254 NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



the academies of Paris and Berlin, by Mr. Fua, and published by them, and since 

 the methods involve no new principle or mode of application, no action on the 

 part of the President or Government seems to be needful.' 



" The report was accepted and the Committee discharged." "^ 



On turning to the Comptes Rendus of the Academie des 

 Sciences, Paris, one finds this statement regarding the matter in 

 question: 



" M. Fua soumet au jugement de I'Academie quelques details relatifs a un 

 procede qu'il croit propre a prevenir les accidentes causes par les explosions du 

 grisou. Ce procede consiste essentiellement dans I'emploi de spirals de platine 

 rendus incandescentes, a certains intervalles, par le passage d'un courant electrique; 

 ces spirales mettraient le feu a des meches de coton soufre, trempees dans une 

 pate gommee de phosphore et de chlorate de potasse." '^' 



COMMITTEE ON THE EFFECT OF CHEMICALS ON INTERNAL 

 REVENUE STAMPS. 1870 



Prior to 1870 it was the practice of the Government to print 

 internal revenue stamps on ordinary paper in ink of a single color. 

 It resulted from this that by skilful manipulation the cancellation 

 marks could be removed and the stamps used a second time to 

 avoid the payment of revenue. The Government thus suffered 

 serious loss, and was under the necessity of devising means of 

 preventing the continuance of the nefarious practice. The Com- 

 missioner of Internal Revenue, therefore, introduced radical 

 changes as regards the kind of paper used for the stamps and the 

 ink with which they were printed. Instead of employing ordinary 

 paper, a special kind of paper was adopted, which was manu- 

 factured under the supervision of the Government. At the same 

 time it was made unlawful, as in the case of paper for bank-notes, 

 to make any of it, to sell it or to have it in one's possession. In- 

 stead of printing with one kind and color of ink, the stamps were 

 printed in two or more colors, and the printing was divided 

 between private contractors and the Government, the former 

 printing certain tints on them, and delivering them to the Bureau 



"' Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., vol. i, pp. 76-77. 

 "Comptes Rendus, vol. 68, p. 805. 1869. 



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