638 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



tory, India, is going to the Maldive Islands, where totality lasts 4 min. 10 sec. 

 as against 3 min. 42 sec. at Christmas Island, but with the sun only 34° above 

 the horizon. Finally, an Australian expedition may observe from CunnamuUa, 

 South Queensland, the terminus of a railway from Brisbane. 



We have received the second edition of Sir J. J. Thomson's Rays of 

 Positive Electricity and their Application to Chemical Analysis from Messrs. 

 Longmans, Green & Co. (price 165. net.), and the third edition of J. A. 

 Crowther's Ions, Electrons and Ionising Radiations from Arnold & Co. 

 (price 125, 6d. net). The first has been considerably extended by the inclu- 

 sion of an account of the advances made since 1913 — notably, of course, by 

 the work of Dr. Aston ; while Dr. Crowther has made additions in the sections 

 devoted to the X-ray spectra of the elements, and the theory of isotopes. 

 Further, the work of Rutherford during the last two years has set the nuclear 

 theory of the atom on a firm basis, and the whole book is now arranged from 

 this point of view. The fact that three editions of his book have been printed 

 since August 1919 is a sufficient indication of the usefulness of Dr. Crowther's 

 work, and with the two books lying side by side on the table one is forced to 

 comment on the excellent way in which Messrs. Arnold have done their part 

 in its production. 



We should like to draw attention to the Survey of the Present Status of the 

 Atomic Structure Problem, by David L. Webster and Leigh Page, published by 

 the National Research Council, Washington, D.C. [Bulletin No. 14). Written 

 largely from the view-point of the Lewis-Langmuir theory of the arrangement 

 of the electrons, it contains an admirable account of the latest speculations 

 concerning the structure and dynamics of the atom and, being issued at 75 

 cents, will probably be welcomed by those who have resolved not to purchase 

 books of this ephemeral character at the prices demanded by English 

 publishers. 



The second memorandum on the production of artificial fuel for motor 

 transport, issued by the Fuel Research Board, will not make satisfactory 

 reading for the multitude who hoped that the costs of motor transport 

 might be lessened by a vegetable fuel. The Board concludes that the 

 prospects of adding to our supplies of liquid fuel by the manufacture of alcohol 

 from materials grown in this country are very remote. Further, that the 

 production within the Empire of alcohol from materials containing sugar or 

 starch is only likely to be possible commercially in the near future in some of 

 the Dominions and Colonies, and then only on a sufficient scale to meet local 

 requirements. Such production could be accomplished owing to — 



(a) The availability of molasses, now a waste product in many places. 

 [h) The possibiUty of growing vegetable substances giving a high yield per 

 acre combined with a relatively high starch content, such as cassava, sweet 

 potatoes and yams, (c) The comparatively cheap labour and production 

 costs, [d) Thehighcost and scarcity of other liquid fuels, {e) The relatively 

 small liquid fuel requirements. It is unlikely that alcohol could be produced 

 in the manner referred to above in excess of local needs and at a price, when 

 freight to seaboard and to this country is included, at which it would find a 

 market here. 



Synthetic production on a commercial scale in this country is also unlikely ; 

 it might be possible, however, in Canada and Australia. Finally, research 

 work for a process, either chemical or bacteriological, to produce alcohol 

 commercially from tropical vegetation or waste vegetable materials has not 

 yet reached the stage where its possible industrial application can be practi- 

 cally considered. The discovery of such a process, where locally applicable, 

 probably ofiers the best chance of a large-scale production of power alcohol 

 for export. 



Bulletin No. 5 of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research 

 contains an account of the work carried out by Dr. Alexander Scott, F.R.S., 



