456 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



all England to surpass for strength and tenuity. This, I believe, will bo 

 the first iron letter that ever crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Yours, &c., John 

 C. Evans." The Journal says: The iron is said to be of exceedingly fine 

 quality', and the sheet is by far the thinnest ever seen in this country. The 

 letter will be deposited in tlie museum of tlie Midland Institute. Tested 

 by one of Holtzappfel's gauges the thickness of the sheet is found to be the 

 one-thonsandth part of an inch. A sheet of Belgian iron, supposed hitherto 

 to be the thinnest yet rolled, is the 666th part of an inch thick, and the 

 thickness of an ordinary sheet of notepaper is about the 400th of an inch. 



Sunshine in Scotland. 



The meteorological returns from various stations in Scotland from the 

 year 1857 to 1863, inclusive, show that the average hours of sunshine per 

 diem was a little mere than four and a half hours. The sunniest month of 

 the year in three instances was May, in three instances June, and in two 

 instances July, 



The African Scorpion. 



Dr. Guyon, in a communication to the French Academy of Sciences, says 

 the sting of this insect (the Androetonus funestus) is not so fatal as many 

 suppose. Of grown persons scarcely one in a hundred die from the sting. 

 Children are more liable to die than adults. Those stung on or near the 

 head are in the greatest danger. 



The Long Bridge at Washington. 



This bridge, 4,046 in length, has just been completed. It has two draws 

 of 75 feet long each, so constructed as to be opened and closed in two 

 minutes. The cost of this bridge is only about $150,000. 



Gold in Connecticut. 



Dr. Keith, the mineralogist, has discovered a vein of gold on a tract of 

 land owned by him in Greenwich, Conn., which he is now working. One 

 piece of the precious metal taken out is valued at $600. The same piece 

 of land was formerly mined for copper. 



Great Bridge over the Seine. 



The Western France Railway Company are constructing a bridge over 

 the Seine 933 feet long and 45 feet wide. It will rest on five cast iron 

 piers 166 feet apart. 



Storage for Explosive Materials. 



At St. Ouen, near Paris, a large iron floating-duck or boat has been 

 launched on the canal. It is divided into 100 compartments in which are 

 to be stored dangerous volatile fluids. It is 210 feet long, 36 feet wide, 

 and 18 feet high. Ten similar floating-docks are to be built immediately. 



The Great Pyramid. 



Prof Smith, tlie astronomer royal of Scotland, is about to investigate 

 the metrology of this remarkable structure. He will take with him mag- 



