1854.] 



MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



257 



Dr. Barth in 1850. The population is estimated at 20,000 soul's* Dr. 

 Earth found the market of Timbuctoo, celebrated as the centre of the 

 North African caravan trade, of less extent than that of Kano, but the 

 merchandize of superior quality and of greater value. He has obtained 

 a complete imana from the Sheikh for any English traders who may 

 wish to visit Timbuctoo. The country in which that city is situated 

 borders on the Zahara, and is, indeed, similar to that region, being of 

 a dry and barren description, except towards the Kowara, where it 

 assumes a more fertile appearance. September formed the height of 

 the rainy season, and the rains, though not heavy, occur every second 

 or third day. 



Dr. Bartli hoped to leave Timbuctoo " within a month " from the 

 29th of September last, to return to Sakatu, and it is most probable 

 that he will travel down the Kowara as far as the town of Say. He 

 was not yet aware either of the succour under Dr. Vogel, despatched 

 from this country in February, 1853, nor of the steamboat expedition 

 now on the eve of departure for visiting the regions discovered by him 

 in 1851 ; but it is sincerely hoped this cheering and encouraging news 

 may have reached him soon after the despatch of his letters, and that, 

 moreover, it may be his good fortune to fall in with either the one or 

 the other. 



Further communications, both from Dr. Earth and from Dr. Vogel, 

 may now be expected with every mail. 



The geographical importance of Dr. Earth's journey to Timbuctoo 

 will not require to be pointed out ; its accomplishment adds a fresh leaf 

 to the laurels of that meritorious and distinguished traveller. 

 I have the honor to be, Sir, 



y.our most obedient humble servant, 



AUGUSTUS PETERMANN. 

 9, Charing Cross, March 25. 



BooSc Trade in tlie United States. 



Of the octavo edition of the Modern British Essayists, there have 

 been sold in five years not less than 80,000 volumes. Of Macaulay's 

 Miscellanies, 3 vol. 12mo the sale has amounted to 60,000 volumes. 

 Of Miss Aguilar's writings, the sale, in two years, has been 100,000 

 volumes. Of Murray's Enclopasdia of Geography, more than 50,000 

 volumes have been sold, and of M'Culloch's Commercial Dictionary, 

 1.0,000 volumes. Of Alexander Smith's Poems, the sale, in a few 

 months, has reached 10,000 copies. The sale of Mr. Thackeray's 

 works in America is said to have been quadruple that in England, — 

 and that of the works of Mr. Dickens counts almost by millions of 

 volumes. Of Bleak House, in all its various forms — in newspapers, 

 magazines and volumes — the sale has already amounted to several 

 hundred thousands of copies. Of Bnlwer's last novel, since it was 

 completed, the sale is said to have exceeded 35,000. Of Thiers's 

 French Revolution and Consulate, there have been sold 32,000, and of 

 Montagu's edition of Lord Bacon's works 4,000 copies, Of American 

 authors, the most popular — not excepting Mrs. Stowe — is Mr. Wash- 

 ington Irving ; — and of all native works his has been the most widely 

 circulated. Prior to the publication of the edition recently issued by 

 Mr. Putnam, the sale has amounted to some hundreds of thousands ; 

 and yet of that edition, selling at SI 25 cents per volume, it has already 

 amounted to 144,000 volumes. Of Uncle Tom, the sale has amounted 

 to 295,000 copies, partly in one, and partly in two volumes, and the 

 total number of volumes amounts probably to about 450,000. Of the 

 two works of Miss Warner, Queechy, and the Wide, Wide World, the 

 sale in America has been lOl,000 volumes. The following may be 

 also noted: — Fern Leaves, by Fanny Fern, in six months, 45,000; 

 Reveries of a Bachelor, and other books, by Ik Marvel, 70,000 ; Al- 

 derbrook, by Fanny Forester, 3 vols. 33,000; Northup's Twelve Years 

 a Slave, 20,000 ; Novels of Mrs. Hentz, in three years, 93,000 ; Major 

 Jones's Courtship and Travels, 31,000; Salad for the Solitary, by a 

 new author, in five months, 5,000; Headley's Napoleon and his 

 Marshals, Washington and his Generals, and other works, 200,000 ; 

 Stephen's Travels in Egypt and Greece, 80,000; Stephen's Travels in 

 Yutacan and Central America, 60,000 ; Kendall's Expedition to Santa 

 Ffe, 40,000; Western Scenes, 14,000; Young's Science of Government, 

 12,000; Seward's Life of John Quincy Adams, 30,000; Frost's Pic- 

 torial History of the World, 3 vols. 60,000; Spark's American Bi- 

 ography, 25 vols. 100,000; Encyclopaedia Americana, 14 vols. 280,000 ; 

 Griswold's Poets and Prose Writers of America, 3 vols. 21,000; 



Barnes's Notes on the Gospels, Epistles, Sc.', 11 vols. 800,000; 

 Aiken's Christian Minstrel, in two years, 40,000 ; Alexander on the 

 Psalms, 3 vols. 10,000 ; Buist's Flower Garden Directory, 10,000 ; 

 Cole on Fruit Trees, 18,000; Cole on Diseases of Domestic Animals, 

 34,000; Leslie's Cookery and Receipt Books, 96,000; Wood and 

 Bache's Medical Dispensary, 00,000 ; Dunglison's Medical Writings, in 

 all 10 vols. 50,000 ; Webster's Works, vols. 40,800 ; Kent's Com- 

 mentaries, 4 vols. 84,000. Such a list looks rather odd under the 

 light of the misrepresentation that the Anglo-American enjoys no 

 native-born literature, and relies on English writers for his intellectual 

 nourishment. 



Production of Oxygen Gas. 



M. Boussingault has lately decribed a process by which pure oxyo-en 

 gas may be obtained from the atmosphere at a trifling cost, so as to 

 enable it to be collected in unlimited quantities, and preserved in gas- 

 ometers, like coal gas, for application to many practical uses in the 

 arts. This process depends upon a peculiar property possessed by the 

 earth barytes, of absorbing the atmospheric oxygen at one temperature 

 and evolving it at another ; or rather, the ready conversion of hydrate 

 of barytes into peroxide of barium, by a current of atmospheric air at 

 a dull red heat, and the decomposition of the peroxide, by steam, at a, 

 lower temperature, even at 212 degrees F., with re-formation of the 

 hydrate of barytes — the process being in reality a continuous one. 



It is found in practice advisable to mix the barytes with hydrate of 

 lime or magnesia, so as to prevent the fusing of the first ; this mixture, 

 when placed in an earthen tube heated to dull redness, is to be oxidized 

 by passing a current of dry atmospheric air over it. So soon as the 

 oxidation is completed, the tube is connected with the gas-holder, and 

 a jet of steam allowed to act upon it ; this re- converts the peroxide of 

 barium into hydrate of barytes, the excess of oxygen being given off 

 and collected in the gas-holder. The barytes is then again oxidized by 

 afresh current of air, and deoxidized by steam, as frequently as required, 

 thus making the process continuous. M. Boussingault considers that 

 about 1,000 cubic feet of pure oxygen gas could be obtained every 

 twenty-four hours, by the use of 10 cwts. of barytes, which will 

 answer this purpose for any length of time. 



Sugar of Xieatl R-cfusc* 



Sir : Having reason to believe, from what passed in conversation 

 with a Chemist and a Fellow of the Royal Society, that the manu- 

 facturers of sugar of lead are not aware of the nature of a greyish 

 powder produced by the solution of that metal in vinegar, and that, 

 thinking it of no value, they allow it to be thrown away, I beg to 

 mention that it consists almost entirely of silver, in a state of very 

 minute division. 



Mineralogists have long been aware that most ores of lead contain a 

 greater or less per centage of silver, and hence it was natural to con- 

 clude that the lead procured from them should also contain silver. 

 But it was reserved for an eminent manufacturing chemist, who was 

 remarkable for turning chemical refuse to useful purposes, to examine 

 this powder and collect it in such quantities as in the course of years 

 to supply himself with many valuable articles of plate. 



Your obedient servant, 



December 14, 1853. W. C. 



At the close of the meeting of the Royal Astronomical Society, 

 December 9, the President stated that operations had commenced for 

 determining the difference of longitude of Brussels and Greenwich, by 

 means of galvanic signals, with the view of forming an electric com- 

 munication between Greenwich and the principal Observatories of the 

 Continent. With respect to the velocity of the electric current, the 

 President remarked that, in the present instance, there was reason for 

 suspecting it to be affected by the subterranean and submarine passage 

 of a portion of the wire. It appeared that the time occupied by the 

 electric current in passing from Greenwich to Brussels amounted to 

 l-10th of a second, — whereas the time occupied by the current in 

 passing from Greenwich to Edinburgh, which was almost double the 

 distance, amounted only to l-17th of a second. The President ac- 

 knowledged the obliging conduct of the authorities of the European 

 and Submarine Telegraph Company, who had cordially co-operated in 

 promoting the success of this important undertaking. 



