The Swansea Gazette and Daily Shipping Register

-I Swansea Harbour Trust. Weekly Trade Report. Officially Communicated. Bad weather and the holidays during the past week had a more detrimental effect on the trade of the port than is usual. Com- pared with the corresponding week of last year there is a lops of 88,000 tons. In all departments dulness ruled. There is some prospect of improvement in the near future. The list of vessels to load general cargo is larger than ever previously. The shipment of coal andjpatent fuel were 48,870 tons. Imports include--Sweden 200 tons gen., Gesmany 196 tons general, Holland and Belgium 170 tons clay and 750 tons general France 1892 tons pitwood, 100 tons general and 1420 tons iron ore, Spain 640 tons pit- wood, Chili 750 tons copper proddce, New York 470 tons general, Mexico 279 tons cop- per and 571 tons copper matte. Imports 12,463 tons, exports 52,722 tons and total trade 65,185 tons compared with 89,734 tons the previous week and 108,097 tons the corresponding week last year. Shipments of coal were -Sweden 655 tons. Batoum and Odessa 200 tons, Ger- many 2720 tons, France 28,450 tons, Spain 1610 tons, Portugal 785 tons, Italy 5800 tons, Baltimore 1100 tons, Savannah 500 tons, Home ports 5820 tons, total 41,640 tons. Patent fuel-France 4280 tons, Italy 2500 tons, total 5730 tons. Tinplates and general goods 4,852 tons, the latter for Sweden, Denmark, Russia Germany, France. Spain, Italy and hozae ports. Shipments of tinplate 51,982 boxes, and receipts from works 52,574 boxes. Stocks in the dock warehouses and vans, 176,992 boxes compared with 176,360 boxes this day week and 181,686 boxes at this date last year To load-Juno and Veghtstroom for Amsterdam, Milo for Rotterdam, Apollo & Tasso far Antwerp, steamer for Hambur > Karin for Copenhagen and Stettin, Thetis for Nantes and Bordeaux, Avon for Alex- andria, Gascon for Liqbon and Oporto, Pavia and Venedotian for Mediterranean ports, Brooklyn City for New York, Marima for Rio de Janeiro, Kaisow for Japanse pts. Vessels in dock-Steam 49; sail 84; tot il 85.

FOREIGN ARRIVALS AND MOVEMENTS OF LOCAL VESSELS o Cito s arrived Dantzic from Swansea 15 City of Cadiz a arrived Hamburg from S'sea 27 Albert Zelck s arrived Stettin from Swansea 27 Start s arrived Rouen from Swansea 28 Portilade s arrived Rouen from Swansea 28 Fraternity s arrived Rouen from Swansea 28 Dot s arrived Cherbourg from Swansea 21 River Fisher s arrived Cherbourg from Swansea 25 1'1 Ogono s araived Rochefort from Swodsaa 26 Dogfield s arrived Marseilles from Swansea 26 City of Belfast s arrived Hamburg from Swansea 29 Jason s arrived Bordeaux from Swansea 29 Canganian s arrived Valencia from Swansea 29 Joannis & arrived Venice from Swansea 26 Segontian s arrived Marseilles from Swan- sea 29 Carrara s arrived Naples from Swansea 28 Stella s arrived Spezzia from Swansea 23 Lamia L s arrived Spezzia from Swansea 28 Ruth s paseed Holtenau from Swansea 29 Ulla Boog s passed Brumsbuttel from S'sea 29 Louise s tr arrived Lisbon from Swansea 28 Riva s arrived Leghorn from Swaneea 29 Dora Retzllaf s arrived Algiers from Swan- sea 28 Ruth s arrived Stettin from Swansea 81 Mauranger s arrived Alicante from Swansea 23 Fernside s arrived Torre Annuniziata from Swansea 29 Corso s arrived Algiers from Swansea 1 Wells City s arrived New York from Swan- sea 8 Orne s arrived Trouville from Swansea. 2 Boileau s arrived St Nazaire from Swansea 1

Local Chartering. Barcelona 7/8, Azira, Heard and Co Caen 4/6, Burton, M Depeaux Caen. 4/6, Marrie, E W Cook and Co Chantenay, 4.75frs Johanna, Cie Blanzy Cherpourg, 4/9, Taycraig, P H Coward and Sns Dieppe, 4/ it Start, E. W. Cook and Co Rohen, 4/9, Edward Williams, M Depeaux

Mother: "Tommy, wftats your little CroMtx trying about?" Tommy: "'Cauae I'm eattoo a cake an' won't give him any." Mother, of his own cake banished t" Tommy: Yealim; W he cried while I was eatin' that, too." A patient in a hospital had to be fed oa a daily diet of egg and port wine. His physician I asked him how he liked it. "It would be all light, doctor," he said, "if the egg was as new to the port, and the port as old as the egg." Wife: "Oh, dearl The cook says she is going Id leave, and she has been here only two dam Husband: "It's all your own fault, Maria. YOB movor will learn how to manage servants. Why, tty mother once kept a cook nearly a month." Hostess: "Now, Mr. Spooner, won't rem afakr us something?" Spooner (modestly): "Oh. I shouldn't like to—after all those good singers. Hostess (wishing to put him at his ease): Alk bat we like a change sometimes, Mr. Spooner I I From the grammatical standpoint," said the lair maid with the lofty forehead, "which do I Mm consider correct: I had rather go home' or I would rather go home'?" "Neither," promptly answered the young man. I'd maflll Vather stay here." Does your wife take any interest in current politics?" asked the earnest woman. No," re- plied Mr. Farmon, "she don't. But if it's cur- rant jelly or currant pie, why, I believe sha aould tell you more things about 'em than yo* arer dreamt of." The Doctor: "Well, Mrs. Barnes, I must offer pea my congratulations. I hear you've married again. And have you given up your occupation at washing?" Mrs. Barma: "Oh, no, sir. But. Co see, if I 'adn'fc taken 'e, I'd 'a' 'ad to 'a tight a donkey They had been engaged for fully thirty minutes fcy the cuckoo clock. I have a surprise in stoia lor you, Alfred, dear," she said. I can 000k «a | well as I can play the piano." "That being the ease, darling," he replied, "we had better live in a boarding-house." He said he -<)isid lay the earth at my feet," rmia the sentimental giri. "Yes," an. awered Miss Cayenne, it sounds good, but it is not practical. You already have the earth at your feet. What you want is a three c* fouE- afeotey house over your head." Host: "I'm sorry to send you out in such Mustering night as this, old fellow." Guestf "It is raining pretty hard. I say, couldn't yo* lend me your umbrella?" Host: "Certainly; and--er-I think I'll walk jome with you on off A reailj need a little exercise." I

SCIENCE NOTES AND NEWS. NEW ELECTRIC FURNACE. Ba order to determine the points of fusion Off Jafraotory substances. W C. Heraeus has COD. rivueted at Hanau a new electric fu-naoe, tht aeaeatial part of which, says an American papel •onsists of a tube of iridium 20 millimeters tnioc and 40 millimeters in diameter and in which temperatures between 1,500deg. ind 2,000deg. Centigrade may be maintained for any desired length of time. To attain a temperature of I,OOOdeg. it is Tecessary to send through the tutfe an electric current of 1,200 amperes at 5 volfca At a certain temperature the iubstance under examination oegins to soften, and at a tempera. ture 5deg. to 15 deg. higher, depending upon tilt nature of the substance, complete fusion oesurs.

Tlu^ CAUSE OF SLEEP. Sir William Gowers, the famous medical aoiefr tiat, has developed a new theory of sleep. According to his explanation the suspension of oonsciousnees in sleep is probably due to 4 break and make" action among the brain eells. The activity of the brain is considered to be due to nerve cells, from which spring nerwa eords that go on dividing and eub-dividing, antil they terminate in little knobs. Forwerlp it was believed that the nerve ceils t-f "he brMS were in permanent connection by means of theiP terminals; but now it appears that these are only in opposition, and capable of being sepa- rated. The hypothesis is that during sleep suefc separation takes place, and the fact that na* ootic substances are capable of inducing sleep » held 1A-> support this ^iew

"ELECTRIC STEEL" IN GERMANY. The Heroult electric process for thA produe tion of steei 11" now in practical operation at Remscheid Haston in Germany, and it is re- ported +* t the steel produced is much superior in many ways to that made by older methods. Steel of great purity and homogeneous quality is made from ordinary scrap-iren rubbish, melted, and then subjected to the action of an electric oven, in which the necessary carbon, manganese, nickel and other substances requ d to produce steel of various qualities are added to the liquid metal. The oven has a capacity of <rom one and one-half to two tons, and is heated by a current of 100 volts. The new steel is said to be stronger and resistant to wear and tear than the old-fashioned crucible steel.

MEASURING THE INFINITE Of all the sciences, astronomy, probably, is the Host impressive and awe-inspiring Th. space within the confines of the solar systc^n 4 which earth is part, and the outermost known membef of which is nearly 3,000,000.000 miles from the oentre, is but a drop in the ocean of space. We think -if and measure distances on earth in terms of an inch or a yard or a mile. The smallest yard-stick, so to speak, with which the astro- nomer measures distance in the universe is the semi-diameter of the earth's orbit, roughly speaking, 93,000,000 miles. Such figure* are of very little use to the ordinary person, but they may serve, says the Tutorial Magazine, to give some notion of the grandeur of that human intel- lect which can unravel and systematise the mys- teries of the stars

THE ORIGIN OF GUNPOWDER. The Chinese have long heen credited with tho, Invention of gunpowder, but Professor E. O. ▼On Lippmann, of Halle, haa collected evidence to indicate that this is a mistake, and that the Arabians did not, as commonly stated, introduoe gunpowder into Europe during the eighth and ninth centuries. Professor von Lippmann be- lieves that the manufacture of the first gun- powder was based upon the Fire-book" of Greecus, which appeared in Constant* nopfr about the middle of the thirteenth ce ar- tery. Thia was the source from which Roget Bacon, Albertus Magnus, and Thomaa Aquinas derived their knowledge of gunpowder. The first Me of gunpowder to drive projectiles is ascribed be a monk, BerLold Schwarz, whose discovery was made accidentally while preparing the JIIIÎII. tare for medicinal purposes.

FACTS ABOUT BUILDING STONN. Almost everybody knows the rule of the maaona that stone used in 'ouilding should be of placed that it will lie as it lay in its natural bed when quarried. But Mr. Francis W. Hoyt, is the Engineering Newt, says that this familial rule is not always to be depended upon, and needs in many cases to be supplemented with other precautions. There are three planes 01 fracture known to quarry men. The rift" is the direction in which the stone splits mod easily; the grain" that which is next easiesti the head" that which offers the greatest re sistance. In a paving-block the two Mdee repre- sent the rift fracture the top and bottom the grain, and the ends the head. But in a ttae natural bed is sometimes considerably fMt alined to the plane of the rift; hence the im perfection of the z.ry rulf for placing the vfcoae in buildt