S 1 6 Full of Aaolitcs, — Croup. — Writing Paper. 



beveral minutes, gradually died away, and was followed by 

 a confused noise from the north-west. Soon after was 

 heard a whistling of bodies passing through the air, like 

 stohes thrown from a sling ; the detonation and rolling 

 noise was from the south-west to the north-east. Several of 

 these aerolites fell at Pechnieja, at a farm on the side of a 

 wood ; one of them upon the house, breaking tlirough the 

 tiles, and bending the laths that supported them. Another 

 fell on the threshing floor, and was picked up by the farmer. 

 Another fell by the side of Gourdas, and several on the side 

 of Seucourien, and one at La Praderes, near Savenens. The 

 •utmost distance between the places where they were ob- 

 served to tall was JOOO loises (about four and a half Eng- 

 lish miles). — The different specimens brought to Toulouse 

 weighed from six to eight ounces. They are not whole, 

 and have ail of them a part of their surface of a blackish 

 colour, and, as it were, carbonaceous. In the interior ij;iey 

 are gray, and resen)ble the stones that fell at Aigle, but ap- 

 pear to contain a much greater quantity of metallic sub- 

 stance. Their specific gravity is 3813. The number of 

 these stones seems to have been very considerable ; but the 

 darkness of the night, and the alarm of the spectators, pro- 

 bably prevented many of them from being found." 



M. Caron, an eminent French surgeon, and author of 

 several valuable treatises on Croup, has offered a prize of 

 1000 franks for the best answer to the following question : 

 *' Is it probable that tracheotomy can cure the croup ?" or, 

 ** What are the symptoms which require this operation in 

 the treatment of Croup ? " M. Caron's residence is at No. 7, 

 Rue Hyacmthe, a Paris, where communications iray be ad- 

 dressed. 



Two chemists of Paris have recently made two curious 

 specimens of prepared writing paper, of which the following 

 are the processes : 



1. Take gal! nuts and sulphate of iron (copperas) well 

 pulverized ; rub them dry on paper which is not smooth or 

 hotpressed. The paper will assume a grayish tinge, owing 

 to the powder which is attached to it, and which will adhere 

 Sufficiently to bear folding, &c. In order to trace characters 

 on this paper, it is only necessary to use a pen dipped in 

 water, or in the mouth, or even a pointed stick, and the 

 characters will become black and legible. 



The second process is described as differing from the first, 



in 



