Feb. 28, 1878] 



NATURE 



351 



in the measurement of the great Indian arc for determining the 

 figure and dimensions of the earth. In 1843 he was appointed 

 Surveyor-General of India and Superintendent of the Trigono- 

 metrical Survey. He received the honour of knighthood in 

 i860, and the Gold Medal of the Royal Geographical Society in 

 1857-58. 



MM. Henry brothers, the celebrated astrottomersj have ih- 

 vented a telegraphic warning apparatus, which can be used for 

 telephones. It is powerful, cheap, and simple, and musical 

 sounds emitted can be heard at a distance without placing the 

 ear at the opening of the mouth-piece. 



The Gardener's Chronicle announces that M. Thuret's fine 

 garden at Antibes has fortunately become the property of the 

 French nation, and will be constituted a Mediterranean branch, 

 as it were, of the Jardin des Plantes at Paris. The direction 

 will be in the hands of M. Naudin, now of CoUioure, who in 

 this new field of action will have greater scope than before for 

 his experiments in naturalisation. The object is to maintain the 

 garden as a botanic and experimental garden, where all new 

 introductions may be tried and distributed to other gardens. 



It is stated that the German poet, Friedrich Bodenstedt, the 

 author of the charming " Lieder des Mirza SchafTy," is now 

 engaged in translating the poems of the Persian philosoper Omer 

 Cheijan. The latter was born at Nishaboor, in the twelfth 

 century, and was one of the greatest astronomers and philo- 

 sophers of his time. He recorded the results of his studies in 

 verse. 



At a village near the well-known German watering place, 

 Langenschwalbach (in the Prussian province of Nassau) some 

 interesting experiments have been recently made with the 

 common nettle {Urtica dioica). They consisted in working this 

 weed in the same manner as hemp ; the fibres obtained were 

 fine as silk, while they yielded nothing to hemp fibres as regards 

 durability. A considerable area has now been planted with 

 nettles at the locality named. 



Some highly interesting antiquities were recently found near 

 Wisby, on the Swedish island of Gottland, in the Baltic. 

 Excavations are being made for a new railway, and in a gravel 

 pit, about a foot under the surface, a copper casket was found, 

 which contained two sets of bronze weights, each set consisting 

 of five different pieces, and belonging to an old Arabic monetary 

 system. Besides these weights there was a peculiar magnifying 

 glass in the box, while on the top of all there were found two 

 balance scales, a larger and a smaller balance beam, the former 

 with chains, the latter with flaxen strings, which were still 

 preserved. All the objects were artistically finished and made 

 of bronze. 



Prof. LeIdy has been engaged, in connection with Dr. 

 Hayden's expedition during the past season, in exploring the 

 region about Fort Bridger, Uintah Mountains, and the Salt Lake 

 Basin, with special reference to the occurrence there of rhieo- 

 pods. These have been for several years the special object of Prof. 

 Leidy's attention, and his extensive manuscripts, with many 

 coloured drawings, will probably be published before long. 



Mr. W. H. Holmes, the artist of Dr. Hayden's party, has 

 been prosecuting explorations among the Pueblo villages, both 

 ancient and modern, in Northern New Mexico and Arizona, and 

 has collected data for making models in plaster of the pueblos of 

 Taos and Acorna, which will probably be added to the superb 

 series of these archjeological restorations deposited by Prof. 

 Hayden in the National Museum. 



We understand that the National Entomological Exhibition, 

 which will be opened at the Royal Aquarium, Westminster, on 

 March 9 is likely to be a great success. Already several thousand 

 square feet of space have been applied for. 



It is surprising to hear that M. Ruhmkorf's workshop has 

 been sold by auction at the ridiculous price of 42/. 



A novel ubc of the telegraph has lately been adopted by 

 the Norwegian Government. As is well known, the herring 

 fishery forms one of the most important sources of income for the 

 country, the captures being made as the great shoals come from 

 the depths of the sea to deposit their spawn in the Norwegian 

 fiords. It frequently happens that the object of their visit is 

 accomplished, and they return to the ocean before news of their 

 arrival reaches the fishers on distant parts of the coast. This 

 difficulty is now obviated by the construction of a telegraphic 

 line, 200 kilometres in length, composed chiefly of submarine 

 cables, by means of which the fishers along the whole coast are 

 enabled to gather at once on the approach of a shoal to any part 

 ticular fiord. The abundant captures made in this way show the 

 investment in telegraphic wire to have been a most profitable 

 speculation. 



Baron von Bibra states in the Journal filr prahtisc'he 

 Chemie, that he has been enabled to restore the handwriting in 

 old manuscripts, by washing them with a solution of tannin, and 

 drying at 75° C. He has likewise found that nitro-benzene can 

 be used for the restoration of antique paintings, whether painted 

 on wood or canvas. 



A strange little work has just been published at Weimar 

 (Weissbach) ; its title is "Das Buch der Katzen," its author 

 Herr Gustav Michel. In six letters the author gives an interest* 

 ing account of the somewhat rich material, treating the same in 

 turn from a scientific, historic, domestic, religious, and my the* 

 logical point of view. 



In a communication to the American Philosophical Society on 

 the 1st inst., by Mr. A. Wilcocks, of Louisiana, the author 

 describes an interesting observation which he made of a shadow 

 cast by Venus, against a white wall. In a piazza. " The shadow 

 of a hand," he states, " distant twelve feet from the wall, I found 

 perfectly sharp and well defined. And more striking still, the 

 shadow of the twigs of a pecan tree, distant fifty yards, were 

 also sharp. These last shadows were faint, from the effect of 

 the diffused light of the sky which illumined the wall, " 



We take the following interesting statistical data from the 

 Jahreshericht for 1877 on the establishments of the world-known 

 firm of Krupp at Essen, Rhenish Prussia. The number of work- 

 men in the cast-steel works amounts to 8,500. There are 298 

 steam.engines with separate boilers in the establishment, and the 

 total of their horse-power amounts to 11,000. Besides these 

 there are 77 steam hammers at work varying in weiglit from 

 2 cwt, to 50 tons. The products in every 24 hours amount to 

 about 12 English miles 01 rails with tyres, axles, wheels, springs 

 in proportion, as well as 1,500 shells of various sizes and con* 

 structions. In one month 300 guns (of various bores) are 

 produced. Since 1847 no less than 15,000 cannon have 

 been made. The daily consumption of coal and coke is 

 1,800 tons. There are 21,000 gas flames on the works. A 

 railway of 60 kilometres length, with [24 locomotive engines, 

 and 700 carriages exclusively belongs to the establishment } 

 there are also 44 different telegraph stations, and a fire brigade 

 with 8 engines. A new shooting ground of 18 kilometres 

 length is now being adapted near Meppen (Hanover). In the 

 coal and other mines belonging to the firm there are 5, 300 work- 

 men. Their mines in northern Spain produce 200,000 tons ot 

 iron ore atmually ; 5 steamers belonging to the firm convey these 

 ores to their destination. The metallurgical establishment 

 contains 700 workmen. In 3,277 workmen's dwelling-houses 

 built by the firm there live 16,200 men, women, and children. 

 They are supplied with provisions, &c., at 22 stores at wholesale 

 prices. The bakehouse produces about 195 tons of bread per 

 day. Last, but not least, there are 4 general schools with a i classeS) 

 and an industrial school for girls and women on the establishment. 



