408 



KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



[Nov. 14, 1884, 



number more, for the spirit continued to rise for several 

 hours and filled the bladders almost as fast as a man could 

 have blown them with his mouth, and yet the quantity of 

 coals was inconsiderable. I kept this spirit in the bladders 

 a considerable time, and endeavoured several ways to con- 

 dense it, but in vain, and, when I had a mind to divert 

 strangers or friends, I have frequently taken one of the 

 bladders and pricked a hole therein with a pin, and, com- 

 pressing gently the bladder near the flame of a candle till 

 it once took iSre, it would then continue flaming till all 

 the spirit was compressed out of the bladder, which 

 was the more surprising because no one could discern 

 any difference between those bladders and those that 

 are filled with common air." In 1733 an interesting 

 communication was made to the Royal Society by 

 Sir James Lowther on the inflammable air issuing from 

 the shaft of a coal-mine near Whitehaven. " The work- 

 men were surprised, on sinking to a depth of forty-two 

 fathoms, to find a rush of air taking place, which caught 

 fire from the flame of a candle, and burnt with great in- 

 tensity, making a blaze about 3 feet in diameter and 6 feet 



high At length the heat communicated by the 



fiame was found to be very inconvenient, as it warmed the 

 pit to a high degree, and it was necessary to have recourse 



to water in order to extinguish it The part of the 



pit at which the gas escaped was afterwards securely walled 

 off, and a tube about 2 inches in diameter extended up the 

 shaft to a height of 12 feet above the surface of the 

 ground. Through this tube the gas was allowed to 

 escape into the open air, which it continued to do in un- 

 diminished quantity for several years. Many observations 

 and experiments were made on the gas which was thus 

 discharged from the extremity of the tube." One of 

 the fathers of modern chemistry. Dr. Priestley published in 

 1790 his "Experiments and Observations of different Kinds 

 of Air," in which he says, " There are different kinds of 

 inflammable air, as has been observed by most persons who 

 have made experiments with air. That which is commonly 

 observed is, that some of them bum with a flame which 

 may be called a ' lambent flame,' sometimes blue, some- 

 times yellow, and sometimes white, like the flame from 



wood or coal, or a common fire It is observable that 



when wood is heated in an earthen retort the first portion " 

 {of inflammable air) " burns with a lambent white flame, like 

 that from burning wood in an open fire." This brings us 

 very near to the introduction of gas for illuminating pur- 

 poses, for it is recorded that Mr. William Murdoch, an 

 engineer of Redruth, in 1792 actually lighted his own 

 house and office with gas derived from coal distilled in iron 

 retorts, the gas being conveyed through tinned iron and 

 copper tubes to a distance of seventy feet. 



(To be continued.) 



Some idea of the amount of engineering employment afforded by 

 brewing trades may be gathered from the following statistics : — ■ 

 England is at the head of all beer-producing countries with 27,000 

 breweries, and a product of 990,000,000 gallons annually ; while 

 Germany, with 25,000 breweries, makes 900,000,000 gallons yearly. 

 The United States, with only 3,000 breweries, makes about 

 €00,000,000 gallons per annum. Then comes France, with 3,000 

 breweries, and a production of 157,500,000 gallons ; and Austria 

 and Hungary, with 2,093 breweries, but a production of 

 280,000,000 gallons. Belgium has 1,250 breweries, which produced 

 last year 210,250,000 gallons; Holland, 500 breweries, producing 

 34,000,000 gallons ; Russia, 480 breweries, producing 8,000,000 

 gallons ; Switzerland, 423 breweries, producing 13,500,000 gallons ; 

 Denmark, 250 breweries, producing 28,000,000 gallons; Sweden, 

 220 breweries, producing 21,000,000 gallons; and Italy, 150 

 breweries, producing only 4,000,000 gallons. Nearly 80,000 per- 

 sons are engaged in brewing lager beer in the United States. 



{ n 53 a 6 g u. 



There is every prospect of next year's Exhibition being 

 a great success. It is stated that the number of applica- 

 tions abready sent in represent more than twice the available 

 space. 



There are rumours that the net proceeds of the Health 

 Exhibition amount to something like £40,000. 



For those who find pleasure in pomp and pageantry, the 

 passage of the London Government Bill would be neither 

 more nor less than a gigantic calamity; and, judging from 

 the immense crowds of people who thronged to witness the 

 Lord Mayor's Show on Monday, such people are wonder- 

 fully numerous. 



The fine weather helped materially to swell the enor- 

 mous multitude, which is conceded on all sides to have been 

 the largest ever brought together in London. The general 

 bearing of the sightseers was exceptionally good, and be- 

 tokened considerable respect for the outgoing and incoming 

 magnates. Of course, there was the usual exhibition of 

 horseplay by such gentlemen as sweeps in uniform and 

 coal-heavers in full canonicals. 



The Lord Mayor succeeded in introducing an instruc- 

 tive element into the display, which made it more ac- 

 ceptable than one could have deemed possible. He has 

 the satisfaction of knowing, too, that his efforts were highly 

 appreciated. It is to be hoped that he will experience at 

 lesist as peaceful and prosperous a term of oifice as was 

 enjoyed by his predecessor. 



From a paragraph which appears in another part of this 

 page, it will be seen that Englishmen [maintain the 

 position of " the greatest beer-drinkers in the world," but, 

 after all, they are probably wiser than other nations, if we 

 may judge from the remarkable revelations made by Mr. 

 W. Mattieu Williams in his articles on " Wine Cookery." 



SRefaifiDS* 



SOME BOOKS ON OTJR TABLE. 



Hygiene ; a Manual of Personal and Public Health. 

 By Arthur Newsholme, M.D. (London : Geo. Gill k Sons. 

 1884.) — This is a succinct Encyclopiedia of Hygiene, from 

 which details as to sanitary diet, clothing, and employment; 

 the construction, drainage, and ventilation of houses ; 

 water supply ; the prevention and cure of diseases ; acci- 

 dents and their treatment, itc, ic, may be found in 

 abundance, and studied with profit by all who wish to be 

 healthy and wise, 



A New Method of Recording the Motions of the Soft 

 Palate. By Harrison Allen, M.D. (Philadelphia: P. 

 Blakiston &. Co., 1884.) — By the aid of a copper wire rod 

 passed up the nostril, so as to touch its anterior border, the 

 free end of such rod impinging on a carbon-covered rotating 

 cylinder. Dr. Allen has succeeded in graphically registering 

 the movements of the soft palate, during the acta of 

 swallowing, sneezing, coughing, the pronunciation of various 

 vowels and consonants, and even sentences. The interest 

 and importance of this, alike to the physiologist and the 

 student of acoustics, cannot fail to be apparent 



