Scientific Notes

Military telegraphy contributed in no small degree to the disasters of the French in tlie Franoo-Germaa wtw. Hocent publications show the thoroughness with which the army investing Paris was kept telegraphically eonnected ia its different parts. About two thousand mes.suges were sent daily. Automatic signáis gave iininediate notice of the cutting of wires or other interference with the tolegraph lines, and mounted men were proinptly dispatched to make repairs. It is believed tbut porosity is a property of all bodies. An exieiiiiieiit perfonnod sonie years ago, to ascertain whether water conld be compressed, re sulUid in proving tliat gold is porous - the water enclosed in a hollow sphere of gold being forced, liy the violent pressure applied, tlirough tho plinre and appearing on the outside. Tlie poros tUrougla which tne liquid was driveu could not have been more than tlie two-inillumth of an inch in diameter. Dr. 15eard explains the niarvelous powers exhibiti'd at times fay sabjects in :i nirsmeric o trance condition bv the exaltatUm of one faeulty while all the reet are for tin; time suppressed A permanent exaltatiou of some single faculty - as of calculation or muslc - with the Buppresston of all other faculties to agreater or less degree, occurs somelimes in Ute cases of idiots, whose brain power appears confined to one line of effort. Insuch cases any iniprovement in general ability or intelligence is attended by a lessening of the farce of tlie exalted faculty. The attention of the Medico-Surgical soci ly, of St. 1'eter.sDurg, h.s latelybeen called to a reinurkable case illustrating this principie in inverse order. The subject, & Ruaslan of twenty-seven, was in youth distinguished for brilliant abilities. Disease brought on by dissipation caused the loss of all his mental faculüvs exeept memoryand the power of mathematical calculation. Those increased proporüonally as his power of logical thinking and understanding ranished. He is now a living phonograph and ealcidating apparatus. l)r. .1. M. Granville, in his work on sleep and sleeplessness say.s, with reference to the ditticulty some persons liad in getting to sleep: "Ilabit greatly helps the performance of theinitialact, and the cultivatton of a habit of going to sleep in a particular way, at a particular time, will do inore to procure regular and healthy sleep than any other artilice. The formation of the habit is, in f act, the creation or development of a special centre, or combination, in the nerrous system, which will hencelorward produce sleep as a natural rhythmical procoss. If this were more generally recognized, jiersons who suffer froin sleeplcssness of the soit which consists in aimply being unable to go to sleep,' would set theiuselves resolutely to form such a tiabit. It is necessary that the training sliould be explicit and include attention to details. It is not very imporUint what a person does with the intenüon of going to sleep, but he should do precisely the saine, thing, in the samo way, at the same time, and under as nearly as possible the same coniütions, night after night for a considerable period, say tli ree or four weeks at least." Commissioner Row of the insurance bureau has jast made his IHh annual report of tlie fire nul marine insurance business of 1880 in Michigan. The numbiT of' companies now authorized is 184 (4 less than last year), of whicb 2 are Michigan stock, 52 Michigan mutual, 105 eompanies of other states, 2 of Canada, 23 of foreign goveriiments. ünly one corupany shows an inipairuient of capital. The losses paiil during the year by mutual eonipanies were. $188,052; the risks in force were $129,812,108; the membwshlp 76,016; the assessments levied $209,8::. There is a slight decrease in assessinents, while the gain of membershipisnearly 10 per cent, o? risks 8 per cent, and losses 4 per cent. Two new mutual companles have been established, and this branch of insurance is very prosperous and satisfactory. The grand aggregate of insurance business done in the state by all the stock companies is $167,558,281 lire risks and $16,808,426 marine risks wrikten; $1,988,652 fire premiums and $95,387 marine premiums received; sT7'J,72 lire losses and $61,10(i marine losses paid. The average balance in favor of the eonipanies. alter defraying all losses and deducting one-thint ol the premiums lor expensps, in about J(); per cent. The total premiums ure 1 1 per cent mort; and losses ineurml 6; per cent less than in 1871'. The aver age ratea of premium charged by companfee of other states were 1.09, being less than in any previous year of which B record has lieen kept. The rates for liehigan stock coinpanies and l'oreign companies are .91 and 1.40 respectively, being a little higherthan last yeai. mportant legislation lias just been seured in aid of mutual insunince, also o obstruct and punish unauthorized nsuranee, and to provide for a standid form of' lire Insurance policy.