Dec. 2, 1875] 



NATURE 



95 



V VERY severe shock of earthquake occurred at Gisbome, 

 v Zealand {east coast), on Sept. 14. Strong shocks were 



also experienced at Wellington and Blenheim. 



V NEW monthly magazine is to be started at Dunedin, of the 

 e character as the Conteviporary Revieiv. 



According to a letter published in the East Anglian Times 

 of Nov. 24, it would appear that the Corporation of so important 

 a town as Ipswich still authorises the use of local mean time 

 v.ithin its liberties, and the business of the place is actually 

 regulated by its edict. Railway time has there a distinct meaning, 

 being 4 min. 40 sec. later than that in general use. We believe 

 that Norwich is in an equally unscientific state as regards time- 

 keeping. It is quite time that an end was put to this absurdity, 

 and we hope some pressure may be brought to bear upon the 

 authorities to effect the long-delayed and desirable introduction 

 of Greenwich time. 



In the October number of the Quarterly youmalofthe Meteoro- 

 logical Soci<ty of London, appear several papers of interest, in- 

 cluding one by Dr. Mann, the President, on some practical 

 points connected with the construction of lightning conductors, 

 one by Mr. Symons on a white rain or fog bow, and two very 

 valuable and suggestive papers by the Hon. Ralph Abercrombie, 

 on certain small oscillations of the barometer, and on barome- 

 trical fluctuations in squalls and thunderstorms. It may be 

 suggested that the printed "Discussions" on the several papers, 

 however interesting to the members, might be curtailed with 

 great advantage. 



The tri-daily Weather Maps of the United States for the first 

 six months of the present year, issued under the vigorous direc- 

 tion of Brigadier- General Myer, have been received. They 

 show with admirable clearness and distinctness, by the style of 

 printing in colours adopted, the outstanding features of the 

 weather thrice a day. These truly magnificent maps give in 

 every case the weather probabilities for each of the great divisions 

 [into which the States have been grouped for this purpose, that 

 are likely to follow within the twenty-four hours then next 

 ensuing, and also the actual weather which has been experienced 

 during the past twenty-four hours. This method is deliberately 

 adopted by the Office for the express purpose of exhibiting equally 

 ts successes and its failures in issuing the weather probabilities, 

 md with the further view of receiving assistance from scientific 

 imen, who are thus put in possession of materials for studying 

 Jie subject, by which the rules that have led to the successes 

 may continue to be followed, and those which have caused the 

 failures may be avoided. 



Mr. Stanford has published a handy map of India, showing 

 the route originally sketched for the Prince of Wales's tour. Its 

 moderate price and clearness will recommend it to many who 

 wish to follow the Prince in his wanderings. 



The Bulletin de la federation des Sociites d* Hortieulture de 

 Jqut for 1874, published under the authority of the Ministry 

 of the Interior, gives evidence of the extent to which horticulture 

 is made a scientific study in that little kingdom. It contains the 

 reports ©f no less than twenty- five horticultural and agricultural 

 societies affiliated to the Federation ; and a list of twenty-one 

 practical questions, for the best solution of which prizes, varying 

 in value from xoo to 500 francs, are offered. There is alio 

 appended Prof. Morren's biographical notice ofClusius, to which 

 we have already alluded, and a third edition, completed to 

 October 1875, of the list of the Botanic Gardens, chairs of 

 Botany, and Botanical Museums, throughout the world. 



An admirable epitome of our knowledge respecting the Vege- 

 table palaeontology of the United States is contamed in M. Leo 

 .Lesquereux's reprint, "A Review of the FossU Flora of North 



America," printed under the authority of the Department of the 

 Interior. An idea will be conveyed of the wonderful advance 

 of this knowledge in recent years, by the statement that in 1850 

 Brongniart described in his " Vegetales Fossiles " eighteen species 

 of land-plants from North America, whereas upwards of 1,000 

 species are now known. Of the numerous fossil plants brought 

 by Dr. H. F. Hayden from his exploration of the -Western Ter- 

 ritories, and found in strata belonging to the Cretaceous forma- 

 tion, by far the majority are remains of Dicotyledons, and 

 included within all three sections, of Apetaloe, Gamopetalas, and 

 Polypetalas ; and as far as reliance can be placed on characters 

 derived from the foliage alone, a large number belong to genera 

 widely distributed at the present time. The Lower Lignitic flora, 

 on the contrary, belonging to Tertiary times, presents far less re- 

 semblance to that at present prevailing in the northern part of 

 North America, but is of a much more southern type. 



A Belgian practitioner has published a work on the 

 " Maladies which are special to Mystics," the purport of which 

 is to show that Louise Lateau and other persons of the same 

 description might be really total abstainers from food for a 

 lengthened period. The Reznie Scientifique announces that the 

 Belgian Society of Medicine has ordered that work to be pub- 

 lished in its Comptes Rendus. M. Charbonnier, the author, 

 advocates the theory that people may subsist without food 

 because the nitrogen from the air can be admitted into the circula- 

 tory system, when the body has been emaciated by long absti- 

 nence. Feeding on air is an economical way of keeping soul 

 and body together. 



At the opening of the Belfast Natural History and Philoso- 

 phical Society, the president. Prof. Hodges, delivered an address, 

 in which he reviewed the industrial progress of the North of 

 Ireland. The address was fully reported in the Northern IVhig 

 of Nov. II, and has since been separately reprinted. 



We have received the programme of the Cambridge Higher 

 Local Examinations for 1876, for all who have completed the 

 age of eighteen years before January next. The examinations are 

 for both men and women, and the successful candidates are 

 divided into two groups, those who obtain honours and those 

 who do not. The subjects of examination are divided into six 

 groups, one of which includes botany, geology, zoology, and 

 chemistry. The programme seems to us carefully drawn up ; an 

 excellent selection of text- books is given. 



PROF. NORDENSKJOLD ON THE JENISEI 



'T'HE following extract from a letter from Prof. Nordenskjold 

 ■*■ to Mr. Oscar Dickson, dated Tomsk, Oct. 13, appears in 

 the Gbttborgs Handels Tidning. It describes his exploration 

 of the river Jenisei after the departure of the Proven on its home- 

 ward journey. Nordenskjold, Lundstrom, and Stuxberg left 

 the mouth of the Jenisei on August 19, in a boat built lor the 

 purpose, and well provisioned and equipped : — 



" The course was taken along the shore within the multitude 

 of low bare rocky is'ands whicti bound the mouth of the Bay of 

 Jenisei on the north, ai.d are named in the Russian maps, Severo- 

 Wostotschnoi Ostrow (North-east Islands). The sounds between 

 these islands were thought to be sufficiently deep even for large 

 vessels, though perhaps a little fouled by rocky ground. With 

 a favourable wind and smoo'h water we sa.led without any 

 considerable rest in forty-two hours without a break to 

 Cape Schaitanskoj, arriving there the night before the 2ist, 

 thoroughly drenched and worn out with our long watch. Daring 

 this time we landed only at two places, the first time at a point 

 within Jewremow Kamen, the last rocky promontory which 

 occurs on the eastern bank of Jenisei for a distance of lOO 

 Swedish (upwards of 6oo English) miles. 



"Jewremow Kamen itself consists only of a peculiarly formed 

 doleii'e rock fifcy or sixty feet h:gh. At the bank were still 

 collected, but lor the last time during our passage up the 

 Jentsei, true marine animals ; an Appendicularia, Clio, large 

 Beroidae, various Medusae, &c. By a land excursion here we 



