German papers state that the French Government is at present considering the question of the use of white lead and other lead mixtures for painting houses. A committee of the Chamber of Deputies has been appointed to investigate the matter, and Mr. Breton, one of the experts, has been authorized to publish the results of his investigation in pamphlet form. He condemns the addition of white lead to paints and all colors containing it, declaring them to be poisonous in a large degree, both for the workmen and for the inhabitants of a house painted with lead colors. He recommends the use of zinc white instead, which, for surfaces exposed to the sea air, is also much more practicable. He expresses the opinion that the absolute disuse of white lead has become an imperative necessity.

Another step in the direction of technical education has been made in the city of Dresden in the establishment of a school for locomotive driver apprentices. The purpose of the new school, which is managed in connection with the Dresden Technical School, is to equip men who are to become locomotive drivers. The school is for apprentices between 25 and 30 years of age who are employed in the Dresden car shops. Among the subjects taught are German, arithmetic, graphics, and the mechanism of locomotives.

A despatch from Caribo, Maine, says that a guide who has returned from Tiboque, reports that Bald Mountain, in New Brunswick, has disappeared, its place being occupied by a lake of muddy water. The sinking of the mountain is supposed to be connected with the earthquake felt in New Brunswick and New England States recently. There have always been at the foot of the mountain springs of boiling water supposed to have a volcanic source. The guide's story is. confirmed by a number of woodsmen.

Wheatstone Bridge. A simple form of bridge was constructed by the writer in less than an hour's time, and a brief description, together with a sketch of it» will be given in another article.

Richard Guenther, IT. S. Consul-General, reports that interesting experiments are being conducted at the agricultural bacteriological station of Vienna. It is a well known fact that salts of iron are of great importance for the human system. The artificially prepared foods containing iron which are introduced into the human body have not always the desired effect because the quantities of iron contained therein, even if considerable, are not completely assimilated.

According to modern ideas, the human body may also supply its want of iron from vegetable foods, and it is expected that by increasing the quantity of iron in vegetables it will be possible to procure a natural means of supplying the human system with a nutriment rich in iron and easily assimilated. The first experiment was made with spinach, by adding hydrate of iron to the soil, The spinach grown from seed showed a percentage of iron seven times as great as ordinary spinach, without injury to the plant. This is considered a very favorable result, as the iron contents are perfectly sufficient for medicinal purposes and in a form which possesses none of the defects of the best artificial iron preparations. It is presumed that other ferruginous plants rich in iron will yield similar results, so that not only the science of medicine will be benefited but the gardeners will also find their cultivation a source of profit.