Vintage Science Fiction from Australian Newspapers

Items

• The Esramians
  Newspaper printed excerpts from a novel - not complete. Martians following a Christian style philosophy visit Earth to impart their wisdom.
• The Electric Spark
  Chapter 1 of The Novels of the Future. The first story features lovers enhancing their kiss with electricity.
• The Eagle of Peace. A Tale of Love, Invention, and War.
  Advanced airship invention travels across the world fighting Germans. Basic story with only the airship being the science fiction part. More spyfi than scifi.
• The Drum Beat. A Story of the German Menace in Australia.
  Set in 1918, initially a love story, and a little spyfi with the Germans living in the town, introducing the main science fiction invention, an aeroplane that is silent and can rise to quite a height without the occupants feeling cold-with one of the Germans very interested in it. The story is quite slow and ponderous with many repeated situations and diversions before Germans launch their attacks on Sydney in August 1918 (after over twenty chapters of character development and aeroplane adventures). One of the highlights is that Gillian is a female pilot and fights against the Germans with her aeroplane. Eventually the Australians win against the Germans but at a high cost, with many an important character dead.
• The Dream Machine
  Late Professors invention discovered. Record plays the sound of his experiment on a vagrant to delve into the subconscious eliciting the story of how man first came to Earth.
• The Doom of the Zeppelin
  Advanced Zeppelins Attack London. Short story.
• The Diamond Lens
  Reprinted from 1858. "The Ten Greatest Tales of Awe and Mystery Ever Written No. 7. A scientist working in his laboratory chances upon a microscopic humanoid and falls in love with her staring through the microscope for hours but is devastated when the droplet of water dries up and she shrivels and dies. The male gaze is strong with this one. Originally published in the Atlantic Monthly.
• The Devolution of Man
  A satirical review of the Fortieth Century Review book written by Dr. Janet Fowler based on the recovered manuscripts from ancient Melbourne describing the male rebellion in 2350 and the liberal thinking in the treatment of men with it now being voluntary to have a male child whether men should be admitted to university and whether grown men should be allowed to be walking about the streets unescorted. Being a review of the 40th century (3900s) the book is probably copyright 4001.
• The Decline and Fall of the Australian Empire. A Chapter of Future History.
  China takes over NSW and Victoria
• The Day! Or the Passing of the Throne (aka just 'The Passing of the Throne')
  Advanced zeppelins attacking London.
• The Dawn of All
  Catholics get an advanced airship to spread the Word
• The Dark Planet
  The narrator finds an otherworldly orb. He climbs aboard and is suddenly taken to another planet where he begins to educate the medieval feathered men on science, falls in love, but has to escape in one of the craft back to Earth (and tell his story) Roughly! Summary to be updated when all sections can be read.
• The Cruise of the Golden Caterpillar
  A large long segmented train like bus created by a renowned professor starts a 3 month exploration of the Australian outback. Complete with everything you need for a long journey. Criminals try to steal the plans for the engine.
• The Coloured Conquest
  Set in June 1913 and printed from the book released in 1904. The last free Caucasian is suggested of his Japanese friend to write of his experiences of the last few years when all non-Causians joined together to enslave every White person. Slavery, Eugenics, and conditioning. A dystopian world, although the narrator writes from mostly understanding point of view that Caucasians brought it on themselves.
• The Clutching Hand. Scientific Detective Tales.
  Terribly written melodramatic spy drama made up of 7 stories (and made into a movie) full of inventions and a hero repeatedly rescuing a damsel from villains with no real reason for their continued attacks besides that they're evil. They even have a death ray which the inventor hero is able to resist.
• The Cloud King or Up in the Air and Down in the Sea
  An aeoronaut travels around the world in an advanced balloon describing overcoming science and engineering problems and meeting advanced and unusual civilisations
• The Bridge. A Mystery of War
  An invention that destroys bridges and prevents new ones. Original published in the Chambers Journal in 1909-1910 pages 451-455 remote control torpedo that can be directed using a map covered in wires. Published in London.
• The Branded Spy
  Spy drama with futuristic submarines facing off between Japanese and Americans and British interceding to prevent a war. Research indicates that submarine I-14 described in the text by the author in 1936 was not built until 1943. Also there is a discussion about the Japanese threat to Pearl Harbour. This aborted future war is more spy story than science fiction like most near contemporary future war stories yet its prescience makes it a worthy addition to the list.
• The Boy Inventor. The Amazing Adventures of Don Delmont The Boy inventor, and his pal, "Dandy" Stevens.
  Invents a stratosphere plane. A bullet-proof electric aero-car with an oxyacetylene headlight and a gyroscopically controlled car and many other inventions.
• The Blue Bolt
  A sequel to The Silver Ball (1908) similar in style. Professor uses electricity to erase invaders.
• The Blood of the Ghettos and the Red Trail of the Brigands: A Concise History of the Year 1957.
  Italians versus Jewish Russians in North Australia in 1957. Bored telephone operators, personal flying vehicles, and a civil war. Eventually they lose, and the Jewish Russians are deported to Palestine to set up New Jerusalem and the Italians are deported to savage islands. Predictions abound.
• The Black Box / The Pocket Wireless / The Tenement House Mystery
  Based on the silent movie. A crime story involving a professor and his pocket wireless which can communicate by text with others who have it. A character keeps being given a black box with riddles clues and advice in the investigation of a murder robbery.
• The Awful Cataclysm in Ireland
  An invention that destroys half of ireland drilling miles deep. A similar story appeared as Doctor Who Inferno in 1970 reinforcing the science fiction theme of the vintage concept.
• The Automatic Pen. Guaranteed to Spell Correctly.
  A university student gives her physics and mathematics professor her science project, a pen that will write the right words as he writes, as he had trouble with spelling. This leads to a romance and marriage. A short story with more of a linguistic rather than science focus. A light, humorous story.
• The Automatic Killers
  An evil Asian professor has controlled the dead using 'Radcliffe' a liquid form of electricity and 10 times more powerful able to increase the strength and resistance of any living thing. He also has a giant rat! Really over the top story.
• The Attack Upon Sydney. A Page from the History of the Future
  French attack Sydney. Electricians and electric lights discussed. Noiseless torpedo boat engines boats and other vehicles with electric lights and a huge and fast British ship rechristened City of Sydney. A fiction story advising Sydney to get her military more men and equipment and defensive positions.
• The Antarcticans. Being the Further and Still More Surprising Adventures of Captain Bjornvik in the Regions Around the South Pole.
  Various inventions get Bjornvik to the South Pole area where he encounters a forest of lepidodendrons, encountering predeluvian animals, narrated by the actual genius who created many of the inventions and wants to impart the knowledge of how they all work to everyone on board. The ship is able to locate this area in the south due to a shift in the Earth's axis. Some satire is present and may remind one of the storytelling of Baron Munchausen (1785).
• The Antarcticans
  Future inventions and a character wanting to get the power of the lost civilisation (Different to A. J. Boyd's Antarcticans.)
• The Air Devil
  A near future rivalry between two advanced airplane companies. While planes travelled at the normal speed for the 1930s (150mph) they are bigger able to take 40 passengers rather than the usual 21-32. Planes exploding every few chapters while preparations to launch a new advanced plane the X4 continues.
• The Aerial Wedding An Australian Romance
  Includes details of the structure of the 4-seat aeroplane invention complete with foldable balloon and flapping wings. A humorous story written around the idea that the father wanted his daughter to wed someone high.
• Submarine Mines
  West Gippsland Gazette (Warragul, Vic. : 1898 - 1930), Tuesday 16 August 1898, page 6 SUBVMARINE MINEvS. WHAT COUNTER-MINING MEANS. JIETHODS DESCPIBm). A SUBIIARINE BOAT. Mr ft. G. Skerett Twrites to an American paper as follows:Aside from the navigable or autornobile torpedo, the passive torpedoes or mines that guard the entrance of ports against unwelcome visitors are the most dreaded of all present perfected miens of subaquatic warfare. .There are two kinds of mines used generally for this purpose, and they are, first, the ,Iser-vation mine, which is exploded by an observer when he sees that the foe's vessel is over that threatening mass of ,00 pounds of gun-cotton; and second, the electro-contact mine, which, containing about seventy-pounds of the sante explosuve, bursts when touching tlre bottom of -an enemy's craft, and, because of actual contact, needs a smaller charge to accomplish its dread purios,. This electro-contact mine is r'e'ally the most dangerous to cope with, for but a slight tilting causes the electrie circuit to be fired. A sudden jerk lupon its cable might work that havoc. That Spain has blocked the passes to her Cuban and Porto Rico ports in this manner we already know by one frightful example: and the question now is, "flow shall we protect ourselves from subIimarine attack even after the heavy guns of her batteries are silenced and the paths seem free for the safe entrance of our victorious vessels?" COUNTER MINING. Witit us, the work of laying or planting defensive mine fields falls to the army, and upon the navy of a foe is placed the very questionable distinction of destroying them. Captain-General Bllanco has planted some fateful fields, and upon our navy will lie the lburtdent of evading the harvest by skilful countermining. Briefly. "countermininri con-ists in the destructiorn of an enemy's rine-, tired by laying across that ieldl other mines,. which, by intentiornal explosion. destroy the mines plantedl by ithe foe. There are several n ays of accomnplishirng the same end, and it is thIe Ipurpose of this article to suggest onte whichl native skill has mnade thoroughly practicable and. unprecedetitly saf".A A LTNE OF COUNTERMINES. .\At ordlinary line of countermines consitis of ten or a dozen 500-pound mines of the obs: rvation type. These mines or,- fastened at Intervals of about ISO feet -apart to a long electric cable, and eachl mine has a branch cable of perhaps or CI' feet--d-ependinrg, of course, upon 1the1 deptlh of water in which they are to --li-rate. Th se minres are secured to one Sf i hit heavy launches or cutters. the sinkirs. cables, and buoys being so arrang1 ito drop overboard at the propir time 1., ing lash-ld in place only by light rope ya rtt which is intended to part at tlhe trim-nt -tra:in is brought to bear. The linews. i.,-.. tie iparts containing the detr:natinrg c,-arae. are turned towards the stern :,f tin- hlnt. where they will be ilast exl-psedI to ithe tire of the enemny's iI iii ir- guns---tlhe ones usually rele,itted tI tl- ,irotecti-in of mine fields, arn th.l- inns still likely to be available for sir- h di-f-ni- i tven after the heavy gunlls arii siltnrh it. 'I'hre art- thre-e buoys -t:.nhed to -*.It line If erutntertnines, on.- :it eai-ch e-d:l tnt -ir,- in the middle, -t-Ih r- -a m- lis-attire' f-rom the mines, and tiny .-r:r," ehtr-,-l with tihbsphlide of calCillr for ni;ht aork. wanter igniiting Itb-rin. Tlit-ir i urto Is is to mark the liie .if tnt pla:rntetl mintis andt the channti1l abroush t piitii tIhe cournterminrng b~:t can reeIni it aft r- tihe explosion. After the miini's are pilanted they are exIilodil.d try trhe joint action of the officer in cinurge of thie cable end on shipboard iir on tn.- battery tieat anti the officer at tihe othert ernr in the tub-boat rowing the cutter fiull Of minIs. They complete atn -lectrtie irc- it. \tOiEt OF TI-IE DETAIL. h'l-I cutter ibeing ready. the 510e:111 Intnch start-s off with thie tmirne bort anrri tvi hatter} b::t in trjw. 1'r-arhal-s ti1: en-mr s scrarch-lights are sweepint titi minte field and the :lapproaches to it. anti everything [iust ibe done it) keept it the shot;:ens.md to ce al as nlear as ipos ible to tnl t goat lieforei crowding on sIt-red. Thrn evryi iting depencds upotirn tle o -lcrite anti coitte ss of tIire op- :rtoris. Itn the- f ele. rhatps. if scatti triing tir: andi drit irg bullets frtomt tic- ,rick-lirling inlet-s. tt the titm launch Sr c-ps learrssly foirwa: it in t pr--ar-trang-d directilon. Tihe Attvry boatt tiltois astern rttrln ahrinlors, wirile oltilg its er olf t- tnInto. Orn 5te:ttm5 tlte cittttr. A few itt meits later- a tug n h- thein fr-oin the hattery btalt crlta-ises the litfst of thrnitint's. tail iivcr-biirt ii inr-5--Aia in, ril ainnderr. d inlrmrlg it tr is lipos. till all tt-n or ailtiint-n Ira e- br-Oi titroppt-i ov-romrdthe att tiretini buoys ittrltz with thin-t torcs of nfsnutterinrg tight anrt ir-cket frorti the tw twroat lell -mf its rcatlirln55. Then tine il-ing tts bltttertsarc joined trp. A Si i-ind rocket, rirr thre OttO it is rlosetiStd tltt sirtimtltanonufl-s r-essing of the keys it toth enrs. ltr tr- triefest frnctitn of a morm-en-r there is att expetanitl Iut. their fn-rom the depths butst great tnasses of lunrinnirus, thund-ring clumrns of water wilt all the frightful dettniton of pierhapri three tons of gun-crttonrur mines ant tlit enemy's as welt. If still allest atri unhalred by the fra-'s guns, lire ste.untaurtit turns tack through thr yet rgitated channel-waiy rind sutoeds ottn u--art thc- btintery boni, anti tire sheltering lht-hoc of tire ship beyond. GOOD. COOL 111EN. No one need be in tire counternminittg launelt, for thne mines nt-c arrangid to drop oiverhoard automaticrtily by tire strain upon the table at intrer-als; hut good, cootlatr men ust tie in the atter-y boat and the stenam cutter slpeeding on itt the face of threatening destruction and the sinking of that cutter means certain failure to the expedition. That Mlorro Castle Iras powerful seare-hlights we already know; and it is an easy thing. to mount easily rnai in a short while enough r::rpid lit-guns to sweep with dangerous frequtency the narrow cntrance into H2avana harbor. So eoUfn- ermining in the way described 'Aould itarily lt iealtthfutil r successful. [ ; otly other t Nel - oin mn thitl of tta-kivin afn tnemy's nmiies is byv "creridfn;, 1^, und i*,: ,bj'ect is to catch the cir - itic cati,!cs running t: the mines. ianl. by utting the-n, pire ernt the foe's ctntlrol of them. TTi is s done by towing two g'ajnee. - one containig an Spilsivx charge of sometlhing over two teols of guIn-cotton and the other a yim '' -ianel coming on behind at a -isc n e of thlirty or forty feet. The exhegi rapntl first picks up the cable, ir~. n; a tug is felt upon the grapnel li,-e t ! charge is exploded electrically. I-is miay not completely sever the (ilei'. so the other grapnnel picks up the r iir yý d cable and the whole thing. is Iullid up to the boat and either severed or underrun till a junction box of serer-] mines is reaclihed, and the whole lot ;:-Ploded at will. To meet this possiUnlity. it is a common thing to plant ti:ntaty mines and dead cables to deeii ran enemy. and it is quite common to screw the neighboring bottom with chain and steel rope to catch the enermy's creeps, and false buoys are always plna"ed so that they may purposely misle:nd a countermining attack. THIE SU-iBMARINE BOAT. Ag;in, the approaches to either Havxntt. or Matanzas are too .well gualrded to inmaie either ordinary countermining ior creeping reasonably safe or successful. andi tlhere is oiut little chance. indetld. of minies being found near enough to rho surface to he destroyed by the shell attack or the fire from machine guns. TWhether or not the Vesuvius could accompllsh that end at long range :i :nltetr for soeculation, but there - nr d1uht whaitever that it thi lake ti t atrinE boat rot Argonaut we have a _ i et:m practicable means of reaching dti Sounis-h mines, and that without uspicaien of her presence. WHAT SI-HE IS. The Argonaut is a cigar-shaped structure of steel, thirty-six feet long and gith aL greatest diameter of nine feet.It has a total weight or displacmnent, when submerged, of nearly sixty tons, and is anmply stout enough to resist the pressure of water at a depth of 150 feet. The body of the boat is divided into three principal compartments-the largest one, which occupies about twothirds of the length of the craft, contains the propelling engines, the air and water pumps, and the dynamo. The forward compartment is the pilot house, so to speak, and the compartment immediately next and aft is the air-lock and diver's room. From this room the diver can pass through a manhole in the - floor and out upon the bottom of the sea. To accomplish this the airlock is closed to the other parts of the boat, the pilot being shut up in his compartment, and the rest of the force being confined to the great chamber DIVER PASSES OUT. The diver and his attendant now turn on the air from the reservoir, and allow it to gather pressure in the air-lock till that pressure exactly equals that of the water outside. This is determined by a small cock In the manhole plate, which, If it does not admit water when turned on in connection with the water outside. indicates that the balance of pressure has been attained. Then the manhole plate is dropped, and,. upon the ladderlike rungs fastened to it, the diver passes right out into the water about the craft-the water stopping at the threshold of the compartment as though bidden to halt by some supreme power. With the glow of the searchlight at the bow and the small lamp borne in his own suit, he is able to see for a considerable distance about him, and. being in constant telephonic communication with the pilot, he is able to direct the movement of the boat. Once In touch with the cables of the mines-and he can readily distinguish the dummy from the real thing-it is an easy thing either to sever them or to connect them with a battery on board the boat, and then, when at a safe distance, fire them at will. The Argonaut is propelled along the surface by a gasoline engine, and when going along on the bottom by storage batteries charged by the gasoline engine. When not submerged. air Is taken In from without, either through the dome on toll or through a hose leading to a small float. WVhen submerged, the air supply will come down through the hose to the float, and an ingenious arrangement prevents the admission of water, should the tioat be sunk or flooded. The air tanks are charged to a high pressure, and air enough is carried in them to supply a cevw of four or six persons for quite two days. THE VESSEL RFEADY. In practical hands wonders could be accomplished with this little vessel, and Mr Lake is thoroughly fitted to clear the harbor of Havana or any other place of torpedoes, and to do It with that guarantee of thosoughness and immunity impossible to any other existing vessel, or by any other conventiondl means of countermnninng. It is not a long trip front Baltimore, where the little craft now Is, to the Cuban coast, and it would not be a difficult task to tow her there at a good, round speed, and to have her ready to do her service in a few days, her work to be well-done when the Spaniards again press those fateful keys only to find them responseless. The remarkable thing is that, although the above was written weeks ago. the Argonaut has not apparently yet figtred in the warlike operations.
• Stratosphere Express
  Advanced aeroplane discussions of rockets and meteorites dealing with polar environment and engineering
• Stella Figelius: A Tale of Three Destinies
  Inventor talks about contacting the stars and creating an aeroplane
• Squeezing the Heart
  Evening Journal (Adelaide, SA : 1869 - 1912), Saturday 6 October 1906, page 5 SQUEEZING THE HEART When a patient collapses while under chloroform, and all other methods of restoration fail, heart manipulation is occasionally tried. A case in which this rhre operation was resorted to came before the fcouthwai-k Coroner recently. The patent a youth, exhibiting signs of heart failure during an operation at Guy's Hospital, an incision was made, and the heart was manipulated by the surgeon." Unfortunately, this failed to renew the heart's action A distinguished surgeon said to a Daily Mail representative:—"This manipulation i= a very last resort after the electric batterv artificial respiration have faOedTamt J, patie n £ Se,dora do ^ it Th^ * f ^ ^ ™™?rily successful, l^u ^ ? etl l ot L 18 to .divide the ff^ardium expos ^ t b , e -, W h e D , ^ su^eon mtroduces his hand he gently presse? the heart 1 ^ ( ? bont four time s a minute), ??" ^ s V! % <?™te ^ ^ fast last enough euougn to restart nulsa-' pulaa ort-1 J Possible to do so at all. An dectne battery has less directly something of the same effect It causes a contraction of the muscles of the chest, and the heart usually responds. Brandy injected into the tnssues is another stimulant and two or 1 three^ints of a saline solution, in the case P, r °* use loss °f blood b is often invaluabl '
• Space
  Children attempt to escape in their spaceship from a death ray fired from Mars.
• South (not completed)
  Inventor builds a 600 feet long advanced submarine-airship with beam ice cutters and attempts to reach the south pole. Written by a child awarded a certificate and paragraphs of chapters split over several weeks but no further instalments in childrens pages after September that are available on Trove.
• Sky-High Terror
  Mendip II new aeroplane with gravity plates and a particular kind of spirit fuel is repeatedly sabotaged and stolen while a romance takes place and police investigate. Just an advanced invention macguffin. More of a crime story than SF.
• Skirmish Posts of Earth
  A group of explorers plan to learn more about a mysterious tribe in the heart of Papua New Guinea and take their boat up the river to find them. They discover a statue made of a material currently unknown which activates, detects their party of 25 and sends a 'carrier wave' to the tribe, before encountering one-foot-tall natives carrying 'light' spears that give electric shocks and can shoot birds from trees. They're captured, taken to a city inside a crater, their revolvers are locked by some electromagnetic force, and they're trapped in a hut with a door of energy that flickers and sparks, and reflects any force given to it. Though it decends into an altar sacrifice of natives using gas bulb lights and vaporisation, an explosion destroying the natives energy, and the escape of the whites.
• Silence
  Scientist creates a device that causes silence for miles then attempts to use it along with a crime syndicate to rob all the banks in the world from Vesuvius. Vesuvius erupts.
• Shooting Stars
  Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 30 December 1899, page 25 STAKK." Ifc.- *' " ,v- "l.l|l* CllCOttV .MilJI" li'.ts , ; of UlilttiT »t;,i ''' '! ' ' or cloudlet* of duM thr,.,|„tl v' >'<• Hying unresisted do. v, ,, nlnnets and comets tr',;,. ^ ^ K " ■■ 'v thin itif limit* of our iinn '"trolled |>y the :i11r:i•' """ ' move with a syoed anv n i"111" ' "'id, far exeeeding that ^ ^nn' iU '' '''tile. hut are too small £ ' V"'H when they enter ^•ted i,v ''"1. becoming intensely *-■ and : '""'■■ince they encounter i.rrv' aif Kn .i ,'! consumed in the wfof the ""thing reaches the sur^ *ttlin» !!!' 'xcePt> perhaps, a little 8 wowly as an imperceptible "smoke." Occasionally, however, some, mass larger than usual survives in part thc- j, fiery ordeal, and its fragments fall to thch ground as specimens of the material ol "other worlds than ours." |1 y The total number of these flying pebbles , jij interplanetary space must be enormous,; , An ordinary observer under ordinary cir-,. ' eumstances will average about eight an . hour in a clear, moonless sky. Schmidt, .• of Athens, in the clear Grecian nil-, nearly / doubles the number, and reckons about 15- ( to the hour for a single observer. It ifi j.j found also that one person is able to note i , only about one-sixth of all that are visible . at his station by a party of observers suffi- i cieiitly large to watch the entire heavens, minutely. Jt. therefore, we accept the es- . timate of .Schmidt, it appears that about. 2.200 must ordinarily come ' within the ; range of vision at any given station every i 24 hours, though, of course, those that fall in the daytime cannot be seen. ,, ()n this basis, Professor Newton calculates that about twenty millions large enough to be seen from Hie earth's surface : under favourable conditions enter our at-P niosphere every day. There are also multi- . tudes of others too small to be seen by the t eye. and it continually happens to a tele--: scopie observer working with a low power that lie sees minute meteors dart acrossi1 bis fio 1 d of view.
• Secret of the Rays
  Set in 1950 with gyroscope planes that overcome the pull of gravitation and criminals who use a black ray to put everyone asleep testing and getting supplies while finding a protective ray that can prevent this particular cosmic ray. Ends abruptly on a romantic note.
• Sea Gold. The Romance of a Pirate Submarine
  Book printed in 1936. Advanced submarine is forgotten when the country experiences a coup and the crew travel the world finding a way to fight back. Article stating author is Australian https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205898639
• Scientific. Science Notes.
  Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 24 March 1900, page 52 SCIENTIFIC. SCIENCE NOTES. By PUYS1CT Tin: HEARING OR INJECT Can insects hear? In order to answer this question it 'would seem necessary to demonstrate the possession by insects of t-oine organ that can reasonably be supposed to be ;i hearing one. Sounds are prop-agated by pul&ations or waves of the air. Ii there were no atmosphere the transmission of sound would not be possible. But even when sounds are produced there must be some means by which the vibrations may be conreyed to some part o! the nervou* s\>tetu and, so to speak, interpreted. A serie- of waves may strike a nerve and yet give rise to no sensation of any kind. Our organs of sight and smell are complicated structures, but they only respond to certain stimuli, and not to all. It seem- necessary, juc'giiig irom tbe examination of healing organs in different group1- <ii ;tiiiinnl>. that these should be some solid bodit.« which are s-et in motion by the air wave.-. These solid bodies then actually .-Hike wl.at. for our purpose, we may call the end of a nerve. The stimulus thus produced is transmitted in the ca=e of our-elve- to the brain, and is there interpreted .as a sound. In the back-boned annuals the place where sensations are perceived is the brain, but there is no reason why it should be so in all animals. There is no reason why, for example, the nerve mat- which perceives a sound should not be at one end of the body, that which perceives lieht at the other end. and that for the perception of an odour :n the middle. A s!ie!!-!isii. such as a cockle, has nothing resembling .1 brain, for it has no head, yet B'jine ?>! its allies have eyes for seeing, and an urtran probably akin to a nose in junction: it kno-vs how to keep the right way up and 'i-irt to search for its food. lhis being so. it does not follow that even if an animal has a head and something akin to a brain thf.t we are to believe that all .jrc /-crcejvcd in this brain. We are not i" -11; pose- that if an animal has an on: an ca table of receiving vibrations of the air that :ht- nerve from that organ must lead t" tl.e br.iin in order that the sounds may be j-eweivtfd as such. The nervous centre, as it i- termed, for the organ may, in l'act. be piaced anywhere, and in the same y 1 lit* part of tbe body which is ni'id'Met i'.i receive the stimulus may be anywhere. ') his beinc so, there is no reason why should cxpeci a grasshopper s hearing ore ui t » be ;;i its head ot its centre for the inU'ipTctauon in the brain. What we have tf- look for is something which will be riuved by sound waves, and so irritate a rr-rve ending. In many animals tlitre are additions made to these simple essentials, such as a sheet of tightly-stretched membrane expose a larger surface to the impact of the air waves. This is called a tym: aiiiim. or drum; while to tins is sometime- ii'hled. as in ourselves, an external fold of sl::n to collect a still larger numlier of wave- and convey them to the drum. Nov.- ;;n organ, almost certainly for bearing, is found in the locust, and is placed on the abdomen, or that part oi the body behind the legs. There is a tight membrane stretched on a horny ring, and tn the middle of this are fixed a couple of iiurd plates, which support a bag of fluid. To this bag runs a nerve, which leads back, not to the brain, but to one of the ganglia of the thorax. This organ certain!'.- locks like a hearing organ, and is generally accepted as such. In j-ome of the green grasshoppers an organ of similar stiiicture is found, but it is placed, not on the abdomen, but on the front legs. In the vvater be:-tie the hearing organ seems to be situated in the antenna?, or so-called feelers or horus, and there are other modifications. It may lie asked why not make poises and see if the insects pay any attention to them. A little while ago it was pointed out in this column that when the vibrations rise above a certain number to a second we can perceive no sound, but it does not follow that no animal cannot do so. Many insects are provided with somewhat complicated sound - producing organs, and were their fellows deaf the reason for the existence of these organs would be difficult to explain. But as we find the sound-producing faculty is generally associated in the same insect with what appears to be an organ of hearing, we would eecm to be justified in answering the question, "Can insects hear?" in the affirmative. THE ORIGIN OF MAGNETISM. The actual cause of magnetism is unknown to us; and till within the last few weeks no light whatever had been thrown on the subject. It appears, however, that Professor Rowland has bee® engaged for some time on experiments which, if all we hear about them is true, will go far towards an explanation of the origin of terrestrial magnetism. So far as the course of tbe investigation has yet been made public, it appears that the professor wound a length of wireseveral miles of it-on a brass wheel, which he then set in rotation, and found that while revolving it behaved a8 a very weak magnet, the strength of the resulting magnetic field appearing to depend only on the speed of rotation. The magnetism is supposed to be due to a feeble electric current set up in the wire coil. It has long been known that a wire coil in which an electric cujrent circulates has all the properties of a magnet; on this fact Ampere based his explanation of magnetic bodies. He supposed that the molecules were the seats of electric currents, and showed that, if such were the caee, the behaviour of steel magnets on dissimilar bodies could be accptinted for; 1»ut this only pushed the problem one step backward, aa the further question suggested itself, how are these molecular currents set up? The mathematical researches of Ixird Kelvin J^ iim to surmise that something of the jof n»Mion must exist in magnetised bodies; and a few years ago Professor Schuster mttgeflted, as a bare posMbttity, that every TaJnge rotating body atbe a magnet, and proved th^t if euch [ a reasonable theory of terres be formulated on :toi doubt that a conducting body, when set in rotation, is so acted on by the cthcio spa.ce as to become a magnet. On the other hand, it is qui*"? certain that bodies at rest-such as the nee-die ot a compass can be magnets: and it will be a simple ana obvious deduction from the espenmen s to ascribe their magnetism to the lm rotations of their constituent molecules, which, might l>e supposed to set up eleotri currents in their mass just as such currents are said to be set up in Rowland s coil. A RED I.AKE. The natron lake# of Egypt have long been known as a source of carbonate of soda, from the Arabic name fromwhich the words natron and nitre come, though themi^ily they ;-.re very different substance?. A German company is now walking somo of the :lakes in the LiKan Desert, and they were recently visited by a bk>logi>T. w"ho no; iced and '.vjj puzzled by the led colour of tlie water. He v.v? told hy people living on the fi-ot ihat the rolour was due to the prosenc-e of the brine shrimp, which communicated its reddish tint to the water This explanation Mr. Dewitz. the scientist in Question, dismissed as untenable, since at the time of lr® visit no brine shrimps wesunt. their s^i^on being past, msides." the.-e small so-called shrimps, like hmiiv of the irustacea. owe their colour to their blood and not to a pigment on the outer surface of their bodies, which coneeivablv migbt bo dj.-^olvtnl off at ue.un. Though he found no brine shrimps, he found some moMjuito larva?, w;iich normally are not red, though these were. 1 his showed that probably the mosquito larva? were red because the water was> red. and not vice-versa. The author tound that a red silt of an organic acid was present. Prcbabiv it is an iron salt, thugh he noes not siv ";o. As to the origin of the salt, ho a mi: be? it? formation to certain red bactena which are abundant in the w::ter. We know of variously coloured bacteria, some of which are very highly tinted. The small bright pink spots. for instance, that are sometime- seen in bread are due to bacteria belor.gine to the same group, and which, like "by far the greater uumber ot bacteria, are in no way harmful to man. A CHEAT MODKKX INDl'STRY. The electrkal production of refined copper is an industry of very reccnt date; hut it ha^ already assumed gigantic proportions. Brought into use about a quarter of a century ago. it was then employed on a very small scale, about twenty tons j)er week being the world's output. This has now increased to five hundred tons pc-r day, or one hundred and eighty thousand tons per annum, the net value of the annual output being about nine millions sterling. Of almost equal importance are the by-products of the indus-try. Crude copj>er alwavs contains gold and silver among its impurities; the latter to a very large extent, its average being over one hundred ounces to the ton. To separate these from the copper bv the older process would cost more than they were worth; but the electrical proves* effect- a complete separation, and as the silver forms more than half of the total residues from the process its extrac tion therefrom and the separation of the gold become profitable, the annual .net value of the preeiou* metals so obtained being about three millions sterling. An industry so extensive is naturally the subject of continual modification and impiovement; ainoag the most recent of these is the direct proce.-s of manufacture of copper tubes. The met.i! is now deposited by the current on a rapidly revolving cylinder, instead of a flat plate, as in the earlier day> of the industry: as copper tubes are very largely used in the arts this is a valuable device, but it has other advantages as we!!. Under ordinary circumstances c-opr>ei tends to be deposited by the current in a somewhat loose state of aggregation, and to give the deposit the necessary hardness and density requires the continual action of the burnisher; but Mr. Cowper-C'olesthe inventor of the new method-finds that the friction set up by the rotation of the c-vlinder in the depositing solution answers the same purpose as burnishing, lie makes use of this fact in the production of plates and wires; to obtain a plate it is only necessary to slit lengthwise a tube of the proper size, and then flaiten it out; to make wires, a thin thread of some insulating substance is wound on the cylinder, and the copper deposited in the spiral groove left between the windings of the insulator. The thread of copper thus obtained is easily drawn down to the required gauge by ordinary wire-drawing tools. Tne process is not only convenient, it is cheap, too; the net cost of refining the copper in this way being less than 2 per cent, of the value of the finished product. DESTRUCTION OF GADFLIES. Fortunately in Victoria we are not much troubled by gadflies, which are such a scourge in some parts of the Northern Hemisphere. They do a considerable amount of injury to stock by biting, and so annoying them to such an extent at times that their condition is considerably reduced, while they are credited by their bites with occasionally transmitting anthrax to human beings. In the United States and in Russia the practice prevailed of rubbing cattle with oil in order to lessen the painful nature of their bites. This measure, however, is only a palliative, and does not prevent the attacks or destroy the pests. Professor Porch iuski, of St. Petersburg, has hit on a simple method of lighting this plague. The gadfly is a thirsty creature, and ie very fond of drinking from stagnant pools while on the wing. Daring the operation it touches-the water with the lower surface of its body, which is protected by a coat of long hairs, and so is not wetted by the act. Porchinski thought that if he could wet them they would be unable to. free themselves from the water, and so" would be drowned .--The idea of spreading a layer of kerosene on the water struck him, and he tried it with complete success. The amount used was about nalf-a-pint to the square yard, and was renewed every morning. The insects in attempting to drink were at once wetted by the kerosene, and, as it were, became stock to the surface of ine pooL The kerosene then rapidly killed them, and they floated ebout in small islands in the water in vast numbers. .Kerosene has been recommended as a meens of destroying mosquito iarvae, which are aquatic and-come to the surface ,to Jbreathe, which act they perform by thrashing their foils up intothe air^ Ifthe water be covered by a layer of kerosene they are killed by it, just SB many ^orchard pests are br spraying the plants with kerosene emul sion. ,;
• Scientific. Science Notes.
  Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 12 March 1898, page 52 SCIENTIFIC. SCIENCE NOTES. Ev PHVKCVE. THE FKILL-OILLED FHAEJL How little v.* Ldc»- of the Ssb inhabiting the ©pea f*ee«C; in spr.e of sJi the wvrk. .ha* been dote bitbfcrio, i*» well Uuetratea by tbe caw of tii-s F;>Mts of shark. lie form if FtifLciemb" differ frt'ia tiiet of lie allies si bvixg to «:nke an ordinary observer at ljvt irlance,. fcno protista* f^Vl- Mould it to lte gltJDp to WliJCB it beloi.z*. TLe Wy is bus ana somewhat eeHike in fcrcn, and the tail imacad o* lurtlsg upwards m ordinary charts, is in the Kif.-.e Hue as the rest of the boar. Tbe B-caib it wot pkctd under the head tut at ;Le etsd of the fnoui, wbik there t it only one firj ta tLe back, instead o: tue { nSni'ji-i present two in ox her j sharks. In T-siiet tiie uj/per ptrt of the throat, or pharynx. is pkr«-d by a camber j ui which hi*: bordered by the gills, <iZ-d j tn v-rai^i jrill-riile- The gilk are very plen- j tifuUy -»ith blood-v«asek, eo that j the ilvsi it-' Kpread over a ha^e area, and is separated fiom the water by thin JRem- J brane. TLiougb tLif- m^mbtane the wane. pa.*** of the body pass out, and the crygen dished ii; the wet*r is taken up b,v the blood. which i« thus purified. A current of water is constantly taken in by the mouth Slid parsed out through the giii-s'liu, &o that & Kuriicient eupplv of oxygen if enstir&d. In t «i«r jrreater nun'ber of sish of the pie»eni <iay the gill-siili- are roofed on each tide bv a cover, known at '.he opeiculum, so tfjat the dclicate gills are protect**! from the chance of enter -&1 injury. In the sharkfc this gill-cover is absent, so. that the giiltltte are plainly visible, and in most tharkfi ere four in number. The frill-gilled shark j has *iz gil3-*4itf?. and these are each pro- j tected by a frill-like fiap of skin, and from j this character the ash Uxkee its tusrsie. The i teeth tre peculiar su form, and very cha- ] racteristic. FobmI forms closely allied to j the present sj»<rcies had loag been kBovn j froiii ancient rockf, but it wat supposed that j the :j i»e vrae quite extinct. Ojnwrtjueiitly j it wafe with great delight that the discovery j in Japaijese wateni wme years ago of this ^ ljvir.i' idbm1 was anrjOUDCed. Tben it was j captured near Sfadeira, and recently Pro-; fetfeor Oollert, of Chrit-iiaiiia, nai htate-i tliat j the (same er^ecicfi has been taken off the j coaet of Koniay. Ji is ttiange that bo re-; markable a form should occur in both the j Atlantic and. the Pacific attd have so^ Ions j I*»^ped no Joe, but it must Ix; remembered j that the chances of capturing an active fish ; iu a comparatively fcxuall and slowly-moving i deep-fcfca tiavil are remote, and we ui?ually i have to defend on the tireying of a rare; specimen into fchallow waters, v.here it may j or may not be observed. j KAUTHV'AKK STl llV A5TD ITS RRSJXTS. i The f)\K-uhii£ up of Japan to the influences J of western civilisation hag resulted in the j revolutionit-irjg of one branch of science, j Keiemologj*-the study of earth movement*j -ww more to scientific v.orkerr, European ) end native, in that countn' than to those of j B!1 the rart of the world. In .Japan the 1 Itfist form*: of apparatus for the investiga- j tion of cajiliqua'ke phenomena were gcada-j ally evolved, and the study of the record* s furnished by micb im?trumejit* bas led toj results of the bighett iriduitrial importance^ | In the fiifct place they thawed investigators [ the. necefgity for remodelling all their old notion/; as to the nature of the earth movements. and the fresh id can on this point have led to new and better precaution* against diKit-ler. For many parts of the country the fccu-mologiht is now in a position to ttat'e the maximum force likely to act on a projected structure, anrl the direction from which the impulses may be expected to come, and buildingfi can be erected in such a wav BB to guard against tbem. Ae a result fiK-'h buildings-even those furnished with tall chimneys-constructed in accordance with the new ideas have been found to remain uninjured when everything round them was Kbattered. Borne experiments earned out on artificial earthquakes gave a hint which has proved invaluable to engineers and architects, for they showed that in any given area of ground the horizontal motion of the surface :fa greatest where the ground js softestmoreover,that themovementeare vervmuen 4ess violent at a distance underground. Some of the seismometers-as the instruments employed in earthquake registration are termed-have latclv been put to a curious use, in employing tnem to register the osculations of locomotives on railways. As a result, locomotives sent out from England Itave boil greatly improved in Japan by altering the balancing weights; in the» .changed conditions the oscillations bave become so slight as barely to affect the instruments. . This has resulted not only in increased comfort to the drivers, but also in » saving of coal, amounting to as much as from o«e to five pounds per mile run. BKUttlKG FUB-8EMA For many years considerable interest has been aroused in reference to the Behnng fur-seal. The great value of the skins has fed to their indiscriminate alaughter, and leara as to the extermination of the animal have been raised. The British and American nations, whicb are most interested in tee question of their preservation, appointed a commission of naturalwts to conttder the question, and from recent announcements it appear® that the members ,dve come to an agreement aa to the essen-, ial facte. Some time ago some regulations pere made, which were even then felt to be >f a mere temporary nature, and it was teen that, if the desired result was to be 1 icbiev-ed, more stringent ones would have ?. 0 bp framed. For the greater part of the i rear the seals Jive :in the open sea. but in ^ he breeding season they take to the land, the young are unable to swim for the I month. There are at present two it herds, frequenting respectively the Btfiatidftr Islands off the coast of Asia,, lie Pribylov Islands, near Alaska. So tfliaa been the decrease in numbers the past 25 years that, according to naricans, their hunting has ceased if commerciai valine, Tnc old males and each selects -a. suitable spot. * " - h|iri»n. The young. ,^fad^ey settle in a tnain herd. Each of ronnd him about 16 lously against Islands are idians fire de land, and ig them at males. their dsagiter ss far greater. It ». siid that pelapt sealing as ref^onsabte tor tbe drain of 30 per cent- of the yon»® man Kuurtvioii, and 2: iE ecaredtv to be wonflma : it ttisi an outcry iias beea rsisai again® j tbe practice. j S7TLI-AB DISTAXCEE. Hie e-lar syrtem in space may be com-j pared vo a Baliwuy idei in an ocean. ^ as4 , las ai? ik cist&noeE befweea die sun and, j the plaaete, they are quite insignificant as . 1 -compared ?n-Jtii those between tie sin an d, I evcsi lbe nearest of the fixed scare. It is; I not, therefore, surprising to find ? ! tlihu: whatever -vras known about stellarjdie- j tenets till whhin the last sixty year£- im , method by -wiiieb the distance to be j j sought had b»ea laid down long oeiore, bat; ! inc: ntmpnl s <>I FujixCieot debcacy wttt not j | available- Only n-ithin the i&Fi twenty. 1 years or so has the method been maae to j 1 yield results of more than a rough charsc-1 } now, ho-vrever, the distances ox sereral j j rjf f'jars can be stated vilh very con- j !dderable acc-crscy, Le., within one or twoj pgj- cent, of tbeir rcjue. asd those of a nnm S ber of others caa be stated pretty closeiy. j 1 Tbe method by which tie investigation j ) is carried out may be explained eamewhst j 1 as follows:-.Stsjipoee two lines drawn from ; the star. one to the earth and the other to ! the stir: tbe angle -which the»e lines mate | I at the star njuet Then be measured, and j ! since the distance from the earth to the] iua is known. the lengths of the lines can, be calculated in a similar way to that eta-] ployed by a surveyor in det«rmimag the distance of aa inaccessible object. Tbe difficulty arises pariiy from the extreme tmalines? of the angie to be measured, rjsnh from the fart that observations cancot be made at both ends of one base-line at the &ame time. What tbe astronomer to do is to observe, a§ accunEtdy as *>o-f;bk. the manner in which the apparent 1 pos'tion of the star in the sty changes irom 1 month to month. Use earth being on one i «de of tbe eon, the star appears to be di£j placed a linle to tbe opposite tide of its j jrue position, as seen from tbe sun; the 1 change in the apparent position daring six : months amounting to twice the angle which ! the astronomer has to measure. At for tne j delicacy of tbis observation^ suffice it to j tav that the earth's orbit, if viewed from . the nearest fixed star, -would look about as i large as a halfpenny viewedty an observer ? three miles off. It is not very surprising, s to find that tbe nearest star-Alpha ! f'eiitauri. veil known as the brightest of] ' the two "Pointers"-was the first to have > I its distance measured: nor to find that thei ! result, as first announced, proved eubse- < I queutiy to be about 25 per cent, too large. 1 | One*of the most interesting phenomena; ! connected with the subject is the Etnallness j ' of the number of stare whose distances are \ ! susceptible of measurement. Twenty-five! ; millioDf of millicn£ of milee-the distance of ? i Alpha Centauri-is itself a Email quantity ^ | 1 compared with tbe distances of tbe majority < I of the stare; concerning most of these, j I all that astronomers can tell us is that < ' thev are not less than a thousand millions ] } of millions of miles from us, and may be ? I anv amount further off than that. j Few as are tbe stars whose distances have ? j been measured, nevertheless a comparison, of their distance and brightness has given; i some interesting information. Some of ( the sun's nt-arett neighbours have ^ been j ! proved to differ from it very considerably m . 1 light-giving power; tbe closest star is a good , j deal more brilliant, the second closest many . times lens so tlian thfe sun. Our luminary, indeed, appears to occupy an inferior position among the heavenlv bodies, its brightness being somewhere about one-twcntietu of the average, ae far as can be ascertained at present. THE SOLTH AMERICAS LO'G-FLSIL Strand*^, as it were, in the fresib waters of a few parte of the world, tbe peculiar lung-fifft, which in former geological times were far more plentiful than they are todav, have managed to escape complete ex termination- One of the charackristic! features of fish is the fact that thw j breathe by means of gills, and the whole course of tne circulation of the blood is, 01 course, modified to this end. The higher groups, amphibia, reptiles, birds,'and mammals, are furnished with kings of greater or less complexity of structure, ranging from a simple bag like apparatus, in the frog to the highly complex one, say, in man. In all tbe groups, however, tbe young have, in at any rate the earlier stages of their development, a series of slits m the pharynx, similar to the gill fllitfl of a fish, and to these slits the blood supply w carried at first, just as it is through life _ in a fish. During tSie development of the higher forms a bag-libs outgrowth takes place from the throat, which ultimately gives rise to the lung. In a similar.way, in most fishes, a similar outgrowth gives nse to the swim-bladder. 80 tfhat a lung and a swim-bladder are, in their origin, the same tlinng, though they subserve different functions in the adult. In ordinary fab the swim-bladder has nothing to do with breathing; indeed, in manv cases, even, where it is large, it is a closed sac, the original opening into the throat having been shut permanently. When we reach the king-fish, however, we find that the swim-bladder has; become more complicated. It is no longer, a smooth-walled bag, but is partly divided; into smaller chambers by projecting parti-: tioM, on which there is a plentiful supply of blood-vessels, and is, in fact, a simple, kind of lung. Thus the lung-fish has two methods of breathing, both by gills, like a fish, and by lungs like one of .the higher animals, ana so forms a connecting link be' tweea the two groups. Some zoologists , clasB them with fish, while others prefer to make a separate group of them. The "Burnett salmon," known to scientists as Cerafcodus, is a representative in Australia of the ancient group; another form is found in Africa, ana a third in South America. Our species appears to behave like a_ true fish -when the water ifl in good condition, but uses its lungs, coming to tbe surface . to breathe, when the prater is impure, either from floods or during drought. Mr. Kerr, recently went to South America to study tbe habits of the form found there, fend to collect the eggs for' the purpose of observing-the processes of development. He - fojmd jthe animal, Lepjdosiren, plentiful in - -tiie swamps, wher6 it leads a sluggish exist ence; wriggling slowly through the tangled growth". It rises regularly to tbe surface to'breathe, and feeds on water weeds and fresh-water snails. It burrows in the ground at the bottom of the swamp, and lines the; hole with grass, and here deposits its eggs., In its development it goes through stages very similar, to the frog. like the tadpole, it has at first tufted external gills, and a: large sucker on its head. Later, on, as-in! the tadpole, these disappear, and the'per manent gills grow, together with the lung, j During, the ary season it burrows In. the jiwd, keeping an air-hole open for tfa© piw* ? pose of breathing, '-.^heh'mtoP»w|!
• Scientific. Science Notes.
  Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 16 December 1899, page 25 SCIENTIFIC. SCIENCE NOTES. By PHYSICUS. THE DRAKENSBERGEN. About the middle of last year Mr. F. G. Churchill read a paper before the South African Philosophical Society, which gives us a clear idea of the physical structure of the rugged mountains forming the border line-between Natal and the Free State. The parts he visited are likely to have more than a passing interest to us. The scenery he describes as being very beautiful. Leaving the railway at Ennersdale, he passed through undulating country, dotted here and there with flat-topped hills. The rocks are like those round Dundee and Newcastle, namely, light-coloured sandstone and shales, and belong to the Upper Karoo series, which is about the age of the Sydney sandstone. Twenty miles further on he name on the Drakensbergs. The flat-topped hills are capped by what we call bluestone in Victoria, in other words a form of lava. We could, then, match the flat-topped hills on a small scale in Victoria between Dayles ford and Castlemaine, among what are known as the Loddon Outliers. The rock beneath the African lava is, however, in nearly horizontal beds, and it is among such horizontal beds, especially when capped by a hard rock-like lava, that we get a canyon like structure, developed by the ceaseless cutting action of the streams. Again, we can find a well-known Australian parallel, for the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, give us a clear idea of what we should find—precipitous cliffs, rising tier above tier, looking, as Mr. Churchill says, like a succession of camel-backs. In the canyons of the Tugela and Little Tugela, close to the main wall of the Berg, the depth is in some places as much as 2,000ft., and the vertical face of the lava cap 400ft. The area over which the author traced the lava war some 60 miles by 15. The under lying sandstone is a compact, hard, gritty rock, of a cream or white colour, and. it weathers away in huge masses, leaving ver tical walls, or overhanging ledges. This upper Beries of sandstones is from 200ft. to 500ft. thick, and spreads over a large exr tent of country to the north and south, its top being about 3,000ft. above sea. level, rbe whole series of sandstones and softer beds is about 1,000ft. thick, and' its lower part is full of caves. ^ Pushing further into the mountains, Mr. Churchill found the volcanic cover to thicken, till at Bushmab's Pass he esti mates the lava sheet to be 2,500ft. thick. \V hen the summit was reached there was a disappointment, from a scenic point of view—a dreary, forsaken wilderness of. rocky hills and desolate valleys, gently sloping into Basutoland. The mountains then, like the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, are mountains of denudation, and are not, from a scientific point of view, a mountain chain at all, but a gently-slop ing plateau, carved, it is true, into terrible gorges and cliffs, and presenting a rugged and broken escarpment facing Natal. The , summit of the plateau is desolate and un inhabited, and extends as a broad strip about 200 miles long from north to south. 1 There seem to be no volcanoes whence the lava came, and, perhaps, it all welled forth from vast rents in the ground. At one place, Champagne Castle, the Drakensbergs are 7,000ft. above the valley immediately below, and the canyon below the Tugela Falls surpasses anything Mr. Churchill ever saw in Europe. In places, he says, the gorge is not more than 40ft. wide, and in four miles the river-bed rises 1,200ft. The Tugela Falls themselves, with three steps, are 2,050ft. high. The climate in winter time is very cold, and snow fre quently falls, even during midsummer. If the Boers betake themselves to fastnesses like these the work of rooting them out will be no child's play. EARTHQUAKES. Among the reports read and discussed at the recent meeting of the British Associa tion was an interesting one on the present state of earthquake observation. It is stated that 23 stations at home and abroad are furnished with complete earthquake ob serving apparatus, or seismometers as they are called. The most important station in the British Isles is Prof. Milne's station, in the Isle of Wight. This station recorded 103 earthquakes last year; that is to say, vibrations of the earth which are suffi ciently powerful to be distinctly recorded by the instruments, though they may not have been felt without. The extent of ter ritory over which these disturbances were felt may be judged from the fact that 60 per cent, of them were recorded at various places in Germany, Austria, and Russia; while nearly as great a number of them were observed at Victoria, British Colum bia. An earthquake, it must be remembered, consists of a series of vibrations of the solid earth. Bet" up by some meaw a&mt witfbfa we do not in general know very much at present. Even a landslip on a mountain will cause a small local earthquake, but the ordinary earthquake is due to disturb ances on a much greater scale at some dis tance below thesurfaeeof the e&nth. From this foaus, which is probably, miles across, the disturbance is propagated through the earth by wave motion of each of the two principal kinds; that is. to say, partly as longitudinal: waves, like those to wbich we awe the phenomena of sound in. the air; in which each particle moves backwards and forwaras in the line in which the wave progresses, and partly as transverse waves, inie those on the sea, where each particle moves at right angles to the direction of motion of. tha wave. When an earthquake is felt the seismome ters generally show first a number of slight tremors lasting for a few seconds, then tue main shock, consisting of a few oscillations only, and then a number of small vibra tions, gradually dying away again. The preliminary tremors are supposed to be due. to the longitudinal or compression waves, which necessarily travel faster than the transverse waves. The large 6hock is due to transverse waves which travel along the surface of the earth, and so resemble ordinary sea waves very closely. By comparing the times at which an earthquake is observed at different places the position of the centre may be roughly determined, or at least of the point on trie surface of the earth vertically above the centre of the shock, the depth of the cenfre is considerably hard to determine. It is curious to note that the violence of a shock is often less at points nearer the centre than at others further off; thus some earthquakes that originate in Japan give a smaller effect at Victoria (B.C.) than at the Isle of Wight, though tliey have travelled twice aB far to reach the latter place, the water seeminv to have au effect, in general to diminish the strength of the shock. Each earthquake seems to have a charac ter of its own, which impresses itself on the record made by the instruments. Gn ac count of this peculiar character it has been possible for Mr. Milne to correctly predict, from examination of his own seismographs, that an earthquake report telegraphed from Japan gave the wrong date by 24 hours. THE CONSTITUTION OF THE ATMOSPHERE, < We have explained before the reasons given for the absence of hydrogen and helium from the atmosphere of the earth, and the total absence of atmosphere from tlie moon. The general explanation adopted is that a substance like hydrogen, consisting of very light molecules, has these , molecules moving with a very high rate ot speed, according to the kinetic theory of gases, and occasionally some of the mole- j cules are moving in such a direction, and high up in the atmosphere, that they can actually escape from the influence of the earth's attraction altogether. At the British Association, Mr. Bryan gave some more calculations on this sub ject. He shows that if the earth possessed hydrogen in its atmosphere now, it would he so seldom that molecules would escape the earth's attraction that such an atmos phere would be practically permanent. But a rise of temperature greatly increases the possibility of escape. Thus, at a tempera tiira'a - -t, take 600,000 years for as much hydrogen to" escape as would form a layer one^ centi meter thick all over the earth, wlule 'the f same amount would escape in 220 yeara it { the temperature was constantly about 80 'Fahrenheit. It follows that if we are to continue to accept this explanation^ as, however, seems reasonable, we must sup* pose tiie. hydrogen and helium to have dis ; appeared at a time when the earth was in | w highly heated condition. The disappear ance of the amount mentioned above would he quite inappreciable to a barometer. IRISH GOLD. Though Irish diamonds are not what their name might lead us to believe, namely, true diamonds, but only quartz crystals, yet, as is well known, it is quite otherwise ■with Irish gold, for the existence of. gold in the Wicklow Mountains has long: been known. Gold ornaments of prehistoric: age are still occasionally found in the ancient burial-places, and, though some of" the metal of which they were composed may have been traded from far, yet there is reason to believe that part, at any rate, of the gold was of local origin. In later times, about the year 1795, several families of peasants found the value of the deposits and gold, washing took place in a secret manner. Then the news leaked out, and a rush took place, and in six weeks about 80Goz., with a value of some £3,060, was obtained by the peasantry. The Govern ment then stepped in and took possession. In a recent paper, Mr. V. Ball describes the steps he ha- taken to clear up the his tory of some of the nuggets which were found-about that time. The heaviest re corded is one of about 40oz., but this is shown to be due to a misprint, for the true weight was only some 4oz. One of the specimens in the collection of the Science and Art Museum is a cast of a nugget said to have weighed about 22oz., and round the original specimen a rich crop of myths has sprung up. One story says that the original nugget was presented to George IV. on the occasion "of his visit to Ireland in 1821, at the instigation of an "officious member of the Dublin Society. Another variant sayE that King George, on seeing the nugget, promptly pocketed it as his own property, which by law it was. There does not seem to have been any foundation for either of these stories, and. the idea of the King so far forgetting him self as to load his pocket with the weight of a 22oz. nugget is rather far-fetched, and, in fact, a claimant to the fabrication of the story has been unearthed. At the time of the King's visit, a 3oz. nugget was in the collection, and it is there now. The 22oz. specimen seems to have been discovered by eight peasants in 1795, and to have found its way into the hands of the King, having been presented by Abraham Coates, who was rewarded with a Government post, was a J.P., and has a street in Wicklow named after him. Tradition says that George III., who was the recipient, caused the gold to be made into a snuff-box, and Mr. Ball hopes that inquiries at Windsor Castle, hitherto of a negative character, may yet result in finding out what became of the gold. A fair number of mights, ranging from 5oz. down, have been re corded, and several are in various mue<r uins, but the Wicklow gold mines have nofc proved very productive, the matrix has not been found, and the country needs "loaming."
• Scientific. Science Notes
  Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 25 February 1899, page 29 SCIENTIFIC. SCIENCE NOTES. By PHYSICUS. BACILLUS OF SMALL-POX. The rapid advance of the germ theory of disease, which iB a thing of the last few years only, might make ordinary people imagine that physicians had at any rate dis covered the forms to which each disease is due, and so are on tbe right road to its successful treatment. This is, however, not the case, and small-pox is an instance of a disease in which the specific bacteria which cause it have long eluded recognition. The method employed in such a case is to make what is known as pure cultures of the various organisms found, and then to experiment on animals with them. In a bacteriological laboratory bacteria are grown on jelly or broth or something of that kind in small glass tubes, and the task of growing a pure culture, that is a culture which con tains one and only one kind of bacterium, is a long and tedious one. The germs of bacteria, as well as the bacteria themselves, swarm everywhere, in air, earth, and sea. Anything of an animal or vegetable nature will decay, and the decay is in every-day life not an easy thing to prevent. This decay is in nearly every instance due to the fact that bacteria are swarming in the dead material, and reducing it to a series of simpler chemical compounds, which in their turn are suitable food for the higher plants. The difficulty the bacteriologist has to face is not to get a growth in his tubes of jelly, but to get only the kind he requires. Every article he uses must be sterilised, or devoid of living germs of any kind, and the precautions he habitually employs would seem ludicrously unnecessary to an outsider, but experiment has shown how imperative they are. Then the pure culture has to be used on a large number of animals, and the results carefully noted, so that time slips rapidly on. The material from a small-pox vesicle contains a very large number of different kinds of bacteria, and the claims of each kind have carefully to be considered. 31 r. A. F. S. Kent claims to have discovered the special kind which causes the disease. It is to be hoped that the observations of other workers will confirm his results, for though vaccination is an excellent preventive, still with a remedy derived from pure cultures in use it is , robable that inoculation will be less uncomfortable for those who undergo it than it now is. LIGHT-WAVE TELEGHAPHV. Among the many devices suggested for the transmission of messages to a distance there is none more interesting than the method devised by Professor Carl Zickler; the apparatus required is of a very simple character and fairly portable, and the signals can be given and read with great ease. Moreover, the two main dis advantage- in ordinary systems of wireless telegraphy are "verc-ome, inasmuch as the signals are ouly transmitted in one definite direction. and, so only rea<Ti the intended receiver, thus at ori>-e ensuring secrecy and avoiding waste of power. The e.-sen'-e of the method consists in the u-e "i—11 the sh rt waves o: ""ultra-violet" light —the -called "phot graphic" waves— instead of the long electromagnetic waves of Marconi's apparatus: and i2> ^ vessel cor.t^.ror.g air instead of a tube of metal tilings. Twelve years ago. Hotz proved that the impact of waves of ultra-violet light increases the conductivity of air. just as Br&niy subsequently found that the imp-act of electric waves increases that of a layer of tilings. Zickier's method therefore requires tor a transmitter merely a powerful source of light, ar.d some means of cutting of the invisible ultra-violet rays, or allowing theru to pass, at pleasure. Glass ab.-orbs these rays completely: consequently the inter: osttion of a thin glass piste cuts thern of; without r-erceptibly weakening the v;-; 1 ie rays. As the s< ur--e of light— ultra-violet at.: other — a ; •■v-rful electric are is employe:. Th .- r-lacec at the focus of a large mirror. >u- h a- is u-e-t in projecting apparatus for ::.-.«h-.:ghi work, in order to concentrate the rays and send then.1 in any de.-ired dir—tion. At the receiving -ration the rays G:. on a ouartz lens, by which they are i r-iught to a :oci:s. Behind the iens is a glass vessel with a quartz front: into the sides of th:> vessel are sealed two wires, one of wfay-h terminates in a small ball, the other in a polished disc inclined at i'-deg. to the path of the light: the focus oi the iens is on this plate. Both pi ate and ball are faced with platinum. The wiies are joined to the secondary terminals of an induction coil, in such a way that the p<-u»hed disc- forms the cathode. <.:• negative plate. The distance between ball and disc • - a lit we too great to allow the ark fr m the c-oil to pa.-?: but whenever the beam of uitra-violet light falls oil the disc the s ark once passes, discontinuing a,- soon as the beam is shut off. The operator at the sending -ration has oniy to open and close tne gias? shutter, by meat.- of a nneuniatic arrangement, in order to transmit the signals. The passage of a -; ark in the receiving apparatus mat be detected in several ways: if it be desired to read the signals by ear a telephone is inserted in the secondary circuit of the coil, and a sharp "c-rack" is heard in the telephone at each pas-age of the spark. If. however, it be advisable to print the message on a tape, a relay is used instead of the telephone. When the spars passes the relay closes its local circuit and actuates a Morse ink-writer, ju?t as it doe- in ordinary telegraphy. The greatest distance to which Professor Zickler has succeeded in transmitting signals by th is method is a little under a mile: but there is no doubt that this can be greatiy inc-reased. The projecting mirror he employed was not very suitable, as the metal of which it is composed does not reriect anything like the- whole of the ultra-violet light which falls upon it. The receiver, too, was judged capable of improvement. The quartz lens employ...i was not large enough to sufficiently concentrate the ravs on to the electrodes. Ziekler found that*a reduction of the pressure of the air inside the receiver was a great advantage: but further im e.-tigaton is neeoed to determine the most suitable air-pressure to employ. Experiments intended to settle these point? are ?ti]I in progress; but the results already obtained show that the processes devised by -Marconi and Preece have to reckon with a dangerous rival. MKKoSn .)!>](. Kl LKIl LINKS. At a recent meeting of the Royal Micro-enpic Society, London, the president, Mr. E. M. Nelson, exhibited some ruled, glass plates which had been prepared and presented to the society by Mr. H. J. Gray ton, of Melbourne. In the measurement of the size of microscopic objects, such as, for instance, blood corpuscles or cells of the yeast plant, a small glass piate with a number of equidistant lines ruled on it is placed in the tube of the microscope in such a position that the lines and the object to be measured can both be clearly seen on looking into the instrument. In an ordinary theodolite, or level, used by surveyors, two crossed wires, wbicb are really spider's web. can be seen similarly, and are used so that by bringing tlie C. A. BENNETT. Winner of 1 mile and 3 miles Championships. W. SHEA, Winner oi Treble—100 yards, 220 yards, and 440 yards Championships. crossed wires on any point, its bearing irom the point of observation can be judged. In both the microscoj>e and the theodolite the lines are in the focus of the eye-piece. The mere observation of the ruled lines in the microscope is, however, of itself no guide as to the size of the object to be measured, for not only does the "objective," or collection of lenses, near the object magnify it, but the eye-piece magnifies the ruled lines, and makes them appear further apart than they really are, and these variable factors will be different for every combination of eye-pieces and objectives, and also for every change in the length of the microscopic tube. \Ve then require some means of measuring the apparent distance of the ruled lines for every combination which we are likely to use. This is attained by having another plate of glass, which is placed on the microscope stage in the position where we usually place an object which we are examining. This second plate, also, has lines ruled on it. and the distance between these is known. In an ordinary carpenter's rule we have an inch divided into eighths, while draughtsmen and others have still finer scales. These, however, are far too coarse for microscopic work, and some very astonishing ruling has been done at times. The finest ruling 6ent by Mr. Grayson on tin's occasion contained no fewer than sixty thousand lines to the inch, and another contained two thousand to the millimetre. These he can exceed. Lines like these are. of course, ruled with a diamond point, ana by a machine constructed for the purpose. It is essential that they should be correctly spaced and sharply cut, without ragged edges. With regard to Mr. Grayson's plates, it is interesting that Mr. Nelson should say that they are among the best he had ever handled, and that he could congratulate the society on the possession of two accurate plates for the purpose of comparison. TWO NEW ELEMENTS. The discover}*, made by M. Henri lleoquerel, that uranium and its compounds possess the property of emitting rays very similar in character to the Rontgen rays has resulted in a new method of chemical research. Uranium does not stand alone in this respect, and it is now possible to identify the presence of certain substances in a compound by raeanB of their greater or less power of emitting these rays—their "radio-activity" as it is termed. A short time ago a new element—to which the name polonium" is assigned—was discovered by M. and Mme. Curie in the mineral pitchblende. Polonium in many respects resembles mac, bat ditlerTwT, by possessing the property of radio-activit* in a more marked degree CTen thta uranium. While following up this X covery, the same investigator, have W« ' led to another. They found tli-.-.t. one 0{!?® mixtures with which they were working contained another radio-aeth substenl This resembles banum-the maallic con stituent of '^eavy epar"-ir , s chemical properties, To partially set.:.- .a; it from accompanying elements ao. utage Was taken of tbe fact that iu chloride is soluble in water but insolubh m alcohol ThiB allowed tbe method of : notional pre', cipitation to be employed, and was found that the radio-activity of mi • ssive small fractions steadily increased, last frac lion having an activity nine » ■ .died times greater than that of uranium This frac ticm was examined spectres. vioally. it proved to contain barium, :■ i. calcium and platinum; but, in add ,on to the spectra of these elements, a Mrcng newline was seen, indicating the presence of the newly-discovered substance, ' which the investigators appropriately a ;?n the de signation "radium.' FORMATION OF PhASTFU > PARIS. During the holidays some Ponds picked up a few crystals of gypsur. <m the sea cliffs, and as they seemed n . vested in hearing how it came there a 'Vscriptk® 0f the process may not be out m place. The POLE JUMP CHAMPIONSHIP : J. M'RAE CLEARING 9ft. ilw. cliffs from Torquay to Spin I'oint are. in the main, formed of clays v. h were laid down on the sea bottom, an-; ere in many places full of the remains fossil shellfish and other animals win- lived in the sea while the waste mater., was being carried down to form the i' . accumulations which have since bet: . levated to form dry land. This sea-b ■;.-<• mud carried with it a certain atnour;! iron which is everywhere present, and tk: ■ iron, which was probably mostly in the :.,nn of iron rust, or oxide, united with the sulphur contained in the bodies of tin i- ad animals and plants which strewed t!r : atom, and tiius formed iron pyrites. N des of this pyrites are very common in? darkercoloured clays, just, in fact. hey are m the deep auriferous leads 01 toria and elsewhere, and where they h ■ originated in the same manner. Now. ■<>« pyrites formed in this way is usuub ry readily acted on by the oxygen of ' dr. so that the brassy-looking sulphide urned into the sulphate of iron, whi<! known in trade as copperas, or green ■'>]. this substance is readily soluble water. and is very ready indeed to un with more oxygen, so that, being what chemists call ,m unstable compound, we rarely find it m nature. The effect of the union of more ixvgen is rather a complex one. Most of i he iron is deposited as iron rust or oxide, which is a reddish brown in colour, and <he remainder is left_as another peculiar •ilphnte of iron, which will not dissolve in water, and which has a yellowish hue. ., the same time some of the sulphuric ■ eid, or oil of vitriol, which was united ill) the iron is set free. This acid at nee attacks any lime in its neighbour nd. and turns it into sulphate of lime, jeh is slightly soluble in water. Gra.,:i] 1 v this sulphate of lime collects—how . not known—and crystallises as gvpsum, as it is then called by mineralogists, .mite. It is transparent when pure, and its into plates, which can easily be i.itched with a nin, and have a peculiar -re like horn. When gypsum is found in •jo deposits, as it is in many places, it is ted to drive off the water which its <tals contain, when it falls to a soft , ito powder, known as plaster of paris. is. when stirred up in water will, as >st people know, set as a stony mass, is is due to the fact that it combines ill the water with which it is mixed, and it does so gradually, and not suddenly, • an he used ^for casting various orna. lit s. or for plastering. It may be inen iod that the method of formation here vibed is not the only one which nature ■ids. hut is a common one in marly Vs.
• Ruled by Radio or The Man Who Stole the Ether
  Attempt to locate the Z-Ray. Set in future 1930. Some science. Some mentions of current tech. Murders of people who want the Z-Ray. quote: beastly scientific gadgets. Story focuses on a scientist and his secret and how society wants to wrest something like that from him and his constant fight to keep it. Aeroplanes fitted with it have force fields quote set the electric current to magentise the outer zone The Ray of Death. The Ray machine. Creates an electrical zone and shoots death rays. The silent projected beam is turned by the scientist on himself and he is fried at the end. Published in 1925 as a novel.
• Reminiscences of a Volunteer A. D. 1925. The Battle of Dorking
  A war set in 1921 ending the British empire.
• Prospective History A Chapter Taken from the Future History of Victoria Time April 1868
  Political satire featuring sudden increase in native industries. A massive fence built along the coast and various social development predictions under a future dictator.
• Prof. Vehr's Electrical Experiment
  A professor creates a glass bell infused with an extrostatic liquid that not only induces the ability of a user to conduct remote viewing but once the location is confirmed dissolves their atoms and reconstitutes them at the location with the ability to not only bring them back but also another with them. A young lover attempts to retrieve his love from another city but on returning the machine explodes and the narrator has not been able to find them since. A more etheric form of teleportation.
• Out of the Silence
  Failed past utopian technosociety wants to rule again. Invention of a ray that only kills people with pigmented skin.
• Other Worlds. Are they inhabited?
  OTHER WORLDS. 'AUK THEY INHABITED, ASTRONOMERBAItACCHl TALKS. DISCUSSESPROBABILITIES. IF THEY ARE PEOPLED WHAT THE FOLKSARE LIKE. AN INTERESTING LECTURE. Thefollowing Isportion of the mostIn terestinglectureon Astronomy,whichMr Bnrrtcchi,the GovernmentAstronomer, recentlygave before the Literary and MusicalSocietyat Mordiulloc:— BASIS OF CONJECTURE. ASCERTAINED ASTRONOMICAL - FACTS. Thequestionns to whetherother worlds than ottroarc inhabitedby humnnbeings cannotbe answeredby a simpleyes or no. Not yet can positiveevidence be adducedon.the subject,for the planets are so far awayfrom us that our best telescopescan tell us but little about them. Theancientscouldform hological Ideaof the subjectof inhabitationof the other planets,and.In fact, they thought theearth'was the centreof the universe, ami that all the heavensrevolvedround It. it wasonly with Copernicusthat the correctiiu'olianlsrnof thesolarsystembe cameknown.Then,In orderto answerthe questionas fur ns possible,I will lay be fore you the facts whichhave beenas certainedwith accuracy,andwhich bear en the question. It may he convenient to refer the motionsof the solarsystem to our notionsof tho globeon which we live. It Is well knownthat all the plan etsrevolvearoundthe sun from west to/ east, in clonedorbits, completing their circuits In a certain period, which is accuratelyknownfor eaehplanet. Iri the caseof our earth,this periodis3(15days. This conditiongives us then the length of the year of each planet. Wo also knowUnitour earth spinson Itsownaxis In 24hours,which periodconstitutesour duy.- Someof the planetshaveon'their surface certainmarkings,whichhaveen abledus,by observation, to determine that they spin aroundtheir own axis In a certain dilnlte time, and we have .thusbecomeacquaintedwith the length of tho day on theseplanets. Theseare Mars,Jupiter nnd Saturn. In the case of the other planetsnamelyMercuryVe nus,Uranus,and Neptune,wehave no certain knowledgeof tho lengthof their day. Anotherconditionwhich wehave beenableto uncertainon all the planet? Is tho amountof light and heatwhich they receivefrom the sun. This Is as certainedfrom thoknowndistanceof the planets from the sun. Knowing these distances,and knowing also the law of variationof light andheat,wecandeter mineat oncewhat theeffectsof tholight and heat from the sun must be on tho various planetsIn comparisonwith what they are on the earth. For in stance, If we were twice as far from the sun ns we actually are,wowouldreceivefour limestenslight and heat. This is an important condi tion, whichmust governthe life on the planets. "Weknowwith considerableac curacy thesizeof the planets and their weight, and we can thereforeform an idea of the material of whichthey con sist. THE LAW OF GRAVITY. WHAT IT IS. Another Important consideration is 'the attractive force exercisedby each planetuponobjectsonIts surface. Near the earth'ssurfaceall things tend to fall to the groundIf not supported. There Is a mysteriousforce which weighs us down. ,W« are conscioustlmt wehave to make an effort to stand onour feet, anda greatereffort to carry ourselvesup stairs or to climb a mountain— or a still greaterefi'oi1to Jumporto raiseour selveswith our feet off theground.These phenomenaare socommonthatwe bike little noticeof them. It Is only with the phenomenawhichdo w»f occurin dally life that womarvelat all.' Weknow the ordinary difficulties,-Imcnusethey are with us every day, but the others we know nothingof, nndarc thereforewil ling to passthem over. Our principal dtnicully is tlmt of weight,as nettledby the force of gravity. Nothing Is known of theorigin andnatureof this force,hut Gallicsnnd Newtondiscoveredthe laws by whichIt Isgoverned,andthelatterex tendedtheselaws to the wholeuniverse. The great universal law Is that the attractionbetweentwo bo;k-?Is propor tional to their inasFvs,andInverselypro portional to the squaresof the distanc" whichseparatestlioin.Thus,for a bodyon thesurfaceof a planet, the forceof attraclion experiencedby the bodyIs propor tional to Its mansand the massof the planet,andInverselyproportional to the radiusof-the.planeL By meansof these laws,,andknowing the size of the plan ets, \vocan at oncedeterminethe inten sity of fhn forceof attraction. I have dwelt on'.thldcondition,becauseIt will be of considerableImpurttinccIn judging of the conditionsof,life. HOW THE 'l'LANKTS SPIN. Anotherhnpurtnnlconditionwhich re gulatesto a considerabledegreethe me teorologicaloluiracierof a planetIs the existenceof on atmosphere. We have beenenabled to discover that certain planetsare unmistakablypossessed of an atmosphere,such ns Mercury, Venus, Mars,andJupiter. We ure pretty cer tain that .no atmosphereexists in the moon. In regardto meteorologicaclon ditions, another astronomicalphenome nonmuHt.U; mentioned. Tills Istechnic ally calledthe Inclinationof the nxls (if rotation. If you Imaginea lop spinning very rapidlyon a round, fiat table,mov ing at the sanie lime roundtho edgeof Ihe.table— ' Imaginethata sourceof light Is placedat the centreof the table. If the top spinsexactly upright,you have the way that the planetJnplh'rspins,but If the top spinsin an Inclinedway, you havea. modelof tho enrthnndof Mors. In theselast two bodiesthe angleof In clination Is 23degreesfor the earthand nearly25,degreesfor .Mars. Thovaria tion of seasonsIs dueto (heirInclina tion. in Jupiter, therefore,thereIs no 22!2l,0£ 0t "6aRonsPerpetualspring reigns there, if this inclination were muchgreaterthan it is onour earth tho seasonswouldbe far moreIntensethan tnoy irC; the summermuch,hotter, the wlntedmuch colder. Unfortunately. \vc H bccn t0 'ascertainthe inclinationof the axis of Mercury nnd venue,andthetwo furthest planetsUra nus andNeptune. But weknowit with considerableaccuracyhi regardto the other planets. THE PLANET- MERCURY. Ro arc nowIn apositionto considerthe conditionswhichgovernlife in eachof the planetsof the solar system. We will commencewith tho planetnearestto the sun,andproceedIn orderof distance. Mercury.—MercuryIs seenalwaysIn the neighborhood of thesun shortlyafter sunset,or after sunrise. Ouropportuni tiesnre few for seeingIt, becauseIt Is for tlio most part always immersedin the solar light It appearsto tho naked eye on someoccasionsns a star of the first magnitude,througha powerfultele scope,It showsas a disc goingthrough the samephasesof the moon. Markings are sometimesseenon its surface,sug gestingthe existenceof Immensemoun tains. nndseemsto be surroundedby an atmosphere. This small world has a diameter of ahotit 3000miles, so that It wouldlake 20Vjfthem,rolledInto one,to makeup a globeas large as our earth. Thematerialof whichit consists is such that It would weighabout four timesnsmuchnsan equalglobeof water, it Is of the sameweight,approximately, is the weightof magneticore. it Is foundthat the forceof gravity at Its sur face Is only about one-thirdof that of the earth,that Is, an object weighing3 pounlH, If carlredto Mercury,wouldweigh only 1 pound. Mercurycompletes Its courseroundtho sun In 80days,so that the lengthof Its yearis aboutequivalent to onoof our seusons, Wo know that Its distancefrom the sun Is aboutthree tlmeti lessthan our distance,andIt fol lows that Mercury receivesfrom the eun nine(lines morelight nnd heat than we do. We knowalsothat at onetimeof its yearIt receivesa great dealmorethanat another,on accountof the varintlon of its distancefrom the sun. So that it hits iit least two markedseasons—one hot and the other comparatively' cold. Thesefacts,being accuratelyknown,can be usedas a basis for forming an Idea as to whatkind of peopletheMercurluns inuHtbo. THE SALAMANDER MERCURIANS. WOULD FREEZE IN CENTRAL AUSTRALIA. Let us imagine a Alcrcurlan, for the fun of the thing. A personwho hadseenforty summersIn hisown plan et,nnd hadattainedIn his middleagea weightof ii stone, supposetins person came to pay u»a visit, wowould find him a strangecreatureindeed. Hewould be a merelad of ten, accordingto our reckoning,nnd If we weighedhim this lud nf ten wouldJust turn the wale at between30and forty atone. Ills eyes, accustomedto thedazzfingllghtnf hlsown planet,wouldfind the earthalmostdark, andfull daylight wouldappearto hlin not much brighter than a moonlight night. Ho .would bo unable to bear our temperature, nnd If they were to- take him to the centre of Aus tralia, ononeof the hottestof our Janu ary days,hewouldvery probablybe fro zen to death. In the ordinary tempera ture of his own planethe wouldhave to bearonly a heatequivalentto that which wc wouldexperienceIn thecentreof Aus tralia In themiddleof January,with eight or ninesuns shiningdown upon iw In stead of one. A MERCURIAN—AS COMPARED WITH AN INHABITANT OF THE EARTH. VENUS, DESCRIBED, HER PEOPLE MUST LIKE HEAT. Venus.—ThereIs noreason to suppose, tlmtthlswostheStarof Bethlehem. Venus, after thesun andmoon,Is the mostmag nificentobject In thesky. It isso bright thnt:wecan sometimessec Hhadowsof objectscastby Its light. Ifmnor called It Cnlllstosthe beautiful. Beingsome timesn morning,andsometimesaneven ing star,theancientsbelievedthe two to he different. It shows phaseslike the muon.Beenthrougha telescope,It ap pearsnsa dazzlingwhitedisc, showingcur tain darkish markings herennd there, but so extremelyfaint undevanescent, that It Is difficult to grasptheir form. It Is this uncertainty thnt prevented the accuratedeterminationof ' tho plunet's rotationroundIts nxls. Venusis 67millions of milesfrom tho sun, so that it receivestwiceas much light nndheat from the sunaswedo.It isnearlythesameslxeastheearth.Bornewhat lighter than our material, andtho force of gravity 87hundredthsof that of the earth. It is envelopedin a very' denseatmosphere,nnd it's year consists, of 225terrestrial days. Venus,like Mer cury, hnanosatellite. Thisplanetwould be,undoubtedlys,uitabletosupportbeings' not verydifferent to ourselves,but with constitution such as would have to standa climatetwiceashot as ours. STYLE OF HAT, ProbablyWornby u Native of Venus. HereIs an example. Their socialcon dition would very probablybovery dif ferentfrom ours. Thus,if civil servants of Venuswereto retireby law,after they' hudlived through0-7thsof their natural lives,theywouldbeallowedtoslay in the civil serviceuntil they were0f5yearsof; age,tlmt beingtheequivalenttoCOyears onthe earth. The two planetswhichwehavehofar discussedcirculatetiroundthe sun,with in our orbit, andare probablyyounger thanour earth. They are the twa last born childrenof the sun, but it Is also probable thnt they have attained a 4tngefor maturity as far, or further,ad vancedthanour planet. At somefuture timeastronomermsayheableto accurate ly determinethe periodof rotationnndIn clinationof the axis of these planets, whichwouldgive usmuchadditional in formationupon the questionof their habltablllty. MARS, THE LAND OF GIGANTIC ENGINEERING. Mars.—Mars gives terrestrial as- .tronornorsa bettor opportunity' of seeing Its surfucethananyof theotherheavenly bodies,exceptthe moon, nnd, consequently, we know moreabout It than weknow aboutthe other planets. Seen by the nakedeye,it presentsa bright, ruddyllame—like light,at times—brighter than ut uthorH. It shinesto the naked eyeas a star of the first magnitude,con sequently,nothingwasknownof Its sur facebefuretheInventionof the telescope, and,Indeed,verynearlynil our knowledge of the physicalconstitutionof this planet hasbeenobtainedIn our century,andthe greaterpart duringthe last25years. In a good telescopeIt appearsns il welldefineddisc, and.seenwith the highest practicablemagnifying power,has,ap parently,the size,us wellas thecolor, of a modcrntesizedorange. It might be thoughtthat If wewerecarriedaway In space,andsawthrougha telescope,our world becomingsmallernnd smaller to our view, until it reachedsuchu distance ns to appearof thesizeof unorange, it might bepresumptionto attemptto draw the outlineor the seas and continents, andevenlakesanddesertstuid moremin ute detailsorits surface,yet that Is what has beencloneby u«ti«»noinebrsy careful telescopicstudy of Mars. A ruperllclal examinationshowsdarkmarkingsIrregu larly distributedandof dlfTereiitsizeand outline. Thv.seare supposedto lie the seasand lakes. The rest consists of light orange-tinted patches,which tire HUpposcdto bethe continents. Ona closerstudy andhigheropticalpower,we see much moreami moreminute detail. Sometimesthe polarregionsof thisplan et appearas dazzlingwhiteareas,giving a BtrongImpressionthat theynre covered with snowor ice.ProfessorSchinpparelli discovered,amongmunyother markings, ccrtuln straight fines reticulating.the greater partof lb" surfaceof Murs. To thesehegavethe nameof canals. Liter he saw someof Ibenestraight linentut dosedoubleparallellines. Youwill note that theserumtlscrossIheoceansnndInlerseeteachother, nndrun from sea to sen,nnfikeuny terrestrial notionof can als, andthe suppositionbus beenmade that they maybe artificial works,made for the purposeof Irrigation,for distri butingthe water of the polarseas over theIntnl. If suchb»thecase,theseworks wouldbeof giganticmagnitude,of which wc have noparallelonour enrth. Mars revolvesaround the sun at a distance varying from 128to 151millionsof miles, in nn orlbtwhichIt takesCS7daysto des- Hcrlbe. Its yearIs, therefore, morethan 10munthxlonger thanours. Its dia meter is 4200miles, so thnt IUs area Is little more than one-fourth that of theearth. It Is a miniature earth receiving,comparedwith the enrth, less j than half, or about13per centof light ! andheatfrom thesun. It rotatesaround I its axis in a little over21hours,andoon- ; uoquentlyIts day Is almostthesame as j ours. This rotationaxis is Inclined to the plune of Usorbit hy nearly 25 de- ! grees,andMars lias thereforea varia tion of seasonsimilar to ours,wltlf tltc differencethat theyare almosttwice ns long. Thus,the Martiansummer lasts six months,winter aboutfive months, spring six anda half months, nnd nutumn nearlyfive months. Mnrsis made uf a mutcrlalof aboutthe samedensity andweightasemery,or aboutfour times tho weight of an equalglobe of water. Theforceof gravityat UssurfneeIsabout three times weaker than that on the earth's surface. Let us now, on tho .strength of theseknown facts, consider what would hethe generalcharacteris tics of the Martians. BIG-EYED MARTIANS, REVEL IN POLAR ICINESS. We have seenthat this planet Is four timessmallerIhnnour world;It pokschhoh ii solid-crust; Is surroundedhy atmo sphere,nnd Is probablyolder than wo are,anuin u moreadvancedstate or its career.'GwingtoIts greaterdistancefrom the sun tho Intensityof solar fight nnd heatIs somewhatlessthan half of that whleh wc enjoy, consequently Its Inhabitants probably have much larger eyes than the terrestrial ; must he so constituted as to stand whntwouldappearto us nn Intolably severepolar climate. Tho force of gravity beingthree times weaker than that on enrth, Martians.If the physical strengthbe the pamens ours, mustfeel very much fighter and freer In their movementsfo, r a terrestrialman15stone in weight. If suddenlycarried to Mnrs, would find his weight only 5 stone, and he could lift weights three times heavier,andcouldhit a cricket ballthree timesfurther thananychampionAustra lian. Hecouldclimbthehlghestmountalns with little effort, andcoulddo as much hard manuallabor in two.hoursas our strongestmancan do In eight. Hence the possibilityof accomplishing engineer ing worksIn Mars ona scalevastlylarg er thanwecouldundertakeonthis world of ours. 25 TERRESTRIAL YEARS ONEARTJI. "ONMARS. TheMartiansdonot fivejust ns wedo, for If wetaketwoladles,onebornin our world andthe otherbornin Marson the sameday,wewouldfind Unitby thetime the terrestriallady has reachedher 35111 years the Martianlady wouldlie still In her teenH.nndIf we terrestrials after reachingour allotted spanof three r.core yearsundten.couldtransmigrateInto our neighboringplanetMars,we would fin I ourselvesbroughtbackto the zenith of our.fife uH,uiiddle-ugemden. MursIs In deeda miniatureenrth,undpossesses all the conditionsnecessaryfur the support of life suchaswc know it to he,or at least not Inconceivablydifferent from ours, nndalthough nut yet evidenceis availableas to theexistenceof intelligent beingsIn-Mars,weureutmostirresistibly ledto believethat theydoexisL A MARTIAN. THE GIANT JUPITER. In regardto the other planetHof the solar system, although much, indeed, might besaidof their physicalconditions on factsaccurately- ascertainedyet In regard to habltablllty v enter in the field of wild conjecture.The giant planet Jupiter,whichIsso greutthat everyother memberof the solar,systemcouldberol led Into It, Isat a distanceof 433millions of milesfrom thesun. It revolvesaround the sunIn nearly12of our years,therefore the yearof Jupiter Isnearlytwelvetimes longerthanours, yet It spinsaroundUs axis morethan twin? as quickly as our world,making thedurationof Its day lessthan tenhours. Wo seeat oncethat thesetwo simple conditionsare vastly different from thoseof our world and of tho other planetshitherto consideredJ;upiter,ween through a large telescope,showsthose peculiar markingscharacteristicof this planet,generally called tho belts. Al thoughJupiter is probablymuch older than the earth, It has not yet reached thesamephaseof development,and Is stilt In its youth. It 1msnot probably cooleddown andcondensed ns yet to the same extent ns the other planetscon sidered.Wccannotreally soeIts surface, becauseit Is envelopedIn a veryexten siveatmosphere.It Is not unlikely that below this atmospheretheremny'he'a surfaceIn aseml-llquldstate. Themark ings wesecare causedhy greatatmos pheric currents, eompnrabloto our trade winds, but far stronger.Therela tive velocity of thesecurrents being,In fnct, five or six times strongerthan the strongesthurricanesknownto us. Jup iter Is very little hoavlbrthan nn equal globeof water. Its distancefrom thosun Ismorethanfive timesgreaterthanthat which separatesus from our luminary', and consequentlythe Intensity of Its light and heat,Is 27times weakerthan that which we receive. If It depended entirely on the sun, Its temperature would neverrise abovefreezingpoint; but It maypossessInterna! boat suffi cient to partly compensatefo' r this de ficiencyof solacbeat.' Owingto its great size, the forceot gravity at Its surface Is morethan twice that upon our earth. Onepoundweightherewill weigh more than twice In Jupiter;andIf theJovlans were of the samesize and build aswe are, they would bedoublethe weight, and would experiencevery great diffi culty in movingabout. THE ' JOVIAN PEOPLES. MINUTE. BUT BUSTLING. What a stronce'llfethe Jovianpeople. If there nre any,mustfive. All the dally routine must bedono In lessthan ten hours, only five hoursof daylight, nnd five hoursof night. Theymust belively creatures,living at a fast rate, always in action,always doingsomething.Sup posingthat an ordinary man tookhnlfon- hour to bathennddress,hnif-pn-hour for brenkfast,alsolunch anddinner,and only five hoursfor sleep,he wouldonly havethreehoursa day left to him to do all his work, he wouldhardly havetime for recreation,and what digestivepow ers hemust have,to eat three or four mealsa day In five hours. Yet theydo not grow old,for theyarc still babiesby the time we have reachedmlddlo age. In fact, In a century the Jovianarrives only at the ogeof SA years. But it Is Impossiblefor us to consider formsof life capableof existing undertbe condi tions of this strange, planet. They wouldhavenosolid groundto tread up on, andwouldhave to bear thecrushing weight of an atmospheremany times heavier than ours, and withstand a erpetuuJ hurricane. Living organisms JOVIANSIN A HURRICANE. In Jupiter are probably vers minute. For the remainingthree planetsthocon jectures tutto their habltablllty would be evenwilder than those 1 have al readyattempted,andI shall,therefore, passthemby without csmylngto pictureto you the kind of people,if any, who inhabit thoseplanets.
• On Satan's Mount
  Looks socialist domestic political. No set future year but seems like at least 50 years. Auto-cars. Aerophone. Mammoth Liner. Electrothermic power has replaced coal. A new electric rifle accidentally erases the president and his contingent but starts with a horse race congress elections and socialism discussions and features typewriters in a newsagency. Still typewriters didn't disappear until the 1980s so pretty good!
• Nilda. A Tale of the German Invasion of 1912
  1914 war predicted in 1912. Some inventions. 28 chapters that abruptly end
• Night Wings
  This is the age of the aeronauts. Advanced hydrogen balloon airship for two with electric controls yet away from that are horses old equipment telegrams and communication by light flashes emphasizing the advancement of the balloon. Mostly a war story with the balloon not the centre of attention. An alien (foreign) torpedo shaped biplane visits a British beach communicating with a spy. After shooting it down Great Britain invents smaller balloon ships to fight them. Like in modern science fiction the airships are described with maritime vocabulary.
• Next Port Eldorado
  Barry escapes Count Musa in an amphibious vehicle of his own invention featuring other inventions but more of a spy vs spy story.
• Neuroomia: A New Continent
  Utopia at the South Pole and also refers to their contact with Mars life.
• Mystery at Maralinga
  Boys break into what they think is an empty house but find it full of inventions based on the infra-red ray. They are captured by their enemy who plans to cremate them with his new invention. Borderline science fiction as the science is not well explained but it features the main inventions of a ray-machine and explosive yellow powder.
• My Grandfather's Narrative of The Siege of Sydney
  Short story set in 1911. A volunteer talks about his experience in the 1861 siege. A propaganda story ending with a message encouraging volunteering.
• Mr. Spence's account of the Russian Invasion. A.D. 1898. The Battle of Eagle Farm
  Future War set in 1898. Mr Spence's account of the Russian Invasion. Queensland was involved in the frontier wars so this could be a recruitment story.
• Mr. Austin's Airships and Professor Paff's Paralyser
  Sequel to The Silver Ball and The Blue Bolt. Similar in style. The professor creates another invention to fight off invaders.
• More Enduring than Bronze
  Inventor creates a new explosive powder that can destroy Melbourne. Tested on a hill with a great description of how it exploded and a later description of how the force of the explosion wrenched the air around it. Sells to the army. While predominantly a contemporary romance and sensation story science is mentioned with reverence throughout and the story ends with a speech about how science will help families and the future.
• Maureen's Mating
  Set in 2050 a short satirical piece with references to futuristic inventions social norms and fashion including air police pills on menus and broadcast justice.
• Marvellous Melbourne Twenty Years Hence (a story from 1909)
  Includes a plague in 1899, Geelong becoming the capital of Victoria a fire and lots of ideas. Short overview with no characters
• Mantrap Manor
  Revenge is taken on a protagonist using electricity as a barrier and traps
• Man's Mortality. The Great Novel
  Politics. War on China and Italy. Set in 1987. Futuristic airships corporation with I.A. planes able to travel at 500 miles an hour. A detailed extrapolation of the future filled with inventions from a capitalist perspective.
• Love, and the Aeroplane. A Tale of Tomorrow.
  A town gets various new inventions using gyroscopes. Gyroscope car, gyroscope monorail but all inventions, apart from the aeroplane being used regularly, are a backdrop to the romance. Jump to the future where married couple's son is grown up driving an 'old car' and is recommended to get one of those new electric cars.
• Love and Learning. A Story with a Moral Concealed on the Premises
  A town built on science and utilitarianism conflicts with a romance between a poet and a scientist. The poet is given drugs and he no longer pursues poetry only science.
• Looking Backward 2000-1887
  One of the most influential Utopias in the world spawning clubs and hundreds of similar and rejectionary stories and fan sequels. Lots of inventions.
• Literature. Literary Gossip.
  Leader (Melbourne, Vic. : 1862 - 1918, 1935), Saturday 5 February 1898, page 31 |iTiimro LITERARY GOSSIP. Mr. Louis Becke is meeting a competitor in South Sea Island stories, and will no longer be able to claim a monopoly in this field of literature. "In Summer Isles," by Burton Dibbs, published by , William Heinemann, the qualities of sensuous charm, of childish innocence, coupled with a capacity for lurid savagery, which combined together constitute the attraction of island life, are presented with a realism which speaks of personal experience. Mr. lieeke is perhaps stronger in action, hut Mr. Dibhs more than equals him in grace of literary expression. There are five stories included in this volume, of which A Lotus Eater is by far the longest and mo3t ambitious. It describes the manner in whieli an English gentleman surrenders to the insidious spell of Samoan native customs until lie loses all desire to return to his natural sphere, and under the influence of love and languor abandons home and friends to become a perpetual exile in this land of soft sweet sadness. There is something of tragic intensity in the conditions under which his short idyll of love is broken through the malicious interference oL a European meddler. He maiden, who is tiie lode star of his existence, but he is in ignorance that to give the rite validity between an Englishman and a native the ceremony must be ratified by the British Cousul. At the instigation of his enemy, Causton, Leata's relatives are induced to remove licr, and she and her child are drowned on the homeward voyage. A Half Caste's Heart describes a pathetic incident. - A Veiius in Bronze is a mere trifle, hut The Psalm Singer strikes a holder note. It pictures the disappointments of a young and enthusiastic mis-, sioner.who in trying to convert the Samoans "becomes himself a castaway under the witching influence of a Samoan girl. He gives up eliurcli and home, and loses his life m a kind of semi-piratical expedition, where tho influence of his old scruples leads him to prefer sacrificing his own life to tailing those of others. Mr. Burton Dibbs writes with brightness and with knowledge' of the aspect of island life which he describes with so much vivacity. An admirable volume on astronomy has been added to the Concise Knowledge Library, .published by Hutchinson and Co., London. It is impossible to over-estimate the value to students of a popular yet accurate synopsis of ' the most recent developments of knowledge in this branch of scientific inquiry. The work has been entrusted to authorities of unquestionable' uuxiiwj. -a -Lists Tillies -"A. VjIUIKC, WilO IlUS previously shown her capacity for an undertaking of tills kind, gives a most lucid and interesting review of ' the historical progress in astronomical knowledge from Hipparclius to the present time. A description of the solar system is also supplied by the same hand. Mr. Fowler, demonstrator of Astronomical Physics to the Royal College of Science, supplies an outline of the general principles of spherical and . gravitational astronomy,, and also shows the possibilities which at present exist of ' astronomical research. The sidereal heavens are: treated by Mr. J. Ellavd Gore, F.E.A.S. The book is produced with every attention to detail,, anil the photographs and drawings are numerous. We have received this volume through Messrs.. Melville, Mullen and Slndc. The January number of the "Century Blustrated Magazine," besides the uniform excellence of its engravings, includes many articles of a very interesting and varied character. ' General Wolfe, whose victory on the heights of Abraham won Canada for the Emnire.was so little known to the general public when lie became the hero of the day that the London print sellers in their anxiety to 'meet the extraordinary demand for his portrait had resort , to the ingenious but unscrupulous method of satisfying curiosity; and at the same time reaping a golden harvest by utilising their old stock of engraved plates- and selling the likenesses of forgotten worthies as those of the veritable victor at Quebec. Many of these fictitious portraits' have since been reproduced as accurate.. ;Mr. Ford, who writes on this subject, brings forward convincing evidence to prove that there are not more than four pictures extant 'which ran present any claim to genuineness. One of these is by Gainsborough; painted just before lie entered ou his last campaign. Another is as a youth, a third one in the uniform of a line officer, painted between the years 1748-53; and the fourth now in the National Portrait Gallery — supposed to have been done by Captain Harvey Smith, an aide-de-camp of Wolfe on his Canadian undertaking. Wolfe was not by any means an Apollo in appearance. Everyone will he familiar with Thackeray s pen and ink sketch in "The "V irginians :— "There was little of the beautiful in his face. He was very lean and very pale ; his luiir was red ; his nose and cheek bones were high, but he had a tine courtesy towards his elders, and a cordial greeting towards his friends, and an anima/ tion in conversation which caused those who heard liim to forget and even .to admire liis homely looks." Archibald Forbes disposes of the mythical ride of Wellington before Waterloo to meet Bluelier at Wavre, and arrange for the co-operation of tho Prussians next day. The story has gained wide credence, and is included in some histories of the battle; hut. the absolute denial given by the duke himself, with improbabilities marshalled convincingly by Mr. Forbes, proves this suppositious incident to be the unveracious invention of the untrustworthy chronicler. An article on every day-heroism eulogises the heroes of peace; who, in such examples as we have recently seen in the sewer accident, display a courage and heroic self-sacrifice not to be surpassed in any martial deed of valor. In fiction; jioetry and general articles, this magazine ;akes rank among the very best.. Tim "St. Nicholas" for January is a very bright number, admirably illustrated, and with stories, articles and verses specially, selected to suit the tastes of young readers; There is much that is entertaining, and also . much that is instructive. Messrs. Angus and Robertson, publishers, Sydney, besides giving encouragement to, local poets and authors, also- devote special ittentiou to educational facilities. They, inve just issued a useful little book by Mrs. ; J. 0. Boyd, intended to encourage pupils to study the French language for purposes of everyday use. The idea is sound, and the causeries familieres, or friendly chats, ought to be a great assistnnpe to those who bungle wearilv over the inane sentences of the Ollendorff, method. The Australian Letter-ing Book, designed for use in Australian schools and in draughtsmen's offices, should also be appreciated Dy those for whom it is intended. From the same source we have-received a record of the annual writing com-petition established by the firm, which is open to pupils in the schools of Australasia. For 1898 new and more liberal conditions are announced. - A pamphlet on Popular Government and Federation, by A. B. Piddington, member for Tamworth, has also been issued. . The Juntiary number of the "Review of Reviews" contains, another instalment of Prince Ranjitainhji's reflections on the reasons which may be advanced to explain away the English defeats in the test matches. The Biege of San' Sebastian is the " Fight for the Flng which the author of "Deeds that Won the Empire" contributes this month. Mr. Stead expresses in glowing language the esteem in which he holds the talent of literary reproduction which Mr. Fit-chett - has displayed. ' This exhibition of mutual admiration i3 an interesting lllus-tration of literary vanity. Character sketches are given of the Ameer of Afghanistan and of ' the Secretary of the Congo Free State. The. future of Austro-Hungnry is predicted by a writer, E. Segrob, who displays a knowledge of tho political conditions, which are tending to the disintegration of the dual monarchy.
• Letter to the Editor. Meteoric Cycles.
  METEORIC CYCLES. to THE EDITOR OF THE AGE. Sin,— In your issue of 12th' ult. a cutting appeared from an English contemporary dated Gth November last, stating that " the sky would be furrowed by numerous shooting stars 011 the night of 13th and 14th November. Next tho ahowor will be more noticcnble and attain its maximum in November, 1699." Your first correspondent rc meteoric cycle ("T.K.," 29tli ult.) is thu fairly right in hi nuriniso that about this timo shooting Btar should occur, but wrong in idea that such would be tho climax of a 30 year cycle. Your second correspondent, C. II. , Smyth (2nd inst.), while right in the main, is in error ih asserting that " no display of thoso shooting star, or ' Leonids, : ' as they aro called, is likely to occur before tho 12th or 13th November, ISO'J." For allowing 33 year or thereabouts to one meteoric cycle, still — to further 3uote from your extract iu 12th ult. — " it is j issemmated along its elongated orbit round tbe I sun over a vast extent of hundreds of millions | of mile3, 00 that the passago of the stars lasts manv yeftV3." Flamtnarion Pop. Ast., 1891, pp. 532-552) goes extensively into tho nubjcct of shooting star, and this is what ho says, infer alia : — " This apparition is not equally remarkable every year, but its brightness varies periodically, the maximum returning every 33 years nearly; tho ahowor is then renewed" for several years, but gradually diminishes, and at last ceases to be noticed during a long period, to be reproduced later ou and pas again through a maximum at the end of 33 year. Moreover, the swarm of asteroids of tho month of November having a small thickness, the earth take but a few hours to traverse it ; tho maximum also is visihlo in some circumscribed regions, which vary each year." Ho further show that a large number of radiant points havo been determined for different epochs of tho year— tho November meteors being termed " Leonids," because their path diverges from the sumo point of the sky (called the point of emanation or radiant) which is in the constellation of The Lion, those of the night ot 10th August being culled " Fcracids " from Constellation Fcrseus and so on. Ho then instances among other the splendid show of shooting star of 27th November, 1872 aud 1885, and gives on the authority of Simon Neweomb, the American mathematician, that 148,000,000,000 shooting r.tar fall annually to the earth. Flammarion also agrees with Professor Schiaparelli, of Milan, in considering tho display of November and August to be connected with the appearanco of the great comota of 1800 and 18G2, tho one with a revolution of 33 and the other of 121 years. Tho comet of 1831 and Bielu's comet havo similarly an appendago of shooting stars, and he therefore! concludes that cometa, like shooting star, must be swarms of meteor derived from nebulous masses, strangers to our planotary system— although, as lie adds, we must not expect to find a comet for each shower of shooting stars. Iu conclusion, may I refer to an interesting extract that appear in The Leader, 28fch November last, from tho licichsanzieger, giving statement of Professor Foerster, of tho Berlin Royal Observatory ? Ho writes to show that the prophecy of the so-called "destruction of the world" through the shooting stars of November, 1899, is "founded on imprudent, inexact, and misunderstood scientific reports." And he sets forth clearly the reasons why. As Baxter was again found to be faulty iu giving -5th March last a the end of the world, other prophets have variously named 1897, 1898 and 1899 as the true and correct year. To thoso at all troubled by such forecasting of events the calmly confident refutation of Professor Foorstor may como with considerable comfort. — Yours. &c.. 4th January. E. WILSON DOBBS.
• Into Space
  Inventor builds a rocket that takes him into space but dies there.
• In the Hour of Defeat
  Holland and Russia declare war on England. Alternate reality near future with huge groups of fighting ships.
• Hullenholme's Death Trap
  Engineer creates submarine to kill the man who took the one he loved. The man escapes the submarine. Short psychological thriller with descriptions of how a submarine works.
• Forty Bob, Or -
  Mendax is forced to pay 40 bob for not voting and in revenge invents a device that turns off the entire telephone exchange in Australia. Likely the last Mendax story.
• Fool's Harvest
  Invasion of Australia by the Cambadians
• Feminter or the Aurora Land of the South
  Adventurers meet a group of women from an advanced civilization and are taken into the bowels of the Earth. Similar to Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth. 21 chapters.
• Economical Love
  A mechanical girl is sold to a drover for 1000 pounds. She can sing but needs winding up every 24 hours. She tells the buyer that she can only love him. The merchant promises she will stay the same for at least 20 years but doesn't like heat. Someone who doesn't know she is an automaton falls in love with her and steals her but she stops moving the next day and he thinks she's dead. In an afterword the author summarises what happens next and advises the story cannot continue as a result.
• Eagles of Queensland
  Inventor works for the military to create a flying boat.
• Dr. McLaughlin Wants Rockefeller's Million
  Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931), Saturday 24 November 1906, page 5 The man who proved covering that Electricity D J2ockeielkr, and JOHN FRANCIS BYRNES. Atlantic City, N.J.-Jno. D. Rockefeller offers a million dollars to the man who will give him a healthy stomach. He made that offer to a doctor who called upon him, saying that it would be worth a million to him if could fix his stomach up so that it would digest his food. "A million dollars for a healthy stomach John D. Rockefeller. , "I accept the offer, and will forfeit £1.000 if I fail to effect the cure." Dr. McLaughlin. a This looked to me like material for an interesting story, which led me to Dr. McLaughlin's offices for more particular details. The first greeting from the doctor convinced me that I had met a man of convictions, and strong ones. The doctor was enthusiastic over what he terms a long-sought opportunity, and entered gleefully into a discussion of the subject. is I would like to accept that offer," said the doctor. "I think I can earn it, and, farther, I believe that no medicine on earth in the shape of a drug will do what Mr. Rockefeller wants done, simply because there is no vitality in the secretive glands of his stomach, i e and until he gets that vitality, which no drug can give him, he will never be cured ' "Just understand one point clearly: His food does not digest because certain functions related to digestion are powerless to act. They are weak, incapable of doing what Nature intended. You see that. Now you can see that to set him right you must revive the strength in the parts which are weak. That is plain. Drugs will not do that. They, never did, and <*/' they never will; and every doctor on earth knows it." "What will do it, then? Electricity!" 1 . "I would pay £1,000 this minute to see John D. Rockefeller walk into this office and permit me to tell him what I can do for him," said the doctor. "I am as certain that I can build up his digestive apparatus as I am that I have done the same thing for hundreds of others. His case is not incurable by my method, and I would consider my fortune made if he would but grant me a trial. "What is my method? The restoration of vitality nothing more. To appreciate what , I am going to say, you will have to understand that it is now generally conceded by medical men that the motive energy of human organs-the force which keeps the heart pulsating, the stomach digesting, and the brain scheming-is Electricity. , " "Two years ago, Professor Loeb, recognised as a high authority, and who has recently been engaged by the University of California, stated that he had discovered, after ten years of studious research, that electricity is the basis of human vitality 44 "Just glance at this book of mine, written in 1896, and read what I say in the introduction." a '' H I took the open book from the doctor's hand, and readers anticipate still greater results from my efforts toward demonstrating the truth of mv lifelong claim that "'Electricity' is the basis of all animal vitality, and without it we could not live." 8 for 64 my mTmS Claim that "That indicates that my discovery was years ahead of Professor Loeb," continued the doctor, but I claim no credit for that. I did not discover that nil belief, twenty years ago, as it is the belief of every thinking man to-day, and I have simply "? * -lawyer. it, as an, developed the theory until now it is a proven fact." - -' In another part of his book Dr. McLaughlin gives a more comprehensive solution of the heat problem than that advanced by Professor Loeb. Dr. McLaughlin says: a J. "The food that we eat is treated as fuel by the stomach, just as is the coal in a furnace. The chemical action which is produced upon the food by the acids and juices of the stomach ' ' Trorns the food and causes a carbonic heat. This heat is electricity, and it is forced into the nerves and vital organs, and is their life." ~ 'as ' Further, Dr. McLaughlin says-The electrical heat generated by the consumption of '"> our food should keep healthy every vital organ of the body. Exhaustion of the vital organs 7 arises when the waste is greater than the repair-when the stomach is not able to generate sufficient electrical heat to supply the demands of Nature. "This excessive waste is due to over-taxation of the vital forces by hard work mentally, "grief or worry, extra physical exertion, severe fevers, such as typhoid or malaria, Which drain away the vitality, and leave the system run down." ' '-<.'. age-W, here is where Dr. McLaughlin passes beyond the period covered by Professor Loeb, and shows how this vital electricity which is the basis' of life, may be replaced in the body when lost by the causes producing prostration. , , J. He says "When the stomach is not able to generate sufficient of this energy to supply, the demands, of the vital organs,- the natural result is lowering of nerve, organic, and mus- cular power-a general break-down. Then an artificial agent must be used to assist the stomach. That agent is Dr. McLaughlin's Electric Belt. area" 'This is the remedy for Mr. Rockefeller. To prove my faith in itJTf would be wnTingJeu. - - jpntTip -£1$Q0Ó, to be given to any public charity which he may select, if I faü.to,ciire/hÍ8 '" BtpmaçXin four months, he to wear my appliance for six hours each day or night during that - time. And he may be the sole judge as to the results obtained." . ' , ' "How about Mr. Rockefeller's offer of a million dollars, doctor?" ; ( "That is a secondary matter. I want it, of course, but not for my own use, as I don't < need it, and a million dollars wouldn't increase my happiness one quiver. I would much rather have the satisfaction of seeing my invention successful in curing a case where so many 'noted physicians have failed. When a man has devoted the greater part of his life to the development of an idea which he thinks will benefit humanity he is passionately fond of his idea, and money holds little fascination for him." ' .' "What would you do with the money, doctor?" , ? "If I should earn the prize I would gladly consent to having it go to some public charity, which I would reserve the right to name." -i s '- "And the £1,000 which you offer?" "On the day that Mr. Rockefeller agrees to use my treatment and observe my simple instructions I will put up my certified cheque for the amount, to be paid to any public 'charity which he may designate if he says that I have failed in my work." '*" wa"Then you leave the matter entirely in his hands?" " , . ? "Entirely. I am willing to trust to his decision." . - - "A great many wealthy men are suffering tortures and closing themselves with drugs without relief who never try a remedy like mine because they impose entire confidence in j their family physicians who believe that electricity is a remedy for the future, not of to '-day and so advise their patients." . - " "Is it true, doctor, that your patients are mostly people of the middle or poorer class?" "Yes; when a rich man is sick he calls in his doctor, who writes a prescription and looks wise, and the rich man has confidence that he will be well to-morrow. He feels better, perhaps, because the doctor can fool Nature for a while. But after a while the doctor looks " wise, and it doesn't do the rich man any good, and the first thing he knows nature demands a "cher price; and he has to pay it, as the doctor can help him no more. -a, ' When a poor man gets sick, he does the same way, but he soon gets tired of the doe" * lady's hills, and takes his case in his own hands and comes to me. I cure him with Electricity, and that is why my patients are usually poor men. rich men's doctors will not let them come to me. . "You cannot possibly estimate the true import of this discovery of Professor Loeb," said Dr. McLaughlin. It means more happiness to the civilised race than has followed any, ' discovery for years. It will bring about the general recognition of the great possibilities which exist in the application of electricity for the preservation of the vigor of youth. "I have for years contended that old age was nothing but the freezing of the blood when there was no longer sufficient vital heat in the body to keep the blood warm and the organs active have said that years did not cause, decay, and proven it by citing cases where some men have been made vigorous under my rejuvenating treatment at 80, while you have examples all about of men who are old and decrepit at 60. Now, Professor Loeb says that the animal heat is Electricity. That I know to be true.. We get that heat from the chemical action of the acids and juices of the stomach upon your food. That is combustion. This combustion produces carbonic heat, and carbonic beat is Electricity. That is the basis of life in every vital organ. As long as the stomach is able to generate enough of this heat to replenish the wear and tear upon our vital energies we are strong and active. It is when the stomach, finds the strain too heavy that we grow old and begin to decay. i "One old fellow, a patient of two years previous, came to see me one day, and asked me to have his belt overhauled, as he wanted to put it on again. I reminded him that he had reported himself as cured two years before, and I didn't see the need of the belt now. Pre-caution,' said he. 'I was cured two years ago, strong and sound, but I am seventy-one years of age, and am not as well able to stand knocking about as I was in my youth, and I wear the belt occasionally, not because of present need, but just so that I will have strength to spare in case of demand. If you are riding a bicycle on level ground and see p. hill before you what do you do ? Put on more steam, eh! I am getting older every day; jSnd I need more steam. That is why I wear my belt. This is upon the same principle that an engine pulls a train of cars uphill. On level road it goes easily, but when it goes up hill the strain is heavy, and your engine, making power from burning coal, just as your stomach makes it from burning your food, is taxed beyond its limit, is unable to go farther, and, exhausting all its steam in the effort, breaks down. - -"The human body is just like that engine. It breaks down when the physical energy is overtaxed. That energy is electricity. I have here a means of replenishing the electri- city of the body, and that is the basis of my treatment. "Decay in old men is similar to functional exhaustion in younger men. Years have nothing to do with it. In each case it is the failure of the stomach to generate sufficient energy to supply the demands made by the vital organs. "How quickly we fail when the stomach fails to digest the food! That shuts off the supply of energy. > i I I at "One decrepit old man of 75 had in youth been a blacksmith. After using my appliance the took up his tools, and says be can work as hard as he did at 35. He says he is an old man made young. "Another, who was a wreck at 49, and said that he had been so for twenty years, was cured, and three years later undertook the severe hardships of a trip to the Klondike. He returned a few months ago, and said that he had stood the terrible privations better than hundreds of young men. "I could cite thousands of similar incidents. When you see that I have fifty thousand voluntary testimonials, and that there is hardly a hamlet in. any English-speaking country without one or more acres by my appliances, you will understand that my experience has been broad. "My treatment is a success in any case where strength is lacking, whether in the nerves, stomach, heart, kidneys, liver, or any other part. My appliance gives a soothing, constant electric glow, which is taken by the body as a sponge takes up water. It cures rheumatism in any guise, as well as every other form of pain. ' "I am an enthusiast, you say? Why should I not be? I have the gratitude of thousands of people who have been cured by my Electric Belts after the failure of the best physicians. I am enthusiastic because I know that I offer suffering humanity the surest cure for the least expenditure of money that is known to-day. "I have gained my success by learning how to treat my patients, and then curing them. I know how others do not. I charge nothing for my knowledge, knowing that it helps my business to do all I can for every patient. My patients are my friends. They, are building Amy success." Then I questioned Dr. McLaughlin in regard to his Electric- Belted asked him therein Has it so much, better than other similar contrbaacea. That is very simple," replied the doctor. "Having spent twenty-two years in study and experiment, I have found means of perfecting my appliance, of removing defects as fast as they appeared in actual use, xmA of supplying features, such as a regulating device, non-burnable electrodes reversible battery, and of increasing the power of my appliance until it is five times as strong as that of any other electric body appliance on the market. It is patented in every country under the sun. My appliance is conceded to be the only one of the kind which, is constructed upon truly scientific lines. Compared with it all other so-called electric belts are the inventions of the blacksmith's hammer. "It is not upon that point, however, that my success has been founded. My immense business is due to my knowledge of the effect of electricity upon the ailments treated and the best way to obtain that effect. I take every case that comes to me as an individual, and direct the application of my belt to suit the demands of this particular case. When you consider the fact that the electricity which I supply is life to the organs into which I send it, you can see how I get my results. My success comes from my cures. If I did not care my Business would have been worn out long ago. A great many schemers and frauds have gone into the electric belt business because they fancied it was an easy way, to make money, and have resorted to very questionable methods at times, but the old adage, "You can't fool all the people all the time, was active in their case, and they did not last long." "Tell me, doctor, why it is that you seem to get better results than a physician derives from using a battery on his patients?" "Because thenervoussystem which receives the electric current is so sensitive that the current from a battery shocks it, but leaves no additional power to the nerves or vitals. That is why a doctor's battery does no good. Now my system is different. I pour the current into the for six or eight hours every day or night, usually while the patient sleeps. The delicate are not shocked or jarred by this current as it goes into the system just like a drizzle Prd Loeb in dieshe can cure Jno, charity if he fails. rain saturates a newly-ploughed field, they grow strong with it. They absorb it, drink it in, and as it is their "Some doctors even believe that my appliances do not generate a current. I will pay £200 for one of them that fails to give a powerful current as soon as it touches the body'. In days gone by electric belts used to burn the skin. I guarantee my patients against that. My appliances have soft cushion electrodes which give a glowing heat, but no heating or burn. They have also a regulator to control the current. "The day is drawing near when physicians who now avoid Electricity because of their belief that it is yet in the experimental stage, will awaken to the fact that while they have been waiting I have been working, and that Electricity as I apply it possesses marvellous curative powers in cases where drugs will only stimulate. "And my success is not limited to stomach troubles. Any organ of the body, any part that lacks the necessary vitality to perform its natural function, can be restored by my method. It gives strength, it makes the blood rich and red and warm, it realises the nerves, puts life and vim into the bushland muscles. ' It just makes a good man out of a bad one in every way. "With my Electric Belt I cure Rheumatism in its worst form; a cure pains and aches, weak nerves, all manner of functional weakness, and any other trouble which can be cured by restoring strength." Varicocele, the disease that probably does more than anything else to make a man's life miserable, cannot be successfully cured except by using my Belt. The current is directed in such a way that while the influence from the negative pole dissolves, disintegrates and tears down the accumulation of clotted, unhealthy blood, the current from the positive pole directs new life and energy to the tissues, building up and strengthening them against any further attacks. My Belt is guaranteed in every case undertaken. Dr. McLaughlin has not only proven that electricity is the substance of life and organic vitality, but has gone so far as to perfect the bestknown means of replenishing that force in the body when it is lost. His electric belt is the natural result of scientific study, coupled with experience and mechanical skill. "Now, doctor," I said, "your theory sounds very good, but can you give me any bona-fide evidence of cures to back up your statements. Yon know that there are a great many advertised remedies, and this case of Mr. Rockefeller, who has been in the hands of the best physicians for years, is very good proof that few of the remedies are successful." . "That is my strongest argument," said the doctor. "Here are letters from prominent people given me without solicitation. You can see these patients, and secure from them a verification of what is contained in their letters." Thereupon Dr. McLaughlin showed me a file containing letters from many of the best known people in the city, and some from outside places. After reading several of the American testimonials, amongst them one from United States Senator Call and many other prominent business people, the doctor handed me a number of grateful letters from Australian patients. Some from lawyers; also one from a doctor, and many m, fluential people, so I am led to believe. * A WELL-KNOWN LEGISLATOR writes-In answer to your enquiries about my health since I purchased your Electric Belt I have great pleasure in informing you that I carried out your instructions as nearly as possible from the beginning of January unto the beginning of this month by wearing the Belt when going to bed, and taking it off every morning average 7 hours every 24- After the first three weeks I with it I began to feel better in myself, and was able to walk better, and now I am pleased to say that the Belt has ENTIRELY CURED ME and I have not used it now for three weeks. Up to the time I called on you in Melbourne, the week before Christmas, I had been under the doctor's treatment for some time, and nearly physicked myself out of existence, so much so that between the physical and the want of sleep and rest I was almost run down, and had lost in flesh one stone six pounds. Immediately the Belt began to operate successfully my appetite improved, and my strength also, and now, thank God, through your advice and the ÏJelt, I am quite well again. I weighed myself last week, and have again put on some of my lost flesh, to the extent of over a stone. "When I was taken ill with the Sciatica, I had just been returned to Parliament. I became so tea I could not walk except under the most excruciating pain, and had to hire a cab to take me to and from the House for over three weeks. I can honestly and fully recommend, your Belt to anyone suffering from this complaint am, sir, yours respectfully, . , ^ HAY KIRKWOOD, J.P.. M.L.A., Member of Parliament for Eaglehawk, Vic." NOTTLE you will cut out and sign the appended letter, a book will be immediately sent to you, and an account opened for you, giving you credit for ten shillings. Send to-day. * CUT ALONG THIS LINE. -THE DR. M. A. MCLAUGHLIN (CO., UKPT. 2, liNDEN COURT, SYDNEY. 130 Dear Sir Please send me by return mail one of your ILLUSTRATED FREE BOOKS, describing your method of curing weakness and disease by. Electricity, WITHOUT THE USE OF DRUGS. Kindly send me a book by return post prepaid, and oblige. Yours truly, "F THIS LETTER ENTITLED THE SENDER TO A TEN SHILLING DISCOUNT ON ONE OF OUR BELTS. THE DR. M. A. MCLAUGHLIN CO., DEPT. 2, LINDEN COURT, SYDNEY. Name Address, WOMEN'S AILMENTS. Picola West, Vic. The Dr. McLaughlin Co. Dear Sirs-I is now over twelve months since I first got your Belt, and I am pleased to tell you that my general condition is excellent. The pains and aches I used to suffer from are ailments of the past, and though previous to using your Belt I could not walk a quarter of a mile without stopping to rest, I feel certain that I could now walk ten miles without being duce sufferers to use your Belt. fatigued. I shall always be pleased if I can ribs Yours faithfully, MRS. W. H. EDMONDS. and REMARKABLE CURE OF PARALYSIS. The Dr. McLaughlin Ch. Glenelg, SA Dear Sirs-Indeed remarkable has been the cure your Belt has effected in my case especially when you consider that for two years my legs were so paralysed that I could not leave my bed. The different doctors who saw me gave me up one after the other until I had a little encouragement of hope left. I therefore determined to try one of your Belts, and it is with great joy that I am able to tell you that it cured me in a few weeks' time. After a few applications I could feel that it was benefiting men and now my legs are strong and well, and I am able to walk any distance. You can well imagine that the people who knew my condition are surprised, and wonder greatly at my recovery. I earnestly desire to thank you for all you have done for me. and I trust that other sufferers will profit by my experience and go to you first Yours gratefully, J. A. WOODING. Dr. MCLAUGHLIN says that the chief reason so many people are sceptical about using his Belts is that the country is flooded with so-called "galvanic," "magnetic," and "electric" belts, braces, bands, girdles, &c, which are so poorly and crudely constructed, and of such worthless material, that when tried they prove to be valueless and utterly devoid of curative or strengthening virtue. Many persons misled by false claims made for them, have been led to purchase these articles, because they were cheap. These worthy people, having once been deceived by pre-tentious charlatans, do not hesitate to characterise all electrical appliances to be worn upon the person as frauds or humbugs. Even many intelligent people have reached this conviction. They could fall into no more serious error. When carefully constructed, upon the best known scientific principles, and of suitable materials, belts, bands, are, worn upon the body, and which communicate a constant electrical stimulus to the system have been pronounced by eminent physicians to be of inestimable benefit. In regard to cheap belts, then, he says to afflicted persons, try them if you must; but when convinced, as you will undoubtedly become, of their utter worthlessness, come to me and get a good one. The Dr. MCLAUGHLIN ELECTRO MAGNETIC BELT is not a cheap one; it cannot be made cheaply, and, therefore, cannot be sold, cheaply. STRAINED BACK. The Secretary, Dr. McLaughlin Co. Port Pirie, S.A. Dear Sirs-I severely injured my back lifting, and suffered a great deal from it for many months, but after' wearing your Belt for three weeks It was entirely restored to my former healthy condition. My work at the Smelting Works is extremely heavy, but I am now able to perform my duties as well as ever Yours truly A. GORMAN. SCIATICA CURED. The Dr. McLaughlin Cb. - Blumberg, SA Dear Sirs-I suffered with Sciatica and had great pain at times, but after trying many remedies, none of which ever did me any good, I saw your Belt advertised, and after obtain-ing and reading your book, get a Belt. It cured me in a few weeks, and I am now strong and hearty, and have had no pain for a long while, neither have I had any return of the trouble. Yours faithfully, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ CHARLES LLOYD. TRIED A FREE BELT." Alfred Woollen Mills, Williamstown, Vic Gentlemen In answer to your kind enquiries after my health, I beg to state that I have been completely cured of the Sciatica that has troubled me for years. I cannot thank you enough for your gentlemanly treatment and fair dealing with your patients, as I know from others that their treatment has been the same as mine. I may just as welLlet you know- my experience in seeking a. cure for my trouble before ''I purchased'one-of your High Grade Belts. I had been under doctors and received scant) relief, and tried various quacks, but it was all the same. I then placed myself in the hands of a Specialist (in Melbourne) guaranteed to cure Rheumatism and Sciatica, but received very small benefit from the treatment. I then had my attention drawn to Electricity. Well, I thought, "Never venture, never win, so I PROCURED a so-called "Free Belt," with a most "Wonderful Pedigree," at a cost of £4. Well, I wore the Belt according to the instructions given faithfully for a period of five weeks, and by that time I was burnt and blistered so badly that I could not wear it longer, and still no relief was gained, although the Belt was guaranteed to Cure Anything in sciatica in One Month. You bet I was very much discouraged in regard to Electric Belts. However, I was persuaded to come and just see you, gentlemen. I then found that I had been wearing a Torture Belt and very Wrongly Applied, and quite enough to give any patient a Horror of so-called Electric Belts. After the consultation I decided to place myself in your hands. I knew my case was very difficult, as I was compelled to follow my employment, and standing at the vice was very irksome, and the complaint was a very stubborn one. However, gentlemen, your Belt, coupled with your advice, has made me a grateful patient. I thank you kindly for supply-ing me with a remedy which has Completely Cured Me, and strongly recommend it to all and sundry that I find are suffering from the distressing malady called "Sciatica." I have not been wearing the Belt for the past fortnight, but have passed it over to my wife, who has received great benefit for nervous troubles. I remain, your grateful patient, ________________________ W. FOLLEY. I SUFFERED FROM WEAK BACK. Mr. GEORGE LEWIS, Willow Farm, near Gladstone, SA., in making two reports, says in his first-I have much pleasure in telling you that the Belt I purchased from you, is giving , the greatest satisfaction; in fact, I may say that I am as well now as I ever was in my life. I feel my back suit the weak after my day's ride, but a little rest soon puts it right. You may make what use you like of this letter. I would not have been so long without one of your Belts if I had known of them before my son told me. IN THE SECOND HE HAS BECOME A WALKING AND A WILLING TESTIMONY: Sirs I am feeling as well as ever I did in my life; I really must say I am a living advertisement of your Belt. All my friends can see the change in me since I got it. There were dozens of letters from prominent men, whose names, if Dr. Mclaughlin was permitted to publish them, would-be sufficient guarantee of the genuineness of his cure. Among them were several prominent physicians, who spoke highly of the treatment from personal tests. "Is your treatment beneficial in cases of general weakness?" I asked. "Decidedly. In the same manner that it restores the vitality to" the stomach, it builds up the vital force of the nerves, enriches the blood, and restores the motive power of all organs. To quote Prof. Loeb against part of the chemical energy of foodstuffs is transformed into electrical energy, which in turn gives energy to the muscles and organs of the body. You see, Prof. Loeb has proven that all energy of the vital organs is electrical. Therefore, you can see that when I am able to increase the electrical force of every vital organ I have in my hands the means of cure for every form of physical weakness or decline. "You can take a man who is thin, puny, and unnourished in appearance, and poor thin electric life into his body every night for a few months, with the proper exercise to draw it into the muscles and tissues, and you can add twenty-five pounds to his weight, double his strength and vitality, and transform him into a giant in strength, as I have often done. Look at the men who have worn my belt, and you will see men of force, men of power and confidence; men who respect themselves, and are respected and admired by their fellow-men. "Poor digestion, inactive liver, constipation, sluggish heart, slow thinking, dormant energy, and laziness are all due to the lack of electricity. Understand that electricity is the motive power of the human machine, the power that keeps the organs active, and you will see what I mean. In such cases you can see how my electric belt will pump action into his body. It renews the electric life and transforms the sluggard into a bundle of vigorous energy. "This agitation on the subject is going to prove of incalculable benefit to the future health of our race. Just satisfy the people that they can procure a renewal of bodily vigour" and health by simply renewing the electricity in the body, and you have given them what they have always prayed for-a relief from noxious drugs. Convince a suffering man or woman that drugs will not cure them, and that all they need is a new supply of electricity, and you have made them happy. "So many people suffer from pains and aches, called Rheumatism or Lumbago, or Neuralgia, due to impoverished nerves, crying for aid. The life of these nerves is electricity, and nothing else will cure them. I can send a gentle current from my electric belt so that it will convey the life direct to the ailing part, and relief is often felt in an hour. I frequently cure such cases within ten days. "Suppose we take a man who has in one way or another overtaxed his system until it is in a state of abject exhaustion, the brain sluggish, all ambition gone, and an ever-present feeling of despondency, a disposition to give up the fight. "In that case the electric force has been reduced, and there we have the cause of the trouble. Now, replace that force and you have a rejuvenated man, as good as ever. "If these scientific men would do more investigating along paths that I have already well worn they would find more evidence to back their theory that Electricity is Life' in one day than they will get out of the carcase of a frog in ten years. I prove it by results upon human beings whom I have cured, and thousands upon thousands of them are already, shouting the praises of my belts. Let the scientists take my patient as examples, and they will be convinced of the wonderful power of electricity. "If it were not for the prejudice, due to the great number of lakes in the land, 7 would not be able to handle the business that would come to me. The "Free Belts fraud, and the CHEAP BELT and DRUG scheme, which are not free or cheap at all, have made everyone sceptical but I know that I have a good thing, and 111 pound away until everyone knows it." Before leaving, the doctor informed me that he had been a student of this subject for twenty-two years, and had never seen a case where his electric belt was properly applied without grand results. He stated that he has now more than twenty-five large branches of business. Each office is in the keeping of a staff of experienced men, carefully trained in his theories, and experts in the use of his appliances, whose business it is to give a free ' personal test of what his belt will do to all who were able to call. He said he had never known a failure in a case where the proper power of current had been used. That, unlike other belts, his was made, not for show, or a cheap appearing bait to other methods, but made solely to cure; that there were several different grades of chain batteries, differing in strength only, with the price ranged according to the construction of the self from a stand- point of power secured. He says that during the past few years over one million of his books have been given to suffering humanity, either personally or sent by mail. If you are ailing -you cannot do better than to send for-ariree book. Be careful of the address. TheJte.jULl^McLangldiB COorDej^^Xiiideihcourt Sydney
• Dr Silex / The Princess Thora
  Lost civilization of the Asturnians 5000 square miles country of Asturnia. Advanced tech. Pillars of light. Artificial daylight. 5 chapters to get the North Pole adventure started and they arrive around XV. Also describes a nearby island with a dwarf-like race. Strange and Powerful weapons and no risk or subjection to an alien fate. Returning a princess to her country kept warm by a nearby volano. Story ends up in sword fights and a castle so not much in advanced tech for most of it. Detailed description in Bleiler’s book.
• Dr Delmores Secret
  A doctor is given the elixir of life and describes the person who gave it to him and his increasingly youthful appearance.
• Doom of Our Planet
  A scientist creates an 'antigelesis' weapon that creates earthquakes and destroys mountains. Over 50 chapters of discussion and chasing someone who stole the manuscript trying to prevent more deaths.
• Despondent Young Men!
  Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), Saturday 18 March 1905, page 50 [Advertisement] s ,§? Will you allow yourself to tall into this #r^^HHBHHBSD VM I . miserable state of Nervousness or De- i' .^fc jPIWWB5S'HHj#^ bility when a CURE IS AT HAND? fjf) ? ' - ^f^W V* THIS IS A SERIOUS MATTER.-rA man who has lost his will- ^|$P ||y|f \^r ^^1 l| power-by continually committing himself to habits of dissipation . *f$ii&r , . \ ^ /piSslft 1 and abuse unfits himself for nearly all the walks of life. Now 20,000 ... \-^*&JM^li?P'H i inen have overcome their delicate feelings to such an extent that they have openly endorsed (S^lilSslil&Jr i ' ' 'Vi! ELECTRO-5V1EDICAL TREATMEMT. ' jaSS/BSK^ \ ? . I It restores men to perfect manly state. This is not the mere verbiage of a single man, but M^^^^^^^^^^^^^ i ' J ! 20,000 MEN TALKINQ TO YOU. M^^^^^^ Sj ?' Men who have been Restored to Health by the world-renowned Specialists, and if . MS^^^^^^^^§ | ! they are willing to sacrifice all modest feelings to prove to you that this is so, you ^^^^^S^^^^^^S^^ H I should take enough heed of Uie matter to make careful investigation ^^^^^S^^^^^^^^^Mf i II THE FREEMAN & WALLACE II ^^^^^^^^^W I 1 buctro-med^'l tTeatmekt II ^^^^^ffl^^m^ I Y brings back vim, vigor and energy to men who have wasted their ^^^^^k'^Kl^^WJ^^^^m^^W & strength in dissipation and abuse. The man who abuses himself, who wrecks lll|ilil\fPiy W$&J*IM&M£s®MI^ § liis manhood by those evil habits, most certainly suffer. Remember that ^^^R^Kl^^ff^^^P^^a I DR. R. WALLACE, M.D., L.R.C.P.E., L.F.P.S. bas Nine Diplomas and Certificates B ^SsAWtSKB^SSSS ' gj of Qualification and Registration open for inspection at (be Consulting Rooms. ^Ph^^^^ K^^^^^^^^ S7O PAGE SV1BDICAL- WORK , IHBBB9' S| The Largest Medical Work of its kind ever published in Australia, containing over 150 en- ^^^^P^^^^^^ cravings, is now ready. Every miner, mariner, farmer, in fact all classes and conditions llsiii^ SillraS&fel . gj of men, should purchase a copy. ^^Pl^^^^ J one: shilling, post free. ; HKB ? 1 READ THE SYMPTOMS ! and if you have any of them, you require the remarkable ^^^ffl^^^^^ £ treatment which has. made both Fame. and Fortune for Freeman nnd Wallace Medical Institute. ^^^^^^fe*^^ FAILING MANHOOD. When manhood begins to go you will twitch, and show signs of premature weakness. -Following are some of the' symptom? : Do your facial nerves twitch ? Are you all run down ? Spots before:your eyes ? Do the muscles twitch ? Have you pains in' small of back? Have you pains in head ? . Have you shooting pains ? Do you feel fatigued ? Are you weary ? Does your head swim ? Do your knees knock ? Does your hand tremble ? NERVOUS TWITCHINGS. A nervous man easily gels all of .a tremble, gets fits of weakness, fits of twitchings. Here are some of his symptoms : Do your eyes twitch ? Do your hands tremble ? Do you feel shaky ? Can you walk without halting ? ?Are you melancholy ? ' ?' Do you have ringing in the ears ? Is your blood poor ? Are your eyes weak ? Are your eyes bleary ? Does your head swim t DEBILITY. This affliction destroys ambition, organic strength, energy, and hope. Following arc some of (.he symptoms :— Do you feel weak ? . Have you cold feet ? Have you backache ? Do you shun society ? Are you losing flesh ? Do you sleep poorly ? . Are you low spirited ? Are youl1 eyes sunken ? Do you have hot flushes ? Is your memory impaired ? Have you no manly vigor ? Have you no vital energy ? Do you have sick headaches ? Is there nausea after eating ? Do your hands or feet sweat ? Has brightness left your eyes ? IK m 8&B 1 The Freeman & Wallace ^Z^?Z. WEM I I HOWARD FREEMAH, DIRECTOR. || CR. ELIZABETH & BATHURST STS., ^^HS DR. RICHARD WALLACE, PHYSICIAN-IN-CHIEP ._.„__ ^jfleSfi«9 1 DB. ELIZABETH WHITE, DISEASES OF WOMEH SYDNEY. ? 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• Communicating with Mars
  Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 - 1918), Saturday 15 January 1898, page 6 COMMUNICATING WITH MARS. The question has been raised whether the Martians have riot tried to enter into communication with us (says Cumille Flammarion in tlie ILnn'iiu'turinn) and if the luminous points sometimes observed by the telescope may not be signals. A careful examination of these luminous points leads rather to the conclusion that they are clouds elevated to a great height in the atmosphere of Mars, and illuminated by the setting sun. Certainly it is not impossible that. these neighbors of ours in the sky may have tried to signal to us. Perhaps they may have at their disposal sciences unknown to us. They may have been doing this 100.000 years, or 10,000 years or 300 year.-; before the invention of the telescope, and the inhabitants of the earth may have known nothing of these appeals. We have for so short a time observed Mars with good optical appliances, and our atmosphere is so often clouded, that the efforts of the Martians, supposing such to have been made, run great risk of not having been seen, and of remaining for a long while unperceived by the inhabitants of our planet. Still, for some years, astronomers ha reexamined with special care the luminous points of which we speak, in order to discover whether in truth they were not artificial lights at least for those amongst us who were far from the meridian illuminated by the setting or rising sun. On the other hand, it has been iisked whether we ourselves could not attempt some form of optical telegraphy with them. Ot:e of my friends, Charles Cross, has even already devised a system of intermittent lights to be thrown on Mars by means of powerful reflectors, and has found that these luminous points, seen from Mars, would be equivalent to the brightest of the planet Xeptune as seen from the earth, when they were examined by optical instruments analogous to our own.. But it is evident that terrestrial humanity has so many material and vulgar interests to think of that it cannot indulge itself in the luxury of such a celestial romance; and we only mention the project by way of saying that it does exist and has already been very seriously studied.
• Clarence the Camel
  A mechanical camel helps explorers explore the Outback and swims them across a river away from a crocodile.
• Chess A Fool's Mate
  An inventor creates an automated chess set discussing the shortcut in mathematics and predicted moves he took. Interesting that it is similar to a decision made by a chess software engine maker in 2020 called alpha-beta pruning a node-decrease technique developed in the 1950s. This story is next to chess challenges in the newspaper.
• Captain Midnight
  Spy drama with a secret laboratory and a death ray set in Sydney and Tasmania
• Bunkentwaddle's Odicaster
  Inventor converts smells to electrical signals and back again but flower perfume becomes a putrid stench as the receiver is not as good as the transmitter.
• Breed of the ANZACS
  Invasion of the Karnos from Asia. Australian military scramble to fight battleships, planes and hundreds of troops. First mention of the White Australia Policy in vintage science fiction so far.
• Boys of 2036
  Boy wakes up in the future on a high speed road and a boy helps him dodge a fast car
• Barbicane and Co., or The Purchase of the Pole
  Buying the North Pole to set up a technofuturistic society.
• Australia's Peril: A Tale of how NSW might fair during a great war
  Purposive future war suggesting ways for Australia to defend itself. Australia loses to the Germans but England defeats the combined might of Europe. 30 chapters. However, written by a journalist working for the military. Hmm.
• Australia Advanced or Dialogues for the Year 2032
  Dialogues set in the future but are only a slight extrapolation of the 1832 present
• An Awkward Dilemma (Mendax)
  While no specific science was described Mendax had attempted to clone himself with multiple jars of progressing cell cultures and the housekeeper unknown to him just before he arrived at the laboratory had put her granddaughters baby in the final jar to his immense shock.
• An American Emperor
  A rich entrepreneur decides to become king of France to win his hearts desire and among other things creates a business that will revitalise the Sahara restoring it to the water-abundant fertile land it used to be. While science light the narrative features an alternate reality of an American leading France and the invention of a plan to fill the Sahara sands with water.
• An Aeroplane Adventure
  An aeroplane stops for repairs. The motor uses a type of cordite and other parts to operate faster - though the story suggests the aeroplane itself is the invention. Story is mainly about saving the King.
• An Aerial Adventure, or The Secret of a Scientist
  While this is written for the children's section, and written by Victor D. A. Courtney from the ages of 13 to 15, before he became a well-known journalist and newspaper owner, various letters to the editor of the children's section during that time point to Courtney being quite advanced in language and writing skills for his age. The story features an abduction into a new spaceship invention that will travel to a newly discovered planet. During the 5 year journey mature themes are discussed before they land on an alien planet with extraterrestrials. Biology and economy are discussed in detail yet it soon descends into a simple fight against the kingdom albeit with science-based weapons. Eventually losing one of their crew, the crazed inventor destroys the city in revenge and escapes with the narrator and others. While there are ups and downs, the fact that even chapters were divided up into installments and sometimes not continued for weeks at a time possibly meant a frustrating situation for readers.
• An Advance Sheet
  Discussion of parallel worlds and one person has glimpsed one giving details of his encounter with the alternate future
• Alarm
  From The Herald: Through the story runs a tangled skein of romance. The dramatic seizure of the north, air raids of Melbourne and Sydney. Invasion of Queensland, siege of Brisbane-these are dramatic incidents, graphically described, by which the writer points the moral of his visionary story. The forward to this rousing yarn has been written by Mr W. M. Hughes, former Prime Minister, who appreciates the motive of the writer - the awakening of Australia to the need for adequate defence. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/243622670