Wbe Wt an. _
TRI- EEKL EDV'L( N .__O. 141_
A YEAR'S WORK IN SCIENCE,
---o
OLD THEORIkS DESTROYED AND
XE WV INVEN'IONS MADE.
No Such Thing as Liquids and Gases
All Nature Composed of Hydrogen-.
Making Air Solid- -Opening New
Fields.
[From the Neto York Ir:2d.]
While the political annals of the
year are writ large with battle, inur
der and sudden death, the scientiflC
record stands written in letters of
living light.
At the very outset of the present
year the world of science was as
sembled on the judges'stand count
ing seconds in the race between
Picket and Gailletet for liquefying
the last of the gases, and thus ex
perimuentally proving the unity of
nature and the continuity between
the solid, liquid and g seous do
mains. Cailietet h id scored the
first round by liquefying oxygen
and carbonic oxide as early as
December 2, 1877, bht being then a
candid te for election to a seat in
the Academy of Sciences he mag
naninously refrained from an
nouncing his success and consigned
the account of his discovery to a
sealed packet, which was opend at
the academic session of December
24. Strange to relate, M. Raoul
Picket, of Geneva, announced by
letter sit that meeting the samine re
suit achieved by entirely diffurent
processes. Scarcely had the. won
dering savans found time to an -
nounce to the public this double
triumph when M. 0.killetet, on the
last day of the year, a0ccomIpisheJ
the liquefaction of hydrogen, niko
gen and atin sphe:ie air, and ie86
ing closely upon nimi, 'A. Pw1i,it
swept to thu goal JanuiAry 11,
definitely establisling tho sequence
of the "constants of nAturo" by the
solidification of hydrogen. It was
found to be a metal, thereby bril
liantly justifying the conclusion
first reached forty years ago by the
veteran chemist, J. B. Dmnas, who
had the honor, as president of a
leading scientific society, to receive
the first telegraphic annouincomeut
from M. Piotet, and to in ike known
to fnis at P 1riA t1is gun
disoverv 0n th., lvy d ly it was
Ma'Ido Ge1nevat.
Results such as the,-' would
suffice to make the year 1878 for
ever memorable in the annals of
science, but only the first page bad
yet been written. In the same
month of Deceinber, 1877, when
Cailletet and 1-ictet were winning
their first laurels in Paris and
Geneva, Thomas Alvo Edison rode
into New York one morning fron
Menlo Park with a queer brass cyl
inder under his arm, and astonished
our neighbors of the Scientific
American with the brazen-faced
assertion that "Mary had a little
lamb." The phonograph had sprung,
unheralded, upon the world, and
so incredible was the scientific fact
thus revealed that several weeks
*elapsed before it was generally
credited. Although the full-fiedged
discovery of the phonograph per
tains to 1877, the whole of its
development and its world-wide
renown belong to 1878, and it is
assuredly not the least of its many
titles to perpetual remembrance
that "the Wizard of Menlo Park"
then first assumed a recognized
* position as a factor in our comning
civilization. Of Edison's manifold
other and curious inventions-the
megaphone, the phonometor, and
the aerophone-we have no need
now to speak, though i other times
they would rank high among the
curiosities of ,science. But there
are three other achievements of lIis
genius which distinctly ,call for
mention among the wonders of the
year-the improved carbon tele.
phone, the.tasumneter and the electric
lamp-more than one of which
were firat fully described in 'the
columns of the 1Jer'al. Other
workers have recently inscribed
their names upon Fame's eternal
bead-roll with similar titles, and it
would be unjust not to recognize
the great merit of our countryman
ProfesaUr Hughes in the discovery
of theimicrophone, of Professor Gra
,ham Bell in perfecting his tz e?hone,
of Mr. Stearns in "duplexing' the
Atlantib cable, of Professor Alfred
* M. Mayer ini his illnstrations of the
atomic theory by floating magnets,
of SirJ. ID. Hooker and Paul Bert
in their disc(veries in vegetable
chemistry, of Qoyn uJia oncQl in
his ingeniious veelpp.nents of, the
phonograph into a oad(ens6ateur
chanCant, of Lewis Swift and Pro
fesdor Watson in.dI9 idIegoyr of
intra-Mercurial' nefi, of Pro
Lessors Newlands s4WIlde: .amnd
others in tb ^.41)*~ oMt
I
sifications of the elements by
periodic laws, and of Lontin,
Rapieff, Jablochkoff, Wardermann,
Sawyer, Hosmor and Gary in
their impurtant. but not yet fully
realized, applications of ele3tric
force.
The erowning discovery of the
year, however, if the half that has
been claimed should prove true, will
belong neither to Pictot, Cailletet,
Edison, Hughes, Watson nor Swift,
but to the eminent English astrono
mer and spectroscopist, Mr. J.
Norman Lockyer, who visited our
shores in July last for the observa
tion of the great solar eclipse. His
discovery, which the ierald was
the first to announce in America, is
nothing less than that of the sixty
four so-called "elements" are con
densations or modifications by the
interactions of the cosmic forces
upon a single primitive matter,
which, so far as this earth is con
cerned, seems to be hydrogen, but
which in the solar corona is found
to be at least four times lighter
than hydrogen. Of course men are
already spealng of this discovery
as if it were synonymous with
alchenry or the transmutation of
metals In one sense they are
right, but not in the most impor
tant meanings cotnected with those
expressions. It may be found pos .
sible to reduce gold and other pre
ciou imetals and stones to tneir
primitive calcium or hydrogen, but
it in y be positively stated that it
will never be possible to make golk
from hydrogen or calcium. The
reason is the same as in the paral
lel case of reducing fuel to ashes.
To destroy is easy; to rconstruet
from thi samne or similar iateri.s
is impossibio. Above all, -ine of thle
f :(!t9S inl LIIU fori ion of inm-tals is
unl:inkte I dar .ti>n of timc fi)r the
pAZLY Of the cosmic forc.e-l and until
the new alchemnistse cin control that
factor their efforts will be useless.
It 's too early to predict the range
of Mr. Lockyor's discovery; but,
granting all the facts which he
chims, he has but demonstrated
experimen tally an idea which is
perfectly familiar to modern
chemists. It is highly probable
that Mr. Lockyer's conclusions are
well founleId and that they will
revoutiomizv the form l tmtching of
lchemisZtry, blit they cannot change
thbe faW11's as they have always existed.
Me-.iiwhilo tho scientilic world is
becoming impatient for the record
of Mr. Lockyer's experiments-not
for his conclusions, for those they
can draw as well as he.
MR. EPPENsTEIN's BABIREs. -Yes
terday a reporter called at the store
of Mr. Abrahajn Eppdnstein td
make some ingiries about the
he:Llth of the three cherubim that
his wife had presented him the
night beforel
"Well, how's everything I" asked
thd reporter, smiling broadly.
"Vell, I feels pooty good' all the
vhile. Beesness was pickin' up
pooty kvick. I have der largest
assortment of goods vat vas ever
brouht-.
"The children-the babies 7" in.
terrupted the reporter ; ".[ w ant to
kn.owv something about the baibies."
"Vat babies ? .Oh!I dose dree
leetle fellers 'vat come to seen me
last night ? I vish you vould said
in your paper to-morrow dot Mr.
Eppenstein's babies are like his
goods-der best the market affords,
"Und see here," called the happy
father after the vanishing reporter,
"poot in a line at der bottom, und,
said of you please, dot your popular
merchant, Mr. Eppenstein, haf just
returned from Ni Yoriek mit a large
Atock of goods, vich he is almost
givin away on ockound of der hard
times."-Oil City, Derr ich.
Hoiun DEcoBATIoN.-Just as quick
as farmer Jones painted his barbed
'wire fence blue, plain blue, farmer
Smith's wife swore she wasn't
going to be outdone, and the fence
around the Smith farm soon bios -
somed out red, picked with white.
Mrs. Jones wasn't going to have
any of the Smith family put on airs
over her, and their .blue fence was
soonl trimmed with gold loaf stripes.
Smith trumped over by putting a
gilt b dII on every b.arb ; and Jones,
when ast heurd from, was painting
weatber vanes, gilt horses, peacocks
lightning--rod tips all over his fence,
and swearing he'd beat the Smith
famly fhe had to put a eupalo anmd
a bay window at .every. post, and
bang a; chromo every two feet along
the line. We shouN all pay .more
attention to the decoration of our
homnes4.--Keokuk tJon4titU ion.
Mrs, 1lortpe, of 1iali%ak ~ha.
given hirAh-to .twvimu.aigls-A varte
.WORFEIrz.D LAKDE.
Postgonement of Sales, and ea
Terms of Bedemption.
The following important bill ha
passed the Senate and had pre
viously passod the House of Repre
sentatives :
A Bill in relation to lands forfoite4
to the State for non-payment o
taxes.
Be it enacted by the Senate an4
House of Representatives of th<
State of South Carolina, now me
and sitting in General Assombly
and by the authority of the same :
Smnovio 1. Tnat in all cases ii
which sales of lind tinder an no
entitled "An act in relation to for
feited lands and the redOmption o
the same, and to lands not hereto.
fore placed on the -tax duplicate,
approved March 1st, 1878, havo
been suspended by compotent an
thority, the printer's aftrges, a
now provided by law for advertis
ing s'ch Rales, shall- be p tid. by the
couuf treasurer of the county i
which said lands are sitaited, or
the order of the county om:nis
sioners. out of the county funi.
Szo. 2. That all sales of forfeitei
lands not yet made under said aci
be postpono until the first M>n
day in September, 1879. utiti
which time the privilege of redemr
tion is extended to the parties it
interes, upou the payinent by thea
of one-half of the simple taxes o
the fiscal year 1876, 1877 ano 1878
*ithout costs or penalties.
SEo. 8. Tat in all oases wher
real estate has been offared for sali
,.idnot sold under the provisions o:
said act, or m-ty hereafter be offere
for sale, as 4.eroinbeforo provide(
for, anl not sold for want of bid.
ders, the original ownerA, or per
sons claii:ng under them, n.y havi
said real estate restored to them
freed from all lien or encumbrance
rising from said non-payment o
taxes, or said forfeiture, upon thi
payment of one-half of the simpl
taxes of the fiscal years of 1876
1877" and 1878: Provided, sai:
payment shall be made before th,
81st of October, 1879 ; and the rea
estate thus redeemed shall revert t<
the person' having the legal till
thereto, enbje,t to the claims u
third p,tities having an inLeree
therein, in te same manner as if n,
forfoit.uro had taken place.
Szo. 4. That the paymuent of t:axo
heroinbefore provided for shall b
made in national bank notes, Unite,
States 'reasury notes or in gold o
silver coin, and the privileges o
this act are given solely upon t,hi
condition.
SEo. 5. That auditors are re
quired to compare their forfeita<
land book with their tax duplioate,
and when it is apparent or made t,
appear that there are lands upoi
said forfeited list upon wh ch taxei
have been paid by the origini
owners in their own names for thi
years 1876-77, such irregular pay
monts shall be taken and held ti
have redeemed such -lands - unde
the "Act in relation to forfeiteI
lands and redemption of the same~
and to lands not heretofore placeG
on the tax duplicate," approve<
March 1, 1878.
SKo. 6. That all acts or parts o
acts inconsistent with this act ar.
hereby repealed.
ELEcTING TOO SooN-There is
g eneral feeling among members o:
Congress that the plan of electing
Congressmen a session in advanc<
of their taking their seats is al
wrong, and if this were a long
session the question would bi
brought before the body before iti
close. A leader in the Honse, foi
example, says you now elect a mar
before you know what questions h<
will have to act upon, and thea
thta defeated man who does nol
feel any responsibility remains in
session after his defeat.- Wash
ingtoni Letter.
The British government is goinj
to establish a mint at HongKong, a1
at an expense of $200,000, far the
purpose of coining a piece of Eng
lish money:to supplant the trade
dollar, which is a universal inedini
of exchiang0 hii the Chin~ese empire
It has driven the old favorite, th<
Mexis dollar, entIrely out of oir
oulatiota.
Col. 3. M. Iteating editor ofth
Memphis A eaI,. niet with .ai
eloganbi rece tlot ii Ne~w York
given to him by tle New YOrl
Press Olub,.In :recognition of his
fidelity to the professio{ d in
t late terrible yell6 fiv
scourge.
Alk exohagg& A t 4h
JAGROK' NS D RPA TH1 ED~I.
v About daylight one Sunday morn-.
ing Mrs. Jackson informed him that
o his.recovery was very doubtful. and
- that it was better that e should be
prepared for the worst. Ie was
silent for a moment, an.1 then .i1 :
"It will be infinite gain to be
f translated to heaven."
He advised his wife, in the event
of his death, to return to her
father's house, and ad led : "You
t have a kind and good father, but
there is no one so kind and good as
your He venly "athor."
He still expressed a ithopo of his
t recovery, but reqesteI her, if h
should die, to hi vo himu buria.l in
fLxingtol in tha3 Valloy of Vir
ginia. His exh-austion increita d so
rapidly th-t at 11 o'clock Ms.
Jackion knelt by his bed, an] told
him thAt before the sun went down
he would be with the Savior.
He replied : "0 no ; you nre
frightened, my chil: doith is not
so near ; I may get well."
She fell over the bed, weeping
bitterly, an:i told him that the
physicians said there was 10 hope.
After a moment's pause, he asked
her to call me.
"Doctor Ann informs me that
you have told her I atu to die to
day. Is it so "
When he was answered, he turned
his eyes toward the ceiling, and
f gazed for a moment or two, as if in
intense thought then replie,, "Very
good, very go ; it is all right."
He then tried to comfort his al
most heirt.broken wife, and told
her that he had a good deal to say
to her, but he was too weak. Colo
nel Pendleton came into the room
about 1 o'clock, and he as.ced him,
"Who w.s pre.tching at headquarters
to-day 1" When told th.tt the
Whole army was praying for him, he
replied:
"ThAnk God! they are very kind."
He said : "It is the Lord's day;
my wish is fulfilled. I have always
desired to die o1 Sunday."
His mind now began to fail and
t w nder, and he frequently t.tked as
if in coim.inl on tne field, giving
orders in his old way ; then the
scene shifted, and he wias at the
01 mess-ttible, in conversation with
wife an: chiLl ; now itt prayers
with his milit.try family. Otca
sional inturvals of rittirn of his
mind wonld appear-, and during oe
of thei I offered himn some brandy
and water, but he declined it, say
ing, "It will only delay my depar
ture, :tld do no goo,1 ; I want to
preserve ny mind to the last, if
possible."
About half past one be was bld
that he had but two hours to live,
and answered again, feebly but
firmly, "Very good ; it is all ri-ght."
A few momuents before he died be
crie. I out in his deirinmn "Order
A. P. Hill to prepare for action I
Pass the infantry to the front rapid
ly I Tell Major flaws"-then stop
r ped, leaving the sentence un
r finished.
Presently a smile of ineffable
Isweetness spedover his ae ae
and then ho said, quietly, and wvith
an exp)ression of relief, "Let us
cross over the river, and rest under
Athe shade of the trees."
And then, without pain or strug
gle, his spirit passed away.-Rich
mnond .Dispatch.
A Iady was the miotheri of 'a
bright little boy about three years
old. T1he whooping-conghi prevail
ed in the, neighborhood, and the
mother besaine very muoch alarmed
lest her boy should take it. One.
night, after the little fellow had
beer put to bed and to sleep, a
jackass was driven past the house,
and wheri just 6pposite set .nd his
he-haw, he-.haw, he-haw. With a
shriek the little fellow was out of.
his bed, screamin at the top of h-is
voice: "The whooping--cough a
coming, mamma:- thsi whooping
cough is coming." He,lidn't catch:
b it that time,'though.
Miss Celeste Wirians, daughter of
Sthe late Thomas Winans, of B3alti
more, is said to be the richest
heiress in. Ameriea, very handsome,
, and only twenty. The fortune she
inherited trotn her father Is said to
be $20,000,000.
" *Xy aean"' Mid% wife to her h'use
L band, "I. & think it is time~ wp
e Rad, wht or greeti w i muit, me'
A VOrC R FROAI TRBERIA.
The Troubles of a Barnwell Emilgrant
R-ast Monkey Withour Lard--A
Chanco for Brother Fred Nix.
The Barnwell People publishes
the following letter which has been
received from one of the emigrants
who went to Liberia :
MONRVIA, October 20, 1878.
To the .Jtedonian Baptiat Chuch
(Colored,) Barnwell County, S.G.
DE,u Bi(11'VflEN IN TiE LoDim-Thie
leaves sus all well at this time. hop,
ing it iny find you all the same.
I am sorry to say I have not hoard
a word from you, though I haye
written y )I all ; but have you- all at'
heart. The worst grief that-Lbave
is my church and pastor, I niss
them SO much that I oannot help
but feel sad at tiies when I think of
you all. We are witout a church
at this time Some parts of the
country are starving for the Gospel
so much that that the breid of life
has to be broken by the licentious.
I have heard six sermons, but I hIve
rot seen a person baptised nor one
join tho church. We have a small
gathering of the brethren here, but
no church. Some money hase been
sent by friends in Charleston, but
not enongh to build a church. Wo
don't want to build till we are
settled. The principal is in my
hands. I am going to gather the
brethren togetber as soon as I can
under a bush-arbor, if the Lord
wills. For has he not .said, -where
two or thro are gathered together
He would be in their midst T
Please allow me to say something
about my crossing the ocean and
my trials since I left th,- United
States, for they have been many ;
but the Lord has been with me
until now. I started with twenty
two in my family, but I lost two at
sea, my baby and my grand child,
and on arrival lost three more.
Mose Stephens lost two of his chil~
dren, and my mother-in-law, Liddy,
died June the 24th. She said she
was not afraid to die.
Provisions are now plenty, but
they are not what we used to eat.
It went hard at first, but we go
used to it now. Ooffee is plenty
and so is sugar, and so is yams. bitt
meat we hardly ever eat, except on
Sundays, when we have roatt
monkey for dinner. Its mighty dry
eating, and needs lard, but that you
can't get for love or money.
Toll Brother Fred Nix that we
want him oat here very bad. We
have told the folks out here what a
smart man he is and a great politi,
3ian. If he- will only come out he is
sure to be made president.
Remember me to Brother Tolbert
rind Brother Jackson. You will find
enclosed a letter for Brother Wil
1Iam Jones. Pleoe write, write all
of you to me. I would be glad to
hear from you all.
Your ba.other in the Lord,
WILrIAM JOHNSN.
Cure for felons-Arrest themn.
"Never say dye" to a wvomen who
uses it.
A go m m.v men are suspending
mnore than they earn.
A growing evil-That clothing
won't growv with the grower.
The lotter' D is truly an old salt ;
has been following the 0 for years.
The Japanese government still
tort,ures prisoners to extort con~.
fossion.
The girl of the . is the girl that,
mak:ss a -for the grate and puta
the : whenever her beaux , 'round
to see her.
It may brighten some medical
student's pathway to be informed
that a pestilence of the most awful
character is predicted f.or 1890.
Stepmiotheirs, though proverbially
inhuman, seldom.carry matters so
far' as Florence Marryatt, the.
novelist, has.done in advertising her
"Step-son" for sale.
Lord and Lady Dufferin's por
traits will appear on the Canadian
S1 anid $2 bils. We shall iramedi~
ate write to their :exeellencies 'for
their pictures.-ree .Pres..
Professor Barft has refused an
offer of one and a quarter .mnillions
of dollars,for the patent i'iglitg o
bis proooss. for-the permanent. pr'om
t,oo n f ron from rust and #tmos
ero indlue4ces.. -
* When yo at g.My