Feb. 22, 1877] 



NATURE 



363 



an extent as liydrogen by melted cast iron, its occlusion is almost 

 entirely prevented by the presence of manganese. Gases are 

 retained by pig iron after cooling, but can be extracted by heating 

 the metal to 800", Steel occludes less gas than cast iron, 

 hydrogen predominating over carbonic oxide ; on the other hand 

 more carbonic oxide than hydrogen is occluded by soft iron. 

 Finely divided iron free from gases decomposes water slowly at 

 the ordinary temperatuie, rapidly at 100°, the decomposition 

 being more rapid the finer the state of division of the iron. 



NOTES 

 The golden Baer medal was awarded this year, by the St. 

 FetersVurg Academy of Sciences, to Prof. Bunge, for his various 

 works upon the flora of Russia. The Lomonosoff premium, 

 value 1,000 roubles, was awarded to Prof. Beilstein, of Kazan, 

 for researches on the properties of bodies of the benzoil series. 



M. ANDRfe, the astronomer who was sent by the French Insti- 

 tute to New Caledonia to observe the transit of Venus, has 

 been appointed director of the new observatory established at 

 Lyons by M. Waddingtoi. 



At the half-yearly General Meeting of the Scottish Meteoro- 

 logical Society, held yesterday, the Duke of Richmond was 

 elected President. The following papers were read : — i. On 

 methcds of estimating ozone and other constituents of the at- 

 mosphere, by Mr. E. M. Dixon, B.Sc, Office of Health, Glasgow. 

 2. On the peculiarities of the weather of December and January 

 last, by Mr. Buchan, Secretary. 3. Observations of rainfall at 

 sea on board ship, by Dr. Black, Surgeon-Major. 



y The Report of the Treasury Meteorological Commission 

 appointed in the autumn of 1875 has now been published. The 

 chief recommendations are that ocean meteorology be transferred 

 from the Meteorological Office to the Admiralty, that the annual 

 Parliamentary Grant be increased from 10,000/. to 14,500/., and 

 that, in addition to the above, some pecuniary assistance, the 

 amount not being specified, be given to the Scottish Meteoro 

 logical Society, on whose claims to Government support the 

 Commission was specially instructed to report. 



We recently announced (p. 116) that the city of Brunswick 

 was making preparations to celebrate the looth anniversary of the 

 birth of Carl Friediich Gauss, the "prince" of mathematicians, 

 who was born in that city on April 30, 1777. It is proposed to 

 erect a monument in Brunswick to Gauss, and from the circular 

 which has been sent us we learn that the Monument Committee 

 consists of the principal officials of the city, civil, professional, 

 and commercial. No doubt many English men of science might 

 wish to contribute to this monum.ent j contributions should be 

 addressed to the Gauss Monument Fund, Brunswick Bank. 



We can do no more this week than refer to the fact that the 

 Oxford and Cambridge Universities Bill passed the second read- 

 ing on Monday, as might have been expected, practically without 

 opposition. The Bill does not differ essentially from those in- 

 troduced last year in reference to the two Universities. 



The fourth Congress of Russian Archeeologists will be opened 

 on August 12, at Kazan. All communications should be 

 addressed to Count Ouvarcff, at the Moscow Archaeological 

 Society. . 



We are glad to hear that the founding of a Russian Anthro- 

 pological Society at St. Petersburg may be considered as finally 

 settled. Certainly many Russian scientific bodies have now 

 special anthropological sections which, as for instance that of 

 the Moscow Society of Friends of Natural Science, have done 

 it good deal of valuable work, but it is also very desirable that 

 the separate efforts of Russian anthropologists be more concen- 

 trated than they are at present. 



The Senatus Academicus of the University of St. Andrews 

 have conferred the degree of LL.D. upon Dr. B. W. Richardson, 

 F.R.S., and Dr. James Murie, F.L.S. 



In a small brochure recently published, Prof. Ragona, of the 

 Royal Observatory of Modena, advocates the formation of an 

 " Italian Meteorological Society." There are at present mor 

 than 100 meteorological stations throughout the peninsula, at 

 various heights from the sea-level to 2,550 metres. Most are 

 occupied also with magnetic observations ; some are devoted 

 almost exclusively to seismometry. The Minister of Agriculture, 

 Industry, and Commerce publishes an Italian Meteorological 

 Bulletin, and the Naval Minister sends out daily intimations ot 

 the state of the atmosphere throughout Europe, and of proba- 

 bilities of weather. The proposed Society might hold an annual 

 congress now in one city, now in another, and might, like the 

 Austrian, receive a grant from Government. 



Dr. Gabriel, of the University of Breslau, a well-known 

 morphological investigator, has been sent by the Berlin Academy 

 of Sciences to Naples to carry on for four months an extended 

 series of observations on microscopic marine organisms. The 

 necessary funds have been granted partly by the Academy and 

 partly by the Prussian department of instruction. 



The Great Northern Railway Company have a bill now before 

 Parliament for the construction of a line of railway from Shep- 

 reth to March, which will pass at 'a distance of not more than 

 1,700 feet from the Cambridge Observatory. From the experi- 

 ence of other observatories, and from the evidence of private 

 letters, which Prof. Adams ;has received from several eminent 

 astronomers, the Syndicate have strong reason 'to believe that 

 the passage of trains, so near the Observatory, would very 

 seriously affect the accuracy of the observations, or even cause 

 their entire loss. The Syndicate therefore recommend, on good 

 grounds, that the University should petition Parliament against 

 the passing of the l)ill above referred to. 



Russia expended 345,000/. upon her seven universities during 

 the past year. 



Of the 13,356 new works issued in Germany during the past 

 year, 848 were devoted to the natural sciences, 296 to geography 

 and travel, and 190 to mathematics and astronomy. 



It is proposed to open before long a good aquarium at St. 

 Petersburg. The institution is patronised by the Society of 

 Acclimatisation, which will have, in connection with the 

 aquaiium, a garden for scientific experiments relative to the 

 acclimatisation of plants. 



The immense number of wolves in Russia, to which reference 

 was made some time ago, seems not to have been overrated. An 

 ofhcial report of the Zemstvo of the Kerensk district (Penza 

 Government), just published, estimates the ravages of wolves 

 during the years 1874 and 1875 ^^ 270 horses, 200 cows, 822 

 foals, 707 calves, r,8i2 sheep, about 1,000 pigs, 3,616 geese and 

 ducks, and 253 dogs. 



We recently announced the death ot the eminent American 

 palaeontologist, Mr. F. B. Meek. He died within the walls of 

 the Smithsonian Institution, where he had been permitted to 

 occupy rooms for about eighteen years. He had been con- 

 nected with the U.S. Geological and Geographical Survey 

 of the Territories for the greater portion of the time since 

 its first organisation in 1867. Mr. Meek was born in the 

 city of Madison, Ind., December 10, 1817. From his eailiest 

 recollection he was interested in the Silurian fossils so abundant 

 in the rocks of the! neighbourhood of his home. He had then 

 never heard of geology, but studied them with admiration and 

 wonder as to their origin. Against his own wishes he entered 

 into business, but during the financial crisis of 1847 ^^ failed, 



