278 



NATURE 



[July 27, 1876 



first two are of little or no use economically, except 

 perhaps, for their woods, and these are not so highly 

 valued as those of other species]; the Q. JEgilops,\\o\v&\zr, 

 which produces large acorns seated in very large cups, is 

 valuable for the sake of these cups, which contain a large 

 quantity of tannin, and are extensively used by tanners 

 and dyers, being imported to a considerable extent from 

 the Levant under the name of Valonia. Q. infecioria is 

 also a valuable species, producing, most abundantly, the 

 large shining brown galls known as Mecca galls, used for 

 dyeing purposes, in the manufacture of ink, and in the 

 preparation of tannic and gallic acids. The principal 

 value of the oaks in Bosnia seems to be in their timber, 

 the staple use of which is in the manufacture of staves for 

 casks, immense quantities of which are exported. Amongst 

 the pines occurring in the forests are Pinus Laricto. 

 P. tnaritima, P. halepensis, and others, as well as the 

 Scots Fir, P. sylvestris. Besides these are other forest 

 trees of more or less value, so that if the forests were 

 properly worked, they would not fail to prove of great 

 value. At present, however, the right of cutting timber 

 is held chiefly by foreign speculators, and has proved a 

 source of wealth to many Austrians and Frenchmen 

 who have embarked in it. 



One of the most valuable products, both of Bosnia and 

 Servia, as at present developed, lies in their plum crops, 

 many of the peasantry depending entirely on these fruits 

 as the means of subsistence through a great part of the 

 year. The plums, after being gathered, are mostly dried 

 in the form of prunes, the secret or art of drying being 

 known only to themselves. The Bosnian plums are con- 

 sidered of a better quality than those either from Servia, 

 Croatia, or Austria. A quantity of spirit is likewise pre- 

 pared from these fruits. Amongst other vegetable pro- 

 ducts of the country may be included tobacco, potatoes, 

 flax, hemp, walnuts ; and amongst cereals, wheat, maize, 

 barley, oats, rye, millet, &c. Wheat and maize are the 

 principal food plants consumed in the country, some of 

 the other products being exported in comparatively large 

 quantities. 



A notice of the resources of Servia, however brief, 

 could not be closed without a reference to the remarkable 

 traffic in pigs, the value of which amounts to nearly one- 

 half of that of the entire exports of the country. In one 

 year 472,700 of these animals were exported from Servia, 

 the bulk of which are fattened at Steinbruch, near Pesth, 

 in Hungary, where more than 500,000 pigs from various 

 parts are fattened yearly. Their value is not on account 

 of their flesh as an article of food, but exclusively for 

 melting down for their fat. 



From these notes it will be seen that in Servia and 

 Bosnia are numerous undeveloped natural resources, and, 

 under a different system than that which now prevails, 

 both forests and mines might be made much more pro- 

 ductive. J. R. J. 



NOTES 



The French Association for the AdvaKcement of Science 

 will meet this year at Clermont-Ferrand. This meeting will 

 possess unusual interest, as the Puy- de-Dome Observatory will 

 be opened for inspection for the first time to visitors. That 

 establishment is now in operation, and the results of observations 

 taken are regularly registered in the Bulletin de V Observatoire. 

 A large subvention has been voted by the Municipal Council of 

 Clermont and by the Puy-de-D6me department, a local Com- 

 mittee has been appointed for the reception of visitors, and the 

 arrangement of excursions to the surrounding mountains, Mont 

 Dore, and others. The session will be presided over by M. 

 Dumas. 



The Council of the Yorkshire College of Science have added 

 another subject to those taught at the College, by providing for 



a chair of Civil and Mechanical Engineering. They have elected 

 as Professor, Mr. George Frederick Armstrong, M.A., F.G.S., 

 Asso. Inst. C.E., who has for the past five years occupied the 

 chair of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics in the McGill 

 University, Montreal. 



The French Minister of Public Instruction, V Explorateur 

 informs us, is occupied with the organisation of scientific mis- 

 sions having for their object the study of certain determinate 

 points in philology, geography, history, and commerce, both in 

 France and the rest of Europe, as well as in Africa and America. 

 The number of these missions will be thirty-two ; twenty-eight 

 are already completely organised. Nine missions will be occu- 

 pied with natural history ; one of these will investigate specially 

 the fauna and flora of Switzerland ; four will undertake researches 

 connected with medicine and hygiene, four others dealing with 

 languages; twelve will be occupied with the history and special 

 investigations relative to peoples which have disappeared, or 

 nearly so, as well as to their remaining monuments. Finally, 

 three missions will undertake astronomical and meteorological 

 investigations. 



Tat following are the numbers of visitors to the Loan Collec- 

 tion of Scientific Apparatus during the week ending July 22 : — 

 Monday, 2,275 ' Tuesday, 2,466; Wednesday, 486; Thursday, 

 393 ; Friday, 441 ; Saturday, 2,770 ; total, 8,831. During the 

 present week 12 demonstrations were given on Monday, 12 

 on Tuesday, 5 on Wednesday ; 7 are to be given to-day, 5 to- 

 morrow ; and 4 on Saturday, including the daily lectures to 

 science teachers. 



M. ScHUTZENBERGER has been appointed to succeed the 

 late M. Balard in the Chair of Chemistry in the College de 

 France. 



An International Congress of Geography will be held at 

 Brussels on Sept. 11. All the governments have been invited 

 by the King of the Belgians to send delegates. The object of 

 this Congress is the organisation of an international scientific 

 expedition to Central Africa. 



The " Report of the Radcliffe Observer " for the year ending 

 June 30 last, shows that the work of the Observatory has been 

 carried on with efficiency. In all departments much good work 

 has been done, and it is satisfactory to notice that the " Third 

 Radcliffe Catalogue " has been commenced at last. Mr. Main's 

 observations confirm those of other observers with regard to the 

 recent remarkable absence of spots from the sun. 



A LETTER in the current number of the Planter^ Gaxette 

 draws attention to the continued importation and sale of filth, 

 under the name of tea, which trade is carried on under the 

 eyes, so to speak, of the Government officials themselves. The 

 writers say : — " We have recently seen samples of mouldy refiise 

 and dust which is now being retailed at the east-end at the rate 

 of 2 oz. for \d., or equal to ?>d. per pound, duty paid. We sub- 

 mitted the samples to an official occupying a responsible position 

 in the city, but were informed that the Government could not 

 interfere, as the rubbish had passed the Custom House. Three 

 or four hundred packages of ' Maloo mixture ' have been de- 

 livered from one of the up-town warehouses during the fortnight 

 for shipment, we understand, to Rotterdam." 



In connection with the recent Thunderer disaster, we would 

 draw attention to a lecture given to the Engineering Class in 

 the University of Glasgow by Prof James Thomson, " On the 

 Principles of estimating Safety and Danger in Structures ia 

 respect to their Sufficiency in Strength." It is pubhshed by 

 Maclehose of Glasgow. 



A French barrister who died recently left by his will two 

 large houses to the city of Paris, for the purpose of establishing 

 a new municipal college. The houses have been sold for the sum 



