of dead plants. From the floating fumes of putrid vapors in the air it brings down ammoniacal matters, and receives that alkaline, or soft quality, which makes it easily take up grease and oily impurities from cloth, or from the skin. The softness or alkalinity of water is derived from the slate and other rocks over which they flow, as well as from the clouds; but it oftener happens, that the waters of springs and mines incline to an acid or saline quality, which prevents their making soluble compounds with oil or grease; and so, as we say, hardens them. River and lake waters are apt to be soft, because they are fed by rains.* Beside the gases, salts, and alkaline substances dissolved in natural waters, they invariably contain particles of vegetable and mineral matter floating insoluble in them. Thus, in the Croton water, accounted not unusually impure, the quantity of vegetable matter, from leaves and roots decaying in the marshes, is so great as to form a yellow sediment, which easily putrifies on standing. Schuylkill water is still more impure, and has in addition, a quantity of earthy matter sus pended in it, which gives it a slight milky color. The Mississippi, the Nile, the Ganges, the Ohio, the Missouri, and Connecticut, are charged with a great quantity of earthy material, which discolors their streams, and even gives them a harsh taste.

All large rivers hold a great quantity of animal matter, from dead carcasses dissolving in them; so that, when taken on ship-board, or allowed to stand in a warm place, they soon putrify and throw

ous numbers: a single inch of space often contains many thousands. As nature approaches her limits on either side mediocrity, her shapes become uncouth and hideous; minute, no less than huge creatures, are monstrous in their forms, and rare in their lives; but the rarity of the greater kind is in numbers, that of the lesser in duration; the large last long, and are few; the small compose an infinite multitude, but their duration is but for a day or an hour. The multitude of animalcules in all seas, rivers, lakes, and pools, would, doubtless, compose a much larger mass, if brought together, than all the bodies of large animals. Many of the minutest kinds are inclosed in shells, like a crab, or an oyster; but these shells are of pure flint, or silex, separated by organic processes from their earthy or vegetable food. When the animalcule perishes in the water, it drops its shell, and the perpetual shower of millions of these shells, covers the bottoms of rivers and lakes with a fine silicious mud-which, when dried, is an impalpable dust. The existence of these shells in the composition of certain rocks, was first shown by Ehrenburgh, who established the surprising fact, that a very large proportion of the crust of the earth is entirely, or nearly, composed of animalcular shells. Such, for example, is the common rotten-stone used for polishing; and such, in all probability, the finegrained silicious layers, which lie between and above the coal and iron beds of England and America. Such, too, in great part, are the fine grained silicious strata of all the formations :-indeed, it is not impossible, that, not only all the carbon, sulphur, and limestone, but that every grain of silica in the earth's crust, has, some time or other, been digested

Dissolved quartz, (silica,)

.077

6.660

. 17.817

*

and exuviated by an animal; a conception much more remarkable than any other in science, for it makes the solid earth to have been a work of minute animals; the huge lump of this planet has gone atom by atom, through the bowels of worms and little wriggling creatures. Nothing is easier than to be satisfied of this: we have but to examine the residuum, collected in the artificial rock-filter, to find abundant proofs of it. When the stream of rain or river water has run for some time through the filter, reverse it on the hydrant, and the impurity will instantly wash out. Examine this impure water with the naked eye in a strong light, and you will see the small crustaceans and worms, frisking about in it. Under a microscope, a drop of this dirty water will seem perfectly alive with various kinds of minute animalcules. Professor J. W. Bailly of West-Point, has examined their species, and found the names for them as they were assigned by Ehrenburgh. The water of the Mississippi is quite alive with them. Professor B. remarks, "that the inhabitants of St. Louis consider the water they drink as remarkably wholesome, and are surprised that strangers wish to have it filtered for their use. Whatever its effect on health may be, it is certain that it contains a sufficient amount of animal matter to be somewhat nutritious." The dry dust of the residuum of Croton water obtained by the Jennison-rock-filter, so abounds in shells of animalcules as to be an excellent polishing powder, preferable to emery, or rotten-stone. It resembles an impalpable gray dust, of the color of certain fine layers of silicious sand-stone and gray slates, which line the intervals, between the coarse sand rocks of the coal formation; indeed, there is little doubt, these layers were formed by filtration. They are even now in the process of formation on every rock surface, penetrated by river, or lake water. We have heard of a certain Scotch agriculturist who filters water for his cattle and tenants, by causing it to percolate a basin lined with sandstone, which is only a rock filter in the natural way; there is no question but the surfaces of

the stones in this basin are covered with a layer of this animalcular powder. In this process all the valuable properties of the water remain in it; its gases, and alkaline qualities cannot be separated, but by the charcoal filter and distillation; but rock-filtered water has no animal or vegetable impurities, nor any earthy matter to clog or injure the system. Earths, whether suspended or floating in water, operate medicinally; most part injuriously; some suppose intermittent fevers to be caused by drinking waters that contain vegetable impurities; others, that pin-worms, and other ascarides are introduced into the stomach of men and animals in impure waters. Be it so or not, we may secure ourselves against the chances of such evils, by passing all the water we use, except what is taken from a deep well, through some kind of rock filter. It is not impossible that the use of such a process may add something to the average length of our lives; which, through improvements in medical and other arts, is now considerably on the increase; notwithstanding that the Croaker philosophy represents it otherwise.

There is hardly any use to which water can be put, except brewing and watering of plants, in which it is not improved by natural or artificial rock filtration.

Chemists are necessitated to use pure water in all their processes. Bleachers find that rock-filtered waters are essential to giving a whiteness to clothes. Daguerreotypists can use none but spring waters with any success. River or lake water, artificially converted into spring water, is the best for all kinds of washing and cookery; in fine, there is no doubt, that the method of artificial rock filtration, in whatever way applied, will add in a thousand ways, to the health and comfort of the human race. It is to be regarded as one of the great and permanent discoveries of this day, nor was it attained, we may be assured, without great ingenuity, study, and labor, on the part of the inventor; not less, perhaps, than it cost Arkwright to perfect his spinning mill, or than was given by Watt, or Fitch, to the applications of steam.

THE English papers are full of accounts of disturbances and destitution in Ireland. On the last week of September serious riots occurred at Clashmore, near Youghal, in the county of Cork, and at Dungarvan. At the latter place the military were or dered to fire upon the mob, and several were killed and wounded. The cause of these riots is said to be the discontent among the peasantry respecting the amount of wages of the public works. In the first instance eightpence a day was offered, but the people refused that rate as utterly insufficient. At numerous other towns the peasantry were in a riotous and starving condition; at Crookhaven the misery is described as most appalling. Masses crowded into Golen on the morning of the 25th September, many of whom had been living for some time on one bad meal in twentyfour hours. They however listened to the exhortations of the priests, and dispersed. The operation of the recent Labor-rate Act is represented as unsatisfactory, diverting the industry of the country from the substantial improvement of its natural resources and stimulating those "habits of laborious indolence" which are the disease of the nation. The Daily News, after exhorting the government and people of Ireland against giving way to panic, sums up the actual state of available resources and presents the following as a favorable picture of the actual condition of the country. "The stores of food already in the country or on their way to it, are sufficient to feed the people till the next harvest. There is a very considerable amount of home-grown grain and Indian corn in private hands in Ireland. About the middle of August there were in the various depots 430 tons of oatmeal; 7,500 sacks, 13,000 barrels, and upwards of 5,000,000 lbs of Indian corn meal, besides 8,000 bushels of Indian

corn.

The stores since that time have rather increased than diminished. The Commissariat sent out large orders for Indian meal and other grain to the United States by the packets of the 4th and 19th of last month, and further orders are to be sent by the packets of the present month; so that large supplies may be expected in the course of six weeks. Commercial letters from New York mention large shipments of grain making there to private account. The military stores in Ireland have been placed at the disposal of the Commissariat. Six government steamers are incessantly busy carrying fresh supplies of grain and meal to the several depôts; and several

frigates are being fitted up as floating depôts.

While government is thus providing reserve stores to meet any possible short coming in private supplies, the arrangement for providing employment whereby the people may earn the means of purchasing the food, are in active progress. There are (including counties of cities and towns) 322 baronies in Ireland. Extraordinary presentment sessions have been proclaimed for 202 of them; and a majority of these have met, passed presentments and voted assessments. The county surveyors and the officers of the Board of works in all these baronies give lists of works which can be begun immediately; and the money is to be advanced out of the Treasury; so in a month or six weeks at furthest, the unemployed destitute may be set to work in every barony where immediate distress prevails in Ireland. Already laborers are employed on some of these works in Tipperary."

It is objected that in some baronies they have presented sums of money exceeding the valuation of the rental of those baronies, and that the kind of labor given to the starving population (that of breaking stones for roads) is not calculated to stimulate them to enterprising industry. Roads are now laid out leading nowhere; works planned which will benefit none but the county surveyors, and the land which pays for all, derives no benefit from the measure.

There has been a general failure of the potato crop and consequent scarcity and privation in the Highlands of Scotland. A Commissariat officer was to be sent there by government to make report of the probable supply of food required. The annual meeting of the London city livery to elect a Lord Mayor took place Sept. 29th, Guildhall: Alderman Thomas Wood had a majority over the other candidates, but the election was not decided. The bronze equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington by Wyat, was raised to its place at Hyde Park corner. This statue is much ridiculed by Punch and the London press generally. Covent Garden Theatre is to be opened as a rival to the Italian Opera House early in 1847; this novelty in the musical word is said to be owing to a breach between the manager of the latter, Mr. Lumley, and his musical director, Signor Costa, who is to direct the new establishment.

The London papers record the death of the venerable Thomas Clarkson, the Apostle of British Slave Emancipation, on the 26th September, at the age of 87. He pub

lished a prize essay against slavery so long ago as 1786, and the whole of his active life from that time was devoted mainly to the same object.

The Spectator notices as the most recent instance of the progress of International Copyright an Act of her Majesty's Privy Council, dated Aug. 27th, in pursuance of a reciprocal treaty between England and Prussia it directs that the authors and makers of books, prints, and articles of sculpture, dramatic works and musical compositions, and any other works of literature and the fine arts "first published in Prussia, shall have the same copyright therein as the law assigns in the like cases to the proprie tors of works first published in the United Kingdom. The Spectator thinks the exchange of a similar treaty with the United States would be an inestimable good fortune, and quotes the Courier & Enquirer to show that publishers here have already to some extent, by purchasing of English authors the right of publishing in the United States, recognized the necessity of an International system of copyright.

The Literary Gazette contains full reports of the doings of the British Association for the advancement of Science, at their session this year at Southampton. The invention which attracted most interest was that of an explosive cotton, a preparation of the common article intended to supersede gunpowder; its inventor, Prof. Schonbein, has not divulged the mode of preparation, but the qualities of the substance as tested at the meeting of the Association were such as leave no doubt of its adaptedness for its professed purposes It explodes at about 400°; it emits no smoke; it leaves not a stain behind; it is not deteriorated by damp or wet; at least dried again it is as readily explosive as at first; a flock of cotton touched by the hot iron explodes, a flash of orange flame is seen, and no trace of gun-cotton or spot is left. The manufacture of this gun-cotton is stated to be cheaper than that of gunpowder, and its force in small charges as two to one; but in larger quantities the difference in favor of the cotton is much greater, owing to the waste of the powder by incomplete combustion. It has been submitted to a board of artillery and engineer officers, who, after a series of experiments and trials of its powers with muskets and rifles have reported most favorably of its value and utility as respects small arms, and recommended that further experiments should be made upon a larger scale, with a view of testing its applicability to heavy ordnance.

The domestic state of France is represented as most distressing. It is said that trade of all kinds was never so bad. Throughout the country the prices of bread stuffs were continually rising. The working-classes begin to suffer severely all over the kingdom. There was a bread riot in Paris, Sept.

30; it was quelled, however, without serious difficulty.

The governments of Baden and Wirtemberg in consequence of the deficient crops, have issued ordinances permitting the free importation of corn. All the crops throughout Europe seemed to have failed except the vine, which is unusually productive.

Our foreign files this month are unusually barren of interesting or important intelligence. Parliament in England is not yet in session. All those questions of difference, which have hitherto created so much and so angry discussion with foreign powers, bave been amicably adjusted; the elections in France have re-established and confirmed the power and policy of the Guizot ministry. The new policy of the Roman Pope has hushed, for a time at least, the angry murmurs of his discontented subjects. And the attention of the public in England and France, is divided between the Irish troubles, affairs in the East, and the Spanish marriage. Of these three topics of discussion, the last, and to the American readers, the one of least interest, attracts the most attention. The Queen Isabella is to marry her cousin Don Francisco, and her sister, the Infanta, Maria Louisa, is to become the wife of Louis Phillipe's youngest son, the Duke of Montpensier. The Court of England has been for a long time diligently engaged in efforts to prevent the latter match, and the British press has made it the theme of constant, vigorous, and violent denunciations. Their efforts, however, have been unavailing, and both the marriages have been formally announced to the Spanish Cortez, and the assent of that body has been given in replies to the Queen's address. The response of the Senate was made on the 16th of September, and on the 18th that of the Chamber of Deputies was adopted with only a single dissenting voice. The British minister at Madrid has formally protested against the marriage, and a similar remonstrance has been made by the minister at Paris. The ground of exception to the match is the alleged violation of that article of the treaty of Utrecht, by which the Orleans in commen with the other French members of the house of Bourbon, are declared to be disqualified from ever reigning in Spain: it is further said that the proposed marriage is contrary to the terms of an agreement assented to between the English and French ministers, on the occasion of her Majesty's visit to the King of the French, at the Chateau d'Eu. It is said that a reply to this protest has been drawn up by Guizot and forwarded to Lord Palmerston: but its contents have not transpired.

The subject has certainly excited an unusual degree of feeling on the part of England. Should Queen Isabella die without heirs, the Duke of Montpensier would become though not the king, husband of the

Queen of Spain: and it is this possible union of the Courts which excites the jealousy, and meets the hostility of England. Nothing seems more unlikely than that such a question as this should be permitted to disturb the peace of Europe; and yet many of the most influential journals of London insist that the marriage should, and predict that it will, be prevented by the forcible intervention of Great Britain, if it cannot be done in any other way. Such a result, however, is scarcely possible; and we have no doubt that both the marriages will soon take place, and receive the acquiescence of all the powers concerned.

The English are making rapid progress towards an establishment of their authority and power in the seas around Borneo. Mr. James Brooke, whose adventurous settlement in Borneo has beea made known to the world through the admirable and interesting work of Capt. Keppell, is using the power delegated to him by the Sultan of Borneo, with vigor and effect, and has already invoked and procured the intervention of the English in his behalf. A naval force under Rear-Admiral Cochrane was sent out to aid in the suppression of piracy, on the northern shores of the Island. The Admiral succeeded in forcing his boats up the Borneo river, and compelling the Sultan to seek safety in flight. There is little doubt that the English will take possession of the island of Labuan, situated a little north of Borneo, and make it a naval depot for their trade in the Eastern Archipelago. This must inevitably lead to increased intercourse with that region of the earth,-to the settlement of Australia, and the opening of trade with the Empire of Japan, which hitherto has repelled all attempts of the kind, chiefly, as is believed, through the predominant influence of the Dutch. The Times is already calling upon the government to take

some efficient steps to destroy the monopolizing supremacy of the Netherlands in that empire and pronounced Mr. Brooke "one of the greatest Englishmen of this century," for the truly wonderful results which he has achieved in the Island of Borneo. "The unexampled energy of a single Englishman,” says that journal, "has already gone far to make our name respected, and our intervention welcome, and if our projected occupation of an island near Borneo should issue in a more familiar intercourse with it and with Japan, both at present, probably misinformed of our character and intentions, it will be a result as favorable to the natives of these mysterious islands as it will be gratifying to the curiosity of all the historians and philosophers of Britain."

·

Of literary intelligence there is none. The first number of Dickens's new novel has been issued and is said to be worthy of his fame in its best days. Several American works are very favorably noticed in the London Critical journals. Miss Fuller's Papers on Literature and Art' receive very warm commendation from some of the ablest and best of them; and Hawthorne's Mosses from an old Manse' are also heartily praised. The Athenæum reviews the books of GILLIAM & THOMPSON on Mexico, and has a brief notice of WAYLER'S Ecclesiastic reminiscences of the United States. SOUTHEY'S Life of Wesley' has been republished, with notes by COLERIDGE, which materially enhance its value. It will undoubtedly be reprinted here, as it is one of the very best productions of the age. COLERIDGE's notes are characteristic and instructive. The Athenæum notices the 'Story of Toby,' which has been published as a sequel to Typee,' and says of it that it does not essentially confirm the suspected truth of the original work.

·

Etchings of a Whale Cruise, with Notes of a sojourn on the Island of Zanzibar; to which is appended a brief History of the Whale Fishery, its past and present condition. By J. Ross BROWN. New York: Harper & Brothers.

The little narrative put out some years since by Mr. Dana, entitled "Two Years before the Mast," was read as widely, perhaps, as any book ever written by an American. It deserved its popularity, for it had uncommon characteristics. Most writers, with the various opportunities which Mr. Dana had for ambitious description, would

have made great efforts for eloquent and poetical outbursts. By a happy judgment, or a no less fortunate carelessness of producing any great effects, the writer of "Two Years before the Mast" made use of a perfectly straightforward, simple, unornamented style, as if he were relating his two years life to a fire-side companion. There was present in the book the evidence of a fine imagination-but no display was made of it; and the humanity imbuing the narrative was a charm superior to all others. In brief, the book was found to be, like Beauty, "when unadorned, adorned the