tation of the sulphur proceeds gradually; | dark bars of the framework fell, appeared and, according to the greater or less dilu- of a fine crimson color; after the neutral tion at starting, the completion of the re- point had been passed, and the bright action can be spread over a long period parts appeared pink, the dark portion of of time, in some of my experiments occu- the image appeared a brilliant emerald pying more than forty-eight hours. For green. In either of these stages a part a while no turbidity whatever is visible; of the solution transformed to a tall but then a faint opalescence makes its appear narrow glass cylinder, had not sufficient ance, and these exceedingly minute parti- depth to show any perceptible color when cles grow gradually in size, remaining, viewed by transmitted light, but placed however, quite uniformly suspended for a on a dark background below a window, considerable period, until a dimension is showed a crimson or green glow respecreached which causes them to settle out tively when viewed at a certain angle, and of the liquid. In this way I observed a complementary glow when seen at a with unfailing regularity, and in unvary different angle (by raising or lowering the ing order, though with various degrees of level of the eye, the cylinder remaining rapidity, an extension of the series of col- stationary). ors, which, so far as I am aware, had not previously been noticed, or at any rate published. From orange, the tint passed successively through rose red, purplish rose, to a full purple; then by insensible gradations to a fine violet, blue, green, greenish yellow, neutral tint, etc.

The solution was contained in spherical or pear-shaped flasks, or in cells with flat and parallel sides. A solution which was strong enough to give well-marked yellow, orange, and red tints, was not well adapted for the subsequent stages, as it soon became white and opaque, so that the later colors were almost entirely masked. A half-litre flask filled with a solution so dilute, that ten minutes or more elapsed after acidifying before opalescence was first visible, gave very feeble yellow and orange; the rose and rose-purple, though decidedly weak, reminded me in tint of the colors seen towards the upper margin of the recent sky glows; but when the full purple, violet, and blue were reached, the colors were very strong and well marked. A gas or candle flame, viewed through the solution, which was violet by transmitted daylight, appeared emerald green. After passing the blue stage, the colors through green and yellow were much weaker, until, as before mentioned, a neutral tint was reached. Beyond this, with such a dilution, nothing further could be satisfactorily observed; but by taking a much more capacious flask, and using a solution only one-half or one-third the former strength, faint orange and pink were again observed after passing the neutral point. And with these more dilute solutions, very strongly marked secondary effects were noticed after once passing the "blue stage." A distorted image of a window was formed in the flask, and while the bright portions appeared greenish, those parts where the

With the solution in any given stage of development, the effect of increasing the depth of the column through which the light passed was to increase the saturation of the color to a large extent, and to alter its tint (apparently in the direction of the less refrangible end of the spectrum) to a much smaller degree. That the color observed at any given stage was owing mainly to the size of the individual particles rather than to their greater or less proximity, was shown by the fact that, on pouring away half or two-thirds of the contents of the vessel, and filling with water, the color, although much thinner, was nearly of the same tint.

I am not able to give the proportion by weight of the salt in the solutions experimented with; but I think about one gramme or less to the litre will be found to give good results. One or two trials, however, would soon indicate the appropriate strength.

The character of the colors and the whole nature of the phenomena led me to infer that they were in all probability caused by the interference of light; but as I could not see my way to a rationale of the mode of action, I deferred publica tion in the hope that by further investigation their exact nature and true cause might be more clearly worked out. The description in Nature (p. 439) of Prof. Kiessling's ingenious "cloud-glow apparatus," by which somewhat similar results have been obtained with steam and salammoniac fumes, induces me to publish my own observations, in the hope that some more competent physicist and mathematician may furnish a satisfactory theoretical elucidation. Lord Rayleigh, I find, has carefully examined the properties of the light reflected from an acidified solution of thiosulphate; but its action upon transmitted light appears to have escaped

his attention. While Prof. Kiessling's | ture of the action, and the ease with which, method affords an independent confirma- by altering the strength of solution and tion of the phenomena in question, the the depth of the layer interposed, the cir thiosulphate solution lends itself much cumstances can be adapted to the most more readily to a study of the successive favorable observation of any portion of phases, owing to the slow and steady na- the series.

J. SPEAR PARKER.

some of the oldest pickers themselves, made in former days upon white men who ventured to settle upon their hunting ground, and to "come between the wind and their nobility." But these Indians are not plentiful. Civilization and "fire-water" are stamping them out. If the Washington plantations largely increase they will have to import other pickers, and this difficulty will probably limit the extent of the plantation, unless the "heathen Chinee" is allowed to come in again through the "golden gate." In the Californian hop grounds the picking is done by Chinese, who are admirable pickers, and who are pretty numerous, having a special quarter in San Francisco city, but so far as can be seen, there are no great inducements in Washington to lead them to migrate to this somewhat colder region. The crops of hops produced in Washington Territory are very large. In 1879, when the average of the rest of the United States crop was about five hundred pounds per acre, more than eleven hundred pounds were yielded per acre in Washington; and in this last year the average production was equal to fifteen hundred pounds per acre. One planter, the largest, grows one hundred and seventy tons upon one hundred and seventy acres. At this time the cost per

A NEW HOP COUNTRY. - It is said that the | savage descents which their fathers, and indeed coming hop-producing country is in Washington Territory, in the United States, between three hundred and four hundred miles from the Pacific coast. The district which has the most special qualification for hop-growing is in the western part of this Washington Territory, in the valley land of Puget Sound, whose climate, soil, and location appear to be "cut out" for the perfect development of this fickle crop. No hops were grown here until 1865. Now there are close upon eleven hundred acres, and there are indications of an increase of the plantation, which is not to be wondered at since the soil is so fertile that no manure is required for several years after planting, and the climate is most equable and thoroughly well adapted to the delicate constitution of the hop plant. Moreover there have not been, so far, any indications of disease. Mildew is unknown. Flies and lice are not dreamed of, and to use the words of the principal planter, "It is the hope and belief of hop-planters in Washington Territory that the peculiarity of their climate will always protect them from the ravages of disease so destructive elsewhere." Washington Territory has been occupied only recently by settlers. It lies to the extreme west of America, below British Columbia, between this region and the fertile lands of Cali-acre seems to be about the same as in England. fornia. In the district of Puget Sound, situated in the western part of Washington, there are large and rich alluvial deposits, especially in the Puzallup Valley, where there is a depth of rich soil more than one hundred and forty feet, thoroughly congenial to hop plants. Here in this valley, lying between two ranges of mountains, about seventy miles apart -the Pacific Coast mountains and the Cascade range -is the chief centre of the Washington Territory hop plantations. The adjacent White Valley, which is longer and wider than the Puzallup Valley, has also a fair plantation of hops, which the settlers have every intention of increasing. It is stated that these two val-pleasant twang characterizes the produce of leys could produce more hops than are at present grown in the whole of the States, if labor could be obtained to pick them. At present the picking is done by American Indians, who come down the rivers in their canoes at picking time, with their wives and families and all their belongings, to make peaceful raids upon hop lands, instead of the

As the plantations extend, the picking will be more costly, and in time, unless circumstances alter materially, the difficulty of getting the picking done at all will stay further increase of the acreage. With regard to the quality of those hops, it appears from samples we have examined that they are very strong and rich. The color was not brilliant, and there was room for improvement in respect of the management, while the odor peculiar to all American hops was perceptible. This may diminish as the plantations get older, though this has not happened in the other hop-growing districts of the United States. The same un

the oldest American hop grounds as much as
it did thirty years ago, and it is thought it will
cling to those of Washington Territory in the
same manner. From this some consolation
may be extracted by those who feel the com-
petition of America, and of these new western
plantations.
Maidstone Journal.

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From The National Review.

preme importance. No scrap of anything of the kind has as yet been found, and it does not say much for the courage and skill of the gentlemen who provide portable little treasures of antiquity for tourists to the Holy Land, that they have not undertaken some magnum opus of Davidic

ARCHEOLOGICAL FRAUDS IN PALESTINE. FROM the quarterly statements of the Palestine Exploration Fund, and from several other sources, those who are interested in such matters, without being specialists, have been made aware that antiquities coming from the Holy Land or pre-Davidic times. The discovery of are not altogether above suspicion. They have learned, too, that while certain names constantly recur in connection with the discovery or ownership of doubtful ob. jects, there is one name which has been made to stand out very prominently in their detection, that of M. Clermont GanThis gentleman has recently published a book, full of interest, entitled "Les Fraudes Archéologiques en Palestine." Had the author's attitude towards other discoverers and learned men been the reverse of what it is, the book would have been a delightful one.

neau.

There are many desiderata in connection with Israelite archæology. Some authentic inscription, for instance, of the time of King David would be a great acquisition. Hieroglyphic inscriptions of a much earlier date abound. The Hittite ancestors of Bathsheba's former husband are mentioned in inscriptions which were nearly a thousand years old in David's time, and exist still. Without going to such antiquity as that, it is quite clear that if the genius of the Israelites had run in the direction of inscriptions, there is no assignable reason why Israelite inscriptions of the time of David and Solomon, or of the more archaic times of Samuel, or even of Moses, should not be found. There is nothing in the nature of stones -of the right kind of stones, that is to say to render it impossible for the two tables of the law to be in existence still, and still legible. Indeed, the absence of early Israelite inscriptions needs explana tion more than the existence of a considerable number of such inscriptions would do. A race which was always being told how their greatest man, at the greatest crisis of his life, inscribed on stone the greatest moral and religious gift ever up to that time given to mankind, would naturally be prone to resort to that honored method of preserving any record of su

the Moabite stone, which has quickened the forgery trade, has also impeded it. The forgers are not even yet familiar with the Phoenician alphabet, and they dare not venture beyond a few letters. They know, too, that even tourists in the Holy Land will not now buy antiques with inscriptions in modern alphabets; Cook's conductors know better than that. A few years ago there were no such annoying complications, and the forger's course was clear and easy. A certain horde of coins of Moses had a great success in the prescientific days of a short generation ago. They bore square Hebrew letters, it is true; but that was not in those times a very grave objection, except with the few. On the other hand, they had undoubted marks of great antiquity, which every tourist could appreciate, such as a pair of ram's horns on the bust of Moses which adorned one side of the coin, and real extracts from Moses's writings on the other side. These well-known characteristics of Mosaic coins were found to be very convincing.

An inscription of Moses's time, indeed of Moses's own construction, was produced, it is true, about thirteen years ago. It was said to have been found at Madeba, about forty-five miles east of Jerusalem, but its provenance was not traced further back than M. Shapira's curiosity shop in Jerusalem. Madeba probably suggested itself as a proper place for an inscription when the first rumor of the Moabite stone at Dhiban was heard, for Dibon and Medeba are mentioned together, each for the first time, in an archaic verse in Numbers (xxi. 30); and as that verse tells of Moses's victories, the evident subject for an inscription at Madeba was a victory of Moses. M. Shapira had himself deciphered and translated the inscription. Priority of importance over the Moabite stone itself was claimed for it, a fact