PATTERN FOR A COUNTERPANE. De; 1 ch 3 more Dc; 1 ch 3 more Dc 1 ch; (12 De in all). Second Row.-Dc on 1st Dc; 5 ch De u next 1 ch; 3 ch De u same. Repeat from * twice more; 3 ch De into the 1 ch at the next corner; 3 ch De u same. Third Row.- 3 ch 7 Lu 1st 5 ch; 3 ch 1Lu 3 ch. Repeat from * all round. End with 1 L u 3 ch. Fourth Row.-3 ch 2 L in each 1 L of the 7 L (14 L in all). 3 ch 1 L on the 1 L; 3 ch 1 L in same loop. End with 1 L 3 ch 1 L in same loop. BY MRS. WARREN. Sixth Row. - The same as last, only making 5 chs where the 3 were made. End with 5 ch 1 L u 5 ch; 5 ch 1 L u same. Seventh Row.-1 ch 5 Dc u 5 ch; 14 Dc on the L; 5 Dc u 5 ch; 4 Dc u next between the L stitches; 1 ch 4 more Dc u same. Repeat from *. End with 4 Dc u 5 ch; 1 ch 4 more Dc u same; 1 Dc u 1 ch, and fasten off. This finishes one square. Make 5 others, and sew these together in each loop of the Dc, with the same cotton; 6 of these perfects the pattern. Make as many as will be Fifth Row.-3 ch 14 L on the L; 3 ch 1 required for the counterpane or couverette. Lu 3 ch between the L stitches; 5 ch 1 LA fringe, top and bottom, is the most apu same. Repeat all round. End with 1 L propriate finish. u 3 ch; 5 ch 1 Lu same. SOUND. SOUND has been defined as the vibration of the particles of air, vocasioned by some sudden agitation of a certain mass of the atmosphere, violently compressed or expanded; or by the communication of the vibration of the minute parts of a hard and elastic body. The ear is the organ which, in the order of nature, is adapted to receive sound, which is hence conveyed to the brain, and by an incomprehensible adaption of the means to the end, we have that peculiar sensation called hearing. That vibration, or motion of the atmosphere, which is perceptible by the ear, and which consists of a succession of actions, producing a continuous sensation, is called sound; and the qualities and means by which sound travels, or is modified, is called the science of acous tics. Philosophers, however, distinguish between sound and noise; the latter, they say, consists of those actions of the atmosphere which are confined to a single shock, or a set of actions circumscribed within such limits as not to produce a continued sensation. Sounds are divided into simple and complex, harmonious and dissonant; thus the ear may be enchanted by the most delicious music, or distracted by the most horrible noises. The human voice, which in every age has accomplished such wonders of enchantment and of terror, is an instance of those vibratory actions of the atmosphere which we call sound, and which is capable of a great variety of modulations. By the sound alone, without any reference to the language which at the same time, may or may not be employed, the most intense feelings of pity, love, anger, surprise, wonder, or terror, may be expressed; and sounds thus expressed may awaken kindred feelings in others, although never a word may be uttered. Sound, it would therefore seem, is the primitive, and, in fact, the only language; and hence those words which by the sound convey most distinctly their meaning, are called significant or expressive words. Music, which is said to be the language of heaven and angels, and which, from time immemorial, has been employed to soothe the mind in its turmoil, to fill it with ecstatic delight, or incite to deeds of noble valour or desperate revenge, is simply so many vibrations of air, whether it be the blast of the trumpet, the bewitching strains of the violin, or the swell and thunder of the organ. necessary of life; it is also the vehicle of language; without it, the human voice would be unknown. We might try to utter words, but it would be the language of dumb show. The lips might move, but they would give forth no sound. Ideas might spring up in the mind; they might multiply and fructify, and revel in magnificent luxuriance, ministering to our individual enjoyment; but their sweetest use in conversation would be denied us, were it not for those vibrations of the atmosphere which the motion of the tongue, and the compression of the lips produce. And not only without the atmosphere would the privilege and blessing of speech be denied us, even supposing that life in its absence were possible, but the world itself would cease to be robed with light and beauty, and would sink into eternal winter and everlasting night. That the atmosphere is the high road upon which sound travels, can at any time be proved by a simple experiment. Take a musical snuff-box, previously wound up, and place it upon some cotton wool, under a receiver. While the vessel remains full of air, you will hear the sound of the music; but pump out the air, and as it empties the sound will grow fainter, as if receding to a distance; and if you produce a vacuum, it will become quite inaudible. But admit the air again, and as it enters, the music will again break upon the ear, at first faintly, and will gradually rise to its wonted vigour as the vessel becomes filled with the elastic element. The condition of the atmosphere, by which we mean its variable elasticity, has a considerable influence upon sound, both as to its tone and transit; and it must have also been observed by every one, that during the night sounds appear much louder than during the day. This latter peculiarity has been variously ascribed. Humboldt accounted for this singular phenomenon by the hypothesis, "that the vibrations of sound are materially retarded by partial undulations in the atmosphere, arising from the sun's heat; so that the waves of sound are divided and re-divided whenever the density of the radium, through which they are propelled, is sufficiently altered to form an acoustic mirage." This celebrated traveller and philosopher observed, that the noise of the great cataracts of the River Orinoco, in South America, was three times greater in the night than in the day. And those who have visited, or lived in the But the atmosphere is essential to the neighbourhood of the seashore, cannot fail production of sound. Not only is air al to have observed how much more distinct and terrible the dash of the waves on the sea beach is heard after the sun has retired, and the shades of the evening drawn in. The velocity of sound, or the rate at which it travels, is always proportioned to the density of the air; and that, again, is influenced by pressure and heat. Its hygrometric or moist condition has also an influence. Thus, sound travels with greater rapidity in warm than in cold climates; which fact was demonstrated by Condamine, a French astronomer, who found that on the sultry plains of Cayenne-of recent Napoleonic political-transport notoriety its velocity was 1,175 feet per second; but only 1,120 on the frozen heights of Quito. Dr. Mole, whose experiments, it is said, were performed with the greatest accuracy in Holland, in the year 1823, found that sound was transmitted by a clear atmosphere, uninfluenced by retarding or accelerating winds, at about the rate of 1,116 feet per second. Some exceedingly interesting and valuable experiments were made by Mr. Goldingham at Madras, from which the curious fact was remarked, that the ve locity of sound increases towards the middle of the year, and decreases towards the latter end; being at its maximum in July, and its minimum in December: He also determined to what extent the heat, the weight, and the moisture of the atmosphere affected the rate of transit. He states, that for each degree of the thermometer, 1-2 feet per second is to be allowed in the velocity for one-tenth of an inch of the barometer, 9.2 feet, and for each degree of the hygrometer 14 feet. And also, that ten feet per second is the difference between a calm and a moderate breeze, and twenty-one and a-quarter feet is the difference when the wind is in the direction of, or opposed to, the motion of sound. It may also be here remarked, that the difference in the density of common or atmospheric air and hydrogen gasthe former being about thirteen times heavier than the latter-would represent the difference of the rate of the velocity of sound through these mediums, or conductors; the velocity being one in hydrogen, that is, thirteen times that of atmospheric air, and vice versa. The various phenomena of sound is both curious and instructive. Though travelling with immense velocity, its rate is not equal to that of light, a fact which every one has verified in observing the report of a gun, the flash of which is seen some seconds before the sound reaches the ear. The distance from which sounds have been heard is almost incredible. On the authority of S. Averranni, Dr. Decham informs us, that at the siege of Messina the report of the guns was heard at Agusta and Syracuse, almost 100 Italian miles; and that, in the naval engagement between the English and the Dutch, which took place in 1672, the report of their guns was heard upwards of 200miles. Humboldt records the report of volcanoes, in South America, as being heard at the distance of 300 miles; and Dr. Thompson, on the authority of a credible witness, attests a similar fact that the explosions which took place from the volcano in St. Vincent's were heard distinctly at Demerara, which is more than 300 miles. And it has been observed that the explosion of a powder mill caused the windows to shake for nearly twenty miles round. We have already explained that sound is occasioned by the vibration of the atmosphere. These vibrations, if they could be seen, resemble, and in fact, are so many undulating waves, caused by sudden and powerful explosions, so that to whatever point or distance the sound reaches, it is carried there by the motion of the atmosphere; and it may also be remarked, that the undulating waves reach to distances far beyond where the sound is perceptible. So intensely acute is the electric property of the air, that it is impossible to say to what distance it may be affected if the explosive force be sufficiently powerful. And this fact will appear more marvellous, when we bear in mind that the reason why we hear a sound is because the tympanum or drum of the ear is set in vibration by the motion of the particles of air which beat against it; the impression being conveyed to the brain by certain nerves, placed there of course, by the Great Architect, for the very purpose. But the ear will not receive the impression of sound; in other words, sound cannot be said to be produced except by a succession of vibrations-at least thirty in a minute. Sound, therefore, is the result of a series of vibrations, following each other in rapid succession, the particles of air rubbing violently against each other. The motion of the atmosphere produces no noise if the velocity of all its particles be equal. Wind, though travelling at the rate of eighty miles an hour, would be as unheard as it is unseen, if it came in contact with no other object, for in this case all the particles of air are in motion, and move at the same rate. All sounds, whether high or low, are transmitted with the same velocity, although not to the same distance. Every musical performance is a demonstration of this fact; if it were not so, harmony would be impossible. Hence it has been said, vibrations keep equal time, or there would be no such thing as sustained notes; if it were not so, every sound would be a sliding chromatic descent, and like the voices of some animals -therefore, intolerable. But all sounds, however unmusical in themselves, if repeated regularly and with rapidity, will produce a musical note. The difference between the musical sounds, higher and lower, is simply the difference between the number of vibrations performed at the same time, the higher sound having the greatest number; and it is a somewhat striking fact, that a person of tolerable musical education and good ear, can distinguish between two sounds, having no other difference than that one is the result of 400 vibrations in a second, and the other of 405. But the atmosphere and gases of less density, are not the only conductors of sound; water, and bodies in the solid form, will transmit it with much greater velocity. Cork, however, and all soft cellular bodies, are the least capable of transmitting sound. This arises from the fact, that sound does not pass with facility from one medium to another every alternation of substance acting as an impediment to its progress. Though the velocity of sound in water is much greater than in air, yet a sound made in air, is not easily heard under water, although the distance be only very small. The fact just noted will explain the philosophy of putting saw-dust between the ceiling of one room and the flooring of another. In passing, it must go through several different bodies, and not liking that, so to speak, it is diverted and deadened in its progress. It is because that sound does not pass through different bodies with facility, and not because solid bodies of themselves will not transmit it, that in certain places we have echoes; in which cases the sound is reflected back, in one instanee on record, as many as fifty-six times. Water and ice emit sound with an equal velocity of about 4,900 feet; cast iron with a velocity of almost 11,000 feet; and fir wood gives sound the amazing velocity of 17,400 feet per second. A person working in the same mine with others, can hear the sound of a pick-axe through the solid rock. And it is considered as highly probable that particles of all bodies are in a continual state of vibration; while it may be affirmed as absolutely certain, that very slight disturbances will communicate sensible amounts of vibration to considerable distances, from loose earth to compact stone. Among those facts which cannot be explained on any known principles, may be mentioned one discovered by Dr. Wollaston, that there are many persons who never felt any defect in their general hearing, yet who cannot hear certain sounds which others readily distinguish. And it is equally remarkable that persons naturally deaf, and consequently not affected through the ear, have received pleasure from music, by placing their hands on a shutter near the instrument. In mentioning these phenomena of sound we have not attempted an exposition of the science of acoustics, whieh, however lucidly elaborated, would still perhaps be devoid of interest to a great number of our readers; but the facts which we have here noted, it is not unlikely may whet the intellectual appetite, and induce more profound investigations of those laws and mysteries of nature, which the Creator of the Universe has so admirably and exactly adapted to meet the necessities of the case, and minister to the happiness and well-being of man. MANUFACTURE OF MARBLES IN THESE well-known articles are made in great quantities to serve in the games of children; some are formed of potter's clay, covered with a glaze, and burnt in a proper furnace; others are made of marble and alabaster, but chiefly of a species of very hard calcareous stone, found in the neighbourhood of Cobourg, in Saxony. These stones are first broken into square blocks by means of a hammer, and are finally rounded into spheres or small balls by a mill. In order to effect this they are placed from one hundred to a hundred and fifty at a time, upon a fixed slab of stone, having a number of concentric circular grooves or furrows made in its flat surface. Above this stone another flat slab or block of oak, of the same diameter, is supported by means of a lever, and turned round by the power of the mill. During the rotary action of this mill, small threads of water are made to enter each of the concentric grooves, which favour the rounding and polishing of the balls, and prevent the wood from heating. The operation for each of the quantities above mentioned lasts for a quarter of an hour, and the balls or marbles] become perfectly spherical and fit for sale. Immense quantities of them are exported to India and China. A mill with three turning-blocks will manufacture 60,000 marbles a-week. would ensue in the terms employed by scientific men, and that discoveries made in one country would remain unknown or imperfectly understood in another. Science, however, extends her sway over all the kingdoms of the earth wherein civilized man is found, and to some extent bestows upon her subjects the community of intercourse, arising from the use of a common language. as we have read in our boyhood, not by giants only, but by Gorgons, and Hydras, and Chimeras dire." If the knight lost heart, he was at once overpowered; but if he marched boldly onward, the monsters fled at his approach, and the castle was won. IF we turn to the proceedings of the Let not my young friends, then, be police courts, we occasionally are edified frightened when they now and then meet with a description of some fashionably- with a "hard" word; it is not in reality attired individual, brought forward as Capt. half so "hard" as it looks. Let them be de Vere, alias the Hon. Augustus Howard, content to pause for a little, and understand alias Sir Phelim O'Neill, and are told how what it means; once that is done, the diffieach additional alias was regarded by the culty is surmounted, and will never trouble worthy magistrates on the bench as con- them again. If they only face it manfully, firmation strong" of the evil intentions of success is certain. Just as in those dethe prisoner. If my present clients, zoo-lightful tales of enchanted castles, defended, phytes of the highest rank, were to be judged by a similar test, they would most probably be set down as very suspicious characters; for they have been spoken of, written of, and published to the world, as Polyzoa, alias Bryozoa, alias Ascidioida, alias Ciliobrachiota. Yet these titles severally express some peculiarity of structure, habit, or appearance, which has been considered worthy of being expressed by a distinct name. The terms just enumerated imply that these creatures are found living together in numbers-that they encrust other animals, or bodies, in the manner of moss-that they have a resemblance to those molluscous animals which are without shells, and are invested with a horny or leathery covering, such as the Ascidia-and that they have the arms covered with cilia, in that particular differing from any of the polypes we have yet been considering. The use of scientific terms is rather repulsive to the young, and for that reason they shall be but sparingly employed; and when introduced the meaning shall, in all cases, be given. They cannot be passed over, and altogether omitted; nor is it desirable that they should, for a knowledge of them is in many ways of importance. They often convey, in one word, a meaning which would require several distinct English words to express; and being derived in most instances from the Greek and Latin tongues, they are understood by well-educated men in every part of the world. The language of science is not English, or French, or German; it is not the dialect of any one nation, but is a language common to scientific men, no matter to what country they belong. But for this kind of universal language, it is obvious that great confusion Returning from this digression, it may be remarked, that although it is found convenient to speak of polypes of the present order along with other zoophytes, their many and strong points of resemblance to the ascidian molluscs had induced some of those naturalists who had given most consideration to the subject, to come to the conclusion that their true place should be among the mollusca. But no trace of a nervous system had been discovered, and no change in the existing arrangement was therefore made. In fact, none has been made up to the present time; but their place is no longer a matter of uncertainty, or one resting on theoretical inference; for at the meeting of the British Association, held at Birmingham in 1849, Dr. Allman read a paper, showing the existence of a nervous system, and the distribution of the nerves in some polypes of this order. Professor Milne Edwards then remarked, that "Professor Allman's discoveries in the anatomy of the Bryozoa left no longer any doubt of the true position of these animals; that they were constructed in every respect on a true molluscan type, and must henceforth be referred to the genuine mollusca.” None of the animals of this order are found separate or naked, but are always placed within the cells of a common dwelling, or polypidom. Sometimes they encrust dead shells with a beautiful lace-work; sometimes they enamel the surface of the |