212 



♦ KNOWLEDGE 



[April 0, 1883. 



tho starch is low, and tlio nitrogenous matter consists nearly 

 wholly of coaKiilablo albiinicn, there being but little of the other 

 or soluble forms of nitrogen present, na compared with a floury 

 sample. E. W. P. 



ANCIENT INSCRIBED STONES. 



[784] — Having seen the interesting note about Herr Eodiger's 

 discovery of ancient map-stones in Switzerland (KNnwt.EncE, No. 70, 

 March 2), it seems to mo that the stones inscribed with circles, 

 dots, lines, Ac., which occur in various parts of Ireland, especially 

 in the ancient cemeteries at Newgrangc, near Drogheda, and upon 

 tho Loughcrew hills (Sliove Na Calliagh of the Ordinance Survey), 

 Co. lleath, may have a similar meaning. 



The chief argument against these stones being map-stones is, 

 that they are inside the tumuli, where they form the sides and roofs 

 of jiassagcs and cells, in which are found tho calcined remains of 

 human beings, supposed to have been sovereigns of Meath and 

 Ulster. 



May it not be that a map, showing the territory ruled over by 

 each of these ancient monarchs, was inscribed upon the inner walls 

 which consist of large flags) of their tombs ? 





mo>' 



The drawings (Pigs. 1 and 2) are from stones on tho Loughcrew 

 Hills, and give a good idea of their general ajtjioarance. 



That these incised markings are not mere oninments, as I believe 

 is generally supposed, is shown by comparing them with the un- 

 mistakable ornamentation upon some bone implements found in one 

 of these tombs. 



Fig. 3 is from a drawing of E. Connell's, who was present when 

 the tumuli were opened. It is a fragment of bono, polished, and 

 inscribed with a compass, or some sucli instrument, and serves to 

 show tho difference I referred to. E. C. !{., co. Meath. 



AMERICAN STAR BICYCtE. 

 [785]— I presume you will easily recall to mind the lecture you 

 gave when in theUnitcd States [lly third visit thereto. R. P.] before 

 a small but delighted audience in Matawan, N.J.,of yonr subsequent 



games of chess [King's Knight's gambit — regular form — pretty 

 ]iawn finish. R. I'.], and your early departure the following morning 

 (Sunday) for Now Brunswick, to reach a town in ilaine for Monday 

 evening's lecture. Tho memory of every item, of course, lingers 

 with mo rather than with you. [Nay, but I have the clearest recol- 

 lection of that pleasant evening. R. P.] I remember my receiving 

 "Our Place Amm.;; the Infinities," as'a sort of partial kindly return 

 for a Testament with parallel columns of English and German text, 

 to which I saw yi.a took a liking. Your paper interests me much, 

 from whist and chess, to logic, mathematics, and astronomy. The 

 articles on bicycles and tricyles have also interested me, espe- 

 cially since I have become an owner of one of the " American Star" 

 kind. 



I had given up the idea, at my time of life, of ever riding a 

 bicycle. I feared the "headers." But when in Washington, D.C., 

 I saw one of the " American Star " pattern, and immediately 

 ordered one (you will sec by the enclosed sketch its peculiarities). 

 I received mine in due time, and must say I am delighted with it. 

 It has the little wheel in front, and one cannot take a " header." 

 In going do^vn steep hills, I can apply the brake, as hard as I choose, 

 with perfect safety and no fear of a " header." It is easy to mount 

 and to dismount, the backward dismount (so called) being especially 

 easy. It can be propelled with one foot, or both at the same time, 

 like a treadle, or at different times. In coasting (i.e., running by 

 gravity down hill), the legs rest at full length on the pedals, and 

 this is especially pleasing. The wheel is stronger than ordinary 

 bicycles, as the spokes are put in bracing, not like radii. You 

 may feel like printing some items from the enclosed. From actual 

 practice over rough roads, I can fully endorse its different points. 

 I will say, however, that it is not as graceful in motion as the 

 ordinary bicycle ; but this I regard as a minor point. I have 

 known exj^ert riders of the " Columbia " to sell their machines and 

 purchase the " Star," especially after severe " headers." 



I had intended giving a little item about spiders in my school- 

 room, but the length of this forbids. Chables Jacobus. 



LETTERS RECEIVED. 



J. Pakry. Letters received too late : have addressed 3,000 and 

 more, and been heard by all. — Sam. Evans. Lessons not so sound 

 as could have been wished. — Q. E. D. Has C been round B ? you 

 say " certainly not " : I should say " certainly " without the not. — 

 E." P.— C. Carns-Wilson.— A Canny Scot.-^Knowledge.— W. H. 

 Lloyd.— R. H.—N.— Constant Reader.— T. R.— P. Bancroft.— J. 

 Smith.— A. H. Atkins.— R. H. Grey.— X. H.— H. Muirhead.— X. H. 

 or X. R. Pardon me ; have never said the question of prayer (in 

 the abstract) was a scientific one. — G. M. (Sonthport). Please send 

 discount dodge. — H. Stock. — W. Miller. — B. F. — Lunabree. Please 

 apply to Publishers for required number. — J. Mason. Very sorry ; 

 the point you note involves serious loss to mvself. — G. Hornam. — 

 H. H. French.— A. B.— E. S.— J. G. Hntton.-^H. E. Curtis.— F.M. 

 Sutcliffe.— A. B. Briggs— W. H. Wilkinson.— J. A. R.— J. Murray.— 

 Y. G. G. — Original Subscriber. — H. Percival. — Hally.ards. — A. E. F. 

 — E. Anderson. — W. G. S. G. — Je veux savoir. — Veritas, — E. W. 

 Narding.— W. H. S. Monck.— F. F.— E. S. Railing.— S. Biddell.— 

 F. H. E. 



The extraordinary cold of March has attracted general notice 

 throughout Europe. Even within the Mediterranean basin intense 

 cold has prevailed, such as is rarely experienced unless among the 

 highest Alps. In the Atlantic, icebergs have been extremely 

 numerous, so much so that one Dundee steamer passed through no 

 less than 250 miles of ocean closely islanded with these dreaded 

 "bergs"— a veritable archipelago of ice. On one occasion no 

 fewer than seventy-nine of these a\vful, glittering, ghastly moun- 

 tains were counted from the bridge of the steamer, that with rare 

 good fortune safely threaded her intricate passage through these 

 perilous, " shiny, shifting, fatal cliffs." It is worth noting, by tho 

 way, that in the vicinity of the Poles there exist enormous masses 

 of permanent ice. and these have been found in Northern Siberia 

 at a depth of 382 ft. below the surface of the earth. Such 

 enormous masses of never-melting ice may really be reckoned 

 among the solid constituents of the globe ; but a question arises 

 whether, were it possible for all this ice to melt, the conformation 

 of the earth at the poles might not be sensibly modified. This by 

 the way. It is remarkable that the strength and hardness of ice 

 augment with the intensity of the cold — so much so, indeed, that an 

 ice cannon made on the ordinary turning lathe was loaded with 

 J lb. of gunpowder, and made to discharge a ball. The calibre was 

 that of tho old-fashioned six-pounder, and the thickness of the 

 cannon did not exceed -1 in. — P. R. 



