ii6 



NATURE 



{Dec, 5, 1878 



The greatest deviation from the mean in the compai-ison of two 



I lb. weights in one group of twenty comparisons, when the 

 weather was unfavourable, was 1-20 millionth of i lb., while 

 in another group of twenty- seven comparisons (the weather 

 being much finer and more favourable) the greatest error was 

 1-50 millionth. 



To determine the mean density of the earth, a i lb. weight 

 was hung from one arm of the balance at a distance of about 

 six feet below it, and was accurately counterpoised in the other 

 pan. A large sphere of lead (about 340 lbs.) was then alter- 

 nately inserted under the hanging weight, and withdrawn. The 

 difference which its attraction made in the weight of the hanging 

 weight was about 1-45 millionth of I lb. This increase of the 

 weight was measured as accurately as possible by means of 

 riders on the beam of the balance. Comparing this with the 

 attraction of the earth on the weight — that is, its weight — we 

 can calculate the mass of the earth in terms of the mass of the 

 lead sphere. The results hitherto obtained are only preliminary, 

 though they seem near enough to former determinations to show 

 that with improved arrangements which the author intends to 

 make, a good value may ultimately be obtained. The mean of 



II determinations is 5 "69, with a probable error of 0"lS. 



Physical Society, November 23. — Prof. W. G. Adams, 

 president, in the chair. — Prof. Ayrton read a paper on the 

 music of colour and of visible motion, which we give elsewhere. 

 — Dr. Schuster then described his new method of adjusting the 

 collimator of the spectroscope for parallel rays of different re- 

 frangibility. His plan is very simple, and is based on the 

 fact that if the rays entering the prism are parallel, the focus 

 seen in the telescope will remain constant when the prism is 

 turned round, but if they are not parallel, the focus will shift. 

 The process, therefore, consists in looking through the telescope 

 while turning the prism. If the focus shifts, the collimator has 

 to be adjusted until no shifting takes place. The adjustment 

 must be made with a prism whose sides are perfectly plane, and 

 a good one may be kept for the purpose. 



Statistical Society, November 19. — A numerous list of 

 candidates were balloted for and elected Fellows. — The Howard 

 prize medal, with 20/., has been awarded to Surgeon John 

 Martin, L.R.C.S. Edin., of the Army Medical Department, at 

 present serving in India with the Royal Artillery. An extra 

 prize medal has also been awarded to Capt. H. Hildyard, of 

 the 71st Highland Light Infantry, his essay being scarcely in- 

 ferior to that of Mr. Martin. — The President, Mr. G. J. Shaw- 

 Lefevre, M.P., in his opening address, commented on the past 

 work of the Society, especially the papers read by its members 

 during the past session, and the various statistics collected 

 through its operations. Their great object was to study the 

 past so as to understand the present and be able to give a 

 forecast of the future. — Prof. Jevons afterwards exhibited and 

 explained to the meeting the arithmometer of M. Thomas, 

 long in use among actuaries. 



Edinburgh 

 Royal Society, November 25. — The following office-bearers 

 were elected : — IVesident, Prof. Kelland ; Vice-Presidents, 

 David Stevenson, C.E., Bishop Cotterill, Sir Alexander Grant, 

 Bart., David Milne Home, Sir C. Wyville Thomson, Prof. 

 Douglas Maclagan ; General Secretary, Prof. Balfoiu- ; Secre- 

 taries to Ordinary Meetings, Prof. Tait, Prof. Turner ; Trea- 

 surer, David Smith ; Curator of Library and Museum, Alexander 

 Buchanan ; Council, Prof. Fleeming Jenkin, Rev. R. Boog 

 Watson, Dr. Hugh Cleghorn, Prof. T. P. Eraser, Prof. Ruther- 

 ford, Dr. R. M. Ferguson, Rev. W. Lindsay Alexander, Dr. 

 Thomas A. G. Balfour, J. T. Buchanan, Rev. Thomas Brown, 

 Robert Gray, and Dr. William Robertson. 



Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, November 25. — M. Fizeau in the 

 chair. — The following papers were read : — Critical examination 

 of a posthumous writing of Claude Bernard on alcoholic fermen- 

 tation, by M. Pasteur. He represents this writing as a sterile 

 attempt to substitute for facts well established the deductions 

 of an ephemeral system. — On the reduction in continuous frac- 

 tions of e , F{x) designating an entire polynome, by M. 

 Laguerre. — On isosceles figures, by M. Badoureau. — Reply to 

 various communications by M. Levy. — Reclamation of priority, 

 in regard to M, Werdermann's communication on an electric 

 lamp, by M. Regnier, — On a new phenomenon of static elec- 

 tricity, by M. Duter. In certain cases electrification may change 

 the volume of bodies. A large thermometric envelope containing 



water is made into a condenser by • pushing'a piece of platinum 

 wire into its exterior, and fixing outside a sheet of tin. Whenever, 

 like a Leyden jar, it receives a charge, the water is observed to 

 descend, remain stationary while the charge persists, and resume 

 its former level on discharge. It is inferred that the glass is 

 dilated. With any kind of armatures the same result is had. 

 Another experiment was to place the above-mentioned arrange- 

 ment in another thermometric envelope containing water ; on 

 electrifying, the water in the measuring- tube of the ^^outer enve- 

 lope rose, while the other fell. M. Jamin recalled the fact that 

 M. Govi, ten years ago, made an experiment similar to M. 

 Duter's first, and attributed the effect to a contraction of the 

 liquid ; M. Duter's second experiment proves that the expansion 

 of the glass is really the cause. — Reply to a note of M. Meunier 

 on the artificial crystallisation of orthose, by MM. Fouque and 

 Levy. M. Meunier (they hold) had not sufficient data to deter- 

 mine the nature of the minerals produced ; his experiments are a 

 mere repetition of those of James Hall in 1798, who fused 

 natural rocks, subjected them tojlong annealing, and found the 

 metal grains obtained had sometimes a crystalline texture. The 

 authors, far from having got results with orthose like those of 

 M. Meunier, find a marked difference between this felspar and 

 others as to its structure after reproduction by igneous fusion ; it 

 does not take the ordinary crystalline structure, and this reveals 

 the necessity of .intervention of volatile elements in genesis of 

 acid rocks. — Note on the element called Mosandritm, by Prof. 

 Lawrence Smith. He claims priority in having called attention 

 to the absence of the oxide of cerium, and to new characters of 

 certain earths in the mineral samarskite, and having indicated a 

 new one he called mosandrum. — Double stars ; certain groups of 

 perspective, by M. Flammarion. He gives a list of couples that 

 are merely optical groups, due to the meeting, in the same visual 

 ray, of stars situated one beyond the other in space, and having 

 different proper motions. — On the number of complete arrange- 

 ments where consecutive elements satisfy given conditions, by M. 

 Andre. — On various derivatives of spirit of turpentine, by M, 

 De Montgolfier. He has studied the action of sodium chiefly 

 in chlorhydrates of turpentine, solid and liquid. — On a cyanised 

 derivative of camphor, by M. Haller. — Action of salts of 

 chromium on salts of aniline in presence of chlorates, by M. 

 Grawitz. He notes the advantage of using these salts in place of 

 vanadic salts; they are less rare and dear, and have even 

 greater energy. ^-^ of a milligramme of bichromate of potash, 

 per 125 grammes of aniline salt dissolved in water, still developes 

 black. — On the physiological action of borax, by M. De Cyon. 

 Borax added to meat to the extent of twelve grammes daily (a 

 quantity ten times that required by the Jourdes process), may be 

 taken in food without causing the least disorder in general 

 nutrition. Substituted for marine salt, borax increases the 

 power of assimilating meat, and may cause a large increase of 

 weight in the animal, even when the alimentation is exclusively 

 albuminoid. This all applies to pure borax only. 



CONTENTS Pa, 



Botanical Chemistry 



Geographical Astronomy . 



OwR Book Shelf :— 



Tait and Steele's "Treatise on Dynamics o£ a Particle, with 



Numerous Examples" 1 



Hulme's " Familiar Wild Flowers " ^-^ 



Letters to the Editor :— 



The Telephone.— Prof. James C. Watson 95 



The Intra-Mercurial Planets. — Prof. Lewis Swift 96 



Colour-Variation in Lizards. — Corsican Herpetology. — Dr. Henry 



Hillyer Giglioli 97 



Commercial Crises and Sun-Spots. — John Kemp 97 



Strange Properties of Matter. — Charles A. Fawsitt 98 



Galvanometer for Strong Currents. — Eugen Obach 1.8 



Utilisation of the African Elephant.— H. L. Jenkins 99 



Our Astronomical Column :— 



Orbits o£ Binary Stars 99 



Lalande's Stars, Nos. 5,499 and 45,400 99 



The Annular Eclipse of January 22, 1879 99 



Geookapiiical Notes • £9 



On the Development of the Garpike. By Prof. E.Perceval I 



Wright 100 



The Music of Colour and Motion loi 



The Swedish North-East Passage Expedition 102 



The Formation of Mountains. By Prof. Alphonse Favre {}Vith 



Illustrations) ""S 



George Henry Lewes 'o^ 



Notes .• '°7 



Royal Society— The President's Anniversary Address. By Sir 



Joseph Hooker, K.CS.L, C.B., F.R.S 109' 



Haeckel on the Liberty of Science and of Teaching .... 113 i 



University and Educational Intelligence '>5j 



Societies AND Academies ''5' 



