XVI .NOTES BY THE EDITOR 



obvious, the greater part of Mr. Meech's time, available during the 

 past year, lias been devoted to this object. The remaining discussions, 

 relative to the theory of climatic heat, of which this forms a part, are 

 yet in progress. It may here be stated, however, that, on computing 

 by this method the observations given in the translation of Kaemtz's 

 Meteorology, p. 150, Mr. Meech shows that out of one hundred rays 

 descending vertically from the zenith, twenty-two rays are lost or 

 absorbed in the atmosphere, and seventy-eight are transmitted to the 

 earth's surface. The same process applied to the mean of observa- 

 tions made with Herschel's actinometer, on the Faulhorn and at 

 Brientz, in Switzerland, leads to precisely the same result when 

 reduced to the sea level. 



The Scottish Meteorological Society offer a reward of twenty 

 pounds ($100) for the best essay on the following questions : 



1. Whether the amount of Rainfall in the western parts of Eu- 

 rope, and particularly in Scotland, is less now than it formerly was. 



2. Assuming this fact to be established, what are the most probable 

 causes of it ? 



With reference to the first of these questions, the Secretary of the 

 Society, A. Keith Johnson, says : 



" Notice may be taken of the popular belief that springs of water 

 have been gradually diminishing, or altogether drying up, especially 

 in amble districts ; and of the following statement in the Report of 

 the Registrar-General for England, for the quarter ending June, 

 Ib59 : * The deficiency in the fall of rain from the beginning of the 

 year is 1| inch. The deficiency in the years 1854. 1855, 1856, 1857, 

 1858, amounting to the average fall of one year, viz., 25 inches. 

 From a careful examination of the fall of rain (year by year) from 

 the year 1815, it would seem that the annual fall is becoming smaller, 

 and that there is but little probability that the large deficiency will 

 be made up by excess in future years.' 



" With reference to the second question, notice may be taken of 

 the supposed effects of deep drainage and deep culture of the soil, in 

 raising the temperature both of the soil and atmosphere, in lessening- 

 evaporation, and in diminishing the condensation of vapor." 



During the past year, Dr. W. Oclling, Secretary to the London 

 Chemical Society, has prepared an elementary text-book on chemistry 

 for the use of those lecturers and students who employ, or w T ish to 

 employ, the unitary system of chemistry, according to which the 

 molecule of water is represented by the formula IlsO. Water thus 

 becomes a unit of comparison, to which the majority of oxides, 

 hydrates, acids, salts, alcohols, ethers, etc., can be referred. More- 

 over, the anomaly of the vapor density of water is hereby obviated, 

 and its volume-equivalent made to correspond with that of other com- 

 pound bodies. This system has been made the basis of elementary 

 teaching by Professor Brodie, at the University of Oxford ; by the 



