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Some interesting facts concerning the mineral adulteration of textiles in every-day utility have been published by the Lancet, of London. According to this authority, whereas one hundred years ago the rustling of a lady's silk dress was attributable to the high quality of the silk, it now rustles owing to the impregnation of 36 per cent of salts of tin. Epsom salts, which have hitherto been mostly employed for medicinal purposes, are widely adopted for giving weight to flannel. Similarly, the old-fashioned pure linen used for table cloths is now largely substituted by cotton filled with china clay, starch, and size, while our linen collars are also founded upon base materials with simply a linen facing. The process of slow distillation of metals readily fusible in a perfect vacuum, elaborated especially by Herr Karlbohm, has for some years led to results so favorable that it was desirable to see these processes extended to metals less fusible. Vessels of quartz are now coming into more general use with the result that much progress has been made in their manufacture as described by Herr Krafft in the Chem-ische Berichte. When the quartz reservoirs are not too thin, they may be raised to the temperature of 2,552 deg. F., while sustaining a perfect vacuum, without fear that they will be crushed by the effect of atmospheric pressure. At this temperature he has obtained the rapid distillation of a series of metals, among which are zinc, cadmium, silicium, tellurium, antimony, lead, bismuth, and silver. Copper and gold also distill at the maximum temperature of the experiments, but more slowly; their rapid distillation would require a higher temperature. The experiments have been confined to the laboratory, but the results have been so decided and encouraging that their application to the industrial rectification of metals is expected. A series of interesting experiments to investigate by means of kites the relationship between the circulation of the upper and the lower strata of the atmosphere, in order to know what winds to expect, are to be carried out by the British Meteorological Society, which has devoted a portion of the government appropriation to this work. An experimental station is to be established in England, and instruments provided for kite ascents and other methods of investigations. The researches are to be international in character, for on certain days kites will be sent up simultaneously in England, France, Germany, and Russia. Mr. W. H. Dines, F.R.S., who is the leading authority upon this subject in England, will superintend the experiments, and he will be assisted by Col. Capper of the military balloon section at Aldershot, and Capt. Simpson of the steamship Moravian' during his passages between Plymouth and Australia. The vessel will be provided with suitable kites, wire, winch, and the ingenious meteorograph, the invention of Mr. W. H. Dines, who has carried out important work in this branch of meteorological investigation on a government vessel off the west coast of Scotland. In these researches a string of kites was used, the largest of which was 12 feet high, with an area or 156 feet, and a weight of 20 pounds. The kites were flown on steel wire hawsers attached to a winch, wound by steam. A height of 10,000 feet was reached and recorded. The greatest danger attending these investigations is the liability of the steel wire being fused by lightning during thunderstorms. Scientific American February 17, 19066. .
