Science.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 66, 27 November 1880, Page 2 (Supplement)

Science.

THE 'HELIOGRAPH.

Thb London Daily News states that they have to thank' the heliograph again fox an important meeaage leoerod from General Stewart, .and announcing the result of an attack on" the British Uoopß, in which the enemy seems to have enffered severely.' The message is dated Camp Ghuzni, 22nd Apiil, and was received at the India Office the following day. It is very probable that ihe news could not have been brought so speedily by electric telegraph. The heliograph does not require the route to be kept open. , The line ol aomh^aaiedtioa eaauot be cat, toe the simple reason that the signaling takes place over the heads of the enemy, and the stations required are but few and far between. A ten inch mirror, and thiß is the diameter of the ordinary field heliograph, ia capable ' of reflecting, the sun's, rays in the, form of a bright, spot, or flare, to a dißtanoe of fifty miles, the signal at this interval being' recognisable without the aid of a glass. Th&t is to tvs'f two trained sappero, eaoh provided with a mirror, oan . readily speak to one another, supposing the sun is shining, with an interval of fifty miles between them, provided their statiops are, sufficiently high and no ruing ground to stop the rays.,. The adjustment of the. military heliograph is a very simple master. > An army leaves its base where a heliograph station is Jooated, and, a/ter. traveling come i miles, deßiieß to bommunioate with the stay-at-homes. A hill, in , the. locality is .ohpsen, , siid a sapper ascends with his, heliograph, which ,18, simply^ stand bearing a mirror Bwuhg like the "ordinary toilet , looking glaas, except that besides swinging horizontally it' .ib also 'pivoted., bo as to, napve .vertically as well. ' Behind the mirror/ in the very cenfre, a'little of quioksilyer has been removed, so that the sapper can' go behind his instrumeat arid_)l<riik' 'theoagh i^.'tuty hole iv, it toward, '^lie ßation he desires., ,tp " signal. Havingßighted ttie, station by adjusting the mirror, he next, proceeds to set up in front of tbe.heliograph a rod, and upon this rod is a movable stud, r This stud ia manipulated like the' foresight of a rifle, and the sapper, again, standing behind hjiß instrument, directs tthe adjustmentjof this stud until the, hole in the mirror, the stud, and the distant Btation are iz2,M)ine. .The t) heHogr«ph ia theu t;eadv to' work, and in order to' flash signals so, tbat they may be seen at a difltanoe.the, sapper haj-onlyjp take care, that his mirror reflects the Bunanine on the'atud jnat in front of him.,.,. ,„ -, . - |-

, r ,; Edible ,EABTp.-rJfc is ,, well known that of eatiqgjearjtb^bat .no. good; leasofa. lot the practice has ever been given,, Hambolclt attributed it to, a desire, tp fill the.stomaoh and ,allay, the, pangs, pf huoger, bat; lbis .explanation cannot hold \in ,all oases, ior those, je.ouliar,. people, the . Ainoe, ,©I Yeeeo, Aay.e,pje,n>y,.qf I flej^, and- bread to eat-, yet they persist in regaling themselves, with; a, specif p of clay.,- Iff. Faoha tbioka that the' unctuous .Benaation. of the olay. in the month . ia agreeable, and other wiiterßi have traced tbe^cn^pip tp, Mpiee^l want, when othet food scanty.. r gome. definite information about the., edible earth. of the Ainoa ia forth!ooming irojaj the .analysis of Dr.liove, of New, York^ wip.finda it to contain, besideajsilioa, !*}iutihl», and lime, oxide- ol Jixdn, and, oxide QtiwtWgftoe&e, come magueßiai potash, aodai, Bulpnurio and phosphoiio aoida, and traoea of \4atei atidvpJaWß matter. .There Jb nothing nntntious here, but some-, of these ingredients are medioinal, and josti/y the; notion thai the earth may be, eaten simply, for Up wholeßome qualities. The Ainoa eat tbu olay, in the totmjoi eonp, boiled with lilytosAßyixntk emafi quantity of water, , and t •tiained. ;,.»The volatile mattex lonnd is .th>. remains of Borne aromafio herb> mixed aool- • dentally or purposely with the olay. '■ ,' ■•(•-•, 1- •' i ■, iI •> ! Miking Clothes Fibepboot.— 4* the Parfc ' Exhibition, . two' years ' ago, ' considerable 1 was drawn to come muslin' duriains, to T which : a flame was r conatantly • appHad, without' Betting- them Votf'fire.' They weftexhibited by M. Martin, Paris, and w,e are now enabled to give the ebemioal composition ot the unbalance which Tendered them Ipcombuetiblßi It ifl pure sulphate of ammonia, 80 parts ; paxbdnafe of aiamonia, 25 ; bpraoio. aoM 30'; pore borax, 17; Btaroh; 20; and distilled or pore water,. 1000 parts. THe materialfl to be rendered fire-resjeting are dipped in this solution' while it is hot, bo that they may be thoroughly impregnated with it, tnd yrhen dried, snffiojently. are' ironed in the BKms 9t& W Ptdinwy ''w^fe^^ jabriw; lj > '