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What is believed by antiquarians to be the oldest paper book in existence is the "Red Book of Lynn," an ancient register belonging to the Corporation of King's Lynn (England). This volume is known as the "Red Book" from its original binding having been of "that color. The first entry is a transcript of the will of Peter de Thorndon, burgess of Lynn, dated 1309; the latest entry Is on folio 100, and is dated 15 Richard II. Some fifty years ago it was repaired and rebound, and the leaves, which age had reduced to a loose, fibrous substance, were carefully resized as an aid to preservation. Pursuing his studies on the presence of methyl aldehyde in smoke, in the course of which he has established the fact that it is found in all usual combustions, M. Trillat has communicated to the Acad mie des Sciences these conclusions: Formic aldehyde exists in the soot of our chimneys and in the air of cities. It is found in noticeable quantities in the combustion of sugar, juniper berries, sweet roots, benzoin; in particular, when the combustion occurs in contact with hot metallic surfaces, whose catalytic effect intervenes to increase the yield. The constant presence of formic aldehyde in the gaseous or solid part of fumes explains their disinfecting action, in which the good effects of formic aldehyde were utilized long before they were known or studied. M. Leduc has presented to the Acad mie des Sciences the course and results of his experiments, and draws the following conclusions: (1) Muscular contraction raises the osmotic pressure in the muscle; (2) this elevation of the pressure may exceed 2.521 atmospheres, 2.604 kilogrammes per. square meter of surface; (3) the elevation of the intramuscular pressure is the greater as the excitations are stronger and more prolonged; (4) the elevation of the osn.otic pressure in a contracting muscle is, for the same excitations, the greater as the resistance met by the contraction is the greater; and (5) these considerable changes of the osmotic pressure in ti contracting muscle necessarily exercise a preponderating, if not a unique infiuence, in causing fatigue. Many astronomers have sought to photograph the solar corona when not totally eclipsed, but have not secured a satisfactory result. M. Hansky, in a communication to the Acad mie des Sciences, describes his success in operating at the summit of Mont Blanc, where in the rarity and purity of the atmosphere the red rays in the spectrum are feeble as compared with the yellow rays and the green. By combining colored lenses, suitably selected, employing plates very sensitive to the red, and profiting from these facts, (1) that the rays appertaining to the red part of the solar spectrum traverse an atmosphere without sensible absorption or dispersion, (2) that the continuous spectrum ef the corona is very intense in its least refrangible part, and (3) that photographs render very sensitive the slight difference in luminous intensity of objects photographed, and that processes permit even of increasing these contrasts, he succeeded in photographing the corona of the sun in the red part of its spectrum. Th photographs which he presented exhibited the solar corona with an intensity and perfection not hitherto attained, except during solar eclipses. The, results of the geological surveys that were carried out by Mr. H. H. Hayden, of the Geological Survey of India, who was attached to the recent British expedition to Lhasa, have been published. From his investigations the country is strikingly poor in minerals of economic value, the only one found 'in situ being gold, which is obtainable in very small quantities from the coarse gravel beds of the Tsangpo. The largest yield obtained by panning was only at the rate of 28 grains of gold per ton of gravel. Concentrates were found to contain, in addition to much magnetite and zircon, a small quantity of rutile and hercynite, and probably uraninite. During his sojourn at Lhasa the geologist purchased varied samples of the gem stones employed by the local jewelers, among them being turquoise, ruby, tourmaline, emerald, and sapphire. The jewelers stated that all these stones were brought from a considerable distance, some coming from Ladak and Mongolia, and others from India. Mr. Hayden could obtain no trustworthy information as to the existence of any native sources of gems, and concludes that turquoise is practically the only native gem stone. He also succeeded in disproving the general belief that coal is to be found at Lhasa. The production of all kinds of rails in the United States in 1904 amounted to 2,284,711 gross tons, against 2,992,477 tons in 1903, a decrease of 707,766 tons, or 23.6 per cent. The production of Bessemer steel rails in 1904 amounted to 2,137,957 gross tons, against 2,946,-756 tons in 19 3, a decrease of 808,799 tons, or ov"r 27.4 per sent.
