Spontaneous Combustion of Lamp -Black. 309 



earth itself, considered in this point of view, is nothing else 

 than a great thermo -magnetic apparatus ; and, 2dly, the cir- 

 cumstance that, in the most elevated regions of the earth's at- 

 mosphere which man has hitherto been able to attain, the 

 magnetic needle remains as strongly polarized as at the very 

 surface of the globe. 



" Further, if we reason according to the ordinary laws of 

 nature, we cannot regard it as probable that the planets, placed 

 as they are right opposite to the sun, act an entirely passive 

 part. We see every where in the universe mutual changes 

 taking place ; why should the sun, on its part, be always giving, 

 and never receiving any thing in compensation ? If it were 

 so, notwithstanding the magnitude of its mass, the productive 

 power of light which it possesses would necessarily diminish, 

 after a lapse of some thousands of years, while the earth and 

 the other planets would be supersaturated with light and heat. 

 Now, this is what we do not see happening. It appears to me 

 much more probable, that there must prevail, with respect to 

 this, in the planetary system, a continued order and a periodical 

 return. The sun might be considered as the heart of this 

 system ; a common principle would emanate from this centre 

 under the form of light, and would flow toward the planets, as 

 the arterial blood flows toward the extremities ; it would there 

 be successively transformed into caloric, electricity and mag- 

 netism. In this latter state, it would flow back toward the 

 sun, as the venous blood flows back toward the heart, to be 

 reconverted into a state of light, by a' modification the inverse 

 of the first. Perhaps mathematicians might even seek the 

 cause of the laws which reo-ulatethe motions of the celestial bo- 

 dies, in this alternate transportation of light toward the planets, 

 and of magnetism toward the sun. We see motion result from 

 analogous currents in the rotatory electro-magnetic apparatus." 

 — Bibl. Universelle. 



SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION OF LAMP-BLACK. 



We subjoin the following details of an alarming instance 

 of spontaneous combustion on board the Catherine (from 

 Portsmouth to Calcutta), which we hope will be useful as a 

 warning to others, to take every precaution when they have 

 got such an apparently dangerous article as lamp-black on 

 board. 



Extract from the ship Catherine's log, 3d Feb. 1826: — 

 "Lat. 1° 37' north, long. 86° 55' east. At 1 P.M. a strong 

 smell of burning and an appearance of smoke, as if rising 

 from the fore-hold, was observed by some of the people be- 

 tween decks : this was immediately reported to the officer on 

 the quarter-deck, in consequence of which the fore-hatches 



and 



