March 31, 1898] 



NATURE 



515 



We do not propose in this place to follow Prof. Kapteyn 

 in his discussion of the magnitudes assigned in the work, 

 and his comparison with the visual magnitudes recorded 

 by other observers. The section is very interesting and 

 likely to lead to much discussion, owing to the curious 

 fact disclosed, that while this catalogue is poorer in 

 number of stars in the poor regions of tjie sky, it is at 

 the same time richer in the rich regions, than is the 

 catalogue of Schonfeld, from which fact Prof. Kapteyn 

 concludes that the stars in the Milky Way are generally 

 more chemically active than the stars in the other 

 regions of the sky. W. E. P. 



NOTES. 

 Referring to our inquiry (p. 488) as to disturbances 

 of terrestrial magnetism during January and February, Dr. 

 C. Chree writes from the Kew Observatory as follows : — 

 " With the exception of some small movements on the loth, 

 our magnetic curves were very quiet from January i to 14 ; but 

 thereafter there was a disturbed time, la-sting over January 15 

 to 21. The disturbance was greatest from the 15th to the i8th 

 — when it was well marked — lesson the 19th and 20th, and still 

 less on the 21st. The 22nd and 23rd were very quiet days. The 

 rest of January was quiet generally, with a few small movements. 

 February was quiet up to the loth, with the exception of some 

 slight movements on the 5th. From February li to 16 there 

 was a moderately disturbed time ; on the 20th and 21st there 

 were some smaller ipovements. It was then quiet to the end of 

 the month. ' Quiet ' is, of course, only a relative word ; there 

 is seldom a day in which some slight movement, beyond the 

 mere diurnal inequality, is not visible. In the case of the dis- 

 turbances on January 15-21 and February 11- 16, it was rather a 

 case of numerous well-defined oscillations than of sudden com- 

 paratively isolated movements of a conspicuous character." 



A CONFERENCE of the International Aeronautical Commission 

 opens to-day at Strassburg, and will continue for several days. 

 Among the experiments to be performed during the meeting is 

 the graduation of thermographs down to - 200° C. by means of 

 a jet of liquid air procured by the Linde method. Dr. Herge- 

 sell, the president of the conference, will present a report upon 

 the thermometric experiments already referred to in Nature 

 (p. 470). M. Besan9on will send up a balloon of twelve 

 hundred cubic feet capacity, equipped with meteorograms, which 

 it is estimated will attain an altitude of about twenty thousand 

 feet. Several members of the Paris Academy of Sciences have 

 signified their intention to attend the conference. 



The Paris correspondent of the Times reports that at 

 Monday's sitting of the Academy of Sciences the question of 

 the French national time was introduced by M. Bouquet de la 

 Grye, the president of the Paris Geographical Society and a 

 member of the Section of Navigation and Geography. The fact 

 was recalled that on February 24 the Chamber of Deputies 

 passed without discussion and on a show of hands a Bill pro- 

 viding that French national time should be advanced by 9 

 minutes 1 1 seconds, which was tantamount to the adoption of 

 the meridian of Greenwich by France. The Bureau des Longi- 

 tudes has, however, sent a protest to the Minister of Education, 

 and the protest has been forwarded to'the President of the Senate. 

 M. Bouquet de la Grye asked the Academy to refer the whole 

 question to the joint Sections of Astronomy and Navigation to 



NO. 1483, VOL. 57] 



be reported upon. This motion was supported by M. Janssenr 

 and adopted after some explanations from M. Berthelot and M. 

 Bertrand, the two permanent secretaries. 



It is announced that the Russian Government has decided to- 

 adopt the metric system. 



A French ironclad launched a few days ago was christened 

 the Lavoisier. 



Prof. J. E. Keeler has been elected director of the Lick 

 Observatory, in succession to Prof. E. S. Holden. 



The current number of the Proceedings of the Royal Society 

 contains an obituary notice of Pasteur by Prof Percy Frankland, 

 F.R.S. 



Mr. a. D. Berrington is on the point of retiring from the 

 post of chief inspector of fisheries and assistant secretary to the 

 Board of Trade. Among the fishery inspectors who preceded 

 Mr. Berrington were Mr. Frank Buckland and Prof. Huxley. 



The Public Buildings Expenses Bill, providing 2,250,000/. 

 for new public buildings in London, pa.ssed through Committee 

 of the House of Commons on Tuesday. Included in the 

 expenditure authorised by the Bill is a grant of 800,000/. for 

 buildings in connection with the Science and Art Museum af 

 South Kensington. 



A Swedish scientific expedition to Klondike, conducted by^ 

 Dr. Nordenskiold, arranged to leave Stockholm on March 23. 

 Dr. Nordenskiold will be accompanied by Dr. Gunnar Andersson^ 

 professor at the Stockholm High School, and four other persons. 

 The expedition is expected to be absent about two years. 

 Immediately after its return the expedition will make known, 

 the results, not only in Sweden, but also to scientific societies 

 in other countries. 



It is reported that Herr J. Stadling, who accompanied' 

 Herr Andree's expedition to Spitsbergen in 1896, has been 

 appointed by the Swedish Anthropological and Geographical 

 Society to undertake a search through Siberia in order to make 

 inquiries as to the fate of Herr Andree's balloon expedition. 

 For this purpose Herr Stadling has received the Vega stipendium 

 from the Society. He will start with a companion from 

 Stockholm early in April, and the journey will last probably 

 until January next. 



A committee has been appointed by the Home Secretary to 

 inquire into the extent to which water gas and other gases con- 

 taining a large proportion of carbon monoxide are being manu- 

 factured and used for heating, lighting and other purposes, and 

 the dangers which may attend such manufacture and use. The 

 committee is composed of Lord Belper (chairman), Mr. H. H. 

 Cunynghame, Dr. Parsons, Dr. Haldane, and Prof. Ramsay ;: 

 with Mr. J. Redder, of the Home Office, as secretary. 



At the meeting of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical 

 Society on Tuesday, the President presented the Wilde medal 

 for 1898 to Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, G.C.S.I., F.R.S. ; the 

 Dalton medal to Dr. Edward Schunck, F.R.S. ; and the Wilde 

 premium for 1898 to Mr. John Butter worth. The Wilde lecture, 

 "On the Physical Basis of Psychical Events," was afterwards 

 delivered by Prof. Michael Foster. 



The British Association Committee of the Ethnographical 

 Survey is desirous to obtain the services of qualified observers in 

 numerous parts of the United Kingdom, for the purpose of 

 inquiring into all or any of the following subjects : (i) physical 

 types of the inhabitants ; (2) current traditions and beliefs ; (3) 

 peculiarities of dialect ; (4> monuments and other remains of 

 ancient culture ; (5) historical evidence as to continuity of race- 



