COWELL'S PATENT SASH-SUSPENDER. The practice of masters and mistresses either compelling or allowing female servants to clean house-windows on the outside, by standing or sitting upon the ledges, has often called forth the animadversions of the humane and considerate, and numerous plans and suggestions have at various times been brought forward to lessen or remove the acknowledged danger. Our intelligent and valuable correspondent, Mr. Baddeley, has frequently and loudly protested against this inhuman custom, and has pointed out some very ingenious methods by which the evil might be in some degree remedied; but in all the plans that have heretofore been brought forward the main objection still existed, namely, the servant or workman having to go outside; by whatever contrivance supported, there was still the danger of that contrivance breaking or losing its hold. Mr. Cowell's very ingenious and simple sash-suspender entirely does away with the necessity of any outside work whatever. In windows fitted with his apparatus the sashes can be immediately detached from the lines, and taken into the rooms or to the kitchen to be cleaned in a much more convenient, and, consequently, more perfect manner to say nothing of the entire absence of danger.

There can now be no excuse for the lives of human beings being put in danger the cost of Mr. Cowell's invention being but a trifle-and from this date we call upon all jurymen, who may sit upon any inquest touching a death by a fall from a window while cleaning it, to return a verdict, not of accidental death, but of culpable homicide against the master.

Description.

Fig. 1, A, the sash-line; B, the socket that receives the sash-line; C, the screw that presses the spring within to secure the line; D, an aperture to show that the line is at the bottom of the socket; E, a plate, or eye, to be let into the sash to receive the hook F. Fig. 2 shows the hook F and plate E attached. Fig. 3, a plate to be let into the sash-frame, at a convenient height, to receive the hook F (fig. 1) when shifted from the sash, to prevent its running up to the pulley out of reach. Fig. 4, a flush bolt to be let into the bead to fix it instead of nailing.

Fig. 5, a plate to be let into the sashframe for the bolt to lock into. Fig. 6, the parting bead. Figs. 7 and 8, the 5-8ths, or outside bead.

Directions for Fixing.

Insert the end of the sash-line into socket B (fig. 1), when seen at D, turn the screw C. Sink plate E into the end of the sash, above where the line is usually nailed, and mortice sufficiently to admit the whole (fig. 2) to lay flush; the top of socket B may come within one inch of the pulley. Let a plate (fig. 3) into each side of the sash-frame to receive the hook F (fig. 1) when shifted from the sash; one plate is made to accommodate two suspenders, holding them both within reach until they are again wanted; they may be placed about eight inches above the meeting rails of the sashes. Cut parting bead, as shown (fig. 6), so that two-thirds take out and in, fixing in its place the top piece with brads. Cut five-eighths or outer bead, as shown (fig. 7), fixing the upper portion; three-fourths of this bead (say the one on the left hand) must be moveable; one dowell about nine inches from the bottom, and one bolt (fig. 4) a little above the centre, will fix it as firmly as nailing ; if the whole of the bead be made to shift, three dowells and two bolts must be employed, as seen in fig. 8; this mode is preferable for parlours and drawingrooms as no joint is then seen.

ON A PECULIAR VOLTAIC CONDITION OF IRON, FIRST NOTICED BY PROFESSOR SCHOENBEIN, OF BALE.

Sir,-The facts contained in the present communication, are not to be understood as laying claim to originality in their leading principles; some of the experiments, however, that I shall have occasion to describe, have never been made, or at any rate, I have never seen any account of them by any one else, and the whole are so extraordinary, and will, in my opinion, eventually throw such light on the rationale of Voltaic action, that I think you will not object to give them publicity through the medium of your Journal. In the London and Edinburgh Philosophical Magazine, vols. ix. and x., may be found the original papers of Professor Schoenbein and Dr. Farady. All the experiments there described, I have

attentively gone through, and I shall merely give here such an abstract of them as may be necessary to set the matter clearly before your readers.

Ex. 1,-When iron wire, th of an inch in diameter, was immersed in nitric acid, specific gravity 1 379, it was attacked with violence; but when surrounded, or even touched in the acid by a piece of platina wire, action was instantly stopped. The platina was then removed, and the wire remained for any length of time in the acid without any action, and as bright as silver. If it was now taken out, wiped, and again immersed, violent action immediately took place for a moment, but it soon (generally) was again quiescent.

Ex. 2.-If, when the wire was in violent action, it was touched by a piece of platina, the effervescence instantly ceased, but again commenced when the platina was removed. Bringing the two metals a second time into contact effectually stopped the action. If the wire was in a very violent state of effervescence, it was not for some time protected by the platina.

Ex. 3.-If a wire made thus inactive by platina, was touched in the acid by a piece of zinc, or a common iron wire, it was thrown into action: but an iron wire having the smallest piece of platina attached to it, did not throw it into action. being itself inactive. If the platina was now slipped off, and either wire touched once with a common wire, both were instantly thrown into violent action.

Ex. 4.-When the acid was disturbed with an equal bulk of water, platina did not preserve iron wire from its action, even when coiled thickly round it; it appeared, indeed, rather to quicken the action. But though it did not preserve it under these circumstances, it did under others which I shall notice presently.

Ex. 5.-Half a wire, four inches long, was heated to dull redness, the blue tinge extended through three inches when the wire was cold, and these three inches were quite inactive in acid specific gravity 1379, the other inch was active; when the heated end was made bright by filing, it was rendered active, showing the former inactivity to be owing to the superficial coating of oxide.

Ex. 6.-When a wire made indifferent to nitric acid by platina was immersed in the acid, and another common wire dipped into the same vessel, the latter

was of course active; but when the wires were made to touch at their parts above the liquid, action was excited in the indifferent wire.

Ex. 7.-A common wire was made to touch an indifferent one, and both dipped into the acid, the indifferent one going in first. By this means, the common wire was made indifferent, not being in the slightest degree acted on by the acid; the second wire rendered indifferent a third, the third a fourth, and so on. This experiment succeeds best with wire that has been made indifferent by platina, but with care it will answer equally well with wire that has been made indifferent in the fire; the conditions appearing to be perfect contact, and gradual immersion. When these wires were taken out of the acid and wiped, they always returned to the active state, but were again made indifferent by repeating the process.

Ex. 8.-A wire, polished very bright, was protected by platina, and immersed in a solution of nitrate of copper, and nitric acid, which acted very strongly on common iron, copper being deposited on the metal the protected wire remained, however, bright. After remaining a few seconds the platina was removed, the iron instantly became as common iron, but when the platina was allowed to remain in contact an hour or two, and then removed, the wire was left in the peculiar state, exhibiting the curious phenomena of a piece of polished iron being quite inactive in a solution of nitrate of copper and nitric acid. The wire thus inactive, on being touched by a piece of common wire was instantaneously rendered active, undergoing rapid solution, and becoming covered with a crust of copper.

Ex. 9.-A piece of iron was protected by a piece of platina, and immersed in nitric acid; the platina was then withdrawn, the iron remaining in the peculiar state. A piece of common iron was then bent into a fork, and slipped down the inactive wire into the acid, by which it was itself rendered inactive. Now if another piece of iron was made to touch the fork before being introduced into the acid, it was rendered itself inactive; but if it was first thrown into action, and then made to touch either end of the fork, it threw all the wires into action. This is rather different from the result obtained by Professor Schoenbein. He describes that end of the fork that was touched,

being alone thrown into action, the other remaining in the peculiar state as long as the first wire was kept in contact with the bend, but when that was removed both ends became active. The Professor's experiment was made with an oxydised wire. I found it difficult to reduce the fork to the peculiar state with such a wire, but when I accomplished it the phenomena were similar to those just described. I should much wish this experiment to be tried by others, as I am at a loss to understand whence this disaccordance should arise.

Ex. 10.-When an active wire was connected with one of the cups of a galvanometer, and a platina wire with the other cup, and both wires dipped into nitric acid, momentary action took place, and an electrical current was shown to pass from the iron to the platina through the fluid, the latter metal becoming positive, but the action soon ceased, the platina protecting the iron, though not in actual contact with it; when chemical action was stopped, the electrical current was stopped also.

Er. 11.-When the iron wire was connected first with the galvanometer, and the circuit completed by putting it into the acid, the platina wire having been previously arranged, no action, either chemical or electrical, took place. The same was the case if a wire, having been previously made inactive, was substituted for the platina. Now when platina was used, the moment the circuit was closed, bubbles of gas made their appearance on the platina, and if an iron wire was used, having a small piece of platina foil or wire attached to it, the bubbles formed on all parts of the foil, but none made their appearance on the iron. If then the platina foil was removed, the bubbles made their appearance on the iron, which sometimes also went slightly into action.

Er. 12-When two cups were employed, being connected by a compound platina and iron wire, all the phenomena which took place in a single glass were observed, and the platiua or inactive iron in one glass, exerted a protecting influence on the iron in the other, provided the communication was first made through the galvanometer; a touch from a common wire also threw the iron into action, producing a strong electrical current. The same was the case with three or four glasses connected by a compound wire.

Ex. 13. When the acid was diluted, so as to have a specific gravity 1.204. platina, as was before observed, could not protect iron from its action; neither when connected with the galvanometer did it, if the iron was dipped in the acid first; but if it was first connected with the galvanometer, and then put into the acid, no action whatever took place in any length of time; on removing the platina, action sometimes took place; it always commenced when the inactive wire was once touched in the acid with an active wire, or with a piece of copper. The wire, thus made inactive, did not possess the power of rendering other wire inactive, but was always thrown into action itself. When a piece of common iron was substituted for the platina, whether it was connected with the galvanometer first or not, the wire in this case acted as platina to the second.

Er. 14-When two cups were employed, and connected by a bent piece of wire, and so arranged that the iron wire should be active, on removing the connecting wire, and taking a fresh piece, if it was dipped first into the cup containing the iron, and the other end brought into the platina cup, that end was in the peculiar state, and there was no passage for the electrical current, the needle of the galvanometer being quiescent; but when it was put into an active state the electrical current passed. Now here we have the iron made inactive without any metallic communication with the platina, and when inactive it is found incapable of conveying a current of Voltaic electricity; an inactive wire could not, in this experiment, be substituted for the platina. This latter most remarkable, and, as I believe, at present, inexplicable fact, has, as far as I know, never before been noticed, but that it is true, any one may in a few minutes convince himself. I have often left the whole arrangement undisturbed for hours, and still, at the end of that time, the end of the connecting wire in the platina cup has been perfectly bright, and the needle of the galvanometer stationary in its usual position ; but on touching it once with a common wire, it has been thrown instantaneously into action, and then the electrical current has passed, the needle being strongly deflected, I am, at present, occupied in further researches, and I hope something

C

Sir, Having been requested by some person desirous of keeping bees, to gi e, through the medium of the Mechanics' Magazine, my opinion as to the best method of managing these useful insects, I beg to solicit the favour of the following observations being inserted.

I have kept bees nearly twenty years, and practised various plans with a view to gain the greatest produce in honey and wax with the least trouble, but more particularly with a view to the preserving the lives of the bees, and feel confident that the story-fying system, which I believe Wildman practised, is the best. I tried for six or eight years the plan Mr. Nutt advocated, which, by-the-bye, is as old as any of the plans known, but without meeting with any thing like the success of the common cottage hive. A strong stock in the latter had produced me an early swarm and cast, the swarm producing in a good season upwards of forty pounds of honey, and the cast fifteen pounds, the stock being kept five or six years. The honey thus procured is always of good colour, and fit for sale; and when after six seasons the parent stock is destroyed, the honey, being dark, may be used to make meed, or sweeten wine with, a strong swarm being kept to supply its place. This plan requires the destruction of the bees, and is therefore censured as inhuman; but to me is not more so than destroying beavers and cats for their skins, or catching fish to manure the land with; the consumer never considering how produce is procured, and should, therefore, be considered the most culpable, if such acts are breaches of humanity. The hives I now prefer are flat, having wooden tops fixed on with wires. The inside should be twelve or thirteen inches clear, and about seven inches high, the top having a centre hole, and three or four others round it near the outside, each hole being two or three inches dia meter, and fitted with nice bungs. If no swarms are wanted, a large glass, or small

straw hive, may be put on the top about the end of March, or a small glass to each hole, previously pulling out the bungs, gently turning them round first, each glass having a bit of paper pasted on it, stating its weight when empty; such glasses being kept from the light, by an empty hive being placed over them. Every ten or twelve days they should be examined, and when filled may be removed, and others put on, as long as the season permits. If a stock is weak, a new swarm or a cast may be put on the top of it, and the entrance closed till eight or nine o'clock the following night. These stocks may be preserved seven or eight years, but should be kept in a house or shed; and when the winter begins, the bungs having been replaced, should be covered over with sacking or other warm articles. Glasses may be put on a swarm immediately after hiving them, removing them in three or four weeks, to enable the bees to procure enough for the winter. The boards above mentioned should be made of pine plank, half an inch thick. The bottom boards should be made of the same, one inch or one inch and a half thick, having a piece projecting for the bees to alight upon. By pursuing this plan, any number of stocks may be kept with but little trouble, and the bees saved; but the placing the glasses on empty hive on early, is essentially necessary.

I am, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
G. L. SMARTT.

Enfield, Feb. 10, 1837.

HINTS ON AEROSTATION..

Sir, I have read your last week's Number, containing Sir George Cayley's luminous communication on aerostation, and am glad to see the subject so generally taken up as it is by men of science, who have paid attention to the subject. My time does not permit me to remark upon it further, than that it appears to me to contain many remarks that must be highly useful in aiding the future efforts of aeronauts, because I consider that (like Hudibras's horse), it wants but one spur to move it into action, and hope most of his suggestions may he adopted by a company, to which I wish every success, as the science of. France and the