April 1st, 1887.] 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



29 



Oakland, which had been fitted up for burning petroleum, 

 have now, after several months' experience, gone back to 

 coal. The economy, so far as the fuel itself is concerned, is 

 claimed to be decidedly in favour of the oil, but a rapid de- 

 terioration of the iron of both furnaces and boilers was 

 noticed, entailing a heavy and constant expense for repairs 

 and renewals. 



Pita Fibre. — The American Consul in Honduras (Mr. 

 Burchard) gives some particulars of the pita plant. It 

 grows spontaneously and in apparently inexhaustible 

 quantities by the margin of the rivers and lagoons of that 

 country at any point below an altitude of 2,000 feet. The 

 fibre is susceptible of a very large number of uses. The 

 people of Honduras convert it into thread for sewing boots 

 and shoes, and into nets, fish lines, and cordage. The 

 finest hammocks are made from it. Small quantities which 

 have been sent to the market have been manufactured into 

 handkerchiefs, laces, ribbons, false hair, and wigs. The 

 difficulty is to decorticate the plant without rotting or other- 

 wise injuring the fibre. 



The Discoverer of Saccharin. — In a contribution to the 

 American Chemical Journal, on Benzoic Sulphinide, Mr. Ira 

 Remsen remarks : — " This substance has recently come into 

 some prominence under the name 'Saccharin,' which is 

 given to it on account of its sweet taste. In the notices of 

 saccharin, even in scientific journals, the statement is con- 

 stantly made that the substance was discovered by Fahlberg. 

 The statement needs modification. As a matter of fact the 

 substance came to light in the course of an investigation 

 which Fahlberg undertook at my suggestion, and carried on 

 under my direction ; and it was first described in a paper 

 by myself and Fahlberg, which appeared in the Bcrichte der 

 Deiilschen Cheniisclicn Ccsscllschaft, vol. xii., p. 469. A more 

 detailed account was published later in the American 

 Chouical Journal." 



The Muir Glacier. — A paper in the American Journal 

 of Science, on " The Muir Glacier," by G. Frederick Wright, 

 contains an exhaustive study of this interesting glacier, 

 which 'lies in the Alpine region of Alaska, at the head of 

 Muir Inlet, Glacier Bay, in 5S deg. 50 min. N. lat., 136 deg. 

 40 min. W. long. It forms a frozen stream some 5,000 feet 

 wide by 700 feet deep, entering the inlet during the month 

 of August, at a mean rate of 40 feet, or 140,000,000 cubic 

 feet per day. The vertical front at the water's edge is from 

 250 feet to 300 feet, and from this front icebergs are con- 

 tinually breaking away, some many hundred feet long, with 

 a volume of 40,000,000 cubic feet. The glacier appears to 

 be rapidly retreating, there being indications that even since 

 the beginning of this century it has receded several miles up 

 the inlet, and fallen 1,000 or 1,500 feet. 



The Wesley Naturalist is a new monthly publication 

 which first saw the light at the same time that we ourselves 

 did — namely, on the first day of last rr.oith. It is the 

 journal of the Wesley Scientific Society. Its object is to 

 promote and combine the study of intellectual truth and 

 moral truth. The editors are the Rev. W. 11. Dallinger, 

 LL.D., F.R.S., Pres. R.M.S., F.L.S. ; the Rev. W. Spiers, 

 M.A.. F.G.S., F.R.M.S ; and the Rev. Hilderic Friend, F.L.S. 

 The first number contains an article by Mr. F. T. Law, 

 F.R.M.S., on "The Land of the Northern Holy Grass," 

 after which follow " Studies far the Month," which include 

 astronomy, anthropology and antiquities, biology, botany, 

 chemistry, conchology, entomology, geology, microscopy, 

 ornithology, photography, and marine zoology. It will be 

 seen that our twin brother in science covers a very wide 

 field, and with the guarantee of the many eminent names 

 that are connected with the management it can hardly fail to 

 succeed. 



Torpedo Boats and Machine Guns. — A second-class 

 torpedo boat sank at Portsmouth last month, after having 

 on the previous day been fired into from a machine gun on 

 board the Excellent. The object of the experiment was to 

 ascertain the effect of machine-gun fire on torpedo craft in 

 action, with the conditions in favour of the machine gun. 

 Ten days before three rounds had been fired, and all 

 the shots missed, although the E.xcelleut was stationary, 

 and the distance of the range was known. On the second 

 trial, the boat was moored broadside on at a distance of 200 

 yards, four rounds were fired, and the boat was struck in 

 the bows. She sank on the next afternoon, twenty-six 

 hours after the attack. The result of the experiment is 

 regarded as favourable to the torpedo boat, which could 

 have discharged all her weapons after she had been fired 

 into. The boat is now being raised, and will be handed 

 over to the Veron authorities, who will fire at her from 

 another torpedo boat while in motion and at an unknown 

 distance. 



The American' Exhibition. — For some long time there 

 have been rumours and reports of a wonderful exhibition, 

 consisting entirely of American products, that was to be 

 held at Earl's Court. The effect of considerable delay in 

 opening the show has made the British public somewhat 

 sceptical whether it would ever be held at all. There i?, 

 however, very little doubt about the matter now, for con- 

 siderable progress has been made in the erection of the 

 buildings, and when the recent bad weather came on the 

 extensive ornamental grounds v^-ere being energetically 

 pushed forward. We don't know to what extent American 

 science will be represented, but there can hardly fail to be 

 a good deal that would interest the readers of this journal, 

 if only in the machine! y department. This should be fairly 

 extensive, if one may judge by the foundations that aie 

 being put in fur motive power. It is a bold and original 

 idea to hold an exhitition of one ccunlry's products in ihe 

 capital of another country, but the plan is based on true 

 principles. 



Nazography. — It is announced that a new journal is to 

 appear as the organ of the science of nazography. Accord- 

 ing to La Science en Famillc, the author of the system states 

 that nazography permits of divining the character, habits, 

 and inclination of people by a simple inspection of their 

 noses. According to this science it is desirable that the 

 nose should be as long as possible, this being a sign of 

 merit, power, and genius. For example. Napoleon and 

 Caesar both had large noses. A straight nose denotes a 

 just, serious, fine, judicious, and energetic mind ; the Roman 

 nose, a propensity for adventure ; and a wide nose with 

 open nostrils is a mark of great sensuality. A cleft nose 

 shows benevolence — it was the nose of St. Vincent de Paul. 

 The curved, fleshy nose is a mark of donjination and 

 cruelty. Catherine de Medici and Elizabeth of England had 

 noses of this kind. The curved, thin nose, on the contrary, 

 is a mark of a brilliant mind, but vain and disposed to be 

 ironical. It is the nose of a dreamer, a poet, or a critic. 

 If the line of the nose is re-entrant, that is, if the nose is 

 turned up, it denotes that its owner has a weak mind, some- 

 times coarse, and generally playful, pleasant, or frolicsome. 



Nitrate of Bismuth for Distilleries. — The ordinary 

 fermentation process, particularly of molasses and beet-root 

 and sugar solutions, may yield, besides the desired alcohol, 

 also secondary products, which impair the taste and quality 

 of the spirits, and not rarely augment its intoxicating 

 capacity in a decidedly unpleasant manner. The formation 

 of these secondary products is due to the presence of certain 

 micro-organisms, and MM. Gayon and Dupetit have carried 



