A Newly discovered, cheap and durable Paint.

I send you for publication in the Rural Magazine, a receipt for a newly discovered paint, it is cheap and will no doubt be useful to some of your readers.

D.

To a common 3 gallon pail of whitewash, add 1 pint of cheap molasses and 1 pint of white table salt. The best store lime should be selected and boiling water used in slaking it. It should be frequently stirred as you put it on. Two thin coats will be sufficient to cover the weatherboards of out-buildings. It will not wash or scale off like common whitewash and is beautifully white. For other colours mix ochres of various kinds.

Air Jacket.—Mr. Charles Kendal lately made an experiment on the Thames, of the efficacy of his jacket, or Life-preserver, which completely succeeded. He went from the southwark Bridge through London Bridge with great ease and on to the London Docks in 20 minutes, walking upright in the water accompanied by his man all the way.

A new and cheap conductor of lightning and fluid.—Mr. Capostolle, Professor of Chemistry in the departments of the Somme, affirms that a rope of straw supplies the place of the expensive metal conductors. The experiments, which he has made in the presence of many learned men and which have been repeated by them, confirms as he says that the lightning enters a rope of straw placed in its way and passes through it into the ground so gently that the hand of a person holding the rope at the time does not perceive it. Mr. Capostolle brings the following proof of this assertion. It is well known says he that a severe shock is received by a person who immediately touches the Leyden vial. But if a person takes a rope of straw, only seven or eight inches long, in his hand, and touches, with the end of this rope a Leyden vial, so strongly charged that an ox might be killed by it, he will neither see a spark, or feel the slightest shock. According to Mr. Capostolle's opinion, such conductor made of straw, which would not cost alone three francs, would be able to protect an extent of sixty acres of ground from hail; and if the houses and fields were protected in this manner, neither hail nor lightning could do any damage to them.

Economy of Nature.—In the sunshine vegetables decompose the carbonic acid gas of the atmosphere, the carbon of which is absorbed, and becomes a part of their organized matter, but the oxygen gas, the other constituent is given off; thus the economy of vegetation is made subservient to the general order of the system of nature. Again, Carbonic acid gas is formed in the respiration of animals, and as yet no process is known in nature by which it can be consumed, except vegetation. Animals thus produce a substance which appears to be a necessary food for vegetables;—vegetables evolve a principle necessary to the existence of animals: the two kingdoms seem to be thus connected together in the exercise of their functions, and, to a certain extent, made to depend upon each other for their existence.

Legible Writing.—The Grand Duke of Baden has issued an ordinance, enjoining all public functionaries in his dominions, who sign their names in an illegible manner, through affectation, to write them in future so that they can be read, under the pain of having any document illegibly signed, thrown back on their hands.

While Mr. Samuel Chandler was boring for salt near Zanesville, Ohio, he found a metallic substance six feet three inches thick, which being analysed, was found to be silver, nearly as pure as the common coin. This singular account is attested in the National Intelligencer by a member of Congress.

Square Mile.—It may be thought wonderful that the whole population of this country could stand on considerably less than a square mile. Allowing six men to a square yard, the mile would accommodate eighteen millions five hundred and eighty five thousand six hundred men!

Latitude of Trees in Sweden.—From the researches made in Sweden on the different kinds of wood indigenous to the country, it has been ascertained that the birch reaches the farthest north, growing beyond the 70th degree; the pine reaches to the 69th; the fir tree to the 68th; the ozier, willow, aspen and quince, to the 66th; the cherry and apple tree to the 63d; the oak to the 60th; and the beech to the 57th; while the lime tree, ash, elm, poplar and walnut, are only to be found in Scavia.

[Lond. Journ. of Science.

Singular Anecdote of the Spider, by Capt. Bagnold.—Desirous of ascertaining the natural food of the scorpion, I enclosed one (which measured three fourths of an inch from the head to the insertion of the tail) in a wide mouthed phial, together with one of those large spiders so common in the West Indies, and closed it with a cork, perforated by a quill, for the admission of air: the insects seemed carefully to avoid each other, retiring to opposite ends of the bottle, which was placed horizontally. By giving it a gradual inclination, the scorpion was forced into contact with the spider, when a sharp encounter took place, the latter receiving repeated stings from his venomous adversary, apparently without the least injury, and with his web, soon lashed the scorpion's tail to his back, subsequently securing his legs and claws with the materials. In this state I left them some time, in order to observe what effect would be produced on the spider by the wounds he had received. On my return, however, I was disappointed, the ants having entered and destroyed them both.

[Ibid.

Spontaneous Combustion.—From the Baltimore Morning Chronicle.—At my mills there was an iron kettle used for holding ashes—it had remained with ashes in from the 5th to the 9th month at which time flaxseed oil was by accident spilled into the ashes; in about 24 hours the ashes were found to be on fire, and wishing to have it fully ascertained, whether it was the oil which occasioned the ashes to take fire, I filled a kettle with cold dry ashes, in which I poured a pint of flaxseed oil, and in 24 hours I examined it, and found that, as far as the oil had penetrated the ashes were in a state of combustion, and, applying some shavings and chips of wood, it immediately caused them to blaze.

From an apprehension that many buildings have been consumed by fires from the foregoing cause, I have been induced to give publicity to the fact.

Joseph Atkinson.

Ellicot Patapsco Mills, } 1 mo. 22d. 1820. }

Spontaneous Combustion.—Sir I observe, in your paper of yesterday that your correspondent Davyana has made an unsuccessful experiment, to verify the account given by Mr. Atkinson of a Spontaneous Combustion, produced some time ago, at his mills near Baltimore, by the accidental mixture of linseed oil and wood ashes.

An experiment has also been made, with a similar view, at the Mint of the United States. The ashes employed were chiefly from hickery wood, well sifted, and cold; and the quantity of linseed oil, one pint. No change of temperature was perceived, till about 46 hours after the oil had been poured on the ashes, when the mixture was fairly ignited, and in a short time emitted flame, which continued upwards of an hour. After the flame had ceased, the ignition continued for about 18 hours, and the ashes were then poured out of the vessel.

R. P.

[Poulson's Am. Daily Adv.

Gas lights.—The number of gas lights already in use in the metropolis of London amounts to upwards of 51,000. The total length of mains in the streets through which the gas is conveyed from the gas light manufactories into the houses now measure 288 miles.

Seed Potatoes.—It has been recently ascertained from the most decisive experiments, that late potatoes, or such as are not ripe, were the best seed, and that planting such restores a degenerated variety to its original qualities. The discoverer of this fact recommends the planting of seed from cold and late situations, and to plant so late as June and July, taking up those unripe, and preserving them as seed for the following year.

[Vermont Intelligencer..

London.—The consumption of sheep and lambs in London, during the last twelve months, amounted in number to one million, sixty-two thousand, seven hundred. The number of horned cattle slaughtered, was one hundred and sixty-four thousand—and by the inspector's return, it appears, that the number of horse hides produced at Leadenhall market, amounted to twelve thousand nine hundred.

Boring legalized.—Last week we mentioned that a silver mine was said to have been discovered near Zanesville, in Ohio. By the last Columbus papers we are informed that the bill incorporating the "Muskingum Silver Mining Company" has passed the legislature.

It is said that the rock about twenty feet below the surface of the earth, extends under nearly the whole territory of Ohio; that the silver was found after penetrating the rock about 100 feet; and that, therefore, there is an even chance that this stratum of silver, near 7 feet in thickness, is as extensive as the state.

Verily, should this prove to be the case, what an alteration would it make in our affairs! Neighbouring states would supply Ohio with corn and whiskey—her keen speculators would become lazy nabobs—Yankee pedlars might venture to drive their trade there, without danger of being bitten—her rag banks, notwithstanding all that has been said to the contrary, would prove to have had at all times, a specie foundation: and Owl Creek and Cincinnati bank notes command a premium over eastern funds.

Capt. Symmes has long expressed great anxiety to get into the earth, and, as it is a long journey to the north pole, (where there is certainly a hole big enough for Capt. Symmes to get in) and the Captain says he cannot undertake the journey for the want of "disposable means,"—now, therefore, this may be entirely a manœvre of the captain's, or of his friends, to get a cheap passage into the earth, whereby he may embark near home, and without expense in the outfit. At any rate, we hope the company will persevere in boring—it is a good subject—for should they either find silver or provide a passage for Capt. Symmes, they will silence the hungry complaints of many speculators—both in real estate and in the learned and fashionable ologies of the day.

[Detroit Gazette.