i68 



NATURE 



[Dec. 19, 1889 



minute, was the time oc>:upied by the sun's rising, msasured at 

 the Equinox, and could tlius be recovered at any time. It was 

 measured by the mass of water which flowed out of a certain 

 vessel from the instant at which the upper edge of the sun 

 appeared above the horizon to the moment at which his lower edge 

 was exactly touching the horizon. The day consisted of 720 of these 

 units. The unit of length was the ell, which was used in t«-o 

 forms, either as a single- or double-ell ; subdivisions used were 

 the foot = a double-ell, the hand-width, and the finger-length. 

 The unit of weight was the mine, also occurring as single-mine 

 or double-mine. The derivation of units of weight from units of 

 length, as in the modern case of grams and centimetres, was 

 also known, but of course the water used was not distilled and 

 was not weighed at 4° C. The speaker had, however, succeeded 

 in discovering a measuring-scale on an ancient monument dating 

 from the year 2500 B.C., which had enabled him to compare 

 the Babylonian measures with those of our own time. It 

 appeared from this that a hand-breadth = 99*4-99 6 mm. ; a 

 double-ell = 994-996 mm. ; and the foot = 331-332 mm. He 

 had further discovered several stamped weights, and thus found 

 that the double-mine = 982 '4-985 '8 grams. The single-mine 

 weighed half as much as the double-mine, but the gold-mine and 

 silver-mine were equal to five-sixths of a single-mine. The royal- 

 mine was I per cent, heavier than the gold-mine, and was 

 employed for the payment of tribute. The coinage was based 

 upon the mine and its sexagesimal division.- Dr. Lehmann 

 remarked how surprising it is to find that the length of a 

 seconds-pendulum at Babylon is 992 '5 mm., and was mclined 

 to advance the hypothesis that the Babylonian unit of length 

 was derived from a seconds-pendulum, the foot being one-third 

 the lengh of the pendulum. He next proceeded to give an 

 account of the spread of the Babylonian mine, and of the 

 Phoenician which was derived from it, as a unit of weight 

 among the civilized nations of Europe. The discovery of an 

 old Roman balance had enabled him to determine that the old 

 Etrurian pound was equal in weight to the Babylonian mine. 

 The Babylonian unit of weight is found not only in Italy and 

 the Mediterranean generally, but also the old Dutch and French 

 pounds and the Russian pood are equal in weight to the mine. 

 The speaker considered it to be quite impossible that in all 

 the above cases we are dealing with a chance correspondence 

 between the several weights. In the discussion which ensued, 

 objections were raised on several sides against the hypothesis 

 that the ancient Babylonians had knowledge of the seconds- 

 pendulum, which had subsequently been lost. On the other 

 hand, it was pointed out by others that the ancients were not 

 improbably acquainted with the plummet, and used it for 

 squaring stones, &c. ; and since, further, they employed the 

 double-minute as unit of time, it is not impossible that they were 

 acquainted with the seconds-pendulum. The cause of their not 

 having employed this instrument to supply a time-unit may 

 perhaps be found in their ignorance of any means by which the 

 pendulum could be kept in continuous and uniform motion. In 

 conclusion, the speaker laid stress on the high state of culture 

 which the Babylonians had attained three thousand years B.C., 

 and expressed his regret that a complete blank exists with 

 regard to everything of an earlier date than the cuneiform 

 inscriptions. 



Stockholm. 



Royal Academy of Sciences, November 13. — On the 

 vegetation of the southmost part of the Isle of Gotland, by Prof. 

 Wittrock. — Myxochsete, a new genus of fresh-water Algse, by 

 Herr K. Bohlin. — On determinations of the longitude and 

 observations on the pendulum executed in Sweden during the 

 year 1889, by Prof. Rosen. — On a reform in the analysis of 

 gaseous bodies, by Prof. O. Pettersson. — On the invariants of 

 linear, homogeneous differential equations, by Prof. Mittag- 

 Leffler. — The form of the observations on linear differential 

 equations, by Herr A. M. Johanson. — On the case of Poincare 

 as to the three bodies problem and some analogous dynamical 

 propositions, by Herr E. Phragmen. — On the observations made 

 at the Observatory of Upsala for the determination of the 

 equinoctium in the spring of 1889, by Dr. K. Bohlin and Herr 

 C. A. Schultz-Steinheil. — Definitive orbit elements of the comet 

 1840 iv., by Herr Schultz-Steinheil. — Study of the infra-red 

 spectra of carbonic acid and of carbonic oxide, by Dr. K. 

 Angstrom, — On the action of nitric acid on naphthalin-ia;-sulphon 

 acid, by Prof. P. J. Cleve. — On naphthalin-1-5, calogene- 

 sulphon-acids, by Herr R. Manselius. 



DIARY OF SOCIETIES. 



London, 



THURSDAY, December 19. 



Royal Society, at 4.30. — (i) Comparison of the Spectra of Nebulae and 

 Stars of Groups I. and II., with those of Comets and Aurorae ; (2) the 

 Presence of Bright Carbon Flutings in the Spectra of Celestial Bodies : 

 Prof. J. N. Lockyer, F. R.S.— Some Observations on the Amount of 

 Luminous and Non-luminous Radiation emitted by a Gas-flame : Sir J. 

 Conroy, Bart. — On the Effects of Pressure on the Magnetization of 

 Cobalt : C. Chree. — On the Steam Calorimeter : J. Joly. — On the Exten- 

 sion and Flexure of Cylindrical and Spherical Thin Elastic Shells : A. B. 

 Basset, F.R.S. 



LiNNEAN Society, at 8. — Intensive Segregation and Divergent Evolution 

 in Land Mollusca of Oahu : Rev. John T. Gulick. — Dictopteris ; with 

 Remarks on the Systematic Position of the Dictyotaceae : T. Johnson. 



Chemical Society, at 8.— On Frangulin : Prof. Thorpe, F.R.S. , and H. 

 H. Robinson. — Arabinon, the Saccharon of Arabinose: C. O'Sullivan, 

 F.R.S. — Note on the Identity of Cerebrose and Galactose : H. T. Brown, 

 F.R.S., and Dr. G. H. Morris. 



SUNDAY, December 22. 

 S 'NDAV Lecture Society, at 4.— Algeria and Morocco : some Artistic 

 Experiences (with Oxyhydrogen Lantern Illustrations) : Henry Black- 

 bum. 



SATURDAY, December 28. 

 Royal Institution, at 3. — Electricity (adapted to a Juvenile Auditory) : 

 Prof. A. W. Rucker, F.R.S. 



BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, and SERIALS RECEIVED. 



East Africa and its Big Game: Sir J. C. Willoughby (Longmans). — 

 Measurement of Small Mammals, &c. : Dr. C. H. Merriam (Washington). — 

 North American Fauna, Nos. land 2 : Dr. C. H. Merriam (Washington). — 

 Report of the Ornithologist and Mammalogist for 1888 ; Dr. C. H. Merriam 

 (Washington). — Physical Memoirs, vol, i.. Part 2 (Taylor and Francis). — 

 Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society, October (Murray). — Mitteilungen 

 des Vereins fiir Erdkunde zu Halle A/s, 1889 (Halle). — Proceedings of 

 the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Part 2, 1889 (Phila- 

 delphia). — Notes from the Leyden Museum, vol. xi.. No. 3 (Leyden, Brill). — 



CONTENTS. PAGE 



The Epidemic of Influenza, ByJ. F. P 145 



The Horny Spons;es 146 



The Flora of Suffolk. By J. G. B 149 



The Manufacture of Iron and Steel 150 



Our Book Shelf:— 



Harrison : " On the Creation and Physical Structure 



of the Earth."— A. H. G 151 



Moss : " Through Atolls and Islands in the Great 



South Sea" 151 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Who Discovered the Teeth in Ornithorhynchus ? — 

 Dr. C. Hart Merriam ; Prof. W. H. Flower, 



F.R.S 151 



The Pigment of the Touraco and Tree Porcupine. 



Frank E. Beddard 152 



Exact Thermometry. — Dr. Sydney Young .... 152 



Locusts in the Red Sea.— G. T. Carrui hers . ... 153 



A Marine Millipede. — Edward Parfitt 153 



Proof of the Parallelogram of Forces. ( With Dia- 

 grams.)— "W. E. Johnson 153 



Glories. — A. P. Coleman 154 



Fossil Rhizocarps. — Alfred W. Bennett 154 



The Arc Light.— Joseph McGrath 154 



The Hyderabad Chloroform Commission ..... 154 

 On the Cavendish Experiment. {Illustrated.) By C. 



V. Boys, F.R.S 155 



William Ramsay McNab 159 



Notes 160 



Our Astronomical Column: — 



Objects for the Spectroscope. — A. Fowler 163 



Period of U Coronee 163 



Identity of Brooks's Comet {d 1889) with Lexell's 



Comet 1770 163 



Some Photographic Star Spectra 163 



Magnitude and Colour of 7? Argus . 164 



Orbit of Barnard's Comet 1884 II 164 



Algol 164 



Discovery of a New Comet 164 



Geographical Notes 164 



The St. Petersburg Problem. By Sydney Lupton . 165 



University and Educational Intelligence 166 



Societies and Academies 166 



Diary of Societies • • 168 



Books, Pamphlets, and Serials Received 168 



