272 



NATURE 



IJan. 31, 1878 



covery of a prehistoric mound at Omuri, near Yeddo, containing 

 over 5,000 different articles in stone, bronze, &c. In a recent 

 communication to the Berlin Anthropologische Gesellschaft, he 

 describes the origin of the terra- cotta images found in old 

 Japanese burial grounds. It appears that up to the year 2 B.C. 

 it was the custom to surround the grave of a dead emperor or 

 empress with a number of their attendants, buried alive up to the 

 neck, their heads forming a ghastly ring about the burial spot. 

 At the date referred to the custom was abolished, and the living 

 offerings were replaced by the clay figures, which have hitherto 

 attracted so much attention. 



The new ethnographical museum in the Palais de I'Industrie, at 

 Paris, was opened on Wednesday last week, the Minister of Public 

 Instruction pronouncing the opening discourse. Deputations 

 were present from all the learned bodies and public institutions 

 of the city, and general satisfaction was expresssed at the admi- 

 rable manner in which Baron de Watteville, the director, had 

 accomplished his task of [organisation and arrangement. 



The Bolton Corporation !have just adopted plans for the 

 Chadwick Museum to be erected in the Bolton public park at a 

 cost of S,ooo/. The amount was left by the will of Dr. Chad- 

 wick for this purpose upon condition that the Corporation 

 provided a site. The architect is Mr. R. K. Freeman. 



Prof. W. M. Gabb writes as follows from Puerto Plata, Sto. 

 Domingo, December 29 : — In the issue of November i you 

 quote a Paris correspondent of the Ttvies, who says that the 

 Madrid people deny the authenticity of the recent finding of the 

 remains of Columbus safe in the Cathedral of Santo Domingo. 

 Of course the Spaniards are not willing to acknowledge that they 

 were hoaxed, but the fact is nevertheless beyond dispute. The 

 remains of Christopher Columbus are to-day in Santo Domingo. 

 Unfortunately I am not able now to send you the full data. Suffice 

 it to say that the chain of evidence is complete and has been 

 verified with all possible precaution. The cheat was perpetrated 

 by a then member of the " Cabildo," who had the knowledge, 

 the tact, and the unscrupulousness to perpetrate it successfully. 

 The whole consular corps, all the Government officials, and all 

 the better class alike of natives and foreigners at the time in 

 Santo Domingo city are witnesses of the authenticity of the 

 "find." 



On Monday afternoon a powerful shock of earthquake was 

 felt in the island of Jersey. It was so strong as to cause houses 

 to totter and bells to ring. Its course was from east to west. 

 There was at the time a heavy gale from the south-west in the 

 English ChanneL At 11 "55 A.M. the same day a shock, lasting 

 about four seconds, was felt at Eastern Alderney. No doubt it 

 was the same earthquake which was felt at Brighton, Black- 

 heath, Fareham, and St. Leonards, as reported in yesterday's 

 Times, and at Paris, Havre, and Rouen, as stated by the Times 

 Paris correspondent. Mr. Dobson, writing to us from the Royal 

 ■Vi:toria Hospital, Netley, Southampton, states that the first shock 

 occurred there at seven minutes to twelve o'clock exactly, and 

 lasted about five or six seconds. It was sufficiently strong to 

 cause the door to shake with some violence, and many objects in 

 the room continued to vibrate for a considerable time. The 

 second shock occurred a few seconds afterwards, but lasted for a 

 much shorter period. A shock was felt at Lisbon on Saturday, 

 being the third shock during the present winter. 



A CIRCULAR signed by Mr. Justin Winsor, librarian of Har- 

 vard College, Cambridge, Mass., informs us that it is proposed 

 to issue by subscription a catalogue of scientific serial publica- 

 tions in all languages, which has been prepared by Mr. Samuel 

 H. Scudder, librarian of the American Academy of Arts and 

 Sc'ences, and fprmerly librarian of the Boston Society of Natural 



History, and well known for his various scientific publications. 

 This work, which has double the extent of any existing list of 

 the like kind, aims to include all society transactions and inde- 

 pendent journals in every branch of natural, mathematical, and 

 physical science, excepting only the applied sciences — medicine, 

 agriculture, technology, &c. The different institutions or periodi- 

 cals are arranged under the towns in which they are established 

 or published, and the towns follow an alphabetical order under 

 their respective countries. Cross references are given wherever 

 desirable. The work will be printed in large octavo, will ex- 

 tend to almost 300 pages, and will be delivered, bound in cloth, 

 to subscribers at four dollars the copy. Other copies will be 

 printed on one side of the leaf — to be cut up for catalogue use — 

 and will be delivered in folded sheets at five dollars the copy. 

 Further details may be obtained from Mr. Winsor, 



A SECOND edition of Dr. M. Foster's *' Text-Book of 

 Physiology," has been published by Messrs. Macmiilan and Co. 

 The work has been revised and enlarged, and a number of 

 figures of instruments has been introduced. 



In a recent paper to the Gottingen Society of Sciences, M. 

 Grinitz'has compared what data he could obtain regarding the 

 effects of the earthquake at Iquique on May 9 last year. Among 

 other points, it appears that the wave travelled from Iquique to 

 Hilo, in Hawaii, a distance of 5,526 nautical miles, in fourteen 

 hours ; which is at the rate of 670 feet psr second. From this 

 velocity the average depth of that portion of the ocean traversed 

 can be calculated by Airy's or Russell's formulce ; it is found to 

 be 2,324 fathoms. The wave had an unbroken course to 

 Hilo, but not so to Plonolulu, as it encountered the islands of 

 Hawaii, Maui, &c. The average velocity to Honolulu was 

 654'5 feet per secoiid ; and the average sea-depth inferred is 

 2,219] fathoms. The corresponding numerical data for Apia, 

 I-yttelton, Uskaroa, in New Zealand, Komaishi, in Japan, and 

 other places, are given. (For the last-named a velocity of 679 

 feet^per second was obtained.) On comparison with Hoch- 

 stetter's results for the earthquake of 1868, and with direct sea- 

 measurements there is seen to be a very fair agreement. Hoch- 

 stetter's assertion- is, on the whole, confirmed, that the velocity 

 of the earthquake wave and the lunar tide wave are identical. 



We have received] from Messrs. Hardwicke and Bogue the 

 first volume of their illustrated publication, Indiistiial Art, a 

 monthly review of technical and scientific education at home and 

 abroad. We have carefully examined the work and can say that 

 the text and illustrations run each other very hard for carrying 

 off the palm of excellence. We are glad to gather from the 

 evident success of the venture that the time has arrived when 

 scientific matter is regarded as the natural and necessary accom- 

 paniment of a complete reference to art matters. The articles 

 on technical education in France, Austria, and Germany are 

 thoroughly well done. 



We are glad to be able to point to another instance of a collec- 

 tion of the papers of a scientific man during his lifetime. Follow- 

 ing hird upon the appearance of Dr. Frankland's collected 

 papers Dr. Lloyd, of Dublin, has published a volume of 500 

 pages (Longmans) containing his memoirs, reports, and addresses 

 given from time to time, from his classical paper on Conical 

 Refraction to his address delivered before the British Association 

 in 1857. The volume is a very valuable one for a scientific 

 library, for at different times Dr. Lloyd has directed his attention 

 to optics, terrestrial magnetism, and meteorology, and not only 

 have we here the original papers but a series of reports on the 

 progress and present state of physical optics extending over nearly 

 150 pages somewhat after the style of Verdet's introductions to 

 the various parts of his work, 



