Science,Art, And The Drama.

Science , Art , and the Drama .

' METALLIC MUSIC . A property has been discovered in metals of a remarkable nature—that , under certain circumstances , they will produce their own music , and sing in such a style as to surprise the listener . The thing was discovered in a curious way by Mr . Schwartz , an inspector of smelting works in Saxony . He had melted some silver in a ladle , and being impatient for it to cool , turned out the mass , as soon as it solidified , on a cold iron anvil , when , to

his astonishment , musical tones came from it , similar , as he said , to those of an organ . A learned German professor visited the smelting works when the experiment was repeated . He heard the sounds , and noticed that they were accompanied by vibrations in the lump of silver , and that when these ceased the sounds ceased also . Twenty-five years later the same phenomenon was discovered , but in a different way , near the foot of the

Cheviots . Mr . Arthur Trevelyan was engaged in spreading pitch with a hot p lastering iron , and observing in one instance that the iron was too hot , he laid it , in a slanting position , against a block of lead which happened to be at hand . Shortly afterwards he heard a shrill note . His attention was attracted to the hot iron , which he found to be in a state of vibration , and thus discovered the origin of this strange music . Here was something

to set an ingenious mind at work . Mr . Trevelyan , having asked the advice of Dr . Reid , of Edinburgh , set himself to discover the cause of the music . He made a number of careful experiments , during which he ascertaine 1 that a " rocker , " as he called it , brought out the loudest and clearest notes , and he described his' proceedings so well that they were published in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh . The

rocker here mentioned is an instrument bearing some resemblance to the bevelled soldering-iron used by tinmen . Imagine a piece of brass , four inches long , somewhat like the outer half of a broad , old-fashioned sash-bar , with a thin groove passing from end to end of its narrowest edge , and with a slim , straight handle of the same metal , terminating in a knob , and you have the rocker . Prof . Faraday next took up the subject , and

made it the theme of a lecture , which he delivered at the Royal Institution , embodying an explanation of the phenomenon . He confirmed Mr . Trevelyan ' s view as to the tones being due to an alternate expansion and contraction caused by the heat . This it is that sets the rocker vibrating , and , according to the rapidity or slowness of the vibrations , such is the pitch of the tone . The particular way in which the expansion takes place

is that the groove in the edge of the rocker makes it a double edge , and whenever the heated rocker is placed resting on a mass of lead , a couple of little prominences or hills rise up , immediately under the points of contact , being the natural effect of expansion caused by heat . At the same moment the rocker begins to vibrate , and no sooner is one side raised than the hill on that side suddenly sinks , owing to the rapid absorption of its heat by the

surrounding mass of lead . The consequence is , that the rocker descends through a greater distance than it rose , whereby the other edge being raised , the same effect is produced on the opposite side ; and thus the vibrations continue as long as there is a sufficient difference of temperature between the two metals . Although there does not appear to be any way of turning these experiments to a practical use , they are of much importance

in a scientific point of view . Dr . Tyndall repeated the experiments at the Royal Institution , and extended them to other substances besides metals , finding in all of them a confirmation of Professor Farady ' s views , and proving , what had been denied , that a tone can be produced by two metals of the same kind in contact ; for instance , silver on silver , or copper on copper . In this case , however

thc silver or copper rocker is made to rest on a very thin slip of the same metal held in a vice . Agates , and some other gems , rock crystal , fluor spar , fossil-wood , glass and earthenware , will also give out tones to a heated rocker—the only condition of success appearing to be a clear and even edge in the substance under experiment . Among this class of substances , rock salt exhibits extraordinary effects . Desirous of trying this

mineral , Dr- Tyndall placed a partially cooled rocker on a mass of it , when , as he writes , "to my astonishment a deep musical sound commenced immediately ; the temperature of the rocker being at the time far below that of boiling water , and when the singing ended , was scarcely above blood heat . " In this case , the want of an edge appears to be of no importance , for " when the heated rocker was laid on a large boulder-shaped mass

of salt , it commenced to sing immediately . I scarcely know a substance , " adds Dr . Tyndall , " metallic or non-meiallic , with which vibrations can be obtained with greater ease and certainty than with this mineral . " Now , here is something to furnish occupation for evening hours , the experiments being such as may be tried by the fireside , and even in the drawing room . A commencement may be made in a rough way by heating a poker and

placing it with the knob resting on a table and the heated end on a block of cold lead . The singing will at once be heard . Rockers of various kinds may next be introduced , made , as we have described , and placed so as to rest horizontall y during the experiment . Wilh a hand vice , such as will fasten to the edge of a table , after the manner of a lady ' s pin-cushion , the thinnest slips of metal may be securely held while testing their quality . The effect , too , may be tried of pressing slightly with a knitting needle on the

back of the rocker immediately above the groove ; it will be found that a whole octave of tones may be produced by varying the pressure , the lowest with least pressure , and shrillest with the highest . Perphaps , after all , there may be more in the music of the spheres than a dream of poets or philosophers . We have all heard how that the statue of Memnon used to s , n g in the morning sunbeams , and who shall say that out of the experiments we have suggested may not come a musical instrument on which '' cat shall be the only performer . Wind will then have a rival .

MEDALLISTS IN THE REIGN OF JAMES I . . We shall now give a briel account ot a few of the medallists of this reign . The first graver we meet is Charles Antony , to whom Sir Thomas Kiiyvet , Master of the Mint in the second year of the king ' s reign , paid by * , " £ -1 ° lor gold and workmanship , for graving an offering piece of gold , Antony having then the title of the king ' s graver . It is a thin plate , arger than a crown piecerepresenting King James on his throne . It is of

, very neat workmanship . It is thought that the same person made the ? £ m ,, ' 4 on the peace with Spain , and that he continued in office till 020 . l here was a warrant to a brother called Thomas Antony , " curator ! onetue et sigillorutn regis ad cudendum magnum sigillurn pro episcopatu et

Science,Art, And The Drama.

comitatu paiatino Dunedin 1617 . " Thomas Bushell was probably a medallist of the same age . It is mentioned on the minutes of the Antiquarian Society , 1737 , that Mr . Compton produced a gold medal larger than a crown piece ; on one side Lore ! Chancellor Bacon , in his hat and robes , with this legend—Bacon Vicecs . Set . Alb . Anglia ; Cancell . On the reverse—Thomas Bushell . Nicholas Briot was a native of Lorraine , and graver of

the mint to the King of France , in which kingdom he was the inventor , or , at least , one of the first proposers of coining money by a press , instead of the former manner of hammering . We transcribe the titles of some memorials against this novel invention , from whence , we may conclude , a literary controversy was carried on in France , to which , according to custom , the innovation was objected to , as probably interfering with the abuses of which they were in prescriptive possession .

"Raisons de Nicolas Briot , tailleur et graveur des monoyes de France , pour rendre et faire toutes les monoyes du royaume , a l'advenir uniformes et semblables , & c . " " Les remonstrances faites par la" cour des monoyes , contre la nouvelle invention d ' une presse , ou machine pour fabriquer les monoyes , proposee par Nicolas Briot 1618 . "

" Examen d ' un avis presentc au conseil de sa" majeste 1621 , pour la reformation des monoyes par Nicolas Briot , compose par Nicolas Coquerel . " This Coquerel was geueralis monetaritts , or pope of the mint , into which the reformation was to be introduced . The Luther , Briot , we mav

suppose , miscarried , as we soon afterwards find him in the service of the Crown of England , where projectors were more favourably received . From these circumstances we may conclude he arrived in the reign of King James , though he did not make his way to Court before the accession of King Charles , the patron of genius . Briot ' s first public work was a medal of that Prince , exhibited with artist ' s name and the date 1658 .

THE THAMES A SALMON RIVER . Less than a century ago the salmon , king of fishes , was found in the river Thames . There is evidence to show that in earlier times it was common in that stream . Since then Father Thames has been badly treated ; about 30 years back the water became so charged with sewage and the refuse of factories , that it was poisonous not only to fish but to the dwellers

on its banks . The upper Thames remained clean , it is true ; but this was of no moment to the salmon , whose instincts make them visit the sea at stated times . So the fish ceased to appear in the metropolitan river . With improved methods of dealing with the sewage , and by the aid of stringent laws against other sources of pollution , the Thames is comparatively clean ; and it is believed that the salmon could now live in its waters .

THE AVENUE THEATRE . We have much pleasure in offering our congratulations to Mr . Weedon Grossmith on the continued success of " The Night of the Party , " which has now exceeded its 100 th performance . The talented artist is the author of the comedy in which he takes the leading part . He has achieved the success which attends those who have the courage to wait for it . He is better

remembered for his appearances in " A Pantomime Rehearsal " and " The New Boy . " The last brought him into prominent notice . For lack of dramatic material , without which no actor can succeed , it occurred to him to provide himself with a play and a part . Hence the " Night of the Party , " which has deservedly found favour with the general public .

GENERAL NOTES . Mrs . Patrick Campbell will re-open the Royalty Theatre on Saturday , the 7 th prox ., with the revival of "The Second Mrs . Tanqueray . " Mr . Seymour Hicks will be seen in a Christmas piece at the Vaudeville , and later , in 1902 , he will appear there with Miss Ellaline Terriss in an American farce , entitled , " On the Ouiet . "

Mr . Tree re-opens Her Majesty ' s on the 22 nd October with Mr . Clyde Fitch ' s modern comedy of Manners , " The Last of the Dandies , " the cast of which will include , with himself , Mrs . Tree and Miss Lily Hinbury .

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