48 



MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE, 



[1852- 



idea of electricity, in consequence of numerous otstacles with regard 

 to the correct working of the telegraph wires along the streets of Lon- 

 don and the Greenwich Railway to the Royal Observatory. These, 

 however, have been overcome to the great satisfaction of iho directors 

 of the Company and the Astronomer Royal, and for the last three 

 days the experiments have been made with the most complete success, 

 the ball or globe dropping by the electric action simultaneously wilh 

 the one at the top of the Royal Observatory, precisely at one o'clock, 

 P. M., both balls being in fact, liberated by the same band. It is now 

 in active operation, and will communicate the .standard time of Green- 

 wich and London, by the different lines of railway, to all the principal 

 ports of the United Kingdom and Scotland on the same principle, as 

 arrangements have been made to make it one of the mo.st complete 

 improvements of the present day, not only as regards the time for re- 

 gulating chronometers on board vessels, but the chief public clocks of 

 the metropolis, and from one end of the countiy to the other. An 

 electric dial is now being completed in the midway opposite the office 

 in the Strand which separates the crossings, and the new lamp, or light, 

 at the top of the post has been tested as to its power of reflection, and 

 that dial or electric apparatus will show forth the hour, minutes, &c,, 

 both day and night, to the public. — [76i(?. 



Siihmarire. Hock Blasting.— The reef rocks at Hurl Gate, New York, 

 are in course of being blasted, and tlie New Tork Tribune of the 22nd 

 ult. in describing a resumption of the process, says, — " The tiring 

 recommenced on Way's Reef. Sin.-e then thirty-eight charges have 

 been fired on that rock, and we hope it will be reduced to fifteen feet 

 mean low water before the close of ne.xt week. The firing on Way's 

 Reef is fiom a battery of ten pairs of plates, placed on the metal float 

 moored on that reef As many as nine charges have been fired during 

 a single tide. As soon as Way's Reef is broken down, ' Shell Drake 

 Rock' will be fired upon, until it is reduced to fifteen feet below mean 

 low water. After that, 'Frying Pan,' a very dangerous rock in mid- 

 channel, and in rapid and deep water, will be attacked, and the firing 

 continued on that rock until it is reduced to the same depth as Pot 

 Rock, namely, 20'o feet below mean low ^ater. As soon as the rocks 

 here mentioned shall have been reduced to the depths respectively 

 stated abo^e, operations by JVIessrs. Maillefert and DeRaasloff, will be 

 commenced on Diamond Reef, situate between Governor's Island and 

 the Battery. This is a large rock in 16 feet water. A charge contain- 

 ing 500 lbs. of powder will be fired on this rock. Two blasts will be 

 made on Hallets Point, at the Gate, in which a preparation of potash 

 will be used for blasting. The whirlpool has been entirely filled up 

 by the debris of Pot Rook, and the smallest row boat may pass over 

 what was once Pot Rock, at any time of tide. This great and wonder- 

 ful result M. Maillefert has accomplished by the firing on the surface 

 of the rock under water without any drilling, 284 submarine charges, 

 containing in all 34,231 lbs. of powder, and at a cost of less than 7,000 

 dollars. It is a woik of great impoitance to the United States, and in 

 fact to the whole world, and is conducted with the greatest economy. 

 We purchase the powder, blasting-cans, and ballast-bags with ready 

 money, and pay M. Maillefert weekly a stipulated price for each charge 

 fired on the rock ; he furnishing the labourers em'Joyed, the wires, 

 battery and floats. The expense of removing Pot Rock, Fr;ving Pan, 

 and Diamond Reef, to the depth of 20^^' feet, and Way's Reef and 

 Shell Drake Rock to the depth of 15 feet below mean low water, will 



Srobably not exceed 15.000 dollars. The success that has attended M . 

 laillefert's new mode of submarine blasting will greatly benefit the 

 commerce of the world, will be tie means of saving thousands of lives 

 and millions of dollars in value of property ; for this system of sub- 

 marine blasting will be adopted in every place where dangerous rocks 

 obstruct navigation, inasmuch as but a small sum of money is required 

 to pay the expense, compared with what would be required under the 

 old system. His excellency the Portuguese minister takes great interest 

 in the.se operations, and he has communicated to his government the 

 result thus far obtained at Hurl Gate. In April last the Portuguese 

 war steamer Porto made dre.idful .shipwreck on a rock in the harbour 

 of Oporto. The most influential families in that city have now obtained 

 one of the Francis metallic llfo-boals, and are in hopes to obtain the 

 services of Messrs. Maillefert and De Raasloffto remove this dangerous 

 rock by submarine-blasting. M. Maillefert has entirely recovered from 

 the wounds he received by the disastrous explosion of a blasting-can 

 above water, during the operations on Frying Pan, on 2Gth March last." 



French Researches at Nineveh. — The Minister of the Interior has 

 received further accounts of the explorations, which are being carried 

 on by M. Place, Consul of France at Mossul, in the ruli,s of Nineveh, 

 In addillon to large statues, bas-reliefs In marble, pottery, and articles 

 of jewellery, winch throw light on the habils and customs of the 

 inhabitants of the ancient city, he has been able to examine the whole 

 of the palace of Kliors:ibad and its dependencies, and in so doing has 

 elucidated some doubtful points, and obtained proof that the Assyrians 

 •were not i<;norant of any of the resources of architecture. He has also 

 discovered a large gate twelve feet high, which appears to liave been 

 one of the entrances to the city, several constructions iu marble, two 



rows of column.s, apparently extending a considerable distance, the 

 cellar of the palace still containing regular rows of 'jars, which had 

 evidently been filled with wine — and at the bottom of which jars there 

 is still a sort of deposit of a violet colour. M. Place has, moreover, 

 discovered the storehouse of pottery, containing various articles. In 

 addition to all this, he has cau.'^ed excavations to be made in the hills 

 of Bachiccha, Karamless, Teu Lenhen, Mattai, Karaki>ck, DIgan, <Stc., 

 on the left bank of the Tigris, within ten leagues from Khoreabad. In 

 them he has found monuments, tombs, jewellery, and some metals 

 and stones. At Dgiglran there is a monument, which, it is supposed, 

 may turn out to be as large as that of Khorsabad. At Mattai, and at 

 a place called Barrican, M. Place has found bas-reliefs cut in solid 

 rock; they consist of a nun: her of colossal figures and of a series of 

 full-length portraits of the Kings of Assyria. M. Place has taken 

 copies of his di.scoveries by means of the photographic process; and 

 has been authorized to make diggings near the palaces which the Eng- 

 lish are engaged in examining. 



Prizes of the Academy nf Sciences of Paris. — At the session of the 

 22nd of March, the prize in Astronomy, for 1852, was divided between 

 Mr, Hind and M. de Gasparls, the former for his dl.scovery of the new 

 planet Irene, and the latter for that of Eunoniia. The Cuvierian prize 

 (a triennial prize and never before awarded) was given to Professor 

 Agasslz for his Researches on Fossil Fishes. 



Among the prizes offered, is one for 1854, in the department of 

 Mathematics, as follows : — To determine the equations of the general 

 movements of the earth's atmosphere, having in view the rotation of 

 the earth, the calorific action of the sun, and the attraction of the sun 

 and moon. The authors are desired to exhibit the concordance of their 

 theory with the best observations on the atmospheric nio%'eraents. 

 Even if the whole question is not resolved, but some important steps 

 are made towards its solution, the prize will be awarded by the acade- 

 my. The prize is a gold medal of 3,000 francs. 



There is also an extraordinary prize for 1853, on the application of 

 steam to navigation. The prize was proposed first in 1836, and has 

 been continued to 1838, 1841, 1844, 1848. and finally to 1853. It is 

 offered " for the best work or memoir on the most advantageous em- 

 employment of steam for steamships, and upon the best system of 

 mechanism, ' installation,' stowaae, and armament for such vessels." 

 The prize is 6,000 francs. Time,'December 1, 1853. 



A British ladusirial Wniversilt/. — In course of last month it was 

 announced in our columns that there was reason to believe His Royal 

 Highness the Prince Consort " contemplated the foui.dallon of a great 

 building and establishment in which theory would be combined with 

 practice, in tlie advancement of .science and art, by a concentration of 

 talent and skill." We believe we may now state without any impro- 

 priety that in all probability the surplus of £150.000 and upwards, in 

 the hands of the Royal Commission of the Great Industrial Exhibition 

 of 1851, will be devoted to the foundation of an Industrial University 

 in London, such as was long since mooted in The Builder. This cen- 

 tral concentration of science and industry will ultimately he organized, 

 with radii or branch institutions, throughout the whole country ; but we 

 scarcely think that the Royal Commissioners, as has been stated, have as 

 yet formed any definite scheme f.-'r the establishment of such a univer- 

 sity, although it is their known design to carry out the idea. — Builder. 



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