190 



Intelligence and Miscellanies. 



every night. But it is not only for light that these lamps will 

 be found useful, they will serve also for fire. By a small one, 

 containing only twenty-five cubic feet of gas, water and 

 eggs have been boiled, and a beaf steak very delicately dres- 

 sed, every morning and evening, for a fortnight. A kettle 

 full of water, placed over tiie jet, boils in four minutes. The 

 light is found so delightful, that, we believe, many will soon 

 give up candles altogether. With regard to any danger 

 which the timid or the ignorant may suppose to be connec- 

 ted with the use of these lamps, no prejudice can be more 

 absurd ; for, even though the whole gas that any of them 

 contains was to escape, no explosion could possibly take 

 place, if the atmospheric air was in its natural state of heal- 

 thy circulation. It is only where the atmospheric air is com- 

 pletely pent up, and stagnant, that it could become so im- 

 pregnated with gas as to be susceptible of combustion. In 

 no properly ventilated house is this ever the case ; besides, 

 it would only be in consequence of extreme negligence that 

 the gas could ever escape at all ; and the best of all proof 

 that no accident will happen is, that no accident has hap- 

 pened. — Edinburgh paper. 



II. Domestic. 



1 . Temperature of water in wells, observed by Gen. Field. 

 — The following is a table of observations, made on the 

 Avaters of six wells, in this village, with a view of ascertaining 

 the various degrees of temperature at different seasons of 

 the year. The wells were from fourteen to twenty two feet 

 deep, (none in the vicinity being deeper than twenty two 

 feet,) most of which I carefully examined weekly for two years. 

 To avoid prolixity, I have taken the mean temperature of all 

 the wells monthly, and the following is the result. 



January 15, 



February 15, 



March 15, 



April 15, 



May 15, 



June 15, 



July 15, 



August 1 5, 

 September 15, 

 October 15, 

 November 15, 

 December 15, 



