RAISON D'ETRE. 



As all its members are aware, this Association, following along the lines of 

 the British Association, has hitherto published the reports of its proceedings 

 in Annual Volumes. Owing to a large diminution in members, the Council 

 has carefully considered the ways and means of enlarging the Associations' 

 scope and of increasing its attractiveness. It was felt to be desirable not 

 only that members should be kept in closer and more constant touch with the 

 Association, but also that amongst those who are not yet members a wider 

 interest in scientific matters should be awakened. The advantage was. more- 

 over, recognised of establishing a link with and amongst the several scientific 

 institutions of this sub-continent, and it was thought that by such means 

 the Association would be enaliled to give that " stronger impulse to scientific 

 enquiry " which forms one of the root-ideas of its Constitution. After long 

 delijjeration, the Council decided, in promotion of the above objects, to 

 replace the Annual Report by a monthly Journal, and to entrust the editing 

 of the latter to Dr. C. F. Juritz. The present issue is the first tangible result 

 of the decision so arrived at. The express function of the Journal is therefore 

 that of stimulating Science in South Africa. As a monthly publication it 

 will give members all the value which the former annual volumes possessed 

 — for it is not intended to depart, in any essential feature, from the best 

 and most complete of those earlier volumes ; but, in addition, it will possess 

 the merit of placing in the hands of members nicest of the papers read at the 

 previous annual meeting, within a very much shorter time than had been 

 possible under the old conditions. 



TRANSACTIONS OF SOCIETIES. 



Institution of Electrical Engineers (Cape Town Section). — Monday, 

 August 9th : Prof. H. Bohle, M.I.E.E., President, in the chair. — " Elevators ": 

 A. Vaux- The author de.scribed various classes and types of elevators, 

 suggesting improvements in connection with their designing and installation, 

 and discussing briefly the possibility of their local manufacture. 



Chemical, Metallurgical and Mining Society of South Africa. — 

 Saturday, September iSth : A. McArthur Johnston, M.A., M.I.M.M., F.C.S., 

 President, in the chair. — " The small cyanide plant as erected and worked in 

 Rhodesia " : F. J. Thomas- Nearly a hundred of these have been installed 

 in the last ten years. Their construction and the method adopted for working 

 them was descrilied. — " Method for the recovery of zinc from solutions of 

 sulphate " : W. Cullen and G. F. Ayers- A process was described for 

 recovering zinc slimes from zinc used in the precipitation of gold by the 

 addition of an emulsion of magnesium hydrate. — " Analyses of gases from 

 burning nitro-glycerine explosives " : W. Cullen and D. W. Greig- 

 Description of method and results, with special reference to a new explosive, 

 " Antifume." 



Cape Society of Civil Engineers. — Wednesday, October 13th : W. A. 

 Legg, M.I.C.E., President, in the chair. — " Table Mountain rainfall, evapora- 

 tion and run off " : W. A. Legg- Discussion continued. — " Design of 

 Irrigation Channels to prevent silting and scouring " : F. E. Kanthack- 

 The author explained the principle of the silt-transporting of water as deter- 

 mined experimentally in India, and the system of designing irrigation channels 

 based on the data thus established in order that silting and scouring may be 

 avoided. 



Cape Chemical Society. — Friday, October 15th; R. Marloth, Ph.D., 

 M.A., President, in the chair. — " The Chemistry of T7//5 capensis and of the 

 -wine made from its fruit " : Prof. P. D. Hahn-^" The diamond fields of 

 German South-West Africa " : Dr. R. Marloth- After reviewing the 

 three theories as to the origin of the diamonds found 'n\ the coast belt of 

 German S.W. Africa, the author expressed the opinion that, although the 

 agates and pebbles accompanying the diamonds may have come from the Vaal 

 River, the diamonds themselves probably came from a nearer source, at present 

 either submarine or hidden beneath the desert sands. 



Royal Society of South Africa. — Wednesday, October 20th : S. S. 

 Hough, M.A.. F.R.S., President, in the chair. — " Exhibition of collection of 



