282 



NATURE 



\yan. 23, 1890 



Baker, engineers of the Forth Bridge, have to-day tested the 

 two 1700-feet spans by placing on the centres two trains, each 

 made up of 50 loaded coal waggons and three of the heaviest 

 engines and tenders, the total load thus massed upon the spans 

 being the enormous weight of 1800 tons, which is more than 

 double what the bridge will ever be called upon in practice to 

 sustain. The observed deflections were in exact accordance 

 with the calculations of the engineers, and the bridge exhibited 

 exceptional stiffness in all directions. " Every part of the bridge 

 will be in perfect order for the visit of the Prince of Wales on 

 March 4. 



At the meeting of the Convocation of London University, on 

 Tuesday, there was some discussion as to the question of the re- 

 constitution of the University. Dr. F. J. Wood, who presided, said 

 he was not in a position to help Convocation very much. As they 

 were well aware, the Senate had drawn up a scheme which was 

 intended to follow on the lines of the recommendations of the 

 Royal Commission. That scheme had been submitted to the 

 consideration of University College and King's College, and up 

 to now those Colleges had arrived at no decision upon it, but 

 requested a conference. That conference was about to take 

 place, and, of course, until it was held it was impossible for 

 any of them to say what shape the scheme would ultimately 

 assume. Mr. T. Tyler moved a resolution declaring that "The 

 proposal of the University for London Commission that, under 

 a new charter for this University, special powers and privileges 

 should be conferred on certain institutions in or near London is 

 incompatible with the fair and just treatment of the provincial 

 Colleges, and that the acceptance of this proposal would be 

 ■detrimental alike to the interests of the provincial Colleges and 

 to those of the University itself." This motion was unanimously 

 adopted. 



On Friday, January 24, at 4.30 p.m., Mr. Holland Crompton 

 •will begin a course of ten lectures at the Central Institution, 

 Exhibition Road, on the theory of electrolysis and the nature of 

 chemical change in solution. In this course an historical account 

 will be given of the recent development of the Clausius dissocia- 

 tion hypothesis by Arrhenius, Ostwald, and others ; of van't 

 Hoffs extension of Avogadro's theorem to dilute solutions ; 

 and of the Raoult methods of determining the molecular weights 

 of dissolved substances. On Monday, January 27, at 4.30 p.m.. 

 Prof. Armstrong, F.R. S., will begin a special course of ten 

 lectures on methods of analysis as applied to the determination 

 of the structure of carbon compounds. The object of this course 

 will be to explain and experimentally demonstrate the methods 

 adopted in determining the structure of the more important and 

 typical compounds, including alkaloids, carbohydrates, and oils 

 and fats. 



The annual meeting of the Association for the Improvement 

 of Geometrical Teaching was held last Friday morning in one 

 of the theatres of University College, London, under the presi- 

 dency of Prof. Minchin. While observing with pleasure that 

 the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge had embodied in the 

 printed regulations for various examinations some requests of 

 the Association with regard to elementary geometry, the Council 

 •in their report expressed regret that the Euclid papers set for 

 responsions at Oxford still consist exclusively of "book work." 

 The response of the University of Dublin to the Society's 

 petition is that they are not prepared to decide on such important 

 questions without much consideration. At the afternoon meeting 

 papers were read by the Master of St. John's College, Cambridge, 

 on a new treatment of the hyperbole ; by Mr. G. Heppel, on 

 the teaching of trigonometry ; by Mr. E. M. Langley, on some 

 geometrical theorems ; by Prof. Minchin, on statics and geometry ; 

 and by Mr. R. Tucker, on isoscelian hexagrams. 



Fears having been expressed as to a possible connection 

 between influenza and cholera epidemics. Dr. Smolenski pub- 

 lishes, in the Russian Official Messenger, an elaborate report 

 upon the subject. He points out that the suspicion is not new, 

 and that in 1837 it was discussed by Gluge (" Die Influenza "), 

 and refuted. In fact, influenza or grippe epidemics have been 

 known in Europe since 11 73 — that is, for more than seven 

 hundred years ; whilst the first cholera epidemic .appeared in 

 Europe in 1823, but did not spread, that time, further than 

 Astrakhan. Six years later it broke out in Orenburg ; next year 

 in Caucasia and Astrakhan again, whence it spread over Russia, 

 and, in 1831, reached Western Europe. As a rule, influenza 

 spreads very rapidly, and in 1782, at St. Petersburg, no fewer 

 than 40,000 persons fell ill of it on the same day (January 14). 

 In 1833 its progress was also very rapid, and within a few 

 days it appeared at places so far apart as Moscow, Odessa, 

 Alexandria, and Paris, while cholera epidemics are usually slow 

 in their migrations from one place to another. Moreover, 

 influenza is chiefly a winter epidemic, while cholera prefers the 

 spring and the summer. Dr. Smolenski has further tabulated 

 all influenza and cholera epidemics which have broken out in the 

 course of our century in Europe, and he comes to the following 

 results : — Influenza broke out in 1816, in Iceland ; 1827, in 

 Russia and Siberia ; 1830-33, in Europe generally ; 1836-37, 

 in Europe ; 1838, in Iceland ; 1841-48 and 1850-51, in Europe ; 

 1853, in the Faroe Islands ; 1854-55 and 1857-58, in Europe ; 

 1856, in Iceland and the Faroe Islands ; 1862, Holland and 

 Spain ; 1863-64, France and Switzerland ; 1866, France and 

 Great Britain ; 1867, France, Germany, and Belgium ; 1868, 

 Turkey; and 1874-75, Western Europe. As to the cholera 

 epidemics during the same period they were : 1823, Astrakhan 

 and Caucasia (from Persia) ; 1829, Orenburg (from Turkestan) ; 

 1830, Russia (from Persia) ; 1831-37, various parts of Europe ; 

 the next epidemic appeared in 1846 in Transcaucasia (coming 

 from Persia) ; in 1847 it spread over Siberia and Russia, and in 

 1848 it was in Europe ; in 1849-52 it was followed by feeble 

 outbreaks all over Europe. The third cholera epidemic came 

 from Persia again in 1852, and it resulted in a severe outbreak 

 during the years 1853-55 ya. Europe, followed by feebler out- 

 breaks till 1861. The fourth cholera epidemic came through the 

 Mediterranean ports in 1865, and lasted in Europe till 1868, 

 with feebler epidemics in 1869-74. The latest invasion of 

 cholera was in 1884, when it came again through the Mediter- 

 ranean ports. As to the cholera epidemic which now begins to 

 die out in Persia and Mesopotamia, it certainly is a danger — 

 the more so as, out of the five epidemics of cholera which have 

 visited Europe, three have come from Persia. 



Attention has lately been called to the fact that anchovies 

 are found off Torquay and other south coast fishing centres. 

 Prof. Ewart, of Edinburgh, has written to the Times that during 

 the present winter they have made their appearance in the 

 Moray Firth. At the end of December they were abundant off 

 Troup Head, where considerable numbers were captured in the 

 herring nets by the Buckie fishermen. Prof. Ewart thinks that 

 further inquiries may perhaps show that the northward migration 

 of the anchovies is in some way related to the mildness of the 

 winter. He points out that it is most desirable to ascertain 

 whether they have reached the Moray Firth with the warm 

 Atlantic water that during western winds rushes through the 

 Pentland Firth, or by travelling along the east coast through the 

 cold Arctic water that wells up from the bottom in the vicinity of 

 the Dogger Bank. 



The programme of the Royal Horticultural Society for the 

 present year includes a daffodil exhibition and conference, to be 

 held at Chiswick on four days of April ; the great show in the 

 Temple Gardens in May ; an exhibition of tea roses, by the 

 National Rose Society, in June ; in July an exhibition of and 



