Facts Tending To Prove That Dirt Grows

1 'lie experimentt made ly ( h 1 1 1 a i n Coffin of the ihtp AKx. (i. Wilaoa, of Boatos, are imong thfl KKMt remarkahle of recent ui entifio experimenti, and they fully estah lish the met that sca air exerts a wonder lully tiiini!atinK inflnence upon dirt. Cap Kliti Coffin, whn feajd spint nearly liirty yeari ol' hi lili' :it lea, and during tin time liad sct'ii ibe denk eteaoed op every l:iy. excpt lien the MmKtMn uf the weuther PoriMtbe, linl, nt ooèrae, oftei ¦rosdered where all tlic dirl ohm fron which the broou i;ttbred nl the e suh ¦-equently raoeired. All mHon have -imi larly wonderc'l t the prevalence of dirt a -ca, bilt nut lieini: ailJictcd to M;ieotitic methodl, i hoy have nevcr Mlioody studiei the' subject, hut have ((iiictly Kïcepted ta OM "f the ïuany mysterie of the deep Ckptain CoSa, howcver, was a speculative tura of muid, and be w fond of prying into all mysterie-. He oftea spnki' of the rabject of' tlie daüy accumuUtjop of dirl on k rewel'i deofc to hi wile's brether. wbo was a school uia-tt-i it Ncwimrvport, ¦itid was beliered to he a very lewned man, hut lic could ncviT teotpt tbc whool sul ¦¦t'i uaurmoee thsl marine dirt oonautt nwrely nl' ptrticlea 'r the ibip o o) ta and that tor every pound'a wcijtht of dirt th:tt ia tin wri nvcrl;nd tin' thipia lighter hv mie poand :m 1 mnM vmain se until the end ol the voyane. Thi Captain would !-liakc II ail at tliisMirl ol thenry. Uld wulild .iv VVhai yon ;iv Í-- iiwlnl cientilic, hut what every sailnr man koows is that ton- ol dirt i huve OTWboard every royage, ud tbe taip and eargo ia all just where tbev w;i-, :nrinr :i bil uf ni yarn r a lot of beef borics." After niRiiy yearfi of this nnprofitahlc argunicnt with tin Mbool-BUMter, Captain ('nffin dctorniined to iottitute a serio ol iintili' ixpeiiiuBDts whicli would prov that i - .V irly two yean ago r, to be exact, dq tbe 29tb of February, iT'1 tbe Alex. i. Wilaon -ailed frotn BoatontoSM Kran¦ wiili ¦ oargo of genera] uerehmdiw. Alter tlio iilit had lelt the siiip, ('ailain ( 'oftin callad all liand aft, anl ordered tliat :iftcr sweepiog the !¦ i-fc , tli' lirt should bc uollected in a barrel, cigbud tnd mbmitti'd lo liis inxpeetion Jwfbre ii -liimlil .ba thrown oTerboard, Tb uu-u eould not iic'iuiii lor tlii oariom Order, Sleept 'Ui the tlii'orv llic "cilil man " lia 'lroiiod a ten cvni pieee oo deck, and wil li the keen SdmomI iantúiet f ¦ irn No Rnglandcr, wm determined to find tasairi. Of ooarse tbe ofder was obeyed all iho more willin)?ly liecau the boya sboae Im-i ness it wan tO IWOep lbo 'Icokf ooniteDtly Imiiiii to Suid and appropriatc tliu ima'inaiv ten oeote. Tin' royage laatód ¦ rHindrad and thirty ilays , lor, atAoogli the AJex. i. Wil-on hail a god leading wind down lo Kfteen decrecs north, she was bcahned a week on the line, was noarly three weeks in tbe Strait of Sf agellao, aod might have been a hundred and eifbtj dys had she not got t slaat from the nontriwéirt ín tbout seventoen [degreea sontb, whic-h ibe held well up to the Oalligago beo a snocesion of li.nl'i breezea ftom tóutll wutheaal ihe beiag Kght al tbe time, aod not draw ing over sixteen t'ect 1, wliich eoabled kef to i'arry all her wealhst stuo'saila, broughl het into San Francisco on the Bth of July. During the estire foyage abe neret lost a ipr m ¦ aiul, and the only acoidept tliat happened to lier was tbe loss of one buckel overboard throuih the etreteasnes ot' the boy. She carue into porl with the sanio runnin? rigRiriK with wbieh she sailed ; and as tbe hatches which covcrod the cargo were never oneo opeued. it is certain tliat none of the cargo was lo-t Captain Coffin weighed thr dc-k -wi . , ings eveiy day, and made a earel'ul analysis M t hem berore they were thrown ovevboard. He found that they contained three per cent. of disiiitegrated rope, one-hall' of one per cent. of nails, five per cent. ut' straw (from the pij:s' bedding in the long hoat), and a trace ol' tol oo. The reuiainder, aüjountinji to ninety mie and one lialf per cent. ly weii.'hl ni toe wholc. wjí pure din- not wffenng perteptiWy trom land iltrt , exeept liy tfce aPWBCeftb uir pil and mul I pebbles wliirli aro i'ound in the latter. It will lianlly be crediteü thut tbe entire weijiht of' dirt tlnown overboard trom the nipht of the "J'.'tli of' Kebruarv to the night oi' the "th ol' July wats t.-'.l pounds, filliiiK no less (han fortytlirec barrels. In thUuMHUl wcrc not included a sailor wliu died on tbc royagt and a pair of wutn-DUt boot belonging to the ïuatr. Captain Coffin went beforc tbc notary at San Francisco, and mado [oatli to tlie aci'tiracy of his ob-sorvationn, a cupy of whicli is now in posseshion oFMr. Samuel Biowa ter, of Newboryport, t lie brotlicrin law alrndy mentionod. No such rapid 'lowtli of dirt lia cvri been observed t ¦¦ lamí. H the faotl ob' served by Captam Cottio thore ean be no possiblc doubt, l'iitty-lliree Fiarreln of dirt were spontaneously dcvelopod on bia gbip in a little more (lian l'our aoMSs, durins which she bad DO OOBOinoioatiofl wilh the shore or with any other .vessel. Thií i nearly thiee tiun :irortaincd ratc ni the growtb of dirt on shore, and proves tbat the stimulatinK influcnce o( sea air