1826. ] 
prising, his failures not exceeding one in 
twenty. The patients who, before the opera- 
tion, could only distinguish day from night, 
could, after it, clearly and distinctly point 
out the figures on the face of a watch, which, 
considering the advanced age many of them 
had attained, was as much as could reason- 
ably be expected from them. Mr. R. dis- 
penses with all the usual preparations re- 
commended by authors, and which are cer- 
tainly caleulated to excite alarm in the mind 
of the patient: he thinks not of chairs, 
stools, pillows, speculums, &c.; but, with 
his native assistant to raise the upper eye- 
lids, the patient is seated on the floor of the 
room, or, provided there be light sufficient, 
wherever by accident he may be standing. 
Something is given to him to hold, with the 
view of diverting his attention; when, 
kneeling, Mr. R. introduces the needle, and 
quickly removes the lens and its capsule 
from the axis of vision. In this position, 
and without any support, he operates, if ne- 
cessary, on both eyes, and uses his right and 
left hand with equal steadiness and dexte- 
rity. In this way he has restored more than 
.2,000 blind to sight, and examined more 
than 3,009 cases of cataract. Great expe- 
rience has taught him that that operation 
will be the most successful which disturbs 
the eye least, is performed with the greatest 
facility, and is attended with the smallest de- 
gree of pain, and that is least likely to ex- 
cite subsequent inflammation. Couching, 
Mr. R. observes, is as easily performed as 
blood-letting ; and, when skilfully done, oc- 
casions so little pain, that the patient is often 
not sensible that an instrument has been 
introduced into the eye. Secondary cata- 
ract is always the fault of the operator. 
Experiments on Steam.—tIn the seventh 
chapter of the fifth book of Agathias (one of 
the most distinguished of the Byzantine 
historians), under the year 557, are some 
singularly curious details respecting the ef- 
fects of the expansive force of steam, pro- 
duced by Anthemius, the famous architect 
of Saint Sophia, at Constantinople, and 
which is probably the oldest experiment of 
the kind of which we have any account. 
The following is an abridgment of Aga- 
thias’s account :—‘ Anthemius had a neigh- 
bour named Zeno, a celebrated rhetorician ; 
their houses joined together in such a man- 
mer as to appear only one. In course of 
time, some dispute arose between them that 
ended in a lawsuit, in which Zeno pleaded 
his own cause, and gained the victory. An- 
themius finding himself unequal to cope 
with his adversary in eloquence, resolved to 
give him a proof of his superiority in his own 
art. The lower part of Zeno’s house was so 
connected with his as to-afford him the ne- 
cessary facilities for executing his scheme. 
He procured several large vessels, which he 
filled with water, to which he attached long 
eathern pipes, wide enough at bottom to 
cover the vessels entirely, and very narrow 
at the tops, which he fixed to the joists of 
Varieties, 
543 
his neighbour’s floor, with so much nicety, 
that not a particle of the vapour which 
ascended could escape. “He then lighted a 
great fire under the vessels. As soon as the 
water began to boil, it threw up a thick 
steam, which rose with violence, and pressed 
against the joists with so much force, as to 
make the floor and the whole house shake 
and tremble, so as to resemble the shock of 
an earthquake; the servants of Zeno were 
so terrified as to run out into the strect,” 
&e. 
Improvement of Candles.—Steep the cot- 
ton wick in lime-water, in which has been 
dissolved a considerable quantity of nitrate 
of potassa (chlorate of potassa answers still 
better, but is too expensive for common prac- 
tice) ; and, by these means, a purer flame 
and superior light is secured, a more perfect 
combustion is ensured, snuffing is rendered 
nearly as superfluous as in wax candles, 
and the candles thus treated do not “ run.” 
The wicks must be thoroughly dry before 
the tallow is put to them. 
Silver Mine in Australia.—Australia, 
it is well known, is daily rising into com- 
mercial importance, and attracting the at- 
tention both of the speculating capitalist and 
the needy adventurer; and this alone, 
of all the colonies of Great Britain, is, 
perhaps, the only one from which the 
mother country may receive any advantages 
equivalent to the expense incurred. A short 
time since, a silver mine was discovered in 
the western part of this country, by W. Law- 
son, Esq. ; specimens of which are now in 
Sydney, if none have been as yet forwarded 
to England. 
The Jaculator Fish of Java.—An ac- 
count is given, in the last number of the 
Edinburgh Journal, of these extraordinary 
animals, by a gentleman who found them in 
the possession of a Javanese chief. The 
fish were placed in a small, circular pond, 
from the centre of which projected a pole 
upwards of two feet in height. At the top 
of this pole were inserted small pieces of 
wood, sharp-pointed, on each of which were 
placed insects of the beetle tribe. When all 
had become tranquil after the placing of the 
beetles by the slaves, the fish came out of 
their holes, and swam round about the pond. 
One of them came to the surface of the wa- 
ter, rested there, and, after steadily fixing 
his eyes for some time on an insect, it dis- 
charged from.its mouth a small quantity of 
watery fluid, with such force and precision 
of aim, as to force it off the twig into the 
water, and in an instant swallowed it. After 
this, another fish came and performed a 
similar feat, and was followed by the others, 
till they had seized all the insects. He ob- 
served, that if a fish failed in bringing down 
its prey at the first shot, it swam round the 
pond till it came opposite the same object, 
and fired again. In one instance, he re- 
marked one of. the anismals return three 
times to the attack before it secured its prey ; 
but, in general, they seemed to be very ex- 
