Miscellany. ng from the bursts, there reall bubble uncondensed, which e nitrogen. He then boiled a vacuum, and found, after he vapor, a quantity of permathe tube, which proved to be her experiments gave like curHence he concludes that y no means, as commonly supple separation of the cohesion cules of a liquid from distention is a much more complex operting from the extraction of some gas, against which the liquid As nitrogen is eliminated until op is boiled off, Mr. Grove thinks may be some hidden relation beand water, and that nitrogen is ans merely an inert diluent in obviate the inconvenience and ising from the present form of mployed in our theatres and lecns, M. Soubra has perfected a ious invention. He takes a wide e, bent in form of letter U, one ver, is considerably shorter than - Just inside the shorter leg an urner is inverted; and the longer e tube being heated for a short s to rarify the air in it and cause a d current in the short leg, the burner is lighted, and the flame, the direction of the current of hich it is surrounded, continues to side down. The current, when Cablished, is sustained by the heat inverted flame. The advantages 315 as to safety, &c., of this invention are so great that it has been adopted in Paris, and will soon be commonly used in this country. -Professor Husley says that the best mode of comparing skulls is to determine the "basi-cranial axis"—a line drawn within the skull from the front of the occipital foramen to the anterior end of the sphenoid bone-by making a vertical and longitudinal section. In some of the prognathous skulls of the lowest human races the distance from the front end of the axis to the back of the cerebral cavity is only four times as great as the distance to the front of the cavity; while in some of the most highly developed races it is seven times as large. The Professor regards this greater development of the posterior position of the brain in the higher races as entirely subversive of the location of organs as adopted by phrenologists. -Dr. Tyndall, in his fourth memoir on heat, read before the Royal Society, June, 1863, states that, under pressure of one atmosphere, the absorptive energy of olefiant gas is nine hundred and seventy times greater than that of air, and that ammoniacal gas is almost absolutely impervious to radiant heat. If our globe were surrounded by a shell of olefiant gas two inches thick, this shell would offer only a slight obstacle to the passage of the sun's rays, but would cut off one-third of terrestrial radiation and return it, so as to keep the surface continually at a stifling temperature. MISCELLANY. Professor Tyndall, in a discourse Royal Institution, commented upon et that the ugly word "physicist,' nconvenient combination "natural Opher," are the only ones in our lanwhich define a man battling with al science. Professor Tyndall covets ord "physician." Professor Thom son, in a note to his paper on the "Rigidity of the Earth," about to appear in the Philosophical Transactions, wishes to generalize the word naturalist into the meaning given by Johnson-" a person well versed in natural philosophy." We fear the word is too convenient and too rooted, in its restricted sense to have its meaning ex tended, although, we confess, the sooner such an "un-English, unpleasing, and meaningless a variation from old usage as 'physicist'" is superseded the better. We give another conservative note of Professor, Thomson's as we find it:-"Dynamics, meaning properly the science of force, and there being precedents of the very highest kind-for instance, in Delaunay's Mécanique Rationale,' of 1861, and Robison's 'Mechanical Philosophy,' of 1804-in favor of using the term according to its proper meaning, the modern corrupt usage, which has confined it to the branch of dynamical science in which relative motion is considered, being excessively inconvenient and vexatious, it has been proposed to introduce the term 'kinetics,' to express this branch; so that dynamics may be defined simply as the 'science of force,' and divided into the two branches, Statics and Kinetics. The introduction of this new term, derived from kivηois, motion, or act of moving, does not interfere with Ampère's term, now universally accepted, 'kinematics' (from Kivnua), the science of movements." 81 Madler, of Dorpat, makes the following proposal for the union of the Julian and Gregorian Calendars: The length of the mean tropical year being 365 days, it follows that a period of 128 years must contain 31 leap and 97 ordinary years. If, therefore, as is done now, every year which can be divided by four is made a leap-year, but after every 128 years a leap-year is transformed into a common year, the desired result is achieved. Since, however, the beginning of this period of 128 years may be fixed arbitrarily, it would be best to commence it at the time when the Gregorian calendar likewise omits the leap-year, viz, in 1900. The following would, accordingly, not be leap-years, but common years, according to the proposed general united calendar: A. D. 1900, 2028, 2156, 2284, 2412, 2540, 2668, 2796, 2924, 3052, 3180, 3308, 3436, 3564, 3692, 3820, 3948, 4076, 4204, 4332, &c. Dr. Seemann, who has been several months in Venezuela, for the purpose of inspecting an estate of 100 square leagues on the banks of the river Tocuyo. turned to England by the last We steamer. Whilst exploring the v the Tocuyo, he has discovered wh prove of the utmost importance railways and steamers now establi that part of the world-extensiv beds, the coal being valued in Lo thirty shillings per ton, and resemb best Welsh steam coal. This part of America is as yet little known, but a in natural wealth; in it are situate of the richest copper-mines in the w those of Aroa, to which an English pany is now making a railroad, sixty in length, ten of which have alread finished. The soil is of extreme fe and mahogany and other precious abound. -The Spanish journals mentio outbreak of a dangerous malady in th of Murcia:-In constructing the ra which passes through that place, a mass of earth was excavated from neighborhood of the city for the pu of making the embankments. At the whence the earth was taken, a quant stagnant water has since collected, the laria from which is said to have prod an epidemic fever, with all the chara istics of a plague. More than 1,500 per in Murcia and the environs have bee tacked, and a large number of deaths already taken place. A manifesta against the railway company, by the ulation, lately took place, and more ser disturbances were feared. -Mammon's throne was illy ser when in Archbishop Whately's presen He weakened its influence and gr rather by the scorch of his caustic wit th by any violent muscular effort to subv the one or unlock the other. "Many man," he said, "who may admit it to impossible to serve God and Mammon one and the same time yet wishes to ser Mammon and God; first the one, as lo as he is able; and then the other." -The French government has gran ed the sum of 200,000 francs towards th execution of a work on Assyrian antiqu ties. Educational Intelligence. cademy at St. Petersburg has Iwith all the books and man were kept hitherto in the tment of the Russian Minisreign Office. This will be a or scholars intent on Asiatic se books are very rare, and exist only in the countries have been published. They in Chinese, Mandshurian, Tigolian, and Sanskrit. The collection, written in the lanDet, comprises 170 volumes. ian collection is still in the he Russian Ambassadorship at ard the First seems to have ortunate in the chroniclers who 1 his exploits in the Holy Land sterity. In Abulfeda's Life of is scarcely less prominently 317 A German printer, of the name of Vierling, of Görlitz, announces the Tercentenary commemoration next year of the founding of his office by Ambrosius Fritzsch, in 1565, whose first book was an edition of Luther's Catechism of that date. In 1566, Fritzsch issued a panoramic view of Görlitz, a large wood engraving, by George Scharfenberg, of which the blocks are still preserved in the office. At Paris, recently, an autograph of Tasso was sold, written by the poet of the Gerusalemme Liberata, in the twentysixth year of his age. It is worded as follows: "I, the undersigned, hereby acknowledge to have received from Abraham Levi, 25 lire, for which he holds in pledge a sword of my father's, 6 shirts, 4 sheets, and 2 table-covers. March 2, 1570. Torquato Tasso." We learn that the Italian government is about to dispatch a scientific ex ward than Saladin himself, and pedition to the Pacific, and that it will in epresented willfully; whilst in Devizes, and in Richard, canon y Trinity, London, the chronilatter of whom have just been der the direction of the Master ls, by Mr. Stubbs, of Lambeth was fortunate in having two imewitnesses in his camp, from 192, who have narrated what graphically, in scholar-like Latin, ess pure than that of William of ry. all probability sail during this month. It was intended that it should have started during the past spring, but it was prevented by the war-like rumors then so prevalent. Amherst College recently conferred upon Dr. Dio Lewis the honorary degree of Master of Arts, a compliment to the ability of the new master, and a graceful recognition of his services in behalf of physical education. Toward defraying the expenses of these Institutes the State pays to each county holding one or more, with an attendance of thirty teachers during ten days, $100, and in addition, at the rate of sixty cents for each teacher in excess of the thirty, who shall have attended ten days. Ar a recent meeting of the trustees of Dartmouth College, a number of important measures were inaugurated, of which the following is a summary :— 1. Mr. Elijah T. Quimby, principal of the Appleton Academy, at New Ipswich, New Hampshire, was elected Professor of Mathematics, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Professor Varney. Mr. Quimby graduated in the class of 1851. 2. Mr. Edward R. Ruggles, of the class cf 1859, was appointed instructor in modern languages and literature, in place of Professor Packard, transferred to the chair of Greek. Mr. Ruggles has for several years been pursuing his studies in Europe; of late in Dresden, Germany. 3. Commencement appointments are hereafter to be made, as formerly in Dartmouth, and as now in the other New England colleges, on the principle of relative merit. 4. There is to be a Junior Exhibition in the Spring term, and a joint anniversary of the two chief societies (the Social Friends and the United Fraternity) in the Fall term the latter not to supersede the usual address before these societies at Commencement. 5. There is to be prize-speaking at Commencement. A fund of $1,000 has been presented by Le Grand Lockwood, Esq., of New York, the interest of which is to be devoted to prizes in elocution and composition. 6. A reading-room is to be esta provision is to be made, by the ment of assistant librarians, for facility of access to the college and measures are proposed for greater prominence and interest to nual meeting of the Alumni. The t have in view the erection, as soon a be practicable, of a gymnasium. design, also, to prosecute vigorous work, so successful thus far, of enl the endowment. At the last public examination pupils at the Training School, at I port, Iowa, which was a brilliant su the merits of the Intuitive method, duced into Iowa by H. S. Kissell, under discussion. A committee wa pointed by the Educational Conventi examine into the merits of the tra school conducted under this system. the report we make the following tract :— We cannot resist the impression th training school for teachers, organize this is, and prosecuted with the vigor ergy, and precision which we here with is one of the great wants of the pu school system in this country. Here find a process by which teachers are li ally prepared for their high and respons vocation-a process which from the vi of its methods, cannot fail to develop the utmost, every faculty for imparting struction with facility, and for keeping school in a condition of pleasant subjecti It is evidently the great misfortune our public schools in this country, that many young men and women enter up the profession of teaching without havi served any apprenticeship for the busine and with no other qualifications than tho of an exclusively literary character. The are, of consequence, without drill, witho any acquired habits of teaching, or an settled method of governing a school; an are obliged to learn and unlearn, from th most mortifying experience, during whic time the reputation of the teacher suffers and not unfrequently the best of talent i ruined in the outstart. This school is distinguished in these par ticulars: New Books. -ply the material of instruction methods of communicating it, theoretically to the teacher, uired to put into practice that ceives, and just as he receives end the pupils are required to other's work, to indulge freely ticisms, and to provide sketches k before entering upon it. uitive method of instruction is e distinctive feature of which ▪upil is required steadily to adcessive steps from the known Own, from the concrete to the Le teacher all the while appeal 319 ing to the clear perceptions and first principles of knowledge in the mind of the pupil. To this is added a variety of methods, while the most accurate and appropriate forms of expression are elicited from the pupil, and a habit of cautiously framing his sentences is required. As a system adapted to all grades of primary education, we deem it unequaled. The report was signed by O. Faville, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction; M. K. Cross, ex-President of the State Teacher's Association; three superintendents of schools, and others equally prominent. NEW BOOKS. ose semi-spasmodic novels which stigmatize as sensational, but -body likes to read, and will read 3, is Mr. Jeaffreson's "Not Dead Those who have read "Olive od Work," will recognize the arities of authorship in the presthough the incidents and char-. So far as names go, Mr. Jeaftravelled out of the beaten path, e world around. Few would have e name of Smith for a hero, and have taken it for the names of prominent characters. The inciy no means extravagant-indeed, Chey verge on the commonplace, re woven together cleverly, told of vraisemblance, and are worktory which rises into power, and in interest. John Harrison Newher an amiable ruffian, in the colse, and seems to be the highly ture of some individual in the aure of acquaintance. The minutetail, not always necessary to the vs the person to have been painted Elihu Pike is not painted after on. He is a wax-work figure. He similitude to any Yankee past or probably to none of those who are Mr. Jeaffreson has taken his notravelling American from various nd has given us a component of the Cousin, Jefferson Brick, and the d Yankee of Fraser's Magazine. however, will please the majority eaders, and teaches no false moralies it pander to any sickly sentiment. In many of our common schools book-keeping is one of the recognized studies among the older pupils; and a very sensible, practical branch it is. The School System of Book-keeping, by Potter and Hammond, (2) will therefore supply a want in many of these schools, replacing the more cumbrous and less elementary works hitherto used. The book is in three parts. The first is devoted to Single Entry exclusively, contains a record of thirty-four transactions, and is illustrated by an engraved Cash-book, Daybook, and Ledger. The second contains sixty transactions, a balance sheet, and the first set in Double Entry. The third gives the second and third sets in Double Entry. There is also in this a test set of transactions for reviewing. The whole is lucid and simple, and perfectly adapted either to the wants of schools, or of individuals who may desire to acquire a thorough knowledge of book-keeping. The engraved script is exceedingly well done, and affords an admirable set of lessons of penmanship. Of works on arithmetic there seems to be really no end; and the improvement over former books on this subject is marked in all the new issues. Eaton's Intellectual Arithmetic (3) appears to combine some of the best beauties of its rivals in a small space, in a new arrangement, and with some new (2) POTTER AND HAMMOND'S SYSTEM OF BOOK-KEEPING, by Single and Double Entry. For Common and High Schools. In three numbers. Designed as a continuation of Potter and Hammond's Analytical and Progressive Penmanship, New York and Philadelphia: Schermerhorn, Bancroft & Co. Oblong 4to, pp. 32, 76, 169. (3) AN INTELLECTUAL ARITHMETIC, upon the Inductive |