MISCELLANY. 



7S9 



heat ; 3. That he is entitled to the sole 

 credit of the experimental discovery of the 

 true nature of heat. Benjamin Thompson, 

 of Concord, New Hampshire, commonly 

 known as Count Rumford, should be ac- 

 corded a nobler position and a higher dis- 

 tinction than he has yet been given by 

 writers on thermodynamics." 



Antiquity of Man. — R. H. Tiddeman pub- 

 lishes in Nature an interesting paper on the 

 "Relation of Man to the Ice-sheet in the 

 North of England," in which he describes, 

 with some detail, the fossils found in Victo- 

 ria Cave, in Yorkshire, now being explored 

 by a committee, aided by the British As- 

 sociation. In this cave discoveries of a most 

 interesting character have been made. In a 

 bone-bed, beneath other deposits, were found 

 bones, teeth, and other remains of extinct 

 species of animals. Prof. Burke identified 

 remains of the Elephas primigenius, rhinoce- 

 ros, cave-bear, hyena, bison, and others, and 

 among these remains was a human bone, a 

 somewhat clumsy fibula (small bone of the 

 leg). Of this Mr. Busk says : " The relic is 

 human ; there is no room for the slightest 

 doubt on the subject." And this opinion 

 is fully confirmed by Prof. James Flower, 

 of the College of Surgeons. 



The position of the locality in which 



this bone was found makes its discovery of 



great importance. It seems to carry back 



the period when man existed to glacial if 



not to preglacial times. 



» 



Trout from an Artesian Well.— In the 



Journal of Science and Art we find a note 

 from Mr. A. "W. Chase, giving the following 

 curious information, which the author re- 

 ceived from Mr. Bard, agent of the Califor- 

 nia Petroleum Company at San Buenaven- 

 tura : Mr. Bard, wanting water to supply a 

 newly-constructed wharf at Point Hueneme, 

 southeast of San Buenaventura, commenced 

 sinking an artesian well on the sea-beach, 

 not five feet from high-water mark. At the 

 depth of 143 feet a strong flow of water was 

 obtained, which spouted forth to a height 

 of 30 feet. It was controlled with a " goose- 

 neck," and utilized. One day while the 

 agent was absent, the men around the well 

 noticed fish in the waste water. On his re- 

 turn, they called his attention to the fact, 



and, on examination, the well was found to 

 be filled with young trout, thousands of 

 them being thrown out at every jet. These 

 trout were all of the same size (about two 

 inches long), and perfectly developed. The 

 first examination was made to see whether 

 they had eyes. These were found perfect. 

 Now, there is no stream nearer than the 

 Santa Clara River, several miles distant. 

 Could these fish, then, have come from its 

 head-waters by some subterranean outlet ? 

 There are no trout in the lower portions of 

 the stream. The temperature of the water 

 is the same as that of the wells all around, 

 viz., 64° Fahr., too warm, of course, for 

 trout to live in it long. 



Atkins Charcoal Filters. —The Atkins 

 system of filtering water is spoken of in 

 terms of high commendation in Iron, from 

 which journal we take the following descrip- 

 tion of the system : The best and purest 

 animal charcoal is ground and pulverized 

 until it is brought into the finest possible 

 state of comminution, and, thus prepared, it 

 is mixed up with a definite proportion of 

 Norway tar, and a compound of other com- 

 bustible ingredients. The combined mate- 

 rials are then thoroughly amalgamated with 

 liquid pitch, and the whole kneaded up into 

 a homogeneous plastic mass, which admits 

 of being moulded into slabs or blocks of any 

 required dimensions and shape. These 

 blocks having been allowed to dry and 

 harden, are subsequently carbonized by be- 

 ing subjected to a process of incineration 

 by heat ; and, in this manner, all the com- 

 bustible ingredients are burnt out of the 

 block, leaving nothing behind but the ani- 

 mal charcoal in the form of a block of char- 

 coal, permeated throughout by innumerable 

 pores, admirably adapted for the mechanical 

 infiltration of fluids, while subjecting them, 

 in a minutely subdivided state, to the chem- 

 ical absorptive and purifying action of the 

 carbon itself. 



These carbon-blocks are chiefly cast in 

 cylindrical forms, so arranged that the per- 

 colation is from the external periphery in- 

 ward, and the centre of the block is hollow, 

 forming a tube whence the filtered water 

 flows. In this way the bulk of the impuri. 

 ties is deposited on the outside of the block, 

 whence it may be removed by washing with 



