1855.] 



CANADIAN MINEKALS AT THE PARIS EXHIBITION. 



241 



will hare been completed to Pesliawur, ami he will be enabled, though 

 2,000 miles distant, to regulate the negotiations with Dost ftlahomed 

 day by day. — (^Correspondent of the Times.) 



Novel Galvanic and Electrotype Apparatus* 



An important invention has recently been specified by JMr. Charles 

 Weightman Harrison, of Richmond, Sui'rey, for " Improvements in 

 obtaining and applying electric currents, and in the treatment of cer- 

 tain products derived in obtaining the same," parts of such improve- 

 ments being applicable to the production of motive power. The in- 

 ventor employs cast amalgam plates, produced by melting zinc in a 

 crucible, and carefully adding mercury thereto in small proportions at 

 a time, through a small earthenware funnel, with the end of the tube 

 inserted in the molten metal. This amalgam is, for a short time, ex- 

 posed to a slow heat, and then cast into the form and size required. 

 Plates formed of 1 part mercury and 100 parts zinc, are said, when 

 galvanically arranged, to give a current of higher power than common 

 amalgamated zinc plates, and to retain a protective character through- 

 out. As negative electrodes, an alloy of iron and platinum, formed by 

 strongly heating the metals together in a covered crucible, is used ; 1 

 part of platinum and 100 parts of iron, give a product which is unaf- 

 fected by nitric or sulphuric acids of the ordinary commercial strengths, 

 .•md which may, when cast, bo hammered or rolled into thin sheets, 

 and cut into convenient sizes. There is a peculiarity in the form of 

 the negative electrodes which gives them a large increase of effective 

 surface over the positive electrodes, and consists of bending the jilates 

 in a zigzag manner over their whole surface, and then dividing the 

 bends to within a short distance of one or both ends, so as to afford 

 openings whereby the lines of electric induction may pass direct to the 

 back of the plates, or by partly dividing plates of metal into numerous 

 bars, or segments, by which the same increase of surface and results 

 are obtained. A powerful galvanic current is produced by bending a 

 negative electrode, formed as above, across the middle, so as to oppose 

 it to both surfaces of the positive electrode, and then immersing them 

 in a vessel containing, in addition to the usual electrolytes, an oxide 

 of chlorine, the protoxide, or euchlorine, being preferred ; such gal- 

 vanic combination, from the characteristic properties afforded by the 

 compound of oxygen and chlorine, is called by the inventor " the 

 euchlorine battcr3'." The presence of an euchlorine compound of oxy- 

 gen in the exciting fluid, gives rise to the ready production of second- 

 ary results, and thereby affords a powerful development of electricity, 

 equal to that of the nitric acid double fluid batteries ; while it is free 

 from the inconvenience attendant on their use, and, by proper adapta- 

 tions, its operations may be maintained for a lengthened period. The 

 peculiarities of the inventor's concentric battery are, that each of the 

 positive plates is formed of a like quantity of metal, consequently they 

 are progressively thicker as their size diminishes ; two negative plates 

 intervene between the positive plates, and these are separated from 

 each other by a non-conducting material, each pair of negative plates, 

 however, being united so as to operate as one plate. The whole of the 

 plates are contained in a square case, and the exciting solution em- 

 ployed, where long-continued action and moderate power is required, 

 is a saturated solution of muriate of ammonia, a supply of the solid 

 salt being placed in the vacant spaces at the corners, behind perforated 

 screens. To avoid the inconvenience which is often experienced by the 

 use of porous earthenware cells, from their being I'arely alike perme- 

 able, asbestos, or other incombustible amphibolite mineral is employed, 

 by reducing it to a pulpy mass, and manufacturing it into sheets by the 

 usual process of paper-making, these sheets being cut into the required 

 sizes for diaphragms, and the edges united with gutta percha, or other 

 material. 



The second branch of the invention consists of the application of elec- 

 tric currents around electro-magnets tlirough square or rectangular- 

 formed wires or ribbons, that conductor being found to possess great su- 

 periority over common round wire. In the application of electric cur- 

 rents as a motive power, wliat is termed a " plate horse-shoe electro 

 magnet" is used. It is manufactured of drawn phites of fibrous decarbon- 

 ized soft iron, about a quarter of an inch in thickness, which are bent 

 along the middle in the direction they have been drawn to the shape 

 of an ordinary horse-shoe magnet, anil until the arms are about a third 

 of an inch distant from each otlier ; tlio great length of poles, and the 

 large, thin rectangular arms being the main peculiarity of the magnets. 

 They can Ije applied in various ways for the jiroductiou of motive 

 power. The inventor gives descriptions of several mctiiods of produc- 

 ing motion ; it is not necessary here to enter into detail. 

 3 



The third and last branch of the invention consists of improvements 

 in the manufacture of colom-ing matter from the metallic salts derived 

 in obtaining galvanic electricity, the improvement being that, instead 

 of producing colouring materials from galvanic solutions, by the addi- 

 tion thereto of the alkaline salts of chromium and ferrocyanogen, the 

 acid solutions of these colouring bases are employed, and the chromic 

 and ferrocyanic acids are caused to combine with, and be taken up by, 

 the metallic salts or oxides. The colours thus produced are adapted 

 for use in the manner of ordinary colours, and from the fact of their 

 being principally composed of oxide of zinc, they possess a more perma- 

 nent character than common colours or paints. — Mining Journal. 



Cauadiau Minerals at tl&c Paris SxUiliitiou* 



Specimens of the following Minerals and products of SXineral origin 

 have been sent to the Great Exhibition at Paris, as representatives of 

 the Mineral wealth of Canada : 



Iron Oxydes, from Marmora, Madoc, Sherbrooke, Crosby, Hull, Leeds, 

 and Portage du Fort. 



Bog Iron, from McNab, Wallace, Lake Nipissing, Houghton, Vau- 

 dreuil, Nicolas, Machiche, Point de Lac, St. Pierre, Cap de la 

 Jladeleine and St. Valier. 



Titanic Iron, from Sutton and lirome. 



Ilmenite, from Bay St. Paul and St. Urbain. 



Blende, from Lake Superior. 



Galena, from Lake Superior, Gaspe, Kamsay and Lansdowne. 



Copper Ore, from Lake Superior, Lake Huron and Inverness. 



Native Copper, from Lake Superior. 



Gold and Silver Pyi-ites, from the Eastern Townships. 



Nickel, from Lakes Huron and Superior and d'Aillebout. 



Native Silver, from Lake Superior. 



Native Gold, from Pdviere-du-Loup, Fief Saint Charles, Aubert do 

 risle, Etchemin, Chaudiere and Famine Rivers and from the 

 neighbourhood. 



Platinum, from the Fief St. Charles. 



Iridium, from do. 



Gold Pyi-ites, from Beauce. 



Silver Pyrites, from do. 



Arsenical Pyi-ites, from do. 



Ochre of Uranium, fi'om Madoc. 



Chromiferous Iron, from Bolton and Ham. 



Cobalt, from Lake Superior. 



Manganese, from Quebec. 



Iron Pyrites, from Lanoraye and the Eastern Townships. 



Molybdenite, from Lake Superior and Sommerville. 



Dolomite, from Dalhousie, Blythefield, Sutton, Brome, Shipton, St. 



Sylvestre and Pointe Levi. 

 Magnesia, from Sutton and Bolton. 



Iron Ochre, from St. Anne, near Quebec, Cap de la Madeleine, Ship- 

 ton, Pointe de Lac and Rimouski. 

 Barytes, from Burgess and Lansdowne. 

 Phosphate of Iron, from Vaudreuil. 

 Lithographic Stone, from Marmora. 

 Agates, from the North Shores of Lake Superior. 

 Labradorites, from Grenville. 

 Jasper, from Lake Huron. 

 Red Quartz Agate, from Lake Superior. 

 Perthites, from Bathurst. 

 Rubies, from Burgess. 

 Tale, from Bolton and Potton. 

 Mica, from Grenville. 

 Plumbago, from Grenville and Burgess. 

 White Freestone, from St. Slam-ice. 

 Amianthinite, from Dalhousie and Kamoui'askn. 

 Phosphate of Lime, from Perth. 

 Gypsum, from Brautford and Oneida. 



Shell-Marl, from Ott.awa, Shcftield, Montreal and Stanstead. 

 Whet-Stones, from Madoc and the Eastern Townships. 

 Canadian Tripolitc, from Laval. 

 Slate, from the Eastern Townships. 



White Granite, from Hereford, Barnston, St. Joseph and Nicolct 

 Pseudo-Granite, from Nicolct and Lorette. 

 Freestone, from Ranisaj-, Pembroke and St. Mnnrice. 

 Calcareous Freestone, from Lauzon and Chaudier<^. 



