392 



NATURE 



[August 8, 1878 



tained at breakfast in the Zoological Gardens by the 

 Royal Zoological Society, in the afternoon at a dinner 

 by the College of Physicians, and in the evening at a 

 conversazione by the Royal College of Surgeons. Their 

 Graces the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough will also 1 

 hold a reception in the Viceregal Lodge and entertain a 

 number of distinguished visitors at dinner. 



Several eminent visitors have already announced 

 their intention of being present at the meeting, among 

 others Messrs. Cornu, Chevaher, Brown-Sequard, Emile 

 de Laveleye, Perier, Fell, Bertrand, Ranvier, Maas, 

 Zixkhl, Vogel, Salensky, Kanitz, Wittmael, Strieker, 

 Cope, Sylvester, Draper, Sterry Hunt, H. M. Stanley, 

 and Capt. Burnaby. 



Through the unceasing labours of Dr. Ball the Royal 

 Astronomer for Ireland, Dr. Norwood, and their co- 

 secretaries, Dr. Sigerson and Mr. Goff, the meeting pro- 

 mises to be an unusually good one. 



NOTES 



Mr. Charles Darwin has been elected Corresponding 

 Member of the Paris Academy of Sciences in the section of 

 Zoology by 26 votes against 14. This success is all the more 

 notable that Mr. Darwin obtained only 5 votes in a scrutiny 

 which took place quite recently. Prof. Asa Gray has been 

 elected a corresponding member in the Section of Botany in 

 succession to the late Dr. Braun of Berlin. 



At the meeting of the French Association, of which M. E. 

 Fremy will be president, M. Janssen will give a lecture on a 

 question of physical astronomy. Prof. V. Trelat one on the 

 Hospital, and Prof. Marey another on graphic researches rela- 

 tive to animated motors. Among the sectional papers promised 

 are the following : — In the Mathematical Sciences, Signor V. 

 Cerruti, of Rome, on the infinitely small movements of a solid 

 body. In Physics and Chemistry, Prof, Crova on the solar 

 heat ; M. Ducretet on the liquefaction of gases ; M. Janssen on 

 new data obtained by photography on the constitution of the 

 sun, and on the constitution of photographic spectra of short 

 exposure ; M. Montigny on the scintillation of the stars ; M. 

 Woejkoff on climatological researches. In Natural Science, Dr, 

 Alix on myology of mammals ; Dr. Baillon on the development 

 of the ovular teguments ; Dr. Blandet on geological periods 

 before the secular variations ; Prof. Chauveaux on the rate of 

 propagation of excitations in the vaso-motor nerves ; Prof, A. 

 Gaudry on the evolution of primitive mammals ; M, A. F. 

 Nogues on method in geology, and on the climatology of geo - 

 logical times ; Dr. Topinard on the notion of race in anthro- 

 pology. Altogether there are about 250 papers akeady down 

 to be read. 



We notice that the Bavarian Academy of Sciences at Munich 

 at its last session elected to membership the famous French 

 chemist Prof. Adolphe Wurtz, of Paris. Prof. Wurtz is at present 

 engaged in a careful study of the more modern chemical labora- 

 tories of the German universities, preliminary to the completion 

 of the plans for the new laboratory in connection with the Ecole 

 de Medecine at Paris. This sti"ucture will face on the new 

 Boulevard de St. Germain, and its erection will require about 

 five years. When completed it is expected that it will rank 

 among the model laboratories of the world. 



The Berlin Academy of Sciences has elected to its member- 

 ship the astronomer. Prof. Aubei-s, and the archaologist, Prof, 

 Conze, 



Some improved forms of microphone and telephone are 

 described in the August number of Scribner's Monthly. One 

 form of telephone, as devised by Mr. Phelps, gives sur- 

 prisingly good results. It contains two diaphragms, and in 

 shape somewhat resembles a double crown. Twelve per- 



manent magnets bent into a circular form are used in place of 

 the single magnet employed in other magneto-telephones. Six 

 of these on each side of the instrument have their like poles 

 joined to one of the cores which carry the helices, and radiate 

 from it in as many different directions. The opposite poles are 

 joined to the periphery of the diaphragm on the corresponding 

 side of the instrument, while the helices are so connected that • 

 the currents generated in them when the diaphragms are made to 

 vibrate mutually strengthen each other and thus contribute to 

 the effectiveness of the apparatus. Some idea of the perform- 

 ance of these improved instruments will be conveyed by men- 

 tioning the results obtained at a recent exhibtion of them in the 

 Sunday-school room of Dr. Wells's church, Brooklyn, Mr. 

 Edison's carbon transmitter was used for sending, and Mr, 

 Phelp's crown telephone for receiving. The sound was also re- 

 inforced at the receiving end by the use of a large paper cone, 

 whose smaller extremity was held to the mouthpiece of the 

 instrument. The circuit extended from the residence of Dr. 

 Wells, near the church, to the lecture-room. Speech from the 

 telephone was distinctly heard in all parts of the room by an 

 audience of about three hundred persons, while the singing of a 

 vocal quartette, solo singing, and guitar playing, were trans- 

 mitted with surprising cleaniess and loudness. It should be 

 observed, moreover, that the performance in this case was very 

 different from the so-called musical telephones by means of 

 which only the pitch and rhythm of the notes are distinguished, 

 the tone always resembling that of a penny trumpet. In this 

 instance the quality of the tone, which is the real life of 

 music, was exactly reproduced ; this is one of the characteristics 

 of the magneto-telephone— everything is faithfully reproduced. 

 Dr. Wells addressed the audience from his parlours through the 

 telephone, and not only was he clearly understood, but his 

 voice was also instantly recognised. 



The observatory of the University of Jena, which occupies a 

 romantic site in the garden where Schiller wrote his " Wallen- 

 stein," has been for three years unoccupied since the death of 

 Prof, Schron in 1S75. By a recent appointment Prof. Abbe 

 has been assigned to the chair of astronomy, and will commence 

 active duties in the observatory. 



The seventeenth annual meeting of the Devonshire Association 

 for the Advancement of Science, Literature, and Art, was held 

 on July 30 and 31, and August i, at Paignton. Mr. W, 

 Froude, F.R,S,, was the president-elect, but inconsequence of 

 the lamented death of his wife that gentleman was unable to 

 discharge the duties of the office, and at the last moment Sir 

 Samuel Baker, F,R,G.S., was chosen to fill the vacant place, 

 and delivered an address upon the chief points of progress 

 in the past half century. The list of papers was a 

 very full one, thirty-four in all, including the reports of 

 the various comniittees through whose action much of the 

 work of the Association is now systematised. Thus there are 

 committees at work upon the subjects of Devonshire mete- 

 orology, folk lore, celebrities, verbal provincialisms, Dartmoor, 

 the Devon domesday, and for the collection of scientific memo- 

 randa of a miscellaneous character ; aiid to these two others 

 were added at Paignton, one to collect and to record facts 

 relating to Devonshire barrov/s, and the other to perform a 

 similar duty with regard to ancient and still existing manorial 

 customs. Scientific papers predominated, and among these 

 geological papers occupied the foremost place. Mr. Pengelly, 

 F.R.S., contributed a fourth instalment of his collections of the 

 literature of Kent's Cavern prior to the investigations of the 

 British Association ; a fifth set of "Notes on recent Notices of 

 the Geology and Paleontology of Devon ; " and papers on " The 

 Geology of the Norlh-Eastern Coasts of Paignton ;" " Cetacean 

 Remains found inTorbay ; " and a second instalment of " Notes 

 on Slips {i.e., blunders of various writers) connected with Devon- 



