SJIENTIFIC iNTELLlGEXCE. 



tl86'2. 



E.xccflk'iiey the Governor General, lia\iiiy reference to the estub- 

 hshmeut of a Correspondence between the Society of Arts and 

 the Canadian Institute, for cert;iiu purposes connected ^Yith Arts, 

 Manufactures and Commerce, therein set forth, and in reply to 

 inform you, that having submitted the same to. the Council of 

 the Canadian Institute, I am directed to request that you will 

 a'ssure His Excellency that the Council will gladly take every 

 means in its power of promoting the intentions of the Society of 

 Arts; that it will be happy to receive any coramunicatious and 

 act upon the suggestions of that Society; and is prepared to 

 become the medium of transmission to it of information relative 

 to the productions and resources of Canada ; of the inxentions of 

 pei-sons resident in the Province, together with whatever else of 

 local interest may appear to f;dl within the scope of its enquiries, 

 or be deserving of its notice. 



I am further directed to transmit for the information of the 

 Society of Arts, a Copy of a Charter of Incorporation of the 

 Canadian Institute, of its By-laws, and of a Circular of Enquiry 

 lately issued under the authority of the Coimcil, by which it will 

 appear that the Institute is already in some degree engaged in the 

 pursuit of those objects which the Society of Arts contemplates, 

 and the attainment of which the co-operation and support of that 

 Society will most powerfidly and opportunely advance. 

 I have the honor to be, Sir, 



Your most obedient humble Servant, 



FRED. CUMBERLAND, 

 The Hon. R. Bruce, Corresponding Secretary. 



Governor'' s Secretary, 

 Quebec. 



SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE. 



Chemistry and Physics. 



Guiding Bird's battery and dccomposivg cell. — Tliis apparatus wliich 

 ran be constructed in half an hour at a very trifling expense, is 

 exceedingly interesting as affording a constant current for a long 

 period of time and effecting decompositions which batteries of the 

 ordinary form and of considerable magnitude often fail in producing. 

 The battery consists of an outer jar (6) of glass 8 inches deep by 2 

 inches in diameter, the inner cylinder (a) is four inches long and 1'^,' 

 in diameter, closed at one end by a plug of plaster of Paris seven 

 tenths of an inch thick, and fastened into the outer jar by means of 

 pieces of cork. Into the inner cylinder is placed a slip of sheet 

 copper (c) 4 inches by 3 with an attached conducting wire also of 

 copper. In tbe outer jar, below the inner cylinder is placed a coil of 

 fcheet zinc furnished with a conducting wire. The inner cylinder is 

 filled with a saturated solution of sulphate of copper, the outer jar 

 •with a weak solution of common salt, both fluids standing at the same 

 level. After some weeks beautiful crystals of metallic copper, red sub- 

 oxide, and of sulphate of soda arc found adhering to the copperplate 

 in the iuner cylinder. 



The decomposing cell is 

 the counterpart of the bat- 

 tery itself, the inner cylin- 

 der {r) being about ^v, inch 

 wide and 3 inches long ;ind 

 furnished with a platinum 

 plate (pi,) the outer cylin- 

 der (d) Isfilled with a weak 

 solution of common sail and 

 contains an amalgamated 

 zinc plate (jt) The con- 

 nections v.i.\ be seen from 

 the engraving ; the inner 

 i\lii.Jei- is iutinded to re-ceive the metallic or other sjlution which 

 is 1(1 be dcciiinp sed, and the battery and cell form together an 

 an;ngcn;inl of two active cells with four clenicnt.s. When the inner 



cylinder of the decomposing cell Is filled with solutions of the nitrates 

 of iron, copper, tin, zinc, bismuth, antimony, lead or silver, the metals 

 are deposited on the platinum frequently in a crystalline form. This 

 is especially the case with copper and silver. An alcoholic solution of 

 fluoriilo of silicon gives in 24 hours a black deposit of free silicon 

 e.xhibiling a tendency to crystalize. An aqueous solution of the same 

 gives rise to the formation of minute crystals of quaitz sufficiently 

 hard to scratch glass. 



By a slight modiScation of the apparatus. Dr. Bird succeeded in 

 effecting the decomposition of the bichloridesof potassium and ammo- 

 nium. A funnel is substituted for the inner cylinder in the decom- 

 posing cell, the bottom is closed by plaster or stucco, and a piece of 

 test tube containing mercury is put in the place of the platinum plate 

 (pi, J being connected with the conducting wire by means of a spiral 

 wire of platinun'. With such an arrangement it is oidy requisite to 

 leave the battery in action for a few hours to obtain m the one case 

 the amalgam of potassium, in the other the bulky compound of 

 mercury and ammonium. 



Use of Oxide of Zirc as a Pigment. — The poisonous nature 

 of the carbonate of lead, or white lead, rondel's the manufac- 

 ture of this most valuable pigment exceedingly injurious and often 

 f.ital to the workmen, and it has long been wished that some in- 

 nocuous compound might be discovered which could be substitut- 

 ed fur it. The peculiar property which lenders the carbonate of 

 lead so valuable, is what is tecnically called its " body," viz., the 

 power of completely covering and concealing any other even dark 

 color, when applied in a thin coating after having been nibbed up 

 with oil. Many other substances might be applied as a white paint if 

 they possessed this property, but as yet all but the oxide of zinc have 

 been found deficient, for instance the sulphate of Baryta (Heavy Spar) 

 which is found in large quantities as a mineral and in a state of great 

 pu:ity, is sometimes sold instead of white lead, for which it might 

 easily be mistaken on account of its high specific gravity, it possesses 

 however no body. The carbonate of zinc obtained by precipitation is 

 equally useless from the same cause, but it has been found that the 

 oxide produced by the combustion or oxidation either of metallic zinc 

 or of some of its ores, can be en ployed with advantage. 



The manufacture of this substance as a pigment is now carried on 

 to a considerable extent on this continent by tho New Jersey Zinc 

 Company, tho quantity produced daily amounting to 5000 pounds. 

 (Sillimaii'a Journal, May 1852.) 



The ovens are of brick and very low, but of large superficial area, 

 they are heated both above and below by anthracite firo. Each oven 

 is charged with 1000 pounds of the crushed ore, (Red Zinc and 

 Fianklinite) mixed with an equal bulk of anthracite coal dust. A 

 current of atmospheric air is established by pipes of iron proceeding 

 from each oven to a large tube, in which a stream of air is kept moving 

 by means of a fan wheel. The carbon of the anthracite reddens the 

 ores and forms metallic zinc which, however, is immediately burnt by 

 the oxygen of the air and produces the oxide ; that is carried off by 

 the current through long tubes into sacks of closely woven muslin out 

 of which it is from time to time removed into casks. The oxide is 

 never perfectly pure, from small particles of dust being carried along 

 with it. 



Although oxide of zinc is decidedly preferable to carbonate of lead 

 on account of its salubrity, yet it does not appear that it is entirely 

 free from all poisonous properties, for several cases of severe colic 

 have been observed, evidently resulting from exposure to its iiifluenco. 

 One case was that of a man employed in putting the oxide into barrels, 

 who was effected with all the symptoms of violent colic. Other 

 instances were observed among workmen employed in cutting and 

 twisting the wires used for securing champagne casks. Formeily 

 common iron wire was employed, but in 1850 galvanized iron was 

 substituted, (i.e. wire covered with zinc). The wire was covered with 

 a white dust coiitaining oxide and caibonate of zinc but no lend. In 

 a few days they Wire all affected with colic. On working with sonve 

 wire freed from this adhc:ii'g dust, no ill eflccts were observed. 



