Sept. 20, 1 888] 



NA TURE 



501 



studies in college or university being merely incidental. It is 

 important that the student should be made acquainted, if only to 

 a limited extent, with the methods of physical investigation, 

 and that he should be able himself to plan and carry out an 

 attack upon some of the simpler problems of the science. It is 

 believed that these two very desirable ends can be reached without 

 giving an undue share of the time and energy of the pupil to 

 the subject. Assuming the high-school course to consist of four 

 years of three terms each, it is recommended that the study of 

 physics should begin not earlier than the third year ; that it 

 should continue through one year, three hours a week being de- 

 voted to it, not including the time necessary for the preparation 

 of the lesson ; and that during the first two terms the work 

 should be text -book work, accompanied by illustrative experi- 

 ments performed by the instructor, and made as complete as his 

 facilities will allow, while the last term should be devoted to 

 simple laboratory exercises. (4) As to the requirements in 

 physics for admission to college, it is sufficient to say that the 

 course indicated above should be required for admission to any 

 and all courses in the college. (5) In reference to the mini- 

 mum course in physics for undergraduate students in the college, 

 it seems important to avoid the mistake of asking too much. 

 In many institutions, and especially where the elective system 

 largely prevails, it is possible at present for students to receive a 

 degree and yet be almost absolutely ignorant of the principles of 

 physics. It is the judgment of the Committee that a knowledge 

 of this subject constitutes one of the necessary and essential 

 elements of a liberal education, and a minimum course of three 

 hours per week for one year is recommended. What is usually 

 known as the junior year is most desirable for this work, as at 

 that time the student is sufficiently mature and has acquired the 

 necessary training in mathematics to enable him to make the best 

 of what he does. It is recommended that this course consist 

 entirely of text-book and recitation work, with lectures fully and 

 completely illustrated on the professor's table. The report is 

 signed by T. C. Mendenhall, William A. Anthony, H. S. Corbait, 

 and F. H. Smith. 



A CORRESPONDENT of the Times calls attention to the new 

 light now shown from the St. Catherine's Point Lighthouse in_ the 

 Isle of Wight. Prior to May I of this year the light exhibited 

 at this station was described in the Admiralty list of lights as 

 fixed, dioptric, of the first order. That is, it was a steady light 

 produced by means of a six-wick concentric oil-burner and re- 

 fracting lenses, the intensity of the naked flame being equal to 

 about 730 candles. At the present moment an electric light is 

 being shown at St. Catherine's, the full-power intensity of which 

 was recently stated by Captain Sydney Webb, the Deputy 

 Master of the Trinity House, to be equal in illuminating power 

 to rather more than 7,000,000 candles. Every half-minute, in 

 fact — for the light now revolves — a mighty flash of five seconds' 

 duration sweeps around the sea, and is visible at distances that 

 seem incredible. To effect this improvement a commodious 

 engine-room has been added to the establishment, containing 

 three steam-engines of 12 horse-power each, and two magneto- 

 electric machines of the De Meritens type. Two of the engines 

 are intended to work for lighting purposes, the third being meant 

 to work the fog-signal. As a precaution against break-down, 

 everything is in duplicate at least, with an oil light in reserve at 

 well. The only other lighthouses on the coast of England as 

 which the light is produced by means of electricity are Souter 

 Point, on the coast of Durham, between the mouths of the 

 Tyne and the Wear ; the South Foreland, and at the Lizard, on 

 the Cornish coast. But the St. Catherine's light is ten times 

 more powerful than the best of them, the one on Souter Point. 

 It is, in fact, one of if not, as is believed, actually the most 

 intensely brilliant light in existence, and one which the coun- 

 try as a maritime nation may certainly feel proud to see on its 

 shores. 



On the 25th ult. the ascent of Mount Elburz was successfully 

 made from the eastern side by Baron Ungern Sternberg. In 

 notifying the event to the Tiflis Geographical Society, the Baron 

 wrote : — " We set out at II, and crossed the glaciers Iriktchat, 

 Atrium, and Djelkaoughenkes, hitherto deemed impassable. 

 At an altitude of 15,200 feet, I discovered an enormous crater. 

 We passed three nights on the mountain at the different heights 

 of 9000, 14,760, and 17,840 feet. At the last height we passed 

 through a terrific snowstorm. Breathing was not attended with 

 any great difficulty. The health of my men has been good. I 

 descended by the southern side between Azaou and the Terek.' 



The last number of the Mittheilungen of the Vienna Geo- 

 graphical Society has an account by Dr. Svoboda, surgeon of 

 the Austrian man-of-war Aurora, of a visit of that ship, in 1886, 

 to the Nicobar Islands. This archipelago is usually divided 

 into three groups: — (1) The northern islands, including Batti 

 Malive and Kar Nicobar, which are thickly populated, some of 

 them being flat and some mountainous and covered with jungle. 

 Kar Nicobar has an extensive trade with Ceylon, Burmah, 

 Singapore, and other places, as many as between forty and fifty 

 vessels touching there annually ; in fact, its harbour is never 

 without a number of ships. The sole industry of the inhabitants 

 is the manufacture of a kind of earthenware vessels, which they 

 export to the other islands. Other articles of trade are "birds'- 

 nest soup" and "sea-slug soup." The two other groups of 

 islands are (2) the southern islands, including Great and Little 

 Nicobar, and (3) the central islands, comprising Teressa, 

 Chowra, Katchall, Bompoka, and many others. The inhabit- 

 ants of these groups of islands are divided into classes by Dr. 

 Svoboda — namely, the Shab-Dwa, the inhabitants of the coast, 

 and the Shom-Pen, the inhabitants of the interior. The first 

 class resemble the inhabitants of Siam and Burmah, but are, in 

 general, lighter in colour than these latter. Both men and 

 women are repulsive in appearance, though they are generally 

 well formed. The men wear very long hair, and are, as a rule, 

 weak and inactive. Visitors to the islands find it almost im- 

 possible to see the young unmarried women, so closely are they 

 kept from the eyes of strangers. Prior to the visit of Dr. 

 Svoboda, nothing appears to have been known of the Shom-Pen, 

 or inhabitants of the interior. They are completely isolated 

 from the outer world, and are very simple in their habits. The 

 men wear the ordinary loin-cloth, and the women a short skirt, 

 usually their own manufacture, and the only personal ornaments 

 they have are small pieces of bamboo in their ears, and neck- 

 laces of variously coloured glass beads or ribbons many feet in 

 length. Malaria is very prevalent in all the islands, especially 

 in October and November, when the weather is hot and dry. 

 Dr. Svoboda gives a short historical and geographical sketch of 

 the islands, which now have a population of about 6000 souls. 

 The Arabs appear to have been the earliest visitors, and Portu- 

 guese vessels used to call there frequently ; indeed, many 

 Portuguese words are in common use amongst the natives. 



A paper was recently read before the French Academy of 

 Sciences by ',M. Emile Lavasseur on the " Centenarians now 

 living in France." The first reports collected gave the number 

 of persons who had attained 100 years and upwards as 184, but 

 on these being thoroughly sifted no less than 101 were struck out, 

 leaving 83, but even of these there were no fewer than 67 who 

 could not furnish adequate proof of their reputed age. In 16 

 cases, however, authentic records of birth or baptism were found, 

 including that of a man born in Spain, and baptized August 20, 

 1770. His life was spent almost wholly in France. All the 

 other centenarians were reputed to be between 100 and 105 

 years of age, with the exception of a widow claiming to be 112 

 years old. Of the 83 persons said to be centenarians women 

 formed a large majority, the proportion being 52 women to 31 

 men. There were but few married couples, 6 male and 16 



