June I, 1876] 



NATURE 



121 



country would be one of great peril, and he sincerely hoped that 

 the advantages offered to the working classes would be thoroughly 

 appreciated by those whom the organisation was intended to 

 benefit." We hope that sentiments like these will have due 

 weight in the framing of our Education Codes. 



We are glad to hear that the Duke of Cleveland has directed 

 the Shropshire meteorite to be placed at the disposal of the 

 authorities of the British Museum, 



In October next, we learn from the Wesitrn Daily Press, the 

 Bristol University College will be an accomplished fact. Pro- 

 fessors of Chemistry and of Modem History, and Literature are 

 to be appointed for the opening of the first session and Lectures 

 delivered on the following subjects : — Mathematics and Applied 

 Mechanics, Experimental Physics, Political Economy, and Clas- 

 sical History and Literature. It is gratifying to find that public 

 spirit in Bristol has not only not allowed a great opportunity to 

 pass, but has brought the College into existence, as a working 

 institution, with praiseworthy rapidity. The council has ap- 

 pointed Mr. F. N. Budd as chairman, Mr. W. Proctor Baker 

 as treasurer, and Mr. Edward Stock, secretary. 



B. C. Dumortier's "Hepatic38 Europse," published by 

 C. Muquardt of Brussells, is the only work which gives a com- 

 plete account of the Hepaticae or Liverworts of Europe, and 

 embraces the work of more than fifty years of a veteran botanist. 

 For a limited period, until July i, the work is offered at a reduced 

 price of 5fr., after which the published price will be 8fr. It is 

 illustrated with four coloured plates. 



By authority of M. Waddington, the older pupils of the 

 National School of Agriculture, established at Grignon, in 

 France, left, on May 25, for the Netherlands, where, with their 

 professors, they are to make an agricultural tour which is to last 

 for three months. It is stated that they will come to England 

 next year. Grignon was the first agricultural school established 

 in France, and was purchased by the Government many 

 years ago. The course of studies is for three years. 



Dr. Lelorrain, a Ucencie in'natural science, has just organised 

 a series of scientific excursions in the vicinity of Paris. They 

 are to take place each Sunday during the months of June, 

 July, and August. The excursionists will receive practical in- 

 struction in geology, boUny, and entomology, by competent 

 teachers. 



On Monday June 26, an extraordinary session of the French 

 Botahical Society will be held at Lyons. A number of botanists 

 from Belgium and Switzerland will join the Society, and an 

 important botanical exploration will be made, English botanists 

 will be very heartily received. Particulars may be obtained by 

 directing letters to the General Secretary, 84, rue de Crenelle, 

 St. Germain, Paris. 



The eighth session of the International Anthropological and 

 Archaeological Society will be held at Buda-Pesth, under the 

 presidency of M. Francois Pulsky, General Inspector of the 

 Public Libraries in Hungary. The General Secretary of the 

 Buda-Pesth Congress is M. Florian Romer. An English com- 

 mittee will be appointed. 



We are glad to see that a second edition of Mr. W. N. 

 Hartley's "Air and its Relations to Life," has been published 

 by Messrs. Longman and Co. In this edition Prof. Tyndall's 

 recent experiments are described. 



We have received Dr. C. Bruhn's monthly reports of the 

 meteorological observations made at twenty-four stations in 

 Saxony dunng 1875. To the reports which briefly summarise 

 the results for each month is appended an interesting risumi. 



pointing attention to the more striking features of the weather 

 during the year, and comparing these with the results of previous 

 years' observations, and giving the annual means and extremes 

 of all the meteorological elements at each station, together with 

 the dates of occurrence of several interesting phenomena, such as 

 the day of heaviest rainfall, of greatest dryness of the air, and 

 the latest and earliest frost and snow. 



In the Bulletin International of the Paris Observatory of 

 May 17 to 19, there appears an importan; paper by M. Bel- 

 grand, on the means of protecting Paris from the inundations of 

 the Seine. The great flood of March 17 last marked 1074 feet 

 on the river-gauge at the bridge of Toumelle, which is three feet 

 less than the height to which the great flood of Jan. 3, 1802, rose, 

 and 7^ feet less than that of Feb. 27, 1658, the greatest flood on 

 record. With a view of protecting the parts of the city liable to 

 suffer from such floods, M. Belgrand proposes to prolong the 

 main drains and the embankments down the river as far as the 

 fortifications, to isolate them completely from the river, and to 

 keep them, by means of machinery, at their normal level. 

 Further, to prevent the flooding of cellars, he proposes a system 

 of drainage at a lower level than that of the cellars liable to 

 be flooded, and having no communication with the river and the 

 main drains, these drains to be kept at the proper level by 

 centrifugal pumps and turbines driven by the water of the city. 



We have received the first part of the first voL of a " Hand- 

 buch der Palseontologie," by Profs. Schimper and Zittel. It is 

 published at Munich, by R. Oldenbourg. 



Mr. W. DiTTMAR has just published (Edmonston and Douglas) 

 a collection of useful Tables as an Appendix to his " Manual 

 of Qualitative Chemical Analysis," which we recently noticed. 



" Essay on the Use of the Spleen, with an Episode of the 

 Spleen's Marriage, a Physiological Love-story," is the title of 

 rather an original little work just published by Dr. Patrick Black 

 (Smith, Elder, and Co. ). 



As Supplement 47 to Petermarn's Mittheilungen, has been 

 published an account of Herr G. A. Haggenmacher's Travels in 

 Somali Land. The author gives a systematic account of his 

 observations in this region of Africa, under the headings of 

 Narrative of the Journey, Physical Geography, Ethnography 

 and Ethnology, Agriculture and Cattle-breeding, Industries and 

 Trade, and a History of the Somalis. 



The latest additions to the Royal Westminster Aquarium 

 include the following : — Elawksbill Turtles (Carelta imbricata), 

 from the West Indies ; Picked Dogfish {Acantkias vulgaris), 

 and Lesser Spotted Dogfish (Scyllium cantata), presented by 

 the Yarmouth Aquarium Society ; Armed Bullheads {Agonus 

 cataphractus). Greater Pipefish [Syngnathus acus), Sea Horses 

 {^Hippocampus ramulosus et brevirostris), Venus's Ear-shells 

 {Haliotis tuberculafa), from Guernsey ; Sea Mice {Aphrodite 

 aculeala), Var^leUxchms^Echinas lividus). Sun Starfish (Waj/ir 

 papposa), Mediterranean Corals {Balanophyllia verrucaria), 

 Venus's Flower-basket Sponge (Euplectella aspergUlum), from 

 the island of Zebu, Collected and presented by Capt W. Chimmo, 

 R.N. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a Silver Pheasant {Euplocamus nychtkemerus) 

 from China, presented by Mr. W. Miles ; a Common Barn Owl 

 {Strix Jlamnua), European, presented by Mrs. Knight ; a Blue- 

 faced Amazon {Chrysotis amazonica) from South America, pre- 

 sented by Miss M. Jukes ; a Silky Marmoset (Midas rosalia), 

 a Huanaco {Lama huanacos), an Azaras Fox {Canis azara:), 

 three Chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigtra) from South America, 

 deposited. 



