The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 16, 1896, Page 29

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 1896. 29 FRESH MARVELS OF SCIENCE Possibility That a Person's Thoughts May Vet Be Photographed Within the few months last past stu- dents of psychic science have been stimu- lated by the startling announcement that the t,ho.nghlso( an individual may be ren- dered visible through the mediumship of photography. Theosophy has always taught that thoughts afe real, tangible thines, visible atall times to the one whose psychic de- velopment was sufficiently advanced, Now comes the statement that it is not at ali necessary that one should possess «“mediumistic’’ ability in order to visually perceive the thoughts of another; and that it is but an exceedingly simple matter to secure a lesting image of the thought. The announcement comes simulta- neously from France and Iowa that thought 1mpressions have been success- fully photographed. Dr. Baraduc of Paris has recently presented to the Academy of Medicine a statement that he had obtained photographs of thought impressions; and, furthermore, that he had “photographed a soul.” Just what tie pictures looked like, or the mode of their production, is not stated in the brief mewspaper mention of the event. Dr. Clarke of Iowa announces a some- what similar achievement, which, while not claiming to produce an.image of an actual thought, does present pictures which are the direct result of brain force exerted upon a photographic plate. The Braingraph of an Inventor. | | | & psychic law we have demonstrated the identity of the two. Lay a coin upon the C string of a piano and then with a violin or other musical instrument sound the note C. Instantly the coin will jump from the piano-string. Why did it jump? Because the piano- string vibrated. Why did it vibrate? Be- cause the law of sympathy forced it to do 80 when you sounded the same musical note as the string was tuned to. Place two metal wires side by side, but carefully insulated one from the other, and then cause an electric current to flow over one wire. Instantly an electric current ap- pears on the other wire. Why? Because the law of sympathy called the second current into being. In these two cases we have a clear 1illustration of the physical expression of a psychic law. ‘We know as yet but very little about vibration, but enough to warrant the state- ment that it is the universal law. Sound and light are now recognized as being vi- brations of—something. We are able to mechanically demonstrate that sound isa succession of vibrations, the highest sound appreciable to the human ear being com- posed of 36,850 vibrations per second. The next highest speed of vibration cognizant to the senses of man is that of red light, which is placed at 458 trillions vibrations per second. There is a gap, a great gap. between 36,850 and 458 trillions in the same unit of time. These two manifestations— sound and light—are as yet the only ones whose rates of vibration are known, but in the light of the wondrous iliumination shed by scientific research during the past few years itis notassuming too much to say that the knowledge of other rates of vibration is within our grasp. But a little while ago it was discovered that if the brains of two indiviauals were connected by a metallic conductor under proper magnetic conditions, then the one individual would become instantly cogni- zant of the though's of the other. Theap- paratus was an arrangement of wires con- nected to metallic bands which clasped the heads of the parties to the experiment, a system of electro-magnets being intro- duced in the circuit of the wires. I say, the one individual would become cogni- zant of the thoughts of the other. In some cases this was actually o0; in nearly every case the one individual was cogni- zant of the emotions of the other, and it regult of Dr. though not so astounding as those alleged by Dr. Baraduc, are nevertheless more in- t ting, as the means employed are very simple and are within the reach of many emong the readers of THE Carn. They are also fuily described. As a matter of fact the subject of thought photography has received a great aeal of attention among those scientific men whose tastes led to the investigation of the psychic side of life. The marvel- ous revelations of the X-ray, startling in character as they are, pale to insignificance beside the more marvelous disclosures that pure science has in store for the com- ing century. Already a few advanced stu- he knowledze of discoveries t profound and vital impor- Yet, the publicity of thé informa- s withheld because of the opinions entertained by the discoverers thatthe | Clarke's experiments, al- | g 1 /11“‘. \(\\ \ il ! \ IR\l Braingraph of a Lunatic. Braingraph of an Eminent Lawyer. was found that the bhuman brain was clearly cognizant of the feelings of anger, joy or fear excited in a dog.whose cranium was encircled by one of the metal bands. What was the character of the “some- thing” transmitted over the wires? Who is the savant who shall demonstrate that it is not a form of so-called electrical energy ? Thought photography i3 the physical expression of a psychic law. Through the kindness of Dr. Clarke, I am permitted to lay before the readers of THE CALL a description of the apparatus employed by him, and also four photo- graphs, ‘‘braingraphs,’” taken by him, showing the peculiar lines and figurations of the brain force of four different in- dividuals. - While these pictures'are in no sense thought photographs, they do much to establish the claim that the terms time is not yet come for the presentation the matters. One of the best known men of science, whose name is of world-wide repute, is the possessor of a discovery in physics that would, if it were known, enable a nation possessing it to lay the balance of the world under servile tribute. In a conver- sation had last autumn, he said to me: “I am not yet ready to make public the results of my forty years of investigation. No great discovery should be immaturely launched upon an unfitted publie, The great things in nature rest upon simple but mighty causes, that demand an intel- ligence immensely above the ordinary to understand. Unfortunately, the majority of the people comprising what we term the ‘public’ are not only unthinking, they are positively ignorant, and by their of ignorance totally unfitted to pass upon | matters requiring knowledge. Yet, when some great truth is placed before these unthoughtiui people, they at once sit in judgment and rush Into expressions of opinion. The discoverer of the truth is consigned to contemptuous obscurity, the value of the truth is clouded, and its bene- ficent action retarded. The first is not important, but the second—the retarda- tion of the truth’s benefit—is a serious matter. So I have concluded, wisely or not, to wait and let the public acquire, lit- tle by little, some fragmentary knowledge, | so that when the discovery 1 have made made shall be presented, people may be able to accept understandingly, and profit by the disclosure.” I am not prepared to say that he is wrong. The combined philosophy and study cailed science is rapidly arriving at the conclusion that vibration is the universal law; that every manifestation which our senses are capable of contacting is a phase of vibration, the different manifestations bemng only differentiated modes of vibra- tory force. Light, sound, heat, cold, mag- netism, electricity are each but different rates of vibration of the same primal sub- <tance that, as yet, is wanting a name. As chemistry becomes better understood the chemist is led to ask: Is there really more than one element? Is it not the fact that the different so-called “‘elements’’ are but different forms of the sole, primal element? As between soul and body, or, if you choose other terms, spirit and matter, there is no difference ‘save in vibration. They are one and the same thing when you come to the final analysis. The one Braingraph of a Poetess. “mind”” and ‘‘matter’’ are but distinctions with out a difference. The apparatus of Dr. Clarke consists of an induction coil capable of producing an exceedingiy high-tension current. The wires carrying the induction, or secondary current, are connected by one terminal to a metal plate held in position at the base of the brain, and the other terminal, by means of branching wires, to three metal plates placed one over the center of the frontal bone and the other two placed on opposite sides of the forehead, as shown inthe cut. A sensitive photographic plate is placed between two sheets of “silver foil and inclosed in a plate holder, the wire of the secondary circuit being led in through thesidesof the plate holder so that 1ts ends touch the silver foil on each side of the sensitized plate. The apparatus is ad- justed upon the head of the subject, and all electrical connections made before the primary current is turned on. An ex- posure of a few seconds is sufficient. It is found that all subjects are not good sub- jects. Another peculiarity of the process points to the fact that terrestrial magnet- ism is in some way connected with the phenomenon. The sensitive plate must be placed at right angles to the line of ter- restrial magnetic declination at the place of operation. The experiment succeeds best during dry weather; the presence of moisture in the atmosphere exerts a de- terrent influence. Naturally enough whenever an an- nouncement like that now made is laid before the public there will be found two classes of opinion. Oune will pooh-pooh the matter and dismiss it from considera- is physical, the other psychical. Now if | tion withoutinvestigation, mainly because we can produce a physical expression of | of their inability to comprehend that there APPARATUS FOR MENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY. may exist anything not mentioned in textbooks. The other will withhold judg- ment until the opportunity has been afforded and availed of to make full and complete examination of the whole matter. It isthe latter who by their labor make useful each newly found power of nature. There is no little diversity of opinion as to the merits of phrenology. By some it is held to be an exact science, by others to be a vagary. By most men of science it is believed that phrenology possesses, in a general sense, some traths, which, while falling: far short of all the claims put forth by the votaries of the cult, do have some value in assisting the determination of the general character of the subject-individual. The resuits of Dr. Clarke’s investiga- tions seem to establish a fact: that it is possible to learn by the means herein de- scribed something of helpful value in de- termining the character of a brain. This is a great step forward on the road to in- tellectual progress. How many children have been educated to trades and profes- sions for which they have proved unfitted ? We are all familiar with examples of mis- vlaced education. The boy is sent to col- lege and large sums of money spent in the attempt to make of him alawyer or a preacher, and the expense has proved wasted, the labor a failure. It willnow be possible, with the development of the dis- covery made by Dr. Clarke, to ascertain the natural brain force of the child and its tendencies, and so be able to develop a peculiar talent along natural lines; to assist nature instead of thwarting her. The braingraph must be of value in crimi- nal jurisprudence, as by its use the idiot may be infallibly distinguished from the responsible criminal. In his letter to me Dr. Clarke states his hopefulness in being able to produce the praingraph without the presence of the conducting wires. He expects to obtain a braingraph of an individual without that individual being cognizant of the opera- tion. If he is successful in this we may look forward to a revolution in our opin- ions of individuals. The candidate for public office will find that his cerebral activities and mental predilections have been infallibly pictured and any obliquity disclosed. The employer will take the braingraph of the applicant for 2 confiden- tial clerkship, and the coming woman will undoubtedly secure at the earliest moment a braingraph of the coming man. . been not a reproduction of the conditions to be investigated but an exaggeration of one of them, The heating by contact of molten metal was more sudden than the heating by brake friction could be, and in that respect the exaggeration may have been preferable rather than otherwise; while the other conditions which have to do with the breaking of carwheels in use, the severe and changing pressures and ihe sudden shocks, were entirely absent. Ex- periments such as these, of course, have their value and are to be encouraged, but they should not be laken to prove too much. Electrolvtic Welsbach Mantles. A new and cheap process for the manu- facture of the incandescent mantles em- ployed in the Welsbach burner has been patented in Germany. It consists in n#ix- ing with the nitrates or sulphates of the earthy metals used the salis of their bases, thus forming an electrolyte, through which a current is passed into a skeleton of fine-woven platinum wire, shaped like amantle. On this framework the metals are electrolytically deposited and subse- quently calcined, after which the plati- num skeletons are removed. Mantles made in this manner are claimed to be stronger than mantles made in the ordi- nary way, and further, the cost of manu- facture according to present methods is considerably reduced. Electric Cioth Pressing. In pressing woolen fabrics in order to give them a smooth, fine appearance, both a uniform pressure and a unitorm heat are required. By a recently devel- oped system the heating is done electric- ally, the fabric being placed between the metallic plates throngh which sufficient current is passed while under hydraulic pressure to heat them to slightly more than ihe temperature of boiling water. One dynamo of fifty volts and 700 amperes will suffice tor five presses having 120 piles to be heatad; the cost of heating for one press for a period of half an hour and for seventy plates is about 21 cents. Foot-Propeliel Wagon. George G. J. Millar of Columbus, Ohio, has invented a wagon intended to carry several people and large loads, but capable of being propelled by the foot power of one person. This end is accomplished by making FOOT - PROPELLED WAGON. This last addition to the possessions of science is but one of many discoveries that have been made within the past few years and which mark the close of the century as the richest period in history. Never, within so brief a time, has there | come to the knowledge of the world so many disclosures of the possibilities of nature. We are rapidly reaching the apex of intelligence, and it is possible that within the lives:of those now living man will be able to determine in advance the physical and mental status of his progeny; will be able to hold converse withi his fellows at a distance without the aid of wires or apparatus; will be able to see his distant conversationalist, and not be limited to the little globe we live upon, but be able to reach out to other members of the family of the Sun. F. M, Crosg, D. Sc. Natural Gas Failure. The review of natural gas production in the United States in 1895, made in the re- port of the United States Geological Sur- vey, just issued, shows its value last year to have been $13,006.650, as against $13,- 954,400 in 1894. The value of the natural product consumed in 1895 was $7,920,187; the total of pipe laid was 43,830,241 feet, and the number of producing wells opened 3326. The most noticeable feature of the year was the decreasing pressure in all of the natural gas wells of the country. The estimated life of the welis has also been greatly reduced. The value of the con- sumption of natural gas in the United States during the ien years from 1886 to 1895 was greatest in 1888, when it was $242,129,875. ¥rom that time until 1891 the decrease was rapid, and 1n the past four years there has been a gradual de- cline, Experimenting With Car Wheels. It is known that chilled cast iron wheels, commonly used for freight cars, are liable to be cracked from the heating of the tread when a long-continued application of the brake occurs, and several accidents having occurred on heavy grades owing to wheel failures, an experiment was sug- gested. The wheels to be tested were placed horizontally in a mold of sand with an open space of a half inch or so around tbe rim. Then molten metal was poured into this space, heating the rim quite sud- denly, and of three wheels tried one cracked in forty seconds, a second one in two minutes, while the third wheel showed no signs of failure. The latter wheel was made at the Altoona shops, and that it stood this test would seem to guar- antee it absolutely from ever giving out on account of heating by brake friction. As to the conditions secured in this ex- periment they must be considerad to have use of several well-known lever principles. The operator sits in the rear of the wagon, and by pressing his foot on a certain lever causes another lever to rise and en- gage with a sort of cam. This produces great power, so that the cam shaft is made to revolve. The power is then com- municated to the axle of the vehicle by cogwheels. The idea is that the great power generated by the cam attachment will cause the vehicle to run several feet by the impetus thus.imparted. It will be seen that the driving motion is not a positive one, and of course the vehicle would be a slow hill-climber, buton a good road it should develop considerable speed. Cotton-Picking Machine. A few years ago a committee of scien- tific men, after a conference, decided that one of the geat industrial needs of the time was a cotton-picking machie. They farther declared that there was a fortune in store for the person who would invent one. Therebave been numerous attempts made in that direction, but all have been failures for some reason. ‘Woodbury K. Dana of Westbrook, Me., APPARATUS FOR HARVESTING COTTON. has just patented a machine that is con- structed on the most simple but novel principles, and, as far ascan be judged, from the theoretical construction of it, ought to work. The princinle made use of is suction and the method of applying it is the same as the pneumatic cash- carriers in use in stores all over the country. There are iwo parts to the machine, mounted upon separate trucks. One truck contains an engine and boiler and a centri- fugal airpump driven by same. The other truck c:g-ieu the picking machine, which is connected to the air pump by a flexible tube. The picking machine is nothing more than a tank closed on all sides and with a screen extending through a section of ita few inches from: the top. From different sides of the tank hose pipes are attached . that have ena pieces intended to fit over the ball of growing cotton. By setting the centrifugal pump in oper- ation the airis exhausted from the tank and of course the air from the outside rushes in through the hose pipes. It then follows tbat if the end of #the hose be placed over the ball of growing cotton the fiber will be torn loose and follow the air into the tank. The screen across the tank prevents the cotton from passing into the pump. Fighting From M dair. A balloon which it is said, can be pro- pelled around a cirele if necessary without respect to the wind, has been devised by A. R. Reed of Hot Springs, Ark. His de- vice has been submitted to some Cuban sympathizers in this country, and it may .| be adopted in the war now raging on the little island. The gas bag is cigar-shaped. The usual car or basket hangs underneath, and at- tached rigidly to the bottom of the car is an air tube or magazine somewhat larger than the basket, say thirty or thirty-six inches in diameter. At one end is at- tached a rudder, to work partly inside and partly outside of the tube. At the midale of the tube there is a strong fanwheel, similar to the electric fans. This is driven by a small gasoline engine of about two horsepower, made of aluminam. This engine goes in the basket immedi- ately over the circular fan, and the latter is run by an ordinary belt running through the bottom of the baskat from the engine. The rudder is managed by ropes. The gas bag is covered with the usual rope net- ting to support the car and entire ma- chinery. The carrying machinery will de- pend entirely upon the size of the gas bag. Inside of thirty days can be made a bal- loon which will carry 2000 pounds of dyna- mite in bombs and the necessary appa- ratus to fire them with precision, and with this steering gear, the inventor says, he can direct a balloon in any direction and make it run around in a circle, Production of Copper. Acoording to the Engineering and Min- ing Jonrnal the production and export of copper for the first six months of this year makes a very satisfactory showing. The total increase in the United States in pro- duction was 11,668 long tons, or 14.6 per cent, and the increase of export, far in excess of the increase of production, amounted to 74.1 per cent. On the 30th of June the stocks in sight in England and France were estimated at 30,729 tons and the quantity from Chile 5550, making a total of 36,279, as aganst 36,901 tons on May 31. These figures show a decrease of more than 600 tons daring the month. The decrease as compared with July 1, 1895, is 22,236 tons. Telephoning in the Rockies. Telephone construction in the Rocky Mountains is attended with a great deal of hardship. The line built from Leadville to Aspen several years ago is a case in point. It took two months to cover the entire length, forty-eight miles. In ordinary con- struction, the poles would bs set forty-two to the mile, but at certain points, where sharp turns were necessary, the number sometimes increased to seventy-five to the mile. The members of the construction gang had to be as expert as axmen a3 they were as linemen, for when timber was en- countered a path of 200 feet on each side of the line had to be cleared in order that wires might not be broken when trees were blown over by the terrific blasts which at times prevail in that region. A great deal of the comparative slowness of the installation was owing to the inabil- ity of the workmen to labor in such a rare-' ified atmosphere. At one point the wires were strung at an elevation of 12,000 feet above the level of thesea. In such analti- tude the lineman soon became completely tired; after he has climbed two or three poles he has to take a rest to recuperate his energies. The preparation of the holes for poles, which would have been tedious in similar ground even in an ordinary at- mosphere, was an especially slow and fa- tiguing operation. It was often necessary to blast a hole for the pole by the use of giant powder, and an ex-miner, who had bad ab extensive experience with explo- sives, was assigned to the job. The digging of one pole hole would sometimes occupy him a whole day, working honestly. Over 300 pounds of powder were used on the line for this purpose. When the conti- nental divide was reached the poles had to be abandoned and the wires placed in a cable, which was buried in a two-ioot trench for a distance of 7600 feet. The ad- visability of abandoning aerial construction at this point was demonstrated by the ex- perience of the company that maintains the Denver and Leadville line. At one point on that line, Mosquito Pass, the poles were originally set seventy feet apart. As the wires were covered with sleet they snapped and the line was use- less. Double the number of poles was used, with the same result. The space be- ' NEW ELECTRIC ELEVATOR A San Franciscan Invents One That Neither Jerks Nor dars Ever since elevators have been in gen- eral use inventors have been at work try- ing to overcome that “jerkiness” so mani- fest when the machinery starts or stops which 1s so unpleasant to the passengars. The rost elaborate machinery has been constructed to this end, but there was little improvement until E. M. Fraser of this City thought of a new principle. That was some time ago and he now has a complete machine in operation in the new brick building near the corner of Main and Mission streets. A CALL repre- sentative rode in it a few days ago and found all of the objectionable featuresin the old elevators entirely overcome, It swung between the floors with the ease of a bird in flight in midair. Up to the top and then back without apparently stop- ping at all.. It could be stopped or started anywhere without the slightest jar. With such ease does the Fraser ma- chine work that it seems surprising and it is really a pleasure to ride in it. How has this been accomplished? will- And it can be answered, by an be asked. Elevator Diagram.. entire departure from old principles. In the old machines, hydraulic, electric and steam, the start of the elevator-car was made from a ‘‘dead” machine. Asa con- sequence, there was considerable lost mo- tion to be taken up before the momentum was communicated to the car. Mr. Fraser has overcome this by using electric motors ana keeping them running all the time during the hours the elevator is to be used. The accompanyine diagram will explain the principle of the machine, although no attemot has been made to foliow the details or proportions of the working apparatus. Briefly, the principle is that of the differential pulley-block, but accomplished* by changing the speeds of the pulleys instead of having them of different sizes. AA represents the electric motors run- ning in opposite directions; Bl B2 the pulleys conn:cted to the motors by an endless rope; C the winze around which the rope passes several times, that con- nects the two lock pulieys; E the ele- vator-car, suspended by a rope that passes over a pulley and is connected to the same shaft (D) as the winze. 1f both of the motors are running at the same speed it follows that the rope will travel over the pulleys (Bl, B2) without changing their positions. But should the speed of the lower motor be increased and the upper motor decreased there will be a pull on the descending rope from pulley Bl that will cause it todescend. This will cause the winze to revolve and raise the pulley B2. Power is thus communicated to the shaft (D), and the elevator de- scends. Reversing the movement causes the elevator to ascend. The changing of the speeds of the motors is accomplished by the use of an ordinary resistance coil. The electric current is simply turned out of one field into another, As the motors are running all the time, it follows that there can be no jerk, no matter how suddenly the change from one field to the other is made. All practical machinists who have seen the Fraser elevator pronounce it the simplest and most practical machine built, aside from the fact that the cars are the most comfortable to ride in. The cars can be made to run at the rate of 500 feet a minute if desired. . Turning Silver Into Go'd. Dr. Stephen H. Emmens, the inventor of the fearful explosive, ‘‘Emmensite,” and a scientist of recognized abillty, has made public a discovery that, if true, is the most wonderful of the century. He declares on his reputation as a prize man of Kings College, London, and a pupil of the celebrated chemist, Bloxam, that he has discovered a method of chang- ing silver into gold. He further asserts that a laboratory is about to ba erected in the vicinity of New Yorkin which the process will be carried on in a commercial way. Dr. Emmens will not asyet make known any details of the discovery. All he will say is that the relations of the two metals to each other, chemically, and their con- stant association in nature, has long made it probable ‘that they were but different forms of the same substance, just as char- coal and the diamond are allotropic forms of carbon. Working on this line, he says that it has been found that. neither of the metals is an elemental body. On page 431 of the last edition of Bloxam’s chemistry there is a statement of recent discovery made by the scientist Cary Lea of -Philadelphia, which Dr. Emmens says is the key to the problem of the relation of silver to gold. Working along these lines he says it has been found possible to dissolve gold as easily as sugar in water, just as Lea says he dissolved silver. The color and action of the resultant solutions are the same, and on aggregating the particles of the silver solution a substance has been secured whicih has all the characteristic reactions of geld. . The problem of making this transmutation of commercial value he asserts has also practically been worked out. - Dr. Emmens has records to show that thirty years ago he produced artificial dia- -monds from a carbon solution, and he has tween the poles was then reduced to ' twenty-five feet, but when the sleet came the line was swept down flat. Eventuaily an underground cable was laid for two and & half miles and there has been no trouble since.—Denver Field and Farm, been at work ever since on the problem of the divisibility of the so-called elemen- tary substances. He is not alone in these experiments, but does not care to give the names of his associates. % He says that the present announcement i S it is made somewhat before it otherwise would have been, because he thinks that it is his duty as a citizen to make known a discovery that will of neceseity settle forever the wariare between silver and gold in the financial world. He further says that he is aware of the sensation that the announcement will make, and that he is prepared to stand by it before the scientific world, which is alone able to pass judgment upon it. The Submarine Naval Boat. The New York people who are interested in the submarine boat being built for the navy in Baltimore are concerned whether the Navy Department will authorize the construction of another craft of like type. | This, from present indications, does not seem probable, although the matter de- pends entirely on the results obtained by the boat now under way. Most naval officers have little faith in this type of war craft. Perhaps this oomes from their lack of precise knowledge of such boats, and it may spring also from tbe natural distrust of a boat the chief functions of which must be carried on under the water. The builders must, under | their contract, demonstrate to the Gov- ernment the reliability of the new boat; they must operate it in all the numerous ways called for under the specifications, and if they are able to do all that is re- quired of them, and ever come to the sur- face again, there will probably be estab- lished a confidence in the boat which does not at present exist, The foreign submarine boats operate without much accident, and there is no reason, theoretically, why the American craft, an admittedly superior boat of its type, should not be a success. Whether it will have the tactical value claimed for it by the inventor remains to be seen. It is reasonable, however, to suppose that a boat navigating under the water, outof sight of an enemy, would be capable of doing more damage than a much more powerful boat, the movements of which were known to an alert antagonist. The latest naval appropriation act al- lows the Secretary of the Navy to have built two more submarine boats if the Baltimore craft proves satisfactory. It is yet too early to determine the practicabil- ity of the first beat of this type, but this does not prevent naval officers from as- suming the disadvantages of the boat. They admit the possibility of its value, and they appreciate the varied offices which the inventor believes may be per- formed by his mechanism. They have, notwithstanding, a feeling that the boat will not be duplicated. If it shall succeed in meeting all the requirements, which are numerous and severe, the navy will have a valuable craft and the battle fleet an important ally.—New York Times. According to-the Ceylon Observer a very interesting experiment on the culti- vation of Para rubber is being made on one of the estates in that country. About a year ago some 50,000 plants were pur- chased and planted on the estate, and the trees are now said to show a surprising growth, as do also those on the Govern- ment’s experimental plantation in the same district. As is well known, the de- mand for good rubber is now in excess of the supply. During the years 1894-95 the value of the rubber exported from Para was upward of 37,000,000 milreis, being rather more than dotble tbe value of the exported rubber for the year 1890-91, It appears from the report of the foreign trade of China for the year 1895, recently issued by the China Imperial Maritime Customs, that in connection with thesilk industry of China the steps initiated by the Inspector-General to implant in China the Pasteur system of detecting and erad- icating disease in silkworms have suc- ceeded in the Kwangtung province. The Caspian Sea is 650 feet below the level of the ocean. NEW TO-DAY. From U.S. Journalof Medicine, Prof.W. H. Peeke, ® who makes a special- ty of Epilepsy, has without doubt treat- ed and cured more cases than any living Cured: his success isastonish- cases of 20 years’ standing cured by him. He publishes a valuable work on this disease, which he sends with a large bottle of his absolute cure, free to any sufferer who may send their P.O. and Express address. We advise anyone wishing a cure to address Prof.W.H.PEEKE,F.D.,4Cedar St..N.Y. ing. We have heard of S\IITAI.ITYinMIEI[lI Debility Weakness Varicocele wasting diseases, fllflfl‘fi to -‘l for advice. wm;ll @it Condition to Batoral size @icirenct. Tranterery Young or 1d man o know .-.bonfm T tako a personal i s d eed hesitate