which, in)’ medium ®-casés) the 
patentee prefers ; but he does*not* ‘iW his 
specification appear “to rest™his! Gains” on 
any particular dimensions, or! ott'this*Orany 
other particular mode~of Nene di or 
mooring his rafts. L astaand-0L 
In situations where oaly motdnetendized 
waves, or degrees of swell; have ‘ever'been 
experienced, perhaps rafts only t two timbers 
thick at the bolting-places may \ suffice; 
and, on the contrary, where stornis of more 
than ordinary violence are to” he expected, 
or where very still, water is required, other 
sets (of two or five'timbers),” to the’ nuii- 
ber of one, tivo, Or threé sets, may; be 
necessary to be piled up;:in» the -order'bé- 
fore mentioned, before “passing the’ Holts 
through the whole of .them:;. Oaabaty day 
sinking deeper -into»the awater, st oa 
also more aboye ‘it, the” Herre Past ‘st 
may be sufficiently: broken, by passing ‘over, 
through, and under the rafts ; ‘when sécx ely 
moored, with their longest sides ‘Opy 
the wind, current, ‘or:wavess: dfDenaeveral 
certhee 
‘separately, O2,,.in-one;0F) qnonensenesor 
tiers, and the latter either’ connected: 
ther by chains, or ‘not, accor ding as as 
situation: may, to;an experienced engineér 
‘seem to requires | Tn'ease! sh nds of 
wood. being, usedy,.o7).t he. rafts,, drom any 
or buoys. must be affixed ta ila Cen 
securing at all- times the necessary buoyaney. 
General 
