370 



KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



[iNov. n. 



wUl not l»e touched by any eruptions, as the hwa always 

 flows down on the further side of the volcano. 



Several Russian Physicians have been making re- 

 searches as to the prevalence of colour! ilintlncss in that 

 country. Women are found less sul.ject to it than men. 

 Out of 10,828 railway servants examined, no less than 2.">1 

 vero colour-blind, and 32 proved to have an imperfect 

 capacity for distinguishing colours, making the average 

 percentage of colpur-blind 2 6. Experiments on sailors 

 and pupils in naval schools disclosed a much higher per- 

 centage — (> 08 per cent of colour-blind, and 8 5 with im- 

 perfect vision. 



The Xew York Herald office was lighted on the night of 

 Sept 4 last by the Edison system, which has been in suc- 

 cessful use ever since, the total number of lamps in the 

 installation V>eing G12, distributed as follows: — In the 

 engine and l>oiler-room, ; press-room, 98 ; folding-room, 

 ■1 1 ; stereotj-pe department, 40 ; machine-shop, 00 ; tele- 

 gram office, 9 ; counting-room, 51 ; library, 60 ; office and 

 private rooms, 17 : composing and editorial rooms, 86 ; 

 main composing-room, 196 ; halls and passage, 18 ; and 

 reflector for illuminating bulletin board outside building, 

 1 3. The current is conveyed from the dynamos (K type) 

 from the machine-room to the llrraUl building through 

 400 ft of conductors laid in a tube. The Edison Company 

 is aliout to light the American Sound Boat VUijrhn with 

 802 incandescent lamps. 



Stdkbt, New South Wales, is to have in its lighthouse 

 an electric light, the merging beam of which is to possess 

 a luminous intensity of more than 1 2,000,000 candles. 



A CRISIS in the Italian coral trade is reported imminent 

 This is due to the remarkable productivity of the new coral 

 banks discovered two years ago at Sciaccia, on the north- 

 west coast of Sicily. So great has been the output of a 

 second-grade coral that last year one-half of the exports of 

 Naples, which were valued in all at about 7,500,000 dels., 

 consisted of coral. Most of this was sent to British India, 

 in spite of the factthatthat market was overstocked. Coral, 

 l>oth in Italy and India, has therefore become a drug in the 

 market, and will not bring tho holders cost price. 



The method of cleaning brass which is in use at all 

 tho United States arsenals is claimed to be the best in 

 the world. The plan is to make a mixture of one part 

 common nitric acid and one-half part sulphuric acid in a 

 stone jar, having also ready a pail of fresh water and a 

 lx>x of sawdust The articles to be treated are dipped 

 into the acid, then removed into the water, and finally 

 rubljed with sawdu.st Tliis immediately changes them to 

 a brilliant colour. If the brass has become greasy it is 

 first dipped in a strong solution of potash and soda in 

 warm water. This cuts the grease, so that the acid has 

 free power to act 



A PBOo was found frozen in tho middle of a 250 

 pound cake of ice at New London, Conn., a few days ago, 

 but after lying for a few moments in a pail of water, it 

 showed signs of life, and was soon very lively. The ice 

 in which the frog was imprisoned was cut last February, 

 80 that it must have Vjcen frozen for nearly seven months. 



TllK C.Mil Trf.U .hmnml (New York, Sept 27) says 

 that the largest vein of coal in the world has recently been 

 discovered in wlmt was the Ute Indian lieservation, in 



Colorado. It comprises 1,600 acres of land ; the coal is 

 semi-bituminous and of jet black colour, is said to be of 

 excellent quality and almost free from sulphur. It will 

 smelt iron without coking, having been used by tho miners 

 in the neighbourhood for dressing their steel drills, and 

 pronounced liy them superior to charcoal for the purpose. 

 Three railroads arc completed within a few miles, so that 

 there is no want of transport 



MJI. Ega.sse, M.vxcjix, .\Nn Clouis-Baudet, of Paris, 

 have recently conducted some interesting experiments 

 haxnng for their object the development of a system of 

 night signalling by means of small captive balloons, to 

 which are attached incandescent lamps. The balloon ex- 

 perimented upon was about 7 ft in diameter, and was 

 made of translucent impermeable paper filled with hydrogen. 

 Within it, and suspi^nded from the top, was a Swan lamp. 

 The balloon was allowed to ascend, and when in the air 

 the current was passed through tho lamp, the eflect being 

 to illuminate the paper sphere to such an extent as to allow 

 it to be visible for a very considerable distance. By 

 suitable connections, a system of Morse signalling may bo 

 established, and messages transmitted at night with great 

 facility. Of course, the foe must be requested not to read 

 tho messages, but turn his head the other way. 



With last number the first year of Knowledge closed, 

 though the second volume will not be completed till tho 

 end of 1882. As some evidence that wo have dealt 

 fairly with our readers and subscribers (and perhaps 

 rather more than fairly), wo note that three volumes of 

 articles reprinted from KNOWLEnnE are now nearly ready 

 for issue — namely, "Nature Studies" and " Leisuhe 

 Readinos," by Messrs. Grant Alhui, Andrew Wilson, 

 Edward Clodd, A. C. Ranyard, Thomas Foster, and tho 

 Editor; and "The Staus in tiieik Seasons " (the monthly 

 Star-maps, witli notes, by the Editor). Tho price of these 

 three books (6s., 6s., and 5s. respectively) is almost exactly 

 double the yearly price of Knowledge. Besides these 

 works, a large portion of tho Editor's work on tho Oreat 

 Pyramid (published by Messrs. Chatto k Windus) is taken, 

 with the illustrations, from tho pages of Ivnowledge, as 

 are some of the most interesting ])aper3 in Mr. Mattieu 

 Williams's new work, "Science in Short Chapters"; while 

 the Publishers of KNOwLEnriE have not reprinted papers 

 by Dr. Carpenter, Miss A. B. Edwards, Dr. Ball, Mr. 

 Slack, and other writers, which have appeared in Know- 

 ledge during the past year. Adding to these tho con- 

 tinued articles on Electricity, Athletics, Butterflies and 

 Moths, Flowers of the Month, and other subjects. 

 Reviews (by divers writers). Gossip, Extracts, Notes, 

 Con-espondence, Queries and Replies, Mathematics, Chess, 

 and Whist, it must lie admitted, wo think, that wo have 

 given readers a fair return for their weekly two-pence. 



In the coming months we propose to do better still. 

 Several subscribers note, not grumblingly but flugg(!stivoly, 

 that continued articles appear at too long intervals, or 

 irregularly. This will be corroctfid. We have arranged 

 for series of papers Vjy Messrs. Grant Allen, E. Clodd, and 

 others, whose names and subjects will presently be 

 announced, each series Vicing continued, at intervals not 

 exceeding a fortnight; for weekly notes on astronomical 

 phenomena observable during each coming we(;k ; and for 

 other new features ni interest and value wliich our growing 

 experience, or the hints of valued correspondents have 

 suggested. We believe our readers will admit that 

 Knowledge grows from more to more, in interest, as well 

 as in other ways. 



