442 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



united, and sent Behring there to examine it in 1725. He went overland 

 by the way of Yakutsk, on the river Lena, to Ochotsk, crossed over to 

 Bolchcrcusk, and reached Nischnel Kamschatka Ostrog in 1728, and built 

 a small boat ; coasting along Kamschatka, made a mistake as to the cape ; 

 went back to Nischnel ; next year tried ago.in, but in 1733 got back to St. 

 Petersburg, and took command of a squadron for discovery, and in 1740 

 reached Ochotsk. He died in 1741 on an island called after his name. 



The straits were well examined by Captain Cook in 1779. He named 

 the western cape of America Cape Prince of Wales, and stated the distance 

 from that to East Cape at thirteen leagues only. He traversed the sea 

 north of the straits until stopped by ice. Our countryman, Le^ard, un- 

 dertook to walk to the straits and cross over to America. He set out in 

 1786. He reached Irkutsk, in Siberia, but difficulties arose and the govern- 

 ment stopped him. 



Captain Beechey, of England, is the last who examined the straits. The 

 little islands are called the Dioraedes. 



The ice is not heavy, as in Baffin's Bay, and it is believed that the straits 

 are not blocked up by ice, even in the winter. 



St. Petersburg is in latitude 59:56, Cape Prince William in 65:35. 



The London Photographic News announces a very singular discovery by 

 Mr. L. Scott. By means of which sounds may be made to record them- 

 selves, whether of instrument or voice, singing or speaking. Professor 

 Wheatstone is said to have visited Paris, and his friend, C. Abbe Moigno, 

 showed him the paper printed in that way. Mr. Scott is sanguine that he 

 can, ere long, print a speech verbatim by it. 



[London Society of Arts. By Varley.] 



SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH. 



Previous to the first attempt to lay the Atlantic cable, experiments were 

 tried, yielding the following results, viz : 



1st. No adequate result is obtained by increasing the sectional area of 

 the Conductor^ and that in a submarine circuit, a small wire transmits 

 signals more rapidly than a larger one. 



2d. That an insulated submarine wire conducts according to a different 

 law from the wire of a suspended circuit. 



3d. That the velocity of the transmission does not depend on the intensity 

 of the battery. 



4th. That Magneto-Electric-induced currents have the property of travel- 

 ling faster than Voltaic ones- — and unlike Voltaic currents, when their inten- 

 sity is increased, their rapidity of travelling is increased also. The cost of 

 the Atlantic cable was about $500 per mile. Mr. Varley believes it would 

 be better and cost but about $80 per mile. 



IRON FOR MEDICINE, 



Is now ground fine and administered in place of the oxydes or carbonates 

 we use. 



