356 



NATURE 



[Feb. 13, 1890 



with two turns of fine thread. The plane of vibration can then 

 lie easily adjusted to suit the spectators by sluing the wire in its 

 lashing. 



Note.—T\\^ triangular thread du should be of the same 

 quality as the vibrating length. If it is much heavier length for 

 length the arms of the triangle may become half wave-lengths of 

 the vibration for the tension employed, and then they lose their 

 control over the plane of vibration. 



The arrangement has its own worth, independently of the aid 

 it lends to visible effect, as an illustration of the suppression of 

 all half wave-lengths which are not true sub-multiples of the 

 vibrating length of the cord. When the fork is moved from its 

 position in the figure to bring up the line de to the position of A, 

 the vertical vibrations are suppressed, and only the horizontal 

 vibrations are possible. W. Sidgreaves. 



EIGHTH CONGRESS OF RUSSIAN 

 NATURALISTS. 



'T'HE eighth Congress of Russian Naturalists and Physicians 

 was opened on January 9 at St. Petersburg, and was a 

 great success. It was attended by no fewer than 2000 members, 

 half of whom came from the provinces, and at the three general 

 public sittings (corresponding to the sittings of the British Asso- 

 ciation devoted to the delivery of the Presidential addresses), as 

 well as the meetings of the Sections, the public were well repre- 

 sented. At the first general sitting. Prof. Mendeleeff delivered a 

 most interesting address on the methods of natural science as 

 applied to the study of prices. His parallels between the prices 

 of goods and the specific weights and specific volumes of chemi- 

 cal bodies were very suggestive. The next address, by Prof. 

 Sklifasovsky, was on the wants of Russian medical education. 

 At the second general sitting, Prof. Stoletoff spoke of ether and 

 electricity. Prof. Famintzyn's address on the psychical life of 

 the simplest representatives of living beings, partly based upon 

 his own recent researches into the intelligence of Infusoria, was 

 fall of facts as to the means used by various micro-organisms in 

 attack and defence. Prof. Wagner dealt with the physiological 

 and psychological views upon hypnotism, and Prof. Gustavson 

 spoke of the micro-biological bases of agronomy. 



The work of the Sections was very varied, and will be fully re- 

 p^rted in the Diary of the Congress, the publication of which 

 began during the sitting of the Congress, and will be continued 

 till a full account has been produced. 



The Sections of Geography and Anthropology, Hygiene, and 

 partly of Agronomy, were most largely attended, and many 

 interesting communications were made in them. At the com- 

 bined sittings several important questions were raised as to the 

 geography of Russia, its meteorology, and the bearings of a 

 scientific study of climate and soil upon agriculture. 



The following communications relative to geography and 

 anthropol )gy were especially worthy of note. Captain Makaroff 

 reported the results of his careful measurements as to the differ- 

 ences of level of various seas of Europe. Taking the average 

 level of the Atlantic Ocean opposite Lisbon for zero, he found 

 that the level of the western parts of the Mediterranean i-; 434 

 millimetres below zero, its eastern part, - 507 millimetres ; the 

 ^gean Sea, — 563 millimetres ; the Marmora Sea, from - 360 

 to - 291 millimetres ; while the Black Sea is + 246 millimetres 

 — that is, higher than the Lisbon zero ; the western part of the 

 Baltic, -t- 259 millimetres ; its eastern part, -f 254 millimetres ; 

 and the Gulf of Finland, + 415 millimetres. Dr. Blum's 

 anthropological measurements amidst twelve different tribes 

 of the Caucasus show that there are no pure race-; in Caucasia, 

 all of them being mixtures between Semitic and Indo-European 

 races. Like conclusions were arrived at by M. Kharuzin as 

 regards the Bashkires, who proved to be a mixed race, 

 presenting features both of the Mongolian and the Caucasian 

 races. 



Prof. Klossovsky's researches into the variations of level and 

 temperature in the coast region of the Black Sea are most valu- 

 able, as they are based on accurate measurements made since 

 1879 at 16 different places. They fully disclose the importance 

 of atmospheric pressure upon the level of the Black Sea, and it 

 is wirthy of note that the passage of a cyclone over Odessa 

 resulted in a rise of the level of the sea by fully 5 feet over the 

 average, followed by a sinking of the level by fully 7 feet, in 

 -accordance with the variations of atm ispheric pressure. 



Dr. Orzanski's extensive anthropological researches amidst 



the population of Russian prisons, and his numerous measure- 

 ments, show no difference between the supposed "criminal's 

 skull " and the average Russian skull. Numerous photographs 

 were exhibited to illustrate this conclusion, so different from 

 those arrived at by Dr. Lombroso. 



Two new periodicals— one of them devoted to Russian natural 

 science, and the other to meteorology — were founded while 

 the Congress was at work. The meeting came to an end on 

 January 20. 



The Congress hoped to obtain from the Government per- 

 mission to appoint a permanent Board, and thus to lay the 

 foundation of a Russian Association for the Advancement of 

 Science. 



TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN ELEMENTARY 

 SCHOOLS. 



'T'HE Committee of the National Association for the Promotion 

 ■^ of Technical and Secondary Education have submitted to 

 the Education Department the following suggestions for the 

 modification of the Code as regards elementary technical 

 education : — 



A. — Draiving. 



(i) Drawing to be introduced in infant schools, at least for 

 boys. 



(2) Drawing to be made compulsory in boys' schools. 



(3) The Minute requiring cookery to be taught in girls' 

 schools as a condition of receiving grant for drawing, to be 

 repealed. 



B. — Object Lessons. 



(4) No school to be recognized as efficient which does not 

 provide in the three lower standards a graduated scheme of object 

 lessons in continuation of Kindergarten instruction in the in- 

 fant school. 



C. — Science. 



(5) In order to encourage science as a class subject, the 

 clause requiring English as one of the class subjects to be can- 

 celled, and the teaching of science as a class subject to be 

 further encouraged in the upper standards by an additional 

 grant. 



(6) Scholars of any public elementary school to be allowed 

 to attend science classes held at any place approved by the 

 inspector, and such attendance to count as school attendance. 



(7) Examinations in science to be conducted orally, and not 

 on paper, especially in the first five standards. If the inspec- 

 tion is satisfactory, an attendance grant of 45. to be made for 

 scientific specific subjects. 



(8) Managers to be encouraged to submit alternative courses 

 of instruction in specific subjects under Art. 16 (Code 1888). 

 Such subjects to receive a grant on the same principle as the 

 subjects enumerated in Art. 15. 



[Art. 16. "Any other subject other than those mentioned in 

 Art. 15, may, if sanctioned by the Department, be taken as a 

 specific subject, provided that a graduated scheme of teaching 

 it be submitted to and approved by the inspector." 



But Art. 109 yg) which lays down the condition for grants, 

 says, "The specific subjects which may be taken are those 

 enumerated in Art. 15."] 



(9) Grants to be made towards apparatus for science teaching 

 and school museums. 



D. —Manual Instruction. 



(10) Manual instruction to be introduced in boys' schools, 

 corresponding to needlework for girls. 



(11) Instruction in the use of simple tools to be introduced in 

 the higher standards as a specific subject, and grants to be paid 

 thereon. 



(12) Provision to be made for the introduction of elementary 

 modelling in connection with the teaching of drawing, and a 

 grant to be made in connection therewith. 



(13) Instruction in laundry work to be encouraged in girls' 

 schools, so far as practicable, as a part of domestic economy. 



E, — Evening Schools. 



(14) The clause providing that "No scholar may be pre- 

 sented for examination in the additional subjects alone " to be 

 cancelled, to enable scholars to earn grants though not receiving 

 instruction in the standard subjects. 



