Jan. 13. 1876] 



NATURE 



217 



institution is due. All who take an active interest in the Society 

 of Arts will feel his loss severely. 



An unfortunate difficulty at present prevents the Algerian 

 Meteorological Service from sending telegrams daily to M. 

 Leverrier for tabulation. It appears that the hour chosen at 

 which to take the readings is seven in the morning instead of 

 eight, the hour that has been adopted by all European nations. 

 M. Leverrier could not by any means make use of the Algerian 

 data in his daily weather maps. It is to be hoped that Algerian 

 meteorologists will see the necessity of conforming to the rule 

 universally adopted in European observatories. But some resis- 

 tance is expected from those who have adopted the unusual hour 

 for taking observations, as they contend that the readings 

 taken then give a closer approximation to the mean state of 

 weather. This assumption is hardly justifiable by facts : at any 

 rate it cannot be considered as an objection to the taking of a 

 reading at eight o'clock, and sending it by tel^ram to Europe. 



At Christ Church, Oxford, there will be an election on 

 Saturday, March il, to at least two junior studentships in 

 Physical Science, of .the annual value of either 100/. or 85/., 

 tenable for five years. 



The Geographical Magazine announces the discovery of a 

 voluminous journal kept by Father Desideri, who resided and 

 travelled in Ihibet in the early part of last century. 



The Dutch Government have adopted a plan for draining the 

 Zuyder Zee at an expense of nearly 10,000,000/. The area to 

 be drained is estimated at 759 square miles. 



The Bureau of Agricultuie of the United States Centennial 

 Commission (not the United States Agricultural Department) has 

 lately issued a circular, which announces that it is proposed to have 

 an exhibition of Jiving fish of many varieties, for which purpose 

 plans have been prepared for the erection of twenty-five tanks 

 of approved consiruction, ranging from two to twenty feet in 

 length and from one to six feet in depth, the whole containing 

 about six thousand cubic feet of water. The cost of these aquaria 

 is estimated at .?6,coo. The Bureau of Agriculture desire to 

 render this enterprise in a measure self-supporting, and the 

 circular invites those interested in the subject to purchase one 

 or more ten-dollar shares of the Centennial stock, with the 

 understanding that the proceeds, although going into the general 

 fund, are to be considered as contributed to the fish exhibition. 



Mr. G. S. Eoulger, F.G.S.,has been appointed Professor 

 of Natural History in the Agricultural College, Cirencester. 



The North-German Allgemeine Zeitung of Jan. 7 publishes a 

 long article on the Hamburg Naval Observatory. It appears 

 that this 'establishment commences operations to-day, and pro- 

 fesses to include the several branches of scientific seamanship. 

 The establishment is said to have been fitted up according to 

 the most improved method, regardless of cost. 



Two Parisian daily papers, the Bien Public and the Opinion 

 Nationale, publish daily the weather maps designed by M. 

 Leverrier for the international meteorological service. 



The list of the members of the French Bureau des Longitudes 

 has been published. Besides the ordinary members appointed 

 either by the Bureau or by the Academy of Sciences, the War 

 Office, and the Marine Department, a number of correspondents 

 have been appointed, including M. Stephan at Marseilles, M. 

 Tisserand at Toulouse, M. Marie Davy at Montsouris (Paris), 

 Admiral La Ronciere le Nourry, &c. 



Thk meteorological Annuairt of the Montsouris Physical 

 Observatory has been published by ^L Marie Davy. Excellent 

 woodcuts show the details of the several anemometers and mag- 

 netometers used by the institution. The results of all the read- 



ings uken in the preceding year have been carefully tabulated. 

 The maximum registered velocity of the wind was 80 kilometres 

 an hour, and the maximum pressure 47 kilogrammes per square 

 metre. 



M. Leverrier may come to London in order to be present 

 at the distribution of medals by the Royal Astronomical Society. 

 The printing of his tables for Saturn is progressing favourably. 

 The verifications made have been satisfactory. 



A very useful and complete summary of the geographical 

 progress of 1875 ^^ ^^ foimd in The Colonies for January 8. 

 The same well-conducted paper has commenced a series of 

 " Ethnographical sketches of the various aborignal or indi- 

 genous races inhabiting countries and islands that are becoming 

 daily more known to us through the rapid development of trade 

 and commerce," but whose inhabitants are disappearing or being 

 greatly changed. The first sketch, under the head of Pacific 

 Islands, is of the Hawaiiansor Sandwich Islanders. 



The Italian Minister of Public Instruction has made a grant 

 of 1,000/. for the scientific expedition to Central Africa (see 

 Nature, vol. xiii. p. 155). 



A PITHY article in the Hastings and St. Leonard's News of the 

 7th inst. calls attention to the scientific destitution of that 

 favourite watering-place. There seems at one time to have 

 been an apology for a museum, but its dusty contents have long 

 ago been scattered. So far as we know, Hastings has not even 

 a local scientific society or field-club, although the district aroimd, 

 including the sea and its shore, would furnish a fertile field for 

 such an association. Indeed, with the exception of a science 

 and art class, Hastings seems to be quite destitute of any means 

 of fostering a love of science or of scientific pursuits and recrea- 

 tions among its people. Surely there are a few men in the town 

 who know the value of science ; at all events, we hope the 

 forcible remarks in the News will have the effect of rousing the 

 people to bring their town abreast of its neighbours in the 

 matter both of a well-fumished museiuri and a scientific society 

 and field-club. 



Wk take the following from the Geographical Magazine : — 

 Announcement was made at a recent meeting of the Society for 

 the Encouragement of Commerce and Industry, in St. Peters- 

 burg, that a person who does not wish his name to be known 

 has offered a sum of 25,000 rubles (3,125/.) towards a scientific 

 expedition to explore a commercial route from Northern Russia 

 to Behring's Straits. Prof. Nordenskiold has agreed to accept 

 the leadership of the expedition, which will start next summer. 

 Subscriptions to the amount of 26,000 rubles (3,250/.) have 

 also been received towards the cost of another expedition com- 

 posed of two vessels, which shall last three years, and shall 

 e-xplore the Gulf of Obi as well as the sea- route between Arch- 

 angel and the great rivers of Siberia. The command of this 

 one will be entrusted to Capt. Wiggins, of Sunderland, who has, 

 however, stipulated for full hberty of action in unforeseen cir- 

 cumstances, and who has remained in St. Petersburg, waiting 

 for the replies of the Mayors of Irkutzk, Krasnoyarsk, Tobolsk, 

 Tinmen, Tomsk, and Ekaterinburg, who have been invited by 

 telegraph to co-operate in forwarding the enterprise. A reply 

 has since been received from a proprietor of gold mines at Kras- 

 noyarsk contributing 500/. to the expenses of the undertaking. 



"From Vineyard to Decanter" (Stanford), the second edi- 

 tion of which has come to hand, is " a book about sherry." We 

 would recommend it to all of our readers who love "a good glass " 

 of that favourite British beverage. It gives a clear account of the 

 processes through which the wine goes in all its stdges, and the 

 conclusion of the whole matter seems to he that if you wish to 

 drink good sherry you must make up jour mind to pay a good 

 price for it. 



