402 



NATURE 



[May 26, 192 1 



Notes. 



At a special meeting of the Institution of Electrical 

 Engineers, to be held on May 31, a proposal will be 

 submitted to the members that the institution shall 

 petition the Privy Council for a charter of incorpora- 

 tion. More than forty years ago, when the institution 

 was a small and struggling society, it applied for a 

 charter, but the application was successfully opposed 

 by the Institution of Civil Engineers. Now that the 

 importance of electrical engineering to the community 

 is recognised, and the good work that the institution 

 has done in developing electrical science and its appli- 

 cations is well known, there is no reason to anticipate 

 that there will be any opposition to the grant of a 

 charter. The only point where discussion is likely 

 to arise is in connection with the clause which proposes 

 to confer upon corporate members of the institution 

 the right to use the designation "chartered electrical 

 engineer." We take it that the object of this clause 

 is to distinguish between an electrical engineer and a 

 man who, having some slight technical qualification, 

 calls himself one. We think the proposal unnecessary. 

 The public recognises that the letters M.I.E.E. are a 

 complete qualification. 



Telephonic communication has now been estat> 

 llshed between Cuba and the United States by three 

 separate cables, each of which is more than a hundred 

 miles in length and is submerged to a depth of 1000 

 fathoms. Owing to the large electrostatic capacity of 

 submarine cables distinct speech through them would 

 be impossible were not the circuit made inductive so 

 as to secure the practically "distortionless circuit" 

 first described by Oliver Heaviside. In the submarine 

 portion of the London-Paris telephone circuit " lumped 

 inductance " is added by inserting Pupin inductance 

 colls at short intervals. In the Havana and Key West 

 cables the copper core is surrounded by a continuous 

 spiral of fine iron wire insulated by a sheathing of 

 gutta-percha. The inductive loading is thus con- 

 tinuous, and so the necessary matherrtatical conditions 

 can be more accurately fulfilled. Above the gutta- 

 percha is wound a copper tape as a protection against 

 the attacks of the teredo. Over this shield is wound 

 a further copper tape, which forms the return half ot 

 the telephone circuit of each cable. The specifications 

 for the cables were prepared by Sir William Slingo, 

 formerly Engineer-in-Chief of the .British Post Office, 

 in conjunction with the Western Electric Co. 



We learn from the publication, Radium, that 

 Mme. Curie left France on May 7 on a visit to 

 the United States, the main purport of her visit being 

 to receive a gift of one gram of the element radium 

 from the women of the United States. The gift was 

 organised by Mrs. William Brown Meloney, the 

 editor of the Delineator, and carried into effect by the 

 Marie Curie Radium Fund Committee. From a 

 report in the Times of May 21 it appears that this 

 presentation was made to Mme. Curie at the White 

 House, Washington, at the hands of President 

 Harding. In an eloquent and felicitous address the 

 NO. 2691, VOL. 107] 



President referred to the benefits conferred upon 

 humanity by discoveries in science. It is, as he said, 

 given to relatively few to make great discoveries, 

 and the recognition given to those who do so 

 is often meagre enough. In a happy phrase he 

 reminded his audience that "the great things 

 achieved by great minds would never have been 

 wrought without the inspiration to successful effort, 

 and success in turn enables the outgiving of benefits 

 to millions whose only contribution has been the 

 power of their united appeal." We understand that 

 Mme. Curie is to be the recipient of several honorary 

 degrees on the occasion of her visit to America. 



The importance of regular meteorological reports 

 from Greenland for the forecasting services of Western 

 Europe, and, indeed, for that of Canada also, has 

 been recognised for some years. The question of 

 these reports was discussed at the meeting of the 

 International Commission for Weather Telegraphy 

 which was held in London in November last, and the 

 Commission decided unanimously that " the estab- 

 lishment at the earliest possible date of a high-power 

 radio-telegraphic station in Greenland is of the utmost 

 importance to the meteorology of Western Europe, 

 and, further, it is of such importance as to warrant 

 the international provision of funds for maintaining 

 it." It is probable that the provision of such a 

 station by the Danish Government will be made at 

 an early date. When this station has been provided 

 it will be possible to make a definite use in weather 

 forecasting in Europe of meteorological observations 

 from Canada and the United States. Hitherto the 

 gap between the European and American observations 

 has been so great that meteorologists have been un- 

 able to justify the expense which would be involved 

 in regular cable messages from America to England. 



Dr. E. J. Russell, director of the Rothamsted 

 Experimental Station, has been appointed a foreign 

 corresponding member of the Reale Istituto Lom- 

 bardo di Scienze e Lettere di Milano. 



Dr. F. L. Golla will deliver the Croonlan lectures 

 of the Royal College of Physicians on Tuesdays and 

 Thursdays, June 9, 14, 16, and 21, at 5 o'clock, upon 

 the subject of "The Objective Study of Neurosis." 



Notice is given by the Institute of Physics that the 

 first examination of candidates for the associateship 

 of the institute will be held at the latter end of 

 September next. Forms of application are obtainable 

 from the Secretary, 10 Essex Street, W.C.2. Ap- 

 plications for entry must be received before June 15. 



A PUBLIC meeting arranged by the National Union 

 of Scientific Workers will be held In the Botanical 

 Theatre, University College, Gower Street, on Monday 

 next. May 30, when Prof. L. Balrstow will speak oit 

 the subject of "The Administration of Scientific 

 Work." The chair will be taken at 8 p.m. by the 

 Right Hon. Viscount Haldane. 



The Principal Trustees of the British Museum have 

 appointed Dr. W. T. Caiman to be deputy keeper in 

 the department of zoology. Dr. Caiman, who 



