October 29, 1886.] 



SCIENCE. 



383 



the mountain by night, he spread on a plate of 

 glass a thin layei* of pliosphor of Balmain, and 

 put it in the camera, exactly as if it were a sensitive 

 plate. After a few seconds, the plate was taken 

 out of the camera, and left in the dark, in con- 

 tact with an ordinary sensitive plate. An hour 

 after, this last plate presented a good photograph 

 of the view which had been focused upon the 

 phosphorized plate. Believing that carbonate of 

 lime can, by exposure to the rays of the sun, 

 absorb some light and give it off in darkness, 

 although these rays may not be perceptible to the 

 eye, M. Zenger allowed a phosphorized plate to 

 remain at the focus of a camera for a quarter of 

 an hour, at midnight, on the terrace of the as- 

 tronomical observatory of Prague. This jjlate was 

 then left for some hours in contact with an ordi- 

 nary photographic plate ; and the result was very 

 satisfactory, since the monuments and towers 

 whose invisible image had been concentrated on 

 the first plate in the camera, came out very well on 

 the second. Another experiment was the follow- 

 ing : a piece of white paper, with a picture or some 

 words written or printed on it, was left in the sun- 

 light for an hour and then put in the dai'k, in con- 

 tact with ordinary sensitive paper. The experiment 

 succeeded well, and M. Zenger has since used this 

 system to copy bills and notes. Of course, black 

 parts come out white, and white ones, black. The 

 general result of M. Zenger's researches is, that 

 many substances absorb luminous rays during the 

 day, and at night emit these rays in such a man- 

 ner as to be able to impress sensitive plates, al- 

 though they do not impress the retina. 



The smallest country in Europe is not the state 

 of Monaco, nor the republics of San Marino or of 

 Andorre, as many think : it is a yet smaller terri- 

 tory, whose name is hardly known outside of its 

 narro>v limits, and compared to wliich the above- 

 mentioned states assume a gigantic appearance. 

 The territoiy of Moresnet is about halfway be- 

 tween Verviers and Aachen, between Belgium 

 and Germany. It comprises six square kilome- 

 tres and two thousand inhabitants, and is situated 

 in a very pretty valley. It is completely inde- 

 pendent. Its wealth consists mainly in tin ore. 

 In 1815, after the Napoleonic wars, a committee 

 was appointed to establish the fi-ontier between 

 Germany and Belgium. All went right till 

 Moresnet was approached. Here the delegates 

 disagreed. Each wanted Moresnet for his coun- 

 try on account of the riches under ground. As no 

 imderstanding could be arrived at, it was agreed 

 that this strip of land should remain independent, 

 and belong to neither country. At that time 

 Moresnet was a beggarly collection of some fifty 

 huts : at j)resent, although still a very young state, 



it is in a prosperous condition, and comprises more 

 than eight hundred houses. Agricultural and 

 industrial pursuits are carried on to a considerable 

 extent. It is governed by a mayor, or burgomas- 

 ter, chosen by two delegates, — one German, and 

 one Belgian. This imposing official — a prosperous 

 and hearty farmer — has a second, an old doctor, 

 and presides over an assembly of ten, chosen by 

 himself. This assembly does all the business un- 

 der his supervision. Nobody votes in Moresnet. 

 There is no military service, and only six francs 

 taxes. The revenue amounts to about twelve 

 thousand francs, and is quite enough to pay for 

 the roads, schools, and the military force, which 

 comprises one man of undefined grade. It would 

 seem that the mayor ought to be satisfied with 

 the state of things. Not so, however : tliis am- 

 bitious man wants to find mineral waters in his 

 territory. But none are to be found yet, so he 

 consoles himself by manufacturing soda-water. 

 Another of his ambitions is that Moresnet should 

 stamp its own stamps, and have his effigy on 

 them. But the delegates from Germany and 

 Belgium do not see the use of the thing. 



Unfortunately, fish-culture amounts to nothing 

 in France. Nobody seems to take any interest in 

 it, nor to realize how very useful and profitable it 

 might be to all if the ri\ ers and streams were 

 cared for, and fishes reared, and protected while 

 young. The French fisheries are very poor in- 

 deed, and it would require an intelligent and ener- 

 getic man to call the attention of competent 

 authorities to the fact, and try to secure their 

 good-wUl. River and pond fisheries amount 

 almost to nothing, but as yet the marine fisheries 

 have been very prosperous. This year, however, 

 sardines are very scarce. This fact is a very 

 serious one, since some sixty thousand persons are 

 occupied in the sardine-fisheries. It seems that 

 this fish is prevented from following its natural 

 course alongside the French coast, from Biarritz 

 up to Brittany, by the Portuguese fishermen, 

 who, it is said, as soon as the fish arrive from the 

 south, spread large nets, many kilometres long, in 

 theii' course, and so prevent them from going any 

 farther. So they all turn back for a while, but 

 some time after, they try to pass. This gives the 

 Portuguese a second fishing-season. The fact is, 

 that in Portugal the fisheries are very prosperous, 

 and that sardines are sold this year at the rate of 

 a franc and a half or two francs per thousand. 

 In France they are so scarce that they range be- 

 tween six and eight francs (the small ones) : fine 

 sardines are sold at from thirty-five to forty-five 

 francs per thousand. 



A new balloon has been recently tested in Paris. 

 It was built by an engineer whose name is not 



