TAXATION OF COLORADO MINES. 659, 



the afternoons. How does it arise then, that the forenoon is shorter than the 

 afternoon, the morning unequal to the evening ? This anomaly or equivocation, 

 is due to the circumstance, that since 1816 the clocks mark not the time, but the 

 mean time. They are regulated after a fictitious, not the real Sun. The latter 

 never arrives at the meridian two days in succession at the same hour. The "of- 

 ficial " Sun is more regular, hence, perhaps why it was invented ; the calculation 

 is made for each day, by how much it is in advance, or behind, the true Sun, 

 and the difference at noon is called the equation of time; that permits to have 

 the mean, when we have the real hour. This difference begets the inequality 

 between the forenoons and the afternoons. Accordingly then, as the mean time 

 is advanced, or behind, will the mornings or evenings, indicated by a watch, give 

 the inexact risings and settings of the Sun. These errors, in either sense, will be 

 produced during the year, save the 15th of April, the 14th of June, the 31st of 

 August, and the 24th of December, when the mornings and evenings will be 

 equal, because the true and real Sun then agree as to the hour of passing the 

 meridian. On the other hand, the most important differences will occur on the 

 loth, of February, 28m.; the 14th of May, 8m.; the 26th of July, 13m.; the ist of 

 November, 32m. The maximum difference can thus amount to half an hour. 



France may be said by her initiative of the International Electric Exhibition, 

 to have given the impulse to electric illumination ; she at present stands still,, 

 waiting to ascertain the results of the several rival systems before the public. 

 The Edison system has never exactly taken here, but it is impossible to close the 

 eyes to its working in New York, where the light is laid on with the regularity of 

 gas and water, and automatically controlled with marked simplicity. If Paris 

 remain a little behind, that must not be construed as a want of faith in the future 

 of the electric light, but to the immense resistance the gas company here can 

 make. Further, the Jamin candle, in favor here, possesses incomparable merits, 

 its lighting is automatic, it burns by its inferior end, and it yields a greater total 

 of illumination than other systems, though the initial production of the electric 

 current be common to all. F. C. 



TAXATION OF COLORADO MINES. 



H< * * * * * 



There is a good deal of dissatisfaction expressed in Colorado over the pas- 

 sage by the Legislature of the bill imposing a tax on the net output of ores in that 

 State, and Governor Grant is strongly urged to veto it. The status of the case is 

 this. A man may spend any amount of money, say $25,000 upon a mine before 

 he takes out paying ore. Immediately upon doing this, before he gets a dollar 

 remuneration for the $25,000 previously expended, the valuable ore is assessed, 

 and as it becomes really for some time merely the interest upon the $25,000 as 

 principal, the interest is of course reduced. That is, a man invests $25,000 which 

 he may lose altogether, but upon which he anticipates to realize, let us say, 10 per 



