134 



NATO RE 



\May 30, 1878 



drawn : — 1st. That there are upwards of 100 owners and occu- 

 piers of land in Great Britain who use sewage for the sake alone 

 of what they can get out of it by agricultural means, 2nd. 

 That of this number more than sixty are tenant farmers who 

 continue to use it although they have, annually at least, the 

 option of ceasing to do so. 3rd. That of the latter number 

 about five-sixths, and of the total number about three-fourths, 

 actually pay money for the use of the sewage, either in the 

 form of out-fall rent, unquestionable increase of land rent, or 

 the price of occasional dressings. Nearly 4,000 acres of 

 sewage land have been referred to, and these are in the hands 

 of more than a hundred distinct occupiers. These occupiers 

 may be divided into three classes : — Those who have to cleanse 

 a certain quantity of sewage on a certain area of land ; those 

 who may take, or leave alone, as much of a town's sewage as 

 they please ; and those who may take, or leave alone, what 

 sewage can be spared by others having a prior right. The first 

 class occupies 1,670 acres of sewaged land, and deals with the 

 sewage of twenty distinct sanitary districts, or a population of 

 about 200,000 on as many as twenty-one different farms. Mr. 

 Birch's paper will be published as a pamphlet by Messrs. 

 Spon. 



Among the novelties in the German book trade for May, we 

 notice the following scientific works : — " Teleologie und Dar- 

 winismus," Dr. Kalischer (Berlin) ; " Gedanken iiber die Teleo- 

 logie in der Natur," v. Barenbach (Berlin) ; " Reisebriefe aus 

 Kordofan und Dar-Fur," Dr. F. Pfund (Hamburg); "Die 

 allgemeinsten chemischen Formeln," Prof. C. Willgerodt (Hei- 

 delberg) ; " Der Sternhaufen x Persei, beobachtet in der Leip- 

 ziger Sternwarte von 1867-70," H. C. Vogel (Leipzig) ; "Die 

 Verbreitung der Atmosphare," M. Thiesen (Berlin) ; " Aus der 

 Physik des Luftmeers," G. Miinter (Herford) ; "Praxis der 

 Naturgeschichte botanische, zoologische, und Akklimatisations- 

 garten, Aquarien, &c.," P. L. Martin (Weimar); "Atlas 

 coelestis eclipticus viii.," E. Heis (Cologne) ; " Die Fauna des 

 Graptolithen-Gesteines," K. Haupt (Gorlitz) ; "Bericht Uber 

 die Beobachtung des Venus-Durchgangs vom 8ten December in 

 Luxor," A. Auwers (Berlin) ; " Theorie der Warme," translated 

 from Prof . J. C. Maxwell by F. Neesen ; "Das Nervensystem 

 &c., der Medusen," O. and R. Hertwig (Leipzig);; "Journal 

 des Museums Godeffroy — A. Garret's Fische der Siidsee " 

 (Hamburg); "Fungi italici authographice delineati," P. A. 

 Saccardo (Berlin). The three last are very expensive works. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include three Common Rheas (_Rhea americana) from 

 South America, presented by ^ Mr. Frank Parish; four Water 

 Ouzels {Cinclus aquatiais), British, presented by Mr. R, J, L. 

 Price ; a Hairy Tapir {Tapirus roulint) from Columbia, two 

 Great-Billed Rheas {^Rhea macrorhyncha), two Sulphury Tyrants 

 (Pilangus sulphuratus) from' South America, received in ex- 

 change ; two Chimpanzees ( Troglodytes niger) from West Africa, 

 deposited ; two Bar -headed Geese {Anser tttuicus) from India, 

 purchased ; a Great Kangaroo {Macropus giganteus), two Wild 

 Boars {Sus scrofa), two Wild Cats (Felis catus), born in the 

 Gardens ; two Geoffroy's Doves {Peristera geoffroii), seven 

 Chilian Pintails {Dafila spinkauda), a Yellow-Legged Herring 

 Gull {Larus leiicophoeus), bred in the Gardens. 



THE FRENCH METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE 



"XXTE learn that M. Mascart has been appointed head of the 

 meteorological bureau. He is professor in the College 

 de France, his special subjects being light and electricity. He is 

 author of a work in two volumes, on static electricity. 



Last week we gave a brief sketch of the new organisation 

 of_ the French meteorological service by the government, and 

 this week we are able to publish a translation of the decree, 



from which it will be seen how much alive the French govern- 

 ment is to the national importance of a complete meteoro- 

 logical service. How Article 2, referring to "Titular Meteoro- 

 logists," "Adjoint Meteorologists," and "Assistant Meteoro- 

 logists," must surprise our "Meteorological" Council! In 

 France they actually insist upon meteorologists to do meteoro- 

 logicaVwork and to advise upon meteorological matters. 



Article i. — The meteorological division of the Paris Obser- 

 vatory forms a distinct service, which takes the title of " Bureau 

 Central Meteorologique." This service comprises the study of 

 the movements of the atmosphere, meteorological advertise- 

 ments to the ports and to agriculture, the organisation of the 

 meteorological observations, and of the regional or depart- 

 mental commissions, the publication of their works, and the 

 whole of the researches on meteorology or on climatology. 



2. The meteorological service of France comprises titular 

 meteorologists, adjoint meteorologists, and assistant meteoro- 

 logists. The salary of the titular meteorologists varies from 

 3,000 to 10,000 francs. The <Z(^ot«^ meteorologists are divided 

 into three classes, whose salaries vary from 2,500 to 5,000 francs. 

 The assistant meteorologists are divided into two classes, whose 

 salaries vary from 1,500 to 2,000 francs. This staff is dis- 

 tributed among the central bureau and the regional or depart- 

 mental observatories, in proportion to the needs of these 

 establishments. 



3. The scientific staff of the central bureau comprises a 

 titular meteorologist acting as director, two titular meteoro- 

 logists placed under him, adjoint meteorologists, and assistant 

 meteorologists. One of the adjoint or assistant meteorologists 

 acts as secretary of the central bureau. 



4. The director is charged with the general service of the 

 establishment, the correspondence, the presentation to the 

 minister of the proposed annual budget, the meteorological 

 service, and a detailed account of the yearly expenses. He ought 

 to secure the co-ordination and execution of the works which 

 demand the concuiTcnce of the different services placed under 

 his orders, and see to the regularity of the publications. No 

 order may be given without his authorisation. 



5. The scientific works are divided as follows : — (i) Service of 

 advertisements to the ports and to agriculture, (2) Service of the 

 general movements of the atmosphere. (3) Service of climato- 

 logy and of inspections. Each of the chiefs of the service remits 

 monthly to the director a summary report on the progress of the 

 works, and brings directly before the committee, instituted in the 

 following article, the scientific questions of the service. 



6. The heads of the service meet each month, on a fixed day, 

 under the presidency of the director. This committee may 

 hold extraordinary meetings at the instance of the director. 



7. The titular meteorologists and the director are nominated 

 by decree, on the proposition of the minister, and after the 

 advice of the council, to be spoken of afterwards. The adjoint 

 and assistant meteorologists are appointed by orders after advice 

 of the same council. 



8. The heads of the regional meteorological observatories are 

 placed under the authority of the director of the central bureau. 

 Each of these officials addresses to the central bureau, under 

 cover of the minister, the observations and works of his 

 establishment. He proposes to the council, through the 

 director of the central bureau, the advancement of the meteoro- 

 logists under his orders, 



9. The meteorological observatories and stations of every order 

 will be visited annually by the meteorologist of the central 

 bureau charged with the service of climatology and inspections. 

 They may also be visited by the director of the bureau or by a 

 member of the council appointed for that purpose. In cases 

 where the departments or towns contribute to the expenses of a 

 meteorological observatory, the inspection will take place in 

 company with the delegate of the general or municipal council 

 interested. 



10. There is established beside the central meteorological 

 bureau, a council composed of (i) A representative of each of 

 the Ministries of Agriculture and Commerce, of Public Works, 

 of War, Marine, Foreign and Home Affairs and of the Adminis- 

 tration of Telegraph Lines ; (2) Two delegates from the Ministry 

 of Public Instruction ; (3) Tm'o members of the Academy of 

 Sciences ; (4) The director of the central bureau. The heads of 

 the special service of the bureau are admitted to the council, with 

 a consiiltative voice for questions which interest them. The 

 members of the council are appointed for three years, by decree, 

 on the proposal of the Ministry of Public Instraction. 



