754 



SCIENCE. 



Vol. II.. No. 44. 



a play written and acted by the natives of Nicaragua. 

 It dates from the seventeenth century, and is written 

 in a curious di.alect, half Aztec and half Spanish. It 

 will be ready early in December. 



— An itinerary has been issued of the first part of 

 the map of the route of the Alaska military recon- 

 naissance of 188-3 by Lieut. Schwatka. The total 

 length of raft-journey on the Yukon Eiver from Lake 

 Lindeman to Nuklakayet was 1,303.2 miles, being the 

 longest raft-journey in the interest of geographical 

 science. He gives the length of the Yukon River as 

 2,043.5 miles. 



— At the meeting of the Engineers' club of Phila- 

 delphia, Nov. 17, Mr. Edw. I. H. Howell presented a 

 sketch of the practice and peculiarities of the English 

 machinists with regard to machine-tools. He also 

 exhibited specimens of polished shafting, from 1^" to 

 2|" in diameter, cold drawn, like wire. The secre- 

 tary, Howard Murphy, read an illustrated paper by 

 Mr. G. T. Gwilliam, upon the methods of making 

 and placing the mattresses and fascines at the exten- 

 sion of the Delaware Breakwater harbor. The sec- 

 retary ijresented notes, by Mr. John J. Hoopes, to 

 illustrate methods of computing tables by successive 

 additions instead of separate calculations. Mr. John 

 Haug presented illustrated notes upon boiler con- 

 struction, touching especially upon what should be 

 shown in drawings and specifications for boilers. 

 Mr. George S. Strong exhibited specimens of cylin- 

 drical and corrugated flues ; the former readily yield- 

 ed to the pressure of the fingers, while the latter 

 was trampled upon without injui-y. The secretary 

 read, for Mr. C. J. Hexamer, a description of his 

 experiments upon, with a discussion of the causes 

 of, dust-explosions in mills. Mr. William A. Ingham 

 considered that some explosions in coal-mines are 

 probably attributable to the immense quantity of fine 

 dust in the air; and Mr. T. Mellon Rogers, in re- 

 sponse to Mr. Hexamer's comments upon the general 

 absence of adjustable rolls in Philadelphia mills 

 being a common cause of Ignition by the friction of 

 foreign metallic particles in the stock, spoke of their 

 general use in the west. 



— The mathematical section of the Washington 

 philosophical society has resumed its sessions. At the 

 meeting held Nov. 21, Mr. C. H. Kumraell discussed 

 the theory of errors as practically tested by target- 

 shooting, in which he showed the effect of a difference 

 of precision in the vertical and horizontal directions, 

 and of taking account of the lost shots on the for- 

 mulae employed. 



— G. G. Stewart of St. Thomas's hosjjital, London, 

 and Mr. G. Lathom Browne of the Midland circuit, 

 have published the reports of various trials for mur- 

 der by poisoning, from the trial of Tawell to that of 

 Dr. Lamson. The book also gives directions for analy- 

 sis, and points out difficulties that have occurred, or 

 are likely to occur, in proving the presence of poison 

 to a jury. The Chemical news considers the book "in- 

 dispensable to all chemists who practise in toxicol- 

 ogy, of great value to the medical profession generally, 

 and doubtless no less so to solicitors and counsel who 

 may be concerned in poisoning cases." 



— The Indualrie-hldtler of Aug. 4 reports an in- 

 genious fraud in jewelry. Thin plates of some pre- 

 cious stone, as for instance of emerald, have melted 

 glass of the same color as the stone poured on one 

 side. The real stone is set outside, so that, when 

 tried, the jewel presents every appearance of being 

 genuine and of the right hardness. These stones are 

 called in the trade pierres fines doublees. The only 

 test is to hold the stone edgewise, when, of course, 

 the two sides will show different refraction. Any 

 connoisseur will thus be able to detect the fraud ; 

 but, if set, this could hardly be done. 



— The Moniteur desfils et tissus calls attention to 

 a description of vegetable wool called kapoc. It 

 comes from Java, and a specimen is on view at the 

 Amsterdam exhibition. It arrives at Amsterdam in 

 its leathery covering, being itself enveloped in the 

 seeds. It is then freed from both, and is carded so 

 as to make a very light mattress wool, worth about 

 8jd per pound. One of the hotises engaged in this 

 operation had made trials in spinning and dyeing 

 this material; hut the filaments are said to be like 

 strings, and their industrial application consequently 

 a matter of uncertainty. 



— The Industrie zeitunr/ gives a description of the 

 source of the much advertised Hunyadi Janos wa- 

 ter. Fourteen springs rise in a marsh near the town 

 of Ofen in Hungary, which is the property of Herr 

 A. Saxlehnes of Budapesth. Pour of the strongest 

 springs flow into a cement-lined cistern, whence the 

 water is pumped into a second reservoir and cleared, 

 then ijassed through other purifying-vessels, until it 

 is bottled by an ingenious arrangement, ten bottles 

 being filled at once. The yearly sale amounts to 

 about three million bottles. 



— Caillaud communicates to the Geographical soci- 

 ety of Paris some statements in regard to a plant of 

 the strychnine family, native to Tonquin, to which 

 remarkable virtues are ascribed. It is called by the 

 Annamites, who make use of it, 'hoangnan.' It 

 grows in the mountains which separate the valley of 

 Mekong from southern Tonquin, and is a vine whose 

 bark, in which the active principle exists, is a violent 

 poison. Its use was communicated by a native con- 

 vert to the missionaries. M. Lesserteur, formerly a 

 missionary in Tonqhin, and now director of the semi- 

 nary of foreign missions, has published a jiamphlet, 

 in which he recounts numerous cases in which a cure 

 was effected. Dr. F. Barth(Slemy of Nantes has also 

 made a special study of the drug, which appears to 

 act as an alterative and antispasmodic. It is also 

 under investigation by the medical school of Alfort. 

 Cures of active hydrophobia are claimed for it, and 

 several cases mentioned in detail. It is also said to 

 be an antidote to the venom of serpents, and to re- 

 lieve cutaneous diseases. While under the effect of 

 the drug, it is said that alcoholic liquor or heating 

 food must he absolutely avoided as liable to induce 

 active 'poisoning. Altogether, while there may be a 

 valuable medical agent in this new drug, the acco\mts 

 given of it recall those which heralded the introduc- 

 tion of the notorious South-American 'cundu- 

 j-ango. ' 



