334 NATURAL SCTENGE: May, 
distilled water, the vessels employed in distillation were accountable 
for the fatal effects. 
River, lake, or marsh waters were neutral, but were rendered 
oligodynamic by the immersion of coins, and again could be 
neutralised by the addition of some substance, such as sulphur, wool, 
cellulose, &c., which would expose a large surface, and so attract the 
copper molecules. 
The paper is prefaced by Schwendener, who informs us that 
Nageli intended to name the newly-discovered power Isagitat, but 
later he changed it to Oligodynamic. 
Professor Cramer, of Zurich, repeated the experiments, and in a 
most interesting paper gives us his results, which confirm those 
arrived at by Nigeli. 
THERE is a brief and succinct account of the Sandgate disaster, 
by Mr. William Topley, inthe April number of the Geographical Fournal, 
which contains some curious references to earlier landslips in the 
same area, 1716, 1725, 1786. Mr. Topley delivered an interesting 
lecture on the subject to the Geologists’ Association on April 7. 
A Report of this will be printed in the May number of the 
Proceedings. 
In the American Geologist for March, Charles Schuchert writes on 
the classification of the Brachiopoda. The genera (author and date 
quoted) are arranged in families, many of which are new, and there is 
one new genus, Daillina (Beecher), founded on Waldheimia septigera, Lovén. 
Following the classification, is a ‘‘ Geological Distribution of the 
Brachiopoda,” a most useful list, but which would have been of 
more service if arranged alphabetically, for the alphabet is stable, 
while systematists have their idiosyncrasies. Dr. C. E. Beecher has 
assisted Mr. Schuchert in his work. 
WE have received, from the University Press of Chicago, the 
first number of a new ‘‘Semi-Quarterly Magazine of Geology and 
Related Sciences,” called the Fournal of Geology. It is excellently 
printed on hot-pressed paper, and has seven editors and thirteen 
associate editors. The first article is one on the Pre-Cambrian 
Rocks of the British Isles, contributed by Sir Archibald Geikie ; 
most of the remaining space is devoted to questions relating to the 
glacial geology of America. 
A PARAGRAPH has appeared in the daily Press reporting the 
discovery of coalin Essex. We understand that the report is without 
foundation, though it is by no means improbable that Coal-measures 
may occur at a moderate depth in that county. 
