SCIENCE. 



339 



mixture (mass action.) Pure palladium, even in thin leaves, 

 is not easily soluble in nitric acid, whilst all the other pla- 

 tinum metals are perfectly insoluble if in a moderately com- 

 pact condition. Palladium cannot be isolated by agitation 

 with mercury from a solution which, along with the platin- 

 um metals contain base metals, such as copper, lead, &c, 

 since the mercury precipitates, not merely the palladium, 

 but all the other platinum metals, forming probably amal- 

 gams. From the platinum metals thus precipitated by 

 mercury, metal free from mercury cannot be obtained by 

 distillation and subsequent ignition, since a part of the 

 mercury forms a stable compound with the platinoids. 

 — Theodor Wilm. 



Glycerin. — Notwithstanding the low price which pre- 

 vails for almost every description of raw produce and 

 manufactured goods, there are a few articles which form 

 notable exceptions. Perhaps one of the most remarkable 

 of these is refined glycerin, which, within the last two 

 years, has advanced from about ,£30 to .£130 per ton avoir- 

 dupois for 30° B. This enormous advance is due partly to 

 increased consumption, diminished production and the in- 

 fluence of speculation working on a market devoid of stocks. 

 In view of the present position of the article and the pros- 

 pect of a continuance of high prices for a considerable time 

 to come, the attention of soapmakers is now being turned 

 to the utilization of their waste "leys," and various new 

 processes for recovering the glycerin contained in these 

 liquors have lately been tried with more or less successful 

 results. Apart from minor impurities, waste soap "leys" 

 are generally found to contain glycerin, carbonate of soda 

 or caustic soda, chloride of sodium, gelatin and albumen. 

 One of the processes for recovering the glycerin which 

 promises to be the most economical and the most success- 

 ful begins with concentrating the liquor until the salts con- 



tained therein begin to crystallize. The liquid is then cooled 

 and filtered to rid it of gelatin and albumen. It is after- 

 wards made to absorb carbonic acid, which precipitates 

 bi-carbonate of soda, and which is separated from the liquor 

 in the usual way. After undergoing this process the liquor is 

 then made to absorb gaseous hydrochloric acid until what 

 remains of carbonate of soda has been converted into chlo- 

 ride, and further, until all, or almost all, the chloride of 

 sodium has been precipitated and separated from the liquor 

 in the usual manner. Arrived at this stage, the liquor con- 

 tains water, glycerin and hydrochloric acid. The acid is 

 then evaporated entirely and absorbed in water for using 

 afresh. The dilute glycerin remaining can be purified by 

 filtering it through animal charcoal or by concentrating and 

 distilling it in the usual way. 



An Industrial and Technological Museum. —An In- 

 dustrial and Technological Museum of a very comprehen- 

 sive character is in course of organization at Sydney. It is 

 to include animal, vegetable and mineral produce in the crude 

 and in the manufactured states: waste products, of whatso- 

 ever origin, foods with their constituents, and that necessary 

 shadow side of the picture, their adulterations ; educational 

 appliances ; sanitary apparatus and systems, models, plans, 

 machinery, etc., for mining ; agricultural machinery and 

 manures ; models, drawings, and descriptions of patents ; 

 a department of economic entomology; ethnological speci- 

 mens, etc. One remark in the prospectus may call up a 

 smile. The museum is intended to occupy a similar posi- 

 tion to the South Kensington Museum. This might be 

 construed to mean that it is to occupy a site as far out of 

 the way of merchants, manufacturers, patentees, etc., as 

 possible. We need scarcely say that the project has our 

 best wishes. 



METEOROLOGICAL REPORT FOR NEW YORK CITY FOR THE WEEK ENDING JULY 9, 1881. 

 Latitude 40 45' 58" ; Longitude 73° 57' 58" ; height from ground, 53 feet ; above the sea, 97 feet ; by self-record- 

 ing instruments. 



BAROMETER. 



THERMOMETERS. 





MEAN FOR 

 THE DAY. 



MAXIMUM-. 



MINIMUM. 



MEAN. 



MAXIMUM. 



MINIMUM, 



maxi'm 



JULY. 



Reduced 

 to 



Freezing. 



Reduced 

 to 



Freezing. 



Time. 



Reduced 

 to 



Freezing. 



Time. 



Dry 

 Bulb. 



Wet 

 Bulb. 



Dry 

 Bulb. 



Time. 



Wet 

 Bulb. 



Time. 



Dry 

 Bulb. 



Time. 



Wet 

 Bulb. 



Time. 



In Sun. 



Sunday, 3 



Monday, 4 __ 



Tuesday, 5 



Wednesday, 6 



Thursday, 7... 

 Friday, 8... 

 Saturday, }-.. 



29-974 

 29.861 

 29.850 

 29.828 

 29.983 

 29.927 

 30.059 



30.100 

 29.898 

 29.906 

 29.902 

 30.002 

 29.998 

 30.090 



a. m. 



a. m. 



9 a. m. 

 12 p. m. 



9 a. m. 

 12 p. m. 

 12 p. m. 



29.898 

 29.800 

 29.790 

 29.750 

 29.892 

 29.836 

 29.998 



12 p. m. 



5 p. m. 

 7 p. m. 

 4 a. m. 



12 p. m. 



6 a. m. 

 a. m. 



77-3 

 71.6 



77-3 

 82.7 

 76.0 

 67.0 

 70.3 



67-3 

 67.6 

 70.7 

 75 -o 

 69.3 

 65.0 

 66.6 



87 

 85 

 85 

 88 

 83 

 7t 

 80 



5 P- m. 

 1 p. m. 

 5 P- m, 

 4 p. m. 



3 P- m. 

 7 a. m. 



4 p. m. 



71 



72 

 75 

 79 

 71 

 69 

 72 



6 p. m. 

 1 p. m. 

 5 p. m. 



7 P- m. 



3 P- m. 

 7 a. m. 



4 p. m. 



65 

 70 

 68 

 74 

 70 

 64 

 63 



5 a. m. 

 5 a. in. 

 3 a. m- 

 5 a. m. 



5 a. m. 

 2 p. m. 



6 a. m. 



60 

 66 

 66 

 70 

 68 

 63 

 62 



5 a. m. 

 5 a. m. 

 3 a. m. 

 5 a. m. 



5 a. m. 

 2 p. m. 



6 a. m. 



139- 

 136. 

 138. 

 147. 

 143- 

 85. 

 140. 



Mean for the week 29.926 inches. 



Maximum for the week at o am., July 3rd 30.100 " 



Minimum ** at 4 6th _ 29.750 H 



Range 350 " 



Dry. Wet. 



Mean for the week 74.6 degrees 68.8 degrees.' 



Maximum for the week, at 4 pm. 6th. 88. " at 7 pm 6th, 79. " 

 Minimum " " 6am.9th.63. 14 at 5 am 3rd, 60. " 

 Range " ** 25. " ig. " 



WIND. 



HYGROMETER. 



CLOUDS. 



RArN AND SNOW. 



JULY. 



DIRECTION. 



VELOCITY 

 IN MILHS. 



FORCE IN 

 LBS. PER 

 SQR. FEET. 



FORCE OF VAPOR. 



RELATIVE 

 HUMIDITY. 



CLEAR, 

 OVFRCAST, 





 10 



DEPTH OF RAIN AND SNOW 

 IN INCHES. 



7 a. m. 



2 p. m. 



9 p. m. 



Distance 

 for the 

 Day. 



i 



Time. 



s 



& 



a 

 0, 



6 

 d 



o» 



E 



ci 



E° 

 d 

 « 



E 

 d 

 



S 



ci 



a 



d 



N 



S 

 d 



• 01 . 



Time 



of 

 Begin- 

 ing. 



Time 



of 

 End- 

 ing. 



Dura- 

 tion, 

 h. m. 



Amount 

 of water 



Sunday, 3- 

 Monday, 4. 

 Tuesday, 5. 

 Wednesday, 6. 

 Thursday, 7. 

 Friday, 8. 

 Saturday, 9. 



w. s. w. 

 n. n. w. 



n. e. 

 w. 



n. e. 



s. e. 

 e. n. e. 



w. n.w. 

 e. n. e. 

 s. s. e. 

 n. n. e. 



s. e. 

 e. n. e. 

 s. s. e. 



w. s. w. 

 w. 

 s. w. 

 n. n. w. 



s. e. 

 n. n. e. 

 s. s. e. 



180 

 104 

 94 

 141 

 180 

 202 

 102 



4 



*x 



2 



3 



6« 

 1 



i. 20pm 

 6.30 pm 

 8.30 pm 

 2.40 pm 

 2.00 pm 

 11.40 am 

 4.00pm 



.416 

 ■58l 

 .622 

 .690 

 .641 

 .682 

 •529 



.558 

 .644 

 .650 

 .836 

 .610 

 .562 

 .648 



•585 

 •654 

 •717 

 •773 

 .631 

 .536 

 .622 



69 

 72 



8S 

 70 

 76 

 90 

 89 



i 9 

 85 

 59 

 °S 

 56 

 94 

 73 



55 

 85 

 70 

 71 

 80 

 84 

 85 



2 cir. 



3 cir. s. 

 9 cu. 







2 cir. 

 10 



9 cu. 



2 cir. cu. 

 9 cir. cu. 



3 cir. cu. 



4 cir. cu. 

 3 cir. cu. 

 10 



7 cir. cu. 



2 cu. s. 

 9 cu. 

 5 cir. cu. 

 2 cir. cu. 

 10 

 10 

 10 



1.30 pm 

 5.00 pm 

 9.00 am 



7.15 pm 

 5.15 pm 

 2.00 pm 



5-45 

 0.15 

 5.00 



.80 

 .04 



.06 



Distance traveled during the weeek. 

 Maximum force 



1,003 miles. 

 6% lbs. 



Total amount of water for the week go inch. 



Duration of rain _ lx hours. 



DANIEL DRAPER, PH. D. 

 Director Meteorological Observatory of the Department of Public Parks, New York. 



