both are filled with the substance to be dissolved. From the head a tube enters the top of a vessel standing beside it. A second tube goes from the base of this vessel into the alembic. All these vessels, alembic, head and supplementary vessel, together with the tubes, are filled with the solvent, and by heating the alembic on the water-bath by means of a spirit-lamp, a constant current is produced, in consequence of which, crystals, which gradually increase in size, are formed in the supplementary vessel. By treating sulphur and benzine in this manner, the author obtained octahedral crystals of sulphur of much larger size than by any other method.-Comptes Rendus, xxxiv. p. 578.

Analysis of a new Alloy for the Plates for Calico Printers. By CONRAD FISCHER.*

A white alloy, which is peculiarly adapted for the plates used in calico printing, and is used for that purpose in Ghent, has the following composition:

Tin
Lead

Bismuth

46.81

37.44

15.75

Journ. für Prakt. Chem., lv. p. 192.

Electro-Metallurgy applied to Ornamentation of Glass, China, &c.† Mr. John Ridgway, of Cauldon-place, Staffordshire, china manufac turer, has recently patented certain improvements in the method or process of ornamenting or decorating articles of glass, china, earthenware, or other ceramic manufactures. In the specification of his patent, just enrolled, Mr. Ridgway states that his first object is to apply a new glaze, which shall enable the metallic coating to adhere firmly, by capillary attraction, and give affinity for copper as a first coating. In pursuance of this, he first submits the article to an alcoholic solution, or a gelatinous solution. He then brushes over it an impalpable powder, composed of half carburet of iron, and half sulphate of copper. The article thus treated is then to be corroded by the fumes of hydro-fluoric acid. The article is then to be smoothed, by brushing it over with silver sand, or by the scratch-brush; but when the shape and nature of the article will not admit of this, it is to be plunged into a liquor, consisting of 6 quarts sulphuric acid, 4 quarts aquafortis, oz. muriatic acid, and 6 quarts water. Grease is to be carefully removed from the article, and a thin film of mercury is to be applied. The solution of copper consists of 1 sulphate of copper, and 4 filtered water. Suitable solutions for silvering or gilding are to be applied, in accordance with the practice of electrotyping. The claim is not to the solutions for coating as such, but to the application of "electrotyping," or electro-metallurgy, to the objects stated in the title, provided the articles be so prepared as to allow them to combine from an alloy with them.

From the London Chemical Gazette, July 15th, 1852.

From the London Railway and Commercial Gazette, No. 896.

69

Improvement in the Production of the "Bleu de France" on Wool.*

The method at present in use for the production of "bleu de France" on wool, consists in boiling the wool in a bath containing ferridcyanide of potassium, an acid and chloride of tin, until the pure blue color is produced. In the course of this operation, much cyanogen escapes in the form of hydrocyanic acid. The loss of this substance, which is of so much importance in the formation of the blue color, led to the idea of altering the process as far as possible in such a manner as to retain the whole or greater part of the cyanogen in the bath, and precipitate it in combination with iron upon the fibres of the wool. Experiments undertaken with this view showed that this end can be attained by adding to the bath a salt of oxide of iron: the best is perchloride of iron. The dyeing takes place in the following manner-The ferrideyanide of potassium is first dissolved in the bath; a small portion of the acid to be used is then added, and afterwards the chloride of tin and chloride of iron. The bath is now clear, and of a brownish color. The wool, wellwashed and lukewarm, is then put in, and the whole heated to boiling. The wool immediately acquires a dark green color, and by boiling, after the addition of the remainder of the acid, becomes of a fine blue color.

The experiments made with this dyeing process gave favorable results in every instance. By its use a certain tone of color was produced with 25 per cent. less ferrideyanide of potassium than by the usual process.

Experiments made to determine the best proportion in which to add the chloride of iron, showed that an addition of chloride of iron (solution of iron in muriatic acid, into which chlorine was afterwards introduced, or which, after the addition of half as much more muriatic acid as was first employed, was treated with nitric acid), equal in weight to half or three-fourths of the ferridcyanide of potassium employed, produced the greatest effect, whilst a larger quantity gave a paler color. It is necessary to be cautious in adding the acid in this process, as less acid is sufficient here than in the usual method; tartaric acid gave the most favorable results. The ferridcyanide of potassium employed must of course contain no ferrocyanide, because, in this case, on the addition of the perchloride of iron, a precipitate of prussian blue would be formed. The compounds occurring in commerce can therefore be used only if they are quite free from admixture of this salt.-Deutsche Musterzeit., 1851, No. 3; Schweiz. Gewerbeblatt, xi. p. 119.

FRANKLIN INSTITUTE.

Proceedings of the Stated Monthly Meeting, December 16, 1852.

John E. Addicks, President, pro. tem., in the chair.

George M. Conarroe, Recording Secretary, pro. tem.

The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved.

Donations were received from the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society, Falmouth; The Royal Astronomical Society, London; Hon. Joseph R. *From the London Chemical Gazette, November 15th, 1852.

Chandler, U. S. Congress; John Wiley, Esq., New York; and from the Philadelphia, Germantown, and Norristown Railroad Company, and Messrs. E. D. Ingraham, Dr. John Redman Coxe, Frederick Graff, John W. Nystrom, and Geo. M. Conarroe, Philadelphia.

The periodicals received in exchange for the Journal of the Institute were laid on the table.

The Treasurer's statement of the receipts and payments for the month of November was read.

The Board of Managers and Standing Committee reported their minutes. Resignations of Membership in the Institute (5) were read and accepted.

New candidates for Membership in the Institute (5) were proposed, and the candidates (120) proposed at the last meeting were duly elected. Nominations were made for Officers, Managers, and Auditors, for the Institute for the ensuing year.

On motion, it was

Resolved, That the polls for receiving the votes of the Members at the annual election for Officers, Managers, and Auditors, for the ensuing year, to be held on Thursday, January 20th, 1853, be opened at 3 o'clock, and closed at 8 o'clock P. M.; and that a committee of seven members be appointed to receive the votes, and report the result thereof.

Dr. Rand called the attention of the members to specimens of engravings of fossils, medal ruled, on steel, from the original specimens. The plates accompany the report of the geological survey of Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and part of Missouri, by Dr. David Dale Owen, U. S. Geologist, and were executed at his suggestion, by Mr. John M. Butler, of this City. By this process, a perfect fac simile of the original is obtained. Among the specimens exhibited were engravings of trilobites, ammonites, shell conglomerate, &c., of great beauty. Dr. R. mentioned that notwithstanding the perfect accuracy and beauty of the engravings thus produced, he had been informed that their cost was less than that of lithographs, in which it is necessary to depend upon the artist for the accuracy of the representation.

[We hope to present a more detailed account of this process, illustrated, in a future number of the Journal.]

A refracting pseudoscope, (Wheatstone's,) belonging to Prof. Frazer, was exhibited to the meeting, at the request of some of the members, by G. W. Smith.

An elevation of a building to be erected in Broad street, for the purpose of a shop, on an unusually large scale, and in a highly decorated style of architecture, was exhibited by Mr. George W. Smith, and the details described by him. It was designed by Mr. McArthur, of this city, and is almost two hundred feet in length, and upwards of one hundred feet in breadth, and about eighty feet high; consisting of three stories only, and nine windows front. The lower story is decorated with Corinthian columns, after the example of the temple of Jupiter Stator, at Rome, with the full enrichments.

The following minute of the November meeting having been omitted in its regular order, is now inserted.

Mr. G. W. Smith remarked that Mr. John C. Trautwine, C. E., had recently returned from an exploration of the canal route, spoken of by

Humboldt, as existing between the rivers Atrato and San Juan, in New Granada. The first of these rivers enters into the Atlantic, and the latter into the Pacific, about 400 miles apart by the windings of the rivers. Humboldt states that their waters were once united by a canal in the vicinity of the town of San Pablo. It appears, however, that this was never the case. Mr. T. ascended the Atrato to the head of canoe navigation, where he found at times but a few inches of water, and was compelled to assist in dragging his canoe along the stream in many places. He ran a line of levels from this head of canoe navigation, across to the San Juan, near San Pablo, and found the latter to be 102 feet below the former. The summit between them is 84 feet above the head of canoe navigation, and 186 feet above the ordinary water of the San Juan. The San Juan, at San Pablo, is 150 yards wide, and at its average stage, is 5 feet deep. Mr. S. had not time to go into the details of the impediments in the way of constructing a canal, but remarked that Mr. T. considered them entirely insuperable. Mr. T. also ascended the Napipi a few leagues, until he became convinced of its inapplicability for the purposes of a canal. He also traversed the country between the Atrato and the river Baudo, in two places; and descended the Baudo to its mouth, as well as the San Juan.

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND THE ARTS.

Report on Mr. Kingston Goddard's Patent Sectional Box and Axle. The Committee on Science and the Arts, constituted by the Franklin Institute of the State of Pennsylvania, for the promotion of the Mechanic Arts, to whom was referred for examination, a "Patent Sectional Box and Axle," invented by Mr. Kingston Goddard, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-REPORT

That the nature of the invention consists in making the box in two or more parts, with a recess to receive and embrace a collar on the journal part of the axle, or, what is essentially the same, with a projecting fillet to fit into a recess on the journal part of the axle. The box is fitted to the axle by having its periphery conical to fit and be drawn into the hub, or into a pipe-box fitted to the hub, so that by simply securing the box within the hub or pipe-box, which is done by means of a nut screwed on the end of the box, the wheel is secured on the axle.

The patentee claims for this arrangement the following advantages:1st, Its cost of manufacture is comparatively small.

2d, It is easily adjusted to new or old wheels.

3d, Smoothness and regularity of motion.

4th, Retention of oil or grease. The oil cannot escape from the outer end of the box, as that is secured by the nut; it has no tendency to flow out of that next the body of the vehicle, and it may be still further secured by making a groove in the box near its larger or inner end to receive a grummet placed on the axles. By removing a screw in the centre of the nut, fresh oil may be applied without removing the wheel from the carriage.

5th, Safety. There can be no running of the wheel off the axle. 6th, Ease with which it can be cleaned.

7th, It excludes entirely dust and sand.

8th, Does not grease the end of the hub, and thereby saves the clothes of the rider in getting in or out of the carriage.

9th, When the box wears out, a new one, or section of one, can be substituted in a few minutes by the hostler, without sending to the coachmaker.

10th, It is equally well adapted for light or heavy carriages, omnibuses, drays, &c.

11th, It makes less noise in moving than the ordinary axle, on account of the small lateral motion and the impinging surfaces being enclosed. If desirable, leather washers may be introduced to render this still less.

12th, By the reduced diameter of the lateral bearing surfaces, it diminishes the draft, enabling a horse to travel faster and further with a heavier load and greater ease than in any other.

13th, No matter how careless or clumsy the hostler be, he cannot possibly tighten the box or axle, it must run smoothly.

Upon examination, the Committeee are of opinion that the invention of Mr. Goddard possesses most of the advantages above enumerated, and claimed by him. They recommend the award for the invention of the Scott's Legacy Medal and Premium.

A is the hub of the wheel; B B is a malleable iron casing, fitting tight inside; c c is the angle with a groove, c', cut in its further end; D D are separate halves of the box for the axle, which, when placed in the hub, are joined together by a nut, F, which fits on a screw; each half of the box, DD, having part of the screw cut on its end. F is another screw fitting into the aperture, G, so that the axle can be oiled without taking off the wheel, it being only necessary to take out the screw, F, for the purpose of effecting this object.