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FRANK LESLIE’S NEW YORK JOURNAL.
any considerable expenditure in apparatus, may con-
trive to produce the necessary results. In the first
place, then, let some hydrogen gas be collected in a
thinly blown turkey crop, or a bag of goldbeater’s
skin, sold under the name of an air-balloon. In
lab ies properly appoi this collection i
effected by. means of a glass-receiving jar, to the
neck of which a stopcock is attached, in the manner
represented by our .
diagram. . Supposing . : :
the Jar to be filled with
gas, and the bag or
bladder attached, to
be now thrust down
in a vessel of water,
it follows that, sup-
posing the stopcock
open, waterwill ascend .
into the jar, and force
the gas held by it into
.the bag or bladder. - This is the usual plan adopted,
but as it requires the possessivn of a stopcock, and
a gas-jar with brass collar and fittings, we will em-
ploy a less expensive substitute, which shall be the
bottled fitted with perforated cork and tobacco-pipe
shank. To the Jatter, by a little dexterous manage-
ment, an air-tight baz, or a moistened flaccid blad-
der, may be connected by means of a length of
string, and retained until quite full. If a thin bag
of goldbeater’s skin, have been filled as described,
its orifice may be twisted by the finger and thumb,
and then the bag set loose. It will ascend like a:
balloon,—a very fair representative of which it is,—|
and it will remain suspended until a certain portion
of gas has exuded from its invisible pores; then it
will fall. It must be here remembered, that neither
- hydrogen nor any other gas can be long retained
pure in bladders or bags.. Gradually the gas comes
through certain invisible porcs, and atmospheric air
entering the same, takes its place, in such a manuer,
that the bag or bladder seems as full as it was ori-
giually ; ‘the fullness, however, being now due toa
mixture of the original gas with atmospheric air.
The ascent of a balloon is dependent on a cause
precisely similar to the one which determines the
ascent of a piece of cork, or other light substance
through water; in either case the heavier substance
sinks underneath, and presses up the lighter one.
In the eurly part of the first, or great French
revolution, balloons were employed in the French
army, for the purpose of taking observations of what
was gving on in the enemy’s camp. For this pur-
pose, the balloons were not atlowed to ascend, and
travel at random, but were re:ained at a certain
elevation, by means of ropes. In this way, balloons
rendered considerable military service, but the dif-
ficulty of keeping them in order during actual war-
fare led to their discontinuance. The subject of
military balloons naturally leads us to a consider-
ation of the method employed for obtaining hydro-
gen gas, in quantities sutficient for warlike use, and
with sufficient rapidity. We beg, therefore, to in-
troduce at this time, an experiment which Professor
Faraday introduced, somewhat later in his dis-
course; the process of generating hydrogen by con?
tact of water with red hut iron. This is a very
preity, a very instructive experiment, and although
the apparatus necessary for its performance may
appear, when seen on the lecture-table of a Pro-
fessor, rather beyond the power of a child to manu-
facture, this is not, in truth, the case.
Let the reader take a clay flower-pot, represented
in the preceding diagram by f. Let him bind this
flower pot tighily, by encircling it in several bands
of copper-wire, not represented in the diagram ;
this being done, let him make several holes in the
flower-pot, by means of a mason s pick-hammer, or
any other convenient instrument that his own in-
genuity may suggest. It matters little as to the
number or the size of the holes, or, indeed, as to
the position of all, save two, one of which must be
exactly opposite the other, and rather below it, in
Fig. 32.
nace at a proper angle. The next stage of the
manufacture consists in making a sort of iron fire-
grate for the little furnace.- This a child can easily
manage, by means of some stout iron wire, in the
binding and cutting of which he will find a pair of
bellhanger’s cutting pliers useful, though a pair of
old scissors, or even an old knife blade will suffice
upon an emergency. The firegrate being dropped
in, it now remains to thrust across the furnace thus
constructed, a length of iron tubing ; either such as
is employed by gas-fitters, or a gun-barrel open at
either end. A perforated cork, supplied with a bent
glass tube, either of pewter, or of glass, terminating
is now to be added, as represented in the diagram.
Small pieces of iron (small nails will answer per-
fectly well), are now to be put into the iron tube,
until three parts filled; when, finally, the upper
perforated cork, with its tube, is to be adapted.
The other end of this tube is attached to a Florence
flask, containing a little water, and underneath the
Florence flask is represented a spirit-lamp, for the
purpose of converting the water into steamn..
Now, from a consideration of the various parts of
this apparatus, it is evident that as the steam evolved
from water in the Florence flask, must necessarily
saine metal. Hence, on making the tube red-hot,
every portion of it which comes into contact with
the passing vapour, also every portion of the con-
tained iron, robs the steam of its oxygen, and per-
mits hydrogen to pass through alone. 2
By means of this process, Professor Faraday
developed some hydrogen gas, and proved it to be
hydrogen, by collecting it, and demonstrating that
its properties were exactly similar to those possessed
by hydrogen developed by any other means.
ee
Pervvian Seputcnres.—At the foot of a high
mountain which rises from the shore of a small bay
called Chacvta, to the south of Arica, are a great
number of ancient sepulchres. These are covered
over, like the adjacent soil, with a species of earth
very mnuch impregnated with salt; and to this may
be doubtless attributed the preservation of this me-
mento of the unhappy aborigines of the country.
In 1790, several of these sepulchres were examined
by Don Felipe Bauza, a captain of the Spanish
navy, who found the greater part of the bodies in
an entire condition, but withered to a skeleton,
covered with a dark brown skin, and the hair of
some quite of a red color, The niches in which
they were deposited wete generally cut out of the
stone from four to five fect in length; some being
rudely carved, and having at the boitom a mat madé
of rushes. ‘the bodies were placed on this mat, the
same attitude being generally observed in all. ‘They
were seated cross-legged, with the hands placed
over the bieast, and so contracted as to occupy the
least possible space. Others were seated with their
knees bent up near the mouth, the hands likewise
being crossed over the breast, and all placed with
their faces towards the west. The body of a young
man was taken out, that had been wrapped in elgth,
and his features were still distinct: that of a woman
was also egamined whose hair was in perfect pre-
servation—it was about half a yard in length, and
divided into two parts. Some of the bodies were
wrapped in a sort of coarse woollen cloth from the
head to the feet, the mouth being tied up; others
were wrapped in coarse nets made of * pita,”” and
all of them had a small bag hung round the neck,
which was found at the time to contain nothing but
earth and dust, whatever it might originally have
been. Various little pots, nade of clay, were found
round the bodies, and some larger ones of curious
forms. In addition to these, some fragments, ap-
parently of plates, an ear of corn, some pita, and
other trifling articles, were found; also some small
pieces of copper cut in the shape uf coins. In Ylo,
order that the piece of iron gas-pipe (d) may be en-
abled to pass through the flower-pot, used as a jur-
Fig. 32,
and uther parts of this coast, these sepulchres are
common, .
Matrimonmat Forsear-
aNncEs.—Man and wife are
equaily concerned to avoid
all offences of each other
in the beginning of their
conversation: every little
thing can blast an infant
blossom; and the breath
of the south can shake the
little rings of the vine, when
first they begin to curl like
the locks of a new-weaned
boy; but when, by age and
consolidation, they stiffen
under a receiver, standing in the pneumatic trough, |
traverse the iron tube containing small pieces of the | },
into the hardness of a stem, and have, by the warm
embraces of the sun and the kisses of heaven,
brought forth their clusters, they can endure the
storms of the north, and the loud noises of a
tempest, and yet never be broken. So are the
early unions of an unfixed marriage ; watchful and
observant, jealous and busy, inquisitive and careful,
and apt to take alarm at every unkind word: for
infirmities do not manifest themselves in the first
scenes, but in the succession of a long society ; and
it is not chance or weakness when it appears at
first, but it is want of love or prudence, or it wiil
be so expounded ; and that which appears ill at first,
usually affrights the inexperienced man or woman,
who makes unequal conjectures, and fancies mighty
sorrows by the proportions of the new and early
unkindness. :
Exrraorpinary ARTICLE IN THE EccLestasTicaL
Cope or IcrLanp.—In the ecclesiastical code of this,
country an article is extant, singular, perhaps, in
its nature, but admirable in its design, which gives
to the bishop, or even to the inferior clecgy, the
right of preventing any marriage where the female
is unable to read. ‘ This, which provides so power-
ful a pledge for the instruction of the rising gener-
ation, is still occasionally acted upon, though, pro-
ably, not with so much strictness as in former
times. The books in the possession of the lower
classes are generally of a religious nature, a great
number of such works having been printed in Ice-
land during the last two or three centuries, and
very generally circulated through the country. In
many parishes there is a small collection of books
belonging to the church, from which, under the
superintendence of the priest, each family in the
district may derive some little addition to its means
of instruction and improvement.
Snow Hovuses.—The winter habitations of the
Esquimaux who visit Churchill are built of snow,
and, judging from one constructed by Augustus to-
day, they are very comfortable dwellings. Havin
sciected a spot on the river where the snow was
about two feet deep, and sufficiently compact, he
commenced by tracing out a circle twelve feet in
diameter. Tbe snow in the interior of the circle
was next divided with a broad knife, having a long
handle, into slabs three feet long, six inches thick,
and two deep, being the thickness to the layer of
snow... These slabs were tenacious enough to admit
of being moved about wi hout breaking, or even
loosing the sharpness of their angles, and they had
a slight degree of curvature corresponding with
that of the circle from which they were cut. They
were piled upon each other, exactly like courses of
hewn stone, around the circle which was traced out,
and care was taken to smooth the beds of the differ-
ent courses with the knife, and to cut them 60 as to
give the wall a slight inclination inwards. The
dome was closed somewhat suddenly and flatly, by
cutting the upper slabs in a wedge form, instead of
the iore reciangular shape of those below. The
roof was about eight feet high, and the last aperture
was shut up by a smail e-nical piece. The whole
was built froin within, and each slab was cut so
that it retained its position without requiring sup-
port until another was placed beside it, the light-
ness of the slabs greatly facilitating the operation.
When the buiding was covered 11, a littie loose
snow Was thrown over it to close up every chink,
and a low door was cut through the wails with the
Knife. A bed-place was next formed, and neatly
faced up with siabs of snow, which was then covered
with a thin layer of fine branches, to prevent them
from being iuelted by the heat of the body. At
cach end of the bed a pillar of snow was erected to
place a lamp upon, and lastly, a porch was built
before the door, and a piece of clear ice was placed
in an aperture cut in. the wall for a window. ‘The
purity of the material of which the house was
tramed, the elegance of its construction, and the
translucency of its walls, which transmitted a very
pleasant light, gave it an appearance far superior
to a marble building ; and one might survey it with
feelings somewhat akin to those produced by the
contemplation of a Grecian temple raised by Phi-
dias; both are tempies of art, :nimitable in’ their
kinds, - !
Curnese Barsers.—The barbers, in the towns of
China, go about ringing bells to get customers.
They carry with thei a stool, a basin, a towel, and
a pot containing fire. When any person calls them,
they run tu him; and, planting their stool in a
ganvenient place in the street, shave the head,
c.ean the earp, dress the eyebrows, and brush the
shoulders ;—all tor the yalue of little more than 3
halfpenny, ‘They then ring thg beil again, and start
in pursuit of another custoraer. :
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