The complaint is made that poetry is wanting in our era, and it has certainly disappeared from the postal service. One remembers that the postilion was for quite a while the favorite hero of our poets, the best of whom have sung to his praises, and given space to his melancholy thoughts of modern times in which he is pushed aside. It is too true that the post horn, formerly blown by a postilion, is now silenced, that the horse has not been able to keep up in the race with the world in its use of the steam horse, and yet how much poetry there is in that little post office all alone by itself on the Booby Island, that we have described--the sublimest poetry, that of love for mankind! The poet of the modern postal system has not yet appeared; but he will find plenty of material. He will be able to depict the dangers a postman passes through in discharging his duty on the field, he will sing the praises of those who are injured in a railroad disaster, and yet continue their good work. [Illustration: FIG. 23.--POST OFFICE ON BOOBY ISLAND.] [Illustration: FIG. 24.--BOSNIAN POST.] [Illustration: FIG. 25.--SWISS ALPINE POST IN WINTER.] [Illustration: FIG. 26.--SOLDIER POSTMAN OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.] He can also praise the noble thought of uniting the nations, which assumed its first tangible form in the world's mail. It will not be a sentimental song, but one full of power and indicative of our own time, in spite of those who scorn it.--_Translated for the Scientific American Supplement by Jenny H. Beach, from Neue Illustrirte Zeitung_. * * * * * ON NICKEL PLATING. By THOMAS T.P. BRUCE WARREN. The compound used principally for the electro-deposition of nickel is a double sulphate of nickel and ammonia. The silvery appearance of the deposit depends mainly on the purity of the salt as well as the anodes. The condition of the bath, as to age, temperature, and degree of saturation, position of anodes, strength of current, and other details of manipulation, which require care, cleanliness, and experience, such as may be met with in any intelligent workman fairly acquainted with his business, are easily acquired. In the present paper I shall deal principally with the chemical department of this subject, and shall briefly introduce, where necessary, allusion to the mechanical and electrical details connected with the process. At a future time I shall be glad to enlarge upon this part of the subject, with a view of making the article complete. A short time ago nickel plating was nearly as expensive as silver plating. This is explained by the fact that only a few people, at least in this country, were expert in the mechanical portions of the process, and only a very few chemists gave attention to the matter. To this must be added that our text-books were fearfully deficient in information bearing on this subject.