48o 



NATURE 



{April II, 1878 



bichromates in carbon printing, and by Edwin Cocking, on non- 

 converging perpendiculars in architectural photographs. Dr. 

 Monckhoven, in his paper, asserts that neither hot water nor 

 alum fix carbon prints, and although excess of bichromate of 

 potash is removed, still the chromic salt, which has rendered 

 the gelatine insoluble, not only remains, but undergoes a change 

 by subsequent exposure to light, and thus accelerates the action 

 of hght upon the organic colour of the pigment, which fades 

 rapidly. He suggests a new fixing agent, bisulphite of soda, 

 and for colour some of the oxides of iron, mixed when moist, 

 with glycerine and gelatine, which he states are absolutely 

 unalterable by exposure to light. 



Edinburgh 



Royal Society, March 8. — Sir William Thomson in the 

 chair. — Prof. Tait read a paper on thermal conductivity, the 

 result of experiments during the last ten years. His results for 

 iron are much the same as those obtained by Principal Forbes. 

 He had solved the following problems : — i. That, with the 

 exception of iron, in no case as yet tried does a pure metal dimi- 

 nish in thermal conductivity as the temperature rises. 2. That 

 different specimens of the same metal, as, for instance, two 

 kinds of copper differ much the same relatively in thermal and 

 in electric conductivity. 3. A substance which is pretty constant 

 as a conductor of electricity is also pretty constant in thermal 

 conductivity. Among the difficulties encountered was the altera- 

 tion of the zero point of the thermometers used — Kew standards — 

 after being heated to a high temperature. This affects only the 

 absolute values slightly, but not the general character of the results. 

 Another difficulty was the oxidation, during heating, of the short 

 bars employed to measure the heat lost by radiation and convec- 

 tion at different temperatures. This was almost completely 

 overcome. — Prof. Fleeming Jenkin and Mr. J. A. Ewing com- 

 municated a paper on the wave forms of articulate sounds 

 obtained by the aid of the phonograph. Their results show that 

 Helmholtz's theory of vowel sounds, viz., that for the produc- 

 tion of any one vowel certain fixed notes are necessary, is not 

 tenable, as they obtained vowel sounds under circumstances 

 which rendered the presence of some of these notes impossible. 

 They have also made out that every vowel and every consonant 

 is reversible. This is true also of such single sounds as ng, th, 

 ch, &c. A number of curves were exhibited showing the form 

 of the indentations on tinfoil produced by various articulate 

 sounds, multiplied about 400 times by means of a system of 

 levers. — A paper by Mr. George M'Gowan on the action of the 

 chlorides of iodine on acetylene and ethylene, was read by Mr. 

 J. Y. Buchanan. 



Paris 



Academy of Sciences, April i.— M. Fizeau in the chair. — 

 The following papers were read : — On some applications of 

 elliptic functions (continued), by M. Hermite. — Parameters of 

 elasticity of solids, and their experimental determination, by 

 M. de Saint-Venant. — On the specific heats and the heat of 

 fusion of gallium, by M. Berthelot. The liquid specific heat 

 was found to be o'o8o2 ; the solid, 0*079. Referred to 69*9 

 as the atomic weight, the heat of fusion was 1*33 cal. As with 

 mercury, lead, tin, and bismuth, the solid and liquid specific 

 heats, taken at the same temperature, are closely alike. The 

 specific atomic heat of gallium (liquid 5-59, solid 5-52) is about 

 the same as that of aluminium (5 '53) and that of glucinium 

 (5 •64). — Action of oxygen on acid chlorides, bromides, and 

 iodides ; compounds of aluminium, by M. Berthelot. — On 

 the movements of storms, by M. Faye.— On the whirlpools 

 of watercourses, by M. Belgrand. He notices some phe- 

 nomena of streams as illustrating M. Faye's theory. — Obser- 

 vations on the nature of the plants collected in the group of 

 Nceggerathia ; types of A^. flabellata, Lindl. and Hutt., and N. 

 cyclopteroides, Goepp., by M. de Saporta. — The conidia of 

 Polyporus sulfureus, Bull, and their development, by M. de 

 Seynes.— Action of the sun on the magnetic and electric fluids 

 of the earth, by M. Quet. The subject is treated mathemati- 

 cally.— On the linear differential equation which connects with 

 the modulus the complete function of the first species, by M. 

 Tannery. — On the kinematics of continuous figures on curved 

 .'.urfaces, and, in general, in plane or curved varieties, by M. 

 Levy.— Actinometric measurements made in Algeria during the 

 summer of 1877, by M. VioUe. These were partly made in the 

 dry Saharan climate of Laghouat, 466 kilom. south of Algiers, 

 partly at Fagrait, a height of 993 m., and at Khanza, 740 m. 

 lower. The method was the same as M. VioUe used on the top 



of Mont Blanc two years ago. The numbers obtained for the solar 

 constant in the former case, by Pouillet's and Forbes' formulae, were 

 2*40 and 2*42 ; both less than 2*54, the value got on the top of 

 Mont Blanc. The ratio of the intensities of solar radiation in 

 the plain and on the mountain was 0*9x5. — On astronomical 

 refraction, by M, Makarevitsch. — On the physical properties 

 and the specific heat of glucinium, by MM. Nilson and Pettersson. 

 They obtained large quantities of crystalline glucinium by heat- 

 ing to a red heat a cylindrical mass of iron, containing, in a hole 

 closed with a screw, some of the chloride and some sodium freed 

 from its oil of naphtha. The compound of marine salt and 

 glucinium found after cooling, is washed with water, and the 

 reduced metal (impure) appears in bright spangles, or dendrites, 

 or small globules. The density of pure glucinium is calculated 

 to be 1*64 ; specific heat 0*4084. The atomic weight Be = 13*8, 

 and the formula for the oxide Be203 (assigned by Berzelius) are 

 confirmed. — On a reaction peculiar to some polyatomic alcohols, 

 by M. Klein. It is shown that all the ethers of mannite and 

 its derivatives possess rotatory power. — On a new method of 

 separation of arsenic from other metals, by MM. De Clermont 

 and Frommel. This is based on the fact that while a large 

 number of hydrates of sulphides are dissociated at 100° into 

 sulphuretted hydrogen and oxide, sulphide of arsenic is the 

 only one which gives a soluble oxide, arsenious acid. Hence, if 

 a mixture of sulphide of arsenic and other sulphides be brought 

 to boiling, the sulphides will all be oxidised, and remain in- 

 soluble in the water, except arsenious acid, which may then be 

 easily isolated. — On melilotol, by Mr. Phipson. This is a new 

 oily product got by distilling with water, dried Melilotus offici- 

 nalis, then treating the distilled water with ether which dissolves 

 the substance, so that it is got very pure after evaporation. To 

 it is due the odour of melilot ■ and hay. — Telephone employed 

 as galvanoscope, by M. D'Arsonval. The worst constructed 

 instrument is found to be at least 100 times more sensitive than 

 the nerve for revealing weak electric tensions. It is very well 

 adapted for studying the electric tetanus of muscle. — On anthrax 

 in the horse and the dog ; phlogogenic action of anthracic 

 blood, by M. Toussaint, The phlogogenic matter accompany- 

 ing the bacterides is more or less active according to the source 

 whence these latter come. — On the epoch of formation of the 

 cloaca in the embryo of the common fowl, by M, Cadiat. 



GOTTINGEN 



Royal Society of Sciences, January 5. — On a class of 

 differential equations which are integrable by Abel's or elliptic 

 functions, by M. Fuchs. — On the affinities and systematic signifi- 

 cance of Ceroxyloii andicola, by M. Drude. — Some words on the 

 origin of language, by M. Benfey. 



CONTENTS Page 



The Application of Electricity to Railway Working {With 



Illustrations) 461 



Trollope's " South Africa " 463 



Our Book Shelf : — 



Hovelacque's " Science of Language " 464 



Letters to the Editor : — 



Age of the Sun in Relation to Evolution. — James Croll, F. R. S. 464 



The Age of the Earth.— W. M. Flinders Petrie 465 



The "Eurydice" Squall. — Ralph Abercromby 466 



Leidenfrost's Phenomenon. — Wm. Garnett (With Illustraiion) 466 



Trajectories of Shot. — W. D. Niven 466 



The Daylight Meteor of March 25.— T. P. Bark as 467 



Meteor.— F. T. Mott 467 



To Entomologists. — Dr. Paul Mayer 467 



Geographical Notes : — 



Royal Geographical Scclety Medals 467 



Africa 467 



Arctic Exploration 468 



Cairo Geographical Society 468 



South America 468 



Ethnography of Russia 468 



The Yenissei ... 468 



The Whang-ho 468 



Educational Voyage 468 



Paris Geographical Society 468 



Depths of Lakes . 468 



German Alpine Club 468 



A Lunar Landscape 469 



Edison's Talking Machine. By Alfred M. Mayer (With Illus- 

 trations) 469 



The Old Red Sandstone of Western Europe, Part I. By Prof. 



Geikie, F.R.S ' . 471 



Notes 473 



Underground Temperature. By Prof. Everett 476 



University and Educational Intelligence 478 



Scientific Serials 478 



SociETiBS AND Academies .... 479 



