32 
ON  A  NEW  FILTER. 
sponges  are  sent  to  Constantinople.  Lately,  a  few  good  fine 
sponges  have  been  sent  to  the  United  States  of  America. 
The  prices  of  the  fine  sponges  were  from  twenty-five  to  thirty 
per  cent.,  and  those  of  the  common  thirty  to  thirty-five  per  cent, 
cent,  dearer  in  1858  than  in  former  years.  This  increase  was 
owing  to  the  competition  of  the  many  European  sponge  mer- 
chants, who  had  come  there  latterly,  in  person,  to  make  their 
purchases.  2745  cases  and  sacks  of  sponge,  valued  at  4,105,600 
piastres,  were  shipped  from  Smyrna  in  185T. 
The  fisheries  of  the  Gulf  of  Volo  (Thessaly)  form  a  source  of 
local  wealth.  Sponges  of  the  best  quality  are  annually  taken 
to  the  value  of  .£2000. 
The  following  figures  from  the  official  returns  show  the  total 
quantities  and  value  of  Turkey  sponge  imported  during  six 
years.  It  is  received  principally  through  the  four  channels  of 
France,  Greece,  Turkey  Proper,  and  Austrian  Italy,  and  some- 
times from  Malta  and  Egypt.  We  shall  take  another  oppor- 
tunity to  speak  of  the  more  common  Bahamas  and  American 
sponge.  It  may  be  added  that  the  average  computed  or  oiBBcial 
value  is  no  fair  criterion  of  price.  There  has,  however,  been  a 
steady  advance  in  price  of  late  years.  In  1854  the  computed 
or  official  value  was  6s.  Sd.  per  pound  ;  in  1858,  lis.  Sd. ;  but 
the  selling  price  of  the  best  is  21s.  per  pound. 
Imports  of  sponge  into  the  United  Kingdom  : — 
Quantity  lbs.  Value  £ 
1853    205,924   
1854   ,         224,787    70,246 
1855    329,985    140,164 
1856    313,287    172,308 
1857    318,676   ,   164,650 
1858    287,681    157,751 
London  Pharm,  Journ.  Dec,  1860,  from  the  Technologist. 
A  NEW  FILTER. 
Professor  Malapert,  of  Poitiers,  places  in  the  midst  of  his 
filters,  in  the  pulp  of  the  paper,  a  disc  of  cloth  which  increases 
its  solidity.  The  operation  of  filtering  is  slower  but  more  sure. 
The  new  filter  is  approved  by  the  Society  of  Pharmacy  of  Paris, 
and  is  considered  to  fulfil  all  the  conditions  required  for  delicate 
chemical  experiments.  It  contains  no  lime  or  iron,  and  only  a 
trace  of  chlorine — London  Pharm.  Jour.  Dec,  1,  1860. 
