96 



NAIURE 



[May 23, 1878 



coveries of Watt, Peaucellier, Tchebycheff, Sylvester, 

 Hart, and Kempe; also examples of Sylvester's and 

 Kempe's isoclinostats. These last models are made, 

 some in zinc, but most of them of printer's rules, the 

 articulation being effected by brass pipes. We close our 

 recollections of this section with the bare mention of an 

 ingenious application of the zoetrope to illustrate certain 

 mechanical combinations in motion. 



In the engineering department was a collection of 

 elementary plane mechanisms as described in Prof. 

 Kennedy's translation of Reuleaux's " Kinematics" : links, 

 made as before of printers' rules ; cylinder-pair of brass 

 pipes, prism-pair of wood and brass allowing any joint 

 to be fixed, and a complete motion, all the motion truly 

 complane ; also a contrivance used for fixing a link when 

 its plane of motion is between two others. Among in- 

 stances of other mechanisms given in Reuleaux, we 

 noted a duangle moving in a triangle, triangle in a square, 

 &c. ; models of glass, centroids stuck on them, so making 

 the conception clear ; several examples of spherical quadri- 

 laterals made of zinc. Here also we mention the model of 

 a steam-engine excentric, showing the reversion of motion. 



Among matters in preparation we examined with in- 

 terest a pendulum apparatus which presented some novel 

 features, but it would take too much space to dwell 

 further upon what we saw under the courteous guidance 

 of M. Robin. What we have said — and here we acknow- 

 ledge our indebtedness to the superintendent's clear ex- 

 position, and to a short account of some of the models 

 given in "Engineering" for June 15, 1877, descriptive of 

 the scientific objects exhibited at the professor's conver- 

 sazione — will sufficiently indicate the way that has been 

 made in the short space of one year, under the careful 

 supervision of the professors. Very many of the models 

 are the work of the students. We had not time to 

 examine the physical section, which is devoted to the 

 construction of simple physical apparatus. 



THE SETTLE CA VE EXPLORA TION 



•T^HE Settle Cave Exploration Committee have again 

 ■*• nearly exhausted the funds at their disposal, and 

 are preparing a statement of accounts and a fresh appeal 

 to the public. 



The great thickness of beds already excavated in the 

 Victoria Cave has taken us down so far into the past that 

 it would be a thousand pities to close the work prema- 

 turely before getting down to the cavern floor. But 

 unless the Committee receive help soon they will be 

 obliged to stop and leave the rest of the cave' s history in 

 obscurity. We have appealed to our readers in behalf 

 of this important undertaking before, and v.e are sure 

 we shall not do so in vain again. There must be many 

 readers of Nature interested to see the final results of 

 the exploration of these interesting caves, and who are 

 at the same time able and willing to give substantial help 

 to the Committee. We are sure the smallest contribution 

 will be thankfully received, and we trust the Committee 

 will, without delay, be encouraged and enabled to con- 

 tinue their researches. The Treasurer, Mr. John Birk- 

 beck, junr., will receive donations at the Craven Bank, 

 Settle, Yorkshire. 



ORGANISATION OF FRENCH METEOROLOGY 



ON May 7 the Academy of Sciences adopted in its 

 secret meeting the draft of a letter to M. Bardoux, 

 the Minister for Public Instruction, asking him to 

 state whether he was to establish a separate adminis- 

 tration for meteorology or continue the existing sys- 

 tem. The answer to this was considered as an essential 

 preliminary to the selection of the candidates for the 

 directorship of the Paris Observatory. The candidates 

 have not been nominated yet,[but a definite answer has 

 been given to the Academy ~of Sciences. The decree 



organising the meteorological division of the observatory 

 into a distinct service was signed by the president on the 

 13th and gazetted on the 14th. It is prefaced by a 

 summary of the several steps taken by Leverrier (whose 

 name has been carefully omitted) to give the meteorologi- 

 cal organisation its existing form. 



The decree can hardly be considered as an innova- 

 tion, and may be more aptly termed a resuscitation of a 

 former stage in the evolution of official meteorology ir* 

 France. In 1864 Leverrier had under him three subordi- 

 nates : one was the head of the warning department ; 

 M. Rayet, the head of that which investigated general 

 movements of the atmosphere ; and the third M. Sonrel, 

 the head of meteorological stations, their inspector, and 

 general computer. M. Sonrel having died and M. Rayet 

 having resigned, their offices were suppressed for the sake 

 of economy. The whole of the work was executed on a 

 reduced scale by subordinates. M. Bardoux has recalled 

 into existence these two services, which are styled " Study 

 of the General Movements of the Atmosphere" and 

 " Climatology with Inspection of Meteorological Sta- 

 tions." The head of these two services will be a meteo- 

 rologist, and one of the three meteorologists will be 

 appointed director of the Central Bureau. 



This appointment will not take place immediately, as 

 the advice of a special council of the Central Bureau must 

 be taken by the Minister. This council will be formed of 

 members of the Institute and the large public administra- 

 tive departments— Telegraphy, Admiralty, Public Instruc- 

 tion, War Office, &c., connected in any way with 

 meteorology. 



The greatest innovation is the authority given to the 

 Central Bureau over the several meteorological observa- 

 tories which have been estabhshed or will be estabhshed 

 in the various districts of France, either at the expense of 

 Government, of departments, or of townships. The more 

 important of these observatories now in existence are 

 Montsouris (Paris), Lyons, Puy-de-D6me, and Pic du 

 Midi. It is not stated whether the decree will extend to 

 Algerian observatories, which publish a special journal 

 and have their observations taken with a special system. 



The Bureau Central will be in direct communication 

 with the departmental commissions which M. Leverrier 

 has established in almost every department. Each of 

 these commissions will have the control of the agricul- 

 tural stations in its own district. If the president requires 

 it, he will rtct\ye franco a daily telegram to help him to 

 issue special warnings, as the practice is daily gaining 

 ground. In many parts of France departmental com- 

 missions have been grouped into regional organisations 

 according to the initiative taken by Leverrier. The 

 directors of regional meteorological observatories, dele- 

 gates of regional commissions, and delegates of the 

 Meteorological Society of France, meet once a year to 

 deliberate on topics of interest for the progress of meteor- 

 ology. The Meteorological Society is a free society sup- 

 ported by voluntary contributions. It is the first time 

 that such a body has been endowed with official privi- 

 leges. . 



The departmental commissions, although established 

 mostly by the prefect and the local engineers of the 

 Ponts-et-Chaussdes, are supported by private exer- 

 tions and contributions, as well as donations from de- 

 partments and townships. M. Leverrier established an 

 observatory in each normal school in France (there is 

 one normal school in each department). All these 

 observatories are to be visited by the delegates of the 

 Bureau Central and their observations published by it. 

 These normal school observatories will issue warnings 

 for their localities. Some of them have already begun. 



The Champ de Mars meteorological pavilion contains 

 a number of valuable documents already sent by normal 

 schools and departmental commissions, Avhose exertions 

 will be regulated under the new system. 



