May 6, 1875 J 



NATURE 



15 



the valuable Ferial (2n'l January part) on tlie part played by 

 carbonic oxide gas in smoking. This treatise is by Dr. Vohl, 

 and refutes Dr, Krause's opinion. He says: "It is evident 

 from Dr. Krause's account that he is unaware of the experiments 

 made by Dr. H. Eulenberg and myself as far back as 1 871, 

 which proved the presence of carbonic oxide in tobacco smoke. 

 I cannot, however, agree with the idea that the physiological 

 effects of smoking are to be in part or wholly attributed to this 

 gas, as it varies greatly in the quantity in which it is present in 

 smoke. This quantity is never considerable, and the effects in 

 question must rather be ascribed to the volatile organic bases, 

 which form while tobacco is burning. Dr. Krause owns himself 

 that his analytical results are not exact, on account of the method 

 he used in obtaining them ; these results cannot therefore give 

 any idea as to the quantity of carbonic oxide generally present 

 in tobacco smoke, as neither the temperature nor the barome- 

 trical pressure was noted, nor was any account taken of oxygen 

 and marsh gas." 



The Government has taken up the question of the protection of 

 seals in the Greenland seal fishery ; and a Bill has been introduced 

 into Parliament by the Board of Trade, authorising the issue of an 

 Order in Council prohibiting the capture or destruction of any 

 kind of seal between such dates as may be specified in such 

 Order, in any part of the area included between the parallels of 

 67° and 75° N., and the meridians of 5° E. and 17° W. Such 

 Order is to be made whenever it shall appear that the other 

 States whose subjects and vessels are engaged in the seal fishery 

 shall make similar regulations. The great destruction of seals 

 which has taken place of late years has seriously interfered with 

 the success of the important industry. This year many of the 

 vessels have returned "clean." 



M. Wallon, the French Minister for Public Instruction, has 

 visited the Lille Academy and Colleges, and was received with a 

 great display of enthusiasm. He is said to contemplate many 

 improvements in educational establishments in large provincial 

 cities ; these are to be tried first in the city where he was bom, 

 and which he represents in the National Assembly. 



The Council of the lately-established United Services College, 

 Westward Ho, have resolved to introduce Natural Science into 

 the regular school-work ; in fact, to place it on an equal footing 

 with Languages and Mathematics as a means of mental training. 

 They have appointed as master Mr. Herbert Green, F.C.S., 

 M.A., of Queen's College, Oxford, who has had some years' 

 experience at Victoria College, Jersey. A laboratory will be at 

 once fitted up under his supervision, and class-rooms will be 

 added as required. 



With regard to the statement quoted from Dr. Cleland's 

 book on Animal Physiology (Nature, vol. xL p. 504), " that 

 the presence of chlorophyll is as necessary for the production of 

 organic matter in organisms as the presence of protoplasm is 

 .necessary for growth," a correspondent points out that fungi 

 seem to be an exception to the rule. He has never seen it stated 

 that Torula, for instance, contains chlorophyll, nor has he ever 

 himself seen chlorophyll in Torula. It is generally agreed, he 

 believes, that fungi do not contain chlorophyll or starch. 



Dr. John Croumbie Brown, F.L.S., author of a work on 

 the Hydrology of South Africa, is preparing for the press a work 

 which he intends to call " Reboisement en France." It will 

 consist of records of the replanting of the Alps, the Cevennes, 

 and the Pyrenees with trees, herbage, and bush, with a view to 

 arresting and preventing the destructive consequences and effects 

 of torrents, and will embody a resume of Alexandre Surell's 

 " Etude sur les Torrents des Hautes Alpes," with copious 

 extracts. 



The Annual Meeting of the Royal Institution was held on 

 Saturday last. Sixty-four new members were elected in 1874. The 

 following gentlemen were unanimousl y elected as officers for the 

 ensuing year : — President, the Duke of Northumberland, D.C.L. ; 

 Treasurer, George Busk, F.R.C.S., F.R.S. ; Secretary, William 

 Spottiswoode, M.A., LL.D., Treas. R.S. The Vice-presidents 

 for the year are the Duke of Devonshire, K.G., Dr. Pole, 

 F.R.S., and Dr. C. W. Siemens, F.R.S. 



The Iron and Steel Institute commenced its meetings yester- 

 day ; we hope to be able next week to give some account of the 

 work done. 



We believe that Mr. Disraeli has promised to receive a depu- 

 tation on the subject of the India Museum after the Whitsuntide 

 holidays. 



Steps are being taken to obtain the assent of the Emperor 

 to a proposal for holding an Imperial German Industrial Ex- 

 hibition in Berlin in 1878. 



Mr. Stanford is about to publish Part I. of " Vestiges of 

 the Molten Globe," by Mr. W. L. Green, Minister of Foreign 

 Affairs to the King of the Sandwich Islands. The work will be 

 concluded in three parts, and will, we believe, contain some 

 curious observations as to the formation of minerals, Mr. Green 

 having had many opportunities of watching the process during 

 his twenty-five years' residence beside the Hawaiian volcanoes. 



Mr. Edward B. Avkling, B.Sc. Lend., has been appointed 

 Lecturer on Comparative Anatomy at the London Hospital 

 Medical College. 



Mr. J. Rand Capron has reprinted from the April number 

 of the Philosophical Magazine his paper " On the Comparison of 

 some Tubes and other spectra with the Spectrum of the 

 Aurora." 



Vine culture in New South Wales is progressing very rapidly, 

 the number of acres occupied for this purpose being 3, 183 in 1873, 

 against 2,568 acres in 1872, and the produce 575,985 gallons 

 against 451,450 gallons. These figures relate only to the growth 

 of grapes for wine- producing purposes, but a considerable area 

 is devoted to the cultivation of the vine for other objects. In 

 Western Australia also, where"the soil and climate are eminently 

 favourable to the growth of the^grape, this pursuit is becoming 

 more general. 



Much information on the functions, the form, and the habits 

 of the Octopus may be obtained irom a small work by Mr. C. 

 Mitchell, recently published by Messrs. Dean and Son. The 

 structure and economy of the animal are, in it, explained in a par- 

 ticularly lucid and interesting manner, which will lead those who 

 have the opportunity of seeing the Octopus in an aquarium for 

 the first time, to form a far better idea of the somewhat shape- 

 less mass presented to their view, than any amount of time spent 

 in simply inspecting it at a distance. Some anatomical illus- 

 trations which are added will also be found very useful to any 

 one who has the opportunity of obtaining specimens for dis- 

 section. 



The additions to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include two Pig-tailed Monkeys {Macacus nemestrinus) 

 from Java, presented by Mr. A. B. (Jordon and Miss H. E. 

 Humphreys ; a Patagonian Conure {Conurus patagonus) from 

 La Plata, presented by Mrs. Cabry ; a Ground Hombill [Buceros 

 abyssiiticus) from West Africa, a Concave-casqued Hombill 

 {Buceros bicornis) from India, received in exchange; a Hoff- 

 mann's Sloth {Cholopus hofftnanni) from Panama, purchased ; 

 two White-fronted Lemurs {Lemur albifrons), a Hairy Arma- 

 dillo {Dasypus villosus), and four Upland Geese {Chloephaga 

 magellanica), bom in the Gardens. 



