1882.] 



on Climate in Town and Countrij. 



27 



unlikely that they would, under the circumstances contemplated, repay 

 the cost of coking, and it is worthy of note that coal of very inferior 

 quality makes fairly good coke. 



The only objection to the domestic use of smokeless coal and coke 

 is the difficulty of lighting the fire, but this is obviated by the use of 

 gas as proposed by Dr. Siemens. In ordinary grates, however, there 

 is little difficulty in lighting and burning these smokeless fuels if the 

 throat of the chimney be contracted so as to increase the draught. In 

 this way nearly every grate in London could be rendered smokeless at 

 an expenditure of a couple of shillings. 



It is unnecessary to enumerate the many advantages of a smoke- 

 less atmosphere, but it may here be mentioned that London fogs not 

 only seriously injure health but annually destroy the lives of thou- 

 sands. In one week alone upwards of 1100 lives have been thus 

 sacrificed in London. We have doubtless still long to wait before 

 the only remedy for London fogs will be adopted ; but in the mean- 

 time, immunity from their effects, so far as the respiratory organs are 

 concerned, may be obtained by the use of a small and very portable 

 cotton- wool respirator which is made, in accordance with the speaker's 

 directions, by Mr. Casella, of Holborn. [Eespirator exhibited.] 

 Armed with this little instrument, he had often passed through the 

 densest and most irritating fogs with perfect immunity, breathing, in 

 fact, all the time, air even purer than that of the country. Such a 

 remedy is, however, obviously of extremely limited application. 



In conclusion he said, though we may, with justice, complain of 

 the scanty share of sunshine now received by us, let us not forget that, 

 in our coal-fields, we are compensated by vast stores of the sunlight 

 of past ages. How far, through electricity, these stores can be 

 evoked to supplement the present defective supply, he would be a 

 bold man who would venture to predict. Let us not, however, con- 

 tinue to use this great legacy of light of the past to obscure the small 

 one of the present. 



[E. F.] 



WEEKLY EVENING MEETING, 



Friday, February 17, 1882. 

 Sir Frederick Bramwell, F.E.S. Vice-President, in the Chair. 

 Professor John G. McKendrick, M.D. F.R.S.E. 

 Tlie Breathing of Fishes. y^^- 



(Abstract deferred.) 



/O^^/o 



