286 THE YOUNG 
EPKEMEKIDES OF THE PBINCIPAIi STARS AND 
CLUSTEBS, SEPT. 21ST, 1883, 
H. 
M. 
Alpha Andromeda (Alpheratz) 
in 
mei'idian 
0 
3 mor 
Omicron Ceti (Mira) variable, 
in 
meridian 
2 
14 " 
Beta Persei (Algol) variable, 
in 
meridian 
3 
1 " 
Eta Tauri (Alcyone or Light 
of 
Pleiades) rises 
8 
9 eve. 
Alpha Tauri (Aldebaran) rises 
9 
28 " 
Alpha AurigaB (Capella) " 
6 
56 " 
Beta Orionis (Eigel) 
11 
35 " 
Alpha Orionis (BeteJguese) rises 
11 
11 " 
Alpha Canis Majoris (Sirius or Dog 
Star) rises 
1 
40 mor 
Alpha Canis Minoris (Procyon) rises 1 
15 " 
Alpha Leonis (Regulus) rises 
3 
18 " 
Alpha Virginis (Spica) sets 
6 
44 ev<\ 
Alpha Bootis (Arcturus) sets 
9 
20 " 
Alpha Scorpionis (Antares) sets 
8 
40 " 
Alpha Lyrae (Vega) in meridian 
6 
31 " 
Alpha Aqnillae (Altair) " 
7 
43 " 
Alpha Cygni (Deneb) 
8 
35 " 
Alpha Pisces Anstralis (Pomalhaut) 
in meridian 
10 
48 " 
Penn Yan, Yates Co., N. Y. 
A New Variety of Glass. 
The Wiener Gewerbe-Zeitung states that a 
<3hemist of Vienna has invented a new kind of 
glass, which contains no silex, potash, soda 
lime, or borax. In appearance it is equal to the 
common crystal, but more brilliant; it is per- 
fectly transparent, white, and clear, and can be 
cut>nd polished. It is completely insoluble in 
water, and is not attacked by fluoric acid, but it 
can be corroded by hydrochloric acid and nitric 
aci<l. When in a state of fusion it adheres to 
iron, bronze, and zinc. 
Curious Fact Concerning' Boiling- Water. 
At a recent meeting of a scientific association 
it was related that a kettle filled with boiling 
water was hung in the hottest room of some 
Turkish baths, with the lid on. The tempera- 
ture of the surrounding air was 262° Fall. After 
about an hour the temperature of the water was 
taken, and indicated, as was expected, 212°. 
The kettle was then rehung witii the lid off. 
The temperature of the room was now 252°. In 
twenty minutes the temperature of the water 
had fallen to 185°; in thirty minutes to 178°; in 
forty-five minutes to 170°, and was evidently 
still falling. The manager stated that it gener- 
ally fell finally to about 140°, when a point of 
equilibrium seemed to be established, and the 
SCIENTIST. 
water neither got hotter or cooler. Mr. Had- 
dock supposes this loss of heat was due to rapid 
vaporization and conversion of the sensible heat 
of the water into the latent heat of steam, and 
as dry air is a very bad conductor of heat (one 
of the worst known), the heat required to con- 
vert a portion of the water into st(^am had to 
be abstracted from the remainder of the water, 
thus lowering its temperature. In substantia- 
tion of this explanation, we believe that if 
water is placed in a vessel over a large bulk of 
strong sulphuric acid, in the receiver of an air 
pump, and the air is exhausted, the rapid eva- 
poration of one portion of the water will 
actually cause the rest to freeze. 
Hardness of Ancient Bronzes. 
Ludwig has made a number of analyses of 
niicient bronze implements, of great hardness, 
with the following results :— 
Copper. 
Tin. 
Nickel. 
Iron. Phosporus. 
(1.) 
87-25 
13-08 
0-38 
trace. 0-250 
(2.) 
83-65 
15-99 
0-63 
0-540 
(3.) 
85-05 
14-38 
trace 
0-106 
(4.) 
88-06 
11-76 
0-027 
Specimen No. 1 was a fragment of an axe from 
Maiersdorf. The metal was tenacious, and 
bright yellow; hardness equal to that of apa- 
tite (5). No. 2, an axe from Linburg; reddish 
golden-yellow; tenacious, and hardly scratched 
by foldspn-r (6). No. 3, fragment of a sword 
from Steier; the metal was reddish-yellow, 
solid and teuacious, and not easily scratched by 
quartz (7). No. 4, a chisel from Peschiera; deep 
yellow, and containing a trace of cobalt ; hard- 
ness, 5. Neither zinc nor lead was found in any 
of the specimens, though the latter metal is in- 
variably present in ancient British implements. 
Electric Liglit in China. 
The introduction of western improvements 
into China by Europeans is evidently a work 
beset with many difficulties. Some years ago 
the only railway in the country was purchased 
by the Government from the proprietors and 
promptly torn up; but noAV the officials them- 
selves are laying down railroads from the 
mines in North China to the nearest canal. The 
telegraph also had to encounter a vigorous 
opposition from the authorities and people for 
many years. At present, however, the capital 
is connected by wire with the coast. The elec- 
tric light is the latest improvement which has 
excited the suspicion aod dislike of the man- 
darins. The foreign settlement at Shanghai has 
for some time been lighted on the Brush sys- 
tem, apparently much to the comfort and 
jubilation of the denizens of the " model settle- 
