4 NATURAL SCIENCE. Jan.. 



the attitude of the single-hearted devotee of science. Fellowships 

 may have a value in commercial circles ; but no number of them can 

 raise the reputation of a master among his colleagues, either in his 

 own country or abroad. 



FONA OR FUDDLEITE. A NeW MiNERAL. 



In Mrs. French-Sheldon's entertaining volume, " Sultan to 

 Sultan," in which she records her expedition to Kilima-njaro, there 

 are given (p. 324) two analyses, which we have in vain endeavoured 

 to understand. They are the work of the Royal College of 

 Science, where they were made " through the joint courtesy of 

 Professor Judd and Professor T. E. Thorpe, February 22, 1892." 

 The signature of " T. E. Thorpe " is placed beneath each of them. 

 We beg" to quote the formula for the former, which is called " salt 

 stone," as a New Year's puzzle to our readers : — 



2Na,0 3 W24IO. 



The mineral, on the strength of this formula, is said to be 

 "simply a liydrated sesquicarbonate of soda." Simply that ! Where 

 has the tungsten come from, and whither has the carbon gone ? How 

 does Professor Thorpe square 4^ O with the atomic theory ? And 

 what is the meaning of Nag°, which figures in both analyses ? 



The second analysis is of a substance called " Tobacco stone," 

 and this seems to be a more complex material, as it is called by Pro- 

 fessor Thorpe " fona, mixed with the carbonate of lime and magnesia, 

 a trace of common salt and clay." There is 29-92 per cent, of nagging 

 soda and only 30-48 of carbon dioxide ; so, apparently, this up-to- 

 date alkali is satisfied with such a remarkably small proportion of 

 acid that even out of this 30 per cent, it can spare some for the 

 magnesia and lime. If this had been an ordinary compound there 

 must have been a fine scramble for the carbon dioxide between the 

 soda, lime, and magnesia. 



Professor Thorpe very justly gives a new name to the material 

 which has yielded these quaint analyses, for we cannot find " fona " 

 in any mineralogical index. As the word is twice repeated, it can 

 hardly be a misprint, though it has a certain resemblance to trona. 

 Fuddleite would, perhaps, have been a more appropriate name. 

 Would some chemist kindly let us know whether the analysis 

 appears clear to him, though we hardly like to invite anyone to a 

 task which has given us cause to doubt our own sanity ? Perhaps 

 some interpreter of dreams and expounder of oracles will tell us that 

 in place of " Signed, T. E. Thorpe," there ought to be substituted 

 " Signed, T, E. Thorpe, revised and emended by M. French-Sheldon." 



The \'ivisection Problem: Self-Help or Laissez-faire? 



The Anti-vivisectionists have been bestirring themselves of late. 

 They have had a meeting and made many speeches. They have 



