Dic. 23, 1875J 



NATURE 



155 



A TELEGR-\M from Naples, Dec. 19, states that Prof. Palmieri 

 reports from the obser\'atory near Vesuvius that fire has appeared 

 in the interior of the crater, and expresses his opinion that an 

 emption of long duration may be expected. A volume of black 

 smoke rose from the volcano on the morning of the 19th. A 

 telegram of the 20th states that the fire in the crater is gradually 

 increasing in strength, and that the instruments of the observa- 

 tory are in motion. 



A Reuter's telegram of Dec. 2 1 states that the New York 

 papers publish advices from Porto Rico stating that the town of 

 Arecivo in that island had been wholly destroyed by an earth- 

 quake. Only two churches and six houses are stated to be 

 left standing. 



During the recent heavy floods, the low-level districts of 

 Somersetshire have been submerged beyond precedent, so that it 

 has been possible to sail across country for twenty miles. Many 

 farms and cottages had to be abandoned, and for the first time 

 the railways beyond Bridgwater were covered with several feet 

 of water. One of the results of the flood was the driving from 

 their haunts of great numbers of rats, some of which might have 

 been seen by railway passengers to have taken refuge in willows 

 and other trees along the Kne. Deserted houses were also taken 

 possession of. In one case a labourer, on proceeding to his 

 cottage by boat to obtain some necessary articles, was about 

 getting into the bedroom window, when he found the room 

 swarming with starving rats, whose demonstrations were so 

 threatening that had he not made a hasty retreat there was every 

 probability he would have been eaten up alive. 



The third annual dinner of the students of the Royal School 

 of Mines took place on Friday the 19th inst., at the St James's 

 Hall Restaurant In spite of the imavoidable absence of many 

 who had expressed their intention of being present, the students> 

 associates, and professors mustered to the number of nearly 

 sixty. 



A COMMITTEE was appointed some time ago by the Geogra- 

 phical Society of Paris to arrange for the erection of a building 

 for its special use. A large sum of money has been collected, 

 partly by loans, partly by private subscription and grants from 

 the Society. Further proceedings have, however, been stopped, 

 the Prefet of the Seine having intimated his intention to erect 

 an establishment in which several of the learned societies of 

 Paris are to have meeting rooms and libraries, and in which col- 

 lections will be located at the expense of the city. 



A Daily Ntws telegram announces that the Italian Geo- 

 graphical Society has resolved that its exploring expedition to 

 equatorial Africa shall start at the end of next January, so as to 

 reach Ankober, the capital of the Kingdom of Shoan, before 

 the rainy season. From Ankober, the expedition will penetrate 

 the Galla country, in a south-west direction, towards the Victoria 

 Nyanza Basin. Subscriptions for defraying the expenses will be 

 received by the Italian Geographical Society in Rome. 



The Admiralty have made arrangements with Mr. Allen 

 Young, the experienced Arctic voyager, to communicate with 

 the entrance of Smith's Sound in the summer of 1876, in hopes 

 of obtaining some information of the proceedings of the Arctic 

 expedition. 



In Nos. 2 and 3 (1875) of Guido Cora's Cosmos, just to hand, 

 is the first instalment of a paper, by Giacome Bove, giving an 

 account of a journey to Borneo ; Sarawak and Labuan were 

 visited, and an ascent of Kini Balu is described. In continua- 

 tion of the papers on recent expeditions to New.Guinea a useful 

 risumioi our knowledge of the island at the end of 1875 is 

 given ; there are also letters from Beccari, D'Albertis, and L. 

 Cambiaso of the Vettor Pisano. Two maps illustrate these New 

 Gtiinea papers. 



In accordance with the will of Prot Jiingken, of Berlin, the 

 Londtn Medical' Record states, his collection of scientific works 

 and all his surgical instruments have been presented by his wdow 

 to the Augusta Hospital, and a letter of thanks has been sent to her 

 by the Empress Augusta. The Royal Saxon Academy of Sciences 

 at Leipzig has also received a donation from the late Dr. Her- 

 mann Hartel of 30,000 marks, to be expended in helping 

 German students to prosecute scientific inquiries. 



At the annual meeting of the Eastbourne Natural History 

 Society on the 8th ult. the Secretary read a satisfactory report. 

 The President, Mr. F. C. S. Roper, announced that ninety-one 

 additions had been made to the faima and flora of the district 

 during the year. 



In the form of a supplement to the December number of the 

 Journal of Botany, Mr. W. B. Hemsley publishes an " Outline 

 of the Flora of Sussex," a list of all Phanerogams' and Vascular 

 Cryptogams known to occur within the county, with their 

 authorities. 



The Garden announces an addition to its attractions in the 

 form of a "coloured plate (fuU-page size) of a beautiful or rare 

 flower or fruit, of proved value for om- gardens, and executed in 

 the best style of art." The aim is to illustrate, as nearly as may 

 be in their natural colours, the finest of new flowers and firuits. 

 The specimens which we have seen are really beautiful, and the 

 enterprise deserves encouragement. 



M. H. GiFFARD has reported on the Paris balloon'accident to 

 which we referred last week. He finds that during the process 

 of inflation the net and the canvas got frozen together, the con- 

 sequence being that during dilatation of the latter, the net could 

 not yield 'freely., and therefore exerted pressure on the canvas, 

 which broke suddenly near the valve. Precautions will be taken 

 in future to prevent a similar occurrence. 



An examination will be held at Clare College, Cambridge, on 

 March 28 and three following days, when a scholarshp in Natural 

 Science of the annual value of 60/ for two years will be offered 

 for competition. Particulars by application to the tutor, the 

 Rev. W. Raynes. A Natural Science Scholarship at Caius 

 College, of the same value, will be offered for competition on 

 April 4. Particulars from the Rev. N. >L Ferrers, tutor of 

 Gonville and Caius College. 



The Cambridge University Natural Science Club com- 

 menced the October Term by the formation of a new code of 

 rules. The officers for the term were— President, A, J. Jukes 

 Browne, B.A. ; Vice-president, J. F. M. H. Stone; Hon. Sec, 

 A, F. Buxton. Six papers have been read during the Term, 

 usually followed by interesting discussions — " On the evolution 

 of fossil forms," by A. J. Jukes Browne, B.A. (St. John's) ; 

 "The motion of glaciers," by T. W. Bridge (Trinity) ; "Dar- 

 win's Insectivorous Plants," by J. F. M. H. Stone (St. Peter's) ; 

 "Huxley's classification of animals," by A. F, Buxton (Trinity) ; 

 " ' Typical ' number of somites in arthropoda, " by A. M. Marshall, 

 B.A. (St. John's); "Molecular energy," by E. B. Sargant 

 (Trinity). There were sixteen members in residence. 



The fourth number of volume il of the Cincinnati Quarterly 

 Journal of Scitn<:e, edited by S. A. Miller and L. M. Hosea, 

 has lately been issued, and, we regret to learn, closes the series 

 of this publication. During the short period of its existence it 

 has been the medium of presenting a number of original scientific 

 papers especially relating to the palaeontology of the Mississippi 

 Valley, which will render it a necessary work of geological and 

 zoological reference. 



A Roman Society has commenced excavations quite close to 

 the monument of Minerva Medica. They have come upon some 

 very inter estiag things, among which are the paintings that 



