934 Transactions of the American Institute. 



from M'liicli the conclusion was drawn that tlie form of projectile best 

 adapted for penetrating armor-plate nnder water, is that having a flat 

 head, on account of its being less liable to deflection on striking the 

 water. 



Tungsten Steel Magnets. 



C. W. Siemens, F. R. S., stated, in a recent letter, that the metal 

 tungsten, mixed in small proportion with steel, increases the power 

 of the latter for retaining magnetism, A horseshoe magnet of ordi- 

 nary steel, weighing two pounds, is considered of good quality when 

 it sustains seven times its own weight. The famous Haarlem magnet 

 supports thirteen times its own weight. But Mr. Siemens has suc- 

 ceeded in producing a horseshoe magnet of tungsten steel, which will 

 hold twenty times its own weight suspended from its armature. 



New Liquid for the Battery. 

 M. Delaurier uses a compound, consisting of twenty parts of pro- 

 tosulphate of iron in thirty -six parts of water, seven parts of sulphuric, 

 and one part of nitric acid. He finds this most powerful and exciting 

 liquid will attack iron, zinc and other metals, without any evolution 

 of hydrogen or binoxyd of nitrogen. 



Leaf Power in Sunlight. 



M. Caillet finds that fresh, green leaves, even when separated from 

 the parent stalk, will decompose the carbonic acid in common air by 

 absorbing one atom of carbon and setting free two atoms of oxygen. 

 After being cut into small pieces, they retain this property, but lose 

 it entirely when they are crushed or rubbed. The decomposing action 

 of the leaf requires a temperature of from ten to fifteen degrees. Centi- 

 grade. 



Trinidad Pitch as Fuel. 



A dispatch from the Governor of Trinidad to the Duke of Buck- 

 ingham describes some successful experiments made on board her 

 Majesty's ship Gannet with a fuel consisting of pitch from Trinidad 

 lake, mixed in certain proportions with pulverized charcoal, and 

 then pressed into bricks. The fuel showed no signs of adhesion to 

 the bars or melting. With thirty-five per cent of this artificial fuel 

 and sixty -five per cent of coal very good results were obtained. 

 However, 4.35 pounds of mixed fuel give one horse power, while of six 

 different kinds of coal only 3.61 pounds produced the same result. The 



