SCIENTIFIC.

Otago Witness, Issue 1682, 16 February 1884, Page 28

SCIENTIFIC.

—Astronomical observations taken at high altitudes in Peru and Bolivia during the first half of the present year have yielded some interesting results. At La Paz (elevation 12,000 ft), Mr Ralph Copeland, under whose supervision the observations were made, saw stars with the naked eye that are with difficulty seen iv Europe with artificial aid, notwithstanding the light of the full moon. At Puno, (12,500 ft), Canopus, Sirius, and Jupiter were visible to unaided vision from 1 to 25 minutes before sunset. A number of small planetary nebulae and stars, with very remarkable spectra, were found in the southern part of the Milky Way, by searching with a prism attached to a 6in telescope on Professor Pickering's plan. The most remarkable stars showed spectra of little more than two bright lines, which Mr Copeland had observed in the spectra of various nebulae. Several close double stars were discovered. At Vmcocaya (14,360 ft), the solar spectrum was very much increased in brightness at tho violet end. At arequipa (7500 ft), the relative humidity of the air was as low as 20 per cent., aud not much higher at other stations. Mr Copeland believed that an observatory might be maintained with great facility ata height of between 9000 and 12,000 ft, the nighfc temperature being little below the freezing point at any season. Beyond that height an increaHed eldvation of 150 ft roughly corresponded to a fall of the tfiermometer of 1 degree F., and a depression of the barometer of 1 inch, so that at 15,000 ft very arduous winter conditions were encountered. Mr Copeland thought, however, that in the early summer an experimental station might be maintained for a few weeks as high as lS,sooft. Pieces of apparatus two tons in weight could readily be transported to any of the stations up to 14,3C0ft.

— From, ancient times the Chinese have taken note of natural phenomena. Their record of solar eclipses is perhaps the most ancient and accurate iv the world. They have more or less elaborate works on astronomy, mathematics, botany, zoology, mineralogy, physiology, and many other sciencos. Yet there is scarcely any true science in them. Classification, even in regard to plants and animals, there is none. Mineralogy is mainly a description of curiou3 stones. Nor ia thero any progress, for the more ancient works are generally the best, aud as a consequence the Chinese today are as their fathers were thousands of years ago. The superstitions respecting natural phenomena, which are as living active truths to-day for all classes in China, remind us rather of man in his state of barbarism than of the ancient culture and civilisation of the Middle Kingdom. The fiun and moon are to the Chinese as they were to primitive man, living things, gods to be worshipped. The stars in thoir courses powerfully influence, if they do not absolutely determine, all human events. In them the wise may read as in a book the destiny of man and the fate of empiies. Their combinations make lucky and unlucky days, and we shall do well to note carefully their signs and silent warnings. Comets are the precursors of famine, pestilence and war — prognostiVators of the wreck of empires and the fall of Kings. Eclipses are the periodic efforts of the dragon fiend to destioy the lights of heaven, and every notice of an approaching eclipse sent by the imperial astronomer to the Provinces is accompanied by a Government order to employ the usual methods of gong-beating and so torth in order to rescue the threatened luminary. Again, thunder is the roar of the anger of heaven, and to be smitten by a thunderbolt is to' be marked as a thing accursed. Wind is born in the heart of great mountains, whence it issues at the command of the wind god. Most districts havo their wind mountains. That at Lung-Shan in the northern Province of Chihli is the most remarkable. It has a cave at each of its four sides. The Spring wind issues from the cave on the eastern side, the Summer wind from the_ southern, and so for the others. Wind eddies or whirlwinds are raised by the hedgehrg in his rapid passage from one place to another, the dust serving to screen him from the vulgar gaze. Kain is produced by the dragon god, who carries up vast quantities of water from the lakes and rivers in capacious jaws, and pours it down in showers over the earth. Every mountain has its spirit or genius, and every valley its nymph, every spring its naiad. Hence mountains and rivers, old trees and curious rocks, become objects of worship.

—A new and great advance has been made in sinking deep- well pipes, say from 100 ft to 300ffc or more in depth^in soil that will resist the sinking of the driven well-pipe. Tho hydraulic, pressure system has been successfully applied at Adams, Mass,, where six artesian wells are now flowing— one of lS7ft in depth, which was sunk in two hours ; fivts wells of from 100 ft to 150 ft in depth, one of which has a lOin pipe, from which flows 400 gallons per minute, under a head of 13ft above the surface of the ground. The method of sinking these wells is by the boring power of water under pressure, the pressure being obtained from a steam pump; or in places wnere a steam pump is not available, a hand force-pump answers the purpose. A peculiar feature was developed in the experiments made in perfecting this system, and the stern fact brought to light that a stream of water forced into the top of the pipe would keep an opening around the outside of the pipe for a depth of 40ft or 50ft, and would reopen the passage after stopping to put on an additional length of pipe; but after getting to greater depths the stopping of the flow would allow tl)e sand, gravel, and stones to settle down and wedge the pipe so tight that no available pressure could start it again. In the avoiding of this difficulty consists the novelty of the system. The placing in the line of pipa at every two or three, lengths of a three-way cock, with the use of two lines of hose, gives a perfect control and steadiness of the flow down the pipe during the whole operation. The hose is then attached to the side outlet of the threeway cock, with the plug across the upper outlet, aud the section of pipe is sunk until the attached hose reachos the ground, when another section is added and another hose is attached to the next three-way cock as before, and the pressure of water put on, when the lower cock iB turned so as to shut off the lower hose and continue the gfcream from the upper hose. In this way a depth of 20Qf t or 300 ft may be attained without difficulty, possibly a much greater depth. A curious property of the power of water in keeping an open passage in an ascending current has been observed in these experiments, A plumb-bob upon a line was dropped to a depth of 50ft upon the outside of one of these pipes while iv the process of sinking, and agaiu h,auled to the surface, fallowing that tho current maintains a clear space around the outside_ of tho pipe, probably for its whole depth ; for in addition to this, the pipe is so loose in the hole that it can be turned around by the hand, and feeds itself down. The inventor of this system is Jai'vis B. Edson, of North Adams, Mass. — Scientific American.

—Doubters (says an American contemporary) are now convinced that the cremation movement' will trrum ph. It is quite us sentimental as burial j n fc]} 0 ground. It is right.

because it removes from millions of the poor a great load. It is honest, because the soil contains only a small percontage of the precious materials which can be appropriated by our bodies. To withhold these precious atoms from general circulation for thirty _or forty years is not honest. Through cremation these atoms are all returned at once_ to the atmosphere, and quickly reach the soil. It is clean, as every one knows. Graveyards have long been a detriment to the health of the living. Water circulates through the earth as blood circulates through the body. The impurities of graveyards find their way into this general circulation. A beautiful urn, containing the dust of the loved one, may be kept in some sacred place in our home. — One of the novelties in electric lighting, which elicited much admiration at the Vienna Electrical Exhibition, is a hall, having its ceiling in the form of a dome, painted blue to represent the sky, and " thick inlaid with patines of bright gold," in the form of small star electric lights. The effect is very pretty. and adds another to the many beautiful ways in which electric lamps adapt themselves to decoration.