l82 



NATURE 



\7une 13, 1878 



A VERY interesting paper was recently read before the' Asiatic 

 Society of Japan, by a native of that empire, in which the 

 records of the earthquakes in that insular region for the past 

 fifteen centuries were carefully compiled and classified. It 

 appears that since the year 406 A.D. the authorities of Yeddo 

 and other large cities have preserved, almost without interruption 

 to the present time, descriptions of all earthquakes occurring, 

 with their accompanying phenomena. As a rule it has been 

 observed that the great shocks were preceded by a rise of tem- 

 perature and violent atmospheric perturbations. The general 

 average of great earthquakes has been ten in the century. The 

 average of the present century is, however, double that number, 

 and in the ninth century there were no less than twenty-eight 

 destnictive earthquakes. The litt referred to describes a total 

 of 150 great earthquakes during the past fifteen centuries, and a 

 host of minor shocks. It is certainly one of the most novel and 

 valuable contributions to this department of meteorology, and it 

 is to be hoped that it will appear in a form and language avail- 

 able for European savants. 



The Japanese Government are evidently also losing no time in 

 extending their system of telegraphic conununication, for we 

 learn from a Japan contemporary that there are now 125 tele- 

 graph stations in the country, and it is estimated that there are 

 5,000 miles of wire in operatisn ; 1,000 miles more are in course 

 of construction, and still further extensions are contemplated. 

 Considering that the first telegraph line for practical purposes 

 was not erected in Japan before the end of 1869, the result 

 achieved is by no means unsatisfactory. 



We have before us three small publications, which indicate 

 the activity of scientific research, especially botanical, in the 

 United States. 1. The Botanical Directory of America for 

 1878 shows an array of names which would compare favour- 

 ably with the number that could be included in such a list in 

 the old country. Even those who are aware how much good 

 work has been done by American women in several branches of 

 science would hardly be prepared to find so large a proportion 

 of ladies as are to be seen in the present list. 2. Jahresbericht 

 des naturhistorischen Vereins von Wisconsin fiir das Jahr 

 1877-78, is a record of the year's work of the Natural History 

 Society for the remote State of Wisconsin, so largely settled by 

 Germans. Though some of the papers are in English — includ- 

 ing an interesting one by Dr. E. N. Bartlett on Aspergillus, 

 detected by him as a parasite in the ear, causing partial deaf- 

 ness — the official language of the Society appears to be German. 

 3. "A Catalogue of the Flowering Plants and Higher Crypto- 

 gams growing within thirty miles of Yale College," published 

 by the Berzelius Society, appears to be carefully executed. The 

 total number of indigenous species is— 1,037 flowering plants, 

 52 vascular cryptogams, and 221 Muscnije, besides 196 intro- 

 duced flowering plants. It is accompanied by a map. 



" Vis Medicatrix Nature." In the light of this venerable 

 saw we do not think it inappropriate in these pages to support an 

 appeal which Dr. Dawson W. Turner asks us to make on behalf 

 of the thousands of patients in the hospitals in and around 

 London. The true healing art is based on rigid scientific research, 

 and one of the most effectual methods of assisting the physician's 

 efforts is to keep the patient in a cheerful mood and divest his 

 thoughts fi-om himself and his aflliction?. A potent means to 

 this end is cheerful reading, and we are sure that in this direction 

 many of our readers will be able to assist Dr. Turner in his 

 beneficent mission. Mr. Turner finds that of this class of books 

 none are so acceptable to the sick and suffering, who can read, 

 as the cheap one-volume editions of the best of our standard 

 novelists — Scott, Dickens, and Marryat, especially, and then 

 Trollope, Miss Sewell, Mrs. Gatty, and a host of others. 

 Dr. Turner rightly makes a point of excluding everything that 

 '.s the least "senEaliona]." The liijhter sort of serials are also 



acceptable, such as Good Words, Aunt Judys Magazine, Leisure 

 Hour, and so forth, as well as picture- and scrap-books, espe- 

 cially if the leaves are pasted on linen. We would add that we 

 are sure many of the patients would welcome some of our more 

 popularly written illustrated scientific works, which tell of 

 greater wonders than ever novelist imagined, and the reading- 

 of which, besides amusing the patients, would leave a solid 

 residue of knowledge behind. Dr. Turner's address is 13^ 

 Salisbury Street, Strand, W.C. 



In the forthcoming/^/^ to be given by the City of Paris, no 

 less than 200 electric candles will be kept burning during the 

 whole of the night in several parts of the city, besides the 

 regular display, which has been increased since our last note. 



Some of our readers may remember that Leverrier proposed 

 to the French government to extend weather-warnings not only 

 to agriculturists but also to the men who risk their lives 

 in collieries. The mournful accident which has occurred 

 near Wigan recently adds force to Leverrier's proposal, and 

 surely, on the chance of its preventing such accidents, the plan 

 might be tried. 



In Lisbon and its vicinity there was a violent shock of earth- 

 quake, accompanied by a storm of wind, at eleven o'clock oa 

 Saturday night, the duration about six seconds, and the direc- 

 tion east to west. Much alarm was caused. 



The Societe Frangaise d'Hygiene Publique, has appointed a. 

 Commission for utilising the Giffard Captive Balloon in the 

 study of questions connected with hygiene, such as the influence 

 of rapid decrease of pressure on vital functions, the causes of 

 vertigo, &c. A preliminary programme has been published 

 already. 



The Congress of Hygiene appointed by the French Ministry 

 for the occasion of the Exhibition, will take place at the 

 Trocadero Palace in tlie month of August. A number of 

 excursions of special interest will be organised on the occasion. 

 The initiative committee meets every week on Wednesday at 

 the Pavilion de Flore (Palais des Tuileries), in the room where 

 the late Congress of Geography was recently held. 



Prof. Peligot of Paris discusses, in a recent number of 

 the Ann. de Ch. et Phy., the composition of ancient glass, com- 

 bining his own analysis with a careful study of all passages o» 

 the subject in ancient authors. The specimens which he exa- 

 mined all contained mixtures of soda and potash, with but 

 minimal quantities of life — one-third to one -half of the amount 

 used at present. Prof. Peligot comes to the conclusion that 

 flint-glass was entirely unknown in ancient times. 



From the recent report of the secretary of the Societe Chi- 

 mique de Paris, we notice that its membership is at present 383, 

 consisting of 140 members dwelling in Paris, and 243 non-resi- 

 dent. The yearly receipts amount to over 15,000 francs, of 

 which a third is saved for investment. The Society possesses 

 now a capital of 44,000 francs. Its bi-monthly Bulletin forms 

 a yearly volume of 1,200 pages, and has a circulation of oves 

 400 outside of the Society. 



We i-ecently drew attention to Winkler's remarkable lunar 

 landscape, now being exhibited in London. Something eveii 

 more extensive, if not, perhaps, quite so artistic, is to be 

 attempted by an American artist, if he can procure a sufficient 

 number of subscribers. Mr. Henry Harrison, of Jersey City, 

 has already painted a picture of the moon three and a half days 

 old, and although we have not seen it ourselves, it is so highly 

 spoken of by Dr. H. Draper and Mr. Rutherfurd, that we do. 

 not hesitate calling our readers' attention to the artist's proposed 

 publication. The picture represents the moon with the termi- 

 nator at Mount Glacier, showing the earthshine on the surface in 

 shadow in which some of the most prominent features, i.e., the cra- 

 ters Copernicus and Tycho, the Appenniiie Mountains, and nearly 



