METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



METHODISTS. 





The ore, according to it* nature, is dissolved in 



aqua n;/(, hydrochloric or ttulphuriu ui-ul. Tin- 

 C"l'l licjiiiil its ircutfd with plate.-- of zinc uiid tillered, 

 when tint escape ot' hydrogen i Htill considerable. 

 Thu liqui<l is ilit-n beatod \> itli n hirge excuttti of zinc. 

 Tin 1 tfrluiinmih di-|>oMt it* wu>lit-d, and redihMilvc-d 

 in li \ drochloric acid. The new liquid i.- huuted with 

 uii r\iv "1'zinc, uud H si'i'ond jfidiitinous jirueipitiite 

 is obtained. Into the hydrochloric solution of this 

 I pivcijMtiitr formed l>y zinc a current of sul- 

 phurutt-d liydi-Mir< n i> pftMM, the liquid is filtered. 

 tin- UCOOM "f siili'liuretod hydrogen driven off, ana 

 it is t'rucuonateu with carbonate of soda, ceasing 

 \vlu-ii the ray Oaa 417 ceases to be visible with the 

 hydrochloric solution of the precipitate. The oxides 

 of dub-salts arc t.ikni up with sulphuric acid; tin- 

 solution is can-fill ly evaporated until white sulphuric- 

 acid vapors un.. no long, r, or but slightly, given off. 

 It is let cool, and stirred with water, which dissolves 

 the nia.-s after the lapse of a time varying from some 

 hours to a couple of days. The solution of the sul- 

 phate almost neutral is diluted with much wuter, 

 and raised to a boil. The sub-salt of gallium is sep- 

 arated by filtration while hot. This basic salt is 

 dissolved in a little sulphuric acid, and the liquid is 

 mixed with a slight excess of caustic potassa, so as 

 not (?) to dissolve the gallium, but to leave the iron. 

 It is filtered, and the oxide of gallium is precipitated 

 by a prolonged current of carbonic acid. This oxide 

 is redissolved in a mini. mini of sulphuric acid ; a 

 slight excess of acetate of ammonia, feebly acid, is 

 added, and it is then treated with sulphureted hy- 

 drogen. Under these conditions the gallium is not 

 precipitated. The acetic liquid is filtered, diluted 

 with water, and raised to a boil. The bulk of the 

 gallium is precipitated and filtered while hot. The 

 mother-liquor, concentrated, and boiled with aqua 

 regia in order to destroy ammoniacal salts, is add- 

 ed to the other gallium residues. The precipitate 

 formed on heating the acetic liquid is redissolved 

 in sulphuric acid, a slight excess of caustic potassa 

 is added, and it is then filtered. The potassic solu- 

 tion is electrolyzed. The gallium is easily detached 

 from the sheet of platinum on pressing it between 

 the fingers under warm water. The metal is then 

 immersed for about half an hour in nitric acid at 

 about 60 or 70", quite free from chlorine, and diluted 

 with an equal volume of water. After washing it 

 may be regarded as pure. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 

 INTERNATIONAL. At the Meteorological 

 Congress, held in Vienna in 1873, a proposi- 

 tion was adopted recommending that one com- 

 plete meteorological observation, at least, be 

 taken simultaneously at as many stations as 

 possible in all countries, and that such records 

 be regularly exchanged between the different 

 national bureaus. The United States Signal- 

 Service Office now interchanges weather-re- 

 ports with Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Great 

 Britain and her colonies, Denmark, France, 

 Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portu- 

 gal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tur- 

 key, Greece, Hawaii, and Japan. They are 

 thus capable of constructing weather-charts, 

 which exhibit the conditions of the air and 

 clouds, the direction and force of the winds, 

 and the thermometrical readings over the 

 greater part of the land-surface of the northern 

 hemisphere at a given hour of the day. Such 

 maps and bulletins, giving the same results, 

 have been published this year for the first time. 

 It amounts to an extension of our Signal Ser- 

 vice over half the globe. The data furnished 



in the reports embrace observations of the at- 

 mospheric pressure, temperature, wind, rain- 

 fall, or melted snow, humidity of the air, etc. 

 Tin hour at which the daily observations are 

 taken is 7.35 A. M. Washington mean time (43 

 min. P. M. Greenwich time, 58 inin. p. tt. Paris 

 time). The international observations afford, 

 therefore, the completes! materials for the 

 study of that heretofore vague and imperfect 

 science, meteorology. The international ex- 

 changes comprise reports from 246 several 

 stations in the eastern and 151 in the western 

 hemisphere. The same class of observations 

 are now regularly taken at the United States 

 naval stations and upon vessels-of-war, and, if 

 other navies will cooperate, synoptic charts of 

 pregnant scientific value may be made of the 

 whole earth's surface. Apart from their sci- 

 entific importance, the international observa- 

 tions are, as far as they can be communicated 

 by telegraph, of great immediate practical 

 value to agriculture and navigation in all na- 

 tions. 



METHODISTS. I. METHODIST EPISCOPAL 

 CHURCH. The following is a summary of the 

 statistics of the Methodist Episcopal Church 

 as they are officially given in the "Minutes" 

 of the Annual Conference^ published in De- 

 cember, 1876: 



