Miscellany: Number Nine. Nature of Wit. An Ancient Humorist. Star-depths. [pp. 278-279]

278
J!rL~~CLLIAWY. [SEPTEMBER 7,
bas long been among thu rno~t important of
the mechanical problems; and this method of
employing detached springs seems to be a
simple and effective means of securing this
result.
For the satisfactory determination of certain questions regarding the chemical and
physical constitution of sea-water it is often
important that the water be procured from different aiid known depths. To effect this end,
an ingenious contrivance bas lately been devised. This consists of a heavy metal tank,
into which is a single opening, closed by a
valve, so adjusted that it can be opened or
closed by an electro-magnet. This is put in
operation by an electric current, generated in
a battery upon the ship's deck, and conducted
to the magnet below through insulated wires
incorporated into the cable by which the tank
is lowered. By this means the tank can be
filled at any distance below tbe surface, the
measure of depth being determined by the
length of cable paid out.
A correspondent, writing to the ~ra'~qist?
Oircuter, gives tbe following results of an interesting experiment in growing grasses and
small plants upon a sponge
Having first thoroughly cleaned a large
oval sponge with a flat base, he placed it upon
the wire screen that served as a cover for bis
aquarium. The grass and other seeds having
been gently sprinkled over tbe porous surface
of the sponge-which was kept moist by the
vapor arising from beneath-took root and
grew vigorously. By this means the beauty
of the aquarium was greatly increased. At the
same time a new and attractive ~eld for home
research and recreation was opened.
An interesting fact, and one i]lustrating the
intimate relation and dependence existing between departments of industry differing widely
in cbaracter and purpose, is brought to notice
in a recent report on the copper-mines of the
Pacific slope. It appears that a largely-increased demand for this metal has lately been
created by the needs of those engaged in the
manufacture of the tin cans used for preserving fruit, vegetables, etc., though the only service rendered by the copper is in the form of
soldering-irons. When it is remembered that
these cans are seldom used a second time for
the same purpose, the extent of this new industry becomes more directly apparent.
It is stated that Mr. Z. S. Durfee, agent for
the Bessemer process, has examined the IronMountain iron, as produced at Carondelet, and
pronounced it "the best iron in the world"
for the purpose of Bessemer steel. Should
this prove to be a fact, there is every prospec~
of a great advance in the manufacture of this
steel at the West. We learn, also, that a new
and decided advance has been lately made in
Cincinnati in the operations of the Danks
puddling-furnaces, as it has been found that
the molten iron from the blast-furnace may be
run directly into the puddling-furnaces thus
avoiding the necessity of casting into pigs and
subsequent reheating.
Dr. Le Juge reports, regarding the venomous fish known throughout the Indian Ocean
as the "Laffe," that there is located, at the
base of each of the thirteen spines which project from the dorsal fin, a small bag of poison,
in the form of a liquid, similar to the venom of
the snake. This finds its way to the wound
through two deep grooves, leading from the
base to the extremity of the spine, and the
poison apparatus comes into action when the
fish is seized or trodden upon. Though less
active than snake-poison, the effects are analogous, and the wound should be treated in a
similar way. Should this be neglected, the
results may prove fatal.
Those engaged in the manufacture of maple-sugar are aware of the fact that the flow of
the sap varies with the state of the weather-a
season in which the nights are cool and the
days warm being the most favorable to a large
yield. This result has been explained on the
theory that, during the cool nights, the sweet
juices in the tree-cells are contracted thus
causing a vacuum, which is at once filled by a
fresh supply fi-om the roots. The warmth of
the morning sun, however, reverses this action, causing the confined sap to expand, and
thus forcing it the more rapidly from any artificial outlet that may be accessible.
The French Budget Commission has placed
to the credit of the Minister of Public Instruction one hundred thousand francs, "to be appropriated to the collection of the special instruments necessary for the observation of the
transit of Venus," which is to take place on
December 8, 1874.
~i~~f ( ~nii~.
Number Nine.
HE most romantic of all nuinbers is figure
nine, because it can't be multiplied away
or got rid of anyhow. Whatever you do, it is
as sure to turn up again as was the body of
Eugene Aram's vietlin. One remarkable property of this figure (said to have been first dis31]covered by W. Green, who died in 1794) is,
that all through tbe multiplication-table the
product of nine comes to nine. Multiply by
what you like and it gives the same result.
Begin with twice nine, 18; add the digits together and 1 and 8 make 9. Three times nine
are 27; and 2 and 7 make 9. So it goes on, up
to eleven times nine, which gives 99. Very
good; add the digits; 9 and 9 are 18 and 8
and 1 are 9. Going on to any extent it is impossible to get rid of figure 9. Take a couple
of instances at random. Three hundred and
thirty-nine times nine are 3051; add up the
figures and they give 9. Five thousand and
seventy-one times nine are 45639 the sum of
these digits is 27; and 2 and 7 are 9.
M. de Maivan found out another queer thing
ah out this number-namely, that if you take
any row of figures, and, reversing their order,
make a subtraction-sum of it' the total is sure
to be 9. For example:
Take 5071
Reverse the figures 1705
3866 = 18, and 1 + 8 = 9.
The same result is obtained if you raise the
numbers so changed to their squares or cubes.
Starting with 62, begin the sum over again.
By reversing the digits we get 26, which, subtracted from 62, leaves 36, or 3 + 6 = 9. The
squares of 26 and 62 are, respectively, 676 and
3844. Subtract one from the other and you
get 3168 = 18, and 1 + 8 = 9. So with the
cubes of 26 and 62, which are 17576 and 238328.
Subtracted, they leave 220752 = 18, and 1 + 8
- 9.
The powerfully be-nime influence of this
figure is exemplified in another way. Write
down any number, as, for example, 7549132,
subtract therefrom the sum of its digits, and
no matter what figures you start with the
digits of the product will always come to 9.
7549132 = sum of digits 31.
31
7549101 = sum of digits 27, and 2 + 7 = 9.
A very good puzzle has been based on this
principle, as follows: Get another person to
write down a horizontal row of figures, as
many as he likes, without letting you see what
he is about from beginning to end of the whole
performance. He is then to reckon up the
sum of the digits, and subtract that from his
row of figures. When he has done this bid
him cross out any figure be pleases from the
product, and tell you how much the fi~nres
add up, without the crossed-out figure. From
the numbers so given you will be able to tell
what figure he has crossed out, by only beann
in mind the fact learned above-namely, that
if no figure at all had been crossed out, the result would necessarily be 9 or a multiple of 9.
Hence you will see that the crossed-out figure
must needs be t~s one req~ired to ~riThg tWe suni
~ven to tiLe next m~ttipte of 9. Supposing, for
instance, he gives his result at 37, you may be
sure that he has robbed the product of 8, that
being the figure needed to restore the total to
the next multiple of 9-namely, 45. His sum
would stand as under:
405678237 = sum of digits 42.
42
405678195 = 37
There is only one case in which you can be
at fault, and that is in the event of a multiple
of 9 being returned to you as a product. Of
course, then, you will know that ejtker a 9 or a
0 must have been struck out. Had the 9 been
struck out in the above instance the result
would have been 36: had it been the 0 the
product would have been 45. Both being multiples of 9, it would be impossible to tell with
certainty whether the missing figure were 9 or
0; but a good guess may generally be formed
because, if the figures appear suspiciously low
in proportion to the time taken to tot up the
sum, you may speculate that your product has
most likely sustained the loss of the highest
number.
Nature of Wit.
Wit is often an unprofitable gift, for the
dull people of the world look with suspicion
upon the witty man, who often makes me~
epro~os speeches rather than lose what he considers a good thing. Queen Elizabeth, seeing
Sir Edward Dyer walking in her garden, called
to him "What does a man think of Sir Edward, when he thinks of nothing?" referring
to his work entitled "The Praise of Nothing."
He, smarting under supposed neglect, answered, "He thinks, ma dam, of a woman's
promise." Lord Bacon after relating this
anecdote adds that "anger makes dull men
witty, but it keeps them poor." In later
times, Thomas Warton paid a dear price for a
joke. On one occasion, a fellow of Trinity
College, Oxford who was not remarkable for
wisdom, while reading the service, came to
Psalm lxix. 5, "Lord, thou knowest my simpleness." Warton, who sat below him, whispered, "Why, that is known to everybody."
Soon afterward the office of president became
vacant and Warton was obliged to canvass
this man for the casting vote. The answer he
received was, "No, I am not so simple as that
neither" and Warton lost his election. It is
curious to remark on the various classes that
have been the butts of witticisms. The olds27;1385;6]jest-books are full of jokes aimed against the
monks; but now very few have the clergy for
their subject, and those that have are mostly
of a good-natured character. The clergy themselves have usually been quite equal to the
task of holding their own in wit - combats.
What can be finer than the following anecdote
of a witty archbishop: One day Dr. Whately
was walking with a young officer of artillery,